NEW DELHI: Indian fast bowler Umran Malik, often compared with Pakistan’s legendary Shoaib Akhtar for his raw pace, has been left out of Jammu and Kashmir’s squad for the Ranji Trophy preparatory camp in Pondicherry. The decision has surprised many fans, especially given Malik’s experience at the international level. Picked by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 75 lakh at the IPL 2025 auction and retained this year, the pacer has represented India in 10 ODIs and eight T20Is, but his recent domestic form has not been convincing enough for selection.
Umran was part of Jammu and Kashmir’s squad for the first half of the Ranji Trophy season. However, he featured in only one match, against Rajasthan in Srinagar, where he failed to take a wicket. His struggles continued in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he played five matches and picked up six wickets. Despite that, Malik was dropped from the squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy and has now also missed out on the Ranji Trophy preparatory camp. The reason for the snub, however, is still unknown.“To prepare the J&K Team for the tournament & acclimatise the team, the Management has decided to send its team to Pondicherry. The players and Members of Support staff of the team will travel directly to Chennai under the arrangements of JKCA on 16th January, 2026 from their respective locations,” wrote the JKCA in a statement.“The team will then travel in the Bus from Chennai to Pondicherry arranged by the Cricket Association of Pondicherry. No individual movement from Chennai to Pondicherry is allowed.”He is not the only notable omission. Senior opener Qamran Iqbal, who scored a memorable century in Jammu and Kashmir’s famous Ranji Trophy win over Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, has also been left out. In contrast, the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) has included Dikshant Kundal and Kawalpreet Singh, while Umar Nazir and Shubham Pundir have been recalled to the squad.Jammu and Kashmir will begin the second phase of their Ranji Trophy campaign against Pondicherry at the Siechem Stadium from January 22 to 25. They will then face Himachal Pradesh from January 29 to February 1 at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cricket Stadium in Nadaun. Head coach Ajay Sharma is set to join the team on January 17.Jammu and Kashmir are currently placed second in Elite Group D with 20 points from five matches, just behind table-toppers Mumbai. The knockout stage of the Ranji Trophy will be played from February 6 to 28.
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