J-K Ranji team meets ICC chair Jay Shah to acknowledge his contribution in strengthening cricket in Jammu and Kashmir

New Delhi [India], March 5 (ANI): The Jammu and Kashmir Ranji Trophy team players met the International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman, Jay Shah, to acknowledge his role in strengthening cricket in the state during his tenure as the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India earlier.
In a post on X, the BCCI said that after the team's memorable and maiden Ranji Trophy title win, Jammu and Kashmir players "expressed a heartfelt desire" to meet JayShah and share the moment with him, acknowledging the role his leadership played in strengthening cricket in Jammu & Kashmir during his tenure as BCCI Secretary before taking up the ICC Chairman position in December, 2024.
In the X post, the BCCI also praised Jammu & Kashmir's historic Ranji Trophy win and thanked Jay Shah for his encouragement to the J&K team.
"The historic triumph of Jammu & Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy will remain a proud milestone for cricket in the region. After their memorable victory, the players expressed a heartfelt desire to meet Hon. ICC Chair @JayShah and share this special moment with him, acknowledging the role his leadership played in strengthening cricket in Jammu & Kashmir during his tenure as BCCI Secretary. We sincerely thank Mr. Shah for taking the time to meet the team and for sharing his words of encouragement with the players as they celebrate this historic achievement. Congratulations to the entire J&K team and the cricket fraternity for scripting a remarkable chapter in Indian domestic cricket," said the BCCI in the X post.
Paras Dogra-led Jammu and Kashmir put an end to their 67-year-long wait to lift their first-ever Ranji Trophy title as the final of the 2025-26 season was drawn, and they were declared winners based on the first-inning lead.
Coming to the match, Jammu and Kashmir were crowned champions by virtue of their massive 291-run first-innings lead over the Devdutt Padikkal-led Karnataka.
The foundation of J&K's win was laid in the first two days when their batters showed relentless discipline. Led by a masterful 121 from Shubham Pundir and contributions from Yawer Hassan (88 runs), captain Paras Dogra (70 runs), Abdul Samad (61 runs), Kanhaiya Wadhawan (70 runs) and Sahil Lotra (72 runs), J-K amassed a massive first-innings total of 584 runs.
Despite J-K's dominance, pacer Prasidh Krishna claimed figures of 5/98 in 34.1 overs, standing out as the lone bowler who impressed for Karnataka.
Karnataka, despite boasting a lineup of international stars including KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, and Karun Nair, crumbled under the pressure of the scoreboard. Only Mayank Agarwal put up significant resistance with a valiant 160, but it was a lone effort. Karnataka were bowled out for 293, conceding a massive 291-run lead to Jammu and Kashmir.
The star of the show with the ball was J-K's Auqib Nabi, whose clinical 5/54 in 23 overs decimated the Karnataka middle order and effectively sealed the fate of the match by Day 4.
Batting again, J-K were powered by an unbeaten 160 by Qamran Iqbal, as Paras Dogra declared the innings on 342/4 on Day 5, with J-K leading by 633 runs, with both captains choosing to shake hands as the entire J-K squad stormed into the field in celebration.
Shubham Pundir won the Player of the Match award, as Auqib Nabi was awarded the Player of the Series award for his 55 wickets in eight matches in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season. (ANI)