Duleep Trophy: North Zone dominate East Zone to reach semi-finals
What's the story
A dominant show from North Zone has powered them to the semi-finals of the 2025 Duleep Trophy. Their quarter-final clash against East Zone ended in a draw in Bengaluru. However, NZone advanced to the next stage on the basis of a massive 175-run first innings lead. Ankit Kumar, Yash Dhull, and Ayush Badoni were the centurions in the game. Here are the key stats.
1st two innings
NZONE gained a massive lead
NZONE finished their first innings at 405/10. Badoni (63) and Kanhaiya Wadhawan (76) made fifties as Manishi claimed six wickets. EZONE, in response, finished the day at 230/10 thanks to a double hat-trick from Auqib Nabi. Virat Singh (69) was the only EZONE batter with a 50-plus score as NZONE gained a massive first innings lead of 175 runs.
3rd innings
NZONE continued to dominate the proceedings
NZONE's third innings ended at 658/4 as they declared right after Badoni reached his double-hundred. The game did not witness the fourth innings as both teams settled for a draw. Meanwhile, captain Ankit (198) missed out on a double-ton in the innings. Dhull made 133 runs as Nishant Sindhu (68) was the team's only other half-centurion.
Wadhwan
Fourth FC fifty for Wadhawan
Wadhawan made 76 off 152 balls with the help of six fours in the first innings. This was his fourth First-Class fifty as his tally now reads 386 runs from five FC matches at an average of 44-plus. The wicket-keeper batter further made - runs in his second outing in the match.
Manishi
Six-fer for Manishi
Left-arm spinner Manishi, who finished with 6/111 from 22.2 overs in the first innings, claimed his maiden fifer in First-Class cricket. This was the second occasion of his taking four or more wickets in an innings. With his latest spell, the Jharkhand spinner has raced to 31 wickets from 9 FC games at 38-plus. He went wicket-less in the third innings.
Nabi
Sensational spell from Nabi
Nabi finished with 5/28 from 10.1 overs in the second innings as EZONE went from 200/4 to 230/10. His spell also included a double hat-trick (4 wickets in consecutive balls). This was his ninth fifer across 30 matches as the tally also includes four four-wicket hauls. The Jammu and Kashmir pacer has overall raced to 95 FC wickets at 21-plus.
Hat-trick
Nabi joins these names with hat-trick
As per Wisden, Nabi became just the third bowler to get a Duleep Trophy hat-trick. Kapil Dev was the first to achieve the feat during the 1979 Duleep Trophy final. The legend picked 7/65 against the West Zone. In 2001, leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule also managed three wickets in three balls, guiding West Zone to a massive innings against East Zone.
Information
69 from Virat Singh
Virat Singh was the only EZONE batter with a 50-plus score in the game. He made 69 off 102 balls, smoking seven fours and two sixes during his stay. This was his ninth FC fifty as he now owns 3,321 runs at 36-plus (100s: 12).
Dhull
Eighth FC hundred for Dhull
Dhull departed for 133 off 157 balls in the third innings, having smoked 133 off 157 balls (14 fours, 3 sixes). He added 240 runs with captain Ankit. This was his eighth First-Class hundred, which has taken his tally to 2,226 runs from 31 matches at 45-plus (50s: 6). Notably, Dhull made 39 in his first outing in the game.
Ankit
Ankit records career-best 198
Ankit was unfortunate to miss out on a double-hundred in the third innings as he departed for a career-best 198 off 321 balls(19 fours, 1 six). Ankit has now scored hundreds in three successive FC games. Overall, this was his sixth FC ton. The opener has raced to 2,379 runs from 37 games at 38-plus (50s: 10).
Information
Sindhu scored 68
Sindhu complimented Badoni in the third innings with a 68-run knock off 91 balls. He smoked two fours and five sixes. This was his sixth FC fifty as he also owns as many tons. His tally includes 1,823 run at 37-plus.
Badoni
Twin 50-plus scores in the game for Badoni
Badoni bolstered NZONE's first innings with a brisk 60-ball 63. He backed that fifty with his second FC double-hundred. The dasher made an unbeaten 204 off 223 balls, having smoked 13 fours and three sixes. In just 15 First-Class games, he has raced to 1,330 runs at an average of over 56. His tally now includes four tons and as many half-centuries.