Ranji Trophy final: Jammu and Kashmir skipper Paras Dogra wins toss, opts to bat against Karnataka
Hubballi, February 24
Jammu and Kashmir captain Paras Dogra won the toss and elected to bat first against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 final at Hubballi's KSCA Stadium on Tuesday. J&K made two changes to their knockout-winning XI, bringing in Qamran Iqbal and Sahil Lotra for Vanshaj Sharma and Shubham Khajuria, while Karnataka stuck with their semi-final XI.
Playing their first Ranji final, J&K enter the game on the back of successive wins against Bengal in the semi-final and against Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-final. Karnataka, meanwhile, won the semi-final against Uttarakhand on first-innings lead.
The two teams have met four times in the Ranji Trophy previously, and Karnataka have won on each occasion.
"We will bat first. Looks dry and might turn later on. We've kept things simple, and god has been with us, we've played some good cricket. Just stick to the basics - a couple of forced changes for us," Paras Dogra said.
"I don't think it's relevant. I've lost the toss in all three matches; we were looking to bowl as well. Getting to a Ranji final is a huge achievement; a lot of guys have come into the side, and experiencing a final in their first or second season is great. Same team for us," Karnataka skipper Devdutt Padikkal said.
Teams:Jammu and Kashmir (Playing XI): Qamran Iqbal, Yawer Hassan, Shubham Pundir, Paras Dogra(c), Abdul Samad, Kanhaiya Wadhawan(w), Abid Mushtaq, Auqib Nabi Dar, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Sahil Lotra, Sunil Kumar.
Karnataka (Playing XI): KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal(c), Karun Nair, Smaran Ravichandran, Shreyas Gopal, Kruthik Krishna(w), Vidyadhar Patil, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Shikhar Shetty, Prasidh Krishna.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Interesting toss decision. Batting first on a dry pitch that might turn later is a bold move by J&K. Shows confidence in their batting lineup. Karnataka's experience in finals is a huge factor though.
Karnataka's batting looks so strong on paper - Rahul, Agarwal, Padikkal, Karun Nair. But cricket is played on the field, not paper! J&K's journey has been inspirational. May the best team win. #RanjiTrophyFinal
As a cricket fan from Karnataka, I'm proud of our team but also genuinely happy for J&K. Their success story is good for Indian cricket. Hope it's a close, thrilling final and not a one-sided affair.
Respectfully, I think J&K might have missed a trick by batting first. Karnataka's pace attack with Vyshak and Prasidh could exploit any early moisture. The first session will be crucial. Fingers crossed for a good contest!
This is more than just a cricket match. It's a symbol of hope and resilience for Jammu & Kashmir. Win or lose, these players have already made history. Bhagwan unka saath de! 🙏
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