Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep blow J&K away as RoI win Irani Cup
toi
newspoint|05-10-2026
The defining moment of the Irani Cup clash between Ranji Trophy champions Jammu & Kashmir and Rest of India came on Sunday at the Sher-I-Kashmir Stadium.
Chasing 279, J&K were 65/2 when Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar urged stand-in RoI captain Sarfaraz Khan — regular skipper Rishabh Pant was on the sidelines with fever — to give him one more over. Mukesh made it count.
In the 13th over, he trapped Shubham Pundir lbw for 9 with a delivery that jagged back in, with Sarfaraz taking a successful review after the umpire had ruled it not out. He then bowled J&K captain Paras Dogra, their first-innings top-scorer with 75, with a sharp delivery that crashed into middle stump after Dogra played inside the line.
That double blow broke the chase. With Mukesh and Akash Deep operating at full tilt, RoI bowled J&K out for 111 in 28.4 overs to complete a thumping 167-run win and claim the Irani Cup for the 33rd time — their first title since the 2023-24 season.
Mukesh was outstanding, finishing with 6/33 in 10.4 overs. Akash Deep, returning from a seven-month injury lay-off, was equally incisive, taking 3/25 in nine overs. The two India pacers shared nine wickets as J&K collapsed from 54/0, losing 10-57.
For Mukesh, match figures of 8/121 on a seaming surface were a timely reminder to the national selectors of his ability to exploit helpful conditions, especially with India’s New Zealand tour ahead. Akash Deep, too, strengthened his case, finishing with match figures of 6/78 after taking 3/43 in the first innings.
Pant, though unable to field due to illness, appeared pleased while lifting the trophy — a fitting birthday gift on the day he turned 29. There’s also a possibility that he could miss Delhi’s Ranji opener vs Bengal on Oct 11.
J&K had begun brightly through openers Shubham Khajuria (36) and Qamran Iqbal (32), who added 54 runs off 61 balls. Akash broke the stand by trapping Iqbal lbw before Mukesh’s burst changed the game.
Mukesh later had wicket-keeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan caught behind for 2 and then cleaned up the tail in the 29th over, removing Abid Mushtaq, Umar Nazir and Sunil Kumar to finish the job.
The third seamer, Mukesh Choudhary, also had a strong match, taking 5/47 in the first innings and six wickets overall.
RoI’s biggest match-winner, however, was Ravichandran Smaran. The No. 6 batter was rightly named Player of the Match for his superb knocks of 68 and 135, the second innings century proving decisive in setting up the win.
Earlier, RoI, resuming on 306/8, were bowled out for 319. Smaran, the last man dismissed, fell to Sunil Kumar, who finished with 3/56.
J&K, who missed swing bowler Auqib Nabi, will need to regroup quickly before beginning their Ranji Trophy title defence against Madhya Pradesh at home from Oct 11.
Brief scores:
Rest of India 237 and 319 (R Smaran 135; S Kumar 3-56) beat Jammu & Kashmir 278 and 111 (S Khajuria 36, Mukesh Kumar 6-33) by 167 runs.
Chasing 279, J&K were 65/2 when Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar urged stand-in RoI captain Sarfaraz Khan — regular skipper Rishabh Pant was on the sidelines with fever — to give him one more over. Mukesh made it count.
In the 13th over, he trapped Shubham Pundir lbw for 9 with a delivery that jagged back in, with Sarfaraz taking a successful review after the umpire had ruled it not out. He then bowled J&K captain Paras Dogra, their first-innings top-scorer with 75, with a sharp delivery that crashed into middle stump after Dogra played inside the line.
That double blow broke the chase. With Mukesh and Akash Deep operating at full tilt, RoI bowled J&K out for 111 in 28.4 overs to complete a thumping 167-run win and claim the Irani Cup for the 33rd time — their first title since the 2023-24 season.
Mukesh was outstanding, finishing with 6/33 in 10.4 overs. Akash Deep, returning from a seven-month injury lay-off, was equally incisive, taking 3/25 in nine overs. The two India pacers shared nine wickets as J&K collapsed from 54/0, losing 10-57.
For Mukesh, match figures of 8/121 on a seaming surface were a timely reminder to the national selectors of his ability to exploit helpful conditions, especially with India’s New Zealand tour ahead. Akash Deep, too, strengthened his case, finishing with match figures of 6/78 after taking 3/43 in the first innings.
Pant, though unable to field due to illness, appeared pleased while lifting the trophy — a fitting birthday gift on the day he turned 29. There’s also a possibility that he could miss Delhi’s Ranji opener vs Bengal on Oct 11.
J&K had begun brightly through openers Shubham Khajuria (36) and Qamran Iqbal (32), who added 54 runs off 61 balls. Akash broke the stand by trapping Iqbal lbw before Mukesh’s burst changed the game.
Mukesh later had wicket-keeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan caught behind for 2 and then cleaned up the tail in the 29th over, removing Abid Mushtaq, Umar Nazir and Sunil Kumar to finish the job.
The third seamer, Mukesh Choudhary, also had a strong match, taking 5/47 in the first innings and six wickets overall.
RoI’s biggest match-winner, however, was Ravichandran Smaran. The No. 6 batter was rightly named Player of the Match for his superb knocks of 68 and 135, the second innings century proving decisive in setting up the win.
Earlier, RoI, resuming on 306/8, were bowled out for 319. Smaran, the last man dismissed, fell to Sunil Kumar, who finished with 3/56.
J&K, who missed swing bowler Auqib Nabi, will need to regroup quickly before beginning their Ranji Trophy title defence against Madhya Pradesh at home from Oct 11.
Brief scores:
Rest of India 237 and 319 (R Smaran 135; S Kumar 3-56) beat Jammu & Kashmir 278 and 111 (S Khajuria 36, Mukesh Kumar 6-33) by 167 runs.
Related News
Latest Newsmore
Asian Games 2026: 20 historic achievements that defined India's campaign
04-Oct-2026 • Sandy Verma
Youngster Takes Hardik Pandya's India A Spot: Who Is The Mumbai Star Replacing Him?
04-Oct-2026 • Prateek Thakur
Irani Cup 2026, Day 4 Highlights: Rest of India defeats Jammu and Kashmir
04-Oct-2026 • Samira Vishwas
Left in the dark: Mohammed Siraj’s baffling treatment raises alarming questions over India’s World Cup planning
04-Oct-2026 • Samira Vishwas
Top 3 highest individual ODI scores for India at No. 5 ft. KL Rahul
04-Oct-2026 • Sandy Verma