The 125th edition of the Sheffield Shield begins this week with Victoria hosting defending champions South Australia at Junction Oval in a rematch of last season's final. New South Wales and Tasmania start their campaigns at Sydney's Cricket Central on October 8, while Queensland travel to face Western Australia at the WACA Ground.
Each state will play six Shield games before the BBL break and four after, with the top two teams qualifying for the five-day final from March 25 to 29 next year. Victoria enters the season opener with three potential debutants in Austin Anlezark, Liam Blackford and Harry Hoekstra. Blackford is expected to play as the side's wicketkeeper following Sam Harper's call-up to the Australia Test squad.
Queensland will be without Marnus Labuschagne, Matt Renshaw and Michael Neser, who are on Australia's Test tour of South Africa. Western Australia's squad is yet to be announced. All matches will be streamed live on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app, with selected games broadcast on Fox Cricket.
Kuldeep Yadav received the Impact Player of the Series award after India won the ODI series against West Indies 2-1. He took seven wickets at an economy rate of 5.56 and became the fastest Indian spinner to reach 200 ODI wickets.
Team physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar praised Kuldeep for putting his body on the line and performing consistently. Kuldeep credited senior batters for setting up matches and said preparatory sessions in Thiruvananthapuram helped him find rhythm.
Kuldeep is expected to feature in the ODI series in New Zealand but is unlikely to be picked for the two Tests. Conditions there are expected to favour pace and selectors plan to include no more than three spinners.
3 in ODIs after Kohli retires following the 2027 World Cup.
Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer said Tilak Varma is the right batter to replace Virat Kohli at No. 3 in the ODI batting order once Kohli retires after the 2027 World Cup. Jaffer pointed to Varma's first-class average of around 55 and his ability to bat in different positions.
Jaffer said Varma has already shown he can bat at No. 3 and has adapted to the middle order without difficulty. He added that India will need a left-handed batter in that spot when Kohli and Rohit Sharma leave the side.
Jaffer also noted that Abhishek Sharma has matured in his approach and no longer tries to hit a six on the first ball. Kohli confirmed the 2027 World Cup will be his last and said he wants to leave everything on the field.
Sai Sudharsan is back after a toe injury and straight into the India A multi-day series against Australia A in Puducherry. The batter says the intensity matches what you get at senior level, so the time spent there actually counts when you step up.
He pointed to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy games as a chance for the squad to read Australian bowlers and their methods before the senior side tours. Coach L. Balaji agreed, adding that four Indian teams playing at once has created healthy internal competition.
India A, captained by Ruturaj Gaikwad, now turn to three unofficial ODIs starting October 6. The Australia A side carries 15 players who have already played at senior international level.
Gambhir personally informed Sooryavanshi that continuity with the current openers takes priority. Samson credited experience for the Asian Games success.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir told 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi that established openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma will keep their places despite the youngster's recent form. Gambhir said selection decisions rest with the dressing room, not social media pressure.
Samson and Abhishek have scored 794 runs together in 33 innings at an average of 29.5 since the 2024 T20 World Cup. Gambhir said dropping them after a few failures would ignore the impact the pair has created over two years.
Sooryavanshi opened in the Asian Games final but has not featured in India's bilateral T20I series since. Samson said the gold medal win did not come on a platter and credited the experienced squad for handling a rain-affected tournament.
Mukesh Kumar's 6 for 33 in the Irani Cup final has renewed debate over his place in India's Test squad for New Zealand.
Mukesh Kumar took 6 for 33 as Rest of India bowled Jammu and Kashmir out for 111 to win the Irani Cup by 167 runs in Srinagar on October 5. Akash Deep took 3 for 25, the pair sharing nine wickets.
Mukesh had conceded 12 in his first three overs, then asked Sarfaraz Khan for another spell. He came back and removed Shubham Pundir, Paras Dogra and three more to finish with 8 for 92.
The surface offered seam movement, the same conditions India will meet in Wellington and Christchurch next month. Mukesh has played three Tests, taken seven wickets at 25.57, six of them overseas.
Former India batter Hanuma Vihari called on selectors to bring back Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami after India failed to defend 351 against West Indies. He said the team cannot depend only on Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.
