Rest of India Beat Jammu & Kashmir by 167 Runs to Lift the Irani Cup

Rest of India beat defending Ranji Trophy champions Jammu & Kashmir by 167 runs in Srinagar on Sunday 4 October, winning the 2026-27 Irani Cup after a four-day contest. Ravichandran Smaran's second-innings 135 set J&K a target of 279, then Mukesh Kumar took 6 for 33 as the hosts were bowled out for 111.

With the Irani Cup back in Srinagar, this became an early senior marker for the 2026-27 domestic season. The BCCI calendar gave the fixture a 1-5 October window; the result arrived on the fourth day.

J&K's first-innings advantage did not last

Jammu & Kashmir won the toss and chose to field, and Rest of India were dismissed for 237 in 68.1 overs. Smaran made 68 and Shikhar Mohan added 60, while Sunil Kumar and Lone Nasir claimed three wickets each for the Ranji champions.

J&K moved 41 runs ahead with 278. Paras Dogra led the scoring with 75 from 143 balls, and Lone Nasir followed his useful bowling effort with 64 from 58. Mukesh Choudhary took 5 for 78 for Rest of India, with Akash Deep collecting 3 for 43.

That lead gave J&K a clear route to the trophy: a draw would have been enough for the holders. Rest of India needed a substantial second-innings advantage to turn the contest around.

Smaran changes the match

Rest of India lost wickets regularly in the second innings, yet Smaran held the innings together with a controlled 135 from 153 balls. His score included 16 fours and five sixes. Sanat Sangwan's 55 from 160 balls supplied valuable support as the pair helped take the total to 319 in 99.5 overs.

Smaran's century moved the target into a range that demanded a substantial fourth-innings effort from J&K. Sahil Lotra took 3 for 71 and Sunil Kumar 3 for 56, but J&K could not finish the innings quickly enough to keep the chase small.

Nine wickets from the new-ball attack

J&K began the chase positively. Shubham Khajuria and Qamran Iqbal put on 54 for the opening wicket, and the hosts reached 89 for 3 at lunch. Iqbal made 32, Khajuria top-scored with 36, and Abdul Samad's 20 was the only other J&K score to pass 10.

Akash Deep broke the opening stand by trapping Iqbal leg before wicket. Mukesh Kumar then removed Shubham Pundir and captain Paras Dogra in the same over, a double strike that left J&K under pressure before lunch. Khajuria fell to Akash with the first ball after the interval, and the innings unravelled swiftly.

Mukesh Kumar finished with 6 for 33 from 10.4 overs. Akash Deep supported him with 3 for 25, and the pair accounted for nine wickets. J&K lost their final seven wickets for a modest return after the opening partnership, folding in 28.4 overs.

A decisive start to the domestic campaign

The scorecard shows a match that turned twice: J&K led after the first innings, then Smaran and the pace attack took control.

For J&K, the loss came at the end of a landmark Ranji Trophy campaign and in a home fixture that brought the Irani Cup back to Srinagar. For Rest of India, it was a reminder of the contest's purpose: the national challenger side had to beat the domestic champions, not merely match them over four days.

The full result and innings summary are available through FairPlay's live scores, while readers can follow the wider domestic calendar from the cricket hub. More match reports and official updates are collected on our news page.

Match summary

Rest of India won by 167 runs and took the Irani Cup before the Ranji Trophy phase begins on 11 October.

Sources: ESPN: Irani Cup 2026/27 fixtures and results · ESPNcricinfo: Jammu & Kashmir vs Rest of India scorecard · BCCI: Jammu and Kashmir v Rest of India scorecard · BCCI: 2026-27 domestic season schedule · Kashmir Observer/PTI: Rest of India beat J&K by 167 runs

This piece was written by the FairPlay Editorial Desk with AI assistance, using the published sources above. It was reviewed by Rahul Jethalal and Mohini Yadav of the FairPlay editorial team before publication. To report an error, see our Editorial Policy.