Bengal's Ranji Trophy win over Services, Mohammed Shami discusses doubts about his ability to bowl long spells, communication with selectors and his international future.
Australian umpire Ben Treloar will officiate in two Ranji Trophy matches, while India's Parashar Joshi will travel Down Under to stand in two Sheffield Shield matches and one One Day Cup fixture as part of an exchange programme between the governing bodies of the two countries. Treloar will officiate Delhi's Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat from October 18 to 21 in Delhi before standing in Mumbai's clash with Haryana from October 26 to 29 in Mumbai, a Cricket Australia release stated. Meanhwhile, Joshi's Australian exchange will begin with Queensland's Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania at the Gabba from November 11 to 14. He will then officiate in the sides' One Day Cup fixture at the same venue on November 16 before completing the program in the Sheffield Shield clash between New South Wales and Queensland at the SCG from November 22 to 25. The Australian brings significant experience to the exchange, having officiated in 30 First-Class matches, 20 List A matches and 39 Bi
The forfeiture follows Arunachal Pradesh's failure to field their Under-19 team for a Vinoo Mankad Trophy match against Sikkim in Bhubaneswar on Thursday
Vijay Dahiya wants Delhi's players to take ownership of the team's fortunes as they begin their Ranji Trophy campaign against Bengal, with the head coach stressing that individual talent must translate into collective success. Delhi have struggled to do well as a team despite producing standout individual performances, and Dahiya believes self-belief, responsibility and pride in representing the state are key to improving their red-ball fortunes. "It's an honour to come back and be part of this group, which excites me," Dahiya told PTI, after taking over as Delhi's head coach for the third time. Dahiya, who has followed domestic cricket closely as a commentator, believes the players need to take the initiative rather than wait for others to turn things around. "We do need a turnaround in red-ball cricket, and the players need to understand what the format requires," he said. Delhi have produced several international cricketers and Indian captains over the years, but Dahiya said th
Arunachal Pradesh are in danger of forfeiting their Plate Group Ranji Trophy opener against Nagaland, starting October 11 in Ahmedabad, due to an ongoing tussle between the warring factions and a case pending before the Itanagar bench of the Guwahati High Court. On the day, Arunachal could not field its U-19 team for a Vinoo Mankad Trophy one-day game against Sikkim in Bhubaneswar. At this point, there is no one in the association who can take a call on selection matters. It is learnt that even professional players who have been contracted to represent the state this season are currently in limbo and have not been informed whether they are supposed to link up in Ahmedabad for the Ranji opener. Arunachal Pradesh Cricket Association held its election in September, with Nabam Vivek elected as the president, but multiple district associations moved the High Court alleging irregularities in the polls. The High Court has reserved its order, and even the BCCI currently cannot form an ...
Seasoned middle-order batter Siddhesh Lad has replaced Shardul Thakur as Mumbai captain for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season. Thakur has been replaced to manage his workload while the dependable Lad has been heralded as the new leader of the domestic giants for a second consecutive season. Thakur had earlier replaced Ajinkya Rahane as Mumbai captain for the 2025-26 season in which the 42-time Ranji Trophy winners finished their campaign in the quarterfinal stage. The Ranji season will kick off on October 11 and Mumbai will be taking on Chandigarh in their opening match. Lad's appointment has been confirmed by a top official from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). The 34-year-old Lad, who returned to the Mumbai set up in 2024-25 after serving a one-year cool off period for having moved to Goa. He had a stellar season with the bat last Ranji Trophy season, scoring 774 runs in eight matches at 77.40 with five centuries and one fifty.
Nabi, who was signed by Delhi Capitals (DC) for Rs 8.40 crore during the player auction last year, came into the tournament after finishing as the leading wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lauded the cricket team of Jammu and Kashmir for bagging the Ranji Trophy title for the first time and expressed hope that this winning streak of sports persons there continues in the future. Addressing his monthly radio broadcast 'Mann Ki Baat', Modi said March has been a month full of excitement and enthusiasm for cricket fans across the country. He said when India achieved a historic victory in the T20 World Cup, a wave of joy swept across the country and all citizens are very proud of the team's thumping success. Late last month, a thrilling match was witnessed in Karnataka's Hubli, where the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team secured the Ranji Trophy, he said. "It is most heartening to note that after a long wait of nearly seven decades, the team achieved its first Ranji Trophy title. This unprecedented success is the result of years of continuous efforts by the players," he added. Modi said the Jammu and Kashmir team captain, Paras Dogra, .
Jammu and Kashmir beat Karnataka on the first-innings basis to become the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season champions
Jammu and Kashmir beat Karnataka on the basis of their massive first-innings lead of 291 to win the title
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
Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi produced an excellent opening spell to dismantle Karnataka's top-order as his side stayed within sniffing distance of a historic Ranji Trophy title, reducing the hosts to 220 for five here on Thursday. J&K posted 584 in their first innings and were all out on the third day. The 29-year-old tore through the Karnataka top-order with figures of 3 for 32 in 14 overs, bowling nine overs on the trot in a relentless first spell that rattled some of the wll-known names of Indian cricket. Nabi drew first blood removing KL Rahul. He then struck twice in two balls to put Karnataka in bigger trouble. First, he removed India international Karun Nair with an unplayable delivery that angled in and darted away after pitching to knock the top of off stump, and then, dismissed the in-form Smaran Ravichandran in the very next delivery. Veteran Mayank Agarwal (130 batting; 207 balls) consolidated in the final session with resolute defensive technique to keep Jammu .
The incident took place shortly after Dogra struck a boundary off pacer Prasidh Krishna, when a verbal exchange with substitute fielder Aneesh escalated into a brief physical confrontation
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
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
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
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
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 .
Mumbai's second innings saw them at 258 for 7, with a lead of just 205 runs. However, Kotian and Deshpande's 89-run partnership for the eighth wicket changed the game.
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