Eastern Zone team scores over 700 runs in Duleep Trophy 2026 final thanks to Ishan Kishan's performance

The East Zone captain, Ishan Kishan, delivered an outstanding performance in the Dalip Trophy 2026-27 final. The match was held at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, where he played against the South Zone. Kishan hit a powerful shot, scoring an impressive 250 runs.

Kishan reached this milestone by facing only 301 balls, utilizing 27 fours and 7 sixes. Although he had to leave the field due to fatigue, he managed to take his team's score to 611/5. This high-scoring innings allowed Kishan to set a significant record: he became the first player from the East Zone to score two centuries in the Dalip Trophy final. Overall in the tournament, he is the third East Zone player to score two centuries, following Arun Lal and Saba Karim.

Supporting Ishan Kishan's powerful play, his alleged girlfriend and model Aditi Hundia also appeared very pleased. Immediately after he scored two centuries, she posted an Instagram story dedicated to Ishan. In her post, she noted that scoring 250 runs in the heat of Chennai is not easy. Aditi also shared her pride for him, writing: 'Usually, the greatness of an innings is determined by its runs, but the true greatness of this innings lies not in the runs, but in your courage, persistence not to give up, and ability to fight. I am very proud of you, Ishu...'. Previously, when Kishan scored a hundred runs, she had published another post.

Besides Kishan, other players also performed brightly in the match. He built an impressive partnership with Kumar Kushagra on the fifth wicket, scoring 230 runs. The start of the innings was also strong: Abhimanyu Ishwar, playing on his 31st birthday, scored 72 runs. Young batter Vaibhav Survanshi hit powerful shots against Mohammad Siraj, earning 34 runs off 24 balls. Furthermore, debutant Shikhar Mohan played a brilliant innings, scoring 85 runs. Thanks to the dominance of the East Zone batters, the South Zone players struggled to take wickets for a long time.

15-year-old Vaibha Suryavanshi demonstrated outstanding abilities in the Dalip Trophy semi-final on Monday, although he could not reach a century, falling short by only 8 runs. After being dismissed at 92 runs, Vaibha showed significant disappointment and angrily threw his bat. RP Singh, a former Indian fast bowler and selection committee member, also looked surprised by his dismissal from the stands watching the match.

Century Milestone in 42 Balls

Starting for the East Zone against the Central Zone, Vaibha reached a half-century in just 42 balls. This allowed him to enter the history of the Dalip Trophy as the youngest batsman to score a half-century. Vaibha was born on March 27, 2011, and achieved this milestone at the age of 15 years and 157 days, breaking a record that stood for about six decades. Previously, this record was set by Lakshman Singh of the Central Zone in 1968-69, who was 16 years and 23 days old when he scored 63 runs against the North Zone.

Aggressive Start Against Bowlers

After the Central Zone scored 266 runs, the East Zone began its innings, and Vaibha immediately declared his intentions. In the very first over, he hit two fours, reaching a score of 21 runs off 14 balls. Within 21 balls, he scored 31 runs. By the end of the 12th over, he had already scored 40 runs off 28 balls. During this period, he also had a chance to save a shot: his lofted shot went in the air but was not caught. Vaibha was heading towards the dressing room but returned to the field upon seeing that the ball was not caught. He then seized the moment and completed his half-century in 42 balls.

Demonstration of Understanding Beyond Attacking Style

A feature of this innings was not only Vaibha's aggressive style of play. At times, he showed respect for the ball, using defense, playing ground shots, and rotating the strike. Thus, this young batsman, known for his explosive style in T20 cricket, demonstrated an understanding of the requirements of classical cricket. This innings is also important for Vaibha, as his first-class statistics were not as impressive before this. Before the semi-final, he had scored 215 runs in 13 matches, with an average of 16.53. His best first-class score was 93 runs, which he scored for Bihar against Meghalaya.

Dream Shattered by 8 Runs Short of a Century

After reaching a half-century, Vaibha did not stop and aimed for his first first-class century. However, his innings ended at 92 runs. He attempted to hit a big shot to the left side off Harsha Dubey's bowling but got trapped at deep mid-wicket. His disappointment after being dismissed was evident, and he angrily threw his bat. His score of 92 runs was the highest in the Dalip Trophy, and only one run less than his best first-class score of 93 runs.

RP Singh's Surprise

Vaibha's dismissal also attracted the attention of the selection committee members present in the stands. RP Singh, a former Indian fast bowler and selection committee member, was watching Vaibha's game. As soon as the 15-year-old batsman was dismissed at 92 runs, RP Singh also looked surprised. Besides RP Singh, Ajay Ratra and SS Das were also watching the match. According to the new BCCI policy, two selection committee members are present in every Dalip Trophy playoff match. Thus, Vaibha's innings was noticed by the selection committee members.

Significant Signal for Test Cricket?

So far, Vaibha has been known mainly as a player capable of explosive attack in limited-overs cricket and setting age-related records. However, this innings in the Dalip Trophy showed another side of his game. In addition to setting the record for the youngest player to score a half-century in the Dalip Trophy, he demonstrated patience, defense, and strike rotation in his 92-run innings. Although the century fell short by 8 runs, this innings clearly showed that Vaibha is quickly mastering the challenges of classical cricket.

The first semi-final of the Duleep Trophy features a match between the Eastern and Central Zones teams. The game is ongoing at the Central of Excellence (CoE) stadium in Bangalore, which belongs to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

All attention is focused on Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who has demonstrated an impressive performance for the Eastern Zone team. In the first innings, he reached a half-century, scoring five fours and three sixes off just 42 balls.

The Eastern Zone scored 138 runs in 21 overs. Vaibhav Suryavanshi started his contribution with singles, then gained momentum by hitting two fours off Yash Thakur in the second over. Following this, he continued his aggressive play, hitting powerful shots against loose deliveries. He completed his half-century milestone by hitting a sixteen off spinner Saransh Jain in the 15th over. This is Vaibhav's first half-century in the Duleep Trophy; previously, in his debut match against the North-Eastern Zone team, he scored only 8 runs.

The Eastern Zone won the toss under the captaincy of Ishan Kishan, who decided to bat first. The Central Zone team managed to score only 266 runs in the first innings. Rinku Singh played excellently, scoring 60 runs off 88 balls with eight fours. Aryan Jual (46 runs) and Yash Thakur (30 runs without dismissal) also made useful contributions.

From the Eastern Zone, Mukesh Kumar and Abidjit Sarkar each took three wickets. Additionally, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Kaunin Kuraiashi took two wickets each.

The Eastern Zone squad included: Abhimanyu Ishwara, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kumar Kushagra, Sudip Kumar Garam, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper/captain), Virat Singh, Mohammed Kaunin Kuraiashi, Anukala Roy, Abidjit Sarkar, Mohammed Shami, and Mukesh Kumar.

The Central Zone squad consisted of: Aman Mokhade, Aryan Jual (wicketkeeper), Kunal Chandela, Yash Rathore, Rajta Patidar (captain), Rinku Singh, Saransh Jain, Harsha Dubey, Arshad Khan, Yash Thakur, and Aryan Pandey.