Ranji Trophy final: J&K's Shubham Pundir slams century against Karnataka
What's the story
Jammu and Kashmir's Shubham Pundir scored a brilliant century in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26 final against Karnataka at Hubli Cricket Ground. The left-handed middle-order batsman reached his ton off 186 balls with a six against Karnataka spinner Shikhar Shetty in the 76th over of J&K's first innings on Day 1 of the final. It was Pundir's fourth first-class ton and second this season.
Match impact
A crucial partnership between Hassan and Pundir
Pundir's innings came as a major boost for J&K, who had lost their opener Qamran Iqbal (6) cheaply. The left-hander joined forces with opener Yawer Hassan to put together a brilliant 139-run partnership for the second wicket. Hassan contributed with a crucial knock of 88 runs before being dismissed. Pundir further recorded 105* runs with Abdul Samad (52*) en route to his ton, taking his team's total to 284/2 at stumps.
Season performance
A look at Pundir's performance in the ongoing Ranji season
Pundir finished Day 1 unbeaten on 117 off 221 balls (12 fours, 1 six). Before the final, the 27-year-old Pundir played three matches for J&K in the ongoing season. He scored a brilliant 165 runs against Himachal Pradesh in his first game but had a disappointing outing against Madhya Pradesh, scoring just five runs across two innings. However, he made a comeback by scoring eight and 27 in J&K's two innings during their semifinal victory over Bengal.
Information
Here are his FC stats
Pundir's fourth FC hundred has taken his tally past 1,400 runs from 32 matches at an average of 27-plus. He also owns three fifties in red-ball cricket. Pundir's best score is a brilliant 172.
Stats
Key numbers for Hassan and Samad
Hassan's 88 off 130 balls was laced with 13 fours. This was his maiden 50-plus score across nine innings in the season, taking his tally to 149 runs at a paltry 16.55. This was also his maiden FC fifty as he now owns 295 runs from 10 matches at 14-plus. Samad's unbeaten 67-ball 52 had five fours and a six. He has taken his season's tally to 707 runs at 64.27 (50s: 5, 100: 1).