India’s fast bowlers produced a stunning swing bowling display before Abhishek Sharma’s brisk knock powered a comfortable seven-wicket win over South Africa in the third T20I at Dharamsala.

Pacers shine bright in India's seven-wicket win over SA in 3rd T20I

India&rsquo;s fast bowlers produced a stunning swing bowling display before Abhishek Sharma&rsquo;s brisk knock powered a comfortable seven-wicket win over South Africa in the third T20I at Dharamsala.

Abhishek Sharma played a sparkling little innings after the pacers produced a riveting exhibition of swing bowling, powering India to a smooth seven-wicket victory in the third T20I in Dharamsala on Sunday.
Chasing a modest 118 for a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, vice-captain Gill (28, 28 balls) and his opening partner Abhishek (35, 18 balls) added 60 runs in 5.2 overs as India achieved their target without much effort in 15.5 overs.
The lone point of interest in India&rsquo;s chase was whether the South African pacers could emulate their Indian counterparts with the new ball, and make the opponents&rsquo; task tougher. However, Abhishek and Gill never allowed the South African bowlers to settle, as the former carted Lungi Ngidi for 16 runs in the first over. In fact, the very first ball of the chase went for a six -- an early indicator of the Indian openers&rsquo; intention.
In the second over, Gill too joined his partner to garner 16 runs as India sped to 32 for no loss in the initial two overs. Abhishek, as is his wont, batted in a single gear and it required a gem of a catch by Aiden Markram in the deep off Corbin Bosch to snap his stay.
Once the left-hander was dismissed, India's chase of the remaining 58 runs settled into a much more sedate rhythm as Gill, who was saved by a DRS call early in his innings, and Tilak Varma (26 not out) did not look for any adventure. Gill's run-a-ball 28 will certainly not rank among his fluent ones, but it might have boosted his confidence after two lukewarm outings in the first two matches of the series.
He eventually dragged a Marco Jansen delivery back on to his stumps, and skipper Suryakumar Yadav too failed to remain till the end. But those were the minor aberrations on the night.
All the credit for this canter should go to India&rsquo;s pacers, who produced a mesmerizing spell of swing bowling to bundle out South Africa for a below-par 117. Leading India&rsquo;s show with early wickets were Arshdeep Singh (2/13), Harshit Rana (2/34) and Hardik Pandya (1/23) after the hosts chose to bowl.
Skipper Markram offered a tiny spark for South Africa with a spirited 46-ball 61. Undoubtedly, the brightest stars under a cool sky were India&rsquo;s quick bowlers, who procured lethal swing and lateral movement with the new ball. It had its effect on the low-key power play effort of South Africa -- 25 for three -- and the phase contained just two fours.
Arshdeep, who had a horror outing at Mullanpur a couple of days back, redeemed himself with a dream first spell (3-0-9-1). He bowled three deliveries which angled away from Reeza Hendricks and then jagged one back to trap the South African opener leg before with the help of DRS.
Rana did precisely the same to Quinton de Kock, a nip-backer, trapping the frozen-legged left-hander inside the crease. Dewald Brevis was slightly unfortunate to get castled while attempting a release shot off a wide delivery from Rana.
South Africa suddenly found themselves at 7 for 3 in 3.1 overs, and it was always going to be an uphill climb for them from there. Markram crunched a couple of sweet drives in between to keep the board moving but Tristan Stubbs and Bosch departed in quick succession to further derail South African innings.
Stubbs&rsquo; wicket helped all-rounder Pandya to complete 100 wickets in T20Is, the third Indian bowler to do so after Arshdeep and Jasprit Bumrah, who did not play this match after returning home to attend to a personal situation. The BCCI said his availability for the remainder of the series will be announced in due course.
Kuldeep Yadav too came into the eleven for an unwell Axar Patel. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy (2/11 in 4 overs) too reached a milestone, capturing his 50th T20I wicket while flattening the stumps of Donovan Ferreira (20, 15 balls).
The big-hitting Ferreria was dropped on 13 by Arshdeep at long-on off Shivam Dube, but that did not hurt India. Chakravarthy cut open the lower-order with his bottomless bag of tricks as the pitch also continued to offer good pace and carry. The spinner also added the wicket of Jansen to keep South Africa pinned to the mat.
Markram completed his fifty off 41 balls with a slashed six off Rana, as the 18th over produced 19 runs. But the South African surge came tad too late.

Vinesh Phogat announces her return to wrestling, saying the “fire never left,” as she prepares for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics with renewed motivation.

Vinesh Phogat Returns from Retirement for LA 2028 Olympics

Vinesh Phogat announces her return to wrestling, saying the &ldquo;fire never left,&rdquo; as she prepares for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics with renewed motivation.

Star Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Friday announced that she would be coming out of retirement to take another shot at an elusive Olympic medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Games as the "the fire never left" her and was merely buried under "exhaustion and noise".
The 31-year-old had walked away from the sport after the heartbreak of the Paris Games last year, where she was dramatically disqualified for being 100 grams over the permissible weight limit ahead of her 50kg category gold medal bout.
She had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking a joint silver medal, but the verdict remained unchanged, leading her to announce her retirement and join politics to be elected as an MLA from Haryana's Julana constituency.
"People kept asking if Paris was the end. For a long time, I didn't have the answer. I needed to step away from the mat, from the pressure, from the expectations, even from my own ambitions. For the first time in years, I allowed myself to breathe," Vinesh posted on her social media accounts.
"I took time to understand the weight of my journey the highs, the heartbreaks, the sacrifices, the versions of me the world never saw. And somewhere in that reflection, I found the truth, I still love this sport. I still want to compete."
She along with her husband Somvir Rathee welcomed a baby boy into their family in July.
"In that silence, I found something I'd forgotten 'the fire never left'. It was only buried under exhaustion and noise. The discipline, the routine, the fight... it's in my system. No matter how far I walked away, a part of me stayed on the mat."
Vinesh said she will begin her journey towards LA28 with renewed spirit and her son by her side.
"So here I am, stepping back toward LA28 with a heart that's unafraid and a spirit that refuses to bow. And this time, I'm not walking alone my son is joining my team, my biggest motivation, my little cheerleader on this road to the LA Olympics," she added.
Vinesh had already scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic gold-medal bout.
A three-time Olympian, she has won gold medals at both the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.

India’s batting faltered again as Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav continued their lean run, handing South Africa a 51-run win in the second T20. Quinton de Kock’s blistering 90 powered the visitors to 213/4 before Indian batters collapsed.

South Africa level series after de Kock special; Gill, SKY misfire again

India&rsquo;s batting faltered again as Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav continued their lean run, handing South Africa a 51-run win in the second T20. Quinton de Kock&rsquo;s blistering 90 powered the visitors to 213/4 before Indian batters collapsed.

The lean run of Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav was extended as Indian batters stumbled on a good batting surface to lose the second T20 against South Africa by 51 runs in Mullanpur on Thursday.&nbsp;
Quinton de Kock made an effortless 90 of 46 balls, pushing South Africa to a challenging 213 for four after India opted to field.
India were expected to chase down the steep target but South Africa removed Indian trio of Abhishek Sharma (17), Gill (0) and Suryakumar Yadav (5) inside the powerplay to put the hosts on the backfoot. India were eventually bowled out for 162 in 19.1 overs with Tilak Varma (62 off 34) playing a lone hand.
The five match series now stands at 1-1 with the third match scheduled in Dharamsala on December 14. The local crowd was expecting their home heroes, Gill and Abhishek, to fire but it was not to be.
Yet to realise his potential in the shortest format, vice-captain Gill, facing his very first ball, got a beauty from Lungi Ngidi that seamed away from length to take a thick outside edge. Abhshek was caught behind in the following over from Marco Jansen. Next to depart was skipper Suryakumar who too got a faint edge after Jansen angled it away from the India skipper.
Batting at three, Axar Patel (21 off 21) was pouched at cover with Reeza Hendricks just about managing to have his fingers under the ball. From thereon, Tilak batted at a high tempo but lack of partnerships and soaring run rate pushed the game out of India's reach..
Earlier, de Kock entertained the crowd with his remarkable strokeplay. When in full flow, De Kock is among the most attractive batters in the game and he flaunted his special skills on a true pitch. He was mainly dealing in sixes in the middle and majority of his seven maximums came in the deep square leg region.
De Kock, who recently reversed his ODI retirement and was not sure about his T20 future post the World Cup last year, is back with a renewed purpose and remains on top of his game. An innings like this just less than a week before the mini auction will also create the buzz among the franchises, who might indulge in a bidding war for the multi-skilled cricketer.
Arshdeep Singh, who had De Kock caught behind in the series opener, was at the receiving end on Thursday. De Kock began the assault with a pick up shot for six off Arshdeep before pulling the left-arm pacer for a maximum over deep mid-wicket.
Jasprit Bumrah too conceded 16 runs in his second over after being disdainfully pulled for six by Reeza Hendricks. The right-hander missed a skidder from Varun Chakravarthy in the following over to give India a welcome breakthrough but De Kock maintained the pressure on the opposition, taking his team to 53-1 in the powerplay.
Brought back into the attack in 11th over, Arshdeep lost his usual calm under pressure after being smashed for a six down the ground by De Kock. The Indian pacer tried to bowl wide yorkers from thereon but failed miserably and ended up bowling as many as seven wides in a 18-run over.
The South African opener looked certain to cross the 100-run mark for the second time in his T20 career but was run out in a bizarre fashion by wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma after attempting a non existent single.
The big hits kept coming even after de Kock's fall with Donavan Ferreria (30 not off 16) and David Miller (20 not out off 12) doing the damage in the death overs.
Arshdeep's new ball partner Bumrah too had an off day and conceded 18 runs in the 20th over after being hammered for two towering sixes by Ferreira. India leaked 123 runs in the last 10 overs.

India’s left-handed star Smriti Mandhana shared her love for cricket, recalling her 12-year journey, World Cup victory, and the inspiration drawn from wearing the Indian jersey at the Amazon Sambhav Summit.

I don't think I love anything more than cricket: Smriti Mandhana

India&rsquo;s left-handed star Smriti Mandhana shared her love for cricket, recalling her 12-year journey, World Cup victory, and the inspiration drawn from wearing the Indian jersey at the Amazon Sambhav Summit.

It has been 12 years since she first donned India colours and in all these years Smriti Mandhana has realised one thing --- that there is nothing in the world that "she loves more" than the game of cricket.
India's greatest left-handed woman batter, Mandhana reflected on her journey from making her debut back in 2013 to playing a big role in team's World Cup triumph a month back.
Reflecting on what drives her, Mandhana added, "I don't think I love anything more than cricket. Wearing that Indian jersey is the motivation that drives us. You keep all your problems aside, and that thought alone helps you focus on life," she said at the Amazon Sambhav Summit here on Wednesday.
She always had clarity about her ambition. "As a kid, the madness for batting was always there. No one understood it, but in my mind, I always wanted to be called a world champion."
Mandhana said the trophy felt like a culmination of the team&rsquo;s long struggle. "This World Cup was the reward for the battle we fought over the years. We were waiting for it so badly. I&rsquo;ve been playing for more than 12 years &mdash; many times things didn&rsquo;t go our way. We visualised it before the final, and when we finally saw it on the screen, it gave us goosebumps. It was an incredible, special moment," the Indian vice-captain said.
Mandhana said the presence of veterans Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami at the final heightened the emotion. "We really wanted to do it for them, badly. Seeing tears in their eyes made it feel like women's cricket itself was winning. It was a battle won for all of them," she said.
Mandhana said the World Cup reinforced two enduring lessons. "You always start an innings at zero, no matter if you scored a hundred before. And don't play for yourself - that's what we kept reminding each other," she said.
Incidentally, this was Mandhana's first public appearance since she called off her marriage with musician Palash Mucchal.

Shubman Gill looks to find form while India aim to continue dominance over South Africa in the second T20 International at Mullanpur, with Hardik Pandya returning and key players under scrutiny.

2nd T20I: Pressure mounts on Gill as India look to press advantage in Mullanpur

Shubman Gill looks to find form while India aim to continue dominance over South Africa in the second T20 International at Mullanpur, with Hardik Pandya returning and key players under scrutiny.

Yet to stamp his authority in the shortest format, Shubman Gill would be eying major gains on home soil when a well-rounded India look to extend their dominance over South Africa in the second T20 International in Mullanpur on Thursday.
With only a travel day separating the first two games of the five-match series, Gill won't mind getting straight into the middle in search of a substantial knock. India steamrolled South Africa in the series opener but the middling returns from Gill, since his T20 comeback in Asia Cup back in September, remains a talking point.
Following an impressive debut as Test captain in the UK, Gill was brought back into the T20 setup. Even though Sanju Samson and his Punjab teammate Abhishek Sharma were doing the job at the top of the order, the team management showed immense faith in Gill's abilities as a T20 opener.
The batter from Kerala was displaced and he has since then struggled to find a place in the playing eleven. The Test and ODI captain can seamlessly perform the role that Virat Kohli performed for India till the T20 World Cup last year but the team, with batting options till number eight, has doubled down on its fearless approach since the triumph in Barbados, leaving little room for an anchor.
Gill certainly can't go hammer and tongs like Abhishek Sharma in the powerplay and therefore needs to figure out what works best for him.
Besides Gill, captain Suryakumar Yadav, who has failed to find consistency over the past 12 months, is also facing additional scrutiny. Couple of months down the line, Suryakumar would be leading India's World Cup defence at home and considering the added responsibility, flow of runs from his bat form a crucial piece of the puzzle heading into the ICC showpiece.
In the colder environment of New Chandigarh, India are unlikely to tinker with the winning combination. Returning to national duty from injury, Hardik Pandya reaffirmed his status as the leading all-rounder in the game. His 28-ball 59 made a massive difference on a sticky wicket while it took him one ball to make an impact with the ball.
The selection on Tuesday also indicated that two strike bowlers, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav, will not be part of the same eleven due to the need for batting till number eight. Arshdeep got the nod on this occasion and India's leading wicket-taker in the format was once again able to provide the early wickets bowling alongside Jasprit Bumrah.
South Africa, on the other hand, would be looking for a drastically better outing with the bat after being bundled out for 74 in the run chase of 176. There is no time to reflect on the scale of the defeat and that can only be a good thing for the visitors.
"Nowadays in T20 cricket, there's not much time to look around and absorb. But the biggest factor was obviously not being able to build partnerships, settling after losing wickets and getting some momentum on our side. So yeah, we'll have brief conversations," said skipper Aiden Markram.
The venue would be hosting its first ever T20 International after hosting two women's ODIs back in September. During the last IPL, the pitches produced were not the easiest to bat on with scores ranging from excess of 200 to as low as 101.
On the sidelines of the fixture, stands named after Yuvraj Singh and Harmanpreet Kaur would also be unveiled.
Squads:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donnovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Reeza Hendricks, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Ottneil Bartman.
Match starts at 7pm IST.

