Auqib Nabi surpasses 50 wickets in Ranji Trophy 2025-26: Stats
What's the story
In a historic achievement, the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team has reached the finals of the Ranji Trophy for the first time. The team secured their spot in the final by defeating Bengal in a thrilling semi-final match at Bengal Cricket Academy Ground, Kalyani. J&K pacer Auqib Nabi was the star of the semi-final match, having claimed a four-fer and a fifer. Here we decode his sensational run in the ongoing season.
Match dynamics
How did the game pan out?
Bengal batted first and scored 328/10 in their first innings while J&K replied with 302/10. In their second innings, Bengal fell short with just 99/10. This gave Jammu and Kashmir a target of 126 runs to chase on the final day. Despite losing two early wickets, the middle order steadied the innings with Vanshaj Sharma leading the charge. He scored an unbeaten 43 while Shubham Pundir (27) and Abdul Samad (30*) also contributed to ensure J&K's six-wicket win.
Star player
Nabi's all-round brilliance powers Jammu and Kashmir to victory
As mentioned, Nabi was the star performer of the game, which even earned him the Player-of-the-Match award. He took nine wickets in total, including a five-wicket haul in Bengal's first innings (5/87 and 4/36). In addition to his bowling exploits, Nabi also contributed with the bat, scoring a valuable 42 runs while batting at number nine in J&K's first innings. His all-round performance played a crucial role in Jammu and Kashmir's historic win over Bengal.
Stats
Joint-most wickets in the season
With his latest efforts, Nabi became the first fast bowler to complete 50 wickets in the season. He has raced to 55 wickets across nine games (16 innings). While Uttarakhand's Mayank Mishra also boasts 55 wickets, no other bowler has even completed 46 wickets this season. Nabi's average of 12.72 is the best among bowlers with at least 22 scalps. The pacer's tally of six five-wicket hauls is also the most for any bowler in the season (4W: 2).
DYK
Second-best match figures in the season
Nabi was the star of the match in J&K's quarter-final clash as well, against Madhya Pradesh. The pacer clocked figures worth 7/40 and 5/70 in the game. Nabi's 12 /110 in the game are the second-best match figures in the season. The only other bowler to claim at least 12 wickets in a match in the ongoing competition is Jharkhand spinner Anukul Roy - 13/90 vs Nagaland.
Career
150 wickets in FC cricket
The semi-final game also saw Nabi complete 150 wickets in First-Class cricket. The pacer has completed 151 wickets from 40 matches at a stellar average of 18.62, as per ESPNcricinfo. He now boasts 15 five-wicket hauls in FC cricket. He also owns six four-fers and four match hauls of 10 wickets. The 29-year-old was on a roll in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy as well. He finished as the second-highest wicket-taker with 44 wickets at 13.93.