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South Zone will lock horns with East Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026 final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, starting September 6. The South Zone side booked its place in the summit clash after defeating North Zone by seven wickets in the second semi-final in Bengaluru.
Captain Tilak Varma was the standout performer, scoring an unbeaten 116 in the first innings before returning to remain unbeaten on 51 during the successful chase. MD Nidheesh also played a crucial role with a five-wicket haul as South Zone completed a convincing victory.
However, South Zone’s squad has received a major boost ahead of the final. KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj and Devdutt Padikkal have been added to the squad and are expected to feature against East Zone.
Here is the predicted South Zone XI for the Duleep Trophy 2026 final:
KL Rahul could return to domestic red-ball cricket at the top of the order. The Karnataka batter brings enormous experience and would provide South Zone with a technically sound opening option against an East Zone attack led by Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar.
His ability to leave the ball and bat for long periods could be particularly valuable in Chennai.
Narayan Jagadeesan is likely to retain his place after playing an important role in South Zone’s semi-final victory. The Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batter scored 43 in the second innings against North Zone and shared a 64-run opening partnership with Ricky Bhui.
With the final being played in Chennai, Jagadeesan could also benefit from familiarity with the conditions.
Devdutt Padikkal is another major addition to the South Zone squad. The left-hander enjoyed an excellent recent run with India and was the Player of the Series during the Sri Lanka T20I series, making his inclusion a significant boost for the middle order.
His ability to construct an innings while maintaining a healthy scoring rate makes him a strong candidate at No. 3.
Tilak Varma should continue to lead the side after producing one of the finest individual performances of the tournament in the semi-final.
He scored an unbeaten 116 in the first innings and followed it with 51* in the chase. His consistency and leadership will be central to South Zone’s hopes of winning the trophy.
Ricky Bhui is expected to retain his place in the middle order. The South Zone vice-captain brings experience and can play the stabilising role if the team loses early wickets.
He also offers an additional wicketkeeping option, giving the team useful flexibility.
R Smaran could retain his position after contributing a crucial unbeaten 79-run partnership with Tilak Varma during the semi-final chase.
The Karnataka batter has shown that he can handle pressure and build an innings when required. His ability to rotate the strike will complement the more aggressive players around him.
Shreyas Gopal could be South Zone’s primary spin-bowling all-rounder. The Karnataka veteran provides valuable experience and can contribute useful runs in the lower middle order.
At the MA Chidambaram Stadium, his leg-spin could also become an important weapon as the match progresses.
Tanay Thyagarajan is likely to retain his place as another spin-bowling option. The left-armer can bowl long spells and keep pressure on batters from one end.
His presence would give Tilak another option to exploit a potentially spin-friendly Chennai surface.
Mohammed Siraj’s addition could significantly strengthen South Zone’s pace attack. The India fast bowler has been included in the squad after being asked to play the Duleep Trophy final, with selectors keen for available centrally contracted players to get domestic match time.
Siraj’s ability to generate movement and attack with the new ball makes him a major threat to East Zone’s top order.
MD Nidheesh should retain his place after his match-winning performance against North Zone. The Kerala seamer claimed 5/56 in the second innings and played a key role in South Zone reaching the final.
His confidence will be high heading into the title clash.
Vidhwath Kaverappa could complete the bowling attack. The Karnataka pacer took four wickets in the first innings against North Zone and has shown that he can provide early breakthroughs.
However, South Zone have added Chama Milind as cover after Kaverappa picked up an injury during the semi-final, so his fitness will be an important factor before the toss.
KL Rahul, Narayan Jagadeesan (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Tilak Varma (C), Ricky Bhui, R Smaran, Shreyas Gopal, Tanay Thyagarajan, Mohammed Siraj, MD Nidheesh, Vidhwath Kaverappa
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