In one of the most dramatic matches of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, South Africa defeated Afghanistan by the barest of margins in a rare double Super Over encounter at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. In a match that will be remembered for ages, it ended in a tie after both teams posted 187 in their allotted 20 overs. With nothing separating the sides, the match headed into a Super Over and the drama only intensified since then. Batting first in the first Super Over, the Proteas smashed 17 runs off six balls. However, Afghanistan matched the total, forcing the contest into a second Super Over. South Africa this time batted first, and Tristan Stubbs delivered under pressure. His powerful hitting propelled the Proteas to 23 runs in the second Super Over, setting Afghanistan a daunting target of 24 in 6 balls. Rahamnullah Gurbaz had everyone on the edge of their seat It was just moments when Rahmanullah Gurbaz nearly pulled off the impossible. Facing left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, Gurbaz launched three towering sixes to swing the momentum Afghanistan’s way. With seven runs needed off the final ball, Maharaj bowled a wide with the field set for a delivery outside off stump, reducing the equation to five needed off the last legal ball. While everyone hoped for yet another dramatic finish, Gurbaz attempted to carve the final delivery over the backward point fielder. But he failed to find the boundary, hitting the ball straight into the hands of the backward point fielder, sealing a dramatic victory for South Africa. The thrilling finish marked one of the most unforgettable matches in T20 World Cup history, with South Africa holding their nerve to emerge victorious in a contest that showcased the very best of T20 cricket.
11 February,2026 03:34 PM IST | Ahmedabad | mid-day online correspondentFormer Mumbai and India captain, and Mumbai Cricket Association’s Cricket Advisor Dilip Vengsarkar has expressed his disappointment as Mumbai were knocked out by Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final at the MCA-BKC ground on Monday. The defeat ensured the 42-time Ranji champions finished trophy-less this season. In December, defending champions Mumbai had failed to progress from the Super League stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy in Pune. Thereafter, Mumbai lost to Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare Trophy quarters by 55 runs in Bengaluru last month. Mumbai skipper Shardul Thakur kicks out in frustration as Karnataka’s KL Rahul is dropped at slip during the Ranji Trophy quarter-final on Monday “I feel we were on the verge of winning [Ranji Trophy] for the 43rd time, but it was not to be. And when we look into what went wrong, one of the first things that come to mind is poor fielding and poor catching,” Vengsarkar, who played in four Ranji-winning seasons for Mumbai, told mid-day.A day earlier, Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur had also blamed dropped catches for the quarter-final defeat in the Ranji Trophy after the beneficiary of the dropped catches, Karnataka’s India batter KL Rahul scored 130. “When you’re playing for Mumbai, you have to give your life for the team. Your commitment and application has to be 100 per cent. You must have that killer instinct which Mumbai teams have been famous for. It was a disappointing performance, especially against Karnataka. Of course, Karnataka are a good team; chasing 325 in the fourth innings on that wicket was tough. But the unfortunate part is that we dropped catches. If you drop catches, you don’t expect to win. You have to convert those half-chances. Also, you cannot afford to drop your shoulders because just one wicket, one breakthrough, and the floodgates can open. The unfortunate part is that this entire season, we have dropped a lot of catches and the team management has to look into this,” added Vengsarkar, a specialist slip fielder in his playing days. Dilip Vengsarkar One specific dropped catch that merits a mention is when Rahul was on 75 on Day 4 in the second innings and edged Thakur to the slips. The ball was heading towards Yashasvi Jaiswal at first slip, but Siddhesh Lad dived to his left from second slip for a singled-handed effort, and failed to hold on. Karnataka were 142-3 at this stage, needing another 183 to win. When asked if batting failure was also a reason, Vengsarkar, replied: “Yes, but later, the team got settled. Siddhesh [Lad] played an important role in the middle order. The unfortunate part is that Sarfaraz Khan did not play in the last game [due to fever]. His absence was definitely felt. Ajinkya Rahane also opted out in the middle of the season, which is unfortunate. I had not expected him to do that.” 2020The last time Mumbai failed to reach a single final in the domestic season 2022The last time Mumbai failed to win any silverware in a domestic season FourNo. of domestic titles won by Mumbai in the last four years — Ranji Trophy in 2024, Irani Cup in 2025, and the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy in 2023 and 2025 Where Mumbai fell short this season Ranji TrophyBatting failure was one of the major reasons for Mumbai’s quarter-final exit, because only Siddhesh Lad managed to score 774 runs with the help of five centuries. Mumbai’s 2nd top run-getter was Musheer Khan, who scored 446, with the help of one century. On the bowling front, only left-arm spinner Shams Mulani (30 scalps in 7 games), pacers Tushar Deshpande (25 in 8 ties) and Mohit Avasthi (14 in 4 matches) showed some consistency. Vijay Hazare Trophy (50-over format)Mumbai, who lost to Karnataka in the quarter-final, failed to get the perfect winning combination in the tournament with as many as 22 players getting a look in. Though Mumbai got India batters Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube for a few games, the team struggled to settle due to the frequent changes. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20 format)The defending champions relied more on individual brilliance than team performance here. The youngsters failed to capitalise on the opportunities throughout the tournament and the team exited in the Super League stage.
