Overview

• The summit clash between South Zone and Central Zone begins September 11 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru and will run as a five-day match.
• Central are viewed as stronger on paper due to an in-form batting core led by Danish Malewar and captain Rajat Patidar, with support from Shubham Sharma and wicketkeeper Upendra Yadav.
• South will be without Narayan Jagadeesan and Devdutt Padikkal due to India A duty, and captain Mohammed Azharuddeen said the side is fielding seven batters with plans to post a big total on Bengaluru tracks.
• Central’s attack loses Harsh Dubey, Khaleel Ahmed and Yash Thakur to the India A camp, leaving responsibility with Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen and the in-form Saransh Jain.
• A batting-friendly CoE surface is expected, with analysts suggesting the title could hinge on a first-innings lead, and prospects like Ravichandran Smaran, Malewar and Andre Siddarth aiming to impress selectors.