Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi Dar delivered an outstanding performance in the Ranji Trophy final against Karnataka in Hubli. The right-arm speedster picked up five wickets in the first innings, helping his team bowl out the eight-time champions for 293.
With this spell, Nabi took his total to 60 wickets this season. In doing so, he went past Uttarakhand’s Mayank Mishra to become the leading wicket-taker of the ongoing Ranji Trophy campaign.
Karnataka had started confidently in response to Jammu & Kashmir’s huge first-innings score of 584. However, they struggled once Nabi found his rhythm. He ripped through the middle order and put his side in control. Mayank Agarwal tried to steady things for Karnataka with a fine century and kept their hopes alive on the fourth day. But Nabi struck again, dismissing Agarwal for 160, which shifted the match further in J&K’s favour.
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Nabi later removed Shekhar Shetty to complete his five-wicket haul. That wicket not only strengthened Jammu & Kashmir’s position in the final but also confirmed Nabi as the highest wicket-taker of the season, pushing his team closer to a historic Ranji Trophy title.
It was a special milestone for the pacer. Nabi became only the seventh bowler in Ranji Trophy history to take 60 or more wickets in a single season. He becomes the first player from Jammu & Kashmir to achieve this milestone.
Players with most wickets in a Ranji season
| Wickets | Player | Team | Season |
| 69 | Harsh Dubey | Vidarbha | 2024/25 |
| 68 | Ashutosh Aman | Bihar | 2018/19 |
| 67 | Jaydev Unadkat | Saurashtra | 2019/20 |
| 64 | Bishan Singh Bedi | Delhi | 1974/75 |
| 62 | Dodda Ganesh | Karnataka | 1998/99 |
| 62 | Kanwaljit Singh | Hyderabad | 1999/00 |
| 60* | Auqib Nabi | Jammu and Kashmir | 2025/26 |
Jammu & Kashmir vs Karnataka Day 4
After getting bowled out for 293, Karnataka made a strong start with the ball in the second innings, taking two early wickets as Jammu and Kashmir were reduced to 11/2 at Lunch on Day 4 of the Ranji title decider. After taking a mammoth 291-run lead, Jammu and Kashmir had a poor start in their second innings. Prasidh Krishna carried his form from the first innings and dismissed Yawer Hassan in the second over. First-innings centurion Shubham Pundir followed soon after.