Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik and squash player Dipika Pallikal have announced the birth of their daughter, Raaha Pallikal Karthik. The couple shared the news on their social media account.“With blessings in our hearts and gratitude beyond words, we joyfully welcome our precious girl into this world. Kabir and Zian are thrilled to introduce their baby sister, Raaha Pallikal Karthik. Love, Dipika & Dinesh.” Karthik wrote on Instagram. The couple got married in 2015 and have two sons already, Kabir and Zian. Both Karthik and Pallikal are established international athletes. Karthik made waves in cricket as a wicket-keeper batter for India, while Pallikal is well-renowned as a successful international squash player.Karthik played his final Test match against England in 2018 after making his debut against Australia in 2004. He scored 1,025 runs at an average of 25 across 26 Test matches and 42 innings, including one century and seven half-centuries. Karthik made his One Day International debut against England at Lord's in September 2004. He played his final ODI against New Zealand in the 2019 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup. In 94 games and 79 innings, he amassed 1,752 runs at an average of 30.20, including nine half-centuries.He made his Twenty20 International debut against South Africa in 2006 and played his last game against Bangladesh in November 2022. In 60 games and 48 innings, Karthik amassed 686 runs at an average of 26.38, including one half-century. Dinesh Karthik joins the RCB camp for IPL 2026 Dinesh Karthik is the mentor and batting coach of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The former Indian star has joined the RCB camp before the start of the IPL 2026. RCB will be the defending champions in this year's edition.Karthik made an immediate impact with the RCB. The wicket-keeper played a key role for the Bengaluru-based franchise in the final year of his playing career and has since then joined them as a batting coach and mentor. Karthik was a key coaching figure as RCB ended their 18-year wait for an IPL title, when they won the final against the Punjab Kings last year.
19 March,2026 11:54 AM IST | Mumbai | Atharva UpasaniOfficials from the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), along with national team players, visited hospitals in Kabul to check on those injured due to the Pakistani strike at a hospital. The players offered support and prayers for recovery. Afghanistan's ODI and Test captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, accompanied by teammates Gulbadin Naib and Qais Ahmad, visited Wazir Akbar Khan and Kabul Emergency hospitals, where they met survivors and expressed solidarity with victims and their families. The visit came amid growing outrage among Afghanistan's cricketing community following reports of heavy civilian casualties caused by airstrikes in Kabul. Several players publicly condemned the violence and called for accountability. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Afghanistan Cricket Board (@afghanistancricketboard) Over 400 people have been reported killed in the deadly airstrike carried out by Pakistan on an addiction treatment hospital in Kabul, while at the same time, the Pakistani military has fired 124 rockets into the districts of Kunar province over the past 24 hours, as reported by Tolo News. The United Nations has called for an investigation and accountability into the horrific airstrike. According to Tolo News, officials from the Kunar Directorate of Information and Culture said that Pakistan carried out scattered rocket attacks across several areas of the province; however, no casualties have been reported. Zia-ul-Rahman Spin Ghar, Head of Information at the Directorate, said: "The Pakistani military regime has once again launched 124 rocket attacks on districts near the hypothetical Durand Line in Kunar. Fortunately, no one was harmed in these attacks. However, as a result, many of our fellow citizens have been forced to leave their homes." Citing Kunar's Department of Refugees and Repatriation, Tolo News reported that nearly 7,500 families from districts near the Durand Line have been displaced due to these rocket attacks and have moved to safer areas Earlier on Tuesday, several Afghanistan cricketers spoke out against the civilian casualties reported in Kabul following airstrikes by Pakistan, expressing grief and calling for justice. Pakistan carried out heavy bombardment targeting Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, with Taliban officials and residents reporting multiple explosions across the city, Khaama Press reported. According to Khaama Press, the latest bombardment highlights rapidly deteriorating relations between Pakistan and the Taliban administration as both sides continue to trade accusations over security issues. Rashid Khan took to X to express his outrage, saying he was "deeply saddened by the latest reports of civilian casualties in Kabul". The all-rounder added that targeting civilian homes, educational facilities, or medical infrastructure, whether intentional or accidental, amounts to a war crime. Rashid Khan wrote, "I am deeply saddened by the latest reports of civilian casualties as a result of Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul. Targeting civilian homes, educational facilities or medical infrastructure, either intentional or by mistake, is a war crime. The sheer disregard for human lives, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, is sickening and deeply concerning. It will only fuel division and hatred. I call upon the UN and other human rights agencies to thoroughly investigate this latest atrocity and hold the perpetrators to account. I stand with my Afghan people in this difficult time. We shall heal, and we will rise as a nation. We always do. Inshallah!" This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 March,2026 09:23 AM IST | Kabul (Afghanistan) | ANINew Zealand batting all-rounder Glenn Phillips, who has been nicknamed ‘Phillips Airlines’ by fans for his acrobatic mid-air catches, stunned his 9.6 lakh Instagram followers with his latest post, while flying an aeroplane in Auckland. Phillips, 29, who is a licensed private pilot, shared pictures of himself in the cockpit of a light aircraft with the caption: “Little scenic evening around Auckland city.” Phillips was part of the Kiwi team that finished as runners-up at the recent T20 World Cup won by India.
