Page 4 - Cricket News

CA announce 2026-27 men's central contracts; Maxwell, Konstas dropped

The list has been reduced from 23 players last year to 21 this year, with three available slots remaining unfilled, allowing selectors flexibility as the season progresses

Ashutosh Sharma emerges as most expensive player at MPL 2026 auction

Following the Indian Premier League (IPL) for T20 cricket, the Madhya Pradesh League held its first player auction on Tuesday, and explosive right-handed batsman Ashutosh Sharma became the most expensive player in the MPL, fetching a price of Rs 15 lakh. As many as 244 players were included in the auction process for the 10 MPL men's teams. In the auction, which concluded in Indore amid intense competition among franchises, Sharma, who plays for Team India, was bought by Malwa Stallions with the highest bid of Rs 15 lakh. Similarly, Akshat Raghuvanshi was bought by Rewa Jaguars for Rs 13.80 lakh, Aniket Verma by Bhopal Leopards for Rs 13.20 lakh, and Shivang Kumar by Bundelkhand Bulls for Rs 13 lakh. "This is the first time players have been auctioned for team selection in the MPL. This has encouraged franchises of all teams, and players received better value for their money," Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) President Mahanaaryaman Scindia told reporters. Officials infor

IPL 2026: Gill blames poor batting in death overs for GT's loss vs PBKS

Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill said his side's failure to capitalise in the final five overs while batting proved decisive, as Punjab Kings outplayed them in their Indian Premier League opener here on Tuesday. Gill's side, despite boasting a formidable batting line-up featuring Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharsan and Glenn Phillips, could not capitalise on a fairly good batting surface, managing only 162 for 6, and the skipper later admitted that a total in the range of 210220 was achievable on the wicket. Punjab Kings' Cooper Connolly made batting look effortless on the same surface, producing a fluent 72. "It looked like a 210-220 wicket. We thought 175 would be a good score, but we kept losing wickets and didn't score much in the last five overs," conceded Gill after the three-wicket loss. "Once the ball got older, it was difficult to hit it down the ground," he added. Gill said that batting became easier later on, as a drizzle set in and the wet ball made it easier for the home ..

IPL 2026: Parthiv Patel cites tough pitch, conditions in GT loss to PBKS

It wasn't an easy wicket to bat on, said Gujarat Titans assistant coach Parthiv Patel, citing the challenging pitch as the primary reason for his team's three-wicket loss to Punjab Kings in their IPL opener here. Punjab Kings chased a 163-run target with five balls to spare on Tuesday. "As a team you want them to fight. I am happy that we took the game to the last over," Patel said in the post-match press conference. "It wasn't the easiest wicket to bat on. It's been raining here for the last three-four days and the groundsmen did a really good job to prepare the wicket. Once the ball was old, it was reversing a bit, it was also holding up a bit. After powerplay, batting wasn't easy," he explained. However, Patel also stated that the difficult pitch does not take away credit from the effort of Punjab's bowlers. Senior spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (2/28) and seamer Vijaykumar Vyashak (3/34) kept things tight to restrict Gujarat to a relatively modest total before young Australian south

IPL 2026: Connolly’s 72 on debut, Chahal stars as PBKS beat GT by 3 wickets

In Match 4 of the 19th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL 2026),Cooper Connolly struck a fine unbeaten half-century as Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by three wickets in Mullanpur

IPL 2026: PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer fined Rs 12 lakh for slow rate

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer was fined Rs 12 lakh after his team maintained a slow over-rate during their IPL match against Gujarat Titans here. Punjab Kings defeated GT by three wickets to start their IPL 2026 campaign on a winning note. "As this was his team's first offence of the season under Article 2.22 of the IPL's Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences, Iyer was fined INR 12 lakhs," stated a media release. Pacer Vyshak Vijayakumar and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal shared five wickets among them as PBKS limited GT to 162 for six. Despite a stuttering batting effort, Punjab went past the line in 19.1 overs. Young Australian batter Cooper Connolly led them home with an unbeaten 72 off 44 balls.

IPL 2026: Chahal impressed by Connolly's debut innings, calls him big find

Punjab Kings spinner Yuzvendra Chahal believes young Cooper Connolly will be one of the "finds" of this season, praising the young Australian batter's maturity after he scored a match-winning fifty on his IPL debut. The 22-year-old Connolly announced himself in style, smashing an unbeaten 72 to guide Punjab Kings to a nervy three-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in their IPL campaign opener here on Tuesday. "He's only 20 something but has a hunger. The way he performed in his very first match, batting at number 3, playing a match-winning innings, shows how mature he is mentally," Chahal said at the post-match press conference. Walking in at No. 3, Connolly held firm even as wickets fell at the other end, showing remarkable composure for a newcomer. "He knows what the situation is. He knows that if I am there till the end, then I have to finish the game. And that shows maturity. That is a good sign for our team. "And the way he is batting, I think he will be one of the finds of this

PSL 2026: Fakhar Zaman suspended for two matches for ball tampering

Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman was on Tuesday suspended for two matches of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for breaching the code of conduct pertaining to changing the condition of the ball. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that match referee found Fakhar guilty of a level three offence, breaching Article 2.14 of the applicable Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel during the PSL match between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings here on Sunday. The suspected ball tampering incident occurred just before the start of the final over when the on-field umpires penalised Lahore Qalandars for five runs and the ball was changed before the start of last over of Karachi Kings' batting innings. On-field Umpires Shahid Saikat and Faisal Khan Aafreedi, TV Umpire Asif Yaqoob, and fourth Umpire Tariq Rasheed levelled the charge. Fakhar denied the offence and contested the charge at a full disciplinary hearing in accordance with the Code of Conduct. Match Referee Roshan Maha

PBKS vs GT HIGHLIGHTS, IPL 2026: Cooper Connolly's heroics help Punjab edge past Gujarat

IPL 2026 HIGHLIGHTS: PBKS debutant Cooper Connolly's unbeaten 72 off 44 balls to help his team chase down 163 run target set by GT

IPL 2026 live streaming: Where to watch PBKS vs GT cricket match live?

