&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Auqib Nabi reflects on historic Ranji Trophy success, says 'it was unbelievable'")
It was a historic day in Indian cricket on Saturday (Feb 28) as Jammu & Kashmir won their maiden Ranji Trophy. Titled as the biggest underdog story in Indian cricket, J&K ended a 67-year hiatus to clinch their maiden Ranji Trophy. Embroiled in battles on the border for years, J&K’s win comes as a historic moment, not just for the region but for the entire nation. In a final attended by J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, J&K clinched the trophy after winning on first innings lead as the summit clash ended in a draw against Karnataka while playing at the KSCA Hubli Cricket Ground in Hubli.
Nabi reflects on historic win
After the win, Auqib Nabi reflected on the win, terming the achievement as “unbelievable” and expressing joy. He was one of the main architects of the win, having scalped 60 wickets throughout the season and led his team to the title.
"It was unbelievable. We have won the trophy for the first time. When I started playing for the team, I dreamed of winning this tournament. We were trying since a long time, we struggled a lot. Finally we have won the tournament," said Nabi after J&K’s historic win.
"My plan is simple in every match. I try to give my best. Whenever the team requires, I put the hard yards. Every match is a must-win in the knockouts. I give my 100% any way I can."
"I stick to my process, I don't look at who is batting. I want to bowl in good areas and get the batters out, we win the game by taking wickets," said Nabi.
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J&K’s historic win
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.
