J&K Opt to Bat in Ranji Final Against Karnataka

Jammu & Kashmir captain Paras Dogra won the toss and elected to bat against Karnataka in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy final in Hubballi, as the first-time finalists looked to make early use of what appeared to be good batting conditions.

J&K made two changes to the side that featured in their previous knockout matches, bringing in Qamran Iqbal and Sahil Lotra in place of Vanshaj Sharma and Shubham Khajuria. Karnataka, meanwhile, retained the same XI that advanced from the semi-final.

The final pits J&K’s in-form bowling attack against a formidable Karnataka batting line-up. Auqib Nabi, Sunil Kumar and Abid Mushtaq have been central to J&K’s run to the summit clash, which included victories over Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-final and Bengal in the semi-final.

Karnataka reached the final after securing a first-innings lead against Uttarakhand in the semi-final. Earlier in the tournament, they chased down 325 against Mumbai and pulled off a remarkable 250-run chase in just 28 overs against Punjab in their final league game.

The spotlight will be on Karnataka’s experienced top order featuring KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal and Karun Nair, while R Smaran has also enjoyed a prolific season.

The two sides have previously met four times in the Ranji Trophy, with Karnataka winning on each occasion. However, J&K will be eager to script history as they chase a maiden Ranji Trophy title.

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