Irani Cup 2026: Jammu & Kashmir vs Rest of India start time, Srinagar venue and Pant-led squad

Irani Cup 2026 Jammu Kashmir vs Rest of India: what is confirmed?

Jammu & Kashmir are scheduled to play Rest of India in the Irani Cup at 9:30 AM IST on Thursday, 1 October 2026, at Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar. Rishabh Pant will captain and keep wicket for Rest of India, while Sarfaraz Khan is the named vice-captain. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) lists the Irani Cup from 1 to 5 October, and Cricbuzz’s independently reopened fixture page matches the 9:30 AM IST start and Srinagar venue. The Irani Cup 2026 Jammu Kashmir vs Rest of India fixture is therefore still a next-day event at the time of this guide, not a match report.

The practical distinction is important. The BCCI announcement confirms the Rest of India selection group and Pant’s roles; it does not name a final XI, toss, match result, broadcast arrangement, ticket process or weather outcome. Cricbuzz supplies an independent fixture listing but is not a substitute for a late official schedule amendment. This preview uses confirmed facts where the sources are explicit and labels unresolved details as expected or unconfirmed rather than filling gaps with a likely lineup.

What time does Jammu & Kashmir vs Rest of India start in Srinagar?

The scheduled first-ball time is 9:30 AM IST on Thursday, 1 October. Cricbuzz lists the fixture as 9:30 AM local time, 9:30 AM IST and 4:00 AM GMT. Srinagar follows Indian Standard Time, so local time and IST are the same for this match. Readers in India do not need a conversion: 9:30 AM IST is the time to use for a diary reminder or a pre-play score check.

That time is the listed start, not a promise that every on-field event will happen exactly then. A cricket day can be altered by conditions or match officials, and a match page can be updated close to play. At the draft timestamp of 5:30 AM IST on 30 September, the scheduled start is 28 hours away. It therefore remains outside the same-day window and satisfies the lead time required for a genuine preview. Check the BCCI’s current communications again if travel or viewing plans depend on the fixture.

Where is the Srinagar venue and when does the Irani Cup run?

The venue is **Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium, Srinagar**. Cricbuzz identifies the ground by that name and lists Srinagar, India as the city. It is also the home ground shown on the fixture page for Jammu & Kashmir. This is more precise than saying only “Srinagar”, which is useful for readers separating the city from the stadium named for the match.

BCCI’s 2026–27 domestic-season ready reckoner schedules the men’s senior Irani Cup from 1 October to 5 October 2026. That establishes the published tournament dates, but it should not be mistaken for a detailed daily session timetable. No source reopened for this guide confirms gate-opening times, seating arrangements, ticket availability, parking or entry rules. Anyone planning to attend should seek those operational details in a current official venue or state-association notice rather than assume that a fixture listing grants public access.

Jammu & Kashmir enter as the Ranji Trophy champions, according to BCCI’s selection release. That is the formal basis for their meeting with Rest of India in this edition. For broader domestic-cricket context, readers can also see Reddy News’ [guide to how state teams build the next generation](/cricket/state-teams-next-generation/). It is background reading only and does not add match-day information to this fixture.

Who is in Rishabh Pant’s Rest of India squad?

BCCI has named Pant as **captain and wicketkeeper**. The unconditionally named Rest of India group consists of Pant, Sanat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Gharami, Sarfaraz Khan (vice-captain), Smaran Ravichandran, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Juyal (wicketkeeper), Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy and Ayush Doseja. The board’s release is the controlling source for those designations. Cricbuzz’s fixture roster independently displays those 14 players and also marks Pant as captain.

BCCI additionally includes Akash Deep with an asterisk and a specific condition: he is **subject to fitness clearance**. That means the announcement is not a confirmation that he will be available, selected in the final XI or able to bowl on 1 October. The current Cricbuzz roster displays the 14 unconditionally named players but does not resolve the clearance question. The careful reading is that 14 players are listed without that condition, while Akash Deep remains conditional until an authoritative update says otherwise.

A squad announcement is not a predicted playing XI. It does not establish batting order, bowling roles, the final wicketkeeper choice beyond Pant’s named role, or which players will take the field. That restraint matters in a red-ball fixture, where selection decisions may be made close to the start. This guide avoids turning the squad into an assumed XI. Readers who want a separate explainer on reading a completed scorecard can use Reddy News’ [scorecard analysis guide](/cricket/ipl-scorecard-analysis-guide/); it is not a source for this selection.

Why is Akash Deep’s status labelled expected, not confirmed?

The label comes directly from BCCI, not from an inference about form or team balance. In its 16 September release, the board put an asterisk next to Akash Deep’s name and stated that the selection was subject to fitness clearance. No later official clearance notice is among the sources reopened for this article. It would therefore be inaccurate to write that he is definitely in the squad or to place him in a starting XI.

There is also no basis in the available material to say he has been ruled out. The responsible status is simply **expected only if cleared**. That wording preserves what is known and what is not known: BCCI has selected him conditionally, but the condition still needs an official resolution. If an update arrives, it should supersede this preview’s conditional label. Until then, readers should treat any definitive social-media lineup as unverified.

Is a Jammu & Kashmir squad or either side’s playing XI confirmed?

Not in the sources used here. BCCI’s 16 September announcement is specifically a Rest of India squad release and identifies Jammu & Kashmir as the Ranji Trophy champions. Cricbuzz’s fixture page names the contest, start time and ground, but the Jammu & Kashmir squad area does not provide a player list in the reopened page. This article does not manufacture a home squad from earlier competitions or treat a third-party list as a late official selection.

Neither source confirms a match-day XI, captain at the toss, substitutes, batting order or bowling allocation for the game. Those details are **unconfirmed** until the teams or match authorities publish them. The right reader-service answer is short: use the BCCI selection release for the Rest of India group, use the fixture page to confirm the scheduled logistics, and wait for official team information for the final elevens.

The fixture belongs in the wider week’s cricket diary rather than as a substitute for another match’s report. Reddy News’ [cricket calendar](/cricket/cricket-calendar-matches-this-week/) can help readers place it alongside other scheduled games. Its calendar context should not be read as a source for any change to the Srinagar match or for a Pant-led XI.

How can readers follow the match and what should they recheck?

For live match information, use official BCCI updates and reputable score services. The reopened Cricbuzz fixture page already links to its score, commentary and squad pages for this match. This article does not identify a television channel, streaming platform, ticket seller or free-access route because none was confirmed by the sources reviewed. Do not assume a paid feed is free, and avoid unauthorised streams. A verified broadcaster or access announcement should come from the rights-holder, BCCI or another authorised outlet.

The sensible pre-match checklist is limited. Recheck the listed time of 9:30 AM IST on 1 October and the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium venue; confirm whether BCCI has issued a fitness update on Akash Deep; and look for official final-team information after it is announced. Keep the difference between the confirmed 14-player core, the conditional Akash Deep selection and an unconfirmed XI clear. That is more useful than a speculative preview when the match is still a day away.