Author: Staff Reporter

India’s wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand after suffering a side strain during a practice session in Vadodara. Pant got injured while batting in the nets ahead of the first match on January 11. Dhruv Jurel will be replacing him in the 15-member squad. The BCCI shared a detailed update in its official statement, which stated, “Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant felt a sudden onset discomfort in his right lateral abdominal area while batting in the nets during India’s practice session on Saturday afternoon at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara.” The board added, “He…

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes Varun Chakravarthy could be a crucial player in India’s bid to defend their T20 World Cup title at home. Ganguly feels India’s strong spin attack can make the difference, especially with Chakravarthy, who has emerged as one of the most important bowlers in the squad. In an interaction with PTI, Ganguly highlighted Chakravarthy’s importance to the team. “Yeah, nothing (home WC) gets bigger than that, and India is always my favourite team. They have a strong spin attack and if Chakravarthy is fit then it’s good for India,” Ganguly said. India’s squad includes spinners…

India all-rounder Axar Patel recently revealed a life-changing piece of advice from MS Dhoni that helped him become a better and more confident player. Speaking to The Times of India, Axar said Dhoni advised him to believe more in his batting abilities, which played a key role in reviving his confidence after a difficult phase in his career. “When I got dropped in 2018, I worked very hard on my batting. When MS Dhoni was mentor of the 2021 T20 World Cup team, he told me that in my earlier days, under his captaincy, I put pressure on myself by…

Delhi Capitals (DC) bowler Sneh Rana was at the centre of an unusual incident during the third match of WPL 2026 against the Mumbai Indians (MI), held at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. The incident occurred on the final ball of the 16th over. While attempting to bowl a short delivery, Rana completely lost her grip and the ball slipped out of her hand. It pitched well short of the batter, bounced three times, and slowly rolled down the leg side. The moment became even more intriguing due to MI captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s reaction. She could…

Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her happiness at the team’s 50-run win against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the third match of the WPL 2026, which was played at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. Harmanpreet, who was adjudged Player of the Match for her superb knock, shared insights about her mindset going into this game after losing the season opener to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). “Yeah, it was a great game for us. I’m really happy with the way we played today,” the MI skipper said at the post-match presentation. “Obviously, we were very disappointed yesterday,…

Ashleigh Gardner, captain of Gujarat Giants (GG), expressed her happiness after their 10-run win against UP Warriorz (UPW) in the ongoing WPL 2026 at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. She pointed out that their fielding was one of the turning points of the match. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, she said: “I felt we probably needed close to 200. Phoebe hit the ball beautifully from ball one, and we knew that would be a competitive target. We bowled well in patches and there are plenty of learnings with both bat and ball, but I thought our fielding was…

Jemimah Rodrigues, who was the star for India in the semi-final of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 against Australia, recently shared a vivid memory from India’s 2023 Test against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium, when Australian captain Alyssa Healy sledged Richa Ghosh and the Indian wicketkeeper-batter gave a stunning reply. Speaking to Gaurav Kapoor on Breakfast with Champions, Jemimah said: “I’ll tell you what happened. Richa and I were batting together, and I kept talking to her — between overs as well — saying things like ‘Good shot’ and ‘Well done’. From behind the stumps, Alyssa Healy joked,…

Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Smriti Mandhana praised Nadine de Klerk for her all-round performance, which led them to a thrilling three-wicket win against Mumbai Indians in the opening match of the WPL 2026. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Smriti said: “Yeah, I think for the first match of the WPL, it was a thriller. And RCB are known for playing thrillers. Last year, we were on the receiving end of these matches, so I’m happy that we pulled it off. Brilliant from Nadine to finish the match like that. Everyone was pretty positive. We were having a laugh. Even when…

India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad has created history by becoming the batter with the highest average in List A cricket. He overtook Australian legend Michael Bevan during the Vijay Hazare Trophy match between Maharashtra and Goa on January 8 in Jaipur. Gaikwad finished unbeaten on 134 off 131 balls, an innings laced with eight boundaries and six maximums. After yet another memorable knock in a 50-over game, his List A average has risen to 58.83, surpassing Bevan’s long-standing record of 57.86. The right-handed batter now has 5,060 runs in List A cricket at an impressive strike rate of 102.20. The Chennai…

Former England batter Kevin Pietersen has suggested bringing back Andy Flower as the coach of the England cricket team. Pietersen shared his thoughts on X and wrote: “This is a WILD thought. I reckon one of my wildest. Can England bring back Andy Flower now that he’s changed and in line with the modern-day player? He gets Test Cricket. I’ve been told by many players that he’s changed his ways since our drama. He’s winning leagues so really does get the modern day player. VERY IMPORTANT! Wild, I know! Thoughts?” England suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Australia in the…