Page 25 - Cricket News

IPL 2026: Sangakkara backs Riyan Parag over seniors for RR captaincy

Riyan Parag maturity and vision for the side made him the perfect candidate for captaincy ahead of five others, including veteran Ravindra Jadeja, Rajasthan Royals head coach and Director of Cricket, Kumar Sangakkara said ahead of team's opening game against Chennai Super Kings here on Monday. RR named Assam man Parag as the skipper for this IPL season ahead of many senior players, raising a lot of eyebrows especially after the franchise had won only two of the eight games that he had captained last year. Sangakarra explained the reason behind the decision. "There were five candidates, including Sandeep Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja. We had very strict parameters as how we are going to choose, what is the process, so we had lots of conversations with all candidates and we realised all are very capable of captaining our side. Riyan came across as the top candidate because in all his conversations he seemed to have matured a lot," Sangakkara said. "He was very reflective in answering al

MI vs KKR HIGHLIGHTS IPL 2026: Rohit-Ryan star in Mumbai's first win in season opener since 2012

IPL 2026 HIGHLIGHTS: Mumbai Indians' 221-run chase vs Kolkata Knight Riders today is their highest successful chase in IPL, surpassing 219 run chase vs CSK in 2021

IPL 2026: What is the highest successful run chase at Wankhede Stadium?

The ground witnessed England's remarkable 230 chase against South Africa in 2016, one of the highest in the format. Find highest successful run chase at Wankhede Stadium in T20s and T20Is here

IPL 2026 live streaming: Where to watch MI vs KKR cricket match live?

JioHotstar in India will stream the IPL 2026 match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders through their app and website

PM Modi praises J-K cricket team for historic maiden Ranji Trophy win

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lauded the cricket team of Jammu and Kashmir for bagging the Ranji Trophy title for the first time and expressed hope that this winning streak of sports persons there continues in the future. Addressing his monthly radio broadcast 'Mann Ki Baat', Modi said March has been a month full of excitement and enthusiasm for cricket fans across the country. He said when India achieved a historic victory in the T20 World Cup, a wave of joy swept across the country and all citizens are very proud of the team's thumping success. Late last month, a thrilling match was witnessed in Karnataka's Hubli, where the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team secured the Ranji Trophy, he said. "It is most heartening to note that after a long wait of nearly seven decades, the team achieved its first Ranji Trophy title. This unprecedented success is the result of years of continuous efforts by the players," he added. Modi said the Jammu and Kashmir team captain, Paras Dogra, .

IPL 2026: SRH coach Vettori laments giving chances to Kohli, Devdutt

Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori labelled his side's bowling display against Royal Challengers Bengaluru as "poor", conceding they allowed Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli far too many scoring opportunities in the IPL opener here. After raising 201 for 9 in the season-opener on Saturday, the Hyderabad side could not tackle the marauding Padikkal and Kohli, watching RCB romp home in just 15.4 overs. "You have to get a good start (with the ball), which we did against (Phil) Salt, but then I just think we weren't at our best with the ball. We weren't as disciplined as we needed to be, and we gave a lot of scoring opportunities to Virat and Padikkal, who played exceptionally well," Vettori said in the post-match press conference. "We should have been able to maintain a little bit more (discipline) after getting that important wicket of Salt. So, it was a very good batting performance by RCB and one of our poorer bowling performances," he added. Vettori said SRH had observ

IPL 2026: Patidar says RCB not here to defend, focus on fresh start

Skipper Rajat Patidar said Royal Challengers Bengaluru have put behind the euphoria of winning the IPL last season, and the team's focus is now simply on "ticking all the boxes" to win another trophy this year. RCB made a rollicking start to IPL 2026, subjugating Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets here on Saturday, but Patidar said they are not viewing this season's campaign particularly as a title defence. "We are not here with the mindset that we have to defend anything, what we did in 2025 has passed. We are here with the mindset that in 2026 we have to tick all the boxes and that will help us win the trophy this year," Patidar said in the post-match press conference. In that context, RCB made a bold tick in three boxes after Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal and Jacob Duffy produced brilliant efforts to anchor the team's win. First, Patidar waxed eloquent on Kohli. "Virat Kohli is a number one chase master, so, I always liked his batting and to watch his batting from the dugout, t

IPL 2026: Kohli walks the talk, energy bizarre at this age, says Ashwin

All praise for Virat Kohli, former off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin says the Indian stalwart continues to "walk the talk" with his unmatched energy and intensity despite having retired from Test and T20I formats. Returning to T20 cricket for the first time since last year's IPL final on June 3, Kohli showed no signs of rust, smashing his 28th IPL half-century (69 not out off 38 balls) to power defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a commanding six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2026 season-opener. "He walks the talk," Ashwin said on a JioHotstar show. "It's almost like he's putting on a show for people to see how the game should be played, play it hard and play it the way it's meant to be played. That stood out for me with respect to what Virat did." Kohli was already in sublime touch coming into the IPL, having scored 93, 23 and 124 in the ODI series against New Zealand in January, where he finished as India's leading run-getter. The 37-year-old had also .

