Jammu and Kashmir’s Auqib Nabi celebrates with teammates after taking a wicket vs Bengal. (PTI Photo)

KALYANI: One clean swing, one red ball sailing into the stands, and a 67-year wait came to an end. The moment Vanshaj Sharma launched Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar for six, J&K players, support staff and officials poured onto the field at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground here on Wednesday. Their celebratory roar could probably be heard all the way to the Himalayan state.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!With that hit, J&K sealed its first-ever spot in the final of the Ranji Trophy, India’s premier domestic red-ball cricket event. Once famous for the Kashmir willow, J&K is etching a chapter of its own in the annals of Indian cricket.

The result, a 6-wicket win, was emphatic, even though there were moments when the match appeared to be slipping away. Set 126 for victory, the team completed the chase in 34.4 overs, getting it done before lunch on Day 4.“I have played the Ranji final a number of times. But this time, it’s different. I had not slept for the last three nights. Today I will sleep well,” an elated coach Ajay Sharma, once a stalwart of the domestic scene for Delhi, said.As history beckoned, J&K began Day 4 within touching distance, only 83 runs away, yet Bengal came hard at them. Akash Deep, already among the wickets, struck twice to remove Shubham Khajuria and Yawer Hassan, then returned to send back skipper Paras Dogra.Mohammed Shami, relentless as ever, bowled Shubham Pundir to briefly widen the doorway for a comeback. But Abdul Samad and Sharma shut it with authority with an unbeaten 55-run fifth-wicket partnership that carried J&K to the line without another stumble. Samad’s unbeaten 30 off 27 balls, studded with three sixes, provided the finishing fire. Sharma’s 43 not out off 83 balls supplied the composure.The semifinal had turned on J&K’s refusal to panic after conceding a first-innings lead. Bengal piled up 328, powered by Sudip Kumar Gharami’s superb 146, and then had J&K out for 302 in reply, with Shami ripping through the innings with 8/90. Yet J&K stayed within reach through Samad’s counter-attacking 82, Dogra’s 58 and valuable lower-order runs that kept the deficit to 26.Few might have expected J&K to flip that deficit into a ticket to the final. But Sharma insisted the belief never wavered. “I told the boys that the match is not over. We have two more days. Cricket always gives you a second chance. Red-ball cricket is a dangerous game,” the 61-year-old Sharma said.Day 3 delivered the match’s decisive lurch. Bengal, under pressure, collapsed for 99 in just 25.1 overs. Sunil Kumar grabbed 4/27 and Auqib Nabi — the breakout fast bowler this season — took 4/36 to complete a match haul of 9/123, also chipping in with 42 with the bat earlier. Dogra underlined how quickly the equation changed. “That was not a significant lead (26 runs) and we still had seven sessions of play. But of course we never expected them (Bengal) to fold so cheaply,” he said. The final will carry personal meaning for Dogra, a veteran who crossed 10,000 Ranji runs during this match and now finds himself within a game of the trophy that has eluded him. “It will be big for me. My first Ranji final too. I never thought that I would get such a good group of players,” Dogra said, adding: “There was belief in everyone from the beginning of the season that we can win the Ranji Trophy.”Both Dogra and Sharma could not stop talking about pacer Nabi. “He is a match-winner for us,” Dogra said. “He has good work ethics and has been disciplined.” Coach Sharma believes bigger things are not far away for the 29-year-old from Baramulla. “Age is on his side and he has developed the skill set. He will play the IPL (for Delhi Capitals) and if he performs there, the sky’s the limit for him,” Sharma said.The final is next, and J&K have earned the right to dream all the way.Brief scores: J&K 302 (Samad 82, Shami 8-90) & 126/4 (Vanshaj 43, Samad 30*, Akash Deep 3-46) beat Bengal 328 (Gharami 146, Nabi 5-87) & 99 (Shahbaz 24, Sunil 4-27, Nabi 4-36) by 6 wicketsMEN BEHIND THE MILESTONE: THE TEAM’S KEY PERFORMERSAuqib Nabi: The medium-pacer took 12 wickets (7/40 & 5/70) against MP in the quarterfinal, and 9 (5/87 & 4/36) in the semifinal. Nabi has a 8.4cr IPL deal with Delhi Capitals. Will an India Test call-up follow? Matches This Season: 9, Wkts: 55, Avg: 12.7, Economy Rate: 2.7, Strike Rate: 28.5Sunil Kumar: The left-arm medium-pacer has been the perfect foil to Nabi. His 3/41 & 4/27 in the semis proved crucial. Matches: 8, Wkts: 29, Avg: 15.1, ER: 2.6, SR: 34.9Abdul Samad: The middle-order batter’s composure under pressure has seen him pull off several rescue acts. In the semis, he first slammed 82, then scored an unbeaten 30 off 27 balls to finish a tricky chase. Matches: 9, Runs: 655, Avg: 59.5Paras Dogra: The skipper has led with both bat and tactical acumen. Fittingly, the 41-yr-old has become only the 2nd batter to cross 10,000 runs in the Ranji Trophy. Matches: 9, Runs: 551, Avg: 42.4

Mohammed Shami and Ishan Kishan (X-Cricbuzz)

Several familiar names have been left out as the BCCI announced its central contracts for the 2025–26 season on Monday, with Mohammed Shami, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Mukesh Kumar and Ishan Kishan missing out despite being part of the previous cycle. The Board awarded annual retainers to 30 men and 21 women cricketers, categorising them into Groups A, B and C. Notably, the A+ category has been scrapped, a move that has reshaped the contract hierarchy.

Senior stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been placed in Group B, a downgrade that was largely expected following their retirement from Tests and T20Is respectively, effectively making them one-format players. Under the current criteria, which factors in performances and the number of matches played in the preceding season, they were no longer eligible for the top bracket. For the first time in his career, Shubman Gill finds himself in the highest pay grade, as the two-format captain was retained in Group A alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. While the BCCI has not officially disclosed the retainership amounts, Group A was previously valued at Rs 5 crore annually, with Group B and C fetching Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively before the A+ category was abolished. The decision to do away with A+ stems from the fact that Bumrah is now the only player who remains an automatic selection across all formats. The category, introduced during the COA era for all-format excellence, previously featured only Kohli, Rohit, Jadeja and Bumrah. The men’s list has been trimmed from 34 to 30 players, with Shami’s exclusion seen as a strong signal that he may be out of the selectors’ immediate plans. Kishan, Mukesh and Sarfaraz were also dropped after failing to play a single international match during the evaluation period. While Kishan has returned to the T20I setup, that comeback falls in the new cycle. One notable inclusion is Sai Sudharsan, the only new entrant in the senior men’s contract list. On the women’s side, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma retained their Group A status, while Jemimah Rodrigues earned a promotion following her standout World Cup performances.