Gurnoor Brar Uproots Stumps In Duleep Trophy 2026. Image Credits: BCCI
During the semi-final of the Duleep Trophy 2026 season between North Zone and South Zone, fast bowler Gurnoor Brar stole the limelight with a peach delivery that sent back Narayan Jagadeesan, who was off to a steady start.
The game began with North Zone batting first at the BCCI CoE and putting up 195 runs on the board with the help of Qamran Iqbal’s 76-run innings. However, in the second innings, South Zone’s top order collapsed courtesy of Brar's terrific new-ball spell.
Gurnoor Brar bowls a peach delivery in Duleep Trophy
South Zone had lost 2 wickets at just 39 runs after Ricky Bhui and Shaik Rasheed were dismissed on single-digit scores. But Narayan Jagadeesan held his end with a gritty 36-run knock.
But Gurnoor Brar broke his resilience. In the 20th over, Brar went wide of the crease to bowl a good-length delivery around the middle stump, and it swung late, completely deceiving Jagadeesan.
The batter came forward looking to play the line, but the late movement beat his outside edge. The ball crashed into the off stump, sending it cartwheeling out of the ground. It was a peach and nearly unplayable delivery, and Jagadeesan had no choice but to accept his ill fate.
Watch the video below:
Gurnoor Brar, meanwhile, was pumped but had to cut short his celebration as the umpires checked for a front-foot no-ball possibility. But reviews showed that Brar had not overstepped, meaning Narayan Jagadeesan had to complete his walk to the dressing room, leaving South Zone 42/3 on Day 2.
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Guroor Brar overshadows Arshdeep Singh
Meanwhile, Narayan Jagadeesan wasn’t the only casualty of Gurnoor Brar. The fast bowler also missed Shaik Rasheed on an 8-ball duck. It was his second wicket of the match.
Notably, after 27 overs, Brar turned out to be North Zone’s best bowler. He bettered the spell of his senior Arshdeep Singh, who struggled to fetch a single wicket.
On the other hand, Anshul Kamboj had one wicket to his name as he helped Brar from the end. But despite limited experience, Gurnoor’s performance surely caught the fans’ eyes.
He has shown great promise in domestic cricket, and the Indian camp will hope he can translate the same on the international stage.
Brar’s performance a positive sign for the BCCI
Having said that, the BCCI will be satisfied to see Gurnoor Brar wreaking havoc in the Duleep Trophy 2026. He was added to the North Zone squad for the semi-final game after he returned from the Sri Lanka series.
While Brar is yet to make his Test debut, his selection in the last couple of Test series is a sign that the BCCI are keen on grooming him as a red-ball specialist. And Gurnoor has earned this trust.
In 19 First Class games so far, he has 62 wickets to his name at an average of 25.24, including 2 five-wicket-hauls. His stats, as well as sheer pace, impressed the selectors as they saw a long-term pace solution in him.
At a time when lead pacers like Jasprit Bumrah and Harshit Rana are struggling to keep themselves fit, Gurnoor Brar comes as a ray of hope for Team India’s future Test plans.
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