EZ vs SZ Final Results

9:10 AM IST East Zone tightened the screw - South Zone's resistance ended in the morning session as they folded for 336, Tilak Varma left agonizingly stranded on 99, having battled almost the entire innings alone. East Zone, sensing the kill, came out and batted again with intent - Kishan added a rapid 80 to his first-innings double-century, while Shikhar Mohan chipped in with 52, before ending the day 212/5, a staggering 584 runs ahead and firmly on the cusp of the title.

9:08 AM IST South Zone fight an uphill battle - With a mountain to chase down, South Zone's reply got off to a rocky start against a relentless East Zone attack led by veteran Mohammad Shami, who exploited reverse swing on a wearing pitch. Devdutt Padikkal, fresh off two Test centuries against Sri Lanka, provided the only real fightback with a well-made 62 before holing out frustratingly. Captain Tilak Varma then took over as the lone bright spot, anchoring the innings with an unbeaten fifty. South Zone closed the day at 242/6, still miles adrift of East Zone's total.

9:07 AM IST Kishan's double ton powers East to 708 - Ishan Kishan and Kumar Kushagra picked up right where they left off, stitching together a mammoth 230-run stand that buried South Zone's hopes of a quick comeback. Kushagra brought up his maiden Duleep Trophy hundred off 128 balls before falling for 101. Kishan kept going, turning his overnight century into a monumental 270 - the highest individual score by a wicketkeeper-batter in the tournament's history. East Zone were eventually bowled out for a colossal 708 in 163 overs, a total built almost entirely around that pair.

9:04 AM IST PLAYER OF THE SERIES - The captain of South Zone, Tilak Varma wins this award.

9:03 AM IST PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Undoubtedly, it goes to the East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan for his magnificent knocks of 270 off 334 and 80 off 98 in this final.

9:02 AM IST A solid start at Chepauk - East Zone won the toss and chose to bat first at Chepauk, and immediately made themselves at home. Openers Abhimanyu Easwaran and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi put on a fine 100-run stand before Ishan Kishan took center stage. Kishan struck an unbeaten 111 by stumps, with Kumar Kushagra keeping him company on 63*, as East Zone closed the day in firm control at 385/4.