East Zone Win Duleep Trophy After 13 Year Wait

East Zone ended a 13-year wait for the Duleep Trophy on Thursday, securing the title against South Zone on first-innings lead after the final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai ended in a draw. East piled up 708 in their first innings to take a 372-run lead, then added 388 for seven in their second innings before the teams shook hands at 2:10 pm on the fifth day, with the overall lead standing at 760 runs. It is East Zone's third Duleep Trophy title and their first since the 2012-13 season. Captain Ishan Kishan was the standout performer, scoring 270 in the first innings to lay the foundation for the huge total. He said his plan was straightforward once East had batted for roughly two days: take all 10 South Zone wickets and secure a first-innings lead substantial enough to be decisive. He described the situation as essentially a first-innings shootout, noting that with a lead good enough to impose the follow-on there was little incentive to bat again in the heat. The second innings produced its own milestones.