Duleep Trophy Final Day 4 Highlights, East Zone Vs South Zone: EZ Build Mammoth 584-Run Lead At Stumps

Hello and welcome to another blog - we bring the live score updates of the East Zone vs South Zone Duleep Trophy 2026 final from the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Stay tuned for further updates.

Fans in India can catch the live telecast of the Duleep Trophy matches on the Star Sports Network, while live streaming is available digitally through the JioHotstar app and website. Matches routinely start at 9:30 AM IST, with TV coverage selectively featuring key matches and the tournament final.

East Zone tightened their grip on the Duleep Trophy final on Day 3, reducing South Zone to 242 for 6 by stumps on another commanding day of red-ball cricket.

Despite a placid pitch, East Zone’s bowling attack delivered a relentless spell, extracting reverse swing with the aging ball through Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar. South Zone's innings was undone by a sequence of soft dismissals as promising batters failed to convert, including Devdutt Padikkal, who threw away a start just as he looked set to anchor the innings.

Skipper Tilak Varma provided the lone resistance, standing firm to hold the fort at one end, but the batting unit faces a steep mountain to climb. With the second new ball imminent at the start of Day 4, East Zone will look to swiftly polish off the remaining tailenders and convert their overwhelming advantage into a title-clinching victory.

East Zone stands on the brink of capturing the Duleep Trophy, needing just four wickets on the final morning in Chennai to cement their dominance.

Resuming their first innings at 242 for 6, South Zone still face a daunting 466-run deficit after East Zone posted a colossal 708. While captain Tilak Varma has valiantly anchored one end with an unbeaten fifty, the burden now falls squarely on the lower order to stave off an innings defeat.

East Zone’s attack, marshalled expertly by veteran pacer Mohammad Shami, capitalized on scoreboard pressure and a deteriorating ball on Day 3 to exploit reverse swing. With the second new ball immediately available at the start of play, East Zone’s bowlers will look to quickly sweep away the remaining resistance and seal a resounding title victory.

Facing a mounting deficit on the final morning of the Duleep Trophy final, Chama Milind adopted a refreshingly proactive approach against East Zone’s disciplined attack. Rather than slipping into a purely defensive shell, the lower-order batter looked to seize scoring opportunities early to shift the momentum. By taking calculated risks and rotating the strike alongside captain Tilak Varma, Milind injected much-needed urgency into South Zone's innings. This aggressive counter-punching helped relieve scoreboard pressure and gave their dressing room a glimmer of hope on a tough da

Mohammed Shami and Chama Milind forged a gritty 45-run partnership without losing a wicket during a stubborn first hour of play on Day 4. Their resolute resistance frustrated East Zone’s bowlers and extended South Zone's fight in the Duleep Trophy final.

Chama Milind weathered a few early nerves before finding his rhythm, capitalizing on loose deliveries, while a composed Tilak Varma continues to anchor the innings with an eye on a substantial total. Meanwhile, East Zone's sluggish over-rate has allowed the partnership to flourish, increasing the urgency for a breakthrough in the upcoming hour of play.

Shikhar Mohan finally broke the stubborn partnership for East Zone, drawing a false shot from Chama Milind to dismiss him for a well-made 43 off 68 balls. Lured into a front-foot drive by a full delivery that drifted in, Milind could only manage a toe-edge that flew low to the right of short leg, where Sudip Gharami reacted with brilliant reflexes to snap up the catch and bring a collective sigh of relief to the fielding side.

Miscommunication and hesitation cost South Zone dearly as Tripurana Vijay was run out following a chaotic mix-up between the batters. Seeking to retain the strike, Tilak Varma pushed a cut shot toward backward point and initially hesitated before calling for a tight single. Vijay was already caught mid-pitch with no chance of making his ground, leaving the fielder with a straightforward throw to the wicketkeeper to easily dismantle the stumps.

Heartbreak for South Zone captain Tilak Varma as he fell agonizingly short of a century, dismissed for 99 (211) when he chipped a caught-and-return catch back to Md Kounain Quraishi, wrapping up the innings for 336. Attempting to make room for a drive against the turn, Varma fell victim to a nicely tossed-up delivery outside off that turned in and twisted in his hands on impact, looping straight into the bowler's grateful grasp. As Varma trudged off amid a sea of appreciative pats on the back from the fielding side, the dismissal left South Zone facing a massive first-innings deficit, raising the immediate question of whether East Zone will enforce the follow-on.

East Zone wrapped up a dominant first session on Day 4, securing a colossal 372-run first-innings lead after bowling out South Zone for 336. Despite the massive advantage, captain Ishan Kishan opted against enforcing the follow-on, choosing instead to send his batsmen back out. While the serious business on the field paused for the interval—notably highlighted by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi signing autographs near the stands—the morning session belonged to East Zone's relentless bowling unit. Mukesh Kumar led the charge with three wickets, ably supported by a triple strike force sharing two scalps each. South Zone’s resistance was anchored by a gutsy 78-run seventh-wicket stand between Chama Milind (43) and skipper Tilak Varma, whose valiant, lone-hand knock of 99 was heartbreakingly cut short just one run shy of a century before the tail capitulated. P

East Zone suffered a disastrous start to their innings as both openers departed cheaply inside the opening overs. Mohammed Siraj drew first blood by trapping Abhimanyu Easwaran for 3 off 13 balls, forcing a tentative prod from a back-of-a-length delivery in the channel that caught the outside edge and settled low into the hands of Devdutt Padikkal at first slip. Compounding the early misery, young left-hander Vaibhav Sooryavanshi fell for 8 off 16 after a rush of blood against Tripurana Vijay. Pre-empting a charge down the track, Vijay smartly dragged his length back and pushed the ball wide, leaving Sooryavanshi completely undone in flight as he swung wildly over cover and gifted wicketkeeper Narayan Jagadeesan an easy stumping.

Ishan Kishan and Shikhar Mohan are anchoring the innings with a fluent partnership, blending aggressive strokeplay and clever rotation of the strike to frustrate the bowling attack. Their growing partnership steadily repaired the early damage, laying a solid foundation for a formidable total.

East Zone comfortably controlled proceedings by Tea on Day 4, reaching a commanding position despite losing both openers early as young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi fell following a bright start. Skipper Ishan Kishan dictated terms with an unbeaten 48, continuing his fine form from the first innings alongside a resilient Shikhar Mohan. The duo added an unbroken 82-run stand to put East Zone firmly in command, neutralizing a tireless bowling effort from Mohammed Siraj while punishing loose spells from the rest of the South Zone attack ahead of the final session.

Shaik Rasheed floats it outside off, and Quraishi gets to the pitch to cream it along the ground to long-off for four.

East Zone tightened their grip on the Duleep Trophy final after taking a mammoth 584-run lead over South Zone at stumps on Day 4 in Chennai. After being bowled out for 336, South Zone remained 372 runs behind East Zone’s first-innings total of 708, with captain Tilak Varma missing out on a century by one run with a 211-ball 99.

Ishan Kishan then added an aggressive 80 to his first-innings 270 as East Zone reached 212/5 in their second innings, with Shikhar Mohan contributing 52. Kumar Kushagra and Md Kounain Quraishi were unbeaten at stumps, with East Zone effectively within touching distance of the title.

That’s a wrap from us! We’ll be back with another live blog soon. Until then, bye-bye!