Duleep Trophy 2023 is underway, with the quarterfinals underway. The defending champions, West Zone, and South Zone have both qualified for the semi-finals already. West Zone managed to overcome the Central Zone by an innings and 14 runs in their quarterfinal match at Alur. Priyank Panchal scored 161 and 63 for West Zone, while Cheteshwar Pujara scored 105. For Central Zone, Shivam Mavi took 5 wickets.
South Zone defeated North Zone by 7 wickets in their quarterfinal match at Bengaluru. Baba Aparajith scored 102 and 64 for South Zone, while Mayank Agarwal scored 103. For North Zone, Mayank Dagar took 5 wickets.
The semi-finals will be played on July 5 and 6. West Zone will face North-East Zone at Alur, while South Zone will face East Zone at Bengaluru. The final will be played on July 12 and 13 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
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The Duleep Trophy is a first-class cricket competition that has been played in India since 1932. It is named after Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last ruler of the Sikh Empire. The tournament is played between six zonal teams: North Zone, West Zone, South Zone, Central Zone, East Zone, and North-East Zone.
The 2023 Duleep Trophy is the 60th edition of the tournament. The defending champions are West Zone, who defeated South Zone in the final of the 2022-23 season.
The Duleep Trophy is a prestigious tournament and is seen as a good opportunity for young players to showcase their talent and stake a claim for a place in the Indian national team. The tournament has produced some of the greats of Indian cricket, including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman.
The 2023 Duleep Trophy is expected to be a competitive tournament, with all six teams capable of winning. The final is shaping up to be a clash between the two favorites, West Zone and South Zone. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top.