Team India's star spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal, recently shared images of his newly purchased BMW Z4 on his official social media handle. The car's price in India starts at Rs 87.90 lakh and goes upto Rs 92.61 lakh. Brought my new car home with the two people who made every dream possible. Watching my parents witness and relish this milestone is the real luxury. ❤️🫂🧿 pic.twitter.com/UL1ZOvmH97 — Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) December 22, 2025 Chahal also parted ways with his wife, Dhanashree Verma. The cricketer seems to be out of favour with the Indian selectors, as he made his last international appearance on August 13, 2023, in a T20I match. So far, the 35-year-old cricketer has made 72 ODI and 80 T20I appearances for Team India. In 72 ODI matches, he has registered 121 wickets, whereas he also has 96 T20I scalps. Recently, Team India managed to clinch the T20I series by 2-1 against South Africa. The side will now lock horns against New Zealand for the five-match T20I series. The contest will also serve as a preparatory series for both teams ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. The marquee tournament is all set to be hosted in India and Sri Lanka. The marquee event is scheduled to kick start from February 7. The defending champions, Team India, will open their global showpiece campaign by playing a match against the United States of America (USA) on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The "Men in Blue" will lock horns against Namibia on February 12 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The high-octane match between arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, is scheduled to be played on February 15 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. India will conclude their group stage matches by playing a clash against the Netherlands on February 18 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The marquee tournament will conclude on March 8, with the top two teams clashing against each other for the elusive title. The venue of the final match is yet to be confirmed. It will be interesting to see if the "Men in Blue" manage to defend their T20 World Cup title. India's squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK).
22 December,2025 02:38 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the third Test match against the West Indies, New Zealand's pacer Jacob Duffy bagged a total of nine wickets at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. With this, he scripted history by breaking the record of the former cricketer Richard Hadlee for the most wickets (79) in a calendar year. Duffy broke the record by claiming his 81st wicket of the year. In 36 matches, he registered 81 wickets with an average of 17.11 this year. Earlier, Hadlee held the record with 80 wickets in just 23 matches. During the first innings of the West Indies, Duffy returned with the figures of four wickets for 86 runs in 35 overs. In the second essay, he registered a five-wicket haul by conceding 42 runs in 22.3 overs. Reflecting on his performance, he said that it is "special" for him to be on the list, having the likes of star players. "I saw that list (most wickets in a calendar year) at lunch time, and there were some cool names on there, so to be up there on any sort of list with those sort of names was special," said the 31-year-old cricketer. received vital support from the batters during the third Test, in particular openers Devon Conway and skipper Tom Latham, who became the first opening pair in the history of Test cricket to each score two centuries across the same match. Conway also became the first New Zealander and just the 10th player ever to score a double-century and a century in the same Test, following his efforts of 227 and 100 over the two innings. With this win, New Zealand have moved to second place on the ICC World Test Championship standings. Additionally, Duffy has been signed by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction for Rs 2 crore. The upcoming edition will also mark his debut in the cash-rich league's history. Brief scores: New Zealand 578/8 and 306/2 (Devon Conway 227, Tom Latham 137; Kavem Hodge 2-80). Vs West Indies 420 and 138 (Kavem Hodge 123*, Brandon King 67; Jacob Duffy 5-42). (With ANI Inputs)
22 December,2025 01:23 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentTeam India's Rohit Sharma recently spoke about how the ODI World Cup 2023 final loss against Australia had affected him and how he managed to bounce back from the disappointment. Speaking at the Master Union event, the right-hander revealed that he thought of giving up on the sport after the loss against the Aussies in Ahmedabad. "After 2023 World Cup final, I was completed distraught and felt like I didn't want to play this sport anymore because it had taken everything out of me and I felt I had nothing left," he said. Later, he also stated that it took him months to find his form back and regain his energy. "It took some time and I kept reminding myself that this is something I truly love, that it was right in front of me, and I couldn't let it go so easy. Slowly, I found my way back, regaining the energy and getting myself moving again on the field," said the Nagpur-born cricketer. "Everybody was extremely disappointed, and we just couldn't believe what had happened. It was a very tough time for me personally because I had put everything into that World Cup not just two or three months before it, but ever since I took over the captaincy in 2022," he