Central Zone beat South Zone by 6 wickets to lift Duleep Trophy

Central Zone won the Duleep Trophy after 11 years. They beat South Zone by 6 wickets in Bengaluru. The target was just 65, but the pitch was rough on Day 5 and the chase had some tense moments. In the end, Akshay Wadkar and Yash Rathod stayed calm and took Central home at 66/4 in 20.3 overs. This is Central Zone’s seventh Duleep Trophy title.

How the match unfolded

Central Zone took control with a big first-innings total and strong spin bowling. South Zone fought back with a brave second innings of 426 to stay alive. On the final morning, the ball turned and bounced. South Zone’s bowlers struck early and reduced Central to 24/3, then 49/4. But the target was too small. Wadkar (19 not out) and first-innings centurion Rathod (13 not out) finished the job.

Big performers

• Yash Rathod: Scored a superb hundred in the first innings and hit the winning runs in the chase.

• Saransh Jain: All-round impact through the game; he was named Player of the Series.

• Kumar Kartikeya: Turned the ball sharply across both innings and kept South under pressure.

• For South Zone, Ankit Sharma (left-arm spin) and Gurjapneet Singh (pace) made the final day tricky and took early wickets. Ankit also made 99 in the second innings to set up the fightback.

Captains speak

Central captain Rajat Patidar said the team showed character all tournament and read the pitch well by batting first. He praised Danish Malewar and Rathod for key batting efforts. South skipper Mohammed Azharuddeen said the final will motivate them for the long domestic season ahead. He admitted the batting made some poor calls in the first innings but was happy with the second-innings fight.

Why this win matters

• Ends Central Zone’s 11-year wait for the Duleep Trophy.

• Shows the value of first-innings runs and strong spin on wearing pitches.

• Confirms match-winners across roles: top-order runs, middle-order calm, and tireless spin.