JioHotstar in India will stream the IPL 2026 match between Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans through their app and website

IPL 2026 Today's Match: PBKS vs GT playing 11, batters vs bowlers matchups

Both teams, after failing to win the title despite reaching the play-offs, will be aiming for a successful start to their season with a win in their campaign opener today

IPL 2026 PBKS vs GT: Pitch report, highest score, Mullanpur Stadium stats

Punjab Kings have played 10 matches in the IPL at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, out of which they have won just three matches and lost seven

No Dhoni, no direction? CSK's reliance exposed in IPL 2026 opener vs RR

Dhoni has missed only six games in IPL for CSK and in those six games, the Chennai-based franchise has been on the losing end five times

Naseem Shah penalised $72000 by PCB for controversial social media post

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday imposed a PKR 20 million (USD 72,000) fine on fast bowler Naseem Shah for a now-deleted controversial social media post that criticised Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's presence at the PSL opening game during an ongoing regional crisis. The post, made during the first match of the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL), sarcastically commented on the "queen" treatment given to Maryam, who is the daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and niece of incumbent PM Shahbaz Sharif, at the Gaddafi Stadium. "Why is she being treated like the Queen at Lords?" Naseem had posted in reference to Maryam. This was after the PCB banned fans from attending the PSL matches in Lahore and Karachi to conserve fuel and adhere to government austerity measures in view of the Gulf war. The PCB announced that its disciplinary committee had found Naseem guilty of breaching clauses of his central contract and violating social media guidelines. Naseem was issue

IPL 2026: GT's batting coach Hayden lauds Gill's clarity in leadership

Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden has lauded skipper Shubman Gill for his growth as a batter and leader, saying the India star's clarity of thought and modern-day confidence have shaped his evolution at the highest level. GT will face Punjab Kings in their IPL 2026 opener here on Tuesday. "Yeah, see, Shubman is a very clear speaker of the game, and that says he knew cricket in good stead, obviously at the highest level of cricket and Test cricket," Hayden said. "He brings a lot of confidence. If you like, he brings a bit of swagger of the modern generation, which I really enjoy, that feeling that he's in control and he's shaping himself and his own destiny. "But any side that he'll play with, he very unselfishly says, and I've watched him across many different press conferences like this, that it's very team-orientated," the burly opener of yesteryears said on Monday. The former Australia opener, who is currently the batting coach of Gujarat Titans, also expressed confid

Sourav Ganguly backs BCCI on sharing Test matches across multiple venues

Former India captain and Cricket Association of Bengal President Sourav Ganguly would love to host as many Tests as possible at the Eden Gardens but he is also "happy" to see the traditional format reach other venues like Guwahati and Ranchi. Unveiling Team India's home season for 2026-27, the BCCI last week left out traditional venues like Kolkata and Mumbai from the marquee Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, scheduling matches in Nagpur, Chennai, Guwahati, Ranchi and Ahmedabad from January 21 to February 25 next year. Reacting to the move, Ganguly said Eden Gardens has got its fair share of games. "It's always great to have big Test matches back at Eden Gardens. As the president of the CAB and being a former player, I would like to host Test matches here, but we got the Test against South Africa, then there were T20 World Cup games and the Indian Premier League fixtures," Ganguly said on the sidelines of the book launch 'Miracle At Eden' by Sportstar. "As much as you would

IPL 2026: RR's Sooryavanshi says coaches pushed him to trust instincts

Rajasthan Royals' teen batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on Monday said the team's senior players and support staff, including head coach Kumar Sangakkara, have given him the freedom to keep playing his attacking game. The 15-year-old prodigy blazed away to a 15-ball fifty to power RR to an emphatic eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in their IPL opener here, three days after his birthday. While he missed the cake cutting on the day of his birthday as he had gone off to sleep, Sooryavanshi belatedly celebrated turning a year older with his excellent performance on the field. "I didn't really do anything outside - there was supposed to be a cake cutting, but I went to sleep early to avoid the cake-smearing," Sooryavanshi said at the post-match presentation ceremony. Having bowled out CSK for 127, RR completed the chase in 12.1 overs. "The plan today was simply to execute well in the powerplay -- initially the wicket felt a bit sticky, but as the ball got older, it start

IPL 2026: Vaibhav slams 15-ball fifty; equals joint third fastest record

Vaibhav also holds the record for the second-fastest century in the IPL for his 35-ball ton vs GT in IPL 2025

From Hindi to English: Full list of commentators for JioStar in IPL 2026

JioStar will offer IPL 2026 coverage across 20+ feeds. Star Sports will broadcast in 5 languages, while JioHotstar expands options to include Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Malayalam

Here's how Airtel users can watch live streaming of IPL 2026 for free

Airtel has launched multiple mobile plans, including a free JioHotstar subscription, to help its users enjoy IPL 2026 action without extra cost