East Zone beat North East by innings, reach Duleep semifinals

East Zone secured a commanding victory over North East Zone by an innings and 210 runs in their Duleep Trophy 2026-27 quarterfinal at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 in Bengaluru on August 25, 2026. The comprehensive win propels East Zone into the semifinals, where they will face defending champions Central Zone on August 30, 2026, at the same venue.

The foundation for East Zone's dominant performance was laid in their first innings, where they posted a formidable total of 467. The innings was anchored by two century-makers: Shahbaz Ahmed, who scored 167, and Sudip Kumar Gharami, who contributed 146. Their substantial partnership placed immediate and immense pressure on the North East Zone batting lineup.

North East Zone was bundled out for just 111 in reply, a deficit of 356 runs. Pacer Abhijit Sarkar was instrumental in this collapse, claiming five wickets for 20 runs. Following on, North East Zone's batting order could not recover. Spinner Anukul Roy then took charge, claiming a five-wicket haul to dismiss the opposition and seal the innings victory for East Zone.

The match also marked a notable Duleep Trophy debut for 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. While he managed...