Virat Kohli jumps to No. 2 in the latest ICC ODI rankings after a stellar series against South Africa, closing in on Rohit Sharma. Kuldeep Yadav, KL Rahul, Mitchell Starc and others also make major gains across formats.

Virat Kohli Nears ODI Top Spot as ICC Rankings Shift

Virat Kohli jumps to No. 2 in the latest ICC ODI rankings after a stellar series against South Africa, closing in on Rohit Sharma. Kuldeep Yadav, KL Rahul, Mitchell Starc and others also make major gains across formats.

India great Virat Kohli&rsquo;s push to regain the top ODI batter spot received a boost as he moved up to the second place in the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday.
Kohli hasn't held the No.1 position for ODI batters since he was displaced by Pakistan's Babar Azam in April 2021.
But the right-hander is closing in on the top spot following his superb recent efforts for India in the three-match ODI series against South Africa.
The 37-year-old was adjudged Player of the Series for his 302 runs across the three matches and he was duly rewarded on the latest set of rankings as he improved two places to second overall behind teammate Rohit Sharma.
Rohit amassed 146 runs across the series to hold on to his spot at the top of the rankings, with Kohli closing to within eight rating points on the back of his unbeaten innings of 65 not out in the series finale in Visakhapatnam.
It helped India clinch the three-match series 2-1.
India ODI skipper Shubman Gill retained his fifth spot despite missing the three-match series while stand-in skipper KL Rahul rose two places to 12th overall after making two fifties in the rubber.
Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav moved up three spots to third in the bowlers' chart.
South Africa trio of Quinton de Kock (up three rungs to 13th), Aiden Markram (up four places to 25th) and Temba Bavuma (up three spots to 37th) also made gains on the rankings for ODI batters.
In the T20I rankings, the trio of Axar Patel (up two spots to 13th), Arshdeep Singh (up three places to 20th) and Jasprit Bumrah (up six rungs to 25th) made gains, following their comprehensive 101-run victory in Cuttack.
All of them had a good outing in the first T20I, taking two wickets apiece as India bowled out the Proteas for 74, their lowest-ever total in the shortest format.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, who recently scored his maiden ODI hundred against SA in Visakhapatnam, remained the top ranked Indian batter in the Test rankings at number eight while Gill and Rishabh Pant have moved a step each to 11th and 13th respectively.
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has made a big jump on the latest rankings for Test bowlers led by Jasprit Bumrah.
The left-armer moved up three spots to third overall on the back of consecutive Player of the Match performances during the first two Ashes Tests against England.
Starc has 18 wickets from the two contests and finds himself moving to a new career-high rating and a best-ever ranking of third as a result.
The Indian trio of Mohammad Siraj (12th), Ravindra Jadeja (13th) and Kuldeep (14th) have all climbed up a spot.
England's lack of runs Down Under sees Harry Brook drop two places to fourth overall on the list for Test batters, with Kane Williamson (second) and Steve Smith (third) each gaining one spot behind Joe Root, who made a hundred in the Brisbane Test, at the top.

Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten fifty and disciplined Indian bowling dismantled South Africa for 74 as India sealed a dominant 101-run win in the Cuttack T20I series opener.

Pandya's blazing fifty, ruthless bowlers earn India 101-run win over SA

Hardik Pandya&rsquo;s unbeaten fifty and disciplined Indian bowling dismantled South Africa for 74 as India sealed a dominant 101-run win in the Cuttack T20I series opener.

