Duleep Trophy 2023: Presenting the four semi-finalists
The two quarter-finals of the Duleep Trophy 2023 have been done and dusted as the four semi-finalists have been finalized. While West Zone and Central Zone will cross swords in the first semi-final, South Zone and North Zone will meet in the second clash. Both matches will get underway on July 5 (Wednesday). Here we decode the four semi-finalists.
A look at their previous records
West Zone are the most successful team in Duleep Trophy history with 19 titles. North Zone are the next on the list with 18 titles. South Zone own 13 Duleep Trophy titles. Central Zone clinched the trophy six times in 16 final appearances. Meanwhile, the first and second semi-finals will be played at the KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur and Bengaluru's M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, respectively.
Central Zone thrashed East Zone
Central Zone advanced to the semi-final with a 170-run triumph over East Zone in the first quarter-final. It was a low-scoring affair as bowlers of both sides enjoyed impressive outings. Himanshu Mantri (68) and Vivek Singh (56) scored fifties in CZone's second innings. Saurabh Kumar's eight-fer in the last innings sealed CZone's 170-run triumph. In total, the spinner took 11 wickets in the game.
North Zone too good for sorry NEZone
North Zone outclassed North East Zone and recorded a 511-run triumph in the second quarter-final. Dhruv Shorey (135), Nishant Sindhu (150), and Harshit Rana (122*) smoked tons in NZone's first innings. Ankit Kumar (70), Prabhsimran Singh (59), and skipper Jayant Yadav (55*) starred in the side's second innings. Pulkit Narang returned with a four-wicket haul in the final innings.
West Zone, South Zone earn direct entry
Meanwhile, West Zone and South Zone earned direct tickets to the semi-finals as they were the finalists of the last season's Duleep Trophy. West Zone won last year's final by a massive margin of 294 runs. They would be raring to defend their title. Meanwhile, South Zone, who missed out on glory, would be determined to go one step ahead.
Key performers for Semi-final 1
Central Zone's Rinku Singh, who enjoyed a dream IPL 2023, averages 59.89 in First-Class cricket. His skipper Shivam Mavi scalped 19 wickets in four 2022-23 Ranji Trophy matches at 16.78. West Zone's Cheteshwar Pujara is a veteran of 103 Tests, scoring 7,195 runs at 43.61. His teammate Sarfaraz Khan has been banging on the Indian team selection doors. He averages 79.65 in First-Class cricket.
Key performers for Semi-final 2
North Zone batter Prabhsimran Singh hammered 537 runs at 53.70 in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy. His teammate Sidharth Kaul snapped 22 wickets in seven 2022-23 Ranji Trophy matches at 27.86. With 990 runs at 82.50, South Zone's Mayank Agarwal was the highest run-getter of the last year's Ranji Trophy. His teammate R Sai Kishore snapped 29 wickets in the season at 31.65.
