KL Rahul makes Ranji Trophy final a joke, starts bowling after J&K demolish Karnataka (Watch video)

The Indian batter KL Rahul surprised everyone in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy final when he suddenly started bowling on the last day of the match between Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka in Hubballi.

KL Rahul turns bowler in Ranji Trophy Final

KL Rahul is mainly known for his classy batting, but he picked up the ball after 80 overs and rolled his arm over in first-class cricket for the first time in more than 10 years. The move came when Karnataka was already under huge pressure in the title clash.

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Jammu and Kashmir had taken full control of the game, and they were batting with confidence. Karnataka’s bowlers struggled badly, as the Jammu and Kashmir team has already taken a 540+ run lead in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 final in Hubli.

With the match already slipped away and options running out, the Karnataka captain, Devdutt Padikkal, tried something different, handing the ball to Rahul to try his luck with the ball. It was a surprising move, and the cricket fraternity was quick to notice.

pic.twitter.com/uXRL2pJwCi

— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) February 28, 2026

Something to cheer on for the home fans as KL Rahul is called on to roll his arms after 80 overs on the final day. Bowling in First Class cricket for the first time in over 10 years. #RanjiTrophy pic.twitter.com/PmROnOWnWo

— Lalith Kalidas (@lal__kal) February 28, 2026

KL Rahul’s bowling experiment turns costly in second over

In his first over, Rahul, who has never bowled even a single delivery for India in international cricket, gave away just three runs, and the crowd enjoyed seeing him try something different. But his second over was dramatic, as the set batters punished the Indian star.

On the very first ball, Sahil Lotra smashed a full toss high over cow corner for a big six against Rahul. And then just three balls later, Qamran Iqbal joined the attack. He drove Rahul beautifully through the covers for a boundary. Rahul gave away 12 runs to Jammu and Kashmir in his second over.

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Rahul was last seen in action in the ODI series against New Zealand at home. In the final ODI, the right-handed batter had scored 1 run off 6 balls in Indore. He will be next seen in action in the IPL 2026, where he will play for Punjab Kings (PBKS).

Jammu and Kashmir dominate Karnataka in historic Ranji Trophy Final

Meanwhile, Qamran Iqbal smashed a brilliant century on Day 5 of the Ranji Trophy final against the Karnataka cricket team. The star batter’s calm and strong batting pushed his Jammu and Kashmir team’s lead beyond 550 runs and close to the historic glory in the Ranji Trophy.

Jammu and Kashmir decided to bat first, and that decision worked perfectly. They posted a huge total of 584 runs in their first innings. Shubham Pundir led the charge with a fine 121. In reply, Karnataka was bowled out for 293, with Jammu and Kashmir keeping the pressure on.

Auqib Nabi starred with an excellent five-wicket haul. The only big fightback from Karnataka was shown by the experienced batter Mayank Agarwal, who scored a superb 160, but he did not get enough support from the other end, and they handed a massive 290+ run lead to the Valley side.