Auqib Nabi’s 12-for powers J&K into maiden Ranji Trophy semifinal

Auqib Nabi stole the show with a career-best 12-wicket match haul as Jammu & Kashmir crushed former champion Madhya Pradesh by 56 runs to storm into its maiden Ranji Trophy semifinal on Monday.

Chasing 291, a target made steeper by its own careless batting, Madhya Pradesh was bowled out for 234. Jammu & Kashmir will face the winner of the quarterfinal between Andhra and Bengal. The other semifinal will see Uttarakhand take on Karnataka.

The 29-year-old Auqib, who had claimed 7/40 in the first innings, returned to add 5/70 in the second to finish with 12 wickets for 110.

Madhya Pradesh, already reeling at 84 for 5 overnight with Auqib having taken 3/23, needed a strong start. Instead, he struck again, removing Ramveer Gurjar (11) and then breaking the resistance of Saransh Jain, who made a gritty 81-ball 64.

Tailender Aryan Pandey’s 22 was the last wicket to fall, but the slide had begun earlier when India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer was dismissed at 104, with just 20 runs added to the overnight total.

Jain briefly revived the chase with stands alongside Shubham Sharma (32) and Gurjar before eventually falling to Auqib, having hit seven fours and a six.

Left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq also played a key role, picking up three wickets for 49.

Brief scores: Jammu & Kashmir 194 and 248 all out in 70.3 overs. Madhya Pradesh 152 and 234 all out in 68.3 overs (Shubham Sharma 32, Saransh Jain 64; Auqib Nabi 5/70, Abid Mushtaq 3/49).

Published on Feb 09, 2026