Who will be declared winner if Duleep Trophy 2026 final ends in a draw?
East Zone scored 708 runs in the first innings of the Duleep Trophy 2026 final.
The 63rd edition of the Duleep Trophy is approaching its conclusion. The final is underway between South Zone and East Zone at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. This final has reached an interesting phase.
East Zone won the toss and decided to bat first. Ishan Kishan led the team and became only the fifth batsman in Duleep Trophy history to score a double century in the final.
Ishan finished his innings at 270 off 334 balls with 30 fours and 7 sixes. Kumar Kushagra (101) was the second batsman to score a century. Abhimanyu Easwaran (72) and Shikhar Mohan (85) also scored half-centuries. A few other good innings were also played in the 1st innings.
As a result, the East Zone posted a mammoth 708 runs in 163 overs in the first innings. South Zone got a chance to bat on Day 3, and at the stumps, their score is 242/6.
With only two days left in the final, the draw looks highly possible. But who will be crowned champions if the final ends in a draw?
What happens if the final ends in a draw?
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Generally, if a red-ball match in a tournament ends in a draw, both teams share the points. However, the BCCI has changed the rules for the knockout matches of the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy.
Under the new rule, if the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2026 final ends in a draw, then the team holding the first-innings lead will be declared the winner. That means the East Zone have a golden chance to lift the trophy courtesy of the unreal batting performance they showed in the first innings.
That was the key reason that Ishan didn’t try to declare the first innings to give his bowlers a chance to bowl out the opposition. Rather, he kept on going with his batting lineup. That is largely because of the new rule implemented by the cricket board.
South Zone are currently 242/6 in 80 overs. To secure a win, they need to reach 709 anyhow as per the rule. That looks fairly impossible from their current situation. Therefore, we could see East Zone winning their third Duleep Trophy title, their first since the 2012/13 season.
Who won the last edition of the Duleep Trophy?
Central Zone won the last edition, beating South Zone in the final.
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