Little-known ambidextrous Bengal spinner Kaushik Maity seamlessly doubled up for both roles during the optional practice session.
All-rounder Axar Patel was named vice-captain of the squad, which also saw the return of in-form Ishan Kishan, who pipped Jitesh Sharma as the second wicketkeeper behind Sanju Samson.
Of the 77 players signed at the auction, 35 of them were uncapped Indians, and one among them was the highly rated all-rounder Mangesh Yadav, who was snapped up by defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a hefty sum of Rs 5.2 crore (Rs 52 million).
India's T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill will be reporting at Bengaluru's Centre of Excellence on Monday for his mandatory fitness assessment protocols, which will determine his return to action for the upcoming five-match series against South Africa starting December 9.
Fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth impressed on his return to competitive after a long wait of seven years, with figures of 1/29 as Kerala outclassed Puducherry by six wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 match, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, in Monday.
The Indian cricket fraternity shared their views on India's T20I World Cup squad, which threw up several surprises with the return of Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan, while Jitesh Sharma missed out and Shubman Gill was dropped.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar identified Shubman Gill's recent lack of runs and combination compulsions as reasons for his omission from India's squad for the T20 World Cup.
Sarfaraz Khan delivered a thunderous reminder of his white-ball credentials ahead of India's upcoming ODI series against New Zealand
Manish Ojha, coach of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, shares insights into the young cricketer's training and mindset after his record-breaking century in the U-19 World Cup.
Both Suryavanshi and skipper Mhatre are coming into the tournament following a great run of form in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
SMAT 2025: Hardik comeback on cards, chance for rich domestic talent to shine before IPL auction
'He (Pandya) can command a spot in the top five on his batting alone. He could also be one of the top three seamers in any team if he was just a bowler.'
After a first wicket partnership of 60 between Vivek and Shreevats Goswami (27, 28 balls, 3 fours), the home team faltered as none of the other batsmen got going.
Tanmay and Ajitesh: Once Kohli's U-19 lieutenants are on-field umpires for Australia A series
Mumbai, Karnataka brace for 'mini India' showdown in marquee Ranji QF match
Mumbai defeated Vidarbha by six wickets in their Super League Group B match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, in Indore, on Monday.
Last year, the BCCI had increased the prize money for the domestic tournaments with the Ranji Trophy winners receiving a whopping cash reward of Rs 5 crore.
Krunal Pandya's all-round show helped Baroda beat Uttarakhand by five runs in their opening game of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, in Vadodara, on Sunday.
Baroda and Uttar Pradesh will square off in the final of the Mushtaq Ali T20 cricket championships after notching up contrasting wins over their respective opponents in the final Super League encounters.
Deepak Chahar's heroics (four wickets in an over) went in vain as Rajasthan went down by 1 run
Iyer's 147 is the highest T20 score by an Indian and in the process he surpassed wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who had scored an unbeaten 128 for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.
CSK sign Urvil Patel as injury replacement for Vansh Bedi
'I was confident about my ability. I was just following the process, to go as deep as possible and bat till the 20th over.'
During the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Shaw missed training sessions regularly after showing up at the team hotel at "six in the morning" being out for most of the night.
Uttar Pradesh clinched their maiden Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy with a thumping 38-run win over two-time champions Baroda in the final under flood-lights at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
'Stay sharp, look sharper,' SKY captioned the pictures posted on his Instagram handle.
Virat Kohli has expressed his full support for Rajat Patidar as the new captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), praising Patidar's consistency and discipline.
The charismatic presence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma alongside a host of top India cricketers lends unprecedented gravitas to the Vijay Hazare One-Day Trophy beginning on Wednesday, giving all of them a chance to prove a point amid a renewed focus on domestic grind.
In the other matches, Manipur trounced Nagaland by 10 wickets in the battle of newcomers while Jammu and Kashmir defeated Andhra Pradesh by five wickets.
A formidable Karnataka continued their winning streak in the Super League stages of the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy after they trounced Delhi by 8 wickets in Group B match, in Indore, on Sunday.
With the IPL auction days away, some young cricketers who may launch a bidding war among the franchises.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the opening match against USA?
Shaw has been out of reckoning from the red ball set-up for some time but has played white ball cricket. However, his off-field disciplinary issues have grabbed more air time than his on-field performances.
Gill back in full flow, Hardik opts out of practice ahead of SA T20I series
Captain Suryakumar Yadav believes Hardik Pandya's return will restore the tactical depth and balance of India's T20 team.
SMAT: Haryana beat Bengal to enter Super 8s, Punjab also qualify
Shreyas Iyer's 51-ball 86 run blitzkrieg helped Mumbai sail past a tall Vidarbha total to notch up a five-wicket win in the Super League phase of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Group A match in Mumbai. Chasing Vidarbha's score of 181 for four, built mainly around opener Jignesh Sharma's punishing knock of 56 off just 30 balls, Mumbai cantered home in 18.5 overs to register their second straight victory in as many days in the tournament, at the Wankhede Stadium. Iyer and skipper Aditya Tare (41 in 24 balls) steadied the Mumbai innings after the early loss of left-handed opener Akhil Herwadkar (4) through a brisk second-wicket partnership of 71 runs in 7.2 overs.
Shaw's century in the first innings came in 122 balls and included 14 fours and a six.
Tearaway pacer Umran Malik is set for his KKR debut in IPL 2026 after missing last season due to a hip injury.
When players select themselves, the selectors' job becomes delightfully simple. But did the Indian selectors have that luxury while picking the T20 World Cup squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup? asks K R Nayar.
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