Sanju Samson, then a skinny 14-year-old, curled on the bed in his hotel room, watched Kolkata Knight Riders' Brendon McCullum hammering a 73-ball 158 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first-ever IPL match.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla said that head coach Gautam Gambhir has a firm grip on the team and is popular among the players.
Ravindra Jadeja agreed to return to the Rajasthan Royals, where he played the first two IPL seasons, taking a pay cut from Rs 18 crore to Rs 14 crore.
Images from the fifth T20 International between India and South Africa, in Ahmedabad, on Friday.
With India set to name their T20 World Cup 2026 squad on Saturday in Mumbai, the spotlight has firmly shifted to Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav, whose recent struggles have turned the selection meeting into a high-stakes call.
India vs New Zealand, 3rd T20, Guwahati: Abhishek blitz hands India series win
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav would want the attacking batter in him to front up and bolster his leadership against New Zealand when the five-match T20I series gets underway in Nagpur on Wednesday, serving as a final dress rehearsal for India's World Cup title defence in less than three weeks' time.
With the India and South Africa T20I series levelled 1-1, focus shifts to Gill's form ahead of the third T20 on Sunday in Dharamsala.
The Asia Cup champions will not have it easy against the Mitch Marsh-led Aussies at home as the Indians were seen going hard in the nets on Monday.
Football met cricket in Mumbai as Sanju Samson shared his love for Liverpool while rubbing shoulders with Michael Owen at the Premier League fan event in Mumbai on Saturday.
The lack of runs from captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill remains a talking point.
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The mysterious omissions of the talented Samson led to banners in the Kerala cricketer's support at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar no less.
Shubman's T20I series participation against South Africa doubtful; Samson, Jaiswal contenders for the slot
India Captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill once again flopped with the bat as India suffered a 51-run thrashing in the second T20 International against South Africa.
For most IPL teams, the 2026 mini auction will be all about strategic buys and role-specific additions, while for a couple of others, it is going to be a captain-centric affair.
Vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra's exhilarating stroke-play was well complemented by Aaron George's composure as India set up an Under-19 Asia Cup summit date with arch-rivals Pakistan after crushing Sri Lanka by eight wickets in a rain-curtailed semi-final, in Dubai, on Friday.
Former India player Robin Uthappa called for a bold revamp of the Indian Premier League by getting rid of the annual player auctions and having trade windows open throughout the year.
With Samson pushed to No. 5 in the batting line-up, fans are now call for his promotion up the order in the dead rubber final Group A match against Oman on September 19.
It is a custom with Oman teams to present a gift to their opponents even in junior cricket.
"Gill should cement his place at the top order in T20": Irfan Pathan
The 34-year-old mystery spinner rewrote the record books during the fifth and final T20I against South Africa at Ahmedabad on Friday, casting a spell of his bamboozling spin magic on the Proteas batters, four of them surrendering to his bowling.
Ravindra Jadeja's verified account on Instagram is currently unavailable on the social media platform.
The T20 WC champions will look to enter this phase with clarity of intent as they refine roles, streamline combinations and settle the XI that will carry the weight of expectations in front of home crowds.
Which batter stole the show in Lucknow? VOTE!
IMAGES of the Asia Cup Final played between India and Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday
Rajasthan Royals announced Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara as their head coach for IPL 2026 next year, following the exit of Rahul Dravid from the role.
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill is "ready to start" ahead of the first T20I against South Africa of the five-match series, which will take place on December 9.
Ishan Kishan's return to the Indian T20 setup is a story of timing, perseverance and a domestic season that selectors simply could not overlook.
Samson found the boundaries at ease almost every over. There was the well-timed drive through the covers, smashes to the boundary over the infield and shots on the on side.
KKR, CSK to engage in bidding war in IPL mini-auction with big purse in hand
'If they have picked him ahead of Yashasvi Jaiswal, and as many felt, Sanju Samson, you can imagine how extremely privileged he is.'
Earlier, warm-up routines had players darting through shuttle runs and high knees before bats were unsheathed.
Ravichandran Ashwin has raised a big question mark over Sanju Samson's place in India's Asia Cup 2025 playing XI, warning that the wicketkeeper-batter's spot could be under serious threat
India will look to overcome batting inconsistencies and finish the tour of Australia with authority when the two sides clash in the fifth and final T20 International in Brisbane on Saturday.
Shubman Gill's fate wasn't actually sealed on Saturday when BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia announced the squad for the T20 World Cup but when the fourth T20 International was called off on Wednesday due to thick smog.
SMAT 2025: Hardik comeback on cards, chance for rich domestic talent to shine before IPL auction
Nine years after he first made his India debut, Sanju Samson finally made it count with three centuries in eight innings against Bangladesh and South Africa last year.
Tilak Varma says out-of-form India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav 'needs just one innings' to rediscover the mojo with which he once dominated bowlers like a marauder.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta feels that India's T20I vice-captain Shubham Gill, who is currently struggling to get going in the shortest format, has to play a similar role what Virat Kohli did for so long by consistently holding on to one end.
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