Duleep Trophy 2026 Team of the Tournament ft. Ishan Kishan, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Ishan Kishan-led East Zone side went on to win the Duleep Trophy 2026 season.
The Duleep Trophy 2026 delivered another exciting chapter in India’s domestic season, with five matches producing some nail-biting action and standout individual performances.
East Zone posted a mammoth 708 runs in the first innings thanks to skipper Ishan Kishan’s double century. In response, South Zone, led by Tilak Varma’s 99, could only manage 336 runs in their innings. Despite a massive lead of over 370 runs, East Zone decided to bat in their second innings instead of enforcing the follow-on.
After scoring 388/7 in their second innings, the match eventually ended in a draw. However, East Zone were declared the Duleep Trophy 2026 champions.
Under the new BCCI rule, if the Duleep Trophy 2026 final ends in a draw, then the team holding the first-innings lead will be declared the winner. Thus, East Zone won their third Duleep Trophy title, thanks to a massive 372-run first-innings lead.
The tournament gave established domestic stars and emerging youngsters a major platform to showcase their abilities. Based on their overall impact, here’s the Team of the Tournament, featuring players from almost every zone that participated in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy season.
Here’s the Team of the Tournament
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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – East Zone
The young gun from Bihar made his debut in this season of the Duleep Trophy. He impressed everyone with his batting skills in his debut season.
Playing for East Zone, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi batted in five innings, scoring 192 runs at an average of 38.40 and an impressive strike rate of 104.92.
Musheer Khan – West Zone
Musheer played just one game in this Duleep Trophy for the West Zone and scored 127 runs at an average of 63.50. His innings was particularly significant because he held together the West Zone innings, while the other batters struggled to show resistance.
Musheer is effective with the ball as well and is a far more mature cricketer than most of his peers in the longest format of the game.
Shikhar Mohan – East Zone
Shikhar Mohan was brought into the East Zone playing XI only for the final match against South Zone. The left-handed batting all-rounder was particularly effective in those big partnerships with captain Ishan Kishan.
Scoring half-centuries in the two innings in Chennai, 21-year-old Mohan amassed 137 runs at an average of 68.50. He also picked up two wickets with the ball after being the second most-used bowler during South Zone’s first innings.
Tilak Varma – South Zone
Tilak Varma, the South Zone captain, played brilliantly in the tournament. Playing in the semi-final, he scored a century and an unbeaten half-century, while in the final he was dismissed for 99 against East Zone.
Tilak not only took South Zone to the final but also played a major role in avoiding an early collapse during their innings against East Zone. He amassed 266 runs across three innings with an average of 266.
Ishan Kishan – East Zone
Ishan Kishan was undoubtedly the best player of the Duleep Trophy 2026, after his heroics in the final at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. He scored 350 runs in the final, including a record 270 in the first innings.
Kishan concluded his Duleep Trophy campaign with 409 runs in five innings at an average of 102.25. He is also the most deserving candidate to be named the captain of the Duleep Trophy team of the tournament.
Shahbaz Ahmed – East Zone
East Zone’s Shahbaz Ahmed produced one of the most iconic innings in a Duleep Trophy match during their first match against the North East Zone. He scored 167 runs in the first innings and went on to pick up four wickets in the match. His all-round ability gives this XI extra balance
Tanush Kotian – West Zone
West Zone spinner Tanush Kotian picked up eight wickets against North Zone in the quarter-final clash. His eight wickets across both innings summed up an extraordinary show from the spinner who is contending for a spot in the Indian Test team.
Harsh Dubey – Central Zone
Just following Kotian in that list of contenders for a Test debut is Harsh Dubey. The Central Zone spinner also picked up eight wickets in the semi-final defeat against East Zone and was particularly seen contributing with the bat.
Abid Mushtaq – North Zone
North Zone’s slow left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq has also joined the list of spinners. Despite playing only two matches, he finished as the leading wicket-taker. He finished the season with 12 wickets, which included a five-wicket haul.
Abhijit K Sarkar – East Zone
Abhijit Sarkar is a well-known seam bowler who hails from Bengal. The pacer was effective in the East Zone’s triumph, while pairing alongside Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar. He picked 10 wickets and finished as the third-highest wicket-taker.
Mukesh Kumar – East Zone
Mukesh Kumar was East Zone’s Player of the Match in the semi-final. His performance kept improving as East Zone inched closer to their title. Mukesh also took 12 wickets, including one four-wicket haul.
How many Duleep Trophies have East Zone won?
East Zone have won the Duleep Trophy 3 times.
Who won the Player of the Tournament award in Duleep Trophy 2026?
Tilak Varma was named the Player of the Series (Player of the Tournament) in the 2026 Duleep Trophy.
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