The Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium was filled with jubilation as soon as Mukesh Kumar had Sunil Kumar caught in the slips. It was his sixth wicket of the innings as Rest of India cruised to a 167-run win over Jammu & Kashmir to lift the Irani Cup.

There were scenes of joy and satisfaction as Rest of India retained the trophy after two years. A topsy-turvy match saw the Rishabh Pant-led side win crucial moments to come from behind and secure the title.

It was a historic occasion for Jammu & Kashmir and Srinagar, hosting their first-ever Irani Cup match as defending Ranji Trophy champions. The home side started on a high note after electing to bowl, as pacers Sunil Kumar, Umar Nazir, and Lone Nasir bundled Rest of India out for 237. Opener Shikhar Mohan and R Smaran led Rest of India's fight with the bat, scoring half-centuries, while vice-captain Sarfaraz Khan contributed a crucial 45.

In reply, the Rest of India pacers struck early, reducing the hosts to 37/4 before captain Paras Dogra and Abdul Samad revived the innings with a 101-run stand. A mini-collapse followed before Lone Nasir played a heroic 64 off 58 balls to propel J&K to a 41-run lead. Mukesh Choudhary was the pick of the bowlers for Rest of India, taking a five-wicket haul.

The match shifted again in the second innings as J&K bowlers reduced the visitors to 197/8. However, R Smaran held the fort with a magnificent century, stitching a vital 113-run partnership with Mukesh Choudhary for the ninth wicket to set a competitive target of 279.

Chasing 279, J&K got off to a breezy start with openers Qamran Iqbal and Shubham Khajuria putting together 54 runs in 10 overs. However, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar sparked the visitors' comeback, running through the J&K batting line-up to bowl them out for 111. 

Mukesh finished with outstanding figures of 6/33 in the second innings.

R Smaran was named Player of the Match for his match-defining knocks in both innings.