Duleep Trophy 2026: Central Zone vs East Zone, 1st Semi-Final Match Preview

Central Zone are going to face East Zone in the first semi-final of the 2026 Duleep Trophy at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru, starting on Sunday, August 30.

Rajat Patidar is all set to lead Central Zone in their first match of the tournament. They received a bye into the semi-final. Apart from Patidar, there are several star players to watch out for. Rinku Singh is the other big name in the side. The spin attack is formidable, with Harsh Dubey and Saransh Jain in the ranks. Yash Thakur and Arshad Khan are two fast bowlers to keep an eye on.

On the other hand, East Zone earned their place in the semi-final after beating North East Zone by an innings and 210 runs earlier this week. Shahbaz Ahmed won the Player of the Match award after scoring a majestic 167 off 244 balls in the first innings and picking up four wickets in total. Anukul Roy, the other spin-bowling all-rounder in the side, bagged a five-for in North East Zone's second innings. Sudip Gharami also scored an important ton, which will give him a lot of confidence. Star pacers Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar failed to make much of an impact and they would need to step up in the semis.

CZ vs EZ: Match Details

BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1, Bengaluru: Pitch Report

The second quarter-final between North Zone and West Zone was played at this venue. This was a low-scoring clash, where the highest score across the four innings was just 251. Batting was difficult as there was assistance from the pitch for both the batters as well as the bowlers. If a similar surface hosts the semi-final, batters will have to be wary and trust their defensive technique.

CZ vs EZ: Head-to-Head Record in Tests

CZ vs EZ: Predicted Playing 11s

Central Zone

Aryan Juyal (WK), Yash Rathod, Kunal Singh Rathod, Rajat Patidar (WK), Rinku Singh, Aman Mokhande, Zeeshan Ansari, Saransh Jain, Harsh Dubey, Arshad Khan, Yash Thakur.

East Zone

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Kumar Kushagra, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Virat Singh, Ishan Kishan (WK & C), Shahbaz Ahmed, Anukul Roy, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Abhijit K Sarkar.