Devdutt Padikkal continued his impressive run with the bat as he scored a fighting half-century for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026 final against East Zone in Chennai.

Padikkal arrived in the Duleep Trophy final after a memorable Test series against Sri Lanka. The Karnataka batter was India’s standout performer in the two-match series in August, scoring two centuries in three innings while batting at No. 3.

His performances earned him the Player of the Series award, and he carried that form into domestic cricket after joining the South Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy final.

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Padikkal scores 62 in Duleep Trophy final

The 26-year-old Karnataka batter walked out at No. 3 for South Zone and looked comfortable at the crease from the start.

Padikkal scored 62 runs from 104 balls, hitting four boundaries. He first put on 60 runs from 80 balls with Narayan Jagadeesan for the second wicket. Jagadeesan made 32 off 42 balls.

Padikkal then added another 56 runs with Shaik Rasheed, who scored 27 off 48 balls, as South Zone looked to build a strong response to East Zone’s huge first-innings total.

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However, Padikkal unable to convert his half-century into a big score.

Mukesh Kumar ends Padikkal’s stay

Padikkal’s innings came to an end in the 36th over when he tried to take on Mukesh Kumar.

The left-hander went for a big shot but failed to clear the field. Substitute fielder Denish Das completed the catch, bringing Padikkal’s impressive knock to an end.

East Zone post 708 runs

East Zone had earlier piled up a massive 708 runs in their first innings.

Captain Ishan Kishan was the star of the innings, smashing 270 runs while batting at No. 5. Kumar Kushagra also made a valuable contribution, scoring 101 runs from 132 balls.

Abhimanyu Easwaran and No. 3 batter Shikhar Mohan also hit half-centuries as East Zone put South Zone under considerable pressure in the final.

Ishan Kishan creates Duleep Trophy history

Ishan’s 270-run knock also saw him enter the record books.

He became the first wicketkeeper-batter to score 250 or more runs in a Duleep Trophy match. He also became only the third East Zone batter, after Arun Lal and Saba Karim, to score a double century in the tournament.

With Padikkal continuing his form after a brilliant Test series against Sri Lanka, his half-century has added another positive chapter to what has been an impressive run for the Karnataka batter.