Padikkal, Siraj to play Duleep Trophy 2026 final vs East Zone

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors have included Devdutt Padikkal and Mohammed Siraj in the South Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy 2026 final against East Zone, which begins on September 06 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. However, it’s not confirmed which two players they would replace.

South Zone played the second semifinal against North Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where they earned the victory by seven wickets in the 182-run chase. They put themselves in front of the contest after the first innings, thanks to their lead of 117 runs.

Padikkal, Siraj join South Zone squad for the Chennai final

Padikkal is coming off the Player of the Series performance in Sri Lanka. He would love to continue his dominant batting and be prepared for their next red-ball series against New Zealand in November.

Tilak Varma, meanwhile, will be in the South Zone against Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ishan Kishan’s East Zone. All of them are likely to play the final unless the BCCI requests a change in the squad to manage them for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan.

The T20Is start three days after the scheduled end of the Duleep Trophy final on September 10. Padikkal and Siraj’s inclusion is part of the team management to keep the Test players in rhythm.

“I would love to play the final. This match has just finished, but I think the Afghanistan game is on the 13th. I am ready to play the final. After that, we have a two-day break in between, and if I report on the 11th also, I can practise for a day, and from there I can go and play the match.” Tilak said after he made 116* and 51* in the semifinal.

How Padikkal and Siraj fared in India's series win over Sri Lanka

Padikkal is coming off a superb series in Sri Lanka after he smashed 328 runs in three innings at an average of more than 100, including the two centuries at No. 3. It was the first time he was playing in successive Tests since his debut in 2024. The chance came due to Sai Sudharsan’s injury, which ruled him out of the series.

Sudharsan won’t feature in the Duleep Trophy final due to not being fit. He is likely to be in the plans for the India A series against Australia on September 22 in Puducherry.

Meanwhile, Siraj will boost South Zone’s pace stocks after Vidwath Kaverappa picked up a niggle. Like Paddikal, he was part of the Sri Lanka series and picked up four wickets.