Domestic Cricket

My focus is taking wickets, not outside noise, says J&K pacer Auqib Nabi

Auqib Nabi's stellar role in propelling Jammu and Kashmir to their maiden Ranji Trophy final has placed him firmly under limelight, but the burden sits lightly on his broad shoulders ahead of the most important match of his life. Nabi is the second highest wicket-taker in this season's Ranji Trophy, bagging 55 scalps in 16 innings at a stunning average of 12.72. But Nabi will be up against a formidable Karnataka batting line-up that features India batters KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal and the heavy-scoring Ravichandran Smaran in the final starting here on February 24. But the task has only steeled him. "I am just focussing on the present. I am not paying much attention to the outside noises. I will try to get more wickets in the final, focus on my process that has given me wickets so far. I am not thinking much about the expectations," Nabi told PTI. "Obviously, there will be expectations. But I am just feeling positive. I will bowl in areas where I have b

Ranji Trophy 2026: J&K stun Bengal by 6 wickets to qualify for maiden final

J&K skipper Dogra described the achievement as a reward for years of perseverance, as they now stand just one step away from lifting their maiden Ranji Trophy title

Ranji Trophy 2026: Shami bags three wickets as J&K trail by 131 runs

Mohammed Shami on Monday bowled a couple of incisive spells to get three wickets but Jammu and Kashmir did well enough to reach 198 for 5 against Bengal on the second day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final, which remains evenly poised going into the third day here. Bengal's first innings ended at 328 after starting the day at 249 for 5 with Auqib Nabi (5/87 in 26 overs) completing another five-wicket haul and a milestone of 50 wickets in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. Bengal's in-form batter Sudip Kumar Gharami (146, 246 balls) could only add 10 more runs to his overnight unbeaten score of 136 as Nabi got one to tail in slightly and found his pads. Veteran Sumanta Gupta (39 off 36 balls) did give the charge but the hosts couldn't press home the advantage with both Nabi and left-arm seamer Sunil Kumar (3/41in 20 overs) used the second new ball to good effect. When Jammu and Kashmir batted, Shami, the hero of India's many overseas wins, bowled a probing first spell in which both opener

Rahul hits 24th first-class hundred as Karnataka beat Mumbai to reach semis

India batter KL Rahul struck his 24th hundred in first-class cricket to anchor Karnataka's brilliant four-wicket victory over 42-time champions Mumbai that steered the southern side into the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy here on Monday. Rahul made 130 off 182 balls with the help 14 boundaries and a six to set up Karnataka's win in their quarterfinal fixture at the Mumbai Cricket Association Bandra Kurla Complex here. The visitors were chasing a steep 325. The win meant Karnataka would face Uttarakhand in the semifinal in Bengaluru next week. Rahul, who is a prominent member of the Indian Test and ODI squads, found an able ally in Ravichandran Smaran, as the duo stitched together a match-winning partnership of 147 runs for the fourth wicket on the game's penultimate day. Smaran remained not out on a composed 83 off 123 ball, and struck 11 fours. Thanks to Rahul's knock, Karnataka, the eight-time winners of India's premier domestic red-ball tournament, were cruising at 265 or three

Auqib Nabi's 12-wicket haul powers J&K into maiden Ranji semis

Fuelled by pacer Auqib Nabi's heroics, Jammu & Kashmir stormed into the Ranji Trophy semifinals for the first time since their maiden appearance 67 years ago with a 56-run win over former champions Madhya Pradesh here on Monday. The 29-year-old pacer stole the show with a career-best 12-wicket haul, making a strong case for national team selection after a remarkable season in which he has delivered match-winning performances across formats. Set 291 for victory, 2021-22 season winners Madhya Pradesh were dismissed for 234, paving the way for Jammu & Kashmir to march into the last four stage, where they will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between Andhra and Bengal. Jammu & Kashmir last made the Ranji knockouts six years ago. The other semifinal pits Uttarakhand against Karnataka. It was Auqib who once again emerged as the wrecker-in-chief, adding 5/70 to his first-innings heroics of 7/40 to finish with a dozen wickets for just 110 runs. Madhya Pradesh, reeling at .

