Rashid Khan's unavailability leaves Afghanistan's spin department exposed ahead of the India tour. Coach Raees Ahmedzai has made it clear: Qais Ahmad and the rest of the unit have to step up.

Under new head coach Richard Pybus, the side's adapting on the fly. Other spinners are now carrying the workload that Rashid's shouldered alone in previous campaigns.

The upcoming matches will show whether the bench can hold the line. How they perform will shape the team's long-term planning around the spin attack.

Former England captain Mike Smith has died at the age of 92. Smith led England in nine Tests during the 1960s and played 50 first-class matches for Gloucestershire. His death was confirmed on Thursday.

Rajasthan Royals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in the IPL Eliminator at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium. Royals posted 243 for 8. Sunrisers replied with 196 all out.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made 97 off 29 balls and struck 12 sixes. Jofra Archer took 3 for 58 as Royals held on and moved into the next round.

Royals had beaten Mumbai Indians by 30 runs in their previous match.

The BCCI stated that it cannot micro-manage the schedules of IPL franchises amid a packed calendar of international and domestic fixtures. Its oversight role now focuses on overall fixture planning rather than minute adjustments to franchise timetables.

Workload concerns have grown as teams balance the IPL with national team commitments and other T20 leagues. This leaves franchises responsible for monitoring bowler overs and batter rest periods in real time.

The discussion follows repeated calls from players and support staff for clearer guidelines on rest and recovery. Future workload disputes will centre on franchise-level decisions rather than board directives.

Rajasthan Royals secured a playoff spot in IPL 2026 after defeating Mumbai Indians by 30 runs at Wankhede Stadium, posting 205 for 8 and holding them to 175 for 9.

The blueprint was ruthless: rotate through up to 20 players, break the mould on Impact Player picks by promoting Jofra Archer, and ride Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Archer's form under captain Riyan Parag. Last season they imploded. This season, they're in the playoffs.

The depth-first approach worked because Royals stopped asking which eleven were untouchable — they asked who could win on any given day. It's not rocket science, but it's a stark contrast to the fixed-XI thinking that cost them last time.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Gujarat Titans by 92 runs in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala. Rajat Patidar smashed 93 off 33 balls — nine sixes — to push RCB to 254 for 5, and GT couldn't chase. They folded for 162.

Scores above 200 have become almost automatic at this ground. Punjab Kings reached 200 for 3 against Lucknow earlier in the season but still fell short. RCB themselves conceded 255 for 4 to Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last match before this qualifier.

GT's top order crumbled against pace and spin. Rahul Tewatia top-scored with 68 off 43, but there was no one else. Jacob Duffy took 3 for 39, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2 for 28.

Rajasthan Royals scored 205 for 8 and then restricted Mumbai Indians to 175 for 9 to win by 30 runs at the Wankhede Stadium on the final day of the IPL 2026 league stage. Jofra Archer scored 32 off 15 balls and took 3 for 17, while Dhruv Jurel made 38 and Dasun Shanaka added 29. Mumbai Indians rested Jasprit Bumrah for workload management, with Deepak Chahar and others sharing the bowling duties. Rajasthan's win secured the fourth playoff spot and eliminated Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.

Rajasthan Royals chose to promote Archer ahead of Ravindra Jadeja's Impact Player entry, a move that allowed them to attack early with the bat and then use Archer's pace in the powerplay. Archer's 4-over spell cost just 17 runs and removed three wickets. Mumbai Indians replied with Suryakumar Yadav's 60, but the target proved beyond them on a pitch that slowed in the second innings.

The result confirms Rajasthan Royals as the final team in the IPL 2026 playoffs alongside the top three sides from the league table.

Jasprit Bumrah has taken four wickets in 13 IPL matches at an average of 102.50 — his weakest return in the IPL despite being one of the game's leading bowlers.

The BCCI's call was deliberate. With the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA coming up, they opted to rest him and blood fresh pace options instead. It's a calculated sacrifice of franchise performance for international readiness.

