India needs four wickets to complete victory in the second Test after Sri Lanka reached 229 for six in their second innings at Colombo. Shubman Gill enforced the follow-on after Sri Lanka were bowled out for 290 in their first innings.

Pasindu Sooriyabandara scored 92 and Kamindu Mendis made 55 before three late wickets gave India control. Sonal Dinusha remains unbeaten on 103 after scoring his second century of the series. Shubman Gill took a diving catch at square leg in the 44th over to end a 115-run partnership.

Rain forced an early end to day four proceedings. Persistent wet weather on day five threatens to deny India a 2-0 series sweep despite their dominant position.

India needs four wickets to complete victory in the second Test after Sri Lanka reached 229 for six in their second innings at Colombo. Shubman Gill enforced the follow-on after Sri Lanka were bowled out for 290.

Pasindu Sooriyabandara scored 92 and Kamindu Mendis made 55 before three late wickets gave India control. Sonal Dinusha remains unbeaten on 103 after scoring his second century of the series.

Rain forced an early end to day four proceedings. Persistent wet weather on day five threatens to deny India a 2-0 series sweep.

India needs four wickets to complete victory in the second Test after Sri Lanka reached 229 for six in their second innings at Colombo. Shubman Gill enforced the follow-on after Sri Lanka were bowled out for 290 in their first innings.

Pasindu Sooriyabandara scored 92 and Kamindu Mendis made 55 before three late wickets gave India control. Sonal Dinusha remains unbeaten on 103 after scoring his second century of the series. Shubman Gill took a diving catch at square leg in the 44th over to end a 115-run partnership.

Rain forced an early end to day four proceedings. Persistent wet weather on day five threatens to deny India a 2-0 series sweep.

Venkatesh Iyer didn't blink moving from KKR to RCB. He's cool with bench time. Defending champs don't need heroes every game. He praises Mo Bobat's setup and Rajat Patidar's lead. Virat Kohli brings that edge, always.

KKR chased 156 at Eden to beat RR by four wickets. RCB posted 175 at Chinnaswamy, lost by six to DC. Iyer's economy in limited overs stays solid. Duty trumps sentiment. He left KKR on good terms. No tears.

IPL lads grow up fast. Emotional pulls fade against pay packets and silverware. Iyer gets it. Support the machine. Grab chances when they come. RCB staff keeps him sharp. Patidar trusts the pecking order. Maturity, plain.

Mitchell Marsh had a groin niggle at the T20 World Cup. Australia exited in the group stage. Now he's with Lucknow Super Giants. They sit ninth. Playoffs look distant.

LSG's top order has struggled. Prince Yadav and Shami have kept games close. Punjab Kings posted 254/7 last outing. Priyansh Arya made 93 off 37 balls. Cooper Connolly hit 87 off 46. LSG fell 54 runs short. Marsh didn't contribute. Three losses in a row. Rajasthan Royals up next.

Forget the excuses. International spots don't wait for injury recoveries. IPL form sways selectors. Marsh gets that. Bat at three. Bowl the death. LSG's final six games will shape his path—or not.

242 for 2. Sunrisers Hyderabad's total against Delhi Capitals at Uppal. Abhishek Sharma unbeaten on 135 from 68 balls. ESPNcricinfo data shows he took strike for the first delivery and the last. That's 20 overs of adaptation on a pitch that gripped.

Travis Head made 37 off 26. Heinrich Klaasen 37* off 13 to finish. Ishan Kishan chipped in 25 off 13. DC managed 195 for 9. Eshan Malinga claimed 4 for 32. Harsh Dubey took 3 for 12 in two overs. Per CricViz, Abhishek's strike rate sat below his prior ton, yet he anchored through pace and spin. Pinch-hitting stayed selective—10 fours, 10 sixes spread out. No rash hoicks. This marks his shift: consistency over chaos in T20's bombast.

Previous outing, SRH defended 194/9 against CSK. Now third win on trot. DC came off a 6-wicket chase over RCB. Abhishek faced 34% of deliveries, per ESPNcricinfo. Deadpan fact: uppal's floodlights caught those sixes just right. Evolution clear. He bats deep now. High-scoring IPL demands it.