19 March,2026 09:16 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentIndia's off-spinning all-rounder Shreyanka Patil has dazzled her online fans with her latest bold look. Shreyanka, 23, Instagrammed this picture to her 4.9 million followers, wearing a short, black and white dress, while shooting for a perfume brand. The Bengaluru girl captioned the post: “Not just a fragrance. A number. A moment. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shreyanka Patil (@shreyanka_patil31) A memory.” Fans were quick to praise her look. “Fantastic look,” one user wrote. “Looking like a heroine,” said another. The post garnered over 2.25 lakh ‘likes’.
19 March,2026 09:14 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentDadar Union Sporting Club’s annual U-13 cricket tournament for the Late Vijay Tulpule Cup will be inaugurated by ex-India captain Dilip Vengsarkar at his academy ground at Oval Maidan at 9 am on Thursday, today. The eight-team, 35 overs per side tournament will be played at Oval Maidan and Chembur’s Mahul. The final is on March 27 at the Dadar Union Sporting Club’s ground in Matunga.
19 March,2026 09:04 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentFormer Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes things will be different and more challenging for stalwart Virat Kohli in the upcoming IPL season as the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain will be playing his first IPL after retiring from Test cricket last year and is now active only in the ODI format. Pathan also added that despite Kohli’s strong performance in ODIs, even after the break, the same will not happen in T20s, as it will pose a different challenge for the charismatic batter. “This time, things will be a little different for Kohli. For the first time, he will play the IPL after completely retiring from Test cricket. He is playing only one format, which is not easy for anyone. But he has scored runs, and his performance has been brilliant. Even when he comes after a break, it has not been difficult for him in one-day cricket,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel. Irfan Pathan “In T20s, when you play the aggressor and come in not having played a lot, it will be challenging. But he has faced many challenges before as well. I am very excited to see how he will go forward this season,” he added. Pathan also said that Kohli’s approach of hitting from the onset with a high strike-rate throughout the innings proved to be a big reason behind RCB’s title win in 2025. “Virat Kohli and RCB are identities that go together. He started with RCB and is still playing for them. He has delivered brilliant performances. It was also a golden period in his career when he captained the team; there were a lot of brilliant performances. When they won last season, his strike-rate also went up. He did not play the anchor role but took on the role of an aggressor. It was a very big factor,” he noted. 657No. of runs scored by Virat Kohli in 15 IPL games last season — the most for RCB 8661No. of runs scored by Kohli in 267 IPL matches — the most by any player 8Total number of centuries scored by Kohli in the IPL — the most by any player This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 March,2026 08:54 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSIndia's test captain Shubman Gill expressed immense pride and gratitude after being named the winner of the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award for Best International Cricketer (Men) for 2025 by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the Naman Awards. Gill said that being recognised alongside some of the legends and idols who have previously won the award made the achievement even more special. “Obviously, it feels quite amazing to be recognised among cricketers, among the legends and idols that have won this award before me. It’s truly a great honour every time you step on the field to represent your country in a sport that I’ve spent my entire life playing, and to do well in that sport and be recognised by the BCCI is an immense honour,” Gill said in a video released by the BCCI on X. Reflecting on India’s performances over the past year, Gill said that it was an amazing journey, highlighting the team’s resilience during the England series, where they fought back to draw after a difficult start. “I think it’s been an amazing journey so far. Going into the England series and coming back to draw the series from where we were after the first Test match, and even after that, playing in the West Indies and the Asia Cup it’s been a truly great year,” he noted. Looking ahead, Gill emphasised the importance of the upcoming Test calendar, with India set to face Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia in crucial series that could determine their chances of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The team are currently placed at the sixth position with only four wins and a draw in nine matches. “We’ve got some really crucial Test series coming up. Hopefully we are able to win most of our matches and qualify for the finals,” he said. Gill credited the collective effort of the team’s support staff, including head coach Gautam Gambhir along with the broader coaching unit and staff at the Centre of Excellence (CoE), for shaping India into one of the most fearless teams in world cricket. “It’s efforts by everyone — whether it’s Gauti bhai, the batting coach, bowling coach, fielding coach; they all work tirelessly to make this group what it is today. That’s why we are recognised as one of the most fearless teams in the world, and wherever we go, we are looked upon as favourites. That tag doesn’t come easy,” he added. The 26-year-old also acknowledged the support from the BCCI's current leadership and former secretary Jay Shah for providing world-class facilities and infrastructure that have contributed to players’ growth and performance. “The support that we have got from the BCCI, especially Jay bhai and all the office bearers, has been great. The initiatives they’ve taken to take our cricket forward have really helped us immensely. Even when I got injured, the training, practice and facilities played a huge role in performance,” Gill said. Gill further downplayed discussions around legacy, instead stressing the importance of building a team identity in Test cricket. “I don’t really focus on legacy that much, but we want to be looked upon, especially in red-ball cricket, as a team that doesn’t give up easily. We want to instil that kind of character in all players,” he explained. Gill's performance in India's five-Test series in England was the central reason for the award. He scored 754 runs in ten innings at an average of 75.40 with four centuries and a highest score of 269. Gill finished as the highest run-getter in the test for 2025 with 983 runs in nine matches at an average of 70.21. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 March,2026 08:51 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSThe upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin from March 28. So far, the schedule of only first 20 matches has been released due to state elections. Ahead of the cash-rich league, Kolkata Knight Riders' assistant coach Shane Watson received a warm welcome from head coach Abhishek Nayar. "Everyone knows Shane Watson as a player, but I've known him as someone who has played under him. I'm really really happy Watto, to have you with us. You've been a terrific addition even in this small period that I've interacted with you," he said. "Tap into his experience, you will learn a lot. We've had a lot of good coaches, but I'm pretty sure that Shane Watson is going to add a lot of value to us. So Watto, welcome to the KKR family," added Nayar. The tournament's match is scheduled to be played between the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Earlier, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Secretary, Santosh Menon, confirmed that the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will host five of the RCB's IPL 2026 home games. The venue will also host one of the play-off matches and the title clash of the tournament. Bengaluru's remaining two home matches will be played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will kick off their campaign by playing a clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. IPL 2026, Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians: Full Squads Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Manish Pandey, Sunil Narine, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert (WK), Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sarthak Ranjan, Finn Allen (WK), Rachin Ravindra, Cameron Green, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani, Akash Deep, Prashant Solanki, Matheesha Pathirana, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Harshit Rana, Tejasvi Singh (WK), Daksh Kamra. Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Trent Boult, Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock (WK), Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Corbin Bosch, Hardik Pandya (C), Jasprit Bumrah, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Mayank Markande, Sherfane Rutherford, Raghu Sharma, Atharva Ankolekar, Tilak Varma, Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa, Danish Malewar, Robin Minz (WK), Allah Ghazanfar, Naman Dhir, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar.