added. Rohit then revealed that his plan had always been to clinch the T20 World Cup or ODI World Cup title under his captaincy. "My only goal was to win the World Cup, whether it was the T20 World Cup or the 2023 World Cup. So when it didn't happen, I was completely devastated. There was no energy left in my body. It took me a couple of months to recover and bring myself back," he said. The cricketer then stated that he took it as a lesson to deal with disappointment and bounce back. "I guess when you invest so much into something and don't achieve the result, it's a very natural reaction. That's exactly what happened with me. But I also knew that life doesn't end there. It was a big lesson for me how to deal with disappointment, reset, and start fresh. I knew that something else was coming the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies and I had to shift all my focus towards that," said the 38-year-old cricketer. "It's very easy to say this now, but at that moment, it was extremely difficult," concluded Rohit. (With PTI Inputs)
22 December,2025 11:51 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIndia faltered against the big-hitting Sameer Minhas and the extra zip of pacers, suffering a massive 191-run defeat against Pakistan in a one-sided 50-over Under-19 Asia Cup final, here on Sunday. Pakistan lifted their second U-19 Asia Cup, and there was no formal greetings between the players of two teams. Once Pakistan posted a mammoth 347-8, riding on Minhas’s 172 (113b, 17x4, 9x6), India needed a lion-hearted chase to clinch a ninth title in the tournament. But the tall Pakistan pace troika — Ali Raza (4-42), Mohammad Sayyam (2-38) and Abdul Subhan (2-29) — hurried their top-order with consistent hard-lengths as India folded for 156 in 26.2 overs. India skipper Ayush Mhatre said: “There were some inconsistencies in the line of the bowling. It was a simple plan to play the 50 overs. The boys really played well and tournament was good for us.” Brief scoresPakistan 347-8 in 50 overs (S Minhas 172, A Hussain 56; D Devendran 3-83, K Patel 2-44, H Patel 2-62) beat India 156 all out in 26.2 overs (D Devendran 36; A Raza 4-42, H Ahsan 2-12, A Subhan 2-29, M Sayyam 2-38) by four wickets 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
22 December,2025 10:16 AM IST | Dubai | PTIAn Ashes-winning celebration usually involves song, dance and plenty of drinks, but for Australia’s victorious skipper Pat Cummins, it meant an afternoon game of football with his young son Albie across Adelaide Oval’s hallowed turf. Having just returned from an injury, Cummins led from the front with a six-wicket match haul to help his team seal the coveted urn. However, he seemingly won even more hearts for his family bonding session after a back-breaking effort with the ball in the scorching summer heat. The 32-year-old was seen kicking a ball around with Albie (four) before hoisting him on his back to the latter’s delight, all while his teammates were still in the dressing room revelling in their achievement. Cummins’s wife Rebecca also posted a sweet congratulatory message to her husband on Instagram, with a photo of their family in the dressing room, including the couple’s 10-month-old daughter Edi. The message read, “We did it! Couldn’t be prouder of you or happier for you.” The couple was also seen sharing a kiss on the ground immediately after the match. The pair had been dating since 2014, a year after they met at a bar in Sydney, before celebrating their wedding in 2020. Rebecca, who was born in England, runs an online luxury home furnishing store and is known to be a fitness enthusiast.
22 December,2025 10:15 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentTom Latham and Devon Conway earned a unique place in Test history on Sunday when their 192-run second innings partnership paved the way for New Zealand’s declaration at 306-2 on the fourth day of the third Test against the West Indies. At stumps, WI were 43-0 with Brandon King 37 and John Campbell 2. Latham and Conway became the first pair in Tests to achieve a triple century and century partnership in the same match. 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
22 December,2025 09:47 AM IST | Mount Maunganui (New Zealand) | AP | PTIPromising young batters Jay Jain (55-ball 83, 10x4, 2x6) and Harsh Aghav (51-ball 80, 7x4, 4x6) helped Parsee Gymkhana beat Victory CC by four wickets in the Purshottam Shield final at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. Put in to bat, Victory CC posted 306-6 in their allotted 45 overs. Suryansh Shedge smashed 97 off 64 balls (4x4, 8x6) while Manan Bhatt and Suved Parkar scored 61 and 58 respectively. Left-arm spinner Shams Mulani and pacer Sylvester D’souza claimed two wickets each. In reply, opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi (54) and No.3 batter Vedant Murkar (44) got Parsee Gymkhana off to a good start. Skipper Mulani, who remained unbeaten on 17, lavished praise on Jain and Aghav, who stitched a match-winning 118-run fourth wicket stand off just 79 balls. Pacers Royston Dias and Dhanit Raut took two wickets each for Victory CC. “Harsh is under 19 and Jay is an U-23 cricketer, but both showcased maturity like senior batters. Chasing a 300-plus score in a final is never easy, and that too against a team with bowlers having experience in Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. Both of them batted sensibly in the middle order with balance and aggressive intent and that helped us chase the target convincingly,” Mulani told mid-day on Sunday.
