Karnataka start the new Ranji season missing four frontline pacers and will rely on inexperienced replacements.
Karnataka begin their Ranji Trophy campaign against Andhra at Mulapadu on Sunday without four frontline pacers. Prasidh Krishna, Vidwath Kaverappa, V. Vyshak and Vidyadhar Patil are all injured.
R. Smaran will captain the side on his first-class debut in place of Devdutt Padikkal. Abhilash Shetty and M. Venkatesh, who both have five caps, will lead the attack alongside two uncapped bowlers.
Andhra are led by Ricky Bhui and coached by Gary Stead. Off-spinner T. Vijay, who has taken 50 first-class wickets in the past two seasons, will be a key bowler for the hosts.
India captain Shubman Gill will miss Punjab's opening Ranji Trophy match against Assam in New Chandigarh on Sunday. The batter could return for Punjab's second fixture against Chhattisgarh from October 18 to 21, though no official reason has been given for his absence from the first match. Uday Saharan will captain Punjab in Gill's absence.
Gill is not part of the India A squad and could use the domestic fixture to build match readiness ahead of the New Zealand tour. He is expected to play the first three ODIs against New Zealand before the two-Test series. International commitments keep Prabhsimran Singh and Naman Dhir out of the first two rounds.
Punjab have been drawn in a group with Saurashtra, Andhra and Karnataka. Several other India internationals including Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul and Akash Deep will feature for their state teams in the opening round.
Renshaw and Cummins added an unbroken 63 as Australia reached 187 for six before bad light ended day one in Durban.
Matt Renshaw and Pat Cummins extended Australia's advantage on the second day in Durban after bad light curtailed the opening day. The pair added an unbroken 63 runs for the seventh wicket before play resumed, helping the tourists reach 187 for six at stumps on Friday. Renshaw finished the day unbeaten on 46 and Cummins on 33.
South Africa's seam attack, led by Wiaan Mulder with two for 31 and Marco Jansen with two for 35, had reduced Australia to 124 for six earlier. Anrich Nortje, returning for his first Test since March 2023, claimed two wickets on his comeback appearance, including a double strike that left the tourists in trouble.
Renshaw went on to score 190 on day two, his first Test century in ten years, as Australia reached 390 all out. South Africa finished day two at 27 for one, trailing by 363 runs after Josh Hazlewood dismissed Ryan Rickelton for a duck.
Bengal field their international pace trio against Delhi as the Ranji Trophy season begins on Sunday.
Bengal open their Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season against Delhi at the Bengal Cricket Academy in Kalyani on Sunday. The hosts will field their international pace trio of Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar in an attempt to make an impactful start to the campaign. Seasoned spinners Pradipta Pramanik and Aamir Gani, both making comebacks, complete the home attack.
Abhimanyu Easwaran leads a batting line-up that includes debutant Ankur Paul along with Sudip Gharami, Sudip Chatterjee, Abishek Porel and Sumanta Gupta. The side will miss veteran middle-order batter Anustup Majumdar, who has retired and switched to coaching. Delhi return under head coach Vijay Dahiya, who has set reaching the knockout stage as his first target.
Ayush Badoni captains a Delhi batting unit that features Yash Dhull, Anuj Rawat and last season's prolific scorers Sanat Sangwan and Ayush Doseja. Navdeep Saini leads the visitors' pace attack. Both teams will assess how the fresh pitch behaves amid occasional rainfall in recent days.
Punjab begins its Ranji Trophy season against Assam with a young batting core and Uday Saharan continuing as captain.
Punjab open their Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season against Assam at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh on Sunday. Uday Saharan stays on as captain after taking over midway through last season. International duties keep Prabhsimran Singh and Naman Dhir out for the first two rounds, so Harnoor Singh Pannu gets another chance to stake his claim.
