Page 7 - Cricket News

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,"

IPL 2026: Abhishek Sharma fined 25 per cent for dissent at umpire decision

Sunrisers Hyderabad vice-captain Abhishek Sharma has been fined 25 per cent of his match fees and has also accumulated one demerit point for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team's IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders here. He admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.3 and accepted the match referee's sanction. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the match referee's decision is final and binding. He scored 48 runs off 21 deliveries to get SRH to a flier in the powerplay. SRH registered their first win of IPL 2026, with a thumping 65-run win, with Abhishek played his part with the bat, hitting four fours and as many sixes. But he was sanctioned for showing dissent on TV umpire Nitin Menon decision after Varun Chakaravarthy took a diving catch off Blessing Muzarabani the ninth over but there seemed to be no conclusive evidence that the catch was taken cleanly. But Menon deemed the catch to be legal which the batter disagreed and expressed his ...

KKR vs SRH HIGHLIGHTS, IPL 2026: SRH beat hosts KKR by 65 runs to get first points on table

SRH get their first points on the table as KKR's struggle to chase down big totals remains a concern.

IPL 2026 Today's Match: KKR vs SRH playing 11, batters vs bowlers match-ups

Both teams come into the contest after similar defeats in their last game, where strong batting performances were overshadowed by ineffective bowling

IPL 2026: KKR vs SRH playing 11, live toss and match time, streaming

Both teams will be looking for their first win of the season as SRH lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening fixture, while KKR were beaten by Mumbai Indians (MI)

IPL 2026 stats: KKR vs SRH pitch report, Eden Gardens Stadium highest score

Eden Gardens Stadium key stats: Avg 1st inns 182, 200+ twice, 165 lowest defended, 196 chased. Pace leads wickets. KKR win % 57 overall, 33 in 2025; SRH struggle here with 27 win %.

Batting at number four gave me confidence: Rizvi after winning knock vs LSG

Young Delhi Capitals batter Sameer Rizvi grabbed the the opportunity to bat at number four with both hands and said his only focus now is to maintain the consistency going forward in the IPL. Rizvi gave ample display of his talent, coming in as an 'Impact Player' to help Delhi Capitals get past Lucknow Super Giants by six wickets after a shaky start here on Wednesday. Chasing 142, DC were reduced to 26 for 4 within first five overs but Rizvi (70 not out off 47 balls), coming in for T Natarajan, conjured an unbroken 119-run stand for the fifth wicket with the seasoned Tristan Stubbs (39 not out off 32 balls) to chase down the target in just 17.1 overs. Rizvi showed exemplary maturity during his knock and hit five fours and four sixes on a tricky track. "Coaches told me before that you will play at No.4 position and we will back you. You just play your natural, positive game," said the 22-year-old Uttar Pradesh cricketer. "Whenever I play for UP or in UPT20 league, I bat at no.4 an

Mumbai metropolitan region to get massive 1 lakh seat cricket stadium soon

Mumbai cricket chief Ajinkya Naik has met officials of the the state government to expedite the development of a one lakh capacity stadium in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Naik recently met officials from City And Industrial Development Corporation Of Maharashtra Ltd (CIDCO) to discuss the mega project that has been proposed for a while. "This initiative marks a defining moment for Maharashtra's sporting ecosystem. A 1 lakh capacity stadium in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region will not only elevate Mumbai cricket but also firmly position Maharashtra on the global sporting map. "This world-class infrastructure will create unparalleled opportunities for player development, provide critical exposure to emerging talent, and strengthen the cricketing ecosystem across all levels," said Naik in a statement.