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An altercation between Paras Dogra and a Karnataka fielder turned physical on Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy final.
The umpires stepped in to douse the growing tension. (Screngrab)
Jammu and Kashmir captain Paras Dogra lost his cool and ended up headbutting a Karnataka fielder on the second day of the continuing Ranji Trophy 2025-26 final in Hubli. The incident occurred midway through the one hundred and first over of J&K’s innings when Dogra struck a fortunate boundary off an out of doors edge, with the ball flying past a diving gully fielder.
Soon after, cameras caught the on-field exchange on the striker’s end, with the stump mic picking up a number of words being traded between the players. It quickly became evident that an unsightly altercation had broken out between Dogra and close-in fielder KV Aneesh, which soon turned physical.
Before the umpire could intervene, senior Karnataka batter Mayank Agarwal rushed in and placed himself between Dogra and Aneesh, while unleashing a verbal volley on the J&K skipper.
Match officials stepped in promptly, diffused the strain, and spoke to the players.
It’s believed that persistent sledging could have triggered Dogra, who reportedly apologised to Aneesh for the headbutt, however the Karnataka fielder was not all for accepting it.
The altercation only made the Karnataka fielders more vocal as they attempted to interrupt Dogra’s concentration.
On the opening day of the title clash on the KSCA Hubli Cricket Ground, Dogra was forced to retire hurt on 9 after being struck on the glove by a rising short delivery from Karnataka pacer Vyshak Vijaykumar.
Nonetheless, the 41-year-old returned to bat on Wednesday and went on to attain a patient half-century. Playing of their maiden Ranji Trophy final, J&K won the toss and opted to bat first. They put up a powerful batting performance on Day 1, ending at 284/2 after 87 overs.
Shubham Pundir scored a century, while Abdul Samad contributed a half-century.
After negotiating the primary hour of play on the second day, Pundir (121) and Samad (61) were dismissed in quick succession before Kanhaiya Wadhawan and Dogra steadied the innings.
Karnataka are aiming for his or her ninth Ranji Trophy title.
February 25, 2026, 14:07 IST
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