Sourav Ganguly Sends Special Message To Vaibhav Sooryavanshi And Co Before Duleep Trophy Final

Sourav Ganguly sends special message to East Zone [Source: AFP, cabcricket/Instagram]

Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President Sourav Ganguly has sent a special message to the East Zone cricket team ahead of their upcoming Duleep Trophy 2026 final match in Chennai. The former Indian captain extended his best wishes for Ishan Kishan, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and co. in light of the title clash.

Ganguly, along with several other CAB officials also celebrated a unique milestone match loading for Bengal fast bowler Mohammed Shami on the occasion.

Sourav Ganguly urges Ishan Kishan and co to be “aggressive” in final

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is one of the six state cricket associations that make up East Zone.

Fittingly, CAB President Sourav Ganguly has shared a motivational message for the Ishan Kishan-led East Zone team ahead of their Duleep Trophy 2026 final match against the South Zone at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. 

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Urging players to be aggressive in the Duleep Trophy 2026 final, Sourav Ganguly sent a special cake to the team with the following text: “You don’t play finals to participate; you play them to win. Play aggressive, play for each other, and make the East Zone proud. Bring the Duleep Trophy home, boys! Best of Luck.”

East Zone’s road to the Duleep Trophy 2026 final

The East Zone cricket team, led by Jharkhand’s Ishan Kishan and vice-captained by Bihar’s teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, has reached the final of the Duleep Trophy 2026 season. They will now face the Tilak Varma-led South Zone team between September 6 and September 10 in Chennai.

The team started off the season with a quarter-final match against the North East Zone in Bengaluru last month. Courtesy of grand centuries from Sudip Kumar Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed, and five-wicket hauls from Abhijit Sarkar and Anukul Roy, the East Zone secured a comprehensive innings win by 210 runs.

In the semifinal against Rajat Patidar’s Central Zone, wickets for Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar and a fiery 92 from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi helped the East Zone register a comfortable four-wicket win. 

Sourav Ganguly-led CAB celebrates Mohammed Shami’s landmark moment

Apart from extending their best wishes to East Zone captain Ishan Kishan and vice-captain Vaibhav Sooryavanshi before the final, CAB also felicitated legendary Indian and Bengal fast bowler Mohammed Shami.

It is worth noting that Shami, a veteran of 99 first-class caps, will play his 100th first-class match through the impending Duleep Trophy 2026 final. 

On behalf of CAB President Sourav Ganguly, treasurer Sanjay Das felicitated Shami with a special ‘number 100’ Bengal jersey. Moreover, Ganguly also gifted him a signed match ball, along with a silver plaque. 

On Instagram, the CAB shared a series of pictures from the ceremony, with one picture featuring both Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi posing alongside Mohammed Shami with the plaque. 

TNCA Secretary Mr U. Bhagwandas Rao also felicitated Shami on the occasion. 

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