EZ vs SZ

East Zone are the champions of Duleep Trophy 2026-27. While it further strengthens Ishan Kishan's CV as a captain, it also leaves us salivating with what could be in store for the Ranji Trophy this year. Remember, the coveted tournament begins on October 11.

With the kind of performances young guns like Quraishi, Mohan and Roy put in, Jharkhand might be one team to keep your eye on. Don't forget Bihar, who have made it to the Elite group this year and will feature Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Of course, regular suspects like Mumbai, Karnataka, defending champions Jammu & Kashmir etc. will be attracting attention too.

Of course before that, we'd have the Irani Cup match beginning on October 1. Plenty to look forward to in Men's domestic cricket this year. 

2:38 PM IST: Ishan Kishan collects the massive piece of silverware and carries it to his mates, who are in position behind the banner that says "CHAMPIONS 2026". The celebrations begin. 

Ishan Kishan (East Zone captain): "It is more about being one unit, playing as a one unit. We did that as a group. We took care of each other. That was the most important thing for me

I have been a good leader. But the journey does not end here. Some mistakes keep happening here or there. But you need to keep learning and moving forward.

(On his comeback after being dropped from the Indian team) It is more about being more calm after the break. Being into the game. You need to take care of each other. Try to help others, that they don't get into the zone I was in."

Tilak Varma (South Zone captain): "Disappointing for us. But there have been a lot of learnings for us. Hopefully we will come back stronger. 

The first day, we could have done things better. They sealed the game by scoring 700 runs in the first innings. Credit to their batters. I don't think we bowled that great. 

We were just thinking to bat out for three days. We tried our best. But credit to East Zone. They outplayed us."

2:11 PM: The signal comes from the East Zone dressing room. Handshakes follow. This is the end of the match. East Zone have won on the first innings lead and are officially the champions of Duleep Trophy 2026-27.

The pyro works go off. Ishan Kishan leads the rest of his mates onto the park. He continues to be undefeated as a captain in first class cricket.

They make their way towards the pitch, uproot the stumps and then, get in a huddle to rejoice. Joyful cheering, jumping, hugs and little bit of dance follows. The happiness on display is contagious. Now, they make their way towards the stands where the crowd is and thank them.

Mohammad Shami makes his way closer to the fans and begins giving autographs. He is signing hats, shirts, poster and everything in between.

Here is a quick summary of the the action we saw unfold over the last 5 days ⬇️

East Zone batted and batted and batted and batted and batted. The wicket was placid, but more so was the approach of South Zone in the field. We saw spread out fields sooner than we should have. Hardly any left field tactics were deployed to try and make things happen. Kishan and co. feasted.

The captain led with an imperious knock of 270 in the first innings. Kumar Kushagra rubbed shoulders with him in a massive partnership and scored 101. Shikhar Mohan, another Jharkhand lad, impressed with a solid knock of 85. Abhimanyu Easwaran looked poised for more but got run out on 72. Even the tail wagged. Quraishi's 40, Roy's 45 and Shami's 28 propelled them to 708.

Alas, in response, South Zone's batting left a lot to be desired. Apart from Ricky Bhui, every batter in the top 8 got a start, but only Devdutt Padikkal and Tilak Varma got half-centuries. Alas, neither could convert it into a triple digit score. The SZ captain fell short by a run as he was dismissed for 99. For East Zone, Mohammad Shami showed how to make things happen on barren wickets. Mukesh Kumar chipped in with a three wicket haul too. In the absence of Anukul Roy, who did not take the field due to an injury, Shikhar Mohan and Md. Kounain Quraishi stepped up and picked 2 wickets each.

Once East Zone had taken a first innings lead of 372 runs, the writing was always on the wall. However, Kishan and co. decided to bat them into the ground. They stayed put for another 100 overs. Kishan scored another 80 runs. Shikhar Mohan scored another half-century. Anukul Roy made 64. And just when you thought that South Zone could bowl them out, Md Kounain Quraishi showed what he is capable of doing with the bat in hand as he scored his maiden first class ton and finished on 116*. East Zone finished with 388/7 in the second innings, 760 runs ahead of their opponents. 

99.2 Chama Milind to Md Kounain Quraishi, length delivery, angling into the stumps. Quraishi looks to defend, but ends up chipping it into the on-side.

A wicket maiden from MD Nidheesh. The team physio is back on the park to attend Quraishi. Meanwhile, a friendly banter seems to be going on between Shami and Tilak.