Stalwarts shower praise as Auqib Nabi tops Ranji Trophy 2026 wickets list

After finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, Nabi has now claimed the highest wicket-taker spot in 2026 with 60 wickets to his name

The 29-year-old Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi created history on Friday when he became the highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, as he is now the first Jammu and Kashmir player to achieve this milestone.

 

Nabi, who started the game with 55 wickets to his name, took a five-wicket haul against Karnataka in the final to take his total tally to 60 in the season, above Uttarakhand’s Mayank Mishra, who has 59 wickets to his name.

 

Notably, Nabi was the second-highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season with 44 wickets. His achievement in the ongoing season is even more important as he played a big role in taking Jammu and Kashmir to their maiden Ranji Trophy final.

 

Highest wicket-takers in Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season

Player	Span	Mat	Inns	Wkts	BBI	4W	5W
Auqib Nabi (J + K)	2025-2026	10*	17	60	7/24	2	7
Mayank Mishra (UTK)	2025-2026	8	16	59	6/84	5	4
S Gopal (KNTKA)	2025-2026	10*	18	47	8/110	1	2
SA Desai (GUJ)	2025-2026	7	14	45	5/61	4	2
Shahbaz Ahmed (BENG)	2025-2026	8	15	39	7/56	2	4
Mohammed Shami (BENG)	2025-2026	7	13	37	8/90	1	3
K Kartikeya (MP)	2025-2026	8	14	35	6/33	3	2
AP Sharma (SVCS)	2025-2026	6	10	34	6/41	2	4
Vishal Jayswal (GUJ)	2025-2026	7	14	32	6/59	2	1
Saurabh Kumar (AP)	2025-2026	8	13	32	5/47	3	1
SR Kumar (J + K)	2025-2026	9*	15	31	5/29	2	2
SP Udeshi (PONDI)	2025-2026	7	10	31	7/88	3	1
SS Jain (MP)	2025-2026	7	13	30	6/75	2	1
SZ Mulani (MUM)	2025-2026	7	13	30	7/46	0	3
AK Shukla (SVCS)	2025-2026	5	10	29	8/27	2	1
NN Bhute (VIDAR)	2025-2026	7	13	29	5/34	1	2
AS Roy (JHK)	2025-2026	7	11	29	8/55	0	3
PR Rekhade (VIDAR)	2025-2026	7	13	28	5/80	0	1
MD Nidheesh (KER)	2025-2026	7	12	28	6/20	1	3
Jalaj S Saxena (MAHA)	2025-2026	7	12	28	6/79	1	2

Legends heap praise on Nabi’s incredible feat

Auqib Nabi’s brilliant performance did not go unnoticed, and many Indian legends took to social media to congratulate the pacer for becoming the top wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season.

 

Former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik praised Auqib Nabi for his outstanding Ranji Trophy campaign, saying the young pacer dominated the tournament from start to finish and showed remarkable fitness, consistency and resilience. 

Watching this Ranji Trophy campaign and following it closely , one thing I can say for certain  For all the young boys and girls out there playing this sport and wanting to represent the country,  Do it the AQUIB NABI way  Can't think of any pacer/player in a long time doing…

— DK (@DineshKarthik) February 26, 2026

 

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly praised Nabi on his social media page on X, saying Nabi should soon wear the Indian colours and that the England tour could be a better place for him to make his debut. 

J&K has shown the world what effort and intent can do ..They have made that region so proud of them .. tuff environment makes tuff people. Aqib nabi on his way to national colours .. england is the place to start in the summer @bcci @imAagarkar @lonsaikia

— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) February 27, 2026

What is next for Nabi?

Nabi's maiden stint in IPL 

Nabi, after his Ranji Trophy stint, will join the Delhi Capitals for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season after being bought by the franchise during the IPL 2026 player auction last year for a whopping Rs 8.40 crore.

 

Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad were the other two teams who went behind Nabi during the auction before the Delhi-based franchise finally sealed the deal.

 

Nabi will be looking to continue his purple patch and impress the selectors enough to earn his maiden national call-up.

 

Will Nabi get national call-up on Ranji Trophy performance?    Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, after Nabi’s five-wicket haul against Karnataka in the final, said that the pacer should make his international debut with India’s tour of England in June.    What are the next international assignments for India?  India’s next international assignment will be their white-ball tour of England in June. After that, the Men in Blue will play against West Indies, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan before finally going to New Zealand for their next Test assignment.

 

  Will selectors pick him for New Zealand tour? 

If the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee decides to keep him under observation for some more time and give him familiar conditions during his debut game, he can be added to India’s Test squad for the New Zealand tour later this year, where he will be playing the format he has honed his skills in most and will also get help from the swinging conditions of New Zealand wickets.

 

India will be playing a Test series against Sri Lanka before New Zealand, but given that wickets in Sri Lanka help spinners more, Nabi is unlikely to make his way into the Indian squad for the series.