Central Zone Dominates as South Zone Struggles in Duleep Trophy 2025 Final

South Zone faced a challenging start to its Duleep Trophy final against Central Zone, held at the BCCI CoE Ground (1) in Bengaluru on Thursday, due to a lackluster batting performance. A mix of poor shot selection, insufficient temperament, and a haphazard run-out led to South Zone getting bowled out for a mere 149 runs. Spinners Saransh Jain (5/49) and Kumar Kartikeya (4/53) expertly maintained pressure and capitalized on the situation.

By reaching 50 runs without losing a wicket by the end of play, Central Zone demonstrated that the pitch conditions were not as challenging as South Zone’s performance suggested.

The troubles for South Zone began with opener Mohit Kale (9), who fell to left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya while trying an ill-advised slog sweep. Kale’s failed attempt resulted in him losing his stumps.

Similarly, Karnataka’s R. Smaran, who was brought in as a substitute for Devdutt Padikkal, carelessly gave away his wicket. Swiping at a ball from Kartikeya, Smaran skied it to mid-wicket, resulting in an easy catch.

Tanmay Agarwal (31, 76b, 3×4) showed some resilience until a disastrous communication error saw him run out. In an effort to return for a second run, Tanmay collided with partner Ricky Bhui, leaving him stranded in the middle of the pitch and hopelessly run out.

Captain Mohammed Azharuddeen fell victim to the skillful bowling of Kartikeya, who delivered a superb delivery that pitched outside leg, squared up Azharuddeen, and went on to clip the off-stump.

The offspinner Saransh joined the action by trapping Ricky Bhui (15) leg-before. With excellent loop and turn, Saransh lured Andre Siddarth (12) out of the crease, leading to a sharp stumping by wicketkeeper Upendra Yadav.

Despite brief resistance from Salman Nizar (24) and Ankit Sharma (20), South Zone had no answer to Central Zone’s dominance.

Kumar Kartikeya, omitted from the previous two rounds of this tournament, seized this opportunity to shine. Known for his proficiency in both orthodox and wrist spin, Kartikeya was eager for this chance after being overlooked for zonal teams in prior seasons despite strong performances in the Ranji Trophy.

“I was selected for this match due to some players being called up to the India ‘A’ team. It was crucial for me to make the most of this opportunity,” Kartikeya stated.

Published on September 11, 2025.