Last season, Jammu & Kashmir climbed the summit of domestic cricket, crowned Ranji Trophy champions. It was a classic underdog tale, a side going from being contenders to challengers and becoming champions.
The win was expected to cause a ripple effect in the region. Maybe it has, but more is needed.
Last season’s bowling hero Auqib Nabi receiving an India call-up, Srinagar staging the Irani Cup, the first major cricket held there after four decades,
and many J&K players being picked in the North Zone team for Duleep Trophy all suggest the players entering the mainstream.
However, on-field success hasn’t translated into improved infrastructure.
As J&K begin their Ranji title defence against Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, the contrast is hard to ignore – a team that has shown it can compete with the country’s best, and a grassroots system in which aspiring players in several areas still struggle to find a clear pathway into the game.
At the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar, former J&K captain Parvez Rasool sees a familiar picture. The venue, which had hosted internationals and other high-profile matches decades ago, has changed little.
{{/usCountry}}At the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar, former J&K captain Parvez Rasool sees a familiar picture. The venue, which had hosted internationals and other high-profile matches decades ago, has changed little.
{{/usCountry}}“Even in 2026, it’s in the same condition,” Rasool said, recalling how the stadium was when the Clive Lloyd-led West Indies visited in 1983. “We’ve even won Ranji, come this far after doing so well, yet it’s the same story.”
The question is whether the system around them can help sustain the progress.
Left-arm pacer Sunil Kumar, from Akhnoor, a town on the banks of Chenab, began playing tennis-ball cricket in his village when he was around seven. For years, his training ground was simply the open space available near his home.
“Before going to college, it was just about wanting to do something big in cricket, but how to do it, I had no idea because that system didn’t exist in the village,” he told HT after finishing as J&K’s second highest wicket-taker (31 wickets) last season.
Only after he went to college did Sunil learn about the age-group structure, including the Under-19 and Under-23 pathways. Formal coaching came much later, through the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association. However, reaching training facilities in Jammu meant a 65-70 km trip from home, which often took one-and-a-half to two hours each way.
His experience points to a gap that can easily be missed when looking at a successful senior team. Facilities may exist in larger hubs such as Jammu and Srinagar, but access is different for a youngster living away from them.
Allrounder Abid Mushtaq's journey was also shaped by what was missing around him. Belonging to Bhaderwah, in Doda district, nearly 200 km from Jammu, he grew up in an area where cricket infrastructure and a formal cricketing culture was non-existent. He grew up playing on matting pitches, and relied on cement tracks to practice.
The environment has started to change, Abid said, with more academies and better practice facilities emerging, alongside a shift in how families view the sport. The continued success of J&K players at higher levels is now helping parents imagine a serious future in cricket for their children.
“Having such a big match held there, having an Irani Cup (in Srinagar), is a boost for us,” he told HT. “Major changes have happened since last year in families, their mindsets. They now want and believe that our boys from here can also play at that level.”
For a region with enviable raw talent, the change in aspiration matters. However, the next step is to make sure young players do not have to depend on extraordinary personal circumstances to find their way into the sport.
Auqib – J&K’s standout performer in their title-winning campaign with 60 wickets – faced the same challenges in Baramullah. The lack of proper practice wickets made it difficult to train as an aspiring cricketer. Even where nets existed, access wasn’t always straightforward. For instance, the ground available may not be suitable to train in proper cricket spikes.
Families were initially reluctant to see cricket as a career because the infrastructure did not offer enough assurance, Auqib said. He became only the third player from J&K to play for India, but he was once studying medicine. His prescription is straightforward – every district needs grounds, turf wickets, accessible nets and academies where players can develop.
“If you don’t have facilities, then you have to create them, if your dream is big and you are serious about it,” he told HT after the title win in February.
More mainstream
The title has given J&K cricket a new level of visibility. It has also sharpened focus on what happens beyond the established players. A stronger network of district-level facilities could make it easier for young cricketers to receive coaching, play with the right equipment and enter organised competitions, without having to relocate or make long journeys.
Rasool believes building infrastructure will help nurture the talent in villages and far-flung areas. The J&K association has Srinagar’s Sher-I-Kashmir stadium and Jammu’s Hostel Ground at the GGM Science College.
Srinagar’s Bakshi Stadium often hosts local matches but it is essentially a football ground under the J&K Sports Council. He hopes an international level stadium and grounds in other districts are built with improved facilities.
Sunil sees that the number of youngsters turning up to play in his village on the banks of Chenab has grown. Where there were eight to 10 boys playing in the evenings, there are 20 to 25, including children travelling from other places. “It’s a small change visible right here,” he said.
From Akhnoor to Bhaderwah to Baramullah, there are signs the Ranji success is having its effect, added to the fact that former JKCA administrator Mithun Manhas is now the BCCI president whose vision is the growth of the region’s cricket.