East Zone vs North East Zone, DPT, Today Match Prediction

EZ vs NEZ Match Prediction & Analysis

East Zone is set to face North East Zone in the Quarterfinal 1 game of the Duleep Trophy 2026 on August 23 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2, Bengaluru. The performance of both teams in this tournament has been poor; both have appeared to crash out after losing their first match in the last three consecutive editions.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

EZ

NEZ

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

East Zone Preview

Under the captaincy of Ishan Kishan, the East Zone is set to kick off its campaign against the North East Zone in this tournament; however, East Zone's recent performance in the competition has been disappointing, as they have faced defeat in the quarter-finals three times in the last four editions. However, the presence of some in-form and young players will certainly boost the team's morale this time.

Ishan Kishan will hold a major responsibility in the batting department. He has good experience of 52 FC games in which he scored 3893 runs, while young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also possesses the potential to deliver a brilliant performance. Vaibhav has scored 207 runs in 8 FC games. Apart from them, Virat Singh has delivered consistently excellent performances, scoring 3829 runs at an average of 37.53 in 67 FC games.

Mohammed Shami will be there to shoulder the responsibilities and could be seen leading the bowling attack for East Zone. He took 377 wickets in 97 FC games. Shami also took nine wickets in the tournament's two matches so far, while Shahbaz Ahmed is also in excellent form, having claimed 142 wickets in 42 FC games.

East Zone Predicted Playing XI:

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Virat Singh, Ishan Kishan ©, Denish Das, Kumar Kushagra, Anukul Roy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shikhar Mohan, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar

East Zone Actual Playing XI:

Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Gharami, Virat Singh, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Anukul Roy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Abhijit Sarkar, Ishan Kishan, Kumar Kushagra, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar

North East Zone Preview

The North East Zone's performance in the tournament has been extremely disappointing, and they have failed to win even a single match over the last three seasons. Due to this, they have repeatedly appeared to be knocked out of the tournament after playing just one match.

The North East Zone's batting lineup features some outstanding players capable of surprising any team. Rongsen Jonathan has been consistently delivering good performances; he has scored 2801 runs in 56 FC matches at an average of 30.44. He could receive good support from Kishan Lyngdoh, who has scored 1573 runs in 28 FC matches at an average of 33.46.

The team will certainly have high expectations from Bishworjit Konthoujam, who has taken 145 wickets in 47 FC matches; apart from him, Akash Choudhary, who has claimed 93 wickets in 32 FC matches, could also put up a strong performance.

North East Zone Predicted Playing XI:

Lalrempuia, Ashish Thapa, Rongsen Jonathan, Robin Limboo, Imliwati Lemtur, Vino Zhimomi, Techi Neri, Ronald Longjam, Pheiroijam Jotin, Akash Choudhary, Bishworjit Konthoujam

North East Zone Actual Playing XI:

Kishan Lyngdoh, Rongsen Jonathan, Joseph Lalthankhuma, Techi Neri, Kangabam Singh, Ashish Thapa, Imliwati Lemtur, Arpit Bhatewara, Akash Choudhary, Bishworjit Konthoujam, Pheiroijam Singh

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

Rainy conditions are expected at BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2, Bengaluru, throughout the match days, with temperatures likely to range between 29°C and 21°C.

EZ vs NEZ Pitch Report

BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 in Bengaluru offers a well-balanced surface that provides assistance to both batters and bowlers. Fast bowlers get early seam movement and bounce with the new red ball in the first session. Once batters settle down and respect the new ball, the pitch settles into a true, even bounce where stroke-play becomes reliable. However, as the multi-day match progresses into days three and four, the pitch becomes helpful for spinners as well. The venue has regularly witnessed mid-scoring matches, with an average first-innings total of 372, reflecting the true nature of the neutral surface.

Toss: To Bat

The conditions at this venue generally favour teams batting first, as chasing has proven difficult.