Srinagar, Feb 28 (PTI) Pace spearhead Auqib Nabi was the standout performer for Jammu and Kashmir but the triumphant Ranji Trophy campaign was a team effort with almost every player stepping up at crucial stages.
Led by 41-year-old Paras Dogra, the Jammu and Kashmir team had useful contributions from batters Shubham Khajuria, Shubham Singh Pundir, Qamran Iqbal, Sahil Lotra, Kanhaiya Wadhawan and Abdul Samad.
In the bowling department, Auqib Nabi bagged 60 wickets — the highest by any bowler in 2025-26 season. He was ably supported by Auqib Nazir, Abid Mushtaq, Sunil Kumar, Lotra and Samad.
Dogra is a stalwart of domestic cricket as he is one the few players to have raked up 10,000 first class runs without playing Test cricket.
Dogra made his debut in 2001 and played for Himachal (17 seasons) and Puducherry before joining Jammu and Kashmir in 2024-25 season to lead the union territory team to its maiden Ranji Trophy title on Saturday.
Khajuria, the 30-year-old Jammu lad, has been one of the few shining stars of local cricket. He has amassed more than 4000 first class runs since making his debut as a 16-year-old against Maharashtra.
He also played for India Under-19, becoming the first player from Jammu and Kashmir to do so.
Born in Dehradun, Pundir also broke into Jammu and Kashmir senior team as a teenager in 2015. The 27-year-old played a steady hand during this Ranji season, scoring a century in the first innings of the final against Karnataka.
Abdul Samad, the rising star and swashbuckling all-rounder, who is known for hitting the ball long, has been an integral part of the team since making his first class debut in 2019.
The 24-year-old hails from Kalakote area of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir. He has scored 1600 runs which included six centuries and an equal number of half centuries.
Qamran Iqbal, who was not in the original playing XI, was drafted in at the last moment as replacement for injured Khajuria.
Hailing from Eidgah area of Srinagar city, the erstwhile stone-pelting hotbed, he promised a lot as a teenager and made his first class debut as a teenager.
Lack of big scores had started raising questions about his ability to play on the big stage. Iqbal would hope to have silenced his critics with a magnificent 160 not out in the final.
Sahil Lotra, the Jammu boy, is another all-rounder who has been steady throughout this Ranji campaign, making useful contributions with the bat and providing crucial wickets with his off-breaks.
He also scored a century as Jammu and Kashmir batters heaped misery on Karnataka on the fifth and final day of the Ranji final.
Nabi, also known as Baramulla Express, has been the talk of the town for performing well over the past three seasons.
His performance zoomed in the quarterfinals against Madhya Pradesh, taking 12 wickets in the match. He bagged nine against Bengal in the semifinal and another five wicket haul in the first innings of Karnataka in the final.
Abid Mushtaq hails from Doda district and plays as an all-rounder. He smashed 177 runs in the league match against Himachal Pradesh while making useful contributions in several other matches.
Yawar Hassan, 22, is being groomed for the future. The Anantnag boy made his first class debut a year ago. He has shown flashes of brilliance but lacked consistency in the short career so far.
Sunil Kumar has been Auqib Nabi’s hunting partner this season. He picked up wickets in key matches, including seven wickets in the semifinal against Bengal. He also picked up a five wicket haul against Himachal Pradesh in the group stages.
Yudhvir Singh is another prospective all-rounder playing for J&K. He made useful contributions with the bat coming down the order while supporting Nabi with the medium fast bowling. PTI MIJ PDS PDS PDS
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