Hardik Pandya made a memorable comeback to competitive cricket, striking a mood-lifting unbeaten fifty and then took a key wicket as India etched a dominant 101-run win over South Africa in the opening match of the five-match series in Cuttack on Tuesday.
The victory helped India take a 1-0 lead in the rubber and it also pushed South Africa to their lowest-ever T20I total. Their previous lowest was also against India -- 87 all out in Rajkot in 2022.
India had been pushed onto the back-foot after SA asked them to bat first on a tacky red-soil surface, but Pandya&rsquo;s commanding 59 not out off 28 balls rescued them from early turbulence. India posted a competitive 175/6.
On a pitch that demanded discipline, South Africa showed none, to be all out for a mere 74 in 12.3 overs, as the hosts&rsquo; bowlers ran through them with relentless accuracy.
Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel grabbed two wickets each, while Pandya fittingly chipped in with the prized scalp of David Miller. It was also South Africa&rsquo;s first defeat in three T20Is in Cuttack, and if India had started shakily, South Africa began disastrously.
Arshdeep set the tone with a superb away-swinger that kissed past Quinton de Kock&rsquo;s tentative prod for a two-ball duck.
In his next over, Arshdeep produced another beauty -- a length ball that jagged back into the in-form Tristan Stubbs (14).
India went upstairs for the review, and UltraEdge confirmed a thick inside edge onto the elbow before Jitesh Sharma completed a sharp take as South Africa were 18/2 inside four overs.
Axar was introduced in the final over of the powerplay and struck immediately.
Aiden Markram, shuffling back to work a skiddy, straight delivery, was beaten on the inside edge to get bowled. At 28/3 in six overs, South Africa were already in a hole.
Pandya then added to their misery, dismissing Miller.
Chakravarthy, operating with sharp drift and deceptive pace, got into action after the powerplay. Donovan Ferreira was late to react to a delivery that held back, and could only nick behind to Jitesh.
Marco Jansen, who had fielded brilliantly earlier, was undone by Chakravarthy&rsquo;s googly as South Africa slid to 68/6.
The end arrived quickly thereafter with Bumrah cleaning up Dewald Brevis and Keshav Maharaj in the space of four deliveries.
Earlier, coming back after 74 days following a left quadricep injury that forced him out of the Asia Cup, Pandya walked in at No. 6 and immediately changed the tempo of the match.
India had slipped in both the power play and middle overs losing six wickets, but Pandya, who had proved his fitness at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Baroda with a 42-ball 77 not out, counter-attacked with clean, fearless hitting to finish en route his sixth T20I fifty.
He began with two towering sixes against Maharaj just after a well-set Tilak Varma (26) fell. Pandya then ripped into Anrich Nortje with a 17-run over, even stepping out to a 149kph thunderbolt to punch it for four.
Jansen tried to rush him with short balls, but Pandya pulled one with vengeance before racing towards fifty that lifted the mood in the stadium.
He struck a six and four off Lutho Sipamla (2/38) in the 19th over, and reached his half-century in 25 balls with a ramped six over third man off Nortje in the final over, celebrating it with a muted raise of the bat.
Pandya's late fireworks helped India add 71 runs in the last six overs.
But on a fresh red-soil surface offering two-paced bounce, India struggled early. Abhishek Sharma (17), Shubman Gill (4) and Suryakumar Yadav (12) all fell inside seven overs as Lungi Ngidi (3/31) exploited the conditions superbly with clever variations.
He removed Gill early as the batter chipped to Jansen at mid-off, and later had skipper Suryakumar holding out to Markram to have India 17/2.
Abhishek tried to force the pace after the field restrictions lifted, but fell to Sipamla, thanks to a stunning sliding catch by the 2.06m Jansen sprinting across from long leg to fine leg.
His brief stay of 17 off 12 balls ended just as he began to find rhythm with back-to-back boundaries as India soon slipped to 48/3 in 6.3 overs.
Varma looked set while smashing a towering six off Nortje and with two fours in his 32-ball 26 but the Indian innings started to wobble again with him and Axar (23) dismissed by Ngidi and Sipamla respectively.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir, captain Suryakumar Yadav, and other Team India members sought blessings at Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri ahead of the T20 series against South Africa.

Team India Seeks Blessings at Jagannath Temple Before T20 Clash

Head coach Gautam Gambhir, captain Suryakumar Yadav, and other Team India members sought blessings at Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri ahead of the T20 series against South Africa.

Ahead of the first T20 International against South Africa at Cuttack&rsquo;s Barabati Stadium, four members of Team India, including head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav, visited the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri on Tuesday to seek blessings.
Suryakumar, accompanied by his wife Devisha Shetty, entered the 12th-century shrine amid tight security.
"Jai Jagannath," the skipper chanted as he walked into the temple, escorted by security personnel and Puri SP Prateek Singh. Players Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar also offered prayers.
"We had made special arrangements for the visiting Team India players who arrived here for the blessings of Lord Jagannath. Everything was smooth, and they had &lsquo;darshan&rsquo; of the sibling deities &mdash; Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath &mdash; inside the temple," Singh told reporters.
Servitor Rabi Pratihari organised a special puja for the players and performed a ceremonial lamp offering, praying for Team India&rsquo;s success in the upcoming series.
The team members returned to Bhubaneswar after the darshan, the SP added.&nbsp;

A total of 350 players, including Quinton de Kock and Steve Smith, will go under the hammer in the IPL auction on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, with 77 slots available across 10 teams.

IPL 2026 auction to feature 350 players including 240 Indians; Quinton de Kock added

A total of 350 players, including Quinton de Kock and Steve Smith, will go under the hammer in the IPL auction on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, with 77 slots available across 10 teams.

