New DelhiAfter years of consistent improvement, Jammu and Kashmir wrote one of the most incredible tales of the 2025–26 domestic season by winning the Ranji Trophy. The Paras Dogra-led team finally found the poise and consistency needed to go all the way, putting on a series of commanding performances after pushing stronger sides in previous editions.
Notably, they were largely written off after being bowled out for 302 in the first innings against Bengal in the semi-final, seemingly endangering their campaign. However, in the second innings, J&K took control of the ball and never gave up momentum, demonstrating tenacity and tactical discipline. They advanced to the summit match after defeating Bengal at home by bowling them out for 99 runs in the second innings.
Nabi considers the social impact that the J-K team produced.The final became almost one-sided, with J&K building up a huge 633-run lead, which basically won them the title even though the match ended in a draw. All-rounder Auqib Nabi, who signed a big contract with the Delhi Capitals, thought about how the win changed people's long-held views of the team, which was once seen as an easy opponent. He also stressed how it would affect the parents and kids in the area socially.
"It will have a huge effect. We wouldn't have had a chance before. It used to take teams 1–2 days to plan how to beat us. We also didn't have anyone to look up to and learn from. Now, even parents are on board. After we won the Ranji Trophy, they are telling kids to play cricket. They are motivating them as players are now featuring in the IPL and are India prospects. It’s a positive change. We are competing with the best in the country and we beat them on their home turf. So, it will have a massive impact from a cricketing standpoint and also infrastructure-wise. As said, parents can also motivate their kids now to take up the sport,” Nabi said.
"It will have a huge effect. We wouldn't have had a chance before. It used to take teams 1–2 days to plan how to beat us. We also didn't have anyone to look up to and learn from. Now, even parents are on board. After we won the Ranji Trophy, they are telling kids to play cricket. They are motivating them because players are now playing in the IPL and are good enough to play for India. It's a good change. We are up against the best in the country, and we beat them on their own turf. So, it will have a huge effect on both cricket and infrastructure. Nabi said, "Parents can also now encourage their kids to play the sport."
Read More: