Defending champions Central Zone clash with East Zone while last season's finalists South Zone take on North Zone in the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy semifinals.

The semifinal fixtures of the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy kick off at the BCCI Centre of Excellence on Sunday, featuring the top talent of Indian domestic cricket. Defending champions Central Zone will take on East Zone, while last season's finalists South Zone face North Zone.

Both East and North advanced following contrasting quarterfinal victories. East Zone, captained by Ishan Kishan, secured a crushing victory by an innings and 210 runs over North East Zone. Meanwhile, Kanhaiya Wadhawan's North Zone staged a dramatic comeback to win by 52 runs against West Zone, who were previously cruising at 195 for three while chasing a target of 287.

Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will look to make an impact for East Zone after contributing two wickets with his left-arm spin in their quarterfinal win. Neutralizing Sooryavanshi will be a key priority for Central Zone skipper Rajat Patidar. Central's lineup includes off-spinner Saransh Jain, who recently made his India Test debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

North Zone has reinforced its pace battery by adding India international Gurnoor Brar alongside Anshul Kamboj and Arshdeep Singh. Jammu & Kashmir left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq also comes into the fixture on the back of a decisive 9 for 99 match haul in the quarterfinals.

South Zone brings a formidable batting lineup into their clash, led by skipper Tilak Varma, Karun Nair, and R. Smaran—the top scorer of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy with 950 runs. Their top order is further strengthened by 21-year-old Shaik Rasheed, who accumulated 627 runs during Andhra's run to the Ranji quarterfinals last season.

Reporting sourced from The Hindu Cricket. Photo courtesy The Hindu Cricket.