Ranji Trophy Final: J&K script history as clinch their first ever title after 24150 days

The Ranji Trophy final ended in a draw, but J&K were declared the winners due to their first-innings lead.

The Jammu & Kashmir team have created history in the Ranji Trophy by winning their maiden title. Nearly 67 years after their debut, they overcame numerous political challenges, and despite limited sports infrastructure in the state, they achieved a remarkable milestone.

Jammu and Kashmir played their first Ranji Trophy match in 1960; however, their first victory came in their 99th match in 1982. This year, they showed immense growth and dominated the tournament, losing only one game against Mumbai in Srinagar.

In the final, Shubham Pundir and Qamran Iqbal starred with the bat, while Auqib Nabi Dar shone with the ball, taking five wickets on a very flat track against a star-studded Karnataka batting lineup.

Jammu and Kashmir finished second in Elite Group D, just behind Mumbai, winning three of their seven matches before progressing to the quarterfinals. There, they defeated Madhya Pradesh by 56 runs to reach the semifinals, where they beat Bengal by six wickets.

Now, let’s take a look at their performance in the final and how they were declared champions due to a particular rule.

Ranji Trophy final: J&K crush Karnataka to lift championship

Batting first, J&K had a strong start on a pitch that suited the batters. They did lose their opening batter, Qamran Iqbal, for a low score, but Yawer Hassan and Shubham Pundir then formed a partnership of 139 runs. Yawer was dismissed for 88 runs, while Shubham went on to score a brilliant century, adding 121 runs.

The middle order capitalized on the opportunity and scored heavily, with captain Paras Dogra scoring 70 runs, Abdul Samad adding 61 runs, and Kanhaiya Wadhawan and Sahil Lotra contributing 70 and 72 runs respectively. Due to their collective efforts, they reached a total of 584 runs before being bowled out.

They then had to face the star-studded batting lineup of Karnataka on a batting-friendly pitch, but they showed no fear. Auqib Nabi led the bowling attack, taking a five-wicket haul, which proved to be one of his most important spells in domestic cricket.

From the Karnataka side, only Mayank Agarwal stood out with 160 runs, while there was no major contribution from the other batters. Karnataka were bowled out for 293 runs, and J&K gained a lead of 291 runs.

J&K chose to bat again instead of enforcing the follow-on. They lost two quick wickets at a score of just 11 runs but then tried to build a partnership. Paras Dogra was dismissed for just 16 runs, while Qamran Iqbal steadied the ship at the other end, trying his best to ensure a draw. Abdul Samad added 35 runs, and Sahil Lotra contributed 101 runs. Qamran starred with an unbeaten 160 runs.

J&K declared their innings at 342 runs, resulting in a draw. However, they were declared champions due to a rule which states that if neither team manages to bowl the opposition out twice or chase the target, the team with the higher first-innings total is declared the winner.

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