Vihari described the inability to defend 350 as a wake-up call and said the West Indies exposed India’s bowling depth. He noted expensive spells from Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Bhuvneshwar has taken 45 wickets in 30 IPL matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru across 2025 and 2026. Shami has continued to perform in domestic cricket since his last international appearance at the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Hetmyer, Powell and Shepherd named as the three players India must watch in the five-match T20I series.
Sportskeeda named Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell and Romario Shepherd as the three West Indies players India must watch in the upcoming five-match T20I series. Hetmyer has scored over 300 T20I runs against India at a strike rate above 150, while Powell has more than 350 runs at an average near 38. Shepherd has taken 11 wickets and keeps a strike rate close to 170 against the same opposition.
Yuzvendra Chahal has ended his 17-year red-ball career but says he isn't finished with white-ball cricket and will keep pushing for an India return.
Yuzvendra Chahal called time on first-class cricket on Friday after 17 years. The 35-year-old leg-spinner finished with 148 wickets from 49 matches at 32.27, starting with Haryana in 2009 and ending with Northamptonshire at Lord's. His last international appearance came in August 2023 — 72 ODIs and 80 T20Is in total.
Chahal admits his Test dream is probably gone, but he still wants to play white-ball cricket for India. He says the hunger is still there and he'll do whatever it takes to earn another chance in ODIs and T20Is. He also thanked the Haryana Cricket Association for backing him throughout his career.
Ayush Mhatre has been appointed vice-captain of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy squad for the 2026-27 season. The 19-year-old will deputise under captain Siddhesh Lad in a 16-member squad that also includes Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan.
Suryakumar Yadav confirmed his availability for the entire season but was not selected for the opening fixture against Chandigarh at the Wankhede Stadium from October 11. Chief selector Rajesh Pawar said Mumbai wanted to give younger players an opportunity and allow Suryakumar to regain his red-ball rhythm. The former India T20I captain has not played first-class cricket for 18 months.
Shardul Thakur will miss the first two matches after fracturing his right middle finger in training. Tushar Deshpande will lead Mumbai's pace attack in his absence. Yashasvi Jaiswal returns for the season opener.
Shubman Gill said India must settle its World Cup combination quickly and improve fielding and death bowling before 2027.
India captain Shubman Gill said the team has little time to experiment and must settle on its World Cup combination soon. He criticised the side's fielding after India dropped seven catches across the three-match ODI series against West Indies. Gill said dropping three or four catches in the final match alone broke the team's momentum. He also flagged concerns over death bowling clarity, noting the side was unsure whether to attack or defend in the final overs. India won the series 2-1 despite the fielding lapses. Gill said Anshul Kamboj and Auqib Nabi are in contention for all-rounder spots but the side needs stability before the 2027 World Cup. The next ODI assignment is a five-match series in New Zealand starting November 4.
Nic Maddinson is in contention for a Test return against South Africa after recovering from cancer.
Nic Maddinson is in contention to end a decade-long Test absence in Australia's series against South Africa starting Friday. The 34-year-old has not played a first-class match since March 2025 after undergoing chemotherapy for testicular cancer. He received the call from selector George Bailey while preparing to play club cricket for Eastern Suburbs. Maddinson said the selection was surprising but he remains motivated to return. If selected, he would become part of an Australia XI made up entirely of players aged 30 and above. His last Test appearance came in the 2016-17 series under Steve Smith and Darren Lehmann.
Dinesh Karthik said India has moved beyond Mohammed Shami and there is no point recalling him for the 2027 World Cup. The former wicketkeeper stated the team's current pace stocks are sufficient.
Shami last played for India during the 2025 Champions Trophy after recovering from a lengthy spell of injuries. Since then, the selection committee has backed Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, and Gurnoor Brar in his absence. Karthik made the comments in a video interview with Cricbuzz.
Shami has continued to deliver strong domestic performances for Bengal but remains outside the national plans. India won the three-match ODI series against West Indies 2-1, but the attack conceded runs freely in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns to lead India in the six-a-side tournament after his IPL-winning campaign with RCB.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead a seven-man India squad at the Hong Kong Sixes from October 30 to November 1. The squad also includes Krunal Pandya, Shashank Singh, Rahul Tewatia, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi and T Natarajan. All but Shashank Singh and Rahul Tewatia have played international cricket for India. The tournament features a six-a-side format at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground. Pakistan are the defending champions. Former India batter Hanuma Vihari separately called for Bhuvneshwar and Mohammed Shami to be recalled to the ODI side after India failed to defend 351 against West Indies.
