The win, Central Zone’s fourth, propelled them to the final where they will meet West Zone on February 9. West Zone topped the table by winning all their five league games.
Once again Bharti top-scored with 65 (62 balls, 4x9) and shared a 75-run stand for the third wicket with Mona Meshram (32) to shore up Central Zone’s innings. For East Zone, Saika Ishaque (3/12) and Titas Sadhu (2/28) bowled splendidly.
East Zone’s chase never took off despite a gritty 46 by skipper Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh’s 23-run cameo. Ultimately, they fell well short.
Central Zone 181 all out in 47 overs (Bharti Fulmali 65, Mona Meshram 32; Saika Ishaque 3/12, Titas Sadhu 2/28)
East Zone 142 all out in 45.5 overs (Deepti Sharma 46, Richa Ghosh 23, Ritu 37 n.o.; Poonam Yadav 3/33, Sonal Kalal 3/22)
Result: Central Zone won by 39 runs