India named Rohit Sharma captain and Bumrah vice-captain for the World Cup squad, alongside Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. The rest of the XI filled with newer faces for the limited-overs push.

Shreyas Iyer scored 101 not out from 51 balls as Punjab Kings chased down 197 to beat Lucknow Super Giants by seven wickets at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. The innings ended a six-match losing streak for the side and lifted them to fifth on the points table. Iyer said he was in a great mind space and knew what he wanted during the knock. He credited the partnership with Prabhsimran Singh for building the chase.

Ambati Rayudu and Mark Boucher noted Arshdeep Singh conceded 52 runs in three overs. Rayudu pointed to issues with lengths and possible fatigue after back-to-back T20 World Cup and IPL commitments. Coach Ricky Ponting praised Iyer's maturity as a leader. Punjab Kings now need other results to go their way in the final league matches to stay in playoff contention.

Josh Inglis scored 266 runs in five innings for Lucknow Super Giants at a strike rate of 186.01 with three half-centuries. Tom Moody hinted at major changes including captaincy reviews after the disappointing season. Kolkata Knight Riders also require a substantial victory and other outcomes to remain in playoff contention.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 55 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium but finished top of the IPL 2026 points table. SRH posted 255 for 4 with Ishan Kishan scoring 79 off 46 balls while Heinrich Klaasen made 51 off 24. RCB reached 200 for 4 in reply with Rajat Patidar scoring 56 and Krunal Pandya unbeaten on 41.

Public discussion after the match focused on RCB's approach while chasing a large total and whether the margin exposed a lack of intent. The result left SRH needing a substantial win in their final league game to target a top-two finish while the fourth playoff spot stayed open for other teams. RCB had entered the match on the back of a 23-run win over Punjab Kings.

SRH had earlier beaten Chennai Super Kings by five wickets after posting 181 for 5 in reply to 180 for 7. The 55-run defeat handed RCB their first loss in recent matches yet the points outcome secured their position at the head of the table ahead of the playoffs.

Gujarat Titans defeated Chennai Super Kings by 89 runs at Narendra Modi Stadium. The home side posted 229 for four in their 20 overs. Chennai Super Kings replied with 140 all out in 13.4 overs.

Sai Sudharsan scored 84 off 53 balls with seven fours and four sixes for Gujarat Titans. Shubman Gill made 64 off 37 balls with seven fours and three sixes. Jos Buttler remained unbeaten on 57 from 27 balls with five fours and four sixes. Mohammed Siraj took three for 26, Kagiso Rabada claimed three for 32 and Rashid Khan finished with three for 18.

The result secured Gujarat Titans a top-two finish with four matches remaining. Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals now contest the final playoff spot in the closing fixtures.

Rajasthan Royals defeated Lucknow Super Giants by seven wickets at Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 93 off 38 balls with seven fours and 10 sixes while Dhruv Jurel remained unbeaten on 53 off 38 balls. Lucknow had posted 220 for five with Mitchell Marsh making 96 off 57 balls and Josh Inglis scoring 60 off 29 balls.

Riyan Parag brushed off the online criticism after the win, standing by the team's decision to back young players like Sooryavanshi. Irfan Pathan noted that the teenager is closing in on Chris Gayle's record of 59 sixes in a season — and doing it with composure against fast bowling. Justin Langer called Sooryavanshi's performances breathtaking and tipped him for a big future.

The victory pushes Rajasthan into stronger playoff contention. Five teams are still chasing the final spot, and Rajasthan had lost their previous match to Delhi Capitals by five wickets.

South African all-rounder Donovan Ferreira suffered an injury serious enough to end his professional cricket hopes. He took up a sales role while trying to rebuild fitness and skills outside the official system. Then a coaching intervention at franchise level opened doors that national selectors had shut.

The revival shows what IPL franchises can do when they look beyond conventional pipelines. Ferreira wasn't on any national board's radar — he was working sales, rebuilding from scratch. But a team spotted him, backed him, and he's now playing international cricket. Similar rescues may appear in future seasons if more franchises scan outside established lists.