Indian stars deliver mixed returns in Duleep Trophy 2026 semi-finals in Bengaluru

Central Zone faced East Zone and South Zone met North Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026 semi-finals, with both matches beginning on August 30 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The knockout fixtures offered Indian players an opportunity to press their claims for spots in the Test side amid changes in the red-ball setup.

The 2026 edition has returned to the traditional four-day zonal format and is being played as the domestic season gets under way, drawing close attention from selectors and followers of red-ball cricket. Central Zone entered the semis as the defending champions. The two semi-finals are part of the domestic knockouts used to assess players for higher honours.

The first semi-final produced a dramatic contest: Central Zone were bowled out for 266, with Rinku Singh contributing 60 off 88 balls and Harsh Dubey adding 27. East Zone matched that total, propelled by a strong innings from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi described in reports as a spectacular knock. East were ultimately dismissed for 266 as well.

Central’s bowling produced notable individual figures in that match. Mukesh Kumar claimed 3/56 for Central, Mohammed Shami took 2/42, and Harsh Dubey later returned impressive bowling figures of 4/66 as East were dismissed for 266.

The other semi-final saw South Zone take on North Zone, with reports saying South Zone continued to forge ahead under a determined captain who scored the bulk of the runs. Tilak Varma is recorded as scoring 116 runs for South Zone in the semi-final.

Additional player figures reported from the semi-finals include: Tilak Varma (South Zone) – 116 runs; Rajat Patidar (Central Zone) – 17 runs; Rinku Singh (Central Zone) – 80 runs; Harsh Dubey (Central Zone) – 51 runs and 4* wickets; Saransh Jain (Central Zone) – 14 runs and 0* wickets. Bowling and other contributions listed were Mohammed Shami (East Zone) – 5 wickets, Mukesh Kumar (East Zone) – 7 wickets, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (East Zone) – 132* runs, Ishan Kishan (East Zone) – 16 runs, Ayush Badoni (North Zone) – 2 runs, Arshdeep Singh (North Zone) – 2 wickets, Anshul Kamboj (North Zone) – 2 wickets, and Gurnoor Brar (North Zone) – 4 wickets.

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