Ranji Trophy 2025-26: Qamran Iqbal’s maiden ton powers Jammu & Kashmir to historic win over Delhi

At 11.33 a.m. on Tuesday, a victorious roar reverberated around a near-empty Arun Jaitley Stadium as Qamran Iqbal’s cut pierced the infield and sped away to the boundary. With it, Jammu & Kashmir sealed a historic seven-wicket win over Delhi on the final day of their Elite Group-D Ranji Trophy clash, its first in the competition’s 91-year history.

The commanding victory was another reminder that the gulf between last season’s quarterfinalist and the traditional heavyweights has all but disappeared. Having already beaten Mumbai twice in three First-Class meetings, J&K has now conquered the seven-time Ranji champion in the national capital.

Qamran applied the finishing touch to a collective performance with an unbeaten 133 off just 147 deliveries in a chase of 179. Any lingering uncertainty about the result at the start of play evaporated quickly as the opener’s onslaught helped J&K, resuming on 55 for two in 15 overs, canter to the target in 43.3 overs. Auqib Nabi and Vanshaj Sharma had earlier played their parts with the ball to set up the win.

Vanshaj, who had come in as night-watchman on the third evening, was the only batter dismissed on the final day. But by then, his 60-ball vigil for eight runs in a third-wicket stand of 82 with Qamran had already blunted Delhi’s attack.

Qamran sent the bowlers on a leather hunt, repeatedly pouncing on loose deliveries from a wayward attack. Pace spearhead Simarjeet Singh went wicketless, conceding 39 runs in six overs.

When Qamran drove left-arm spinner Manan Bhardwaj down the ground for four, the 24-year-old from Srinagar reached his maiden First-Class hundred — seven years after making his debut. It capped four days that J&K will cherish as a marker of its growing stature in Indian domestic cricket.

Published on Nov 11, 2025