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In a moment that will be etched in the annals of Indian domestic cricket forever, Paras Dogra-led Jammu and Kashmir have scripted a fairytale ending to their 67-year wait, defeating the powerhouse Karnataka to lift their first-ever Ranji Trophy title as the final of the 2025-26 season was drawn and J-K emerged victorious based on the first-inning lead.
Playing their first-ever Ranji final, Jammu and Kashmir were crowned champions by virtue of their massive 291-run first-innings lead, a gap that proved insurmountable for the eight-time champions--Karnataka, led by Devdutt Padikkal. The foundation of this historic triumph was laid in the first two days when J-K's batters showed relentless discipline. Led by a masterful 121 from Shubham Pundir and contributions from Yawer Hassan (88 runs), captain Paras Dogra (70 runs), Abdul Samad (61 runs), Kanhaiya Wadhawan (70 runs) and Sahil Lotra (72 runs), J-K amassed a massive first-innings total of 584 runs. Despite J-K's dominance, pacer Prasidh Krishna claimed figures of 5/98 in 34.1 overs, standing out as the lone bowler who impressed for Karnataka. Karnataka, despite boasting a lineup of international stars including KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, and Karun Nair, crumbled under the pressure of the scoreboard. Only Mayank Agarwal offered significant resistance with a valiant 160, but his effort was lonely. Karnataka were bowled out for 293, conceding a massive 291-run lead to Jammu and Kashmir. The star of the show with the ball was J-K's Auqib Nabi, whose clinical 5/54 in 23 overs decimated the Karnataka middle order and effectively sealed the fate of the match by Day 4. Batting again, J-K were powered by an unbeaten 160 by Qamran Iqbal and 101 not out by Sahil Lotra, as Paras Dogra declared the innings on 342/4 on Day 5, with J-K leading by 633 runs, as the entire squad stormed into the field in celebration. Shubham Pundir won the Player of the Match award for his hundred in the first innings, as Auqib Nabi was awarded the Player of the Series award for his 55 wickets in eight matches in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season. The significance of this win cannot be overstated as J-K entered the season as underdogs but reached the final by defeating former champions like Delhi, Rajasthan and Bengal. (ANI)
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