Prior to their white-ball assignment in England, reigning world champions India will play two Twenty20 Internationals in Ireland on June 26 and June 28, respectively, the BCCI announced on Saturday. For the first time since 2007, the Indian team will play both games at Belfast."Team India (Senior Men) will travel to Ireland for a two-match T20I series in June 2026." BCCI statement said."Having toured Ireland three times in the past eight years (2018, 2022 and 2023). This tour will mark India's return to Belfast for the first time since 2007," BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement.The BCCI statement was released two days after Graham West, Ireland's director of high performance, announced Paul Stirling's resignation as their T20I captain and confirmed the series.India will go to England for five Twenty20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) from July 1–19 after hosting Afghanistan for a single Test and a three-match ODI series that ends on June 20.In the last seven years, India has made three trips to Ireland, drawing sizable crowds to Malahide on the outskirts of Dublin. INDIA'S TOUR OF IRELAND 2026: FULL SCHEDULE:1st T20I – Friday, June 26Time: 3:00 PM Local (7:30 PM IST)Venue: Belfast 2nd T20I – Sunday, June 28Time: 3:00 PM Local (7:30 PM IST)Venue: Belfast India to play T20 and ODIs in England after Ireland tour The Indian men's cricket team is scheduled to tour England in July 2026 for a white-ball series consisting of five T20 Internationals (T20Is) and three One Day Internationals (ODIs) between July 1 and July 19, 2026. Venues include Durham, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol, Southampton, Cardiff, and Lord's.India, the current T20 World champions, have won back-to-back World Cups. The series is expected to draw huge crowds as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli may tour England for the final time, having announced their retirement from Tests and T20Is.India will have one eye on the ODI World Cup 2027 as they get ready for the marquee event in South Africa. India will start as one of the favourites for the tournament, having ended up as runner-up in the 2023 edition. (With PTI Input)
21 March,2026 01:08 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAjinkya Rahane is set to captain the KKR side despite a poor showing in the 2025 season. The Rahane-led team finished eighth, with just five wins in 14 matches. However, Rahane, who was the team's top scorer with 390 runs, is embracing the captaincy challenge in 2026.Speaking before the start of the season, Rahane insisted that pressure is nothing new and that he is focused on approaching challenges with the right mindset."Every year, there are different challenges as a player and also as a captain. What I learned throughout my journey is be positive each and every time, whatever challenges are there," Rahane said.The veteran Indian star further added that he is taking everything in his stride and looking forward to the captaincy challenge in 2026."I've been leading the team since last year and really grateful to the franchise that they gave me this responsibility to lead the team. Taking everything in my stride, taking everything in a positive way. There are always opportunities, there are challenges, you always see opportunities." Rahane added. Fast start important for KKR's season: Rahane Ajinkya Rahane has demanded a fast start for his KKR team during this IPL season. The skipper said that, despite IPL being a long tournament, starting the season strongly is important to win the competition."As a team, we would like to start really well this season. It's a long tournament and you don't want to peak too early. As a team, and also the expectations from the boys, basically, you don't actually looking for a perfect game. There are going to be errors throughout the tournament." Rahane said.After releasing mainstays Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer and making big money signings for Cameron Green at the auction, KKR enters IPL 2026 with a completely redesigned batting unit.Along with Sunil Narine and Rahane at the top of the order, the team now features explosive openers like Finn Allen and Tim Seifert. KKR Squad for IPL 2026: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Matheesha Pathirana, Rachin Ravindra, Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Rovman Powell, Blessing Muzarabani, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rahul Tripathi, Manish Pandey, Akash Deep, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi, Anukul Roy, Tejasvi Singh, Prashant Solanki, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra.(With PTI Input)
21 March,2026 12:29 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAfter guiding India to their third T20 World Cup victory, skipper Suryakumar Yadav jetted off to Singapore with wife Devisha Shetty, for some much needed rest and relaxation ahead of the hectic IPL season that begins on Saturday,March 28. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Devisha Suryakumar Yadav (@devishashetty_) He Instagrammed a few pictures of his wife and him enjoying the nightlife in Singapore. In one picture they are seen standing in front of the iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel. “A quick getaway,” he captioned the post which received nearly four lakh ‘likes.’