A total of 350 cricketers, including 240 Indians, will go under the hammer in the IPL auction to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16, with South Africa's comeback man Quinton de Kock a surprise late addition to the final list.
Wicketkeeper-batter De Kock, who recently came out of his ODI retirement, has been kept at a base price of Rs 1 crore.
The list also includes Australia batter Steve Smith at a base price of Rs 2 crore. Smith last played in the IPL in 2021.
A total of 1,390 players registered for the Player Auction. The number was pruned to 1,005 players before 350 were finally shortlisted to battle for 77 slots available including 31 for overseas players, across the 10 teams for the 19th edition of the world&rsquo;s biggest T20 league.
The first set of players in the auction includes India and Mumbai batters Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan, who both have kept their base price at Rs 75 lakh each. Shaw had a regular run in the IPL from 2018 to 2024 but had gone unsold in the auction for the last edition, whereas Sarfaraz has not played in the competition since 2021.
The list shared by the IPL features two Australians in Cameron Green and Jake Fraser-McGurk, along with New Zealand and former Chennai Super Kings opener Devon Conway and South Africa&rsquo;s David Miller, with each of them keeping a base price of Rs 2 crore.
Venkatesh Iyer, who was released by Kolkata Knight Riders, has listed himself at a base price of Rs 2 crore.
Among domestic players, Kunal Chandela and Ashok Kumar, who are among the leading run-getters and wicket-takers respectively in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, are also in the final list.
Three-time winners KKR will go into the auction with the biggest purse of Rs 64.3 crores, followed by five-time champions CSK with Rs 43.4 crores. Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have won the IPL once, have the third highest purse of Rs 25.5 crores.
As many as 21 England players feature in the list, including wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith, pacer Gus Atkinson, Liam Livingstone and Test opener Ben Duckett.
Green, expected to garner a lot of attention in this auction, leads the list of 19 Australians, with Josh Inglis, Matthew Short, Cooper Connolly and Beau Webster being the other prominent names.
De Kock and Miller are among the 15 Proteas players in the IPL auction, along with fast bowlers Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee and all-rounder Wiaan Mulder.
Fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, Ackeem Auguste, Shai Hope and Roston Chase are among the nine players from the West Indies in the auction.
Sri Lankan spinners Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana and Traveen Matthew will be among the dozen players from the island nation in the auction, along with Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera.
Conway and Rachin Ravindra, who were released by CSK, are among the 16 New Zealand players in the auction.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Naveen ul Haq feature in the list of 10 players from Afghanistan.

Australia’s Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the Ashes due to hamstring and Achilles issues, shifting his focus to the T20 World Cup, while Pat Cummins is expected to return for the Adelaide Test.mins is expected to return for the third Test.

Josh Hazlewood Out of Ashes, Focuses on T20 World Cup Preparation

Australia’s Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the Ashes due to hamstring and Achilles issues, shifting his focus to the T20 World Cup, while Pat Cummins is expected to return for the Adelaide Test.

Australia&rsquo;s Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the Ashes due to hamstring and Achilles issues, shifting his focus to the T20 World Cup, while Pat Cummins is expected to return for the Adelaide Test.

Australian pace bowler Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the Ashes series with hamstring and Achilles injuries.
Hazlewood missed Australia's two eight-wickets wins over England in Perth and Brisbane but had been expected to return later in the five-match series.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald on Tuesday said the veteran paceman would now be targeting a return for the Twenty20 World Cup early next year.
&ldquo;He'll be out of the series and his preparation will then shift toward the World Cup, which is an incredibly important campaign for us," McDonald said. &ldquo;It's really flat for him. A couple of setbacks we didn't see coming &mdash; we thought he'd play a huge part in the series.&rdquo;
Hazlewood has been a key member of Australia's regular bowling attack for a decade.
There was better news for skipper Pat Cummins, who is expected to return for the third test in Adelaide starting Dec. 17 after missing the first two tests while he recovers from a back problem.
The 32-year-old paceman increased his training workload at Allan Border Field in Brisbane while the Australians were playing the second test against England at the Gabba.
He is set to be recalled as captain when the match squad is announced Wednesday.
Steve Smith has been leading the Australia XI in the absence of Cummins.
&ldquo;We feel as though he'll be as best prepared as can be," McDonald said. "Us seeing him further advanced, we feel he'll be really well placed for the challenges of Adelaide.
&ldquo;We feel as though the simulation in the nets has got him skill ready. His body's ready to go. Barring anything else happening in the next week, I'd be expecting Pat to be tossing the coin and putting the blazer on.&rdquo;
The under-fire England squad, which needs a win in Adelaide to have any chance of reclaiming the Ashes, is taking a few days out this week to rest and relax at one of Australia's iconic beach towns.
The fourth test starts Boxing Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Sydney will host the fifth test from Jan. 4.
England hasn't won an Ashes test in Australia since the 2010-11 series.
Mitchell Starc, the only regular member of the Australian attack involved in the first two tests, is the leading bowler in the series so far with 18 wickets and has won back-to-back man-of-the-match awards.

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Defending champions GT beat Mumbai by 55&nbsp;runs Noor Ahmad took 3 wkts, Rashid Khan finished with 2 Chasing 208, Mumbai could&nbsp;only&nbsp;manage&nbsp;152

The IPL 2026 will be held from March 26 to May 31, with RCB’s home opener at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium pending safety clearance following fan fatalities during 2025 celebrations.

IPL 2026: Uncertainty Over Opening Match Venue Amid Safety Concerns

The IPL 2026 will be held from March 26 to May 31, with RCB&rsquo;s home opener at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium pending safety clearance following fan fatalities during 2025 celebrations.

The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League will be held between the March 26 to May 31 window but it remains to be seen if Bengaluru, the home of RCB, holds the opening match.&nbsp;
As per the norms, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium should host the tournament opener given the home side, Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the IPL 2025 title.&nbsp;
While the venue has received conditional clearance from the Karnataka state government, it also needs to meet the necessary safety and security standards following the death of 11 fans in a stampede during RCB's victory celebrations in June this year.&nbsp;
The mini-auction for IPL 2026 will be held in Abu Dhabi today with three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders coming in with the biggest purse

Veteran Usman Khawaja misses out on Australia’s playing XI for the third Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval, with Travis Head and Jake Weatherald leading the top order.

