India batter KL Rahul will miss the final of the Duleep Trophy against East Zone, South Zone captain Tilak Varma confirmed during a press conference in Chennai. Tilak, who was named in India’s squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan earlier this week, also confirmed that batter Devdutt Padikkal and pacer Mohammed Siraj have been added to the South Zone squad to bolster their ranks for the highly anticipated clash against East Zone, which features the likes of Ishan Kishan, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Mohammed Sooryavanshi.
“KL bhai isn’t there,” Tilak told reporters in the pre-match press conference.
Tilak heaped praise on the crowd at Chepauk, highlighting the “good memories” at the venue. “We have got great memories here, and the ground has been very historic. When you come to Chennai, the first thing that always comes to mind is Mahibhai. And at the same time, I have got very good memories here,” Tilak said in a video posted by BCCI Domestic.
“The Chennai crowd, they really support me well. Whether I was playing for Mumbai Indians or for India, the crowd has shown me great love. So that is a good sign for me,” he added.
Tilak can look back at the Chepauk with good memories. It was this very ground where he scored a blistering 16-ball 44 in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eight clash against Zimbabwe, which rejuvenated his campaign.
“And I have got good memories here in the World Cup against Zimbabwe. I think I would say that is my comeback match. From there, I was feeling slightly low in the first two games.
“But from here, when I charged up against Zimbabwe, I was on a different level in my batting and in my confidence as well. In one India match, my jersey number is 72, and I have scored 72 here, and I have won the game. It was against England,” he added.
He highlighted that playing the Duleep Trophy final in front of an expected strong crowd would be really special, as the teams played their previous match without the fans at BCCI CoE ground in Bengaluru.
“So I have got a few memories here. It always feels special to me when I am in Chepauk. It is really special playing in the Delhi Trophy final.
We have missed playing in front of the crowd in the last game. But again, now playing finals in Chepauk with the two, I am expecting that there will be a lot of a crowd. So it will be really special because I always wait for that crowd when I come to Chennai.
“I love that crowd. They give that love to me as well. I am really waiting for that,” he concluded.
East Zone will be up against South Zone in the final of the prestigious Duleep Trophy from Sunday onwards as the glory stands on the line.
East Zone are looking for their first Duleep Trophy title since 2012-13, when they defeated Central Zone in the final to lift their second trophy, while South have been far more successful, having won 12 titles, with their last coming in 2023.
(With IANS Inputs)
About the Author
