Cricket
oh-Gaurav Sharma
Ishan Kishan put on a thrilling show in the final of the Duleep Trophy 2026, scoring a brilliant double century for the East Zone against the South Zone at the UMass Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Leading the East Zone from the front, Kishan played a dominant innings that saw him cross the 200-run mark in just 270 balls as the East Zone continued to pile up runs against the South Zone.
In the final of the Duleep Trophy 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Ishan Kishan scored 250 off 300 balls for the East Zone against the South Zone, becoming the second captain to reach a double century in the tournament.
Kishan’s double century was not only a milestone in his batting career but also put him in the company of East Zone batters who have scored double centuries in the tournament. Arun Lal had two double centuries in the 1986/87 season and Saba Karim remains unbeaten with 200 in the 1995/96 season.
The knock also earned Kishan a place in Duleep Trophy history as he became the second captain ever to score double centuries. Anshuman Gaekwad was the first to achieve this feat in 1987.
But Kishan was far from finished when he crossed the 200-run mark.
Instead of cooling off, the East Zone captain sped up his delivery and continued to punish the South Zone bowlers. He paved his way to an astonishing 250 runs from 300 deliveries as the East Zone crossed the 600-run mark.
Kishan’s innings eventually came to an end when he was forced to retire due to injury, but by then he had made a significant contribution to the East Zone innings.
His outstanding knock eclipsed an impressive century from Kumar Kushagra, who scored 101 off 132 balls, 72 from Abhimanyu Easwaran and 44 from Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
Thanks to Kishan’s outstanding effort of scoring 250 runs in the heart of the innings, the East Zone scored a mammoth total and put the South Zone under immense pressure in the Duleep Trophy final.