On the fourth day of the final of the Duleep Trophy 2025 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, the South Zone were so much behind in the game before they turned the tables with an inspiring batting performance. Their batting in the first innings was incredibly poor. However, a little better performance would have been better in this clash.

In the second innings, Smaran Ravichandran drilled 67 runs at the number three position. But the biggest turnaround of the innings came through the 192-run stand for the seventh wicket between Andre Siddarth C and Ankit Kumar, who couldn’t celebrate his century and was dismissed for 99 runs with the help of 13 boundaries and one six.

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Andre remained undefeated for 84 runs in 190 balls with the help of seven boundaries at a strike rate of 44.21. But again, they lost their last four wickets for just 12 runs and were bundled out for 426 in the innings to grab a short lead of 65 runs.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Final Round: All Scores from Day 5

On the fifth and final day of the encounter, Ankit sent back opener Danish Malewar for five runs with a peach of a delivery before Gurjapneet Singh added two wickets in three wickets in the ninth over of the fourth innings. Shubham Sharma was caught by the wicket-keeper before Saransh Jain went back to the hut for four runs.

Central Zone’s captain, Rajat Patidar, returned for 13 runs. But the target was too small to pose a threat for the batting side as Yash Rathod, fresh from his 194 in the first innings, drilled V Koushik for a four through cover-point to seal the deal.

VVS Laxman presents the coveted trophy to Patidar as the teammates joined him for the celebrations. Central Zone is the new champion of the Duleep Trophy in the 2025 edition.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Final Round: All Scores from Day 5

Central Zone- 66/4 (Akshay Wadkar 19*, Gurjapneet Singh 2/21) & 511 (Yash Rathod 194, Rajat Patidar 101, Gurjapneet Singh 4/124 beat South Zone- 426 (Ankit Sharma 99, Andre Siddarth 84*, Kumar Kartikeya 4/110, Saransh Jain 3/130) & 149/10 (Tanmay Agarwal 31, Salman Nazir 24, Saransh Jain 5/49, Kumar Kartikeya 4/53) by six wickets.

By the end of the third day of the final of the Duleep Trophy 2025 between South Zone and Central Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, Central Zone posted a huge score of 511 runs in their first inning with a lead of over 350 runs, as Yash Rathod missed the chance to celebrate his double century.

In reply, South Zone was at a decent spot with 129/2. Smaran Ravichandran, the number three batter, who was unbeaten on 37 runs, stretched his knock to 67 runs with the help of seven boundaries and one six at a strike rate of 56.78. But he couldn’t convert this start to a huge score, unlike the Central Zone batters.

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The same trend continued in the middle order of the side. Ricky Bhui was dismissed for 45 runs in 85 balls at a strike rate of 52.94, thanks to four boundaries and two sixes, while their captain and wicket-keeper batter, Mohammed Azharuddeen, cracked 27 runs in 40 balls. They were suddenly reduced to 222/6.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Final Round: All Scores from Day 4

Just when it felt like the game would end quickly, Ankit Sharma and Andre Siddharth shouldered the responsibility. They posted a partnership of over 100 runs while celebrating their respective half-centuries in the scorecard. Both the opponent spinners, Kumar Kartikeya and Saransh Jain, were getting help off the surface, but that wasn’t enough to break the stand.

However, the fairytale period ended as Ankit Sharma got dismissed on unlucky 99. He looked to reach the landmark by hoicking it over the mid-wicket region, but couldn’t cross the fielder. In the next over, Gurjapneet Singh got caught as suddenly the South Zone was pushed to the end.

The stumped-out dismissal of Vasuki Koushik brought the curtains down for 426 runs as Andre remained undefeated on 84 runs with seven fours. The umpires called it the end of the day with Central Zone needing 65 runs for victory on the fifth and final day of the fixture.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Final Round: All Scores from Day 4

South Zone- 426 (Ankit Sharma 99, Andre Siddarth 84*, Kumar Kartikeya 4/110, Saransh Jain 3/130) & 149/10 (Tanmay Agarwal 31, Salman Nazir 24, Saransh Jain 5/49, Kumar Kartikeya 4/53) lead Central Zone 511 (Yash Rathod 194, Rajat Patidar 101, Gurjapneet Singh 4/124) by 65 runs at Stumps on Day 4. 

