Srinagar, Oct 18 : Mumbai finally broke their winless streak against Jammu & Kashmir, scripting a tense 35-run victory in the opening-round clash of the Ranji Trophy 2025–26 at the Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium, Sonwar, Srinagar on Saturday. The triumph came on the back of Shams Mulani’s mesmerising seven-wicket haul (20.4-4-46-7) that dismantled J&K’s spirited chase on the final day.
This was Mumbai’s first-ever Ranji win over J&K in three meetings, breaking a peculiar jinx that had haunted the 41-time champions since the Himalayan outfit joined the elite tier.
A Game of Twists and Turns
The four-day encounter had swung dramatically since Day 1. After being asked to bat first, Mumbai posted 288, thanks to a gritty 82 from Sarfaraz Khan and valuable runs from skipper Ajinkya Rahane (54). For J&K, pacer Auqib Nabi (4/62) and left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq (3/71) led the charge.
Jammu & Kashmir replied strongly, riding on Abdul Samad’s counterattacking 78 and Qamran Iqbal’s fluent 46, reaching 274, just 14 runs short of parity. Mumbai’s seasoned pacer Shardul Thakur (3/45) and Mulani (2/60) kept them in check.
In their second innings, Mumbai stumbled early but were rescued by Tanush Kotian’s fighting 59 and Sarfaraz’s 42, eventually setting a target of 243 for the hosts — a tricky score on a wearing Srinagar surface offering sharp turn and uneven bounce.
Drama and Defiance on Final Day
Resuming at 21 for 1, J&K seemed on course during a composed 53-run stand between Qamran Iqbal and Paras Dogra. However, the match turned dramatically when Mumbai skipper Shardul Thakur introduced his spin twins — Mulani and Kotian.
In a bizarre moment, Qamran was controversially declared “out obstructing the field” after using his hand to stop a throw from Sarfaraz Khan — only for Mumbai to withdraw the appeal in a rare show of sportsmanship.
The reprieve, however, was short-lived. Mulani soon produced a classic arm-ball that slipped past Dogra’s defence and rattled the stumps. From there, the left-arm spinner was unstoppable. He removed Samad, Kanhaiya Wadhawan, and Abid Mushtaq in quick succession, reducing J&K to 157 for 8.
A brief counterattack from Auqib Nabi (25 off 20 balls) and Umar Nazir injected some late tension, but Mulani fittingly had the final say — trapping Nazir leg-before to seal Mumbai’s win amid loud applause from both camps.
History and Redemption
The victory holds special significance — Mumbai, the most successful team in Ranji history, had never beaten Jammu & Kashmir in the competition. In fact, J&K stunned Mumbai twice in their previous two encounters — in 2014-15 at Wankhede and again in 2022-23 at Thane.
This time, Mulani’s spin artistry ensured Mumbai didn’t let history repeat.
“It feels good to finally win in Srinagar — the pitch tested us, and J&K were relentless,” said Mulani after being named Player of the Match. “It’s a reminder that every run and every wicket counts in this format.”
Score Summary:
Mumbai: 288 & 228
Jammu & Kashmir: 274 & 207
Result: Mumbai won by 35 runs
Player of the Match: Shams Mulani (7/46 in 2nd innings, 9 wickets in match)