Abhishek Sharma faced the first ball. He saw off the last too. Unbeaten 135 from 68 balls at a strike rate of 198. Slower than his prior innings. ESPNcricinfo data shows the shift. SRH coach shaped him for control on a slow pitch.

Pinch-hitting turned anchor. High control percentage. He prioritized team needs. SRH reached 242 for 2. DC replied with 195 for 9. Malinga claimed 4 for 32. Dubey took 3 for 12. Nitish Rana made 57 for DC. Deadpan fact. SR 198 marks maturity, not fireworks.

Style mixes Pathan control and Kohli aggression. CricViz metrics record a 12% rise in control from last season. Batted through all 20 overs. Adapted to the pitch's grip. That positions him atop the Orange Cap race with 323 runs.

Lancashire captain James Anderson said 'I Can't Ever Be A Replacement' about the ECB's County Championship injury sub trial per Wisden. He made the comment after denials for like-for-like substitutions due to his experience level. Anderson called the rule nonsensical as it bars veterans from replacements.

The trial allows injured players to be subbed but rejects mismatches in skill or seniority. Anderson advocates gathering feedback to potentially scrap the policy entirely. Lancashire faced issues implementing subs in recent matches under the experimental setup.

ECB introduced the rule to maintain game flow but player criticism highlights practical flaws. Anderson's stance underscores tensions between innovation and traditional risk elements in cricket. A review could end the trial if mismatches persist across counties.

ECB banned Samit Patel for 12 months. He played in the World Legends Pro T20 League. That broke rules. Now he's retired from English domestic cricket. The 41-year-old won't appeal. He'd skip that Goa stint if he'd known.

Patel earned 60 caps for England. County cricket lost a seasoned allrounder. Franchises beckon overseas. Global T20s pay better. Boards clamp down harder. Aging players pick sides. Patel chose leagues. ECB chose control.

County openers roll on. Batsmen stack runs in Division One and Two. No one's missed a beat yet. But cracks show. Players eye the exit. Boards dig in. Patel's move sets the tone. Retirement papers filed. Ban served. Game moves fast.

Nitish Reddy's clocking more speed now. James Franklin spotted it right away. SRH's assistant coach called out the all-rounder's sharper pace and smarter lines in IPL 2026.

He bowls tidy overs in powerplay, middle phase, death. That's gold when your attack's thin. Franklin didn't stop there. Reddy chips in with the bat too—strike rate's humming at 160 from those cameos. Pat Cummins sits out with back trouble, not ready till Rajasthan Royals on April 25. Vettori confirmed it.

Against Delhi Capitals at Uppal, Hyderabad posted 242/2. Nitish Rana leaked 55 off four at 13.75 economy. DC's chasing zeros so far. Uppal's flat tracks punish bowlers who can't adapt. Reddy does. His economy sat at 5.8 last time out. Franklin pushes for consistency next. SRH and DC both on six points. This edge matters.

Look, here's the thing. Eshan Malinga grabs 4 wickets. Sakib Hussain backs him up. They defend a total against DC on a flat track. Reverse swing bites late. Slower balls at 107kph fox the hitters. Pace off between 107 and 145. SRH wins. Coach Varun Aaron nods at the shift. No more leaning just on batsmen.

Batter-friendly pitches everywhere this IPL. Everyone blasts away early. But Malinga and Hussain adapt. They mix it up. DC chases but crumbles. SRH posts big, sure. Bowling seals it now. That's the tactical shift. Aaron calls it evolution. Intent merchants in the top order? Fine. But pacers taming T20 frenzy? Game feels different.

Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi pitch turned slow. Still, these two hold firm. Four-fer from Malinga. Hussain's cutters grip. DC's middle order folds. SRH climbs points table. Eight points now. Ties RCB. Batting firepower stays. Bowling depth grows. Watch this brew.

Tilak Varma walked in with MI at 20-odd for 2. He left unbeaten on 101 off 45 balls. Mumbai Indians won by 99 runs. Gujarat Titans collapsed to 100 all out in 16 overs.

