Duleep Trophy 2026, Central Zone vs East Zone: In the first semi-final of the Duleep Trophy 2026, East Zone's fast bowlers brought Central Zone's batsmen to their knees with their swing and pace.
After being bowled out for 266 in the first innings, Central Zone saw their second innings collapse for just 158 runs at the hands of the lethal duo of Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar. Across the entire match, this fast-bowling pair claimed a combined total of 12 wickets.
The Mukesh-Shami duo worked wonders
East Zone displayed exceptional bowling in this match. The duo of Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar claimed wickets at regular intervals. After wrapping up Central Zone's first innings for 266 runs, Shami and Mukesh continued to dominate in the second innings as well.
In the first innings, Mohammed Shami took 2 wickets and Mukesh Kumar claimed 3. In the second innings, Mukesh Kumar returned figures of 4 for 44 in 12 overs. Meanwhile, the experienced Mohammed Shami dismissed 3 batsmen. Abhijit Sarkar, Anukul Roy, and Qunain Qureshi also claimed one wicket each.
Mukesh Kumar Touches Shami's Feet
A special moment unfolded during this semi-final. The match proved to be quite disappointing for Central Zone captain Rajat Patidar; in both innings, he was bowled in exactly the same manner—playing the ball onto his stumps—off deliveries from Mukesh Kumar that cut sharply inwards.
He scored 12 runs in the first innings and just 5 in the second. Immediately after claiming Patidar's wicket in the second innings, Mukesh Kumar touched the feet of his senior fast-bowling colleague, Mohammed Shami, to seek his blessings—a gesture captured in photos and videos that went viral on social media.
Central Zone Collapses Like a House of Cards
No Central Zone batsman could stay at the crease long enough to play a substantial innings as the team reached a total of 158 runs in the second innings. The team suffered an early collapse, losing three wickets for 37 runs and seven wickets by the time the score reached 95.
Aman Mokhade was the team's top scorer with 41 runs. Towards the end, Harsh Dubey (24 runs) and Arshad Khan (25 runs) waged a gritty fight to push the total past the 150-run mark.
Also Read: Two centuries in a single T20 match! Shimron Hetmyer creates history in the CPL
