Several quality players from both sides were on show in Duleep Trophy 2025 final.
Central Zone won the Duleep Trophy 2025, defeating a formidable South Zone outfit in the final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. They started the fixture with a sublime batting performance, dismissing the opponent on a mere 149 by exploiting the nice bowling conditions on Day 1.
From there, Central Zone continued to build on the back of strong batting performances in the second innings and gained a massive lead to remain ahead in the game. While South Zone churned out a better batting and bowling show in the second half, their first-innings show was too mediocre to cover.
We look at three takeaways from the Duleep Trophy 2025 final.
Yash Rathod has an all-format potential, but his red-ball game is certainly at its peak, as he continues to build on an impressive Ranji Trophy 2024/25. He scored his career-best 194 in the first innings of the Duleep Trophy 2025 final before staying unbeaten on 13 in the second innings to earn the Player of the Match award.
Earlier, Rathod was the leading run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy 2024/25, scoring 960 runs at an average of 53.33 in 18 outings, including three fifties and five centuries, and was pivotal in Vidarbha’s title-winning campaign. He has already cast his focus on India A side, and while he was not included for the Australia A rubber, chances will come soon after his recent heroics.
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Rajat Patidar is having the time of his life, which is not limited to the IPL win with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), but his success has stretched beyond the shortest format. Patidar notched up a magnificent century in the first innings of the Duleep Trophy 2025 fixture, amassing a quickfire 101 with panache and quality throughout.
India are still searching for an ideal batter at No.3, and Patidar is surely a strong candidate based on his skill sets and significant improvement as a batter. The team has lately opted for spin-friendly decks at home, and Patidar’s superior spin game, which allows him to put the attack back on the opponent, can be more than handy, given the XI has traditional batters on other slots.
Gurjapneet Singh brings what few Indian pacers can: he is tall and can generate additional bounce, but can go fuller and extract some movement, and brings the left-arm angle. After taking four wickets in the semifinal, the pacer continued his fine bowling display and dismissed as many as six batters in the final, ending as one of the positives for South Zone in an otherwise disappointing clash.
He understands how to use the crease and generate awkward bounce from an unorthodox angle, making him one of the potential prospects for India, even though he is far from his debut as of now. India have Arshdeep Singh and Khaleel Ahmed as left-arm pacers ahead in the pecking order; Gurjapneet brings different attributes and can be handy on subcontinent surfaces, as visible by another impressive outing in the Duleep Trophy final.
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