Jammu and Kashmir created history on Wednesday as they sealed their berth in the Ranji Trophy 2025/26 final by beating Bengal by 6-wickets in the semis. Auqib Nabi’s 9-wicket haul was the standout show in the match as he almost single-handedly powered the underdogs to a mammoth win against the two-time champions. J&K are the first side to book their berth in the final, and they are all but confirmed to face Karnataka in their quest for their first-ever Ranji Trophy title.
J&K beat Bengal to reach Ranji Trophy final
Bengal were bundled out for just 99 runs in their 2nd inings, leaving J&K needing just 83 runs to win the game and confirm their spot in the Ranji trophy final. Despite losing 4 wickets, an unbeaten 43-run knock from Vanshaj Sharma and a 30-run knock from Abdul Samad powered J&K to the win over Bengal, with 6 wickets left in hand. Auqib Nabi was named the Player of the Match for his 9-wicket haul, and once proved himself as the team’s best star in the tournament.
Batting first in the contest, Bengal managed to post a total of 328 runs, guided by Sudip Kumar Gharami’s 146-run knock. Nabi’s five-wicket haul coupled with Sunil Kumar’s 3-fer stopped Bengal from amassing a huge total. In response, J&K were bundled out for just 302 runs, thanks to veteran Mohammed Shami’s career best figures of 8/90.
However, Shami’s heroics went in vain as Bengal were bundled out for just 99 runs in their 2nd innings, thanks to Auqib Nabi and Sunil Kumar’s 4-wicket hauls. It didn’t take a lot of time for J&K to chase down the total as they wrapped up the run-chase within the first session to create history and qualify for their first-ever Ranji Trophy final.
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