Bhubaneswar, Feb 28: In sports, it’s rare to witness a team or an athlete achieve something monumental for the very first time, especially when no one expected them to even reach the final step — holding the trophy.

Jammu and Kashmir pulled off something extraordinary when they flipped all predictions in their favour. Heading into the Hubli final, the spotlight was firmly on Karnataka — armed with form, pedigree, and multiple international stars. Yet within just a couple of days of the five-day contest, J&K tore up the script and rewrote the narrative with one defining word: ‘upset’.

While J&K’s squad lacked any big names, Karnataka entered the final as eight-time Ranji champions boasting international stars like KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, and Prasidh Krishna. What did J&K have in comparison? Simply a monumental challenge and a single goal — to achieve the impossible. And they did it in an emphatic fashion, delivering total domination with both the willow and red cherry in hand.

Among the standout performances were Shubham Pundir’s commanding 121, backed by five half-centuries from his teammates, and Auqib Nabi’s fiery 5/54 in the first innings that helped J&K secure a massive 291-run lead. The second innings saw unbeaten centuries from Qamran Iqbal (160) and Sahil Lotra (101), who had earlier contributed a solid 72. In contrast, Karnataka managed only two notable efforts — Mayank Agarwal’s 160 and Prasidh Krishna’s 5/98 — both coming in the first innings.

Jammu and Kashmir claimed the Ranji Trophy title by virtue of their commanding first-innings lead, as the final ended in a draw. The historic moment was marked by the presence of J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who proudly witnessed the “watershed moment”.

J&K began their campaign with a narrow loss to Mumbai but went on to remain unbeaten for the rest of the tournament, recording four draws, including the final.

For a side that had never reached the Ranji semifinal before, to achieve the feat and going two steps further — lifting the trophy — was a culmination of grit, belief, and teamwork. It was also symbolic — J&K became only the 10th team in 92 years to lift the prestigious trophy.

Jammu and Kashmir became the third team to end their domestic title drought in the 2025-26 season, following Vidarbha’s Vijay Hazare Trophy triumph and Jharkhand’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy supremacy.

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Beating All Odds
Similar to J&K, Vidarbha’s Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign (Dec 24, 2025-Jan 18, 2026) began on a shaky note, as they lost to Bengal despite piling up a massive 382/5 in their campaign opener. Yet the team held firm to its belief and built momentum step by step. Over the next nine matches, they stumbled just once — against Uttar Pradesh.

The knockout stages showcased their true dominance. Vidarbha thrashed a star-studded Delhi side led by Ishant Sharma in the quarterfinals, before dismantling Mayank Agarwal’s Karnataka in the semifinals. In the final, they outclassed Saurashtra with ease, sealing their first-ever List A title and ending a long-standing trophy drought in 50-over domestic cricket.

A Day to Remember
Jharkhand enjoyed a dream run in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (Nov 26-Dec 18), with skipper Ishan Kishan leading from the front. The team dominated the tournament, toppling heavyweights like Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Andhra before outclassing Haryana in the final.

For Kishan, the event marked a personal revival. The wicketkeeper-batter finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 517 runs in 10 innings, including two centuries and two fifties, at an average of 57.44 and a blistering strike rate of 197.33. His stellar form not only powered Jharkhand’s title charge but also earned him a recall to India’s T20 side and a spot in the 15-member T20 World Cup squad.

These journeys prove that chasing the impossible is never foolish. For any team or athlete, if you dream big and dedicate yourself to the goal, hard work will eventually pay off. Success may not come instantly, but persistence ensures that one day the impossible becomes reality. Some may dismiss it as luck, fluke or a miracle, but you’ll know the truth — that every triumph is built on sacrifice, relentless effort, and unwavering dedication.