What numbers say about JKCA’s bowling

Srinagar, Jan 19: Jammu and Kashmir’s bowling unit in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025–26 did not fail spectacularly. It failed quietly. The numbers suggest competitiveness, the matches told a different story. JKCA bowlers took wickets but rarely seized control, and that distinction proved decisive in a tournament shaped by dominance rather than adequacy.

On paper, Auqib Nabi led the attack with 14 wickets in seven matches, supported intermittently by Yudhvir Singh, M Ashwin or others. In isolation, those figures appear respectable. In context, they underline a more uncomfortable truth, J&K lacked a bowler who could impose himself on the tournament.

Auqib Nabi: Lead Bowler in Name, Not in Impact

Auqib Nabi’s campaign sits at the heart of this contradiction. With an average of 22.85 and an economy of 5.76, he emerged as J&K’s most reliable wicket-taker. Reliability, however, is not the same as authority.

Andhra’s Pvsn Raju and UP’s Zeeshan Ansari, the competition’s top two bowlers, picked 21 wickets each. Raju delivered a 5-wicket haul and a 4-for and consistently dismantled batting line-ups. Zeeshan combined control with penetration, conceding just 4.62 runs per over.

These bowlers did not merely bowl well, but they dictated games and made it for their teams whenever needed.

However, Auqib, in contrast, produced only one four-wicket haul across the entire tournament. He neither dominated the powerplay nor suffocated sides through the middle overs. Opposition batters played him out, accumulated around him, and waited for opportunities elsewhere. There were no sustained spells that triggered collapses, no moments where momentum irreversibly swung J&K’s way.

It also raises a legitimate, if uncomfortable, question, has the attention surrounding Auqib Nabi’s high-value IPL selection subtly altered his domestic rhythm? While impossible to quantify, the absence of dominance in Vijay Hazare suggests a bowler operating within limits rather than pushing them.

Auqib bowled within the game but never above it.

That difference between participation and command separated JKCA from the tournament’s leading attacks.

Yudhvir Singh: Effort Without Penetration

In six matches, he picked up nine wickets at an average of 30.66 and an economy of 6.57. Those figures suggest activity, but not influence.

Yudhvir bowled, but without consistently threatening batters. The absence of any four- or five-wicket haul meant there were no spells that shifted matches or rescued difficult situations. In a bowling unit already short on dominance, Yudhvir remained a support bowler without a spearhead to amplify his role.

M Ashwin: One Spell Can’t Carry a Campaign

M Ashwin’s tournament was defined by a single standout performance, a five-wicket haul, which briefly hinted at impact.

The Larger Failure: Absence of Fear

JKCA’s bowling attack did not collapse under pressure, but it never applied pressure either.

Across the tournament, no bowler consistently broke top-order partnerships. No one controlled decisive phases of innings, No spell forced opponents into survival mode

The spotlight now shifts to red-ball cricket as J&K currently sit second in Elite Group D, behind Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy tournament, and the bowling unit’s response in these remaining fixtures will be closely watched.

Jammu and Kashmir’s bowling in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025–26 was functional, not formidable. In a tournament defined by bowlers who took games away, J&K were left with bowlers who merely passed through them.

Highlight:

Auqib Nabi

Matches: 7, Wickets: 14, Average: 22.85, Economy: 5.76, Strike Rate: 23.78, Best: 4 wickets.

Yudhvir Singh

Matches: 6, Wickets: 9, Average: 30.66, Economy: 6.57, Strike Rate: 28.00, Best: 3 wickets.

M Ashwin

Matches: 5 (Bowled in 4), Wickets: 7, Average: 32.71, Economy: 6.18, Strike Rate: 31.71, Best: 5 wickets.