Jammu & Kashmir wins historic maiden Ranji Trophy title, beats Karnataka via First Innings lead
Jammu and Kashmir made history, clinching its maiden Ranji Trophy title at the KSCA Stadium in Hubli on Saturday.
The Paras Dogra-led side drew against eight-time champion Karnataka to secure the title on the basis of its first-innings lead. It became the ninth team in the tournament’s history to win the championship in its maiden final appearance.
Opener Shubham Pundir struck a crucial century, while Auqib Nabi starred with the ball, claiming his seventh five-wicket haul of the season, as J&K dominated Karnataka for most of the five days.
In the second essay, with a huge headstart, J&K continued dominating the home side. Qamran Iqbal and Sahil Lotra scored centuries on the final day to guide their side to secure the win.
Chasing a mammoth 585 to take the first-innings lead, Karnataka’s openers began cautiously. Nabi struck just before lunch on Day Two, dismissing K.L. Rahul.
Mayank Agarwal stitched together a brief 29-run stand with captain Devdutt Padikkal before Sunil Kumar trapped Padikkal leg before wicket, leaving Karnataka two down for 56.
Nabi returned to make a decisive impact. He castled Karun Nair and then dismissed R Smaran off the very next delivery, firmly putting J&K in control.
Despite Mayank’s resilient 160 off 266 balls, Karnataka never fully recovered from the collapse and eventually conceded a 291-run first-innings lead.
Earlier in the first innings, debut finalist J&K suffered an early setback when Prasidh Krishna dismissed opener Qamran Iqbal. What followed, however, was a commanding response from the J&K batters.
It began with a 139-run second-wicket partnership between Yawer Hassan and Pundir, which restored momentum. Two century stands and three half-century partnerships later, J&K posted 584.
Published on Feb 28, 2026
