Duleep Trophy 2026: East Zone vs North East Zone, 1st Quarter-Final Match Preview

East Zone and North East Zone are set to face each other in the first quarter-final of the Duleep Trophy 2026 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 in Bengaluru, starting on Sunday, August 23.

Two-time champions East Zone are led by Ishan Kishan, who led Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year. However, all eyes will be on his deputy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and how he performs in the first domestic red-ball competition of the season.

East Zone's bowling attack is quite formidable, with the likes of Mohammed Shami and Mukesh kumar being in the mix. If there is some early moisture and East Zone bowl first, the Shami-Mukesh combination could wreak havoc. In the spin-bowling department, there are two talented left-arm spin-bowling all-rounders in Anukul Roy and Shahbaz Ahmed.

The batting also looks solid, with Abhimanyu Easwaran, Subhranshu Senapati, and Virat Singh being in the ranks, apart from Kishan and Sooryavanshi.

Meanwhile, North East Zone are going to be led by the very experienced Rongsen Jonathan, who was born in Karnataka and leads Nagaland. He will have Bishworjit Singh Konthoujam as his deputy. Sonam Palden Bhutia is the head coach of the team.

Konthoujam is the bowler to watch out for in this team. The 30-year-old picked up 24 wickets in six matches last season in the Ranji Trophy. However, he will need help from his fellow bowlers. There is a fine mix of youth and experience in the North East Zone side and they will look to give East Zone a run for their money despite being the underdogs.

EZ vs NEZ: Match Details

BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2, Bengaluru: Pitch Report

The BCCI Centre of Excellence is expected to provide a competitive pitch where there is going to be a good balance between bat and ball. There could be some early swing on offer for the pacers and as the game progresses, spinners would come into play.

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

This is going to be the first meeting between East Zone and North East Zone in the Duleep Trophy.

EZ vs NEZ: Predicted Playing 11s

East Zone

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Virat Singh, Ishan Kishan (WK & C) Subhranshu Senapati, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anukul Roy, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar.

North East Zone

Rongsen Jonathan (C), Arpit Bhatewara (WK), K Priyoji Singh, Kishan Lyngdoh, Techi Neri, Robin Limboo, Vino Zhimomi, Robin Limboo, Akash Choudhary, Bishworjit Konthoujam, Pheiroijam Jotin.