Central Zone on the Brink of Duleep Trophy Glory After South Zone’s Dramatic Collapse
Bengaluru’s BCCI Centre of Excellence turned into a thriller on Sunday as the 2025/26 Duleep Trophy final headed into its final day. Central Zone need just 65 runs to clinch the title after bowling out South Zone for 426 in their second innings on Day Four. What started as a potential innings win for Central turned into a nail-biter, thanks to a fighting stand by South Zone’s batsmen.
Central Zone looked dominant early on, reducing South Zone to 222/6 before lunch and holding a 140-run lead. But then came the game-changer: a solid 192-run seventh-wicket partnership between Ankit Sharma and C. Andre Siddarth. These two fought back hard, keeping South Zone in the hunt and dodging an innings defeat. Ankit smashed 99 runs, falling just one short of a century, while Siddarth remained unbeaten on 84, anchoring the innings with grit.
The drama peaked in the last half-hour of play. After Ankit’s dismissal, South Zone crumbled, losing their last four wickets for a measly 12 runs. Central Zone’s bowlers, led by Kumar Kartikeya Singh with 4-110, wrapped things up quickly. Saransh Jain chipped in with 3-130 to seal the pressure.
Earlier in the day, South Zone resumed from 129/2. Ricky Bhui scored a steady 45 before Deepak Chahar got him. Smaran Ravichandran fought valiantly, reaching his half-century off 70 balls and finishing on 67. Mohammed Azharuddeen added some quick runs with 27 off 40 balls, but Kartikeya dismissed him. Salman Nizar tried a counter-attack with 12 off 17, only to fall to the same bowler.
Post-lunch, Ankit and Siddarth took control, playing smart shots against Kartikeya and Jain. They pushed the score past Central’s first-innings total of 511, but the collapse after Ankit’s exit ended South’s dreams. Now, Central Zone, powered by Yash Rathod’s massive 194 in their innings, are favorites to lift the Duleep Trophy on Day Five.
Brief Scores:
South Zone 149 and 426 all out in 121 overs (Ankit Kumar 99, Andre Siddarth 84*; Kumar Kartikeya Singh 4-110, Saransh Jain 3-130) trail Central Zone 511 (Yash Rathod 194; Gurjapneet Singh 4-124) by 64 runs.
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