Jammu & Kashmir

For most of its existence, Jammu & Kashmir played Indian domestic cricket without a trophy to show for it. The team took shape under the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) and played its first first-class match in the 1959–60 Ranji Trophy against Eastern Punjab at the Municipal Ground in Jullundur, now Jalandhar. The side was formally established in 1960 and is based in Srinagar. Home games are split between the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium and, for matches in the Jammu region, the Maulana Azad Stadium.

The years in between brought individuals more than results. Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik went on to play for India, and Abdul Qayoom is counted among the internationals too. In 2018–19 Irfan Pathan arrived as player-cum-mentor. A few years earlier, in 2015, a dispute over political interference in selection and the captaincy had shown how unsettled things could be off the field.

The knockout rounds came before the title did. J&K reached the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals in 2013–14, again in 2019–20, and again in 2024–25.

The 2025–26 final against Karnataka broke that pattern. Karnataka, eight-time champions, were the opponents, and the match ended in a draw. A five-day final that is drawn goes to the side with the first-innings lead, and J&K held one of 291 runs. Since then Karnataka have become a rival of sorts, joining Kerala, whose meetings with J&K are billed as "North Meets South", and Mumbai, a side J&K have upset before.

The wait for the Ranji Trophy lasted 66 years.