J&K enter Ranji final after 67 yrs

There are fairytales in sport that are stirring and inspiring all at once and Jammu and Kashmir's march into the 2026 Ranji Trophy final, their first-in 67 years of playing history after stunning Bengal by six wickets, puts them on the cusp of something special.

- Haridev Pushparaj

Bengal are two-time Ranji champions and beating them on their home turf is no mean task. J&K put up an inspired show led by their bowlers to skittle out Bengal for a paltry 99 in their second innings in Kalyani to turn the match on its head.

Pacers Auqib Nabi and Sunil Kumar will take credit for their four-wicket hauls in the second innings that had Bengal on the mat and set J&K a target of 126.

They eventually overhauled thanks to the batting efforts of Vanshaj Sharma and Abdul Samad who remained unbeaten on 43 and 30 respectively.