Ranji Trophy final: J&K continue on top against Karnataka
What's the story
The third day of the 2026 Ranji Trophy final saw Karnataka trail Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) by 364 runs at stumps in Hubli. A century from Mayank Agarwal gave the home side some hope, but they still have a long way to go. The veteran opener added vital partnerships with Shreyas Gopal and Kruthik Krishna as Karnataka ended the day at 220/5. Earlier in the day, J&K finished their first innings at a massive 584/6.
Match dynamics
Lotra powers J&K past 550
J&K resumed their innings on Day 3 with a score of 527/6. Sahil Lotra, who was unbeaten on a personal score of 57 runs on Day 2, departed after scoring 72 as J&K went past 550. Abid Mushtaq (28) and Yudhvir Singh Charak (30) also played handy cameos to frustrate Karnataka bowlers. Meanwhile, Prasidh Krishna bowled well and finished with a five-wicket haul.
Knock
Agarwal's ton revives Karnataka
In response, Karnataka lost wickets at regular intervals in their first innings, with the score reading 57/4 at one stage. Three of these wickets went to Auqib Nabi Dar, who was sensational with the new ball. However, Agarwal held one end up and played an innings of composure and authority. He shared a partnership of 105 runs with Shreyas Gopal (27) before further adding and unbeaten 58-run stand with Kruthik Krishna (27*). Agarwal and Kruthik returned unbeaten at stumps.
Lotra
Career-best score for Lotra
Lotra made 72 off 138 balls, a knock laced with eight fours. According to ESPNcricinfo, the batter has now raced to 742 runs across 22 First-Class matches, averaging 20-plus. This was his fourth fifty and also his career-best score. In the ongoing season, he has completed 180 runs from five games at 25.71 (50: 1).
Krishna
Krishna claims fifer
Krishna was the star performer for Karnataka, taking 5/98 runs in 34.1 overs. This was his fourth five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket, which took his tally to 124 wickets from 34 matches at 24-plus (4W: 6). 22 of his scalps have come in six Test matches for India at 34.36 (4W: 2). In the ongoing season, the pacer has completed 16 wickets from seven innings at 23.50. This was his maiden fifer.
Agarwal
21st hundred in FC cricket for Agarwal
Agarwal remained unbeaten on 130 off 207 balls (17 fours). This was his 21st hundred in First-Class cricket as he also boasts 48 fifties. The out-of-favor Indian Test opener has now raced to 8,900 FC runs across 124 games at an average of around 44. Agarwal now has six 50-plus scores across 10 games in the ongoing Ranji season (100s: 2). With his latest effort, the 35-year-old has completed 600 runs in Ranji Trophy 2025-26 at 41-plus.