It was a historic day for Jammu & Kashmir on Saturday (Feb 28) as they clinched their maiden Ranji Trophy title courtesy of their first innings lead over Karnataka. Playing at the KSCA Hubli Cricket Ground in Hubli, J&K won their maiden title after 67 years of hiatus, writing one of the biggest underdog chapters in Indian cricket history. The achievement was taken note by legends of the game, including great Sachin Tendulkar, World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh and others. So here’s what the legends wrote after J&K’s historic triumph.
Legends congratulate J&K stars
“The Kashmir willows have been a part of many champions’ kits. To see Jammu & Kashmir’s journey from being an enabler of champions, to becoming champions themselves, is beautiful. The season was built on consistency, resilience, and season-long excellence. Auqib Nabi’s impact with the ball stood out in a demanding campaign. A historic moment for the team, coaches, and support staff. Journeys like these define the beauty of domestic cricket,” Sachin wrote on his X handle.
“Unbelievable! History has been written today! Huge congratulations to the Jammu & Kashmir team for clinching their maiden #RanjiTrophy title after 67 long years! Dominating Karnataka with pure grit, heart and unbreakable spirit. Proud beyond words of #AuqibNabi’s fire, #QamranIqbal’s masterclass and the entire squad and training staff’s belief! J&K cricket has arrived! Keep shining boys,” wrote Yuvraj on his handle.
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.
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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.

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