Central Zone showed their domination on the second day of the final of the 2025 season of the Duleep Trophy at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, thanks to the twin centuries from captain Rajat Patidar and Yash Rathod, who remained unbeaten on 137 runs by the end of the day’s play to shoulder a lead of over 230 runs. 

Yash Rathod, the Vidarbha left-handed batter, went on to stretch his knock to 194 runs in 286 balls, decorated by 17 boundaries and a pair of sixes at a strike rate of 67.83. His concentration finally broke when Gurjapneet Singh broke through his stumps. His overnight partner, Saransh Jain, clubbed 69 runs in 193 balls.

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Later, in the first innings, Deepak Chahar also smacked a fine contribution of 37 runs at a strike rate of over 75, with the help of three fours and a couple of sixes. They went past the 500-run mark quite easily in 145.1 overs.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Final Round: All Scores from Day 3

Both Ankit Verma and Gurjapneet picked up four wickets each in a long spell of hot conditions. Central Zone had already taken a lead of over 350 runs in the first innings, which was anticipated to be enough for them to lift the title. But the South Zone’s openers showed fight after two days of fielding when the tired body and feet start to dance in the middle.

Tanmay Agarwal and Mohit Kale, both openers, got starts in their innings, but they failed to convert them into big scores. The latter claimed 38 runs with seven boundaries. Smaran Ravichandran and Ricky Bhui remained unbeaten in the end with respective scores of 37 and 26 as they pushed themselves to 129/2 to reduce the trail to 233 runs.

It will still be an acid test for the South Zone as the game heads to the fourth day of the fixture. Jain and Kuldeep Sen picked up those wickets for Central Zone as the umpires took early stumps due to bad light.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Final Round: All Scores from Day 3

South Zone- 129/2 (Smaran Ravichandran 37*, Kuldeep Sen 1/22) & 149/10 (Tanmay Agarwal 31, Salman Nazir 24, Saransh Jain 5/49, Kumar Kartikeya 4/53) trail Central Zone 511 (Yash Rathod 194, Rajat Patidar 101, Gurjapneet Singh 4/124) by 233 runs at Stumps on Day 3. 

Yash Rathod played a remarkable 194-run innings for Central Zone in the final of the 2025 Duleep Trophy against South Zone. Rathod utilized the foundation properly, which was built by their skipper Rajat Patidar (101) yesterday before the stumps. Rathod missed a double century only by 6 runs; Gurjapneet's inswinger bowled him out. 

During the mammoth batting performance, Rathod stitched multiple useful partnerships, which took their score to 511 before losing all of the scalps. With Patidar, the middle-order batter formed a 167-run partnership, which was perhaps the most crucial partnership of the match. When the Nagpur-born got Saransh Jain as the batting partner, it turned into a nightmare for South Zone bowlers. Together they added 176 on the scoreboard. With Deepak Chahar, Rathod stitched a 58-run partnership against 77 deliveries. 

Who is Yash Rathod? 

Yash Rathod is the top run scorer of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season. He scored 960 runs from 18 innings, including three fifties and five big hundreds for Vidharbha. Rathod emerged as a crucial contributor behind Vidharbha's successful run to the final match of the tournament. Before the Ranji Trophy, he was near to entering into the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In the semifinal, against Maharashtra, the batter scored 116 runs. In the contest, he accumulated 406 runs at an average of 67. 

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The 25-year-old, who is mostly known for his batting abilities as a middle-order batsman, can bowl occasionally. His domestic trophy stats are more than impressive. In first-class cricket, Rathod scored 1672 runs at an average of 50.66 in 20 matches. In List A cricket, his batting average is slightly over 47, as he scored 859 runs in 24 matches. In the Duleep Trophy 2025, against the Northeast Zone match, Yash scored an unbeaten 87 runs and 78 runs in the first and second innings, respectively. 

