Vidwath Kaverappa took four wickets as South Zone bowled North Zone out for 195 in the Duleep Trophy 2026 semi-final in Bengaluru.
Published: August 30, 2026, 6:13 PM IST
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Vidwath Kaverappa celebrates after his four-wicket haul(Credits: IANS)
South Zone made a strong start in their Duleep Trophy semi-final against North Zone in Bengaluru on SundayAfter bowling North Zone out for 195, South Zone reached 40 for 2 at stumps and trail by 155 runs.
Karnataka pacer Vidwath Kaverappa was the standout performer with the ball, finishing with figures of 4 for 66Kerala’s MD Nidheesh supported him with 2 for 36, while spinner Tanay Thyagarajan claimed 2 for 31Kavuri Saiteja and Shreyas Gopal also picked up a wicket each.
The seamers dominated proceedings at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2, taking eight of the 12 wickets that fell on the opening day.
Opener Qamran Iqbal was the only North Zone batter to offer prolonged resistanceHe scored a determined 76 off 182 balls, hitting 10 fours and one six.
Iqbal defended solidly and used his feet well despite losing partners at the other end.
Sanat Sangwan was the first to fall, returning a catch to NidheeshSaiteja then removed Ayush Doseja for 23, before Thyagarajan dismissed Ayush Badoni for 2 and captain Kanhaiya Wadhawan for 35.
Iqbal’s innings finally ended late in the day when Kaverappa had him caught behind off a short deliveryThe pacer then cleaned up the tail efficiently.
In reply, South Zone lost two wickets before the close of playAnshul Kamboj bowled Ricky Bhui for 5, while Gurnoor Brar trapped Shaik Rasheed lbw for a duck.
Narayan Jagadeesan looked in good touch and remained unbeaten on 34 off 58 balls, including six boundariesCaptain Tilak Varma was yet to get off the mark when stumps were drawn.
Earlier, Bhui and Jagadeesan had carefully negotiated the new ball for nearly an hour as it seamed aroundHowever, the two quick strikes gave North Zone a small opening at the end of the day.
South Zone will resume on 40 for 2 on the second day, with Jagadeesan unbeaten on 34 and Tilak Varma yet to score.
With North Zone managing only 195 in their first innings, South Zone will look to build a substantial first-innings lead when play resumes.
Brief Scores
North Zone: 195 in 59.1 overs (Qamran Iqbal 76, Kanhaiya Wadhawan 35; Vidwath Kaverappa 4/66, MD Nidheesh 2/36, Tanay Thyagarajan 2/31)
South Zone: 40/2 in 18 overs (Narayan Jagadeesan 34 not out; Anshul Kamboj 1/9, Gurnoor Brar 1/12)
South Zone trail by 155 runs.