IPL 2026: No fixed attack policy, says Patidar; praises Kohli's after win

"No words can describe Virat Kohli. When he is in, the team is always in the chase. He is the No. 1 batter," said Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar, following his side's commanding victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 season opener on Saturday. Patidar, who led from the front with 12-ball-31, called it a collective effort while singling out Kohli's chase-defining 38-ball-69 not out and debutant Jacob Duffy's impact with the new ball. Asked if he was happy, Patidar replied: "The way boys played and this was a season opener. Everyone chipped in and did the job. Duffy was playing his first game and the way he played and the wickets he took were the turning point." When asked if RCB would follow Team India's attack at all cost policy, he didn't quite agree. "Not a policy, we assessed the wicket and it was good. Padikkal and Kohli's innings were the base. No words for Virat. The way he goes in, the team is chasing. He is the No. 1 batter." He also praised

IPL 2026: Breaks ensured I stay mentally fresh and excited, says Kohli

The iconic Virat Kohli believed that periodic breaks from the game have helped him stay mentally fresh and avoid burnout, after stroking his 28th IPL half-century at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday. His effort came in RCB's walk-in-the-park six-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the lung opener. Kohli, who made a 38-ball-69 with five maximums and equal number of boundaries, showed that stepping away from the game at regular intervals has been crucial in maintaining peak performance despite playing his first T20 match since the IPL final last year. Asked if there is a chance of turning in under prepared since he hasn't played T20 cricket for 10 months, Kohli said: "Well, you know, the kind of scheduling that we've had over the last 15 years and the amount of cricket I've played, for me there was always a risk of getting burnt out rather than being undercooked. So these breaks helped me immensely. I stay fresh, I stay excited." The 37-year-old stressed that he never .

IPL 2026: Watson says Green unfazed by pressure of hefty price tag

Cameron Green won't be weighed down by his high price tag, says Kolkata Knight Riders coach Shane Watson, noting that the Australian all-rounder prefers to play with absolute freedom. Green, who has played for Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the past, was picked up by KKR for a whopping Rs 25.20 crore in the mini auction. "I've seen players in the past who've had a high price tag on them. I've seen them crumble in the past, that wave of expectations really suffocated their ability to perform at their best," Watson told reporters ahead of KKR's training here at the Wankhede Stadium. "Cameron certainly doesn't see it that way. We've seen with him when he got picked up to play here at MI a couple of years ago for a pretty decent amount of money, he had a very good season." Watson credited Green for having a strong mindset to keep the focus on his game. "That is his mindset when it comes to the IPL, that he's got nothing to lose," he said. "Obviously, that's what pe

Ravichandran Ashwin signs deal with San Francisco Unicorns in MLC

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is all set to make his Major League Cricket debut in June after signing for San Francisco Unicorns. "The San Francisco Unicorns have secured a landmark signing for the 2026 Cognizant Major League Cricket (MLC) season, adding Indian cricket legend Ravichandran Ashwin to its roster," the franchise announced on its official website on Saturday. Ashwin will thus become the first-ever India-capped player to compete in this league, and one of the most prominent Indian players to take part in an international T20 tournament outside the Indian Premier League. Ashwin was supposed to play in last edition of Big Bash League (BBL) for Sydney Thunders but had to pull out due to an injury. "Ashwin joins the Unicorns with a unique cricketing resume, having won the 2011 Cricket World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy, and has earned over 100 caps in both Test and ODI cricket, with 65 appearances in T20 internationals," the franchise further stated. He

Captain Kishan continues T20 World Cup form, slams 80 runs off 38 balls

Ishan Kishan, along with Heinrich Klaasen (31 runs off 22 balls), added 97 runs for the fourth wicket to help SRH put a challenging total on the board

IPL 2026: MI vs KKR Playing 11, live toss and match time, streaming

KKR have lost their main pacers Harshit Rana and Akash Deep due to injury and are still waiting on the availability update on Matheesha Pathirana, which has depleted their bowling attack

IPL 2026: MI vs KKR pitch report, highest score, Wankhede Stadium stats

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians have played 90 matches in the IPL at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, out of which they have won 55 matches and lost 34

IPL 2026 Today's Match: MI vs KKR playing 11, batters vs bowlers matchups

MI will enter IPL 2026 with a strong and well-rounded squad as they aim to end a five-year title drought

Kohli scripts history! Find top five batters with most IPL runs in chases

Virat Kohli scripted history in the IPL 2026 opener by becoming the first batter to cross 4,000 runs in run chases in the tournament’s history.

Kohli shines, Salt’s screamer seal RCB’s six-wicket win over SRH

A stunning one-handed catch by Phil Salt to dismiss a rampaging Ishan Kishan proved to be a turning point as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) outclassed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets.

IPL 2026: Starc responds to critics, calls out heavily misinformed opinions

Mitchell Starc has lashed out at critics over his delayed arrival for IPL 2026, asserting that his absence at the start of the season is due to injury management and not due to a lack of commitment to Delhi Capitals as some "heavily misinformed" opinions suggested. The left-arm pacer is yet to arrive in India and will miss Delhi Capitals' opening matches, sparking debate around overseas players' commitment to their franchises. Breaking his silence on the growing criticism, Starc said in a statement on Saturday, "Despite the opinions and views of certain individuals with their platforms in and through the Indian media, I'm currently rehabbing and managing an injury in my shoulder and elbow of which I didn't know the extent of during the Australian summer." "These individuals have made some strong statements around involvement in the IPL and provided heavily misinformed opinions of players, preached them as facts, and claim to know my body better than me." The 36-year-old, who grabbe

RCB vs SRH HIGHLIGHTS IPL 2026: Kolhi, Paddikal star as RCB chase down 202 runs inside 16 overs

IPL 2026 HIGHLIGHTS: Virat Kohli, with his brilliant unbeaten 69-run innings vs SRH, became the first batter to score 4000 runs while chasing in IPL