Jammu & Kashmir Won: After defeating Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy 2026, Jammu & Kashmir has won their maiden title on February 28, Saturday. Fast bowler Auqib Nabi stole the show with his exceptional bowling; centuries from Shubham Pundir in the first innings and Qamran Iqbal in the second innings helped them make a historic win against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy 2026 edition.
Jammu & Kashmir Won
This marks the first title for Jammu & Kashmir and marks a remarkable win for the team that was rarely taken seriously by any teams in the history of the Ranji Trophy.
In the year 1960, Jammu & Kashmir played their first game; their first win in the competition came only in their 99th match in 1982. That year also proved to be Karnataka’s third title-winning year. After that, the Jammu & Kashmir team did reach the quarterfinals in 2013-14, 2019-20, and 2024-25.
The Ranji Trophy 2025-26 final was their 346th game in the history of the tournament, and only in that they won 47 games. It brings an end to a remarkable season in which they lost only one match, which came in Srinagar against Mumbai.
Jammu & Kashmir Incredible Win
Jammu & Kashmir declared their second innings on a score of 342/4, after they made 584 in their first innings. Opener Iqbal scored an unbeaten score of 160 runs in 311 balls, while Sahil Lotra made 101 runs in 226 balls. When both teams shook hands, both the players were on a 197-run partnership, with Jammu and Kashmir leading by 633 runs.
Earlier, Jammu & Kashmir scored 584 runs batting first in Hubballi, Karnataka, thanks to Pundir’s 121 off 247 balls and half-centuries from Yawer Hassan (88), captain Paras Dogra (70), Abdul Samad (61), Kanhaiya Wadhawan (70), and Sahil Lotra (72). After Mayank Agarwal, the skipper of Karnataka, struck 160 runs in 266 balls, Auqib Nabi’s 5/54 was the decisive factor. Karun Nair, Agarwal, and KL Rahul were some of his victims.
Even though Jammu and Kashmir were no longer considered the underdogs, Karnataka was the most likely team to win the trophy before the final. In addition to possessing an excellent pool of players who frequently play Test cricket, they had demonstrated exceptional consistency since the start of the season.
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