Page 2 - Cricket News

Bumrah, Samson among contenders for ICC Player of the Month award

India opener Sanju Samson and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah were on Monday named among the nominees for the ICC Player of the Month award for March following their success at the T20 World Cup. South Africa batter Connor Esterhuizen completes the shortlist following an outstanding debut T20I series in New Zealand that saw one of the best statistics after five games by anyone from his country. Samson's sizzling form towards the end of the T20 World Cup, which earned him the player of the Tournament award, puts him in the fray alongside Bumrah, who was adjudged the player of the match in the final. Samson did not get to play in the early part of the tournament but was the standout performer in the big games and helped India retain the title. He struck 97 not out against the West Indies in what was a virtual quarter-final in Kolkata and followed it with knocks of 89 in the semi-final against England in Mumbai and the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad. In the same set of matches,

KKR vs PBKS Highlights IPL 2026: PBKS, KKR share points as rain gets the final say at Eden Gardens

IPL 2026 HIGHLIGHTS: PBKS, with one shared point with KKR, has replaced RCB at the points table

IPL 2026: Why Varun and Narine are not playing in KKR vs PBKS match today?

Three-time champions KKR have been dealt a double blow ahead of their IPL 2026 game against PBKS as they have both their lead spinners missing the game

IPL 2026 KKR vs PBKS: Kolkata weather forecast, hourly rain prediction

With rain in the forecast, the chances of a full game remain slim. For even a five-overs-a-side contest to be possible, play must begin by 10:56 pm

IPL 2026: Impact Player rule hurting skill balance, says DC's Jamieson

Delhi Capitals pacer Kyle Jamieson on Monday joined a growing chorus of players criticising the IPL's controversial Impact Player rule, saying it "takes a lot of the skill out of the game. Several current and former cricketers have voiced concerns over the rule, which allows teams to substitute a player from a list of five at any point during a match. While some argue it hampers the development of all-rounders, others feel it has tilted the balance in favour of batters as teams can now attack throughout 20 overs with the cushion of having an extra willow wielder at number eight. "Personally, I'm not a fan of it. I think it takes a lot of the skill out of the game," Jamieson said in a select media interaction ahead Delhi Capitals game against Gujarat Titans. "I think if you can bat 9 or 10, you don't have to have the same sort of batsmanship that you probably once had to have," he added. Introduced in 2023, the rule is set to remain in place until 2027. Jamieson stressed that the

IPL 2026: CSK coach Fleming says Samson trying to connect, hungry for runs

Head coach Stephen Fleming downplayed Sanju Samson's underwhelming run in IPL 2026, saying the wicketkeeper batter is "going through the process of connecting" with Chennai Super Kings and he is "desperate" to score runs and contribute to the team's success. Samson, who joined the Super Kings from Rajasthan Royals amid much hype ahead of IPL 2026, has so far managed 6, 7, 9 in first three matches. "It's difficult when you've been at a franchise (RR) for some time and even though he probably feels pretty comfortable there's still an element of belonging and he's going through the process of connecting with this team," said Fleming in the post-match press conference. Samson's modest outings at the top has robbed CSK of the desired quick beginning in this IPL, but Fleming said the Kerala man is "desperate" to find his rhythm. "The team (CSK) has got five or six changes. So, it's not like it's a set team. There's a little bit of work to be done off the field that we're doing just to ma

IPL 2026: Ravichandran Ashwin says work ethic key to CSK's upward climb

Bogged down by a third successive loss this IPL season, Chennai Super Kings team management must work on keeping a "hurting" dressing room in good spirits to arrest the slide, Indian spin legend R Ashwin has said. CSK suffered a crushing 43-run defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday to remain at the bottom of the points table with three straight reverses. Speaking on JioHotstar, Ashwin and former South African captain Faf du Plessis analysed CSK's problems. "I am sure the dressing room atmosphere is going to be hurting. I am not too sure how hard the words can be, but honestly, with such a young side, there is only one way you can go and that is upwards. "The way to go upwards is to get a really good work ethic going and a good team atmosphere. I am sure it is going to be extremely deflating inside that Chennai dressing room after this thumping defeat to RCB," Ashwin said. The former India spinner said it is not fair to expect accountability from the inexperienced ...

IPL 2026: Padikkal says tweaking batting base for white-ball took effort

Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Devdutt Padikkal attributed his growing confidence in white ball formats to the willingness to move out of his comfort zone and "change the foundation" of his batting. Devdutt followed his 61 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening game with a 50 against Chennai Super Kings here on Sunday to fuel RCB's batting charge, which culminated in a 43-run win. "It's just a lot of hard work and a lot of self-belief that's helped me get there. It wasn't easy to make that change because it was something that I had to change from the foundation that I had in terms of the type of cricket I wanted to play growing up," Devdutt said in the post-match press conference on Sunday night. "The change is something that I had to make consciously and RCB and the whole support staff have been really great in guiding me in the right way," he added. But is there a danger of T20s becoming unidimensional because all the batters are looking to improve their range-hitting ...