21 March,2026 09:36 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentFormer India leg-spinner and veteran cricket expert Laxman Sivaramakrishnan on Friday announced his retirement from the BCCI commentary panel, citing lack of opportunities to conduct toss and presentation ceremonies as reasons to end his broadcasting career. Sivaramakrishnan, who created ripples with his big, booming leg-spinners, googlies and and top spins as a 17-year-old in the early 1980s, expressed his frustration in a series of tweets, which suggested deep-seated dissatisfaction with his job. If I have not been used for TOSSES and PRESENTATION for 23 years and new comers come in do pitch report Tosses Presentation even when Shastri was coaching, what do you think could be the reason — Laxman Sivaramakrishnan (@LaxmanSivarama1) March 20, 2026 "I am retiring from commentary for BCCI," Sivaramakrishnan wrote on his 'X' handle. "If I have not been used for TOSSES and PRESENTATION for 23 years and new comers come in do pitch report Tosses Presentation even when Shastri was coaching, what do you think could be the reason. "How does a company owning BCCI rights go down? Any guesses. "My retirement is nothing great. But a story of tv production unfolds. Soon you will see the bigger picture," he tweeted. Also when a user suggested if his skin colour was an issue, Sivaramakrishnan replied, "You are right. Colour Discrimination." Sivaramakrishnan, 60, was known for expressing his views candidly for more than two decades inside the commentary box. Fondly known as Siva, he played nine Tests and 16 ODIs for India between 1983 and 1986, years after which he began his commentary career in 2000. He also served as a player representative on the ICC Cricket Committee. Although he went wicket-less in this first Test match, he later became famous for his match-winning 12-wicket haul against England in 1984. Sivaramakrishnan was also a key player in India's victorious 1985 Benson & Hedges World Championship triumph in Australia under the great Sunil Gavaskar's captaincy. He played a crucial role, including in the final against Pakistan where he helped restrict them to 176/9, contributing to India's 8-wicket win. He was the leading wicket-taker in that tournament, a huge thing for a spinner back then considering the conditions Down Under. 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
21 March,2026 09:26 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIHarshit Rana, the mainstay of KKR’s pace attack, has been ruled out of IPL-19, which begins on March 28. Having injured a ligament on his right knee in a warm-up game, the 24-year-old missed the T20 World Cup, and the Knights are already looking for HIS replacement. “It’s a big blow. Harshit has been an integral part of this team for the last few seasons. It’s not easy to replace him. The team management is evaluating multiple options and we will make a decision on his replacement soon,” coach Abhishek Nayar said.
21 March,2026 09:05 AM IST | Kolkata | Arup ChatterjeeFormer India captain Dilip Vengsarkar credited attacking opener Sanju Samson’s brilliant performance in the knockouts for India’s recent T20 World Cup triumph. Vengsarkar hailed Samson especially for playing orthodox knocks and said that he advises his academy players to play in similar fashion. Apart from his match-winning 46-ball 89 in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand at Ahmedabad, Samson’s 89 versus England in the semi-final at Mumbai and unbeaten 97 against West Indies in a must-win Super Eights game in Kolkata played a crucial role in India defending their T20 World Cup title. Dilip Vengsarkar at a book release function in Bandra on Friday. Pic/Atul Kamble “I tell the players at my academy how Sanju Samson played orthodox shots. He doesn’t play flamboyantly, like a reverse sweep or those kinds of shots played in this [T20] format. He scored runs off orthodox shots. When you play those flamboyant shots, the margin for error is very limited. So, all should learn from Samson to be as consistent. He [Samson] has always been a good player, there’s no question about it,” Vengsarkar told mid-day on the sidelines of a function to launch author Devendra Prabhudesai’s book, Running Between the Wickets, at MIG Cricket Club in Bandra on Friday. Vengsarkar, a veteran of 116 Tests, revealed that he was expecting a close final against the Kiwis, but admitted it was special to see the way India dominated the proceedings. “The way we won [the T20 World Cup final], that’s important, because it was an extremely emphatic win. They [NZ] are a strong team and we had expected a close finish, but India completely dominated right from the word go. “India is now No. 1 in the world, one of the best teams in world cricket, and it’s an honour. Everybody played well, Surya [skipper Yadav] and all his boys did very well,” added Vengsarkar.
