RANJI TROPY FINAL | Super-efficient J & K makes Karnataka toil

Jammu & Kashmir dominates day two of the Ranji Trophy final, reaching 527/6 against Karnataka in Hubballi.

Jammu & Kashmir put Karnataka through the wringer again as it reached 527 for six at stumps on day two of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy final at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium here on Wednesday.

It wasn’t a display of unqualified control and superiority but more like how weaver ants are super-efficient in their team work.

There were half-centuries for skipper Paras Dogra (70, 166b, 8x4), Kanhaiya Wadhawan (70, 109b, 9x4) and Sahil Lotra (57 batting, 93b, 7x4) as J & K added 243 runs to its overnight total before a combination of bad light and a drizzle brought an end to the proceedings 40 minutes before scheduled close.

Jammu and Kashmir's Kanhaiya Wadhawan in action on the second day of the Ranji Trophy Elite 2025-26 final against Karnataka at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium in Hubballi, on February 25, 2026.  | Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR

The morning began under partially cloudy skies and the previous night’s rain appeared to have rendered the outfield a tad sluggish. The Karnataka bowlers kept it tight, not allowing a boundary for nearly 40 minutes, as V. Vyshak bowled four straight maidens.

Though Abdul Samad pulled Vyshak for a four, it was far from pressure-releasing. Centurion Shubham Pundir (121, 247b, 12x4, 2x6) and Samad (61, 104b, 6x4, 1x6) fell in the span of seven balls, with the former caught at square-leg off Vidyadhar Patil and the latter edging Prasidh Krishna behind.