East Zone also kept the pressure on South Zone with the Duleep Trophy 2026 final on Day 4 and the captain Ishan Kishan was again playing big with the bat. With East Zone having a huge first-innings lead, Kishan played another important innings in the second innings and eventually departed for 80.
The final is played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, where East Zone had already established a commanding position by posting 708 in their first innings. Kishan was the star of that effort, smashing a magnificent 270 off 334 balls, including 30 fours and seven sixes.
South Zone bowled out for 336
South Zone resumed day four with 242/6 but was unable to withstand the East Zone bowling attack. Captain Tilak Varma fought hard and just missed a century, falling for 99.
South Zone were eventually dismissed for 336, which left East Zone with a first-innings lead of 372 runs. That huge advantage put East Zone in control and meant they would probably win the title even if the match ended at a draw.
The result also demonstrated the effectiveness of East Zone's bowling unit after the team's huge first-innings total had placed South Zone under significant pressure.
Kishan continues impressive final
After a score of 270 in the first innings, Kishan returned to the crease in East Zone’s second innings following the early dismissals of the openers.
East Zone captain showed no signs of slowing down. He combined with Shikhar Mohan to rebuild the innings and keep South Zone's bowlers under pressure.
At one point East Zone was 95/2, with Kishan unbeaten on 48 and Mohan on 34. Kishan then went through his half-century with an aggressive sequence of boundaries, taking East Zone's lead close to 500.
His second-innings contribution also underlined his importance to East Zone’s campaign and capped a remarkable individual performance in the final.
4️⃣,6️⃣,6️⃣,4️⃣
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 9, 2026
Captain Ishan Kishan ups the ante with some brilliant strokeplay 💥
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/BhTkGWeeoD#DuleepTrophy | #EZvSZ pic.twitter.com/WLu5FqyabI
East Zone pile on the pressure
The 708-run first innings, South Zone’s 336 and another big batting effort put East Zone in a strong position.
Kishan's performance has also added to the growing discussion around his red-ball credentials. His mammoth first-innings 270 was one of the defining performances of the tournament and came in front of national selectors watching the contest.
For South Zone, there is now a tougher task ahead of them and the latter has been harder. Now the team will have to make a major change and hope to turn things around against an East Zone team that has dominated the final with bat and ball.
What happens next?
With East Zone on top, how can South Zone push for a result or will East Zone finish the campaign with the trophy?
In addition to this, the match has also provided space in which some players like Kishan have found themselves in a position to play captaincy and also bat consistently.
East Zone’s large first-innings total and their bowling performance put them right at Duleep Trophy level. For South Zone, only a dramatic fightback can keep East Zone from winning the title.
