Tilak Varma falls on 99 in Duleep Trophy final, misses 9th FC century

Tilak Varma, a left-handed batsman, was unable to reach a century in the Duleep Trophy final 2026-27 between South Zone and East Zone. South Zone had set a formidable target of 708 runs in their first innings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Despite a strong performance by Tilak, who had earlier reached two consecutive centuries in the tournament, he was dismissed off-spinner Kounain Quraishi for 99 runs.

East Zone capitalized on this to win their first title in 14 years, scoring 372 runs in response. Tilak, who is leading South Zone for the first time this edition, was nearing his third Duleep Trophy century in just six matches. This performance further enhanced his credentials in India’s T20 cricket.