New Delhi: Karnataka will take on Jammu and Kashmir in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy final at KSCA Hubli Cricket Ground on Tuesday, February 24. Karnataka qualified for the final after delivering a dominating batting performance against Uttarakhand in the semifinal, which ended in a draw.
Devdutt Padikkal notched up a double-hundred, while KL Rahul also scored 141 runs in the first innings, and Smaran Ravichandran also scored 135 as Karnataka posted 736 runs in the first innings. In reply, Vidyadhar Patil and Vijaykumar Vyshak picked up three wickets each as Uttarakhand bowled out for 233 runs in the first innings.
Karnataka scored 323/10 in the second innings, with Ravichandran hitting 127 off 149 balls, and KL Rahul also amassing an unbeaten 86. They had put themselves in a winning position when they reduced Uttarakhand to 156/6, but Avneesh Sudha, Sachin Rawat and Abhay Negi scored fifties as the match ended in a draw.
For Jammu and Kashmir, their dream run continued against Bengal in the second semi-final. Despite conceding a first-innings lead, they managed to win the match by 6 wickets. In-form pacer Auqib Nabi picked up a fifer in the first innings and then took 4 wickets in the second.
He also got good assistance from Sunil Kumar, who also took 4 wickets in the second innings, as Bengal bowled out for just 99 runs, and set a 126-run target for J&K. Captain Paras Dogra (58), Abdul Samad (82), and Vanshaj Sharma (43) played crucial knocks in the game to help J&K qualify for the Ranji Trophy finals. Here are the top players to watch out for in the tournament.
KL Rahul
Star India opener KL Rahul has been in sensational form in the Ranji Trophy 2025/26 knockouts. He has batted six times in the competition so far and crossed the 50-run mark on four occasions, smashing two centuries and two fifties. He also scored 141 runs, an unbeaten 86 against Uttarakhand in the semifinal. He scored 457 runs at an average of 91.40 and a strike rate of 73.59.
Auqib Nabi
Auqib Nabi played a crucial role in Jammu and Kashmir’s campaign to the maiden Ranji Trophy final. The pacer picked up 9 wickets in the semifinal against Bengal. He is the joint-highest wicket-taker of the ongoing season, and has took 55 wickets in nine matches. He also picked up six five-wicket hauls, which is the most by any bowler in the season.
Abdul Samad
If Nabi has helped J&K to qualify for the final with the ball, Abdul Samad has done exceptionally well with the bat for his team. He is the leading run-getter of his team in the ongoing season, and scored 655 runs at an average of 59.54, including one hundred and four half-centuries.
Ravichandran Smaran
Karnataka’s Ravichandran Smaran is the highest run-scorer of the season. He has scored 950 in 13 innings at an average of 95, smashing four hundreds and three fifties. The 23-year-old hit twin centuries against Uttarakhand in the semifinal, and has a chance to cross the 1000-run mark in the final of the season.
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