Duleep Trophy semi-final, South Zone vs North Zone: Preview
What's the story
The first semi-final of the 2025/26 Duleep Trophy will see South Zone team take on North Zone. The match is scheduled to be played at BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru, starting September 4. Ankit Kumar will continue to lead North Zone in the absence of Shubman Gill, while the South Zone side will be led by Mohammed Azharuddeen.
Details
Pitch report and conditions
The CoE pitch saw plenty of runs in the quarter-final. Batters will be aided in the impending semi-final too. Bengaluru could see some occasional showers, making Day 1 overcast. Therefore, toss could play a crucial role for the two sides. Notably, live-streaming and broadcasting are not available for the 2025 Duleep Trophy semi-finals. Only the final will be streamed live.
North Zone
North Zone to miss Arshdeep Singh
North Zone, who qualified for the semi-finals through a first-innings lead against East Zone, will be without Arshdeep Singh. The left-arm seamer will travel to the UAE for India's Asia Cup campaign. In the absence of Gill, Ankit Kumar will continue to lead the side. He will have the support of Ayush Badoni, Yash Dhull, and Indian seamer Harshit Rana.
South Zone
South Zone without Tilak Varma
On the other hand, West Zone made a direct entry into the semi-finals by virtue of their performance in the 2023/24 season, the last zonal tournament. Tilak Varma, who bats at No. 3 for India, will also depart for the Asia Cup. As a result, Mohammed Azharuddeen will lead the side. Meanwhile, Sai Kishore has also been ruled out owing to a finger injury.
Information
A look at South Zone squad
Squad: Azharuddeen (captain), 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, and Shaikh Rasheed. Standbys: Mohit Redkar, R. Smaran, Edhen Apple Tom, and Andre Siddarth.
Information
A look at North Zone squad
Squad: Ankit Kumar (captain), Shubham Khajuria, Ayush Badoni, Yash Dhull, Ankit Kalsi, Nishant Sandhu, Sahil Lotra, Mayank Dagar, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, and Kanhaiya Wadhawan. Standbys: Shubham Arora, Jaskaranvir Singh Paul, Ravi Chauhan, Abid Mushtaq, Nishunk Birla, Umar Nazir, and Divesh Sharma.
Players
Players in spotlight
North Zone will once again pin their hopes on Ayush Badoni, who slammed an incredible second-innings double-ton against East Zone. Meanwhile, Ankit Kumar missed his ton by just two runs (198). Vijaykumar Vyshak, who was impressive in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), will be a South Zone player to watch out for. Devdutt Padikkal will play his first competitive match since IPL 2025.