Ranji Trophy: Karnataka beats Uttarakhand to set up title clash with J&K

February 19, 2026

Lucknow: Under the captaincy of Devdutt Padikkal, the Karnataka cricket team ended an 11-year wait and reached the Ranji Trophy final for the first time since the 2014-15 season. The team secured a place in the final by taking a first-innings lead against Uttarakhand in the semi-final played at the Ekana Stadium on Thursday.

First final since 2014-15

Eight-time champions Karnataka will now face Jammu and Kashmir in the title clash, which made history by defeating Bengal in the second semi-final to reach the final for the first time.

Final likely to be held in Hubli

The BCCI has not yet formally announced the venue for the final, but sources indicate that Hubli is the frontrunner. It is reported that the final is likely to be held at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium in Hubli, although official confirmation is still awaited.

Padikkal’s double century leads to massive score

Losing the toss and batting first, Karnataka posted a mammoth total of 736 runs in 194.4 overs. Captain Devdutt Padikkal scored a brilliant double century of 232 runs off 330 balls.

Opener KL Rahul continued his excellent form, scoring 141 runs, while Smriti Ravichandran showed composure under pressure and added 135 runs.

Strong performance by bowlers

Karnataka’s bowlers dismantled Uttarakhand’s batting lineup, dismissing them for 233 runs in 88.5 overs. This gave the team a crucial lead of 503 runs, paving the way for them to reach the final.

Vidyadhar Patil and Vijaykumar Vyshak took three wickets each, while Shreyas Gopal took two.

Lead strengthened in the second innings too

Karnataka added another 323 runs in the second innings. Smran Ravichandran scored 127, while Rahul remained unbeaten on 86.

Chasing a mammoth target of 827, Uttarakhand reached 260/6 in 62 overs on the final day, after which both captains agreed to a draw. Aditya Rawat remained unbeaten on 53 and Abhay Negi on 57. Gopal took three wickets in the second innings, while Prasidh Krishna took two and Vijay Kumar one.

Brief Scores:

Karnataka 736 and 323 (Smaran Ravichandran 127, KL Rahul 86 not out, Krithik Krishna 52; Mayank Mishra 4-69) drew the match with Uttarakhand 233 and 260/6 (62 overs) (Abhay Negi 57 not out, Aditya Rawat 53 not out).