India head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have to wait for his next senior team chance. The teenager was left out of all three T20Is against Afghanistan despite strong domestic form. Gambhir said Sanju Samson, who scored two half-centuries in the series, remains ahead in the queue after consistent performances over two years. The coach described leaving Samson out of the preceding England series as the toughest decision of his tenure. Gambhir added that every player, regardless of age, must wait for opportunity and earn an extended run once selected.

Former India player Krishnamachari Srikkanth has criticised the team management for dropping 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from the first two T20Is against Afghanistan. Sanju Samson opened both matches and scored 57 off 22 balls in the second, but Srikkanth said the decision to leave Sooryavanshi out sends the wrong message to young players.

Srikkanth said his wife questioned the exclusion and argued that a player who performed at every level should not be rotated in and out of the side. He added that giving both Samson and Sooryavanshi only two matches each creates uncertainty and prevents either from settling into the role.

India captain Shreyas Iyer has indicated the team may use the dead-rubber third T20I on September 17 to give bench players a look-in before the Asian Games. Sooryavanshi has been omitted from both matches in the series despite winning Player of the Series against Zimbabwe.

The IPL auction for 2027 will be held in India after three editions abroad, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal said on Wednesday. The BCCI wants it back because this time the auction is small, and the board is confident it can find a venue.

The host city depends on when that venue is free — which is never easy during the heavy marriage season. Two big trades have already happened ahead of the auction: Rishabh Pant is heading back from Lucknow Super Giants to Delhi Capitals, and Kuldeep Yadav is leaving Delhi for LSG.

Pant will earn Rs 12 crore with Delhi after Lucknow paid Rs 27 crore for him. Kuldeep joins LSG for the same Rs 13.5 crore he was retained for in Delhi.

BCCI president Mithun Manhas and members of the Indian team met Japan's Ambassador to India ONO Keiichi in Delhi before the September 22 T20I in Sano. The ambassador presented the group with The Daruma, a traditional Japanese good-luck charm. The match is the first senior bilateral fixture between the two countries and part of the Sport 75 initiative agreed during the Modi-Takaichi summit.

India could make three changes for the third T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi on Thursday with the series already decided. Jasprit Bumrah may be rested after bowling four overs in each of the first two matches following his return from injury. Yash Thakur, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Washington Sundar are in contention for places.

Bumrah took three wickets across the series at an economy of 6.70. Thakur could replace him and gain valuable game time ahead of the Asian Games. Sooryavanshi may come into the XI if the team management decides to rest one of the regular openers.

India have already secured a 2-0 lead. Afghanistan have yet to post a competitive total while batting first in the series.

Sri Lanka Cricket has named a replacement squad for the Asian Games after Nilakshika Silva suffered a finger injury. Anushka Sanjeewani, Hansima Karunaratne and Rashmika Sewwandi have been added to the 15-member group.

Silva sustained the injury during recent domestic matches and will miss the continental event scheduled to begin later this month. The selectors moved quickly to finalise the revised list ahead of the September 19 deadline.

Sri Lanka's women's campaign starts on September 24 in Japan, with the quarter-final set for September 28 if they progress from the group stage.

Vipraj Nigam is in. The uncapped leg-spin all-rounder steps into the Asian Games squad because Varun Chakravarthy picked up a side strain while bowling his third over in the first T20I against Afghanistan. Scans showed the injury was bad enough to rule Chakravarthy out of both the continental tournament and the one-off Japan T20I.

Nitish Kumar Reddy is out of the Asian Games squad and will head straight into the ODI series against West Indies instead. Nigam, who plays for Delhi Capitals in the IPL, has 13 wickets from 19 matches and a strike rate just under 176 with the bat.

Men's cricket at the Asian Games starts on September 24 in Aichi-Nagoya.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has said he would be happy to play for India again after his last appearance in 2022. The 36-year-old pacer spoke on Jatin Sapru's YouTube channel about receiving a call suggesting he would feature in upcoming series that never materialised.

Bhuvneshwar said he had made peace with the situation after initially finding it difficult. Family support helped him move forward, he added.

The veteran has taken 28 wickets in the ongoing IPL season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. With Jasprit Bumrah managing fitness concerns and Mohammed Shami out of selection, Bhuvneshwar's name has re-entered discussions ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.

The BCCI is considering bringing the IPL 2027 mini-auction back to India after three successive overseas events in Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Dubai. The matter was discussed during the IPL Governing Council meeting on September 15.

The last IPL auction held in India took place in Kochi in 2023. Franchises have reportedly expressed a preference for an Indian venue, citing logistical difficulties of travelling abroad with large delegations. The BCCI will assess hotel availability, with around 100 rooms required for the two-day event.

The IPL 2028 mega-auction could still be staged overseas. No decision has been taken on the Impact Player rule, which may be discussed again within a month.

Kapil Dev was at a golf tournament in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday when he was asked about India’s women’s team refusing the Asia Cup trophy from ACC president Mohsin Naqvi. His answer: focus on golf.

The 1983 World Cup-winning captain made the remark after India beat Sri Lanka in the final at Dubai International Stadium, leaving Naqvi — also PCB chairman — standing alone on the podium. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the board had warned ACC officials in advance that India wouldn’t accept the trophy from Naqvi, a decision that follows the men’s team’s stance after the April 2025 Pahalgam attack and the public pressure against bilateral ties with Pakistan.

Naqvi later handed the runners-up cheque to Sri Lanka and left without finishing the ceremony. The women’s final replayed the same scene from the men’s Asia Cup final 18 months earlier.

Rinku Singh is working on his bowling because he wants to stay in India's T20I side. The 28-year-old has spent the last year in and out of the team as selectors pick all-rounders for the middle order.

He has bowled off-spin at international level and wants to show he can improve. Being dropped hurts, he said, but staying positive is the only way through it.

Competition keeps rising because the IPL keeps throwing up new players every season. Rinku made it clear that you don't have to change your game just because someone else has arrived.