Why Shubham Khajuria is Not Playing Today in Ranji Trophy Final 2025-26?

In the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 final encounter, Jammu and Kashmir is taking on Karnataka from February 24 in Hubli. Both teams have played quality cricket throughout the tournament and have made their way into the final. Jammu and Kashmir have performed extremely well in this season and will have their eyes on the trophy.

Before the match started, it was Jammu and Kashmir captain Paras Dogra who won the toss and elected to bat first. Karnataka skipper Devdutt Padikkal was quite happy with the decision as he wanted to field first. After the toss, J&K skipper Paras Dogra revealed that they have dropped the top order batter Shubham Khajuria from the team for the final encounter.

Why Shubham Khajuria is Not Playing Today Against Karnataka?

J&K skipper Paras Dogra mentioned that they were forced to make changes to their playing XI but didn't mention the exact reason. Hence, as Shubham Khajuria replacement, they have included Qamran Iqbal in the team.

Khajuria's performance hasn't been impressive this season as he scored 369 runs at an average of 26.35. This might be the reason for him getting dropped for the big game like the JK vs Karnataka final. This is a huge opportunity for Jammu and Kashmir to beat Karnataka in the finals and win their maiden Ranji trophy title.

Meanwhile, Karnataka have played in the finals multiple times before and won titles as well. Even in today's match, they have some of the best batsmen in India like KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, and Devdutt Padikkal who have performed brilliantly in the past. The match is expected to be competitive with some in-form players involved in both teams.

Qamran Iqbal Replaces Shubham Khajuria

Shubham Khajuria is one of the most experienced batters in Jammu and Kashmir's line-up. However, the 30-year-old opening batter hasn't been at his best in this Ranji Trophy season. He has scored more than 4,600 runs in his first-class career so far.

The 24-year-old Qamran Iqbal has replaced Shubham Khajuria in the Jammu and Kashmir vs Karnataka Ranji Trophy final. He is a talented batter and has a chance to prove himself at the highest level. However, he was dismissed for just 6 runs by the fast bowler Prasidh Krishna. He will have another chance to perform during the second innings of this match.