Central Zone will lock horns with East Zone in the first semi-final of Duleep Trophy 2026 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1, Bengaluru, starting on Sunday, August 30.
Central Zone secured a six-wicket win in the grand finale of the Duleep Trophy 2025 season to secure a direct semi-final spot this season. East Zone, led by Ishan Kishan, secured an innings victory over North East Zone in the first quarter-final to advance to the semi-final.
Central Zone vs East Zone, Duleep Trophy 2026, Semi-Final 1, Match Details
Match: Central Zone vs East Zone, Duleep Trophy 2026, Semi-Final 1
Time & Date: 9:30 AM IST, August 30 to September 2
Venue: BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1, Bengaluru
Central Zone vs East Zone, Duleep Trophy 2026, Semi-Final 1 Pitch Report
The surface at this venue is expected to assist both batters and bowlers equally. The new ball bowlers will enjoy the proceedings in the initial few overs. However, batters will have their fair share in the middle overs.
Central Zone vs East Zone, Duleep Trophy 2026, Semi-Final 1 Probable XIs
Central Zone
Yash Rathod, Aman Mokhade, Aayush Pandey, Rajat Patidar (c), Rinku Singh, Aryan Juyal, Harsh Dubey, Arshad Khan, Zeeshan Ansari, Yash Thakur, Aryan Pandey
East Zone
Ishan Kishan (c) (wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Kumar Kushagra, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Virat Singh, Anukul Roy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Abhijit K Sarkar
Central Zone vs East Zone, Duleep Trophy 2026, Semi-Final 1 Winner Prediction
Match Winner: Central Zone
Central Zone and East Zone have exceptional squads in all three departments. That said, we can expect the Rajat Patidar-led Central Zone to come out on top, thanks to their exceptional firepower, when compared to East Zone.
