Page 8 - Cricket News

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.

SA batter Rassie Van der Dussen announces retirement from int'l cricket

Left out of this year's centrally-contracted list, South Africa batter Rassie van der Dussen on Thursday announced his international retirement without specifying any reasons but said he will remain available for his domestic side Lions. The 37-year-old from Johannesburg, who hasn't turned up in national colours since March last year, payed 18 Tests, 71 ODIs and 57 T20 Internationals after making his debut in 2018 as a 29-year-old. "It is with a proud heart and a profound sense of gratitude that I announce my retirement from international cricket," van der Dussen said in a statement on 'X'. "To wear the Proteas jersey is a feat that demands a level of resilience and dedication that both tests, and rewards you in the most incredible way. To have played for my country has been the greatest honour of my life. "While my time in a Proteas shirt has come to an end, my journey is not over. I will continue to play for my beloved Lions, and I am committed to giving back to this beautiful ga

IPL 2026: Sri Lanka's Thushara seeks court intervention to play for RCB

Sri Lankan fast bowler Nuwan Thushara on Thursday sought a court order to secure his playing rights in the ongoing IPL after the country's cricket board refused to grant him a No Objection Certificate due to "failed fitness tests". The 31-year-old, who is contracted to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, filed a case in the Colombo District Court, seeking an order directing Sri Lanka Cricket to issue the NOC. The case has been fixed for hearing on April 9. According to local media reports, the player with 30 T20 international appearances for his country since 2022, has pleaded that his contract with the SLC ended on March 31 and he had no desire to seek an extension. He said he had told the SLC about his wish to end his international career. Therefore, denial of NOC citing failed fitness tests should be set aside by the court. SLC had made fitness tests mandatory to be picked for the national team. However, Thushara said his fitness levels were never found wanting and he had been allowe

IPL 2026: Kevin Pietersen doubtful over Rishabh Pant's opener role for LSG

Kevin Pietersen has questioned Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant's credentials as a top-order batter, saying that featuring in the top three would be going "a little too far ahead" for the India wicketkeeper-batter. Pant was run out at the non-striker's end for 7 (9 balls) when the ball brushed the bowler Mukesh Kumar's fingers and broke the wickets, as LSG were shot out for 141 in 18.4 overs in their IPL season-opener, against Delhi Capitals. After LSG lost the contest by six wickets, Pant said he plans to bat in the top order this season, a move which Pietersen says will not let him enjoy his cricket as much. "I think it's a 50-50 call, but we'll see. But (you'll) definitely see me in the top order," he told the broadcaster. Pietersen is not in favour of Pant opening the innings. "When you look at the strength and depth of LSG's batting, is Rishabh Pant really an opening batter? I think he might have gone a little too far ahead of where he was in the line-up compared to

LSG vs DC HIGHLIGHTS, IPL 2026: Sameer Rizvi-Stubbs century stand gives DC opening win at Ekana

On a night where bowler's had the upper hand, it was Sameer Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs who stood apart, putting up a 119*-run stand to chase down the modest total of 142 on the night.

IPL 2026 live streaming: Where to watch LSG vs DC cricket match live?

JioHotstar in India will stream the IPL 2026 match between Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals through their app and website

IPL 2026 sets new viewership record with 515 million opening weekend reach

The opening matches generated a staggering 32.6 billion minutes of watch-time, marking a 26% increase compared to the previous season's first two games.

IPL 2026: LSG vs DC Playing 11, live toss and match time, streaming

Both LSG and DC had almost similar fates in the last edition, as they got off to a brilliant start but a steep downfall in form in the latter half saw them finish outside the top four in the points ta

IPL 2026 LSG vs DC: Pitch report, highest score, Lucknow Stadium key stats

Lucknow Super Giants have played 21 matches in the IPL at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, out of which they have won nine matches and have been on the losing end on 11 occasions

IPL 2026 Today's Match: LSG vs DC playing 11, batters vs bowlers matchups

Heading into the new season, both LSG and DC will be desperate not just for a winning start but for consistency across phases, something that eluded them last year

IPL 2026: Auqib Nabi in spotlight amid DC's pace selection dilemma

Aqib Nabi enters IPL 2026 on the back of a breakthrough domestic season, having played a central role in Jammu and Kashmir's triumphant Ranji Trophy 2025-26 campaign

India set to return to Zimbabwe after two years for three-match T20I series

his will be India's first tour of Zimbabwe since July 2024, when the two sides contested a five-match T20I series, which India won 4-1

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