The T20 World Cup may be on currently but the cricket doesn’t start and end there. The biggest domestic game in India also set to kickstart from today as Karnataka face Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy final for the 2025/26 season. The much awaited match will be played at the KSCA Stadium in Hubballi from February 24 to 28. India’s premier red-ball competition has delivered months of intense cricket, and now it all comes down to five days between an eight-time champion and a first-time finalist.
For Karnataka, this is a chance to end an 11-year wait for a Ranji crown. Led by Devdutt Padikkal, the side has blended experience with form at the right time. Ravichandran Smaran
has been the standout performer, piling up 950 runs at an average of 95, while Karun Nair has chipped in with 699 runs at 63.54. KL Rahul, meanwhile, is the ideal big match player you need to have.
With the ball, Shreyas Gopal has led the charge with 46 wickets, supported ably by Vidwath Kaverappa. Add the presence of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal to the line-up, and Karnataka start as clear favourites. Jammu and Kashmir, however, have built their campaign on belief. They stunned Bengal in the semi-final and earlier got past Madhya Pradesh. Abdul Samad has been their batting mainstay with 655 runs at 59.54, while Auqib Nabi’s 55 wickets at an average of 12.72 have turned matches on their head. It is a side that has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Head-to-head, Karnataka have won all four previous meetings, including a 117-run victory in 2022.
Ranji Trophy final live streaming details
The Ranji Trophy 2025–26 final between Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir will begin at 9:30 AM IST, with the toss scheduled for 9:00 AM.
Fans can catch the live telecast on the Star Sports Network. For those who prefer to stream the match, live coverage will be available on the JioHotstar app and website.
Ranji Trophy 2025-26 Final: Squads
Karnataka: Devdutt Padikkal (c), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey, Smaran Ravichandran, Nikin Jose, Shreyas Gopal, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Vidwath Kaverappa, Prasidh Krishna, Vidyadhar Patil, Sujay Sateri (wk), Krishnan Shrijith.
Jammu & Kashmir: Paras Dogra (c), Abdul Samad, Auqib Nabi, Sunil Kumar, Vanshaj Sharma, Shubham Khajuria, Vivrant Sharma, Umran Malik, Abid Mushtaq, Fazil Rashid (wk), Sahil Lotra, Rohit Sharma.
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