Vihaan Malhotra could make his first-class debut after turning heads at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year. Emanjot Singh Chahal, who was the Under-23 captain last season, joins the senior side after taking a 10-for for Rest of India against Tamil Nadu U-23 last week. IPL stars Ramandeep Singh and Salil Arora have retained their spots in the revamped batting core.
Assam stick with their experienced top order of Sibsankar Das, Swarupam Purkayastha, Sumit Ghadigaonkar and Denish Das. Pacer Mukhtar Hussain shoulders extra load after Rahul Singh, last season's leading wicket-taker, was ruled out. In the two games played at the venue last year, pacers returned better yields than spinners.
Sehwag compared Sooryavanshi's attacking approach to his own and said performance matters more than age at the highest level.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag said 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shares his instinct to attack from the first ball. Sehwag spoke at the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry's annual session in New Delhi on Saturday. He said performance matters more than age once a player reaches the IPL or international level.
Sooryavanshi has scored 246 runs in eight T20Is at a strike rate of 186.16 but has not featured in the ongoing series against West Indies. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have opened in the first two matches. India bowling coach Morne Morkel has said the teenager benefits from being in the squad even when not playing.
Sehwag added that a 38-year-old Kohli and a 15-year-old Sooryavanshi can both play if they deliver results. He said the question now is how many matches the teenager receives and how long he stays in the side.
Umesh Yadav and Gurnoor Brar gave Punjab early wickets before rain stopped play against Assam.
Punjab's pace duo of Umesh Yadav on debut for his new state and Gurnoor Brar claimed three wickets through the morning before inclement weather curtailed proceedings on day one of the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season. The new-look Punjab side is missing Prabhsimran Singh and Naman Dhir due to international commitments, giving Harnoor Singh Pannu another chance to establish his credentials after his 170 on debut last season. Punjab has placed its bets on a young batting core with Uday Saharan continuing as captain. Assam begins its new season with its core intact, though it will be without left-arm spinner Rahul Singh, its top wicket-taker last year.
India and West Indies meet in Indore on Sunday with the five-match series level at 1-1 after West Indies chased 250 in Ranchi.
The third T20I between India and West Indies will be played at Holkar Stadium in Indore on October 11 at 7 PM IST. West Indies levelled the five-match series at 1-1 after chasing down 250 for a six-wicket win in Ranchi on Friday. Shai Hope remained unbeaten on 102 from 45 balls while Sherfane Rutherford scored 84 from 37 deliveries in the record chase.
India scored 249 for 5 with Sanju Samson making 82 from 41 balls. Mayank Yadav took three wickets in the Powerplay for India but the hosts conceded 141 runs in 9.3 overs from their spinners. Roston Chase finished with 4-0-24-3 for the visitors.
Gautam Gambhir said the team wants a fair contest between bat and ball. The match will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network and streamed on JioHotstar.
Renshaw's 190 anchored Australia's recovery after an early collapse and set a new benchmark for runs scored with the tail.
Matt Renshaw posted a career-best 190 as Australia reached 390 in their first innings against South Africa at Kingsmead, Durban, on Tuesday. Batting at number seven, he arrived at 124 for six and added 174 runs with the lower order, beating Virat Kohli's 171-run mark since 2002. Pat Cummins made 43 and Nathan Lyon 27, while Wiaan Mulder took four for 68. South Africa replied with 27 for one, trailing by 363.
Abhishek Sharma stands one innings away from breaking Suryakumar Yadav's records for fastest 2,000 T20I runs and most sixes in a calendar year.
Abhishek Sharma needs 33 runs in the third T20I against West Indies to become the fastest batter to 2,000 T20I runs. Suryakumar Yadav holds the record, reaching the milestone off 1,164 balls.
Abhishek has also hit 63 sixes in 31 T20Is in 2026 and needs six more to surpass Suryakumar's tally of 68 in a calendar year. He has 106 sixes in 46 T20 matches this year and needs three more to break his own record for an Indian batter.
