J&K qualifies for first Ranji Trophy final, beats Bengal


Jammu and Kashmir reached its maiden Ranji Trophy final with a dominant win over Bengal at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground in Kalyani on Wednesday.

Powered by Auqib Nabi’s all-round performance — nine wickets in the match and a 54-ball 42 in the first innings — J&K sealed a six-wicket victory against the two-time champion and is likely to face Karnataka in the final, with the latter set to take a first-innings lead against Uttarakhand in the other semifinal.

Bengal was bowled out for 99 in the second innings, with Nabi and Sunil Kumar grabbing four wickets apiece to leave J&K a modest target of 126.

In the chase, Vanshaj Sharma held his nerve to take the side over the line with a six off Mukesh Kumar. He remained unbeaten on 43, with Abdul Samad (30 off 27) providing support.

Nabi has been central to J&K’s dream run this season. He had also played a decisive role in the quarterfinal win over Madhya Pradesh, finishing with match figures of 12 for 110, including 7 for 40 in the first innings and 5 for 70 in the second, as J&K won by 56 runs.

Published on Feb 18, 2026



Source link


Discover more from News Link360

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Discover more from News Link360

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading