Ricky Ponting has revealed he was approached to be India’s next head coach but despite significant interest in the job said it is an “unlikely” option for him at the moment given the commitment it would require. Ponting said he retains ambitions to be a national coach, but amid his other current roles – head

Gautam Gambhir has said that “creating hype” around young Indian players based on specific criteria such as bowling speeds can “backfire” and “deviate” them from hard work. The Kolkata Knight Riders mentor, who’s also one of the frontrunners to take up the India coach job, said team selection in T20Is should be based on IPL

Former India batter Gautam Gambhir is on top of the BCCI’s wishlist to take up the position of India men’s head coach after Rahul Dravid‘s term ends at the conclusion of the 2024 T20 World Cup in June. ESPNcricinfo has learned Gambhir, who is currently the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, has

After suffering their fourth consecutive defeat, against Punjab Kings in Guwahati, Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has admitted his team is “going through failures” that need to be rectified at the earliest. Royals set the pace early in the tournament by winning eight of their first nine matches, but had lost three on the bounce

Match details Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab KingsGuwahati, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT) Big picture: Who will replace Buttler for RR? From being fairly well-placed to top the points table, Rajasthan Royals now run the risk of slipping out of the top two after suffering three successive defeats at the pointy end of the tournament. Lucknow Super

India will play the second semi-final of the men’s T20 World Cup on June 27 in Providence, Guyana, if they qualify for the knockouts stage. The ICC’s playing conditions for the tournament, accessed by ESPNcricinfo, confirms this. India have likely been allotted the Guyana semi-final because of the match timings. The first semi-final in Tarouba,

South Africa’s all-format women’s tour of India will begin with a three-match ODI series, then move to the one-off Test, and end with the three T20Is. The ODIs, as well as a one-day warm-up game for the visiting side against a Board President’s XI side, will be played in Bengaluru, while the rest of the

The Impact Player rule in the IPL has not gone down too well with some current players and coaches, but former India coach Ravi Shastri is in favour of it, saying it has contributed to a number of thrilling finishes. “The Impact Player [rule] is good. You have to evolve with the times,” Shastri told

Match abandoned without a ball bowled Gujarat TItans vs Kolkata Knight Riders A combination of lightning and rain forced the first abandoned game of IPL 2024 in Ahmedabad on Monday, and in the process confirmed two things: Kolkata Knight Riders’ top-two finish in the league stage and Gujarat Titans’ elimination from playoff contention. Only a

With just eight more games to go in the league stage of IPL 2024, only Kolkata Knight Riders have qualified for the playoffs and three spots are still available. Here’s how the teams in contention stack up. Royal Challengers Bengaluru Played: 13, points: 12, NRR: 0.387Remaining match: CSK (h) RCB’s fifth win in a row

The 2024-25 Indian domestic season is set for an overhaul with the BCCI keen on staging the Ranji Trophy across two phases to minimize weather-related disruptions, particularly in northern India. As per the proposal that will be reviewed by the BCCI’s apex council, the Ranji season could begin in late September or early October. The

The Impact Player rule, one of the hot topics of debate during IPL 2024, is not “permanent”, BCCI secretary Jay Shah has said, and a call on its use in subsequent editions of the IPL will be taken after a discussion with stakeholders after the 2024 T20 World Cup. “Impact Player is like a test

The BCCI will not repeat the mistake it made last year when it invited for applications for the head coach only after the incumbent coach’s tenure had ended. With not enough time left for the next big assignment, the outgoing coach Rahul Dravid was convinced to take an extension till the T20 World Cup this

Match details Gujarat Titans (10th; W4, L7) vs Chennai Super Kings (4th; W6, L5)Ahmedabad, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT) Big picture Chennai Super Kings right now are Gujarat Titans from the start of the season. They have pretty much lost their entire pace attack, which has been crucial to their challenge for a place in the

Siddarth Kaul, the India seamer, has been signed by Northamptonshire on a short-term deal that will cover their next three Vitality County Championship fixtures. Kaul, 33, played three T20Is and three ODIs in 2018, including two wicketless appearances against England at Trent Bridge and Lord’s, and most recently was in action for Punjab in the