22 December,2025 09:44 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureIndia displayed an all-round performance to beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the first Women’s T20I here on Sunday. India restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 121 for six after the visiting batters struggled to put away the loose balls. In reply, the hosts chased the target in 14.4 overs thanks to an unbeaten 69 off 44 balls by Jemimah Rodrigues. Opener Smriti Mandhana contributed 25 off 25 balls. Earlier, Sri Lanka opener Vishmi Gunaratne top-scored for the visitors with a 43-ball 39, while Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama chipped in with 20 and 21 respectively. Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu got into the act straightaway, clipping an innocuous Kranti Gaud delivery off her pads for a four. Deepti Sharma (1-20), Kranti Gaud (1-23) and Shree Charani (1-30) claimed a wicket each for India. Both teams will face off in the second T20I at the same venue on Tuesday. 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
22 December,2025 09:42 AM IST | Visakhapatnam | AgenciesSkipper Ben Stokes said Sunday it “sucks” to lose the Ashes inside 11 days but vowed England would bounce back as a more consistent side in the final two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney. Stokes admitted as much, but said defeat hurt nevertheless. “We came here with a goal in mind and we’ve not being able to achieve that. It hurts and it sucks but we ain’t going to stop,” he said. 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
22 December,2025 09:38 AM IST | Adelaide | AFPApparently, the worst Australian cricket team in 15 years just won the Ashes with two matches to spare against the best England squad assembled since 2011. Broad’s volatile claims Long-time protagonist Stuart Broad lit the fuse ahead of a volatile contest for the longest-running rivalry in Test cricket when he described the host squad as the worst to contest the Ashes in Australia since England won the 2010-11 series Down Under. The 167-test veteran played two matches for England in that winning series. Since then, a drought has extended to 16 losses, two draws and no wins for England on Australian soil. Marnus Labuschagne Marnus Labuschagne, who produced a spectacular catch to help hasten the end of England’s dogged last-day comeback in the third Test in Adelaide on Sunday, reflected on the pre-series pronouncements by Broad and others. “Have to say, being called the worst Australian team in 15 years, like it’s nice to be sitting where we are, 3-0 up,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “The job’s not done yet. We want to make sure it’s 5-0 and really take that urn.” It took all of 11 days — two in Perth, four in Brisbane and almost a full five in Adelaide — not quite a record for clinching an Ashes series but not too far off. Chasing what needed to be a world record for victory, England were all out for 352 in pursuit of 435, giving Australia an 82-run win. Cummins, Lyon doubtful Meanwhile, Australia face going into the fourth Test without pace spearhead Cummins and veteran spinner Lyon, who pulled a hamstring on Sunday while fielding on the boundary. He went for scans and was later seen on crutches at the ground. Cummins played his first Test since July after a long layoff with lower back issues and, while he came through unscathed, he said he may skip Melbourne to be on the safe side. 4No. of consecutive Ashes series won by Australia at home 7No. of consecutive Test wins for Australia at Adelaide 11No. of days it took for England to lose the Ashes — joint second quickest since the 1921 Ashes, which was decided in eight days 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
22 December,2025 09:37 AM IST | Adelaide | Agencies1st Test: Perth With the ball: Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc swung the opening match in Australia’s favour on the very first morning. The 35-year-old produced a devastating spell, claiming career-best figures of 7-58 in the first innings to dismiss England for just 172 on Day One. In the process, he also became the first left-arm fast bowler to claim 100 Ashes wickets. Starc followed this up with 3-55 in the second innings to finish with match figures of 10-113 and earn the Player of the Match award. 2nd Test: Brisbane With the ball: Starc gave England an early blow, dismissing opener Ben Duckett for a duck in the first over itself. There was no stopping Starc thereafter as he went on to claim 6-75 to help the hosts dismiss England for 334. During the spell, he also surpassed Pakistan legend Wasim Akram (414) for the most wickets in Tests by a left-arm pacer. He finished the game with an impressive 8-139. With the bat: Coming in at No. 9, Starc scored 77 off 141 balls as Australia took a huge 177-run lead. During his patient knock, the left-hander surpassed England’s Stuart Broad to score the most runs at No. 9 (1389 runs) and claimed the Player of the Match award in consecutive Tests. Mitchell Starc after reaching his half-century on Day Two of the Adelaide Test on Thursday 3rd Test: Adelaide With the bat: Walking in with Australia struggling at 271-7, Starc scored a defiant 54 off 75 balls to lift his team to 371 in the first innings. This was his 10th fifty-plus score batting at No. 9 or lower, making him the first player to achieve this feat in Tests. With the ball: On Day Five, with England at 285-6 and appearing closer to chasing a world record target of 435 after a 91-run stand between Jamie Smith (60) and Will Jacks (47), Starc, who had claimed just one wicket in the match till then, delivered at the perfect time. The left-arm quick claimed the next three crucial wickets to finish with 3-62 and hand Australia a 3-0 series win. OneStarc became the first left-arm pacer to claim more than 100 wickets in the Ashes. He reached this milestone during the opening Test in Perth 1469Runs scored by Starc batting at No. 9 in Tests — the most by any player. He went past England’s Stuart Broad (1389) 424No. of wickets claimed by Starc in Tests. He surpassed Pak legend Wasim Akram (414) for the most wickets by a left-arm quick Mitchell Starc in the 2025-26 Ashes Tests3 Wickets22 Runs150 Five-wicket hauls 2 50s2 7-58Mitchell Starc’s career-best figures, recorded during the opening Test in Perth 51Wickets claimed by Starc this year — the most by a player 10No. of 50-plus scores by Starc batting at No. 9 or lower in Tests, the most by any player
22 December,2025 09:32 AM IST | Mumbai | Rohan KoliADVERTISEMENT
