Archive · 2 Sep 2026
Tilak Varma Guides South Zone Into Duleep Trophy Final
South Zone played North Zone in a semifinal cricket match.
North Zone scored 195 runs in its first innings.
South Zone then scored 312, giving it an important lead.
North Zone fought back in its second innings and set South a target of 181 runs.
South lost three wickets while chasing that target.
Tilak Varma then scored 51 runs without being dismissed.
Ravichandran Smaran scored 32 runs without getting out.
Together, they added 80 runs and helped South win by seven wickets.
South Zone will now play East Zone in the final.
South Zone defeated North Zone by seven wickets in the Duleep Trophy semifinal in Bengaluru on September 2.
South Zone chased a target of 181, reaching 182 for three in 43.1 overs.
Captain Tilak Varma scored an unbeaten 116 in the first innings and 51 not out in the chase.
Varma and Ravichandran Smaran added an unbeaten 80-run partnership after South Zone slipped to 102 for three.
South Zone will face Ishan Kishan-led East Zone in the final in Chennai from September 6.
- Who
- South Zone defeated North Zone, led by captain Tilak Varma and supported by Ravichandran Smaran.
- What
- South Zone won the Duleep Trophy semifinal by seven wickets and qualified for the final.
- When
- September 2, on the fourth and final day of the semifinal.
- Where
- Bengaluru; the semifinal was reported at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2.
- Why
- South Zone successfully chased North Zone’s target of 181 runs.
South Zone
North Zone
Match position
South Zone
South Zone recovered from 102 for three and completed the chase through Varma and Smaran’s unbeaten partnership.
North Zone
North Zone created pressure by taking three early wickets and setting a target of 181, but could not force further breakthroughs.
Key performances
South Zone
Varma made 116 not out and 51 not out, while MD Nidheesh was reported to have taken five wickets in North Zone’s second innings.
North Zone
North Zone received significant second-innings contributions from Sanat Sangwan, Ayush Doseja and Anshul Kamboj, while its bowlers challenged South’s batters.
Fielding and bowling
South Zone
South Zone’s batters handled North Zone’s pace and spin threats and benefited from North Zone fielding errors.
North Zone
Gurnoor Brar and Abid Mushtaq briefly unsettled South Zone, but North could not convert that pressure into enough wickets.
- Result
- South Zone beat North Zone by seven wickets.
- South Zone chase
- 182 for three in 43.1 overs.
- Target
- 181 runs.
- Tilak Varma
- 116 not out in the first innings and 51 not out in the chase.
- Key partnership
- Varma and Ravichandran Smaran shared an unbeaten 80-run fourth-wicket stand.
- First-innings scores
- North Zone made 195 and South Zone made 312, giving South a 117-run lead.
- Final
- South Zone will play East Zone at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai from September 6.
- Reported discrepancy
- One report said North Zone scored 286 in its second innings, while another reported 297; both gave South Zone a target of 181.
