Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru carried off from last season with dominating performances in their opening two games of IPL 2026.
The indefatigable duo of Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj is expected to be the big talking point on Saturday when the selectors pick a 15-member Indian ODI squad for a three-match series against New Zealand starting January 11 in Vadodara.
A review of the IPL 2026 season, highlighting the successes of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans, while noting the disappointing performances of Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants, setting the stage for significant changes.
Royal Challengers Bangalore's Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams on Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the IPL, starting in Chennai on April 9, but opener Devdutt Padikkal recovered from the dreaded infection to join the side.
Devdutt Padikkal had tested positive for COVID-19 before the start of the IPL season, which forced to miss RCB's opening match against Mumbai Indians.
Krunal Pandya's gritty 73 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar's all-round heroics (4/23, 7 not out) powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a nervy two-wicket victory and knocked Mumbai Indians out of the race for IPL playoffs in Raipur on Sunday.
Devdutt Padikkal grabbed the headlines in his debut match with an entertaining half-century as he inspired Royal Challengers Bangalore to a winning start in the IPL, against SunRisers Hyderabad in Dubai on Monday.
Devdutt Padikkal seems to have impressed two of the most important figures in Indian cricket after the opener's whirlwind century powered Royal Challengers Bangalore to their fourth successive win in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.
Azharuddeen was the vice-captain of the side, and now that role has been handed to Tamil Nadu's N Jagadeesan.
Pacers Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal and Sumit Mohanta shared seven wickets to power Bengal to an innings and 13-run win over Punjab in their Elite Group C match of the Ranji Trophy.
Former India pacer R Vinay Kumar said the enviable batting riches in their line-up will give Karnataka a huge upper hand over maiden entrants Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy final.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets in an Indian Premier League match in Bengaluru.
There is a school of thought that having done the hard yards in the England series, Karun Nair deserves an opportunity against a weaker opposition where a century could boost his career.
Little-known ambidextrous Bengal spinner Kaushik Maity seamlessly doubled up for both roles during the optional practice session.
Across 18 seasons, Virat Kohli now has 8,989 IPL runs. That is roughly 500 runs every single year, without a single dip in form lasting long enough to define a season. Other great batters have careers. Kohli has had a sustained campaign of excellence.
N Jagadeesan hit an unbeaten half-century to lead India A' confident reply in Australia A's huge first innings total on Day 2 of the first unofficial Test.
Images from Monday's IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and SunRisers Hyderabad, in Dubai.
David Warner was among the high-profile players who went unsold on Day 1 of the Indian Premier League 2025 mega auction in Jeddah on Sunday.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing for the fifth Test against England?
Mumbai, Karnataka brace for 'mini India' showdown in marquee Ranji QF match
The last time two specialist keepers played together in a Test was in 1986, when Kiran More and Chandrakant Pandit featured in the same XI, with Pandit playing as a batter.
Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal on Friday expressed his delight after smashing his third century of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, saying he was always confident of making a strong back after going through a lean patch in the last season.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that Indian Premier League (IPL) matches will not be shifted from Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Rishabh Pant was ruled out for nearly three months after he fractured his foot during the fourth Test against England in Manchester in July.
The Indian selectors will be announcing the team for the three-match ODI series against the Black Caps, starting January 11 in Vadodara and there have been speculations about whether Pant can hold on to his place in the squad.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2026 after Game 24.
India A captain Shreyas Iyer has pulled out of the second unofficial Test against Australia A starting in Lucknow on Tuesday because of personal reasons.
Team India skipper Shubman Gill is unlikely to feature in the second Test against South Africa, with Cricket Association of Bengal sources confirming that he is not travelling to Guwahati with the team on Wednesday.
Mayank Agarwal stroked a fluent century to lead Karnataka's fightback after Auqib Nabi's three-wicket haul had put Jammu and Kashmir in control, on Day 3 of the Ranji Trophy final.
RCB batter Devdutt Padikkal's absence at No. 3 will also be partially filled by Patidar's availability. Padikkal has been sidelined for the remainder of the IPL due to a hamstring injury, and Mayank Agarwal, who is primarily an opener, has been brought in by the franchise to take his place.
Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand will look to extend their dream runs when they take on heavyweights Bengal and Karnataka respectively in the Ranji Trophy semifinals.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's explosive century went in vain as Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma smashed half-tons as Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by 5 wickets.
In an interaction with ANI, Padikkal opened up on his goals in the ongoing season, his bond with stalwarts like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers and he also spoke about why he idolises 2011 World Cup-winning hero Gautam Gambhir.
Karnataka ended the Ranji Trophy season with a draw against Haryana in their Elite Group C match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
IPL 2026 Week 6 featured Rohit Sharma's explosive return, Urvil Patel's record-equalling fifty, Finn Allen's maiden IPL ton and Rashid Khan's brilliant comeback spell.
In a video posted by RCB's X handle, Krunal Pandya spoke in the dressing room about two people and crucial moments that turned the tide in their favour.
Padikkal, who made his Test debut against England earlier this year, will turn up for Team D in the Duleep Trophy, starting from September 5.
Shreyas Iyer's 604 runs across 17 matches for Punjab Kings at a strike-rate in excess of 175 did not resonate with the selectors during the Asia Cup selection.
Saurashtra will be bolstered by the presence of India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja against a strong Madhya Pradesh i the second round of Ranji Trophy.
Rishabh Pant's 'chaotic' leadership style and batting might be the wildcard India need to level the Test series against South Africa, former cricketer Jonty Rhodes said on Friday.
