Duleep Trophy 2023 Final: Sai Kishore runs through West Zone lower-order as South Zone register 75-run triumph

Day 5 of the Duleep Trophy 2023 final between West Zone and South Zone at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday promised a tantalizing finish. However, it was quite an anti-climax as South Zone eased to victory by 75 runs to lift the Duleep Trophy 2023 title.

Set a target of 298, West Zone went to stumps on Day 4 at 182/5, with skipper Priyank Panchal holding fort on a resilient 92. The batting side needed their captain to carry on to keep their hopes of chasing down the challenging score alive.

West Zone, however, suffered a massive setback early on Day 5 of the Duleep Trophy 2023 final. Panchal had added only three runs to his overnight score when he was dismissed. The opener was caught behind off Vidwath Kaverappa (1/51). Panchal’s fine knock featured 11 fours, but his dismissal more or less sealed West Zone’s fate in the contest.

Shams Mulani (2) was next to head back to the pavilion, caught by Mayank Agarwal off Vasuki Koushik’s (4/36) bowling. Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (15) and Atit Sheth (9) added 23 runs for the eighth wicket.

But South Zone knew they had plenty of runs left in the bank. They showed patience with the ball and were rewarded when Jadeja perished to Sai Kishore (4/57).

The left-arm spinner also dismissed Chintan Gaja for a duck. The winning moment for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2023 final came when Sheth was caught by Washington Sundar off Kishore’s bowling. Chasing 298, West Zone were bowled out for 222 in 84.2 overs.

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Vidwath Kaverappa named Player of Match in Duleep Trophy 2023 Final

South Zone pacer Vidwath Kaverappa was named Player of the Match in the Duleep Trophy 2023 final for his stupendous bowling performance.

Kaverappa ran through the West Zone batting line-up with figures of 7/53 in the first innings. Responding to South Zone’s first-innings total of 213, West Zone were bowled out for 146, conceding a significant 67-run lead.

Kaverappa was also named Player of the Series for claiming 15 scalps in two matches at an average of 11.93.