New Delhi: Jammu & Kashmir batter Shubham Pundir slammed a century in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 final against Karnataka at the Hubli Cricket Ground in Hubli, Karnataka, on Tuesday, February 24. Pundir fourth first-class ton and the second century in the ongoing season as he provided J&K with a strong start in the final.
Pundir completed his century off 186 balls with a six against Karnataka spinner Shikhar Shetty in the 76th over of J&K’s first innings on Day 1 of the final. It was a gritty knock from the left-hand middle order batter, who combined with opener Yawer Hassan to help his side fightback after their stuttering start in the all-important final.
J&K didn’t get off to an ideal start in the final as they lost opener Qamran Iqbal cheaply on 6 in the 11th over, marking an end to an 18-run stand between him and Hassan. Pundir and them combined with Hassan to get J&K’s innings back on track with a brilliant 139-run stand for the second wicket.
Hassan slammed a crucial knock of 88 runs, before getting caught by Karnataka wicket-keeper KL Rahul as pacer Prasidh Krishna picked up his second wicket in the final. However, Pundir remained unfazed under pressure and continued to mix caution with aggression in his innings to notch up a well-deserved ton in the final.
27-year-old Pundir had played only three matches for J&K in the ongoing Ranji season before the final against Karnataka. He slammed an excellent knock of 165 runs against Himachal in his first game of the season, but failed against Madhya Pradesh, managing only 5 runs in two innings. He scored 8 and 27 in J&K’s two innings as they beat Bengal in the semifinal.
Pundir breached the 300-run mark in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season enroute to his remarkable ton in the final. The 27-year-old will be hoping to convert it into a big knock to help his side post a strong total in their first innings in the title clash.