South Zone captain Tilak Varma and East Zone opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi were involved in a couple of heated moments during the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2026 final at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, September 6.
It started as friendly banter that quickly turned into an intense one during the summit clash between the South Zone and the East Zone at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The South Zone captain appeared to try to distract the teenage batter with constant sledging.
Tilak Varma sledges Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Duleep Trophy 2026 final
The incident took place during the 11th over of East Zone’s first innings in the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2026 final in Chennai. Tilak Varma was seen continuously talking to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and making a remark about the youngster being the vice-captain.
At one point, the South Zone captain was heard saying, “Kya yaar, ye vice-captain.”
How did the exchange turn ugly?
Moments later, the continuous teasing turned into an intense exchange between the two players in Chennai. Things then took an unexpected turn when Tilak walked towards Vaibhav and made a slight physical gesture that appeared to be a punch.
The 15-year-old batter did not take it lightly and immediately stopped Tilak before confronting him. The body language of both players suggested that the moment was no longer just friendly banter.
The umpires also noticed the growing tension and stepped in to separate the two players and calm things down. The clash already went viral across social media platforms. Amid this, Ishan Kishan reveals what makes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi special ahead of Duleep Trophy Final.
Wtf Tilak..
Ha*assing a 16 yr old 🫣 🤨😜#DuleepTrophy pic.twitter.com/bkFdxOICkQ
— Asvanth (@asvanth1808) September 6, 2026
Tilak and Vaibhav having fun during Duleep trohy final😊 pic.twitter.com/0MMbkG0Ltm
— Abhishek (@unfav_abhishek3) September 6, 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi starts strong before dismissal
Meanwhile, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi started really well in the Duleep Trophy final, and even he stitched a 100-run partnership with Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has already smashed a stunning fifty in Chennai. But his promising knock ended when he tried to play an attacking shot.
The left-handed batter had slowed down a little before his dismissal and was not getting the strike regularly. He tried to break the pressure with a release shot, but the decision did not work in his favour, as the short delivery got the better of him against South Zone in Chennai.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi falls for 44 after taking on milind
Chama V Milind bowled a short-of-length delivery, and Vaibhav went after it. However, the extra bounce meant the ball took the splice of the East Zone opener’s bat and went towards the mid-wicket region, where the substitute fielder Tanay Thyagarajan was stationed, and he ran across from deep square leg and completed the brilliant catch.
The 15-year-old had to walk back to the dugout after scoring 44 runs off 37 balls, hitting five fours and one six, as East Zone’s current score stands at 109/1 in 17 overs against South Zone in the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2026 final at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Chennai.
After the summit clash, Vaibhav will return to national duty, as he will be seen in action for India in the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, starting on September 13 in Delhi.