East Zone End 13-Year Wait, Clinch Duleep Trophy After Dominating South Zone

East Zone ended a 13-year wait for the Duleep Trophy on Thursday after their dominant performance against South Zone ensured the final ended in a draw on the fifth and final day. The trophy was decided on the basis of East Zone's massive 372-run first-innings lead, earned after they piled up 708 runs.

East resumed their second innings at 212 for five and finished at 388 for seven, extending their overall lead to a staggering 760 runs before the teams shook hands at 2.10 pm. Mohammad Kounian Quraishi added another milestone to East's impressive batting display, scoring an unbeaten 116, his maiden first-class century in only his second match. He reached the landmark in 179 balls and shared a valuable 150-run partnership with Anukul Roy, who scored 64.

East's triumph was built around several outstanding individual performances. Captain Ishan Kishan produced a sensational 270 in the first innings, underlining his readiness for red-ball cricket. Veteran Mohammed Shami, playing his 100th first-class match, also made a strong contribution, while Kumar Kushagra registered his sixth first-class century. Shikhar Mohan added a composed half-century.

Kishan also impressed with his captaincy, recognising early that securing the first-innings advantage was the key to winning the trophy. He said the team's primary objective was to take all 10 South wickets and gain a lead strong enough to put them in control.

South Zone, meanwhile, struggled to match East's intensity. Mohammed Siraj bowled with pace and aggression in spells but received little support, while the batting failed to mount a serious challenge.

The result also raised questions over South's selection, with experienced players such as Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal and Sai Kishore overlooked. East, however, had already done enough to end their long wait for the prestigious title.