Auqib Nabi Single-Handedly Took Jammu and Kashmir To The Ranji Trophy Final For The First Time: Jammu and Kashmir cricket team has created history on Wednesday i.e. 18th February. Jammu and Kashmir team has secured its place in the Ranji Trophy final for the first time by defeating a strong team like Bengal by 6 wickets in the semi-final played at the Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani, West Bengal. Although all the players in the team have played an important role in Jammu and Kashmir’s journey to the Ranji Trophy final, but right-arm fast bowler Aaqib Nabi has emerged as the hero for the team.

Aaqib Nabi became ‘Player of the Match’ in quarter-finals and semi-finals

Aaqib Nabi, on the basis of his excellent bowling, led Jammu and Kashmir to victory in the quarter-finals and semi-finals and got the ticket to the final for the first time. Nabi has been the ‘Player of the Match’ in both the matches. The quarter final match of Jammu and Kashmir was played against Madhya Pradesh. Jammu and Kashmir won this match by 56 runs and made it to the semi-finals. Aaqib Nabi took 7 wickets for 40 runs in the first innings and 5 wickets for 70 runs in the second innings for the team. In the semi-finals, Jammu and Kashmir faced the strong Bengal cricket team. Jammu and Kashmir emerged strongly against the Bengal team and won by 6 wickets and made it to the final for the first time. Aaqib Nabi was also the hero of this victory.

Aaqib Nabi made invaluable contribution with both ball and bat in the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals, Aaqib made invaluable contribution with the ball as well as the bat. Aqib, who took a total of 9 wickets including 5 in the first innings and 4 in the second innings, played an innings of 42 runs while batting in the first innings. On the basis of his performance, Jammu and Kashmir defeated Bengal and made it to the finals. Nabi was declared ‘Player of the Match’. Not only Jammu and Kashmir cricket fans but also the selectors of the Indian team will keep an eye on the performance of Aaqib Nabi in the final also. 29-year-old Aaqib Nabi made his debut in first-class cricket for Jammu and Kashmir in the year 2020. Aaqib has been signed by Delhi Capitals for IPL 2026 for Rs 8.40 crore.

Mithun Manhas Gave Statement On Jammu and Kashmir Team: When Mithun Manhas, the current President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), joined the management of Jammu Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) in the year 2021, he had to set things in order in an organization which was struggling with allegations of mismanagement and corruption. When the Jammu and Kashmir team made it to the Ranji Trophy final for the first time on Wednesday, February 18, Manhas became a little emotional. Manhas told PTI, ‘When I took over as administrator, it was not so easy. The then BCCI Secretary Jai Shah had given me complete freedom and told me to do whatever is necessary to bring the cricket of Jammu and Kashmir back on track. Jammu and Kashmir won by six wickets over two-time former champions Bengal in the second semi-final of Ranji Trophy played in Kalyani.

Mithun Manhas gave statement on reaching the final of Jammu and Kashmir

Mithun Manhas said, ‘I was watching the match on TV. It is a big achievement to defeat the Bengal team having players like Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep. The cricketer in me is emotional because I finished my first-class career there and also worked with the state unit. Talking about the team, Manhas said that they knew that there is no dearth of talent in Jammu and Kashmir, but there is a need for a proper system. He said, ‘I would like to give credit to Brigadier Anil Gupta, who has done a commendable job. When I took over, we organized a talent search competition. Manhas mentioned his colleague in the BCCI sub-committee which was then handling the Jammu and Kashmir cricket administration. He further said, ‘Left arm fast bowler Sunil Kumar is the result of that talent search. Having played in Delhi for almost two decades, I knew what was required to be successful at this level. Our cricket committee did a very good job with honesty and transparency.

Playing for Paras Dogra at the age of 41 is the biggest contribution – Manhas

Veteran Delhi player Mithun Manhas has scored 9714 runs in 157 first-class matches. This committee was formed on the instructions of Jammu and Kashmir High Court due to mismanagement in JKCA. Manhas said that his biggest contribution was perhaps inspiring a domestic legend like Paras Dogra to play as a professional player for the state at the age of 41. Dogra is currently captaining the team whose head coach is former Indian player Ajay Sharma. Manhas said, ‘I have played a lot of cricket with and against Paras. He is a brilliant cricketer and professional player. Paras has played his cricket in Himachal Pradesh, where the conditions are very similar to Jammu and Kashmir. He said, ‘We needed an experienced batsman in the middle order and Paras performed brilliantly.’