Mayank Yadav, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) quick, is set to miss the remainder of IPL 2024, although there may be a small chance that he could still feature in the playoffs if LSG make it. When asked if Mayank was completely out of the tournament, head coach Justin Langer said: “No, we’ll be praying

India is set to host South Africa for a multi-format women’s tour in June-July. ESPNcricinfo has learnt Bengaluru will host the white-ball leg, beginning with three ODIs from June 16, while Chennai will host the one-off Test starting June 28. The three T20Is will be played after the Test, with a view to ensure continuity

India’s selectors picked four spinners in their 15-man squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup because Rohit Sharma wanted them, though he did not want to reveal his reasons for doing so just yet. “I don’t want to go too much into detail on it, I’m sure opposition captains are listening to this,” Rohit said

India’s chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar was asked that question at a press conference to discuss the squad for the T20 World Cup in Mumbai on Thursday. Though he didn’t specify, it’s possible the questioner may have meant Kohli’s strike rate against spin. “I don’t think we’ve been discussing it,” Agarkar said. “Look, he has

The PCB’s schedule for the 2025 Champions Trophy could have India based in one city for the entire tournament, as the board looks for ways to accommodate a potential first visit by India to Pakistan in nearly 17 years. Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi are the three venues the PCB is planning to host the two-week

Match details Sunrisers Hyderabad (fifth) vs Rajasthan Royals (first)Hyderabad, 1930 IST (1400 GMT) Big picture – Best bowling team vs best batting team Rajasthan Royals have given up only one 200-plus total in a season where such totals are being scored every other day. Sunrisers Hyderabad have set and then reset the record for the

Shivam Dube had a “lot of butterflies” and “sleepless nights” in the lead up to India’s squad selection for the T20 World Cup 2024, but he had more than an inkling that he was in the team management’s plans. Last August, after more than three years away, Dube earned a T20I recall on the back

Lucknow Super Giants 145 for 6 (Stoinis 62, Hardik 2-26) beat Mumbai Indians 144 for 7 (Wadhera 46, Mohsin 2-36) by four wickets Having lost more wickets (4) than they hit boundaries (3) in the powerplay, Mumbai Indians were always going to struggle. Four of the first six overs cost a run a ball or

Harshit Rana, the Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler, has been fined 100% of his match fee and suspended for a game, for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team’s match against Delhi Capitals. Rana will now miss KKR’s game against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, on May 3. Though the IPL release

Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson have all been selected in India’s 15-man squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup starting on June 1 in the USA and the West Indies. The squad, announced on Tuesday afternoon, will be led by Rohit Sharma and has Hardik Pandya as the vice-captain. Yuzvendra Chahal, who was

Match details Gujarat Titans vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Ahmedabad, 3.30pm IST (10am GMT) Big Picture Gujarat Titans’ season so far has been a mixed bag. In the last game, against Delhi Capitals, their tactics were questionable: Sandeep Warrier, their best bowler of the day, ended up bowling just three overs, while left-arm spinner R Sai

Match details Chennai Super Kings (Fifth – P8, W4, L4) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (Third – P8, W5, L3) Chennai, 7.30pm (2pm GMT) Big picture Chennai Super Kings started a run of three home games on the trot with a defeat against Lucknow Super Giants, and having lost the reverse fixture in Lucknow just prior to

Delhi capitals allrounder Axar Patel believes that his batting position has been affected by Impact Player rule, while his team-mate Mukesh Kumar wants it abolished if there isn’t some meaningful alternate help for the bowlers. Axar and Mukesh are the latest Indian cricketers to speak out against the Impact Player rule, after India’s captain Rohit

“Yes, I think so, Pant should be part of the World Cup squad,” Ganguly said in New Delhi on Monday. “He should bat in the middle order. Where exactly is difficult to say because of match-ups, right-left combinations depending on who bowls. It also depends on the situation.” Ponting said Pant was a little apprehensive

Match details Rajasthan Royals (P7 W6 L1; 1st) vs Mumbai Indians (P7 W3 L4; 6th) Jaipur, 1930 IST (2pm GMT) Big picture – Mumbai bowlers need to chip in After losing three games in a row, Mumbai Indians bounced back with three wins in their next four matches. However come Monday, against the high-flying Rajasthan