Duleep Trophy 2025 Final: Fans roar in delight as Rajat Patidar’s Central Zone thrash South Zone to win the title

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Central Zone has emerged victorious in the Duleep Trophy 2025 final, clinching the title after a wait of decade. The decisive match, held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, saw them overpower South Zone by a margin of six wickets. Despite the final chase being a modest one of 65, the game was marked by several high-quality individual performances, with batters and bowlers on both sides leaving their mark on the prestigious contest. Ultimately, Central Zone’s consistent performance throughout the match, particularly in the first innings, proved to be the key difference.

Central Zone’s triumph was orchestrated under the sharp leadership of captain Rajat Patidar, who led his team with both tactical acumen and personal brilliance. He was a pivotal figure in the team’s resurgence, steering them to their first Duleep Trophy title in over a decade. His decisive move to bowl first after winning the toss on a cloudy pitch proved to be a masterstroke, as his bowlers bundled out South Zone for a mere 149 in their first innings. Patidar also led by example with the bat, scoring a brilliant century (101 off 115 balls) and forging a crucial 167-run partnership with Yash Rathod. This knock not only anchored Central’s innings but also showcased his ability to shift gears, accelerating after a composed fifty. His all-round contribution, which also included a spectacular diving catch, inspired the team and was fundamental to their victory.

Central Zone’s command over the final was established in their first innings, thanks in large part to a brilliant and career-best performance from batsman Rathod. He struck a magnificent 194 runs from 286 balls, an innings that anchored Central Zone’s huge total of 511. Rathod’s knock was his seventh First-Class century and highlighted his impressive recent form in red-ball cricket, where he has accumulated 1,879 runs in 21 matches at a superb average of over 50. This monumental effort put Central Zone in a commanding position, securing a massive first-innings lead of 362 runs. The batter’s composure and clear game plan against the opposition bowlers, especially the spinners, were praised by his skipper Patidar.

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Despite being bundled out for a low score in their first innings and facing a daunting deficit, South Zone mounted a spirited fight in their second outing. They posted a challenging total of 426, largely due to a few crucial partnerships. The most significant of these was a 192-run alliance for the seventh wicket between Ankit Sharma and C Andre Siddarth. Ankit was the star of this partnership, showcasing immense character to score 99 runs off 168 balls before unfortunately being dismissed, just one run short of his second First-Class century. Siddarth provided excellent support, remaining unbeaten on 84 from 190 balls. The young Smaran Ravichandran also made a valuable contribution with a solid knock of 67 runs.

2025 is the year of Rajat Patidar:

Won IPL 2025 for RCB in 18 years

Led Central Zone to win Duleep Trophy after 10 years

— Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) September 15, 2025

Central Zone beat South Zone by 6 wickets and win the Duleep trophy.

2nd trophy of the year for the Vidarbha boys (Yash Rathod, Danish Malewar etc).

Congratulations, Well Played. 👏

— Faiz Fazel (@theFaizFazel) September 15, 2025

Rajat Patidar as captain 🔥

Won the Duleep Trophy 2025 ✅Won the IPL 2025 ✅#RajatPatidar #DuleepTrophy #IPL

— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) September 15, 2025

The Central Zone Team Led By Rajat Patidar With Duleep Trophy 2025. 🏆

— Md Nagori (@Sulemannagori23) September 15, 2025

Captain Rajat Manohar Patidar in 2025

-Won Duleep Trophy 🏆 -Highest run scorer of the tournament-Won IPL trophy 🏆 – runner-up in SMAT

What a year it has been for him..🙌🏻❤️

— RCBXTRA (@RCBXTRAOFFICIAL) September 15, 2025

Duleep Trophy 2025-26 🏆

Player of the Match – Yash Rathod (194 in final 1st inns)

Most Fours – Danish Malewar (56 fours in 3 games)

Player of the Tournament – Saransh Jain (16 wickets and 130+ runs)

Winning Captain – Rajat Patidar

— चिरकुट ज़िंदगी (@Chirayu_Jain26) September 15, 2025

Usman Ghani's CV as coach:

Cooch Behar Trophy 2017/18✅Vinoo Mankad Trophy 2018/19 & 2022/23✅Ranji Trophy 2024/25✅Duleep Trophy 2025 ✅Irani Cup ⏳

Plus, runner up in Cooch Behar 2018/19, 2019/20 and Ranji Trophy 2023/24.

— Mayank (@ImMayankB) September 15, 2025

Congratulations to Central Zone on clinching their 8th Duleep Trophy, ending a 10-year wait!#Cricket #duleeptrophy #BCCI

— Indian Domestic Cricket Forum – IDCF (@IDCForum) September 15, 2025

Captain Rajat Patidar led RCB won IPL 2025.

Captain Rajat Patidar led Central Zone won Duleep Trophy 2025.

— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) September 15, 2025

We RCB fans are failing to hype our captain Rajat patidar man like literally he is gold for us such a champion 🏆 material..

— Ankit Revar (@Ankit_Revar19) September 15, 2025

The match also featured some outstanding bowling performances from both sides. For South Zone, Gurjapneet Singh was the most impactful bowler, claiming figures of 4/124 in the first innings and 2/21 in the final chase. This marked his second successive four-wicket haul in the Duleep Trophy. The all-rounder Ankit Sharma was also a key factor with the ball, picking up four wickets in the first innings and two more in the second. In the end, South Zone’s second innings total left Central Zone with a small target of 65 to chase. However, the seemingly easy chase was not without a few anxious moments for Central Zone, as they lost four wickets before ultimately crossing the finish line.

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