Jammu and Kashmir Beat Bengal by 6 Wickets, Enters First-Ever Ranji Trophy Final

Bengal played very well in the group stage. But in the knockout stage, they failed again. This has been the story in domestic cricket in recent years. In the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Bengal gives fans hope at the start. But in the knockout matches, they fall short. At least they should have won this match to respect Shami’s great performance.

In Kalyani, Jammu and Kashmir scored 302 runs in reply to Bengal’s 328 in the first innings. Shami was the main reason Bengal stayed in the game. He took 8 wickets for 90 runs. This season, he has taken 67 wickets across all three domestic formats. He showed that he is still not finished. But the other fast bowlers did not give him enough support.

Bengal’s Batting Fails in Crucial Moment

The bowlers did their job, but the batters failed badly. Bengal had the lead, they were playing at home, and Mohammed Shami was in top form. Still, the team was bowled out for just 99 runs in the second innings. Captain Abhimanyu Easwaran scored only 5 runs. Many are now asking questions about his leadership in big matches.

Sudeep Gharami, who has played well this season, also failed in this innings. The rest of the batters could not score much. Some made 8, some 10, and some got out for zero. The highest score was 24 by Shahbaz Ahmed. In the end, Jammu and Kashmir got a target of 126 runs. Shami even scored 11 runs to help the team. Kashmiri pacer Auqib Nabi took 9 wickets in the match.

𝙎𝘾𝙀𝙉𝙀𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝙋𝙐𝙍𝙀 𝙅𝙐𝘽𝙄𝙇𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 🤩

J&K create history as they defeat Bengal by 7️⃣ wickets to book their ticket to the #RanjiTrophy Final for the very first time 🫡

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/QXyCuRHJ6e@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/VBKPD9I9mX

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) February 18, 2026

Jammu and Kashmir Finish the Job

At the end of the third day, Jammu and Kashmir were 43 for 2. On Wednesday morning, Shami gave Bengal hope by taking the wicket of Shubham Pundir. It looked like something special could happen. But that did not last long.

Vanshaj Sharma scored 43 runs, and Abdul Samad added 30 runs. Akash Deep took 3 wickets, but it was not enough. Jammu and Kashmir won the match by 6 wickets and reached the Ranji Trophy final for the first time.