Ranji Trophy final: Auqib Nabi claims seventh fifer of season
What's the story
Jammu and Kashmir have taken a mammoth 291-run first-innings lead in the ongoing Ranji Trophy final against Karnataka. The match is being played at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium in Hubballi. After posting 584/10 while batting first, J&K bowled out Karnataka for 293 runs on Day Four, thanks to a stellar performance by Auqib Nabi Dar. The pacer claimed his seventh five-wicket haul of the season. He also became the leading wicket-taker of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy. Let's decode his performance.
Star bowler
Nabi's fiery spell
Nabi was sensational with the new ball, having dismissed prominent stars KL Rahul, Karun Nair, and R. Smaran on a batting-friendly pitch with occasional seam movement. His fiery spell either side of lunch reduced the home side to 57/4. Mayank Agarwal's resistance with a 266-ball 160 was not enough as he too fell to Nabi's bowling, leaving Karnataka short of parity at 293 runs. Tail-ender Shikhar Shetty was the pacer's final victim.
Stats
Nabi goes past Mayank Mishra
Nabi finished his spell with 5/54 in 23 overs (7 maidens). He has raced to 60 wickets across 10 games (17 innings) this season. The pacer went past Uttarakhand's Mayank Mishra's tally of 59 scalps to become the leading wicket-taker of the season. Nabi's average of 12.56 is the best among bowlers with at least 22 scalps. The pacer's tally of seven five-wicket hauls is also the most for any bowler in the season (4W: 2).
Knock-outs
Sensational in knock-outs
Nabi has been particularly lethal in the knock stage of the season, claiming at least four wickets in each of the five innings. The pacer clocked figures worth 7/40 and 5/70 in the quarter-final clash against Madhya Pradesh. Nabi's 12 /110 in the game are the second-best match figures in the season. In the semi-final, he returned with 5/87 and 4/36 against Bengal.
Stats
Here are his FC stats
The semi-final game also saw Nabi complete 150 wickets in First-Class cricket. The pacer has now raced to 156 wickets from 41 matches at a stellar average of 18-plus, as per ESPNcricinfo. He now boasts 16 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.