The much-anticipated Ranji Trophy final between Jammu & Kashmir cricket team and Karnataka cricket team took a dramatic turn on Wednesday after J&K skipper Paras Dogra lost his temper and headbutted a Karnataka fielder on Day 2 at the KSCA Hubli Cricket Ground.
The flashpoint occurred in the 101st over of J&K’s innings, with Dogra and Kanhaiya Wadhawan building a solid partnership. After edging a delivery from Prasidh Krishna to the boundary for four, Dogra exchanged heated words with substitute fielder KV Aneesh, who was stationed at forward short leg.
Within moments, Dogra charged toward Aneesh and made contact with his helmet, forcing nearby players to step in. Karnataka captain Mayank Agarwal intervened quickly to defuse the confrontation. Aneesh was reportedly engaging in persistent sledging, which is believed to have provoked Dogra’s outburst.
The umpires acted promptly to restore order. Although Dogra apologised shortly afterwards, Aneesh declined to accept it. KL Rahul and Agarwal, fielding in close proximity, joined the verbal exchanges directed at Dogra, further intensifying the atmosphere. Notably, Dogra had been forced to retire hurt on the opening day after being struck on the glove by a sharp rising delivery from pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak.
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Tempers flared again soon after in another on-field clash, this time between Vyshak and batter Wadhawan. While attempting a single, Wadhawan’s left elbow brushed against the bowler, leading to a tense face-off that required umpires and teammates to separate the two. In contrast to his earlier reaction, Dogra remained composed at the non-striker’s end during that incident.
The controversy overshadowed what has otherwise been a landmark period for Dogra. Last week, he became only the second cricketer after Wasim Jaffer to surpass 10,000 runs in Ranji Trophy history. He achieved the milestone during J&K’s semi-final against Bengal cricket team in Kalyani.
In that match, Bengal was dismissed for 328, highlighted by a superb century from Sudip Kumar Gharami. Dogra came in at No. 4 with his team reeling at 13 for two and contributed a crucial 58 off 112 balls before being dismissed by Mukesh Kumar. J&K went on to secure a six-wicket victory, booking their place in a maiden Ranji Trophy final.
Batting first in their historic final appearance, Jammu & Kashmir posted 284 for two on Day 1, powered by a century from Shubham Pundir and a fluent 88 from Yawer Hassan. On Day 2, they continued to strengthen their position, though Wadhawan fell for 70. At the end of Day 2, J&K were 527 for 6 in 156 overs.
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