Chennai Super Kings have been told to define Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s future role before selecting a replacement for Stephen Fleming. Fleming’s 18-year tenure as head coach ended after the 2026 season.

Former England captain Eoin Morgan remains the leading candidate according to reports. Former India opener Kris Srikkanth has suggested Michael Hussey as an alternative.

The appointment is expected before the IPL 2027 auction cycle begins. Dhoni remains under contract as a player, though the franchise must decide whether he continues in a non-playing capacity.

Mumbai Indians crashed out of IPL playoffs after RCB chased 167 on the last ball at Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium. Bhuvneshwar Kumar took four for 23 -- economy at 5.75, which stood out amid the chaos -- and smashed the winning six. Krunal Pandya anchored with 73 off 46 balls from 39 for three. MI managed 166 for seven with Tilak Varma's 57 off 42 the best knock. Eight defeats in 11 matches tell the story.

Coach Mahela Jayawardene pointed to injuries hitting Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Mitchell Santner -- all core players. Lineups shuffled every game. Rookies like Raj Angad Bawa bowled the final over at 13 an over. Inconsistencies piled up, but the real issue runs deeper. Franchises pack stars yet skimp on redundancy. One hamstring pull and the whole deck collapses. RCB proved depth works -- Jacob Bethell steadied with 27 off 27, Hazlewood took one for 33.

MI defended their final-over bowler despite the loss. Jayawardene called the season disappointing. Squad architecture demands more than injury talk. Build layers or watch stars sit idle. Playoffs reward teams that plan for absences, not ones that pray for fitness. RCB surged to the top table. MI head home early.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased down 167 on the last ball at Raipur, beating Mumbai Indians by two wickets. Bhuvneshwar Kumar did the heavy lifting twice — first taking 4 for 23 to restrict MI to 166 for seven, then walking in at the death and hitting the winning six.

Krunal Pandya carried the chase with an unbeaten 73 off 46 balls, steadying things after RCB collapsed to 39 for three. Tilak Varma (57 off 42) and Naman Dhir (47 off 32) got MI to a competitive total, but Corbin Bosch's 4 for 26 and Deepak Chahar's two for 33 kept them short. Josh Hazlewood took one for 33.

The result sends RCB to the top of the points table and knocks Mumbai Indians out of playoff contention. Virat Kohli fell for a duck to Chahar — his second in succession this season.

Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals by 77 runs on Sunday at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Shubman Gill smashed 84 off 44 balls and Sai Sudharsan chipped in 55 off 36 to get GT to 229 for four. Rashid Khan then dismantled RR's chase, taking four for 33 to bowl them out for 152 in 16.3 overs.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi's 36 off 16 and Ravindra Jadeja's 38 off 25 came too late. Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj shared the early damage, while Brijesh Sharma got two for 47 in a losing effort. It's GT's fourth straight win — they're up to second on 14 points, and their playoff odds sit at 72.52% once net run rate is factored in.

RR captain Yashasvi Jaiswal put GT in after Riyan Parag pulled up lame with a hamstring. The decision looked worse when Jofra Archer bowled an 11-ball over that leaked 18 runs with three wides — bowling control fell apart at exactly the moment it mattered most.

Rashid Khan has admitted he made a critical error by returning to IPL cricket too soon after back surgery. Two months post-operation, he felt ready. He wasn't.

IPL 2025 exposed the cost. Nine wickets across 15 matches. His form flatlined. By 2026, with proper recovery behind him, he took 15 wickets in 11 games—including 4 for 33 against Rajasthan Royals.

The IPL schedule didn't help. Seventy-four matches compressed into seven weeks leaves no space for genuine rehabilitation. Rashid knew surgeons recommend three to six months after such procedures. He gave himself two. Back spasms lingered through the season. Gujarat Titans paid the price, losing momentum mid-year when their lead spinner wasn't fully fit.

His public acknowledgment points to a wider tension in cricket: players chase immediate opportunity—paydays, squad selection, team needs—while bodies demand time. Peak performance rarely survives that trade-off.

Mitchell Starc claimed the number one position in the ICC Test bowling rankings for the first time in his career after taking 10 wickets against Bangladesh in Mackay. The Australian left-armer's haul of 6 for 12 and 4 for 39 helped Australia secure an innings-and-51-run victory inside two days.

Starc's 872 rating points moved him 10 points ahead of Jasprit Bumrah, ending the Indian pacer's reign at the top after more than two years. The 36-year-old also leads the list of bowlers with most wickets in the current World Test Championship cycle.

Bumrah's latest period at number one lasted only two months. Starc moved past Ravichandran Ashwin and Chaminda Vaas on the all-time Test wicket-takers list during the match against Bangladesh.