Naman Dhir laid a base—45 off 32. Tilak exploded after. Eight fours. Seven sixes. MI hit 199 for 5. Ashwani Kumar ripped through with 4 for 24. Mitchell Santner took 2 for 16. Jasprit Bumrah leaked just 15 in three overs (economy sat at 5). GT's Mohammed Siraj got 1 for 25. Kagiso Rabada 3 for 33. Too late. Washington Sundar topped their scores with 26.

MI snapped a four-match skid. They'd lost to PBKS last outing. GT had chased down KKR five wickets before. Tilak rescued from dire straits—joint-quickest MI century. Clutch now. Ashwani's spell crushed any hope. Motera fell silent.

Henry Nicholls remembers his Test debut vividly. Ball nipping around. He hung in there.

That set the tone for a decade in black caps. First century followed. Then the 2019 World Cup final at number four. He adapted to whatever the pitch demanded. 2021 World Test Championship win capped it. Nicholls shifted roles. Team first. He pushed young guns like Rachin Ravindra. Told them to grab chances. In the recent ODI versus Bangladesh at Mirpur, Nicholls made 68. Helped post 247 for 8. NZ won by 26 runs.

Career turns on those moments. Mentorship now defines him. Ravindra waits in the wings.

BCB honored Rubel Hossain before the second ODI against New Zealand at Sher-e-Bangla. Former teammates attended. Tamim Iqbal was there. They gave him a framed jersey and a crest. He thanked everyone.

Pace bowler. Clutch moments defined him—like that 2015 World Cup final over against South Africa. He's taken 300-plus wickets across formats. BCB chose his home ground. Peers joined. Straight respect, no extras.

Ceremonies happen more these days. Rubel's came mid-series as he retires. New Zealand waited. Bangladesh eyes a win. Pace attack rebuilds without him.

One year. That's Dasun Shanaka's PSL ban.

ESPNcricinfo reports the PCB imposed it after he breached his Lahore Qalandars contract to join Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026. Shanaka apologized. The board cut the sanction from longer.

Players pick sides now. PSL loses allrounders to IPL paydays. Shanaka's case fits a pattern—Blessing Muzarabani drew a ban earlier for the same switch. Lahore Qalandars pushed the complaint. PCB enforces no-tolerance. Shanaka sits out PSL 2027. Royals gain a middle-order hitter and seamer who swings it both ways at Gaddafi.

Apologies buy half-off deals, but not full pardons. Leagues bid up player loyalty. PSL auction pools shrink. IPL absorbs talent. Boards dig in. Shanaka chose cash over calendar. Others watch. Contracts multiply clauses yearly. Per CricViz, 12% of overseas PSL slots went unfilled last season from no-shows. ESPNcricinfo data shows contracts tighten as leagues clash.

Marco Jansen's first ball at Mullanpur dipped into the pitch. Left-arm swing met the seamers' bite. Punjab Kings defended 254 against Lucknow Super Giants. They won by 54 runs. LSG reached 200 for 5.

Jansen took 2 for 37 off four overs. His economy hit 9.25. Arshdeep Singh conceded 41 but claimed one wicket. Xavier Bartlett went for 13.50 without success. Vyshak Vijaykumar bowled four overs for 30 runs and one wicket. Yuzvendra Chahal spun through 4-36-1. Five bowlers switched roles. They took wickets then choked the death overs. IPL pitches now deliver 200-plus totals every week. PBKS prepared for it. Jansen's 6ft 8in frame brings frontline pace. Arshdeep swings the ball late. Bartlett offers Aussie accuracy. Chahal's googlies pair with Vyshak's seam-up cutters. No one type rules. LSG needed 54 more. Shashank Singh's 17 off 6 balls shaped the chase early. Prabhsimran Singh fell first ball.

Numbers reveal the variety. Despite Himmat Singh's not-out knock, LSG stayed under par. PBKS handled pressure chases before. This attack changes the template. Aggression pairs with control—no weak links.