MATCH REPORT
Follow UsKoushik V and R Sai Kishore wreaked havoc at the Chinnaswamy Stadium as the star-studded West Zone succumbed to a 75-run defeat on the final day of the Duleep Trophy final match, handing South Zone their first title since the 2010-11 season. A win for South Zone had become slightly easier on Day 4 when West found themselves 116 runs behind with five wickets remaining, and it was accelerated in the first session of the final day as South registered a convincing 75-run victory.
Despite the lack of support from Cheteshwar Pujara, Prithvi Shaw, and Suryakumar Yadav – the trio contributing only a combined total of 26 runs – Priyank Panchal was at the center of the action, with Sarfaraz Khan as his partner. Sarfaraz's incredible spin-hitting did put pressure back on the South Zone, but then, Sai Kishore ensured that South finished strong on day four, with the wicket of the Mumbaikar.
Panchal, who started the day threatening South Zone's chances, 92 was the last beacon of hope for West when he walked out to bat on the fifth day with Baroda's Atit Sheth.
R Sai Kishore, the hero of South's semifinal victory, and Karnataka pacer Koushik played pivotal roles, but it was the on-song Vidwath Kaverappa who opened the floodgates by dismissing Priyank Panchal for 95. Panchal's dismissal marked the finality of the overall process. From then on, it was one-way traffic for the Hanuma Vihari-led side as Sai Kishore completed the formality with three wickets in the end, to give South a deserving title.
The last time South Zone emerged victorious in the Duleep Trophy was back in the 2010-11 season, under the captaincy of Subramaniam Badrinath, when they defeated the Amit Mishra-led North Zone by seven wickets. In the 2013-14 season, the final between North Zone and South Zone was disrupted by rain at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, resulting in both teams sharing the trophy.
