Cricket fans witnessed a monumental upset as Jammu and Kashmir ousted Madhya Pradesh by 56 runs to book their first-ever Ranji Trophy semifinal berth. The Holkar Stadium in Indore was the stage for this dramatic quarterfinal on February 9.
MP won the toss and bowled, but J&K laid a solid foundation with 194 in the first innings. Shubham Khajuria’s 60 and Paras Dogra’s 33 set the platform against MP’s attack.
Kuldeep Sen’s fiery five-for, Kartikeya’s three, and Pandey’s two restricted J&K.
MP’s first innings imploded at 152, led by Yash Dubey’s 58. Aqib Nabi’s career-best seven wickets and Sunil Kumar’s three gave J&K a 42-run advantage.
J&K’s second innings produced 248, highlighted by Vanshraj Sharma’s 54 and contributions from Abid Mushtaq (41), Abdul Samad (32), and others. MP’s Kuldeep Sen (4/??), Iyer, and Gurjar (3 each) kept it competitive.
Targeting 291, MP fell short at 234. Saransh Jain’s gritty 64 couldn’t save them as Aqib Nabi claimed another five-fer. Abid Mushtaq (3), Sunil Kumar, and Yudvir Singh mopped up.
Aqib Nabi, with 12 wickets in the match, rightfully bagged Player of the Match. This victory signals J&K’s rise, blending resilience with skill to make waves in domestic cricket’s premier tournament.