Ayush Badoni's unbeaten 204 and Ankit Kumar's 198 power North Zone into semis
In the absence of Tilak Varma, South Zone will be led by Mohammed Azharuddeen
Auqib Nabi will lead North Zone's attack; Gurjapneet Singh and MD Nidheesh key for South Zone
Absence of Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Tilak Varma shifts focus to domestic talent
The 1st semi-final of the Duleep Trophy 2025 between South Zone and North Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru starts on Thursday (September 4, 2025). Here's all you need to know about the South Zone vs North Zone First-Class cricket match.
With several key players missing due to Asia Cup duties and injuries, both sides will rely on emerging domestic talent to step up. North Zone, led by Ankit Kumar, enter the clash after a dominant quarter-final show against East Zone, highlighted by Ayush Badoni's double century and Auqib Nabi's pace bowling.
South Zone, granted a direct entry into the semis, will be captained by Mohammed Azharuddeen in Asia Cup-bound Tilak Varma's absence. Devdutt Padikkal and N Jagadeesan are expected to anchor the batting, while Gurjapneet Singh and MD Nidheesh will be key with the ball.
In the second semi-final, West Zone will take on Central Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground B, starting today.
BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground Pitch Report
The Bengaluru pitch has offered early seam movement but tends to flatten out, making toss and morning conditions crucial.
During the South Zone vs North Zone four-day match last week here, the two teams scored a combined 1293 runs, with North Zone's Badoni notching up an unbeaten 204. Skipper Ankit Kumar missed the double century by two runs, Yash Dhull compiled 133. Expect another run feast in the South Zone vs North Zone match.
South Zone Vs North Zone, 1st Semi-Final Updated Squads
North Zone Squad: Ankit Kumar (c), Shubham Khajuria, Ayush Badoni, Yash Dhull, Ankit Kalsi, Nishant Sandhu, Sahil Lotra, Mayank Dagar, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Kanhaiya Wadhawan.
Standby players: Shubham Arora, Jaskaranvir Singh Paul, Ravi Chauhan, Abid Mushtaq, Nishunk Birla, Umar Nazir, Divesh Sharma.
South Zone Squad: Mohammed Azharuddeen (c), Tanmay Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Mohit Kale, Salman Nizar, Narayan Jagadeesan, Tripurana Vijay, Tanay Thyagarajan, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Nidheesh MD, Ricky Bhui, Basil NP, Gurjapneet Singh, Snehal Kauthankar, Ankit Sharma, Shaikh Rasheed.
Standby players: Mohit Redkar, R. Smaran, Edhen Apple Tom, Andre Siddarth.
South Zone Vs North Zone Live Streaming, Duleep Trophy 2025 Semifinal
Unfortunately, there will be no live streaming or TV broadcast of the Duleep Trophy 2025 semifinals.
Day's play begins 9:30 am IST.