IPL 2026: This loss is on me, says Gaikwad after CSK's 43-run loss vs RCB

An emotionally distraught Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad didn't have much explanation to offer after a third straight defeat as he took the blame on himself. CSK lost to RCB by 43 after Tim David wreaked havoc and the visiting team's top order blown away quickly by Jacob Duffy. "If I would have contributed more, maybe it could have been different. It (the loss) was definitely on me today," he said.. "We still had the game in our hands till the 13-14th over (of the bowling innings but let momentum slip after it." On Tim David's smashing a 25-ball-70, Gaikwad expressed his disappointment on not getting him quickly when Anshul Kamboj yorked the batter only to find that he had overstepped. "Almost got a wicket of him but it was an illegal delivery. After that, he smacked it all around the park. Hats off to him." Pleased as punch after his game-turning knock, RCB's Australian big-hitter Tim David attributed his superb performance against CSK to the inputs provided by his

IPL 2026: Tim David credits DK for sharpening his game for tough conditions

Pleased as punch after his game-turning 25-ball-70, RCB's Australian big-hitter Tim David attributed his superb performance against CSK to the inputs provided by his team's batting coach Dinesh Karthik which helped him prepare for these conditions. David, whom his skipper Rajat Patidar termed as the "best finisher he has ever seen", hit eight sixes apart from three boundaries as RCB piled 250 for 3 and then bowled out CSK for 207. "I do not change my game much, but I have confidence from all the preparation that I do. It is nice to work with DK (Dinesh Karthik's fraternity name), he is an experienced player in these conditions. I have been in the IPL for a few years and with that kind of preparation, you don't put pressure on yourself to perform," David said at the post match presentation. He certainly was happy as this kind of performance do not happen every day. "Very pleased - it does not always happen that way. The skipper (Rajat Patidar, who scored 48 off 19 balls) was smoking

DC vs MI LIVE HIGHLIGHTS, IPL 2026: Rizvi's 90 steers Delhi to 6-wicket win against Mumbai at home

Suryakumar Yadav replaces Hardik Pandya as MI skipper today with the all-rounder out due to illness.

IPL 2026: GT vs RR playing 11, live toss and match time, streaming

Rajasthan enter the contest as slight favourites, thanks in large part to the sensational form of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

IPL 2026 Today's Match: DC vs MI playing 11, batters vs bowlers match-up

With both teams in winning form, fans can anticipate a thrilling contest with momentum on both sides, making this an IPL clash not to miss.

IPL 2026: CSK vs PBKS playing 11, live toss and match time, streaming

Punjab Kings come into this contest high on confidence after a solid win over Gujarat Titans in their first game.

IPL 2026 Today's Match: CSK vs PBKS playing 11, batters vs bowlers match-up

PBKS have dominated CSK in recent seasons, winning six of their last seven encounters. Find captaincy stats, playing 11 probables and key match-ups that define the clash here

DC vs MI preview: Rahul, Rohit & SKY headline Saturday double-header clash

DC vs MI preview: KL Rahul faces MI pacers while Rohit, Suryakumar lead Mumbai in Saturday double-header clash. Key battles, pitch and team strategy explained.

IPL 2026: Mitchell Santner joins MI squad ahead of IPL against DC

New Zealand T20I skipper Mitchell Santner on Thursday joined the Mumbai Indians squad here ahead of their Indian Premier League match against Delhi Capitals. The five-time winners Mumbai Indians will take on the Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Santner and England all-rounder Will Jacks were the only two players left to join Mumbai Indians, who had convincingly won their season opener against Kolkata Knight Riders last Sunday in Mumbai. The two overseas players, who had featured prominently for their respective teams in last month's T20 World Cup, had asked for an extended period before joining the MI squad. MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene had confirmed giving these two players extended time off for personal reasons. "With the guys who are joining (late are) obviously Mitch (Mitchell Santner) and Jacksy (Will Jacks). Both (had) asked for a slightly extended time for personal reasons and we were quite happy to go with that. But they will join the team pr

Rahane blames agenda, jealousy for strike-rate criticism after losses

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane has hit back at criticism around his strike rate, suggesting that there is a "certain agenda" and an element of "jealousy" behind the chatter. Questions on his strike rate came up after KKR slumped to a 65-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Thursday. Chasing a steep 227, the home side never had any impactful partnership despite a promising start and folded for 161 in 16 overs to remain winless so far this season. The loss placed the focus on Rahane's own performance and strike rate. The KKR skipper, who managed 8 off 10 balls on Thursday, was uncharacteristically sharp as he reacted to the criticism. "My strike rate, I think I have one of the best strike rates so far from 2020. People who are talking about me, probably not watching the game or they have certain agenda against me. They don't like me playing," he said without mentioning anyone in specific in the post-match media interaction. "They don't like to watch me play. The amou

IPL 2026: Nitish Reddy credits 'special person' for bowling transformation

Sunrisers Hyderabad's India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has credited a "special person" for helping him rediscover his rhythm with the ball after a difficult, injury-hit phase but chose to keep the identity under wraps for now. The 22-year-old all format player, who has been seen as a potential successor to India's premier pace-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, has had his progress stalled by recurring fitness issues over the past year. Multiple setbacks including a neck spasm, a left quadriceps injury in 2025 meant he missed crucial game time in the build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup, where Shivam Dube eventually got the nod as the second seam-bowling all-rounder. Reddy admitted that injuries had held him back from improving his bowling. "It's always been a point that I wanted to work on my bowling, but it's just the injuries which I have gone through last year, I was not pretty sure that I didn't get the time to work on myself," Reddy said after being adjudged ...

When I was down, Dinesh Karthik told me to take a break: Jitesh Sharma

Royal Challengers Bengaluru vice-captain Jitesh Sharma thanked former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik for helping him during an emotionally difficult phase where he took some time off from the game after his father's demise. Jitesh said Karthik encouraged him to step away briefly and recover emotionally after his father passed away in February this year. "DK anna asked me to take a break, put the bat away for a while and spend time with my family and friends. That helped me reset," Jitesh said in a RCB podcast. Jitesh had spoken extensively to PTI last month about how priorities changed in his life briefly after his father's passing and that he was able to spend the last few days by his bed-side. Jitesh had played a massive role in RCB's maiden IPL triumph last year during which Karthik had also contributed as a batting coach and mentor. "A lot of the credit for my growth goes to DK 'anna'. He helped me understand my game better, use my strengths properly and improve mentally,"