Gavaskar sets personal ODI century target for Rohit before 2027 retirement.
Sunil Gavaskar said he was disappointed that Rohit Sharma fell for 92 in the third ODI against the West Indies at New Chandigarh. Gavaskar wants the opener to finish his career with more ODI centuries than his age before he potentially retires after the 2027 World Cup.
Rohit has 35 ODI centuries at age 38. Gavaskar noted that Rohit has valued his wicket more since the 2023 World Cup, an adjustment he believes helps the team reduce outside criticism over slow scoring. He added that Rohit may retire after the 2027 World Cup, making the century target personal for the former captain.
Rohit made 225 runs across the three-match series against the West Indies. He will next feature in the five-match ODI series against New Zealand that begins on November 4.
Shubman Gill urged India to lock its 2027 World Cup XI and fix fielding and death bowling after the West Indies series.
India captain Shubman Gill said the team does not have time to experiment and wants to settle on its preferred 2027 World Cup combination from the next series onwards. India won the ODI series against West Indies 2-1 despite losing the final match by five wickets.
Gill identified powerplay and death bowling as areas that hurt the team and said seven catches were dropped across the series. He noted that the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya limited the bowling options available.
India will play five ODIs in New Zealand starting November 4. Gill said the next assignment offers a chance to play with the combination the team wants to take into the World Cup.
Ajinkya Rahane said India should give new players consistent chances rather than dropping them after single matches.
Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane said the team should not judge Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj on single performances after both made their ODI debuts in the series against West Indies. Nabi took 0 for 84 in 8.5 overs in the second ODI before being dropped, while Kamboj returned 0 for 82 in nine overs in the third match.
Rahane said it becomes difficult for players when they are introduced and then immediately left out. He said Anshul Kamboj must be wondering when his next chance will come after seeing Nabi dropped following one game. Rahane added that selectors do not need to bring in a different player for every match.
India named a debutant in each of the three ODIs against West Indies. Rahane said if a player is in World Cup plans, it is important to give them confidence through consistent opportunities rather than one-off appearances.
Gill stressed the need for a settled ODI XI and flagged fielding and death bowling as priorities before the 2027 World Cup.
Shubman Gill said India has little time to experiment ahead of the 2027 World Cup and wants the settled lineup available for the next ODI series. The captain spoke after the 2-1 series win over West Indies. He identified fielding and death bowling as areas that must improve.
Gill noted that seven catches were dropped across the three matches and that the powerplay bowling in the final ODI cost momentum. He said the side must decide which combination it wants for the World Cup and begin playing with those players as soon as possible.
Anshul Kamboj and Auqib Nabi received debuts during the series. Gill said both all-rounders will remain in selection discussions because the number eight position requires a player who can bat and bowl.
BCCI president Mithun Manhas said Pakistan no longer offer much competition after India's 19-run win over them in the Asian Games cricket final on October 3. He praised the Indian team's ability to handle pressure situations in the gold-medal match at Korakuen Stadium in Nisshin.
Manhas also noted that the Indian team was the best at the tournament and described their performance as commendable. He highlighted the contributions of Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma, saying the openers set the tone and the middle order finished the innings.
India posted 211 for six, with Abhishek Sharma scoring 61 off 28 balls and Tilak Varma unbeaten on 51 off 22. Pakistan replied with 192 for six, Hasan Nawaz making 96. The win marked India's seventh consecutive T20I victory over Pakistan since the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Will Jacks starred with both bat and ball as England beat Sri Lanka by 89 runs in the first ODI at Durham.
Will Jacks took five for 22 from seven overs as England beat Sri Lanka by 89 runs in the first ODI at Durham on Tuesday. The 27-year-old also scored an unbeaten 46 from 47 balls as England reached 265 all out.
Jacks dismissed Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka. His figures are the best by an England spinner in an ODI since Vic Marks took five for 20 against New Zealand in 1984.
England captain Harry Brook said Jacks was growing into his role as a middle-order batter and part-time off-spinner. Brook said Jacks had accepted the role without complaint and proved he could spin the ball and contain batters when required.