Bihar dominate Manipur by 568 runs in Ranji Trophy Plate final to go Elite

Bihar capitalised on opener Piyush Singh's magnificent second-innings double century and incisive bowling spells from Suraj Kashyap and Himanshu Singh to hammer Manipur by a massive 568 runs in the Plate final, sealing a triumphant return to the Ranji Trophy Elite Group on Monday. Bihar, whose Ranji Trophy journey has been marked by turbulence, had briefly broken into the Elite Group in the 2022-23 season before slipping back to the Plate Group in 2024-25. Now restored to the top tier, they are pressing ahead with a rebuilding phase under skipper Sakibul Gani, anchored by the promise of teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi. On Monday, Bihar set Manipur an improbable target of 764 after Raghuvendra Pratap Singh fell agonisingly short of a century, dismissed for his overnight score of 90, prompting the declaration of the second innings at 505 for 6. Bihar, who had scored 522 in the first innings and then dismissed Manipur for 264, got rid of their opponents for 195 in the seco

Shreyas Iyer back in action with fifty vs Himachal in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Iyer, with his half-century, has taken one step closer towards his international return, with the ODI series against New Zealand later this month

Shreyas Iyer replaces Shardul Thakur as Mumbai skipper for rest of VHT 2025

Shardul Thakur, who captained Mumbai through the initial phase of the tournament, has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury

Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025 Round-Up: Pant, Axar tons help Delhi, Gujarat win

Rishabh Pant, who was earlier today announced as India's back-up keeper for the ODI series vs New Zealand, guided Delhi to a clinical chase vs Services

Hardik Pandya fires five sixes in an over in VHT, storms to 133 for Mumbai

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Saturday clobbered nearly half a dozen sixes including five in an over on way to a 93-ball 133, for Baroda against Vidarbha in their Vijay Hazare Trophy contest here. Pandya hit an overall 11 sixes and eight fours to turn the tables on Vidarbha, who had taken control of the game by reducing Baroda to 71 for five at one stage and then 136 for six in the first half. However, batting as low as No 7 in his first match of the competition, Pandya came out all guns blazing to bring up his maiden List A century in his 119th match, taking Baroda to a competitive total of 293 for nine in their 50 overs. In the 39th over, Pandya went after Vidarbha spinner Parth Rekhade to collect a total of 34 runs which included five sixes and a four. The first five balls of the left-arm spinner went flying over the ropes while the final ball was hit for a boundary. Pandya's innings included only 31 singles as he launched the counter-attack, hitting most of his sixes in t

Shreyas Iyer set to return with Jan 6 Vijay Hazare Trophy match vs Himachal

Iyer sustained the injury during India's third and final ODI against Australia in Sydney in October 2025

Kohli to Dhoni: List of players with longest gap between two List A matches

Kohli's Vijay Hazare appearance for Delhi against Andhra last week was his first non-ODI List A outing since 2013

Kohli to play Jan 6 Vijay Hazare Trophy match for Delhi: DDCA chief Jaitley

Kohli's inclusion for the January 6 clash illustrates his commitment to match practice ahead of the New Zealand series, which begins on January 11 in Vadodara

Vijay Hazare 2025 Round-Up: Delhi, Mumbai stay unbeaten; Rinku stars for UP

In Jaipur, a "Rohit-less" Mumbai maintained their perfect record, dismantling Chhattisgarh with a ruthless nine-wicket win

Kohli's purple patch continues with fifty vs Gujarat in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Earlier in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Kohli had laid the foundation for his productive run with a commanding century

Rohit records first-ball duck vs Uttarakhand in Vijay Hazare Trophy | Watch

Rohit failed to impress with the bat vs Uttarakhand after a brilliant 155 vs Sikkim in Mumbai's opening fixture

Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26: Rohit lights up Jaipur with majestic 155

Rohit Sharma smashes a dazzling 155 as Mumbai thrash Sikkim in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Jaipur. A packed Sawai Mansingh Stadium witnesses the Hitman's masterclass.

Kohli hits ton in Vijay Hazare Trophy, goes past Tendulkar's List A record

Virat Kohli breaks Sachin Tendulkar's List A record, becoming the fastest to 16,000 runs during the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Here's why fans will not be able to watch Kohli's return to Chinnaswamy

The decision comes against the backdrop of the June 4 stampede outside the stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL title celebrations, an incident that claimed 11 lives

Jharkhand appoints Ishan Kishan as skipper for 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy

The Elite group competition begins on December 24, with Jharkhand opening their campaign against Karnataka in Ahmedabad