Central Zone delivered a stellar performance against South Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2025 final, held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground, Bengaluru, from September 11 to 15.
Under the leadership of Rajat Patidar, Central Zone claimed their 7th Duleep Trophy title and their first in 11 years. Chasing a modest target of 65 runs in the second innings, the team overcame early setbacks, losing four wickets, to secure a six-wicket win.
South Zone began the match, batting first in the opening innings, but struggled against Central Zone’s potent bowling attack, being bowled out for 149. Saransh Jain starred with a five-wicket haul, while Kumar Kartikeya chipped in with four wickets.
In reply, Central Zone’s batting dominated, with centuries from Rajat Patidar and Yash Rathod propelling the team to 511, establishing a commanding lead. In their second innings, South Zone fought back through late contributions from C Andre Siddarth and Ankit Sharma, posting 426 runs and setting Central Zone a target of 65.
During the run chase, Central Zone faced early trouble as Danish Malewar was dismissed for 5, followed by low scores from Shubham Sharma (8) and Saransh Jain (4). However, Akshay Wadkar remained unbeaten on 19, with Yash Rathod adding 13*, guiding Central Zone to a comfortable six-wicket victory.