Jharkhand Premier League 2026: Kumar Kushagra Stars as Chota Nagpur Royals Become Inaugural Champions

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Rishabh Satija
Rishabh Satija is a sports writer and analyst known for his detailed cricket coverage and match analysis. He closely follows international and franchise tournaments, delivering tactical...
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Jharkhand Premier League 2026 is one of the coveted tournaments in regional franchise cricket, and it was the first edition of the tournament. The grand finale of the marquee league took place in Ranchi on 23rd June 2026, between Jamshedpur Steelers and Chota Nagpur Royals. Both teams were ruthless throughout the tournament: Chota Nagpur Royals won 4 of their 8 matches, and Jamshedpur Steelers won 4 of their 8 matches.

The final match stage was all set for both heavyweights, as Chota Nagpur Royals won the toss and elected to bowl first. Virat Singh, the captain of CNR, was very confident and looking forward to the final game, and Kumar Deobrat was also looking to bowl first.

Chota Nagpur Royals Playing XI: Virat Singh (Capt.), Nazim Siddiqui, Kumar Kushagra, Durgesh Kumar, Shresht Sagar (WK), Himanshu Dwivedi, Chandan Mukhi, Supriyo Chakraborty, Vikash Singh, Deepanshu Rawat, Rahul Rajak

Jamshedpur Steelers Playing XI: Kumar Deobrat (Capt.), Karan Kumar, Anurag Singh Sengar, Ravi Sharma, Md Kounain Quraishi, Niteen Pandey (WK), Pranjal Kumar, Harsh Rana, Pratik Ranjan, Shakti Singh, Aman Kumar Singh. 

Jharkhand Premier League: First Innings of the Match, Harsh Rana Led JAS to a 180 Total

The first innings of the match began with Rahul Rajak’s over, bowling to Karan Kumar. The fiery grand finale began with Karan Kumar’s six off Rahul Rajak on the first ball of the match, and 26 runs came from the first over of the match. In 2.5 overs, Karan Kumar, after scoring 28(13), got out on Chandan Mukhi’s delivery.

In the middle order, JAS’s batters didn’t give any crucial contribution, but in the lower order, Harsh Rana contributed 64 runs in 26 balls with 5 sixes and 5 fours, and with a strike rate of 246.15, he took Jamshedpur to a fighting total of 180, with the loss of 8 wickets, and this was a good total for  Jharkhand Premier League at the final stage.

Jamshedpur Steelers’ Innings: Batting Summary

Karan Kumar – 28 runs – 13 balls – SR 215.38 – c Vikash Singh b Chandan Mukhi

Kumar Deobrat (C) – 39 runs – 30 balls – SR 130.00 – c Kumar Kushagra b Vikash Singh

Anurag Sengar – 11 runs – 12 balls – SR 91.66 – c Kumar Kushagra b Supriyo Chakraborty

Niteen Reddy (WK) – 6 runs – 8 balls – SR 75.00 – c Virat Singh b Durgesh Kumar

Ravi Sharma – 4 runs – 7 balls – SR 57.14 – run out (Chandan Mukhi)

Md Kounain Quraishi – 15 runs – 14 balls – SR 107.14 – lbw b Rahul Rajak

Harsh Rana – 64 runs – 26 balls – SR 246.15 – run out (Nazim Siddiqui/Shresht Sagar)

Shakti Singh – 4 runs – 9 balls – SR 44.44 – retired out

Pratik Ranjan – 1 run – 1 ball – SR 100.00 – not out

Chota Nagpur Royal’s Innings: Bowling Summary

Rahul Rajak – 1 wicket – 4 overs – Economy 15.50 – Md Kounain Quraishi (lbw)

Deepanshu Rawat – 0 wickets – 3 overs – Economy 6.66 – No wickets

Chandan Mukhi – 1 wicket – 4 overs – Economy 5.75 – Karan Kumar (caught by Vikash Singh)

Supriyo Chakraborty – 1 wicket – 3 overs – Economy 6.33 – Anurag Sengar (caught by Kumar Kushagra)

Durgesh Kumar – 1 wicket – 2 overs – Economy 7.50 – Niteen Reddy (caught by Virat Singh)

Vikash Singh – 1 wicket – 4 overs – Economy 9.25 – Kumar Deobrat (caught by Kumar Kushagra)

Jharkhand Premier League: Second Innings of the Match, Kumar Kushagra Finishes the Match With a Six 

In the second innings of the Jharkhand Premier League’s final match, CNR needed 181 runs in 20 overs at 9.05 runs per over. Nazim Siddiqui scored a crucial 38(24) coming in as an opener, and Kumar Kushagra played a very pivotal knock of 78 not out in just 39 balls, including 8 sixes and 3 fours with a blistering strike rate of 200. 

He took the responsibility of chasing the total, and with him, Himanshu Dwivedi also scored an important 51 runs in 33 balls, including 3 sixes and 4 fours. On the last ball of the match, in Pranjal Kumar’s over, Kumar Kushagra hit a six, and with his six on the last ball, the Jharkhand Premier League got its first title winner in its first-ever edition, and Chota Nagpur Royals won the match by 7 wickets. 

Chota Nagpur Royal’s Innings: Batting Summary

Nazim Siddiqui – 38 runs – 24 balls – SR 158.33 – c sub (S Raghuvanshi) b Anurag Sengar

Virat Singh (C) – 1 run – 4 balls – SR 25.00 – c Harsh Rana b Aman Kumar Singh

Kumar Kushagra – 78 runs – 39 balls – SR 200.00 – not out

Himanshu Dwivedi – 51 runs – 33 balls – SR 154.54 – c Pranjal Kumar b Aman Kumar Singh

Chandan Mukhi – 7 runs – 4 balls – SR 175.00 – not out

Jamshedpur Steelers’  Innings: Bowling Summary

Aman Kumar – 2 wickets – 3 overs – Economy 8.00 – Virat Singh (caught by Harsh Rana), Himanshu Dwivedi (caught by Pranjal Kumar)

Shakti Singh – 0 wickets – 4 overs – Economy 7.25 – No wickets

Pratik Ranjan – 0 wickets – 3 overs – Economy 11.33 – No wickets

Anurag Sengar – 1 wicket – 1 over – Economy 3.00 – Nazim Siddiqui (caught by sub S. Raghuvanshi)

Pranjal Kumar – 0 wickets – 1.2 overs – Economy 10.50 – No wickets

Md Kounain Quraishi – 0 wickets – 2 overs – Economy 14.50 – No wickets

Harsh Rana – 0 wickets – 2 overs – Economy 8.50 – No wickets

Ravi Sharma – 0 wickets – 1 over – Economy 29.00 – No wickets

ALSO READ: Jharkhand Premier League 2026 Final: Preview, Teams, Date, Time, And What To Expect

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