Jammu & Kashmir’s Historic Ranji Trophy Triumph (2025–26)

Jammu & Kashmir cricket team have etched their name in golden letters in the annals of Indian cricket. Boys from the hilly northern state rose like a phoenix from the ashes to annex the Ranji Trophy, a sign of supremacy in domestic cricket.

They literally annihilated giants of domestic cricket, Karnataka, in the final. The victory becomes all the more credible as they brought Karnataka to their knees at their home ground, Bengaluru. Karnataka boasted of a formidable team with five Test players, whereas the J&K team had all local players.

The J&K Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, flew all the way from Srinagar to Bengaluru to watch the proceedings of the match on the final day. As his team lifted the Ranji Trophy, Omar Abdullah announced a grant of two crore rupees for his players and staff. Hats off to the J&K boys who shed the tag of underdogs and became giant killers.

Jammu and Kashmir have created history by lifting the Ranji Trophy title for the first time, defeating Karnataka via a first-innings lead in the Ranji Trophy 2025–26 final. After opting to bat, J&K posted a mammoth 584 in their first innings, led by Shubham Pundir’s century (121).

Karnataka crumbled under scoreboard pressure, getting bowled out for just 293. The wrecker-in-chief was Auqib Nabi, who looked absolutely unplayable on this track, finishing with spectacular figures of 5 for 54. He triggered a stunning top-order collapse that saw

Karnataka slip to 57 for 4. Mayank Agarwal was the lone warrior, fighting back with a heroic, backs-to-the-wall knock of 160. Despite his fighting century, the Jammu and Kashmir pacers eventually wiped out the tail to secure that match-winning 291-run lead.

The subsequent lead of 291 was then extended to 633 in the second innings by J&K, as Qamran Iqbal and Sahil Lotra slammed hundreds. The match ended in a draw on Day 5, with J&K winning due to their first-innings lead. With this title, they ended a 67-year-old wait to become Ranji Trophy champions.

The captain of Karnataka, Devdutt Padikkal, expressed immense pride in his team’s effort, noting that reaching a final is a significant achievement despite the eventual result. He offered full credit to Jammu and Kashmir for their superior performance throughout the season and acknowledged that they simply played better cricket in the championship match, regardless of the toss.

Padikkal specifically identified Auqib Nabi as a decisive factor, praising the pacer’s exceptional 60-wicket season and admitting that the Karnataka batters failed to negate his impact. Devdutt remained highly encouraged by the development of the younger players in the squad, viewing their early exposure to a major final as a foundational step for the team’s future success.

The man of the moment — the 41-year-old victorious skipper of Jammu and Kashmir, Paras Dogra — described the victory as the most significant moment of his life. Overwhelmed with gratitude, he struggled to find the words to express the magnitude of the achievement. Dogra credited the entire squad for the win, praising the consistent performance of the 14–15 core players rather than just the playing eleven.

Dogra revealed that from the tournament’s outset, the team maintained an unwavering belief that they could secure the title. When asked about his future career, the veteran skipper remained non-committal, choosing instead to focus on immediate celebrations before deciding his next steps.

One of the centurions, Qamran Iqbal, expressed his delight at winning the Ranji Trophy for the first time, attributing the historic victory to a collective effort from the players, coaching staff, and administrators.

Despite receiving a late call-up just a day before the match and arriving at the stadium only an hour before play began, he maintained that his consistent practice and match play at home kept him fully prepared. Iqbal explained that his tactical decision to step outside the crease was to negate the threat of the new ball, which helped him navigate a strong

Karnataka bowling attack.

Iqbal credited the JKCA’s decision to involve the team in tournaments like the Buchi Babu for their growth and praised the senior players for maintaining a positive environment. While he reflected on his journey from the India Under-19 level, he planned to take his career one game at a time.

The President of BCCI, Mithun Manhas, former administrator for the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association, described the team’s maiden Ranji Trophy victory as the culmination of an amazing journey that began in June 2021. He attributed the historic success to strict adherence to professional processes and the strategic inclusion of veteran leadership.

Manhas highlighted that the arrival of captain Paras Dogra provided essential stability and calmness, while head coach Ajay Sharma, a former Delhi player, utilized his extensive experience from five previous finals to refine the team’s batting. The defining factor, according to Manhas, was that finally, players began to believe in their own potential.

He dedicated the win to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and former cricketers who struggled without modern facilities. Acknowledging the support of the BCCI and the competitive spirit shown by opponents Uttarakhand and Karnataka, Manhas asserted that the better team dominated the five-day final and that this triumph was only the beginning for the Jammu & Kashmir cricket team.

J&K cricket team triumphed over formidable Bengal in the semifinals and Madhya Pradesh in the quarterfinals.