Ruturaj Gaikwad led from the front with a composed half-century as Chennai Super Kings produced a comfortable eight-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in their IPL clash in Chennai on Saturday.
India face a tough spin challenge from England in the T20 World Cup semi-final at Wankhede Stadium, as both teams aim for a perfect game in the high-pressure knockout.
While Abhishek Sharma's explosive century stole the headlines, Samson's replacement by Dhruv Jurel raised questions about his availability.
Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma's explosive batting performances propelled India to a record-breaking total against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final
India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak addresses concerns about Abhishek Sharma's form and hints at possible changes in the batting order for the crucial T20 World Cup Super 8 match against Zimbabwe.
Amidst strong speculation of him wanting to snap the ties with Rajasthan Royals, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson said his long association with the IPL franchise has transformed his life and career.
What Abhishek should understand is that what defines a good cricketer is not the duck, but how he responds to it and overcomes it.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the Rajasthan Royals' young talent, celebrated his 15th birthday by smashing the second-fastest fifty in the team's IPL history, leading them to a dominant victory over Chennai Super Kings.
With no success beyond opening, where does India fit Samson in batting order?
The Namibia match could be a God-sent opportunity for an out-of-form Sanju Samson to get into run-scoring mode after a string of failures that saw him lose his place to Ishan Kishan, who is going through a purple patch.
India crushed Namibia by 93 runs in the T20 World Cup, powered by Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya, but concerns remain ahead of the Pakistan clash.
'Found a ponnada in the appropriate India colours to honour him with!'
India edged England by seven runs to reach the T20 World Cup final for the second successive time after Jacob Bethell's brilliant century went in vain.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra believes MS Dhoni should retire if he's relegated to an 'Impact Player' role for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), suggesting it's time for the veteran to consider hanging up his boots.
His consistency comes at a crucial time, with stiff competition for a spot in India's Asia Cup XI following Shubman Gill's return as vice-captain, and the inclusion of wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma after a stellar IPL season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Akeal Hosein explains how adapting to pitch conditions helped him claim four wickets as Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians by 103 runs in IPL 2026.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals player, has achieved remarkable milestones in IPL 2026, becoming the youngest and fastest player to reach 500 runs.
Rajasthan Royals monitoring Samson's side strain on daily basis: Rahul Dravid
Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth believes teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi can revive Test cricket if nurtured properly, urging patience and warning against excessive scrutiny of the young star.
Suryakumar Yadav's recent batting form has raised questions about his place in India's T20 plans, especially with the 2028 Olympics on the horizon and the emergence of young talent like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Abhishek Sharma focuses on his batting against spin during a net session ahead of the T20 World Cup semifinal against England, recalling his past success at Wankhede Stadium.
Chris Gayle praised Rajasthan Royals teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the 15-year-old produced another breathtaking display in the IPL Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings, both with eight points from nine games, face off in a crucial IPL match in Delhi. Both teams need a win to stay in contention for the playoffs.
Sanju Samson not batting enough at number five and six doesn't mean he can't do the job there, said India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak on Friday while expressing confidence in the Kerala dasher's ability ahead of the Asia Cup clash against Pakistan.
Stephen Fleming says MS Dhoni continues to influence Chennai Super Kings despite missing IPL 2026 through injury, while conceding that CSK is paying the price for missed chances under pressure.
When the Indian team entered the ICC Cricket Academy Arena for their evening net session ahead of the Asia Cup, Samson was the first to start his solo keeping drills with fielding coach T Dilip, even as others were just about lumbering up.
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate says adding Sanju Samson to the top order is under discussion after the SA loss, reveals Abhishek's food poisoning battle.
Sanju Samson was to play the T20 World Cup final.
Then, Skipper Rohit Sharma changed his mind.
In typical Rohit style, he then spent 10 minutes explaining to Sanju why he was being excluded from the playing eleven.
Samson had new batting batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and throwdown specialists for company.
Former India cricketer Syed Kirmani says wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant needs to check his flamboyance, work on his physical fitness and "vulnerable" temperament if he wishes to play all formats for the country again.
'It will not happen that Dhoni is off the field and leaves someone like Sanju Samson to keep wickets.'
'Pant can give that differential variable that they are looking for in the batting order.'
'There are 3-4 people who wasted 10 years of my son's vital career...captains like Dhoniji, Viratji, Rohitji and coach Dravidji.'
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the T20 World Cup match against Pakistan?
India, bidding to become the first team to successfully defend the Twenty20 World Cup title, face an England side building momentum in their semifinal at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
With Abhishek Sharma hospitalised with a stomach bug, Sanju Samson is set to get another opportunity at the top of the order.
Perhaps no other cricketer has gone through so much turbulence and transformation between December 3, 2023 and June 6, 2026 as Shreyas Iyer, who took over the reins of India's T20 team from Suryakumar Yadav on Saturday.
Sunil Gavaskar believes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is a special talent and should be included in the upcoming T20 series in England.
Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson has been fined Rs 24 lakh after his team maintained a slow over-rate during their match against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League.
