East Zone's new cricketing core: How Bihar and Jharkhand talent powered Duleep Trophy win
toi
newspoint|20-09-2026
When South Zone and East Zone faced-off in the Duleep Trophy final, captain Tilak Varma ’s team was widely considered as the favourite. South Zone were not only playing at home, but had added in-form batter Devdutt Paddikal and Test regular Mohammed Siraj to the playing XI. There was a difference in pedigree too. South Zone were 19-time winners and East Zone had taken home the inter-zonal trophy only twice, the last in 2012-13.
But matches are not decided by reputation or history. East outplayed the hosts in every area, including hunger and self-belief to win the trophy. Even the sparse Chennai crowd clapped for the visiting side, especially for captain Ishan Kishan , a reborn cricketer whose monumental 270 first set an uphill task for Varma’s side, and whose feisty 80 shut the door on South’s faint revival hopes in the second.
In the 1980s and earlier, East Zone were mostly also-rans in Duleep Trophy. The inter-zonal trophy began in 1961-62, but EZ won its first title only in 2011-12, with Wriddhiman Saha and Shami being the key to that triumph. Next season, Jharkhand ’s underappreciated Ishank Jaggi’s ton fashioned East’s repeat success.
Now, Jharkhand is a potent force in domestic cricket. In Dec 2025, the mineral-rich state claimed the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the first time. Is it any surprise that Kishan scored a ton in the final and was Player of the Match, as in the Duleep Trophy final?
Carved out of Bihar, Jharkhand became a separate state in 2000 — a reason why its biggest star, MS Dhoni, began his first-class career playing for (then) Rabri Devi ruled state in 1999. Kishan comes from Bihar, whose cricket association was mired in controversy for years. But several other Jharkhand players, who excelled with the bat in the Duleep final, are born and bred in the fledgling picturesque state. Kumar Kushagra, the 21-year-old ’keeper who stroked to 101 and 46 in the final and is part of the India ‘A’ squad, was born in the steel city of Bokaro. The Dhanbad-born 23-year-old offie Mohammed Kounain Quraishi cruised to 116 in the second innings while claiming the vital wicket of Varma. But Ranchi-born Shikhar Mohan was the stand-out newbie. The 21-year-old southpaw contributed with 85 and 52, displaying calm under pressure in the second innings. He was not only a livewire in the outfield but also stepped in as a left-arm spinner and claimed two wickets when senior Anukul Roy, another Jharkhand-born player, hurt his bowling finger.
This was a team triumph. On pitches with different requirements, Bengal pacers Mukesh Kumar and Shami were better than their opposite numbers in both the semis and final. The tournament was a test for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s red-ball credentials. He demonstrated that he can adjust, even dominate. He remains a work in progress, especially against spin. The teenager must be evaluated not only by the runs he scores, but the way he scores them.
Irrespective of where they ply their trade, players born in Bihar and Jharkhand are the fulcrum of the new rising East. There was a time when the zonal side was dominated by home-grown Bengal players. Barring Sudeep Gharami, every other player representing Bengal in the final’s playing XI was a cricket migrant.
But matches are not decided by reputation or history. East outplayed the hosts in every area, including hunger and self-belief to win the trophy. Even the sparse Chennai crowd clapped for the visiting side, especially for captain Ishan Kishan , a reborn cricketer whose monumental 270 first set an uphill task for Varma’s side, and whose feisty 80 shut the door on South’s faint revival hopes in the second.
In the 1980s and earlier, East Zone were mostly also-rans in Duleep Trophy. The inter-zonal trophy began in 1961-62, but EZ won its first title only in 2011-12, with Wriddhiman Saha and Shami being the key to that triumph. Next season, Jharkhand ’s underappreciated Ishank Jaggi’s ton fashioned East’s repeat success.
Now, Jharkhand is a potent force in domestic cricket. In Dec 2025, the mineral-rich state claimed the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the first time. Is it any surprise that Kishan scored a ton in the final and was Player of the Match, as in the Duleep Trophy final?
Carved out of Bihar, Jharkhand became a separate state in 2000 — a reason why its biggest star, MS Dhoni, began his first-class career playing for (then) Rabri Devi ruled state in 1999. Kishan comes from Bihar, whose cricket association was mired in controversy for years. But several other Jharkhand players, who excelled with the bat in the Duleep final, are born and bred in the fledgling picturesque state. Kumar Kushagra, the 21-year-old ’keeper who stroked to 101 and 46 in the final and is part of the India ‘A’ squad, was born in the steel city of Bokaro. The Dhanbad-born 23-year-old offie Mohammed Kounain Quraishi cruised to 116 in the second innings while claiming the vital wicket of Varma. But Ranchi-born Shikhar Mohan was the stand-out newbie. The 21-year-old southpaw contributed with 85 and 52, displaying calm under pressure in the second innings. He was not only a livewire in the outfield but also stepped in as a left-arm spinner and claimed two wickets when senior Anukul Roy, another Jharkhand-born player, hurt his bowling finger.
This was a team triumph. On pitches with different requirements, Bengal pacers Mukesh Kumar and Shami were better than their opposite numbers in both the semis and final. The tournament was a test for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s red-ball credentials. He demonstrated that he can adjust, even dominate. He remains a work in progress, especially against spin. The teenager must be evaluated not only by the runs he scores, but the way he scores them.
Irrespective of where they ply their trade, players born in Bihar and Jharkhand are the fulcrum of the new rising East. There was a time when the zonal side was dominated by home-grown Bengal players. Barring Sudeep Gharami, every other player representing Bengal in the final’s playing XI was a cricket migrant.
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