11 February,2026 09:35 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureFormer Mumbai wicketkeeper-batter Sulakshan Kulkarni, is currently in Colombo, guiding Oman at the ongoing T20 World Cup as Deputy Head Coach, but he’s well aware of Mumbai’s poor position in domestic cricket this season. “For the last four, five seasons we [Mumbai] have been playing with the same bowlers in the Ranji Trophy. Why are we not getting in bowlers from the U-19 or U-23 team? We had a fast bowling talent hunt, but those bowlers are not seen,” Kulkarni, who was head coach when Mumbai won its 40th Ranji title in 2012-13, told mid-day on Tuesday. On the issue of dropped catches, Kulkarni said: “A few years ago also I had heard that Mumbai had dropped some 40 catches in the season. This season also poor fielding and dropping catches are their main concern. So, why are we lacking in it.”
11 February,2026 09:34 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentSandeep Patil, ex-chairman of selectors when India last hosted the T20 World Cup, continues to be surprised as to why Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma don’t figure in India’s current World Cup squad through their retirements from the shortest form of the game. “It puzzles me. Two greats, two legends, retire from the T20 format, but they are available to play the Indian Premier League (IPL). I don’t understand… they could have played T20 cricket for India and figured in the IPL. That would be something we all would’ve accepted,” Patil told an audience at a Cricket, Cocktails, and Controversy fireside chat with journalist Ayaz Memon, organised by The Indus Club, BKC on Saturday evening. Patil’s utterances related to Kohli and Rohit emerged after he was asked about Shubman Gill not being part of the World Cup squad. He defended Ajit Agarkar’s selection committee. “I feel sad for Gill, but he just doesn’t find a place in this team. Who are you going to drop? While discussing selection, we only talk about players, but we should also look at combinations,” said Patil.
11 February,2026 09:32 AM IST | Mumbai | Clayton MurzelloWhile pacer Mohammed Siraj had to skip his trip to Spain, to watch Real Madrid play Real Sociedad, after getting a call-up to the Indian T20 World Cup team due to a sudden injury to fellow pacer Harshit Rana, the country’s ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill is making the most of his time away from the national setup. The right-hander is in France and was on the sidelines of the Parc des Princes in Paris, interacting with Paris Saint-Germain’s Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele soon after their 5-0 rout of Marseille on Sunday. In a video Instagrammed by PSG, which has received over one million ‘likes’, Gill is seen shaking hands with Dembele while dressed up in a classy black knee-length coat, paired with matching trousers and a woolen grey shirt. EPL fans may recall seeing ex-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger sporting similar a outfit while prowling the touchline. PSG captioned the post read: “Game recognises game.”