Khawaja Out as Australia Retains Head for Third Ashes Test

Veteran Usman Khawaja misses out on Australia&rsquo;s playing XI for the third Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval, with Travis Head and Jake Weatherald leading the top order.

Veteran Usman Khawaja has missed selection to Australia's team for the third Ashes test against England, with Travis Head kept at the top of the batting lineup alongside Jake Weatherald.
Just two days away from his 39th birthday, Khawaja was a notable omission Tuesday from Australia's XI for the test beginning Wednesday at Adelaide Oval. Australia leads the five-test series 2-0 and can retain the Ashes with a win or draw in Adelaide. England named its team Monday.
Captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon will return to the bowling attack at the expense of Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser, while the top seven is unchanged. That means Josh Inglis will remain in the side at No. 7, while Khawaja was not included after missing the Brisbane test with back spasms.
Khawaja had enjoyed one of the great late-career resurgences since his recall to the test team at the start of 2022, starring at the top of the order. He averaged 58.7 in his first two years back in the side, but has now passed 50 just twice in his past 27 test innings.
Cummins said he doesn't feel Khawaja is finished as a test player. &ldquo;The selectors have been quite adamant about picking a side each week,&rdquo; Cummins said. "It doesn't necessarily mean it's got to be exactly the same team as the previous week. We do that with bowlers.
&ldquo;One of Uzzy's great strengths is he's scored runs at the top. He's scored runs in the middle. So absolutely, I can see a path back at some point, if needed.&rdquo;
Steve Smith was the first in the nets to bat on Tuesday after missing Monday's session due to an unspecified illness. Smith captained Australia in the first two test victories due to Cummins' injury absence.
Lineups:
Australia: Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (captain), Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith, Will Jacks, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.

England and Australia players will wear black armbands and flags will fly at half-staff during the Ashes Test in Adelaide to honour victims of the Bondi beach shootings.

Cricket Teams Pay Tribute to Bondi Beach Shooting Victims

England and Australia players will wear black armbands and flags will fly at half-staff during the Ashes Test in Adelaide to honour victims of the Bondi beach shootings.

England and Australia players will wear black armbands and flags at Adelaide Oval will be flown at half-staff on Wednesday in an Ashes tribute to the victims of the Bondi beach shootings.
On Sunday night, two gunmen killed 15 people and injured dozens more at the iconic beach in Sydney. Their target was members of Sydney's Jewish community celebrating the start of Hannukah in what authorities said was an antisemitic act of terrorism.
Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board issued a joint statement saying: "All of our thoughts are with the victims, their friends and families, the Jewish community and the people of Australia at this deeply distressing time. Our condolences go out to all those affected. We stand with you.&rdquo;
Australia captain Pat Cummins said "my heart goes out to the victims, their families, the people of Bondi and our Jewish community during this time. If you can, please book an appointment to donate blood.&rdquo;
Cricket Australia said Tuesday that veteran Australian folk singer John Williamson would join tributes to the victims at the start of Wednesday's match, the third in the five-test series which Australia leads 2-0.
Williamson will perform his fabled song &ldquo;True Blue&rdquo; before play begins. Williamson will follow a moment's silence and precede the Indigenous &ldquo;Welcome to Country&rdquo; and the Australian and England anthems.
&ldquo;This is a tragic time for all Australians and the thoughts of everyone in the cricket world are with the victims of this terrible event, their families, friends and the Jewish community," Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said in a statement Tuesday.
&ldquo;While sport can seem insignificant at times like this, we have the unusual opportunity to bring millions of people together to pay tribute, to console and to contemplate what we want our nation to be. I'm grateful John has agreed to perform True Blue' which has at its essence the ideal of Australians from all backgrounds sharing the same hopes and aspirations."

Cameron Green, Venkatesh Iyer, Liam Livingstone and other all-rounders are set to dominate the IPL 2025 mini-auction, with KKR and CSK expected to make aggressive bids.

Cameron Green, KKR, CSK Eye IPL Mini-Auction Windfall

Cameron Green, Venkatesh Iyer, Liam Livingstone and other all-rounders are set to dominate the IPL 2025 mini-auction, with KKR and CSK expected to make aggressive bids.