21 March,2026 09:01 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureFormer Team India cricketer Wasim Jaffer recalled the first time he met premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Recollecting the time, the former cricketer said that he met Pandya at Irfan Pathan's house for dinner. "The first time I met him was during the 2014 or 2015 Ranji season. Mumbai were playing Baroda in Baroda. Irfan, Yusuf, and Munaf were playing in the opposition team. I was not playing that match because I was injured, but I travelled with the team. It was my last season with Mumbai. I shifted to Vidarbha after that. I remember that we went to Irfan's house for dinner, and that is when I met Hardik and Krunal (Hardik's brother) for the first time," he said. He then said that Irfan introduced Hardik to him by saying that he is the player who will soon be playing. "Irfan told me, 'Is se milo, ye Hardik hai, bahut jaldi khelne wala hai (He is Hardik, meet him, he is going to play very soon).' And I think he was picked by Mumbai Indians that season itself. Irfan told me that he is a big fan of mine. Hardik himself said, 'Main aapki batting bahut dekhta hoon aur mujhe bahut apka khelne ka andaz pasand hai (I watch your batting a lot and I really like the way you play)," said Jaffer. The 48-year-old former cricketer also said that it is nice of Hardik that he still names him as his inspiration. "It is very nice of him that woh abhi bhi itne bade stars ke samne woh mera naam lete hai (he still names me as an inspiration in front of big stars). And that is why there has been so much news about who Wasim Jaffer is. People keep hearing other names very often, but they might not remember Wasim Jaffer because I made a name for myself in First-Class cricket," he signed off. Hardik Pandya will soon be in action for the Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The "Paltan" will begin their campaign by playing a clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. (With ANI Inputs)
20 March,2026 09:30 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to kick off 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, former Team India cricketer Irfan Pathan feels that teams may plan certain things against Rajasthan Royals' (RR) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. "It is possible that this season, teams may plan against him, like bowling consistently outside the off stump and keeping the ball away from his reach. He will need to counter that, even if it comes with the risk of getting out," he said. He also said that the youngster may face difficulties similar to what Abhishek Sharma faced in the concluded T20 World Cup 2026. "Also, he might face the same challenges that Abhishek Sharma did (in the T20 World Cup this year), different types of bowling and constant variations in pace, so how he adapts and finds ways to score in those situations will be key," said Irfan. On the other hand, former cricketer Aakash Chopra also warned Sooryavanshi, saying that if he doesn't connect his first ball properly, problems might start for him. "If the first one is there to be hit, I will go for it' is a very good philosophy. But if it happens three times that you go for the first ball and, God forbid, you don't connect properly and get out, that is when problems start," he said. "The IPL is a different beast. They may not say it in as many words, but it reminds me of my playing days in England, where if you have one or two off days back-to-back, someone would come up and say, 'Bro, time to earn your money,' because you are being paid to score runs. That thought lingers on your mind, that you are getting paid to perform, and the IPL has a similar dynamic," added Chopra. IPL 2026, Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings: Match's date and venue RR will begin their IPL 2026 campaign by playing a clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 30 at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati. (With ANI Inputs)
20 March,2026 08:41 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to kick off from March 28. So far, the schedule of only first 20 matches has been released due to state elections. Ahead of the league, Punjab Kings' captain Shreyas Iyer spoke about the importance of spending time with teammates off the field. He also stated that building a good bond off the field helps the team to yield better results. "This is the period where we live as a family for two months. The more time we spend together, the more we get to know each other. Now is the time where we build that camaraderie. We spend most of our time in the game room, playing FIFA and other games. The planning and plotting for matches usually happens a day or two before the game, but building this bond off the field helps us get better results eventually," he said during the event where the franchise revealed its official match kit. Further speaking, the right-handed batsman also spoke about his journey of recovering from an injury to returning to the field. "It is always challenging to come back after an injury. I had lost around seven kilos and it took a lot of effort to gain that weight back. But I love challenges. I am glad I overcame that part of my life, and I am back here proudly representing the team," said Iyer. "Embracing the love from the Punjab fans, who have fondly given him the tag of 'Sarpanch Sahab', Shreyas was clear about his ultimate goal. "Expectations are high, which is fun. I love the challenge. But the important thing is that whenever we step in, we have to win. My eye is on the trophy," said the 31-year-old cricketer. PBKS will begin the IPL 2026 campaign by playing a clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT) on March 31 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. IPL 2026, Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans: Full Squads Punjab Kings: Marcus Stoinis, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shashank Singh, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Shreyas Iyer (C), Ben Dwarshuis, Vishnu Vinod (WK), Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Harpreet Brar, Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Cooper Conolly, Mitchell Owen, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Vishal Nishad. Gujarat Titans: Ishant Sharma, Jos Buttler (WK), Jason Holder, Jayant Yadav, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Tewatia, Luke Wood, Shahrukh Khan, Glenn Phillips, Prasidh Krishna, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Sai Kishore, Shubman Gill (C), Tom Banton (WK), Yarra Raj, Anuj Rawat, Sai Sudharsan, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra (WK), Arshad Khan, Nishant Sandhu, Gurnoor Brar, Ashok Sharma.