11 February,2026 09:16 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentIndia were always mentally prepared to face Pakistan in the T20 World Cup league game, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Monday. “We kind of accepted that as a status quo and until we got there and they didn’t show up we were assuming we were going to play,” the former Netherlands captain told the media on Tues day. Ten Doeschate, however, acknowledged that Pakistan could enjoy a logistical edge having already spent considerable time in Colombo. “It’s going to be a challenge going to Colombo where Pakistan have been for the last two weeks and we’re fully focused on just bringing our best game to that fixture next week,” he added. Abhishek unwell Meanwhile, India opener Abhishek Sharma skipped Tuesday’s training session as he recovers from a stomach upset, casting a small cloud over his availability against Namibia. “Yeah, Washington joined the team yesterday, he’ll train today. Abhi still got a few issues with his tummy, we hope that he’ll be available for the game in a few days’ time,” ten Doeschate said. 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 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
11 February,2026 09:12 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIFor a team, who haven’t been able to practise at their home ground, the Netherlands have done well at this T20 World Cup so far. They first gave Pakistan a scare before narrowly losing their campaign-opener by three wickets in Colombo, and have now beaten Namibia quite easily in Delhi. On the eve of the Namibia match, Dutch team manager John van Vliet had shown reporters here a snow-covered picture of the VRA Cricket Ground in Amstelveen, which he clicked in January, and said: “This is a picture of our national ground three weeks ago, so you can imagine how it was for us. That’s why we had to go abroad to prepare. Some of our boys had to train in South Africa [Cape Town] while another group was in Vapi [Sai Meghpan Sportslife]. Then, all of them joined each other in Chennai [CSK Academy] 10 days before we got together in Colombo.” On Tuesday, the Netherlands’s No. 3 batter Bas de Leede’s unbeaten 48-ball 72 (5x4s, 4x6s) helped them comfortably chase down Namibia’s total of 156-8 with two overs and seven wickets to spare.
11 February,2026 09:06 AM IST | Mumbai | Jaspreet SinghFormer India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar lavished praise on the Rohit Paudel-led Nepal team and likened the team’s attitude to Rashid Khan’s Afghanistan. Manjrekar revealed that even India’s team in the ’90s looked anxious, but despite being an associate nation, Nepal look ready for big challenges. “It’s inherent, something that is God-given. I dare say, India used to be nervous for a number of years. I used to be part of a team in the ’90s that was anxious when it went abroad. I don’t see that anxiety in Afghanistan or Nepal. So that’s great. The other thing is that they have skills, very important,” Manjrekar said at an event hosted by TCM Sports, celebrating the rise of Nepal cricket at the Cricket Club of India on Monday. Nepal lost to two-time champions England by just four runs in a T20 World Cup game at the Wankhede Stadium last Sunday. Manjrekar, 60, who played 37 Tests and 74 ODIs, revealed that he has become a big fan of Nepal’s cricket. “I saw them [Nepal] in the [2023 ODI] Asia Cup and I became sort of a supporter. There were a couple of things that I liked. There is an inherent fighting spirit, which Afghanistan have as well. Afghanistan never go on the field as an emerging team or a weaker team. Nepal is different. That’s the thing with the T20 World Cup, the talent that you have with every nation is homegrown, which is the case with Nepal and Afghanistan as well,” remarked Manjrekar.
11 February,2026 09:03 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureTwo-time former champions England and West Indies will vie for supremacy in their Group ‘C’ encounter of the T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium today. Harry Brook-led England survived a big scare when they squeezed past Nepal by four runs at the same venue on Sunday, while Shai Hope’s West Indies started their campaign with a 35-run win over Scotland at Kolkata on Saturday. Ahead of a re-match between the finalists of the 2016 T20 World Cup at the very same venue, WI head coach Sammy admitted that Mumbai is a lucky place for his team and is hoping his charges can repeat last time’s heroics once more. “We started the tournament well [beating Scotland]. Mumbai has been a place that has been kind to us in World Cups against the same opposition we face tomorrow [Wednesday]. So we look forward to it,” Sammy said during the pre-match press conference on Tuesday. During their 2016 win, WI outclassed Eoin Morgan’s England team by six wickets — a match in which Chris Gayle’s 48-ball 100 not out, laced with five fours and 11 sixes, played a crucial role. “Gayle is special. Yeah, I remember it was our first game. I think England scored 180 [182]. We walked out and Gayle said they were 30 runs short. So that's the Wankhede for you. It's a tough place to defend. But that's 10 years ago. You look at the team [currently], we have class,” Sammy said while recalling the special win a decade ago. When asked about the 2016 final encounter, England batter Jos Buttler, who scored a 20-ball 30 that day, said: “Yeah, I do remember. I had a good view for that. I actually think Moeen Ali [1-38] bowled an unbelievable spell at him and then he decided to hit the last three balls he faced off Moeen for three sixes. [But] hopefully the result can be different tomorrow night.”
