New Delhi: Central Zone beat South Zone by six wickets to win the title in the final match of Duleep Trophy 2025 played at BCCI COE Ground (1) in Bengaluru. On the last day of the match played on Monday, Central Zone needed 65 runs to win. Although the team lost four wickets, it managed to reach the target. This is Central Zone's first Duleep Trophy title since 2014-15, when the team led by Piyush Chawla won the title.
Central Zone made a strong hold in the match by scoring a huge 511 runs in the first innings. South Zone's team was bundled out for only 149 runs in the first innings. Poor performance on a batting friendly pitch made the road difficult for South. However, South scored 426 runs in the second innings but failed to gain lead.
South Zone coach and former Indian fast bowler Lakshmipathi Balaji admitted that the batsmen needed to show more patience in the first innings. He said that some shots were unnecessary. But this is a young batting unit and they will definitely learn from it. Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Saransh Jain was chosen as the 'Player of the Series'. He took the highest 16 wickets in the tournament and also played two half-century innings. Saransh said that this was a very important series for me. It is helpful in preparing for the entire domestic season and it is important that I maintain this rhythm in the future as well.
Brief score of the match:
South Zone: 149 and 426
Central Zone: 511 and 66/4 (20.3 overs)
Player of the Match: Yash Rathod
Player of the Series: Saransh Jain