18 March,2026 09:18 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the concluded T20 World Cup 2026, England's Jos Buttler had a poor run. In eight innings, the right-handed batsman managed to score only 87 runs. Despite a poor run in the global showpiece, Buttler has expressed a hope of finding a place in the national team. "I hope so. I don't know. Obviously I had a poor tournament, which is disappointing, but I've been playing some of the best cricket of my [career] in recent years, so hopefully I can get back to playing my best," he said on 'For the Love of Cricket'. "I certainly have ambitions [to continue playing for England] but no longer being a captain, I'm not a selector and whatever, so what will be will be. Yeah, we will see," added the 35-year-old cricketer. Reflecting on his T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, the Englishman stated that despite hard work and all his efforts, he was not able to deliver performances. "There's elements [to what went wrong] that I actually don't really know exactly. For all your best intentions and hard work and efforts to perform, it just didn't work, and sometimes that's okay as well. That's something I've had to realise. It wasn't for a lack of effort. It just didn't quite happen," he concluded. Buttler will soon be in action in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He will represent Gujarat Titans (GT). The IPL 2026 is all set to kick off from March 28. The tournament's first match will be played between the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. GT will begin their IPL 2026 campaign by playing a clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on March 31 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. IPL 2026, Gujarat Titans: Full Squad Shubman Gill (C), Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Tom Banton, Glenn Phillips, Nishant Sandhu, Washington Sundar, Arshad Khan, Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Jason Holder, Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Sharma, Prithvi Raj Yarra, Luke Wood, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan. (With ANI Inputs)
18 March,2026 08:49 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe medical panel of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suspects that veteran players, Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman, might not have been 100 per cent fit when they were picked in the national squad for the concluded T20 World Cup 2026. The same concerns were raised by senior selector Aaqib Javed at a media conference last week, and he said the board would investigate the matter. A source close to the board said that Dr Javed Mughal has expressed his concerns after examining the two players after the conclusion of the global showpiece. Dr Mughal is a UK-based consultant on sports physiotherapy and medicine, and he joined the PCB medical team as director of sports exercise and medicine in January. The matter emerged after Babar's refusal to feature in the National T20 Championship after the global event, citing hamstring irritation. On the other hand, Fakhar reported a similar issue. "When Babar was examined his injury turned out to be more serious than initially diagnosed while Fakhar also has been struggling with the same problem for months now," the source said. On the other hand, the source also said that the national selection committee has made it clear that both players were picked in the squad after receiving medical clearance from the Pakistan team's physiotherapist, Cliffe Deacon. Sunrisers Leeds face criticism over acquisition of Pakistan's Abrar Ahmed On the other hand, in The Hundred player auction, the Sunrisers Leeds became the first Indian-owned franchise to pick Pakistan cricketer Abrar Ahmed. The franchise, which is owned by Chennai-based media conglomerate Sun Group, purchased his services for approximately Rs 2.34 crore. The franchise also faced backlash following Abrar's signing, with the team's X account suspended briefly. It was suspended just hours after the team signed Abrar. The platform did not provide a precise explanation for it, but said "Account suspended" when trying to open it. After Usman Tariq, who was acquired by Birmingham Phoenix for GBP 140,000 (about Rs 1.72 crore), Abrar was the second Pakistani player sold at the auction. However, the Phoenix franchise is not connected to the IPL and has American owners. No franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has signed any Pakistani player since 2009 due to strained relations between India and Pakistan. Abrar's acquisition did not go down well with the fans, who reacted on the Sunrisers Leeds official X account. Several fans took to social media and criticised the Sunrisers franchise and the owner, Kavya Maran, for signing a Pakistani player amidst the ongoing tensions between the two nations. (With PTI Inputs)
18 March,2026 08:02 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin from March 28. So far, the schedule of only first 20 matches has been released due to state elections. Ahead of the cash-rich league, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has shared a post on its official social media handle. They announced that their skipper, Pat Cummins, will miss a few matches of the league as the pacer is recovering from his injury. Till then, swashbuckling batsman Ishan Kishan will take over the leadership duties, and Abhishek Sharma will be his deputy. 𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 🚨 Pat Cummins will miss a few games while recovering from injury.Until he recovers, Ishan Kishan will be the Captain and Abhishek Sharma will be the Vice-Captain. pic.twitter.com/etXJUkQJeG — SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) March 18, 2026 The first match of the IPL 2026 is set to be played between the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Earlier, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Secretary, Santosh Menon, confirmed that the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will host five of the RCB's IPL 2026 home games. The venue will also host one of the play-off matches and the title clash of the tournament. Bengaluru's remaining two home matches will be played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Full Squads Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Josh Hazlewood, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Krunal Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Phil Salt (WK), Rajat Patidar (C), Nuwan Thushara, Romario Shepherd, Tim David, Devdutt Padikkal, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Salam, Jordan Cox, Jacob Bethell, Vicky Ostwal, Mangesh Yadav, Suyash Sharma, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhinandan Singh, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal. Sunrisers Hyderabad: Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Pat Cummins, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Travis Head, Liam Livingstone, Ishan Kishan (WK), Kamindu Mendis, Brydon Carse, Zeeshan Ansari, Abhishek Sharma, Shivam Mavi, Jack Edwards, Harsh Dubey, Salil Arora (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Smaran Ravichandran, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Aniket Verma, Shivang Kumar, Krains Bhaveshbhai Fuletra, Omkar Tarmale. (With ANI Inputs)
18 March,2026 06:19 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
-1773901289995_d.png?tr=w-436,h-271 "Dinesh Karthik and his wife Dipika Pallikal (Instagram)")
