Hubli, February 27 – Right-arm pacer Auqib Nabi claimed his seventh five-wicket haul of the season as Jammu & Kashmir bowled out Karnataka for 293 in 93.3 overs, gaining a massive 291-run lead in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 final at the Hubli Cricket Ground on Friday.
Karnataka began cautiously in reply to Jammu & Kashmir's first innings total of 584, scoring only 27 runs in the first ten overs. Auqib maintained pressure with several maiden overs and got the breakthrough in the 12th over, inducing a faint edge from Rahul that wicketkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan safely collected.
The visitors intensified the pressure when Sunil Kumar dismissed Devdutt Padikkal. Shortly after, Nabi struck twice in two balls, removing Karun Nair and Smaran Ravichandran, leaving Karnataka struggling at 57/4.
Amidst the pressure, Mayank played a fighting innings and formed a 105-run partnership with Shreyas Gopal. The former Karnataka captain reached his century in 153 balls. However, Jammu & Kashmir struck back at a crucial moment when Yudhvir Singh Charak dismissed Gopal lbw for 27 with a well-directed delivery.
Mayank continued to hold one end firmly and received good support from Kruthik Krishna. The pair batted with patience and did not lose a wicket throughout Day 3.
J&K broke the stand early on Day 4 when Sahil Lotra bowled Krishna for 36 in the 77th over. Sushil Kumar then removed Vidyadhar Patil in the 84th over, reducing Karnataka to 256/7.
Despite losing partners, Mayank continued to attack loose deliveries and regularly found the boundary. After surviving a few dropped chances, he was finally dismissed in the 91st over when Auqib trapped him with a good-length ball. Mayank scored 160 off 266 balls, hitting 21 fours.
Auqib completed his five-wicket haul by dismissing Shikhar Shetty, while Yudhvir Singh took the final wicket of Prasidh Krishna as Karnataka were bowled out for 293.
Brief Scores: Jammu & Kashmir 584 all out (Shubham Pundir 121, Yawer Hassan 88, Sahil Lotra 72, Kanhaiya Wadhawan 70, Paras Dogra 70; Prasidh Krishna 5-98) lead Karnataka 293 all out in 93.3 overs (Mayank Agarwal 160, Kruthik Krishna 36; Auqib Nabi Dar 5-54, Sushil Kumar 2-51, Yudhwir Singh Charak 2-55) by 291 runs.
