West Zone, led by skipper Radha Yadav, was up against East Zone, led by skipper Saika Ishaque, in the first semi-final of the Senior Women’s Inter-zonal Multi-day Trophy in CAP Ground 2, Puducherry, from 26th to 28th March 2026 for a spot in the grand finale.
Semi-Final 1: East Zone Vs West Zone
West Zone skipper Radha Yadav won the toss and opted to bat first. They were pushed on the back foot as they lost both their openers cheaply inside the first 6 overs. A much-needed 70-run partnership for the 3rd wicket between Tejal Hasabnis and Tejaswini Batwal (35 off 72 balls), followed by another massive 120-run partnership between Tejal and wicket-keeper batter Umeshwari Jethva (51 off 121 balls) for the 4th wicket, led the recovery for their side, taking the total past the 200-run mark.
However, a crucial 104-run partnership for the 7th wicket between skipper Radha Yadav and A Patil (36 off 67 balls) proved to be decisive, taking them closer to the 350-run mark. Skipper Radha Yadav registered an impressive century (108 off 132 balls). Her knock included 17 boundaries. West Zone eventually declared at 421/8 in 126 overs. Devyani (21-5-68-2), Sushree Dibyadharshini (20-1-88-2), and Jintimani Kalita (19-5-49-2) picked up a couple of wickets each with the ball for the East Zone.
East Zone succumbed to pressure with a tall total ahead of them, and their bodies were taking the toll for long hours on the field. Their batting effort was wrapped up in the 103rd over, with the Saika Ishaque-led side managing just 206 runs on the board, giving West Zone a massive 215-run first innings lead. Mita Paul (57* off 193 balls), Sushree Dibyadarshini (38 off 123 balls), and T Sarkar (23 off 59 balls) were the lone warriors with the bat for East Zone.
Krutikaben (21-7-39-4), skipper Radha Yadav (26.3-9-45-3), Saima Thakor (19-7-33-2), and A Patil (15-6-27-1)were impressive with the ball for West Zone.
The West Zone already 215 runs ahead; the batters decided to spend some more time at the crease with no pressure in terms of the amount of runs. West Zone, in their 2nd stint, were 50/1 in 30 overs by the end of the final day’s play. The Radha Yadav-led side progressed ahead into the finals courtesy of securing a massive first innings lead. Skipper Radha Yadav was awarded the Player of the Match for her all-round heroics.
Semi-Final 2: South Zone Vs North Zone
North Zone, led by skipper Shweta Sehrawat, were up against South Zone, led by skipper Niki Prasad, in the 2nd semi-final at CAP Ground 3, Puducherry. North Zone skipper Shweta Sehrawat won the toss and opted to bat first. A fantastic spell of new-ball bowling from the South Zone reduced the Shweta Sehrawat-led side to 4/2 in the 6th over of the innings.
However, the middle order stepped up with decent partnerships worth 41 runs for the 3rd wicket, between Ayushi Soni and opening batter Tanisha Singh. Tanisha held fort at one end, taking the innings forward with a 43-run partnership for the 4th wicket alongside Sushma Verma, followed by a 31 and 56 run stands alongside skipper Shweta Sehrawat and Preeti Bose for the 5th and 6th wicket respectively, taking them past the 170-run mark.
Opening batter Tanisha Singh (126 off 246 balls) registered a gritty century. Her knock included 16 boundaries. Handy contributions from Preeti Bose (27 off 76 balls), Suman Gulia (20 off 41 balls), and Soni Yadav (18 off 30 balls) took them past the 200-run mark, eventually getting bundled out for 236 in 91.4 overs. Shabnam (14-6-40-3), Abirame R (24.4-6-63-2), and skipper Niki Prasad (22-4-58-4) were the top performers with the ball for the South Zone.
Middle order contributions from Henrietta Pereira (48 off 133 balls), wicket-keeper batter Mamatha (33 off 98 balls), Yuvashri (25 off 141 balls), and Poorva Bhaidkar (60 off 232 balls) took the Niki Prasad-led side closer to the North Zone total. However, they were bundled out for 213 in 124.2 overs, giving North Zone a slender lead of 23 runs. Opening batter Purvaja Verlekar (29 off 38 balls) was impressive with the bat for her side at the top of the order.
Preeti Bose ran through the North Zone batting line-up with a 7-fer, returning with figures (46.2-21-49-7). Sushmita H Kumari (35-16-67-2) and Mannat Kashyap (20-9-36-1) played their part with the ball for North Zone.
North Zone, in their 2nd stint with the bat, struggled yet again, but they were defiant enough to save the game and take the final day honours, salvaging a draw at 185/8 in 82 overs at the end of the day’s play. Skipper Shweta Sehrawat (32 off 59 balls), Ayushi Soni (39 off 90 balls), Sushma Verma (21 off 56 balls), and Suman Gulia (17* off 47 balls) chipped in with crucial contributions with the bat for North Zone. North Zone progressed to the final as they secured a first-innings lead.
Shanam (9-4-13-2) and Abirame R (17-4-47-2) picked up a couple of wickets each. Skipper Niki Prasad (22-10-30-1) was impressive yet again with the ball for her side. Tanisha Singh was awarded the Player of the Match for scoring a crucial century in the first innings.
West Zone will be up against North Zone in the final from 1st to 4th April 2026 at CAP Ground 2, Puducherry.
I am Yash Tailor, and I believe work should be driven by passion. Therefore, after completing my Engineering, I chose to work in the Cricket industry, my passion. My goal is to reach a stage where I truly enjoy what I do and give my best to every task with energy and purpose.