J&K Ends 67-Year Wait, Beats Karnataka to Clinch Historic Ranji Trophy Title

Jammu and Kashmir ended their 67-year wait, defeating the powerhouse Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy final on Saturday in Hubballi.

Playing their first Ranji final, Jammu and Kashmir were crowned champions by virtue of their massive 291-run first-innings lead, a gap that proved insurmountable for the eight-time champions, Karnataka.

Born in Jammu, Manhas played his early cricket in Jammu and Kashmir and later shifted his domestic base to Delhi. However, he again went back to Jammu & Kashmir in 2015 before retiring from professional cricket the following year. Later, he served on the sub-committee appointed by the BCCI to oversee the functioning of the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association.

"It's been a fantastic journey. We have been beating teams in their home den. It's not like we started playing good cricket only in the quarterfinals, semis, or finals. We've been doing it consistently. It has all happened because of the belief system that the players have. They believe that they can take on any side in the domestic circuit. Every boy is a match-winner in this team," Manhas told ANI.

Former Indian cricketer Anjum Chopra also heaped praises on the Jammu and Kashmir team after their historic Ranji Trophy triumph, saying it feels like a "mini-World Cup" victory.

She also praised the BCCI President Mithun Manhas' vision and the state's relentless pursuit of the dream, saying it's a proud moment for J&K players and the state.

"Jammu and Kashmir has won the title for the first time, it feels like we've actually won a mini World Cup. The kind of hard work they have applied, and we, the players, know that a lot of players contribute to this. In fact, Mithun Manhas, who is currently the BCCI President, I feel that his vision, his hard work, everybody around the state who saw this dream, or made a process to fulfil this dream, and then followed that process, season after season, even last year, it was very good, so I'm very happy. And, you can feel very proud of Jammu and Kashmir players and for the state because it's a dream that they saw and today, winning the Ranji Trophy title, a dream that they saw is actually being realised. Very happy for them," Chopra told ANI.

Coming to the match, J-K opted to bat first and piled on a mammoth 584, led by Shubham Pundir's century (121). Auqib Nabi's devastating pace attack (5-wicket haul) then bundled out Karnataka for 293, handing J&K a crucial first-innings lead.

Mayank Agarwal's fighting 160 for Karnataka wasn't enough, and J&K extended their lead to 291. Qamran Iqbal and Sahil Lotra slammed hundreds in J&K's second innings, pushing the lead to 633. The match ended in a draw on Day 5, but J&K's first-innings lead secured them the win.

- ANI