The 2026-27 domestic cricket season got underway on Sunday with the 63rd edition of the Duleep Trophy, with teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi among the biggest names in focus. The 15-year-old, however, had a brief outing for East Zone against North East Zone in Bengaluru, scoring only eight runs.
Sooryavanshi, who has been appointed East Zone’s vice-captain under Ishan Kishan, struck two consecutive boundaries before his innings came to an early end. He first flicked the ball towards mid-wicket and followed it with a sharp cut for another four.
The teenager attempted to attack the next delivery from Bishworjit Konthoujam but edged the ball towards the slips, where Joseph Lalthankhuma completed the catch. Sooryavanshi's dismissal left East Zone in trouble early in the innings.
Abhimanyu Easwaran also failed to make a major contribution, departing for 15 after being given out leg before wicket. With both openers back in the pavilion, East Zone were reduced to 25 runs.
Kumar Kushagra and Sudip Kumar Gharami then steadied the innings with a 92-run partnership. Kushagra eventually fell for 55, after which Virat Singh and captain Ishan Kishan were dismissed for two and four respectively.
East Zone reached 138/5 by lunch before Gharami and Shahbaz Ahmed took charge. The pair added 100 runs together, helping their side recover from a difficult position.
Gharami went on to score a century, while Shahbaz also reached three figures and remained unbeaten on 100. Anukul Roy was unbeaten on 22 as East Zone continued to build a sizeable total.
The Duleep Trophy is being played as part of India’s new domestic season, with several established and emerging players featuring across the tournament. East Zone’s squad includes experienced names such as Mohammed Shami and Abhimanyu Easwaran alongside players including Mukesh Kumar, Shahbaz Ahmed and Kumar Kushagra.
In another fixture in Bengaluru, North Zone faced West Zone after captain Kanhaiya Wadhawan won the toss and elected to bat. North Zone were bowled out for 251 in 66.5 overs.
Ayush Badoni contributed 51 runs, while Anshul Kamboj added 60 lower down the order. West Zone’s bowling attack was led by Tushar Deshpande and Tanush Kotian, who picked up four wickets each to keep North Zone under pressure.
West Zone finished the day on 31/2 in 10 overs. Prithvi Shaw scored 22, while Musheer Khan and Shivalik Sharma were unbeaten on six and zero respectively at the close of play.
The opening day therefore produced contrasting results for some of the tournament's high-profile players. Sooryavanshi could not make a major impact with the bat, while Shahbaz and Gharami provided East Zone with the kind of substantial contributions needed to recover from early setbacks.
With the Duleep Trophy also serving as an important platform for players looking to make their mark in domestic cricket, performances across the tournament will remain closely watched as the season progresses.
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