20 March,2026 07:20 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to kick off from March 28. So far, the schedule of only first 20 matches has been released due to state elections. Ahead of the league, Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) stalwart Virat Kohli has started practising in the nets. The team clinched the elusive title in the previous edition and will be looking to defend its title this year. Kohli, who has three back-to-back seasons with 600-plus runs, will be looking to have another big campaign. His contributions will be crucial for the Bengaluru-based franchise. In the last season, Virat scored 657 runs in 15 innings at an average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71, with eight fifties to his name, finishing as the team's leading run-getter and third-highest run-getter overall. RCB shared a post on its official social media handle, in which the right-handed batsman is seen showcasing big hits. 🐐 in action. 🥶This is Emmvee presents RCB Shorts.#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/kNdDrD4ACp — Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) March 20, 2026 The 37-year-old cricketer is also the leading run-scorer in the history of the tournament. So far, having made 267 appearances in the league, Kohli has smashed 8661 runs, with a top score of an unbeaten 113 runs. He also has eight tons and 63 half-centuries to his name. Additionally, having made 13,543 runs in 414 T20Is, including nine centuries and 105 fifties, Virat will also be aiming to join West Indies titans Chris Gayle (14,562 runs), Kieron Pollard (14,482 runs), England's Alex Hales (14,449 runs), and Australian legend David Warner (14,028 runs) as the fifth member of the 14,000-run club in T20 cricket. IPL 2026, Opening match: Date and venue Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will begin their IPL 2026 campaign by playing a clash against 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. (With ANI Inputs)
20 March,2026 06:48 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer CSK batter S Badrinath has labelled KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane as a 'weak link' of the team ahead of IPL 2026.Badrinath has raised doubts about the three-time winners' campaign with fewer than ten days till KKR's tournament start against the Mumbai Indians (MI). The two-time IPL champion did not hold back while criticising both the team's growing injury worries and KKR's general management."Ajinkya Rahane is definitely a weakness. His captaincy itself is a weak link. All their big investments have gone wrong. They trusted Harshit Rana and invested in him, but he is ruled out. Pathirana was a huge signing, and now he's doubtful. Mustafizur was another big investment, and he is ruled out. They've taken many costly decisions as there is uncertainty over most of their big investments," Badrinath said on his YouTube channel.Additionally, Badrinath criticised the team for spending big on all-rounder Cameron Green, who was signed for Rs 25.20 crore. The former CSK player called the purchase a "bad move" motivated by hype rather than demonstrated IPL impact, highlighting Green's previous failures for Australia."You've signed him for Rs 25.20 crore, and he is woefully out of form. He struggled massively for Australia in the T20 World Cup. Cameron Green went for so much purely because of the hype. He is not worth that much. Has he singlehandedly done anything in the IPL? Australian players always get hyped up, and he benefited from that. I believe it was a bad move by KKR," Badrinath further added.KKR will start their IPL campaign against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on March 29. The first phase of IPL fixtures is out, which will be played from March 28 to April 12. KKR last won the IPL trophy in 2024. Kolkata Knight Riders squad for IPL 2026: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Matheesha Pathirana, Rachin Ravindra, Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Rovman Powell, Blessing Muzarabani, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rahul Tripathi, Manish Pandey, Akash Deep, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi, Anukul Roy, Tejasvi Singh, Prashant Solanki, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra.
20 March,2026 03:20 PM IST | Mumbai | Atharva UpasaniADVERTISEMENT
-1774076199640_d.png "Ajinkya Rahane (Pic: KKR)")
-1774000037287_d.png "Ajinkya Rahane (Pic: KKR)")