Srinagar: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has embarked on a mission to promote Srinagar as a major cricketing hub.
To start with, the summer capital will host the prestigious Irani Cup. Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir and the Rest of India will play a first-class test at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium from October 1 to 5.
Ahead of the scheduled trophy, the BCCI has come up with a promotional video, presenting Srinagar through its heritage, scenic landscape, cuisine and cricket infrastructure.
The video opens with the tagline, “Srinagar gets ready for Irani Cup,” positioning the city as a cricketing destination apart from a regular tourist destination.
From street-side kadak chai to Kashmir willow cricket bats, Kehwa and Shikara, the video sums up the aura of Srinagar ahead of Irani Cup 2026.
The video has evoked a positive response from cricket fans across India, with many expressing a desire to attend the trophy matches.
“Never knew Srinagar is actually a cricketer’s paradise. Given the performance of J&K Ranji team and our stalwarts in form, I am eager to watch the matches,” posted Abhishek Mehta in response to the video.
Another cricket fan, Pawan Kumar, posted, “Srinagar is a beautiful place. Cricket in the Autumn season in Srinagar will entirely be a surreal experience. Anyone currently in Srinagar should watch the matches.”
Irani Cup will be a landmark occasion for Jammu & Kashmir cricket after the team won its maiden Ranji Trophy title in the 2025-26 season.
J&K will be led by veteran batter Paras Dogra, while Rishabh Pant has been named captain of the Rest of India side. Sarfaraz Khan will serve as Pant’s deputy, while India pacer Akash Deep has been included subject to fitness.
The Rest of India squad comprises Rishabh Pant, Sanat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Sarfaraz Khan, Smaran Ravichandran, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Juyal, Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy and Ayush Doseja. The squad combines established India-level players with leading performers from the domestic circuit.
For J&K, the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association has named an 18-member preparatory-camp group comprising Shubham Khajuria, Yawer Hassan, Qamran Iqbal, Abdul Samad, Paras Dogra, Kawalpreet Singh, Shubham Pundir, Kanhaiya Wadhawan, Abid Mushtaq, Rydham Sharma, Vanshaj Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Umran Malik, Sunil Kumar, Umar Nazir, Lone Nasir Muzaffar, Sahil Lotra and Waseem Bashir.
The Srinagar fixture marks the return of top-level cricket to a venue that has been largely absent from India’s premier cricket calendar for decades.
The Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium last hosted an international match in 1983, when India played the West Indies in an ODI on October 13.
The Irani Cup is one of India’s oldest and most prominent first-class fixtures. It was instituted in the 1959-60 season to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Ranji Trophy and was named after Z.R. Irani, a long-serving BCCI official. The inaugural match was played between Bombay, the Ranji champions, and the Rest of India in 1960.