Amidst the heroics of Mayank Agarwal, the lone warrior of Karnataka, the collective effort from Jammu & Kashmir players almost cemented their maiden Ranji title on Day 4 of the final KSCA Rajnagar Stadium in Hubballi.
Karnataka began the day looking aiming to cut into the massive lead by Jammu & Kashmir. Mayank Agarwal, the hero from Karnataka side, scored 160 off 266 balls but his resistance was not enough. Resuming at 220/5 on Day 4 Karnataka pinned their hopes on the sole efforts from Mayank. However, he lacked support and once he fell to Auqib Nabi, Karnatak innings folded quickly.
Meanwhile, the Jammu & Kashmir pace spearhead, Auqib Nabi removed the Karnataka lower order clinically to finish with 5 for 54, securing a 291-run first-innings lead for Jammu & Kashmir. Nabi cemented his status as the leading wicket-taker of Ranji 2025-26 season making the hopes of his J&K stronger with each wicket.
With a massive 291-run first-innings lead, J&K decided against enforcing the follow-on, opting to bat again to set a daunting target for Karnataka. The idea was clearly to close opportunity for any Karnataka comeback. Despite losing two early wickets, thanks to Qamran Iqbal, Jammu & Kashmir stabilized.
They were reduced to 11/2 at Lunch, but Qamran played the role of an anchor and remained unbeaten on 94 at stumps. He survived a few close LBW shouts and a ball that clipped the stumps without dislodging the bails. Captain Paras Dogra contributed a steady 16 in a 61-run partnership with Qamran before being dismissed by Prasidh Krishna. Qamran stayed unbeaten till the end showing excellent composure helping the Jammu & Kashmir extend their lead to 477 runs.
With the massive first innings lead, Jammu & Kashmir are almost guaranteed the trophy even if the match ends in a draw tomorrow. For Karnataka to win their ninth Ranji title, they must bowl out the Jammu & Kashmir early tomorrow and also chase down more than 500 runs in less than three sessions.
Brief scores: Jammu & Kashmir 584 and 186/4 (Qamran 94*, Samad 32, Prasidh 2-42) lead Karnataka 293 (Mayank 160, Kruthik 36, Nabi 5-54, Sunil 2-51) by 477 runs
