2:58pm And that will be all from us for this final. We hope you enjoyed our coverage just as much as we loved bringing it to you. We hope to see you soon, but until then, from Ashish, Chetan, Harshith, Himanshu, Shashank, Sudeep and myself (Shashwat), this is goodbye!

2:56pm Paras Dogra walks over and collects the Ranji Trophy from BCCI President Mithun Manhas and BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia. And now, cue the celebrations. J&K have climbed the summit, and after a nerveless display in the final, they have perhaps indicated that they intend to stay there. What a team. What a set of players. And what a story.

Paras Dogra, Jammu & Kashmir captain: I have no words, cannot describe it right now. Will take some time to describe what I am feeling right now. I feel I am very lucky I got a group and association like this, who supported. To rub shoulders with these guys, it has been amazing. No words to explain how good our team is. We learned from that one-run defeat. We talked about each and every run being crucial and to just give 100 percent. We just did not want to repeat it. Always been on the mark and god has been helping us. (On the toss decision) It was looking a little dry, so thought it could maybe turn. When we had a talk, we decided to bat first. (On where he sees himself in a few months) To be honest, I do not know. Never thought to be here. Will enjoy with the boys and let's see where I will go.

Auqib Nabi, Player of the Series: (On this season) It was unbelievable, we have won for the first time. When I started, I just wanted to win a trophy and especially the Ranji Trophy. We put in a lot of hard work, went through struggle and finally, we have been able to win it. (On performing in the big matches) My plan is simple. I want to give my best in every match. Try to put everything into it. In knockouts, every match is a must-win. (On his strength) I do not think much about results and focus on the process. Don't look at the batters and bowl, just think about hitting the right areas. Everyone (in my family) has supported me and had their support not been there, I would not be here. I got so many messages and prayers from people back home, I just want to say thank you to everyone. My message will be that if you do not have facilities or have limited facilities, just work hard and put in every effort.

Shubham Pundir, Player of the Match: It is a surreal feeling. Feels like it is a fairy tale. For our region, for our players, our management, it is a huge thing and a great achievement. (On batting in the first innings and his thinking) Aim was to bat as long as possible. We wanted to give a target of 500-600. Runs did not matter much, but we needed to bat long. My plan was to see through the new ball and play forward, and attack the spinners - that was the demand of the pitch. I enjoy batting with both (Yawer and Samad). He (Samad) takes the pressure off you completely. (Area for improvement) Outside off and on the front foot - that is what I want to improve, and next season, I will come back having improved on it.

Really proud of the boys. To get to a final is not easy. All credit goes to J&K and they thoroughly deserved it. (On the toss) We always understood toss will play a big role. But the pressure of the final will always be there. Was up to us to stand up and we could not do it unfortunately. They (J&K) played much better cricket than us. (On handling Nabi) He has bowled exceptionally well throughout the season. Our batters have scored a lot of runs, and we backed ourselves. But he got the better of us. It is not easy to negate that sort of performance. Really happy for him. To get those many wickets…he has put his heart and soul into this season, and really happy for him. This is the first loss I have felt as a captain, so have to adjust to that as well. Lot of young guys coming through. To get to a Ranji final early in their career, it is incredible. Hopefully this will motivate them, and they will continue to improve.

Mithun Manhas, current BCCI President but former J&K director of cricket: It has been an amazing journey, started in June 2021. I want to specially thank the BCCI back then and especially Jay (Shah) bhai. He was the first secretary (In decades) who came to Jammu, saw our condition and there was no looking back. I am a person of process, and believed you need to have seniors around. With Paras coming, we got this stability, the calmness and with Ajay bhai, he has the experience of playing five finals. The kind of batting he used to do, that has helped the boys grow. The best part that has happened is they have started believing in themselves. This win is dedicated to all of the people back home and all ex-cricketers back home. All the other teams, like Uttarakhand, they played exceedingly well, and they have also started believing. It is only a matter of time (before the results will follow).

Qamran Iqbal: I am feeling very good, the first time our state has won. Credit to everyone - players, coaches and administrators. Khajuriya bhai got injured. I was at home and then took a flight in the evening and got here. I was preparing (through practice and matches). They have a great team. And it was great how we played. Congratulations to JKCA. I want to thank JKCA administrators. They sent us to play a lot of matches before the season. He is very serious. He does not take anything lightly. This is that result. Lot of senior players, they contribute very well and keep the environment good. Everyone contributed and had a role. (On his journey forward) Taking it match to match. We have won today, so there will be celebrations.

Paras Dogra, Jammu & Kashmir captain: (What it means) I cannot explain and I don't have any words. It is the biggest thing in my life. Biggest gratitude I will have in my life. (On his role) I have been lucky to be with JKCA. Guys have been phenomenal and excellent. Not just about the 11, but 14-15 guys, they have been putting their hand up and performing well. From the beginning, they were 100% sure we would win this Ranji Trophy. (On what now for him and his career) Let's see. Let me celebrate. You will see what happens next.

Sunil Kumar: When Nabi is bowling from the other end, your job becomes very easy, and this moment is nothing short of a dream. No words to describe this feeling. We might take months to live this feeling and for it to sink in. Celebration will continue for a few evenings, and not just today.

2:13pm Big, big smiles from everyone with an allegiance to the J&K team. This is their moment. And this moment, to be fair, has been coming for the past couple of days, having fashioned a huge first-innings lead. Iqbal and Lotra piled further misery on Karnataka today, both getting to their respective milestones. Ajay Sharma, head coach, is a proud, proud man, and the team will now dance their heart out. All their sacrifices, all the hours of work, all the challenges overcome, and they are now the champions of the land.

A much duller occasion for Karnataka, though. They were outplayed from the first ball to the last, and they were subjected to something Karnataka usually do to many teams. J&K barely gave Karnataka a sniff, and once J&K had surged ahead, there was simply no coming back, even for a side as star-studded as Karnataka's.