Iqbal and Lotra centuries help J&K bat Karnataka out for historic maiden Ranji Trophy title

J&K had batted out most of day 4 without too many hassles, and the final day was a mere formality

Shashank Kishore

Published: Feb 28, 2026, 9:30 AM (5 hrs ago)

Jammu & Kashmir 584 (Pundir 121, Yawer 88, Prasidh 5-98) and 342 for 4 decl. (Iqbal 160*, Lotra 101, Prasidh 2-42) drew with Karnataka 293 (Agarwal 160, Nabi 5-54) - J&K won on first-innings lead

The residential neighbourhood of Rajnagar in Hubbali woke up to the sounds of sirens and police patrols. The route from the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) team hotel to the KSCA Stadium was being surveyed. Their chief minister, Omar Abdullah, arrived in the city late Friday night with senior government officials to celebrate the winning moments with the team.

The stadium itself resembled a fortress, with police presence all along the route. Curious onlookers outside the gates were either asked to enter, or leave. As many as 7000 people entered, taking the ticketed count across five days to nearly 20,000. The Ranji Trophy final itself had been reduced to a mere formality, after J&K batted out day four without too many hassles.

And they did much of the same on day 5. Qamran Iqbal brought up his second first-class century, Sahil Lotra his first. And celebrated with gusto, by doing a push-up and then a Shikhar Dhawan-like thigh-five, much to the delight of the J&K dressing room. It was four hours of the most pressure-free batting Lotra and Iqbal will ever find themselves in.

J&K didn't lose a wicket, batted nearly two sessions and sealed a historic maiden Ranji Trophy title in front of a raucous crowd, to the sounds of drums, dhols and colourful fireworks. The result was never really in doubt, but that didn't make the wait any less special. As the final moments ticked by and J&K edged closer to being crowned Ranji champions, a strange mix of calm and excitement filled the air.

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Everyone knew what was coming - and yet, it still felt surreal. At 2:11pm, with tea looming, the captains shook hands. Within seconds, the entire J&K team dashed to the centre, sinking into Lotra's outstretched arms. The players formed a circle, jumped for joy, and broke into a celebratory jig.

Gracious in defeat, and relieved the agony had ended, Karnataka waited for J&K to revel in their moment before offering handshakes. The J&K players brought out their flag, waved it with joy. Some shed tears, others were too elated to understand the magnitude of the feat, which would perhaps sink in only after the dust settles. Auqib Nabi, who took a record 60 wickets in a seminal season, was the toast of the team and the crowd. They hoisted him onto their shoulders, coaxing him to wave the ball and acknowledge the crowd and their supporters.

In some ways, this was payback for Karnataka, who inflicted the same level of agony on Uttarakhand in last week's semi-final.

Until the final moments of the day, when victory was sealed, the loudest cheer came when KL Rahul was thrown the ball in the first session. His good friend, Mayank Agarwal, had refused to draw curtains on Karnataka's campaign on Friday night, saying, "There's still a day to go." But giving Rahul the ball early on the final day wasn't exactly a reflection of that statement.

Karnataka had conceded defeat, and Iqbal was in the mood to extend their agony. Rahul, though, had other ideas. Or nearly. He induced an edge, and the catch went down at slip. Agarwal, who put it down, could only laugh and put his hand out in apology towards Rahul. It would've been his maiden first-class wicket. This was the first time in over a decade that he was bowling in first-class cricket.

Every ball he bowled was cheered raucously. When he was eventually taken out of the attack, the crowd let their disapproval be known to Devdutt Padikkal. They implored him to bring Rahul back on. And when he didn't, the crowd let steam off: "Mayank, you denied Rahul anna (elder brother) a wicket!" Players took generous breaks in play, the umpires didn't seem to mind for a change.

No one's eyes were on the clock. Relaxed lunches were served in the hospitality area. Drums and dhols - items vehemently prohibited across stadia in India - were permitted entry. The mood was festive. This was perhaps the biggest match Hubballi had hosted till date, and the crowd turned up in numbers despite temperatures already touching a searing 34 degrees centigrade.

It wasn't the result they'd hoped for, but they'd certainly been part of history. A maiden Ranji title was J&K's, and they had earned the right to be called champions, having dominated the finale from start to finish.

Shashank Kishore is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

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