Incredible achievements of Yash Rathod:

- 194-run knock in the Duleep Trophy 2025 final

- Century in VHT Semifinal 2024-25

- Century in Ranji Trophy Semifinal 2024-25

- Century in Ranji Trophy Semifinal 2023-24

On the second day of the final of the 2025 season of the Duleep Trophy, Central Zone continued their dominance with twin centuries from their captain, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Rathod. On the first day of the contest, Saransh Jain and Kumar Kartikeya set the stage to bundle out South Zone for 149 runs with nine wickets in the innings as none of the opponent batters were able to convert them into big scores. 

With the bat in hand, Central Zone displayed the same performance, ending the first day with 50 runs without any wickets as Danish Malewar smashed an unbeaten 28 runs. He went on to celebrate his half-century and ended with 53 runs in 120 balls with the help of five boundaries at a strike rate of 44.17.

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Central Zone lost their opening batter, Akshay Wadekar, for 22 runs before Rajat Patidar and Yash Rathod posted a huge partnership of 167 runs for the fourth wicket. The former smashed 101 runs in just 115 balls with the help of 12 boundaries and two sixes at a strike rate of 87.83.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Final Round: All Scores from Day 2

Just a few minutes after Patidar got dismissed, Yash Rathod also celebrated his century. The left-handed middle order batter remained undefeated by 137 runs in 188 balls at a strike rate of 72.87 with the help of 11 boundaries and one six. He will aim to continue and put up a big score ahead of the upcoming Ranji Trophy 2024/25.

Their wicket-keeper batter, Upendra Yadav, couldn’t do well with the bat and went back to the dressing room for five runs in 10 balls. That was when Saransh Jain, after his special performance with the ball on the opening day, posted a century stand to end the day.

Jain finished with an undefeated 47 runs, thanks to six boundaries at a strike rate of less than 40. Central Zone finished the second day with 235 runs and had already gained a lead of 235 runs. Another 70 runs will near confirm their title-winning campaign.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Final Round: All Scores from Day 2

Central Zone- 384/5 (Yash Rathod 137*, Rajat Patidar (c) 101, Gurjapneet Singh 3/74, MD Nidheesh 1/38) lead South Zone- 149/10 (Tanmay Agarwal 31, Salman Nazir 24, Saransh Jain 5/49, Kumar Kartikeya 4/53) by 235 runs at Stumps on Day 2.

Rajat Patidar has been booming in the Duleep Trophy 2025. After playing confident knocks in the quarterfinal and semifinal, the batter scored a hundred in the final against South Zone on Friday, September 12, at BCCI COE Ground 1, Bengaluru. 

After guiding Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their maiden IPL title in 2025, Patidar got a sudden opportunity to lead Central Zone as well in the Duleep Trophy as Dhruv Jurel was ruled out from quarter-final and semi-final matches due to injury concerns. Patidar welcomed the opportunity with both arms and started to make statements with the bat. Team selectors of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) must have taken note of how he performed with delight as a batter while leading a team in the knockout phase. 

Patidar's Duleep Trophy 2025 run tally is not only about resilience but also about scoring runs according to the situation of the matches. He batted with confidence and pushed the paddles whenever he spotted an opportunity. The 32-year-old has now enough maturity to understand when the team needs what. 

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A timely century from captain Rajat Patidar in Duleep Trophy 2025 final

In the final match, when the middle-order batter walked out in the middle, Central Zone was already 3 wickets down before registering 100 on the scoreboard. Danish Malewar, the opener who scored 53, also went back to the pavilion. It was a situation when the skipper had to build something from scratch with a fresh batting partner, Y. V. Rathod, who joined Patidar after the departure of Malewar. Together they stitched a partnership of 167 runs against 205 deliveries. Patidar scored 101 off 115 with 12 boundaries and a couple of sixes to pull his team out from a possible danger. 

In three consecutive Duleep Trophy 2025 matches, including the final, Rajat accumulated 369 runs in 4 innings, which took his batting average over 90. 