Ishan Kishan needs 80 runs to break Suryakumar's record for most T20I runs by an Indian in a calendar year. Shreyas Iyer needs 106 runs to surpass Rohit Sharma's mark for most runs by an Indian captain in a year.
Sehwag placed the onus on Bumrah and the pace attack to stay fit and strong for India to win the 2027 World Cup.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag says the 2027 World Cup is theirs for the taking if the pace attack holds together.
He spoke in Delhi on Saturday, pointing to Jasprit Bumrah as the key. The pacer is being rested regularly, a year out from the tournament, and Sehwag made clear the job falls to him. The batting order is largely settled, he added, the same core from 2023 with more experience under their belt.
Sehwag also noted 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's approach mirrors his own: attack from the first ball.
Bumrah sat out the recent ODI series against West Indies. India's backup pacers went for 295, 405 and 351 on flat tracks while the side still won 2-1. Sehwag said the early pitches in Africa will reward the side that keeps its quicks fresh.
Kotian believes his technical improvements have made him ready for a Test debut whenever the selectors call.
Mumbai all-rounder Tanush Kotian said he is more equipped for Test cricket after working on new variations with Sunil Joshi and Jatin Paranjape. The 27-year-old has yet to make his Test debut despite being in the squad during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Kotian has worked on using the crease, changing angles and developing an arm ball with the new ball. He first used the new ball in the Duleep Trophy quarter-final and took four wickets in each innings.
He has 146 first-class wickets at 27.19 since his debut in 2018. Kotian said he will continue to perform in domestic cricket and wait for the opportunity.
Robin Singh supports keeping both Samson and Sooryavanshi in the squad, saying competition strengthens India's T20I opening options.
Former India cricketer Robin Singh said healthy competition between Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the T20I opening slot is good for the team. Singh noted that Sooryavanshi's talent is unquestionable but acknowledged that Samson and Abhishek Sharma's strong performances mean the teenager may have to wait.
Samson scored 82 off 41 balls in the second T20I in Ranchi after managing only 29 runs in his previous four innings. The 31-year-old has now hit a half-century in every T20I innings this year where he faced at least 15 balls.
Singh said giving young players consistent opportunities remains important, but selection should be based on current form rather than potential alone.
Suthar is preparing for New Zealand conditions while captaining Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy, with videos sent to India's spin coach for review.
India spinner Manav Suthar said he is preparing mentally for the conditions he expects in New Zealand while leading Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy. Suthar has taken 23 wickets in three Tests at an average of 17.35 and is expected to be the first-choice spinner for the two-Test series.
Suthar is watching videos to estimate the surfaces New Zealand will offer and is working on finding the right line and pace for those conditions. Rajasthan bowling coach Anup Dave said India spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule monitors Suthar's bowling regularly and will receive videos from the season opener against Tamil Nadu.
New Zealand often provides green tops to Asian sides, which could limit India to one spinner. Suthar's ability to generate turn at high speeds has made him a rare asset for India's needs in overseas conditions.
Rahane said most captains want the Impact Player rule scrapped because it harms all-rounder development, while Karthik argued it should run until 2027.
Ajinkya Rahane said most captains told the BCCI last year they want the Impact Player rule gone. They argued it has cut the incentive to groom players who can bat and bowl.
Dinesh Karthik disagreed. He said franchises built squads around the rule after the 2025 mega auction and that pulling it now would tilt the field. Karthik admitted the rule helped early on but thinks its value has faded.
The board extended it through 2027 anyway. Rahane is watching the 2028 auction cycle to see if captains' feedback finally carries weight.
Dinesh Karthik supports keeping the Impact Player rule until 2027 while Ajinkya Rahane wants it scrapped immediately.
Dinesh Karthik wants the Impact Player rule to run until the end of the current cycle, saying it would be unfair to drop it earlier. He noted that teams built squads around the rule after the last mega auction, and removing it mid-cycle would create an imbalance. Karthik also pointed out that the regulation has reduced the need to groom all-rounders in India.
