Jammu and Kashmir Faces Karnataka in Ranji Trophy Final: Key Highlights

Match Overview

On Tuesday, at the KSCA Stadium in Hubballi, Jammu and Kashmir's captain, Paras Dogra, won the toss and opted to bat first against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy final for the 2025-26 season.

Jammu and Kashmir made two adjustments to their lineup that triumphed in the knockout stage, introducing Qamran Iqbal and Sahil Lotra in place of Vanshaj Sharma and Shubham Khajuria. In contrast, Karnataka retained the same team that played in the semi-finals.

Recent Performances

This marks Jammu and Kashmir's inaugural appearance in a Ranji final, having secured victories against Bengal in the semi-finals and Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-finals.

Karnataka, on the other hand, advanced to the final after winning their semi-final against Uttarakhand based on a first-innings lead. Historically, the two teams have clashed four times in the Ranji Trophy, with Karnataka emerging victorious each time.

Captains' Insights

"We will bat first. The pitch appears dry and may turn later. We've kept our approach straightforward, and luck has favored us as we've played well. We just need to focus on the basics, despite a couple of enforced changes," stated Paras Dogra.

"I don't think the toss outcome matters much. I've lost the toss in all three matches; we were also inclined to bowl. Reaching a Ranji final is a significant milestone; many players are experiencing this in their first or second seasons, which is fantastic. We are fielding the same team," commented Karnataka's captain, Devdutt Padikkal.

Playing XI

Jammu and Kashmir (Playing XI): Qamran Iqbal, Yawer Hassan, Shubham Pundir, Paras Dogra(c), Abdul Samad, Kanhaiya Wadhawan(w), Abid Mushtaq, Auqib Nabi Dar, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Sahil Lotra, Sunil Kumar.

Karnataka (Playing XI): KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal(c), Karun Nair, Smaran Ravichandran, Shreyas Gopal, Kruthik Krishna(w), Vidyadhar Patil, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Shikhar Shetty, Prasidh Krishna.