KL Rahul will miss the Duleep Trophy 2026 final between South Zone and East Zone at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The summit clash is scheduled to begin on Sunday, September 6, with South Zone aiming to reclaim the prestigious domestic title. Rahul was initially added to the South Zone squad along with Mohammed Siraj and Devdutt Padikkal ahead of the final.
However, the India batter will not be available for the title clash. South Zone captain Tilak Varma confirmed Rahul’s absence during the pre-match press conference on September 5. “KL bhai isn’t there,” Tilak told reporters.
While Rahul will miss the final, Siraj and Padikkal are expected to feature in the South Zone playing XI. Padikkal is set to bat at No. 3, while Ricky Bhui, who opened in the semi-final, is likely to continue at the top alongside N. Jagadeesan.
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The Duleep Trophy final will be played from September 6 to 10 at the iconic Chepauk venue. Rahul, Siraj and Padikkal were recently part of India’s squad that secured a 1-0 Test series victory in Sri Lanka. Padikkal emerged as the leading run-scorer, finishing with 328 runs at an average of more than 109, including two centuries. Rahul also made a valuable contribution, scoring 135 runs at an average of 45.
KL Rahul won’t play the Duleep Trophy final. @fancricket12 also shares his thoughts on Shami, Shreyas Gopal, Padikkal, Vaibhav and more from next to the M.A. Chidambaram stadium.@ThumsUpOfficial pic.twitter.com/Q6ZdzV0RBo
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) September 5, 2026
South Zone booked their place in the final after defeating North Zone by seven wickets at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2. Tilak was the standout performer, scoring an unbeaten 116 in the first innings before adding another unbeaten 51 in the second. Shreyas Gopal also impressed with an all-round performance.
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East Zone, meanwhile, reached the final after a dominant run. They defeated North East Zone by an innings and 210 runs in the quarter-final before overcoming Central Zone by four wickets in the semi-final. Shahbaz Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar were named Player of the Match in the respective games.