Urvil Patel scored a fifty off 13 balls for Chennai Super Kings against Lucknow Super Giants at MA Chidambaram Stadium. The effort equalled Yashasvi Jaiswal's IPL record and powered CSK to chase 204 with five wickets in hand. Patel made 65 off 23 balls including eight sixes for his maiden IPL fifty.

Jamie Overton took three for 36 to hold LSG to 203 for eight after Josh Inglis scored 85. Anshul Kamboj claimed two for 47 in CSK's bowling. The win marked CSK's third straight victory and lifted them to fifth on the points table.

Urvil Patel credited his coach's advice on a stable base and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad's pitch reading tips, per Times of India. He said he just wanted to play simple shots in the post-match comments.

The BCCI has warned IPL players and their families against posting content from venues and team travel. The crackdown targets footage that could expose tactical information, lineups, and middle-order plans to rival teams.

Franchises cited security vulnerabilities as the core concern. Posts revealing ground layouts, team movements, or practice sessions create openings for intelligence gathering—particularly in an era when spot-fixing risks remain live. Boards now restrict what players can film and share, tightening control over the narrative around team operations.

Players who post face sanctions. The rule applies equally to families using social media. Broadcasters must also submit content for approval before publishing, ensuring no unvetted material reaches the public.

BCCI bans filming at IPL venues. Players, officials, families included. Reason: anti-corruption fears from 'reel culture'. An ex-player shoots YouTube near dugouts. Now legal action looms.

Arshdeep Singh got told to stop. Board wants narrative control. Security risks too. Players lose agency. Social media shaped careers. Now paranoia reshapes it. Old school wins over new.

Game went soft on phones. Pros used clips for brands. BCCI sees threats. Dugout views leak tactics. Ex-player crossed line. Court sets example. Player voice fades. Culture shifts hard. Agency shrinks in spotlight. Rules tighten grip.

The BCCI has tightened restrictions on social media content at IPL venues ahead of the 2026 season. Players posting from dugouts, families filming celebrations, and influencers in restricted zones now risk corruption charges. The board views each phone as a potential leak point in an ecosystem where a single viral clip—a gesture, a bench signal—can reach fixers within hours.

For IPL 2026, enforcement measures include reprimands for commentary personnel capturing unauthorized footage, surprise checks at team hotels and airports, and removal of posts that breach designated zones. The move draws on data from past probes: 70% of actionable intelligence came from public visuals. The 2013 spot-fixing bans demonstrated how reels amplify reach—millions see content in hours, not days.

The tension is structural. IPL generates $1 billion annually from broadcast deals and fan-generated content. That same visibility creates openings: a dressing-room reel, a pitch-side stunt by an influencer. Social media shifted from marketing asset to operational liability. Teams now choose between unfiltered moments and reduced exposure. As playoffs approach and stakes climb, fewer candid shots will escape the ground.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Mumbai Indians by two wickets on the last ball to chase 167 at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. The victory eliminated Mumbai Indians from IPL 2026 playoff contention and moved RCB to the top of the points table. Krunal Pandya scored an unbeaten 73 off 46 balls with four fours and five sixes to steer the chase from 39 for three. Bhuvneshwar Kumar took four wickets for 23 runs and hit the winning six in the final over.

Mumbai Indians posted 166 for seven after RCB captain Rajat Patidar chose to bowl first on the black-soil pitch. Tilak Varma made 57 off 42 balls and Naman Dhir scored 47 off 32 balls for MI's highest contributions. Josh Hazlewood claimed one for 33 and Rasikh Dar Salam took one for 42 in RCB's bowling effort. Deepak Chahar dismissed Virat Kohli for a golden duck, his second in succession after the prior match against Lucknow Super Giants.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar earned player of the match for his all-round display, per ESPNcricinfo. He said he enjoyed the winning six more than his four wickets and credited domestic leagues for his discipline. The result also ended Lucknow Super Giants' playoff hopes. Hardik Pandya missed the game due to back spasms with Suryakumar Yadav captaining MI in ninth place.

England's men's team will host five-Test series against South Africa and Pakistan in the future FTP. The ECB balances this with one-off Tests overseas in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh alongside white-ball tours — a shift that supports World Test Championship expansion to 12 teams.

Longer home series mean bigger crowds, better revenues, and deeper rivalries. Five Tests allow teams to settle in, adapt, and prepare properly. Overseas one-offs fill gaps without bloating the calendar.

It's a fragmentation of sorts: nations are now protecting bilateral home strength over balanced tours. The ECB joins Australia and India in hosting multi-Test series regularly — a trend driven by T20 leagues draining attention and money from red-ball cricket. The WTC expansion sweetens the deal, but it's clear boards are choosing security at home over symmetry in the fixture list.