Author: Staff Reporter

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have begun preparing their players for the upcoming 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). Although the new season is still three months away, the franchise has decided to send some of its bowlers to South Africa to train with their sister franchise, Durban Super Giants (DSG), during the SA20, which begins on December 26. Frontline pacers such as Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan are the most likely to travel to South Africa, while players like Naman Tiwari could join later. These bowlers will work with Bharat Arun, who is part of the Durban Super Giants coaching staff.…

Karnataka’s Krishnappa Gowtham on Monday announced his retirement from competitive cricket at the age of 37. Gowtham, who made his debut for Karnataka in the 2011–12 season, ended his 14-year cricketing career with 395 wickets across formats and 2,785 runs to his name. The Bengaluru-based cricketer made the announcement at a press conference at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday, December 22, in the presence of his family, officials from the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and members of the media. Speaking at the press conference, Gowtham read out a heartfelt statement, saying, “I would like to let…

Amit Mishra opened up about his playing days under MS Dhoni, dismissing the myth that his career would have flourished if Dhoni had not been the skipper at that time. Speaking on MensXP, Amit said that he made several comebacks under the legendary captain, and those would not have been possible without Dhoni’s backing. “People say if Dhoni was not there, my career would have been better. But who knows, if he was not there, maybe I would not even have been in the team. I came into the team under him only. And I kept making a comeback. He…

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised Jacob Duffy for his excellent performances this year and alsoapplauded Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for picking him at a low price at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Reacting to Duffy’s stunning performances against the West Indies, Ashwin lauded him on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “What a cricketer Jacob Duffy is turning out to be. 2025 has been his coming-of-age year. 23 wickets at 15.43, 40.3 strike rate and MOS in the Tests against Windies. He’s also the current #2 ranked T20I bowler, with a sensational 2025 in T20s with 57 wickets at 18.9, 7.89…

Australian batting all-rounder Cooper Connolly shared his excitement about joining Punjab Kings (PBKS) for IPL 2026. He also spoke about working under PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting, the former Australia captain who won five ICC trophies. During a virtual media interaction, Connolly revealed that he had no prior discussion with Ponting or anyone from PBKS. Answering a question from NDTV, he said, “No, there was no kind of communication between me and him (Ponting) before the auction. I was quite nervous and didn’t know which team was going to bid for me. I was just sitting there and watching the…

India’s former captain Rohit Sharma recently shared his views on how tough it is to play cricket in Australia. His comments came after England were seen struggling in the ongoing Ashes series. Rohit explained why Australia is the most difficult place for visiting teams. Speaking at an event in Gurugram, Rohit said, “Australia maine khelna sabse difficult hai, aap England ko puch hi sakteho,” which means, “Playing in Australia is the most difficult, you can ask England about it.” Rohit took the example of England’s performance in the 2025–26 Ashes series. England have lost the first three Tests, and the…

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) assistant coach Shane Watson praised head coach Abhishek Nayar for his deep knowledge of Indian domestic cricketers. Speaking on KKR’s YouTube channel, Watson said that he had full faith in Nayar’s ability to identify and secure quality talent from Indian domestic cricket. “I’ll say this straight away, I think Abhishek Nayar knows just about every cricketer on the planet. His understanding of Indian domestic players, their stats, where they’re at, what they’ve been doing recently, the depth of his intel – it’s extraordinary. I’m not sure I’ve come across anyone with that level of knowledge across…

Former India captain Rohit Sharma recently opened up about his feelings after India’s loss to Australia in the final of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. Speaking at a Masters’ Union event, Rohit admitted that it took him some time to move on from the hangover of that heartbreaking defeat. “After 2023 World Cup final, I was completely distraught and felt like I didn’t want to play this sport anymore because it had taken everything out of me and I felt I had nothing left. It took some time and I kept reminding myself that this is something I truly…

India’s star batter Jemimah Rodrigues played a key role in India Women’s strong start to the T20I series against Sri Lanka. Jemimah’s knock helped India secure an eight-wicket victory at their home ground, Visakhapatnam, in the first match of the five-match series. During the post-match presentation, Jemimah spoke about her approach and the goal for the team. She said, “100% That was the mindset, when the runs are coming, I need to capitalise. I will still find the gaps. For me, it was to understand the conditions. It was slightly sticky, not as flat as everyone initially thought. I was…

England head coach Brendon McCullum admitted that mistakes were made in the team’s preparation after Australia defeated England in the third Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval. With that win, the hosts retained the Ashes by taking an unassailable 3–0 lead in the series on December 21. Speaking to reporters after the defeat in the third Test, McCullum accepted that England’s preparation had not been sufficient. “I’m sure there will be plenty of questions asked, and rightfully so,” he said. “We haven’t got everything right, and I haven’t got everything right as a coach either. Ultimately, as head coach, you…