Srinagar, Oct 14: Madhya Pradesh secured a first-innings victory over defending champions Jammu and Kashmir after their Ranji Trophy 2026-27 opener ended in a draw due to rain and bad light at the Sher-i-Kashmir Cricket Stadium in Srinagar on Wednesday. Chasing a target of 326 runs, J&K were struggling with batting when persistent rain and bad light brought an early end to the fourth day’s play. With the hosts facing a daunting task, the match was declared drawn, with Madhya Pradesh taking the points advantage on the basis of their first-innings lead.
Resuming the day 4 at 151 for five in their second innings, Madhya Pradesh skipper Shubham Sharma produced a captain’s knock, scoring an unbeaten 106 off 200 deliveries to help the visitors declare at 249 for six. His century put Madhya Pradesh in a commanding position and left J&K with a target of 326 runs. At the end of the day 4, J&K were 88/7, when the match was declared as drawn with MP winning by the first inning.
J&K bowlers struggled to contain the visitors as MP skipper Shubham Sharma anchored the innings with composure. J&K’s chase began on a disappointing note, with opener Shubham Khajuria departing without troubling the scorers. Shubham Pundir managed just four runs, while skipper Paras Dogra also fell for four. Experienced batter Abdul Samad was dismissed for a duck, leaving the defending champions in deep trouble.
Wicketkeeper-batter Kanhaiya Wadhawan offered some resistance before a blow to his hand forced him to retire hurt on 26. Madhya Pradesh’s pace spearhead Avesh Khan once again led the attack, claiming three wickets, while Aryan Pandey also picked up three as the visitors tightened their grip on the contest. The pair finished with six wickets each in the match.
Shubham Sharma, MP captain, who scored 185 runs was named Player of the Match for his outstanding batting performance. For J&K, Rohit Sharma
and Sunil Kumar were the leading wicket-takers, claiming six wickets apiece, while
Auqib Nabi finished with four. Madhya Pradesh had earlier posted 196 in their first innings before bowling J&K out for 120 to secure a crucial 76-run lead. That advantage ultimately proved decisive, allowing the visitors to claim the first-innings points despite being denied an outright victory by the weather.
The result gives Madhya Pradesh the points advantage in the season opener, while J&K will need to address their batting struggles after failing to build substantial partnerships in either innings.
