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Rishabh Pant has been named captain of the Rest of India squad for the upcoming Irani Cup against Ranji Trophy champions Jammu & Kashmir. The wicketkeeper-batter's appointment comes shortly after he was left out of India's ODI squad for the West Indies series, with Dhruv Jurel preferred as the wicketkeeping option alongside KL Rahul.
Pant will now lead the Rest of India side in the Irani Cup, giving him an opportunity to return to red-ball action. Sarfaraz Khan has been named his deputy, while the squad includes several players who have been involved in India's domestic and international setups.
Rishabh Pant named Rest of India captain after ODI snub
The selectors have handed Pant the leadership role for the Irani Cup despite his omission from India's latest ODI squad. Dhruv Jurel was preferred over Pant for the wicketkeeping spot in the ODI setup, while Pant will now take charge of a Rest of India side featuring a mix of experienced domestic players and established names.
Pant has been included as both captain and wicketkeeper, with Aryan Juyal named as the other wicketkeeping option. Sarfaraz Khan will serve as vice-captain.
The Rest of India squad will face Jammu & Kashmir, who were crowned Ranji Trophy champions, in the Irani Cup. The squad also includes Akash Deep, subject to fitness clearance, along with Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain.
Rest of India squad:
Rishabh Pant [C, WK], Sanat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Gharami, Sarfaraz Khan [VC], Smaran Ravichandran, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Akash Deep*, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Juyal [WK], Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy, Ayush Doseja.
Note: *Subject to fitness clearance.
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Jammu and Kashmir beat Karnataka to lift Ranji Trophy title
Jammu and Kashmir created history by winning the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy title after securing a massive first-innings lead over Karnataka in the final at the KSCA Hubli Cricket Ground. The match ended in a draw, but J&K were crowned champions after Karnataka were bowled out for 293 in reply to their imposing first-innings total of 584.
The result marked a memorable campaign for Jammu and Kashmir, who produced a strong performance in the final to claim the Ranji Trophy. Their batting effort was led by Shubham Pundir, while Qamran Iqbal and Sahil Lotra also made major contributions in the second innings as Karnataka struggled to overturn the deficit.
Jammu and Kashmir elected to bat first and posted 584 in their opening innings. Several of their batters made significant contributions, with Shubham Pundir scoring 121 from 247 balls. Yawer Hassan added 88, while Paras Dogra scored 70 and Kanhaiya Wadhawan contributed 70.
Abdul Samad and Sahil Lotra also passed the 50-run mark, scoring 61 and 72 respectively. Auqib Nabi, who was later named Player of the Series, added two runs.
Karnataka's bowlers struggled to contain J&K's batting attack, with Prasidh Krishna taking five wickets despite conceding 98 runs. Karnataka were then dismissed for only 293, conceding a massive 291-run first-innings deficit.
Mayank Agarwal was Karnataka's leading scorer with 160 from 266 balls, while Kruthik Krishna contributed 36. However, the rest of the batting lineup could not provide enough support.
Auqib Nabi was the standout bowler for Jammu and Kashmir, claiming five wickets for 54 runs. Sunil Kumar and Yudhvir Singh picked up two wickets each.
Jammu and Kashmir then extended their advantage through their second innings. Qamran Iqbal remained unbeaten on 160 from 311 balls, while Sahil Lotra finished with an unbeaten 101 off 226 deliveries.
The pair helped J&K reach 342/4 declared, setting Karnataka a huge target. However, with the match ultimately ending in a draw, the first-innings advantage was enough to hand Jammu and Kashmir the Ranji Trophy title.
Shubham Pundir was named Player of the Match for his 121, while Auqib Nabi was adjudged Player of the Series for his contributions throughout J&K's title-winning campaign.
