Bengaluru to host Duleep Trophy semifinals with Patidar, Sooryavanshi in action

August 29, 2026 3 Min Read

By Ananya Iyer — 29 August 2026 — 3 min read

Duleep Trophy Semifinals Set in Bengaluru

The Duleep Trophy semifinals are scheduled to take place in Bengaluru, featuring four zonal teams vying for a spot in the final. The matchups will see defending champions Central Zone face East Zone, while last year’s runners-up South Zone will compete against North Zone. These matches are set to begin on Sunday, showcasing domestic cricket talent.

Central Zone and South Zone earned direct entry into the semifinals. East Zone secured their place with a dominant victory over North East Zone, demonstrating strong performances in both batting and bowling. North Zone advanced after a close quarterfinal win, largely due to the bowling efforts of left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq.

Key Players and Team Dynamics

Central Zone, led by Rajat Patidar for the second consecutive season, maintains a strong core from their championship-winning side. Patidar enters the tournament following a productive season in the IPL and MP T20 League. Vice-captain Rinku Singh adds experience to the middle order. The team’s bowling depth is a notable strength, featuring Saransh Jain and Harsh Dubey as a spin combination, alongside pace bowler Yash Thakur and Zeeshan Ansari.

East Zone carries momentum into the semifinals, with young player Vaibhav Sooryavanshi drawing attention. In their quarterfinal match, East Zone defeated North East Zone by an innings and 210 runs. Key contributions came from Bengal’s Sudip Gharami and Shahbaz Ahmed, who both scored centuries. Shahbaz also took four wickets, while Anukul Roy claimed a five-wicket haul in the second innings, and Abhijit Sarkar finished with six wickets in the match. Captain Ishan Kishan provides experience to the batting lineup, and Abhimanyu Easwaran brings First-Class pedigree.

Sooryavanshi, a left-arm spinner, made an impact with the ball in the second innings against North East Zone, taking two wickets in a three-over spell. He expressed his enjoyment of bowling, noting that captain Ishan Kishan might not have been aware of his wicket-taking abilities. Sooryavanshi’s spell quickly changed the innings, as he dismissed Kishan Lyngdoh and then Imliwati Lemtur, with Kishan taking the catch behind the stumps. The Bihar youngster, who is also a batter for Rajasthan Royals, has four wickets in First-Class cricket.

South Zone, last year’s runners-up, are led by new captain Tilak Varma. Their batting unit includes experienced players such as Ricky Bhui, Narayan Jagadeesan, and Karun Nair. Jagadeesan has been a consistent run-scorer in domestic cricket. The bowling attack features Shreyas Gopal and left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan, with Vidwath Kaverappa providing pace.

North Zone enters the semifinals with confidence after a tight knockout victory, where they edged out West Zone by 52 runs in the quarterfinal. The team’s selection choices have been a topic of discussion, particularly the exclusion of Sanat Sangwan in favor of Yash Dhull. Dhull struggled against West’s pace attack, scoring nine and a duck. Mushtaq was pivotal in North Zone’s win, delivering outstanding match figures of 9/99. North Zone may also adjust their pace attack, with Sunil Kumar potentially making way for Gurnoor Brar, who had an impressive showing for India A. Vice-captain Ayush Badoni, who scored fifties in both innings against West, will be crucial, supported by Abdul Samad and Anshul Kamboj.

Upcoming Matches

The semifinals are anticipated to be compelling contests, pitting South Zone’s experience against North Zone’s resilience, and Central Zone’s strong core against East Zone’s momentum. The match between East Zone and Central Zone will be held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 in Bengaluru, starting at 9:30 am on Sunday. The final of the Duleep Trophy is scheduled to begin on September 6.