Captain Rajat Patidar in the Duleep Trophy 2025:

• 125 (96) & 66 (72) in Quarter Final
• 77 (84) in Semi-Final
• 101 (115) in Final

Again a five-wicket haul for Saransh Jain. In the semifinals of the Duleep Trophy 2025, the spinner Modhye of Madhya Pradesh picked up 5 wickets in the final match for Central Zone versus South Zone. And in his last 3 matches, including 2 Duleep Trophy games, Saransh produced 3 five-wicket hauls, which is absolutely stunning, and a statement-making effort from the spin-bowling all-rounder. 

During the semi-final against West Zone, the Indore-born not only contributed with his spin bowling abilities but also with his batting techniques. He took 3 wickets in the first innings of the contest, followed by a 5-wicket spell in the second innings—a total of 8 wickets claimed by Saransh Jain in the crucial match of the tournament. Additionally, he played an unbeaten 63-run knock. He started the series of 5-fers through a Ranji Trophy 2025 match between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. 

In the first innings of the Duleep Trophy 2025 final, Central Zone dominated over South Zone. After the stumps of Day 1, South Zone lost all of their batters for only 149 runs on the scoreboard. Jain took the wickets of Ricky Bhui, Salman Nizar, Andre Siddharth, Ankit Sharma, and Nidheesh M. D. After Day 1 of the final, Central Zone is trailing by 99 runs with all 10 wickets in hand. 

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Who is Saransh Jain?

Saransh Jain is a spin bowling all-rounder from Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Who first came under the spotlight in 2014, when he made his Ranji Trophy debut. Then he went for his first overseas tour in Australia, where he experienced a 3-0 series win. His father, Subodh Jain, a former cricketer, has been diagnosed with cancer. Saransh found his motivation from the words of his father, who once told him, "If you just play better, I will get well soon." 

Ranji Trophy 2021-22 was a historic moment for the cricketer, as he helped Madhya Pradesh to win their maiden Ranji Trophy title. In that season, he got 13 wickets and scored a vital half-century in the knockout stages. In the following season, he was named as the best all-rounder in the Ranji Trophy for claiming 35 wickets and scoring 360 runs. 

In the final of the 2025 season of the Duleep Trophy, South Zone and Central Zone met at the Centre of Excellence of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Bengaluru. Both sides came into the fixture after their respective drawn fixtures against North Zone and West Zone at the same venue. Central Zone’s captain, Rajat Patidar, won the toss and decided to bowl first on a green surface.

The expectation from Patidar and co. was to get early wickets with the ball in the open field under cloudy conditions. For the South Zone, they made three changes with Andre Siddarth C, Ankit Sharma, and Smaran Ravichandran coming into the eleven.

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On the other hand, for the Central Zone, Akshay Wadkar, Aditya Thakare, Kumar Kartikeya, and Kuldeep Sen came into the playing eleven. After 27 runs of the opening stand, Mohit Kale got out to Kartikeya, who, from the very first delivery, was getting help with spin on the surface.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Final Round: All Scores from Day 1

Tanmay Agarwal got out for 31 runs in 76 balls with the help of three boundaries. However, his run-out on 47 runs on the fifth delivery of the 26th over broke the momentum. The middle order couldn’t stand with the bat as Salman Nizar was only the second batter of the line-up to go past the 20-run mark. Ankit Verma got 20 runs in 64 balls with two boundaries as they were bundled out for 149 runs in 63 overs of the first innings. 

Saransh Jain celebrated his five wickets in 24 overs for 49 runs at an economy rate of two, while he was well supported by the left-arm spinner, Kumar Kartikeya, who picked up four wickets for 53 runs in 21 overs, including one maiden at an economy rate of 2.50. Central Zone started their batting at the start of the third session.

Central batted well for the last session to end with 50/0 in 19 overs to reduce the deficit by 99 runs.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Final Round: All Scores from Day 1

Central Zone- 50/0 (Danish Malewar 28*) trail South Zone- 149/10 (Tanmay Agarwal 31, Salman Nazir 24, Saransh Jain 5/49, Kumar Kartikeya 4/53) by 99 runs at Stumps on Day 1.

The battle for the Duleep Trophy 2025 final has started. On the first day of the match between South Zone and Central Zone, South Zone’s first innings ended at only 149 runs. The bowlers of Central Zone bowled very well and did not allow South Zone batsmen to stay on the crease. The fielders also helped with many good catches.

