Ranji Trophy 2026 final: J&K on the brink of history - which teams have won the Ranji Trophy in their maiden final? Most successful teams in tournament's history
After dominating Karnataka with the bat, J&K are now dominating them with the ball in hand. This brings the question: Which teams have gone on to win the Ranji Trophy title in their maiden final?
Last Updated: 02.25 PM, Feb 26, 2026
In the 92-year-old chronicles of Ranji Trophy, there are seasons that always get mentioned not for their statistical dominance but for the historical turnaround it brings to Indian domestic cricket. As the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy Final gets played at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium in Hubballi, we are witnessing a renaissance of Indian domestic cricket as Jammu and Kashmir, a team which were not drawn as a stronger force, are now about to hold their maiden Ranji Trophy title, beating a mighty team like Karnataka which has stars like KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal and Prasidh Krishna.
J&K on the brink of history
After piling a massive 584 in the first innings, riding on a solid 127 from Shubham Pundir, and fifties from captain Paras Dogra, Abdul Samad, Kanhaiya Wadhawan, and Sahil Lotra, J&K dominated the 8-time champions Karnataka even with the ball as well.
The pitch, which was supposed not to have anything for the bowlers, a Auqib Nabi-special spell grounded the entire Karnataka top order.
Nabi dismissed KL Rahul with a beauty and then dismissed Karun Nair on a duck, and also removed Ravichandran Smaran cheaply as well.
Karantaka are now struggling at 75/4. Although there is plenty of cricket left in the match, it looks like J&K will have their hands on the Ranji Trophy 2026 title.
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Which teams have won the Ranji Trophy in their maiden final?
Reaching a Ranji Trophy final is itself a monumental task, but winning it for the very first time of asking is an achievement reserved for the extraordinary.
In the early years of the tournament, "maiden winners" were common as the competition was establishing itself, but in the modern era, the "Big Three" (Mumbai, Karnataka, Delhi) have usually dominated the tournament.
Here are the teams that managed to win the Ranji Trophy title in their maiden final appearance:
Karnataka [1973-74]: Karantaka, currently the second-most successful team in Ranji Trophy history, won their maiden title in the 1973-74 final, beating Rajasthan.
Punjab [1992-93]: In the 1992-93 season, Punjab tasted their Ranji Trophy success by beating Maharashtra in the final. Unfortunately, that was their first and last title victory in Ranji Trophy.
J&K can also become the 9th team to achieve this feat if they go on to defeat Karnataka in the final.
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How many teams have won the Ranji Trophy?
The Ranji Trophy has remained a highly exclusive club. To date, only 20 different teams have ever held the coveted trophy.
If J&K manages to complete their victory over Karnataka, they will become the 21st team to win the Ranji Trophy title.
Most successful teams in the Ranji Trophy
Mumbai, with 42 titles are the most successful team in Ranji Trophy, followed by Karnataka, which has 8 titles to its name.
How to watch the West Indies vs South Africa, T20 World Cup 2026 match?
Cricket fans in India can watch the West Indies vs South Africa, T20 World Cup 2026 match on JioHotstar, accessible via OTTplay Premium.