Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi played a key role in his team’s historic Ranji Trophy 2025-26 triumph, helping them secure their maiden title after defeating eight-time champions Karnataka in the final at KSCA Ground, Hubli.
J&K posted a massive first-innings total of 584 runs, powered by Shubham Pundir’s century and valuable contributions from captain Paras Dogra and other batters. Defending the huge score, Auqib Nabi delivered a brilliant bowling performance, claiming five wickets for 54 runs as Karnataka were dismissed for 293.
The right-arm pacer finished the season as one of the tournament’s top performers, taking 60 wickets in 10 matches. His outstanding spells in the knockout stages, including 12 wickets against Madhya Pradesh and nine against Bengal, proved crucial for J&K’s title run.
With his record-breaking campaign, Nabi became a standout name in domestic cricket and earned a ₹8.4 crore IPL 2026 auction deal with Delhi Capitals.
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Auqib Nabi Becomes Third Pacer With Most Ranji Trophy Wickets
Auqib Nabi delivered a remarkable performance in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, claiming 60 wickets and securing his place among the top pacers in the tournament’s history. He became the third-fastest bowler among pacers to achieve the highest wicket tally in a single Ranji season. Jaydev Unadkat holds the record with 67 wickets in the 2018-19 season, while Dodda Ganesh follows with 62 wickets in the 1998-99 edition. Nabi’s incredible achievement places him seventh overall among bowlers with the most wickets in a single Ranji Trophy season, highlighting his outstanding impact for Jammu & Kashmir.
This news update is based on reports from {espncricinfo}.
Second-Most Fifers in Two Ranji Seasons
Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi has achieved a remarkable milestone by claiming 13 five-wicket hauls across the last two Ranji Trophy seasons (2024-25 and 2025-26). With this impressive record, Nabi has secured the second position among bowlers with the most fifers in a two-season span. The top spot belongs to Bihar’s bowling all-rounder Asutosh Aman, who registered 14 five-wicket hauls during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 Ranji Trophy seasons. Nabi’s consistent performances have made him one of the standout bowlers in India’s domestic cricket circuit.
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Crossed 100 Wickets in Two Ranji Trophy Seasons
Following his outstanding 60-wicket campaign in the latest Ranji Trophy season, Auqib Nabi became the fifth bowler to claim more than 100 wickets across two Ranji Trophy seasons.
Nabi has taken 104 wickets in 18 matches at an impressive average of 13.14, including 13 five-wicket hauls. Bihar’s Asutosh Aman tops the list with 117 wickets, while Kanwaljit Singh, who represented Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu, is second with 113 wickets during the 1998-99 and 1999 seasons.
Jharkhand’s Shahbaz Nadeem recorded 107 wickets in 2015-16 and 2016-17, followed by Saurashtra’s Jaydev Unadkat with 106 wickets in 2018-19 and 2019-20. Gujarat’s Ishwar Choudhary completed 100 wickets across two seasons.
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Joint Most Five-Wicket Hauls by a Pacer in a Single Ranji Trophy Season
Auqib Nabi delivered a sensational performance in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, finishing with seven five-wicket hauls. He also claimed a fifer in the final against Karnataka, playing a key role in helping Jammu & Kashmir secure the title. With this achievement, Nabi has matched the record for the most five-wicket hauls by a pacer in a single Ranji Trophy season.
Several top pacers, including Jaydev Unadkat (2019-20), Aniket Choudhary (2018-19), and Lakshmipathy Balaji (2002-03), have also recorded seven fifers in a season during their domestic careers.
However, Bihar’s Ashutosh Aman holds the overall record with nine fifers in the 2018-19 season, while spin great Bishan Singh Bedi claimed eight in the 1974-75 season.
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First J&K bowler to claim 50-plus wickets in a Ranji Trophy season
Auqib Nabi created history by becoming the first bowler from Jammu & Kashmir to take more than 50 wickets in a single Ranji Trophy season. In the 2025-26 campaign, Nabi claimed an outstanding 60 wickets in 10 matches at an impressive average of 12.57. His season included two four-wicket hauls and seven five-wicket performances.
He also surpassed his previous best of 44 wickets, which he recorded during the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. Overall, Nabi has produced exceptional numbers in first-class cricket, taking 156 wickets in 41 matches, including 16 five-wicket hauls and four 10-wicket match-winning spells.