Ranji Trophy Final: Omar Abdullah Hails Jammu And Kashmir’s Pursuit Of Maiden Title

Jammu and Kashmir have continued to put on a batting masterclass during the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 final against Karnataka in Hubli, ending the second day at 527/6. Paras Dogra and Co. are chasing their maiden Ranji title, and their first-innings performance – headlined by Shubham Pundir’s 121-run knock – has put them in a strong position to do so.

At the end of Day 2, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took to social media to heap praise on the Jammu and Kashmir team’s performance in the final. “J&K are playing like they were born for Ranji Trophy finals, with confidence & flair plus a bit of aggression when needed,” he wrote on X. “I’ve never followed a domestic cricket match so closely.”

The J&K side have built up a sizeable first-innings total in their Ranji Trophy final debut, courtesy of Pundir’s century as well as contributions from Yawer Hassan (88), Dogra (70), Abdul Samad (61), and Kanhaiya Wadhawan (60).

Skipper Dogra will have key decisions to make as play resumes on Thursday. To win the title, Jammu and Kashmir will need to bowl Karnataka out before the end of the match.

If both teams complete their first innings and the match ends in a draw, the team with the higher first-innings total will win the title. However, if the first innings are not completed, the title will be decided on league-stage points. In that scenario, Karnataka (27 points) will edge Jammu and Kashmir (24 points).