Ajinkya Rahane, however, wants the rule scrapped right away. The former India batter said most captains had already voiced their dislike for it at last year’s captains’ meeting. Rahane argued that the rule hurts all-rounder development and gives batting sides an extra batsman to bail them out of trouble, and he sees no real benefit in keeping it.
Yuzvendra Chahal criticised flat T20 pitches and called for conditions that offer bowlers more assistance after India's loss in Ranchi.
Yuzvendra Chahal criticised flat pitches in T20 cricket after India conceded 249 for five against West Indies in Ranchi on Friday. The leg-spinner said bowlers have little room to use their skills on such surfaces. West Indies chased the target in 18.3 overs to win by six wickets.
Chahal pointed to flat pitches, smaller boundaries, dew and the Impact Player rule as key factors behind high-scoring matches. He noted that powerplay scoring rates have escalated dramatically. Chahal said 70 to 80 runs are now scored in the first six overs compared to 50 runs previously.
The spinner called for pitches to offer more assistance to bowlers. He suggested that without better surfaces, teams might as well install bowling machines. Chahal made his comments on JioStar after the second T20I.
The MCC clarified that the complete control requirement for run-outs applies only when a fielder breaks the wicket with their hand while holding the ball, not when the ball itself dislodges the bails.
The Marylebone Cricket Club issued a clarification on Thursday stating that the new run-out law requiring complete control of the ball applies only when a fielder breaks the wicket with their hand or arm while holding the ball. The ICC's recent rule change had caused confusion among fans who feared it would affect non-striker run-outs and other dismissals.
The MCC said improved television coverage had highlighted cases where batters were given out when fielders had little or no control of the ball while making contact with the stumps using their hand. A fielder can still break the wicket with the ball itself, and no question of control arises in those circumstances.
The clarification confirms that bowlers deflecting the ball onto the stumps or the ball bouncing off a wicketkeeper's pads remain valid dismissals. The law change came into force last week after being announced in February.
Mohammed Shami claimed four wickets as Bengal bowled out Delhi for 240 on the first day of their Ranji Trophy match.
Mohammed Shami took four for 30 as Bengal dismissed Delhi for 240 on the opening day of their Group C Ranji Trophy encounter at Kalyani on Sunday. Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar also troubled Delhi through the morning, making the ball come in and leave the batters.
Shami was not alone in setting the tone after Bengal elected to bowl. Sanat Sangwan was the first to fall, Akash Deep getting one to nip back from just wide of off-stump and take the top of leg-stump. Yash Dhull struggled to settle against the movement and edged Shami behind to Abishek Porel.
Delhi reached lunch at 89 for three with Ayush Badoni on 13 and Ayush Doseja on 25. Doseja's innings ended on 45, a substantial contribution undone by a plumb lbw off Shami. Shami's four-wicket haul gave Bengal the standout individual performance on a day when the seam attack kept the innings in check from the first spell to the last.
Akash Deep credits his injury-enforced break with improving his physical preparation, reporting that his rhythm and pace in the Irani Cup matched levels from four or five years ago.
Bengal pacer Akash Deep said his seven-month injury lay-off allowed him to work on his body and return as a more prepared bowler ahead of the Ranji Trophy opener against Delhi. The 29-year-old claimed six wickets for Rest of India against Jammu and Kashmir in the Irani Cup in Srinagar earlier this month.
Akash said fast bowlers rarely get time to prepare their bodies during a professional career and the injury period gave him that opportunity. He reported that his rhythm and pace in the Irani Cup matched levels from four or five years ago. Akash prefers to focus on the present rather than upcoming assignments including India A's tour of New Zealand.
He opts to preserve his bowling hand by shining the ball with his left hand when needed, following a method used by Kapil Dev. Bengal face Delhi at the Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani on October 11.