During this, Central Zone captain Rajat Patidar made a flying catch that surprised everyone. The video of this catch is going viral on social media. Rajat Patidar, who is also the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), took the catch in the Duleep Trophy 2025 final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He showed quick thinking and dived forward after the ball deflected from the silly point fielder’s hand.

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Rajat Patidar’s Stunning Catch

On the first day of the Duleep Trophy 2025 final, Central Zone captain Rajat Patidar took a catch that surprised everyone. This happened in the 49th over of South Zone’s innings, bowled by spinner Saransh Jain. On the third ball, South Zone’s left-hander Salman Nizar tried to defend, but the ball hit his bat and went to silly point. The fielder at silly point dropped the ball, but Rajat Patidar, standing at slip, dived forward and took the catch. Everyone on the field was amazed.

Excellent awareness & presence of mind! 👌

Central Zone captain Rajat Patidar completes a brilliant tag-team catch to dismiss Salman Nizar 🔥

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/unz0hJ66yE#DuleepTrophy | #Final | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/uJBtd7buWF

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 11, 2025

South Zone All Out for 149 Runs

Batting first, South Zone were bowled out for only 149 runs in 63 overs. Opener Tanmay Agarwal scored the highest with 31 runs from 76 balls, hitting 3 fours. Salman Nizar made 24 runs, and Ankit Sharma scored 20. Captain Mohammad Azharuddin was out for just 4 runs.

For Central Zone, spinner Saransh Jain took 5 wickets for 49 runs in 24 overs, while Kumar Kartikeya Singh took 4 wickets for 53 runs in 21 overs.

Central Zone had won the toss and chose to field first, and their decision worked well. By the time of writing, they had started their innings without losing early wickets. They will aim to take a big lead and bat only once.

Patidar in Fine Form

All eyes are on Rajat Patidar, who is the third-highest run-scorer in the Duleep Trophy 2025 with 268 runs in three innings at an average of 68.33. A Duleep Trophy win would be special for Patidar, who also won the IPL 2025 trophy with Royal Challengers in his first season as captain. The 32-year-old also did well with the bat in that tournament.

During the final of the Duleep Trophy 2025, South Zone and Central Zone locked horns at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI’s) Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru. The Central Zone captain, Rajat Patidar, won the toss and decided to bowl first on a green-looking surface. 

South Zone didn’t make a great start with the bat as they lost their opening wicket for 27 runs in 16 overs, and that trend continued for the next two sessions. The Mohammed Azharuddeen-led side kept on losing wickets regularly as the ball was spinning miles from the two spinners of India's domestic sides, Kumar Karthikeya and Saransh Jain.

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It was the third ball of the 49th over when Jain gave air to the ball that looped to the left-handed batter, Salman Nizar, who was on 24 runs in 52 balls with the help of two boundaries and one six. It got extra bounce off the surface as the batter lunged forward in defending the ball and got an outside edge off the blade.

Watch: Rajat Patidar grabs stunning catch for Central Zone during Duleep Trophy 2025 final

Taking the edge, the ball lobbed to the silly mid-off fielder’s right side, where the fielder grabbed it but saw it popping behind his back. Rajat Patidar, standing at the gully region, dived forward and got both hands under to complete the fine catch. Patidar, the captain of the side, was fully aware of the situation as he sent the southpaw back to the hut.

Excellent awareness & presence of mind! 👌

Central Zone captain Rajat Patidar completes a brilliant tag-team catch to dismiss Salman Nizar 🔥

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/unz0hJ66yE#DuleepTrophy | #Final | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/uJBtd7buWF

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 11, 2025

That was a completely fine performance from the side as they bundled out the South Zone for 149 runs in 63 balls. Tanmay Agarwal’s 31 ended up being the highest individual score of the card, followed by Salman Nizar’s 24 runs. Jain was the peak of the bowling department with five wickets in 24 overs, while Kartikeya recorded four wickets in 21 overs.

It was a special bowling performance from the Central Zone, who will now aim not only to get a lead in the first innings by registering a huge score on the board, but also to earn a vital victory by the end of the game. Central Zone started their batting in the third session of the opening day.