Page 6 - Cricket News

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

IPL 2026 live streaming: Where to watch RCB vs SRH cricket match live?

JioHotstar in India will stream the IPL 2026 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad through its app and website

IPL 2026: Only aim is to win matches for team, says Angkrish Raghuvanshi

Mumbai and Kolkata Knight Riders' batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi says he judges his performances with how his team fares while he keeps working on multiplying his skills as a top order-batter and wicketkeeper. In a team which has New Zealand's Tim Seifert and uncapped Indian Tejasvi Dahiya as specialist wicketkeepers, Raghuvanshi's skills behind the wickets could be handy for Kolkata Knight Riders who like other teams will be challenged to find their right combination in early stages of the Indian Premier League. "My Mumbai T20 team needed me to keep and so I said why not? It's a new challenge and I enjoyed it a lot and I've been practicing it quite a bit and we'll see what happens with it," Raghuvanshi told PTI in an exclusive interview. With competition for spots in Indian teams across formats intensifying and specialist batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma also working on their bowling skills constantly, Raghuvanshi is in for the tough battle too. But he does not want to lo

IPL 2026: RCB coach Flower backs Impact Sub rule as tactical boost

The Impact Sub rule might have vertically divided the opinion of players and pundits but Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower on Friday termed it a "good innovation" as it offers tactical flexibility to teams in the IPL. Leading voices such as India's Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill and former captain Rohit Sharma thought the Impact Sub rule takes the skill out of the game. "I think it has been a good innovation, it's interesting to be part of it. You're making decisions on the impact player, and I think it's interesting for the audience to debate what's right and what's wrong, so tactically it's quite an interesting addition to the game," Flower said on the eve of IPL's 2026 season-opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad. At the same time, Flower also said the Impact Player rule makes the decision making a bit tricky for the coaching staff. "I must say that one of the things I love about cricket is that when you select an 11, one of the challenges you have is balancing

IPL 2026: Ishan Kishan a confident player and leader, says Vettori

Head coach Daniel Vettori on Friday said that the Sunrisers Hyderabad team management had little hesitation in handing over the stand-in captain's job to Ishan Kishan as he proved to be a "confident player and leader." Regular skipper Pat Cummins will miss the early stages of IPL 2026, owing to a back injury. "I think Ishan's been around in the IPL for a long period of time now. He's been with a number of teams and he's been highly successful, so, he brings in his own confidence around that," Vettori said in the pre-match press meet here on Friday. "The fact that he's led the U19s and his state team and they won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year brings a confident person, a confident player and a really confident leader and those are the attributes that we really looked at when he was appointed. "His combination with Abhishek, they're good friends, they know the team exceptionally well and I really feel like those two will lead from the front this season," he added. It also ma

IPL 2026: Marsh says Pant's openness helps create strong team culture

Mitchell Marsh has heaped praise on Rishabh Pant's leadership, saying the skipper's openness to suggestions has been a key factor behind the positive environment within the Lucknow Super Giants camp. LSG have two international captains in Marsh and Aiden Markram. "It's just about contributing as best you can, being the best support possible for Rishabh. He's a great young guy who leads his team really well. He's always open to feedback, suggestions, and takes on board whatever you say," Marsh told PTI in an interview. "We've got some really good leaders within the group, which you need. And for me, it's about contributing where needed." Emphasising his own approach, Marsh underlined that consistency and team impact remain his primary focus. "Just staying consistent with the way I prepare. Last year was obviously a good year for me personally in terms of my consistency. But the main thing for me is just, how can I impact this team positively and contribute to us winning as many ga

IPL 2026: RCB vs SRH pitch report, highest score, Chinnaswamy Stadium stats

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium returns to the IPL spotlight after nearly a year without hosting matches, and it is expected to stay true to its reputation as a batting paradise