North Zone defeats West Zone to reach Duleep Trophy semifinal

North Zone advanced to the Duleep Trophy 2026 semifinal after defeating West Zone by 52 runs in their quarterfinal match at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on August 26. The victory was secured in just 6.3 overs on the fourth and final day, completing a dramatic turnaround that began with a collapse on the third evening. West Zone, captained by Ruturaj Gaikwad, resumed the final morning needing 67 runs with three wickets remaining. However, they were bowled out for 234 without adding a single run to their overnight score. The decisive breakthroughs came from Jammu and Kashmir allrounder Abid Mushtaq, who finished with nine wickets across the match.