Ranji Trophy: Jammu & Kashmir dominate Karnataka to win maiden title, CM Abdullah lauds team

Hubli (Karnataka): Jammu and Kashmir dominated Karnataka end 67-year wait for maiden Ranji Trophy title. The Jammu and Kashmir cricket team has created history. They won the Ranji Trophy title for the first time. This was the first time the team had reached the final in the tournament's history. Jammu and Kashmir faced a star-studded Karnataka team. The final match ended in a draw, but due to their first innings lead, Jammu and Kashmir became the champions of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy.

Karnataka's playing XI included five players who had played Test cricket for India: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Devdutt Padikkal, and Prasidh Krishna. None of the players in Jammu and Kashmir's playing XI had international cricket experience. Despite this, Karnataka was unable to compete with Paras Dogra's team.

How many runs did Jammu and Kashmir score in the first innings?

Jammu and Kashmir captain Paras Dogra won the toss and decided to bat first. Jammu and Kashmir posted 584 runs in the first innings. Shubham Pundir scored a century and followed it up with a 121-run knock. Yawar Hasan (88), Sahil Lotra (72), Kanhaiya Wadhawan (70), Paras Dogra (70), and Abdul Samad also scored fifties and played some good innings. Prasidh Krishna opened the innings for Karnataka.

How did Karnataka perform?

After scoring 584 in the first innings, Jammu and Kashmir bowled out Karnataka for 293 in the first innings, taking a 291-run lead. Mayank Agarwal scored a century and 160 for Karnataka. Krutik Sharma also scored 36 runs. KL Rahul failed. In-form Aaqib Nabi played a key role in restricting Karnataka to 293. He opened the innings. Sunil Kumar and Yudhvir Singh Charak took two wickets each. Sahil Lotra also took one wicket.

What happened in the second innings?

In the second innings, Kamran Iqbal and Sahil Lotra scored centuries for Jammu and Kashmir. The team was reeling at 11 runs, but opener Kamran steadied the innings. He had arrived in Hubli on the morning of the match. Sahil, who had been injured, was also given the opportunity to play in this match. In the second innings, Jammu and Kashmir scored 342 for 4. Kamran scored an unbeaten 160, while Sahil scored an unbeaten 101.