 |
| Advertisement |
The Duleep Trophy, India’s premier domestic first-class cricket competition came to it’s conclusion with Central Zone beating South Zone in the final of the competition’s 62nd staging.
But who were the stars and what were the key takeaways?
Let’s take a moment to look back on season 62 of the Duleep trophy.
How does the Duleep Trophy work?
For 2025 the Duleep Trophy reverted to its traditional zonal format, with six teams: Central, East, North, Northeast, South and West all competing in a knockout competition.
Squads were selected by the national selectors. South Zone and West Zone were handed direct passage to the semi-finals, while the remaining four zones contested the quarterfinals to kick off the event.
The return to the zonal structure was widely welcomed as a move to reinvigorate India’s premier red-ball competition.
Which stars were on show?
Kuldeep Yadav (Central Zone)
A seasoned Indian international with 168 for the national team across all formats, Kuldeep Yadav is one of India’s premier spinners.
Despite that, he went wicketless in 32 overs he bowled against Northeast Zone – his only game in the competition.
Riyan Parag (East Zone)
The flamboyant Assam all-rounder skippered the East Zone team. While he hasn’t played a Test for India, Parag has represented the national team in both ODIs and T20I.
Known largely for his IPL exploits, Parag banged a quickfire 39 from 47 in what was a losing cause against North Zone.
Devdutt Padikkal (South Zone)
With four caps for India, two in Tests and two in T20I, elegant left-hander Devdutt Padikkal is one of India’s top batters.
He scored 56 in South Zone’s win over the North.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (West Zone)
One of India’s most exciting young batters, Jaiswal is already a mainstay in India’s Test side where his ability to make big scores has underlined his appetite for long innings.
Jaiswal is the fifth ranked Test batsman in the world.
Shreyas Iyer (West Zone)
Shreyas Iyer, the stylish Mumbai batter, offered West Zone stability and flair.
Known for his exploits in the IPL Shreyas has a Test average of 36.86 and a First-Class average of 48.12
Leading run-scorers in Duleep Trophy
Rajat Patidar (Central Zone): 382 runs at an average of 76.40
A good captain always leads from the front and Patidar was imperious for the eventual winners.
Patidar made double figures in each of his six knocks posting scores of 125, 66, 77, 101 and 13.
Yash Rathod (Central Zone): 374 runs at an average of 124.66
The former India U19 star gave people plenty to think about as he found excellent form for Central Zone with scores of 87*, 78, 2, 194 and 13*.
He was named Player of the Match in the final.
Danish Malewar (Central Zone): 352 at an average of 70.40
Malewar makes the list in third spot largely due to his massive knock of 203 (he retired out) against Northeast Zone.
Leading wicket-takers in Duleep Trophy
Saransh Jain (Central Zone): 16 wickets at an average of 24.00
Off-spinner Jain was one of the stars of the tournament as he claimed eight wickets in each of the two games he played – claiming two five wicket hauls in the process.
He also weighed in with valuable runs to eventually be named Player of the Series
Gurjapneet Singh (Southern Zone): 10 wickets at an average of 24.10
At almost 27-years-old Gurjapneet has played just six First Class games.
Despite his limited experience he starred for Southern Zone with two four-wicket hauls and a brace.
Harsh Dubey (Central Zone): 10 wickets at an average of 28.70
The left arm orthodox spinner worked hard for his wickets, sending down a total of 93 overs for his ten wickets.
Playing alongside Jain, Dubey was the perfect spin-twin foil for his Central Zone teammate.
How the Duleep Trophy final unfolded
Central Zone secured their first Duleep Trophy title in nearly 11 years with a six-wicket win over South Zone in Bengaluru, thanks to standout performances from Yash Rathod, Saransh Jain and Rajat Patidar.
Chasing just 65 on the final morning, Central endured early nerves as Ankit Sharma and Gurjapneet Singh exploited bounce and movement to reduce them to 24 for 3.
Danish Malewar and Shubham Sharma both fell cheaply, while Jain’s brief promotion up the order also ended in disappointment.
Patidar, fresh from a rapid first-innings century, counter-attacked alongside captain Akshay Wadkar to steady the chase.
Though he survived some nervy moments and even a stumping chance, Patidar’s positive intent kept South on the back foot until he fell with 16 still required.
Wadkar and Rathod, who had already scored a career-best 194 earlier in the match, calmly completed the chase, with Rathod striking the winning runs through the covers in the 21st over.
The victory was built on Rathod’s marathon innings in the first dig, Jain’s all-round display (he scored 69 runs and claimed a match haul of 8 for 179), and Patidar’s fluent hundred that gave Central a commanding lead.
South’s spinners, led by Ankit, briefly threatened to turn the final into a contest, but the modest target proved too small.
It was Central’s seventh Duleep Trophy crown, and their first since beating the same opposition in the 2014-15 season, ending a decade-long wait for silverware in India’s premier zonal competition.
The post Full review of the 2025 Duleep Trophy – which batters and bowlers starred? appeared first on Cricket365.
from Cricket365 https://ift.tt/h0KdfrA
0 comments: