The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Mithuna Manhas was hoisted by the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) players after their historic Ranji Trophy triumph on Saturday, February 28 at the KSCA Hubli Cricket Ground. J&K beat the Karnataka cricket team thanks to a first innings lead and etched their name in the history books by winning their first title.
On Day 5, J&K resumed their second innings at 186/4 with Qamran Iqbal (94*) and Sahil Lotra (16*) at the crease. The pair continued to build on their partnership on the final day and went on to score their respective centuries. They stitched together a massive stand of 197 runs for the fifth wicket as J&K eventually declared their innings at 342/4 and extended their lead to an impressive 633 runs.
Iqbal remained unbeaten on 160 while Lotra scored 101 not out as J&K players they ran onto the field with cheers to celebrate their first triumph. They were also seen hoisting Manhas on their shoulders, acknowledging the key role he played in their transformation. Manhas shifted his home base from Delhi to Jammu and Kashmir in 2015 and retired from professional cricket the following year.
He later served on a sub-committee appointed by the BCCI to oversee the functioning of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association. Born in Jammu, he worked with Anil Gupta and Jay Shah to shape the direction of the team.
After J&K’s triumph, Brigadier General Anil Gupta also highlighted Manhas’ contribution to the team’s turnaround. He explained how Manhas brought in Anil Sharma as head coach and introduced red-soil wickets for the players to practice on.
Ranji Trophy: Karnataka vs Jammu and Kashmir highlights
“The main reason, I would say, is the vision of Mithun Manhas. He played cricket in J&K and he wanted to make some drastic changes. Among those changes was the decision to appoint a coach who was not from here. We chose a captain who was not from J&K. We ensured continuity in the support staff. The most significant change was the creation of red mitti (red ground) with JamptaBC wickets in an interview with AnilBC.
Who was named player of the tournament?
“When our team traveled and played away, they struggled because they had no practice on red clay wickets. Once we implemented it, the difference was evident, as we saw in Mumbai last year. The tours, including the Buchi Babu Trophy, showed the results. The players are the same; we nurtured their talent. We wanted them to apply,” added Mithun’s vision, Jasy.
Meanwhile, after his historic achievement, Shubham Pundir was adjudged the man of the match in the first innings for his magnificent century (121 off 247 balls). On the other hand, fast bowler Auqib Nabi was named player of the tournament after finishing as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker by taking 60 wickets from 17 innings at an average of 12.56 and an economy rate of 2.65.
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Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
28 Feb 2026 16:50 IST