Cameron Green could well be the biggest beneficiary of IPL's skewed demand-supply market dynamic surrounding seam-bowling all-rounders during the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday with Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings seemingly ready to break the bank for the Australian.
The 10 teams need to fill up 77 slots with a cumulative purse of Rs 237.55 crore and among them, Mumbai Indians (Rs 2.75 crore) will hardly have any role to play save picking a few uncapped players at their base price. Green, along with out-of-favour India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer and English dasher Liam Livingstone, is likely to enjoy a handsome payday.
Kolkata Knight Riders, with a purse of 64.30 crore and an eye on rebuilding the outfit with 13 slots to fill, can only be challenged by Chennai Super Kings, who enter the mini-auction with a purse of Rs 43.40 crore.
The mini-auction is always more intriguing than the mega auction as franchises come with specific choices and are always ready to go the distance to procure the services of players with distinct skill-sets.
Pace bowling all-rounders always come at a premium and therefore, the troika of Green, Venkatesh Iyer and West Indies' Jason Holder, all coming at the highest base price of Rs 2 crore (USD 220,000), are set to headline the bidding war. If one looks at their IPL stats, Green, especially, has middling numbers -- 704 runs and 16 wickets in the 29 matches -- but the mini-auction is more demand-driven activity and an Australian all-format regular is certain to get traction.
When it comes to Venkatesh, everyone save KKR CEO Venky Mysore, believed that an auction bid of Rs 23.75 crore was way too high and the player had his worst season trying to justify the price.
Having also released Andre Russell, who is the team's new "Power Coach", KKR are in need of at least two good top order batters and one all-rounder. The third of three pace-bowling all-rounders, Holder, may be a low key name but he is equally adept at using the long handle and bowl those heavy balls, making him useful in a smaller auction with lesser options.
Green will get only Rs 18 crore
There is buzz that Green might surpass countryman Mitchell Starc (Rs 24.75 crore) to become the overseas player with the highest price tag at an IPL auction but there would still remain a catch.
Even if Green's bid goes northwards of Rs 25 crore, his salary for the season would still be Rs 18 crore (USD 1.9 million). The bid amount and players' salary would be mutually exclusive with the former being deducted from team's annual player purse.
The reason being IPL's "maximum-fee" rule which states that a foreign player's maximum fee at a mini auction will be the lower value between the highest retention slab (Rs 18 crore) and the highest price at the previous mega auction (Rs 27 crore for Rishabh Pant in 2025).
In case of Venkatesh, it will be interesting if his bid value goes over and above Rs 10 crore (USD 1.1 million), which is a fair deal given his skill-set and capabilities. In a mini-auction, there is no scope for using the Right To Match (RTM) card and hence KKR, if they want to get back Venkatesh, will have to make some smart calls.
Livingstone, De Kock could be in high demand
England swashbuckler Liam Livingstone, who can also bowl handy spin is another player, who can hit the million dollar mark (Rs 9 crore) along with Quinton de Kock, who has time and again shown that he is a match-winner with the bat aside from being safe as a house behind the stumps. For Livingstone, destroying Rashid Khan's mystery by smashing him for 26 runs in a 'Hundred' game for Birmingham Phoenix is likely to make him sought-after name.
Uncapped Indians Prashant Veer, and Mukul Choudhary will attract bidders while Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan would also hope that their low base price of Rs 75 lakh finds takers.
Pathirana, Duffy and uncapped Ashok Sharma&nbsp;
Matheesha Pathirana was released by CSK but teams like Lucknow Super Giants (purse of Rs 22.95 crore) might bid aggressively as their fast bowling resources look depleted despite the presence of Mohammed Shami and a perennially injured Mayank Yadav. However, Pathirana is believed to have remodelled his action but whether CSK will be interested in him is a big question.
Also on the list is Jacob Duffy, the New Zealand paceman who has already made a name for himself in the T20I circuit and is one of the top-rated players in the ICC rankings. Among uncapped Indians, Ashok Sharma, who has previously been a part of IPL teams and is in the midst of a fine Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign, is expected to attract very good bids.

Argentine football star Lionel Messi arrives in Delhi for the last leg of his G.O.A.T India tour following a delayed Mumbai flight. He will attend a meet-and-greet, ticketed event, and photoshoot before returning to Miami.

Lionel Messi Wraps Up G.O.A.T India Tour With Delayed Arrival in Delhi

Argentine football star Lionel Messi arrives in Delhi for the last leg of his G.O.A.T India tour following a delayed Mumbai flight. He will attend a meet-and-greet, ticketed event, and photoshoot before returning to Miami.

Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi arrived in Delhi on Monday for the final leg of his G.O.A.T India Tour after his flight from Mumbai was delayed considerably due to inclement weather.&nbsp;
Messi, who was in Mumbai for the second day of his three-day whirlwind trip to India, was to land in the national capital around 10:45am but his charter flight was held up due to foggy conditions. He landed at the Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport around 2:30pm, and straightaway proceeded to the Leela Palace Hotel where he will have a Meet and Greet session for around an hour with a select group of people.&nbsp;
His final set of engagements includes an appearance at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium for a ticketed event and a photo-shoot programme at Purana Qila before leaving for the airport for the return to Miami, his current base.&nbsp;
The World Cup winner regaled fans in Mumbai last evening, posing alongside cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and a bevy of Bollywood stars and politicians.&nbsp;
Before Mumbai, he also made similar appearances in Hyderabad and Kolkata. The Kolkata leg was marred by chaotic scenes at the venue as frustrated fans ripped apart seats and stormed the Salt Lake Stadium pitch after failing to catch a glimpse of the superstar, who was surrounded by politicians and officials.&nbsp;

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