Bowlers with best innings figures in Duleep Trophy history
What's the story
The 2025-26 Indian domestic cricket season will kick off with the Duleep Trophy. The tournament, organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), will be played from August 28 to September 15. This time it returns to its traditional zonal format with six teams taking part. Ahead of the tourney, let's look at the bowlers with the best innings figures in a Duleep Trophy match.
#1
Debashish Mohanty - 10/46 vs South Zone, 2001
East Zone's Debasis Mohanty is the only bowler with an innings 10-fer in Duleep Trophy history. It was a 2001 match in Agartala, as Mohanty was brilliant in the first innings against South Zone. Mohanty claimed figures worth 10/46 (19 overs), restricting SEZ to just 113/10. The pacer's haul included wickets of star batters like VVS Laxman (20) and Rahul Dravid (0). East Zone won this game by four wickets.
#2
Baloo Gupte - 9/55 vs South Zone in 1963
West Zone's Baloo Gupte is second on this list as the leg-spinner's 9/55 from 16.6 overs tormented South Zone in the final of the 1963 edition in Kolkata. His nine-fer meant SEZ were folded for just 132 while batting first. Gupte's brilliance meant the South Zone collapsed despite being placed at 110/3 at one stage. West Zone went on to win the contest by an innings and 20 runs.
#3
Saurabh Kumar - 8/64 vs East Zone, 2023
Though seven other bowlers own an eight-wicket haul in a Duldeep Trophy innings, Saurabh Kumar owns the best figures among them. Playing for Central Zone in the quarter-final of the 2023 edition against East Zone, the left-arm spinner wreaked havoc in the final innings. Such was his brilliance that none of the EZ batters could touch the 25-run mark. He ended with figures worth 8/64 from 18.2 overs as EZ were folded for 129 while chasing 300.