Ranji Trophy final: Maiden finalists J&K face Karnataka challenge
What's the story
The 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season is nearing its climax, with Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Karnataka set to face off in the final. This will be a historic moment for J&K as they make their maiden appearance in the title clash. On the other hand, Karnataka will be eyeing their ninth title, having won it eight times before. The match is scheduled to take place at Hubballi from February 23, 2026.
Underdog story
Sensational journey for J&K
J&K's journey to the final has been nothing short of a fairytale. They have defeated heavyweights like Delhi, Madhya Pradesh (MP), and Bengal en route. Their only blip was a 35-run defeat against Mumbai at the start of the season. However, they bounced back strongly by defeating MP by 56 runs in a nail-biting quarter-final before overcoming Bengal by six wickets despite conceding a first-innings lead.
Veteran's edge
Karnataka eye 9th title
Karnataka, who happen to be the eight-time Ranji Trophy champions, has shown resilience despite some stutters. Their journey to the final was highlighted by a sensational five-wicket win over Punjab where they chased down 250 runs in just 28 overs. Since then, they have been unstoppable in the knockouts, beating Mumbai by four wickets in the quarter-finals and scoring a mammoth 736 and 323 runs in two innings of their semi-final clash.
Historical context
Karnataka have upper hand over J&K
In the history of the Ranji Trophy, Karnataka has dominated J&K with four wins out of four encounters. Two of those victories were by an innings. This record makes them heavy favorites going into the final. However, how J&K's fast bowlers fare against Karnataka's formidable batting unit could well decide the outcome of this high-stakes match. While J&K will be featuring in their maiden Ranji final, Karnataka will make their 15th appearance in the summit clash.
XIs
Here are the probable XIs
Karnataka probable XI: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal (c), Karun Nair, Smaran Ravichandran, Shreyas Gopal, Kruthik Krishna (wk), Vidyadahar Patil, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Shikhar Shetty, Prasidh Krishna. Jammu and Kashmir probable XI: Shubham Khajuria, Yawer Hassan, Shubham Pundir, Paras Dogra (c), Abdul Samad, Kanhaiya Wadhawan (wk), Abid Mushtaq, Auqib Nabi, Vanshaj Sharma, Yudhvir Singh, Sunil Kumar.
Player spotlight
Key players to watch out for
J&K pacer Auqib Nabi has been instrumental in J&K's run to the final, taking 55 wickets at an average of 12.72 this season. Karnataka's KL Rahul has also been impressive with his experience, scoring 457 runs, including two centuries and two fifties in six innings. With 655 runs at 59.54, Abdul Samad is J&K's leading run-getter of the season. Karnataka's Ravichandran Smaran is the leading run-getter of the season with 950 runs at 95.