11 February,2026 09:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureNow that the dust has settled over the February 15 India-Pakistan clash in Colombo, which is back on the road, cricket will hopefully continue to remain in the spotlight and not be overshadowed by controversies and developments off the park. Edition 10 of the T20 World Cup is just four days young, but it has already thrown up its fair share of excitement. The so-called ‘smaller’ nations have put up spirited displays; Netherlands almost upset Pakistan’s applecart in the opener in Colombo on Saturday, India were given a mighty scare by United States that same night and the following evening, Nepal came within one hit of stunning England, also in Mumbai. However, even as the contests remained uniformly interesting, they were played in the shadow of the off-field goings-on. From the time the Pakistan government announced on X that its team would not play India as scheduled in a Group A league fixture, an air of tense uncertainty prevailed. Back-channel conversations suggested that a compromise was on the cards, but it wasn’t until the International Cricket Council issued an official statement past midnight on Monday that confirmation came of Pakistan’s assent to take the field against their arch-rivals this coming Sunday. Pakistan’s unusual stance was triggered by Bangladesh being replaced in the draw by Scotland following their refusal to budge from their position of not travelling to India for the league matches owing to security concerns. India captain Suryakumar Yadav had made it clear at the pre-tournament captains’ conference that his side would be travelling to Colombo even when Pakistan’s boycott threat was in vogue. He does not need to exhort his charges to clear the next immediate hurdle in the form of Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Thursday before leaving for Sri Lankan for the perennially high-stakes, high-pressure battle.
11 February,2026 08:56 AM IST | New Delhi | R KaushikIn the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the United States of America (USA), Pakistan emerged victorious by 32 runs at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Sri Lanka. Having put to chase a target of 191 runs, the USA managed to reach 158 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs. Opening the innings, Andries Gous was dismissed for 13 runs in 13 balls, including two boundaries. Fellow opening batsman Shayan Jahangir played a knock of 49 runs off 34 balls, with the help of five boundaries and two maximums. Skipper Monank Patel returned to the pavilion on three runs in 10 balls. Milind Kumar accumulated 29 runs in 22 balls, with the help of two boundaries and a maximum. Shubham Ranjane smashed 51 runs off 30 deliveries, laced with three boundaries and the same number of maximums. Sanjay Krishnamurthi was dismissed on a two-ball duck. Harmeet Singh was dismissed for six runs in five balls. His knock also included a boundary. Mohammad Mohsin also departed on a one-ball duck. Shadley van Schalkwyk and Ehsan Adil stayed unbeaten on one run each. Both played two balls in their knocks. Pakistan's Usman Tariq claimed three wickets for 27 runs in four overs. Shadab Khan bagged two wickets by conceding 26 runs in four overs. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Mohammad Nawaz registered one wicket each to their names. Earlier, having put to bat first, Pakistan's opening batsman Saim Ayub scored 19 runs in 17 balls, with the help of a boundary and two maximums. Fellow opening batsman Sahibzada Farhan played a stunning knock of 73 runs off 41 deliveries, including six boundaries and five maximums. Skipper Salman Ali Agha was dismissed on one run in three balls. Premier batsman Babar Azam played a crucial knock of 46 runs. His knock came in 32 balls, which was laced with four boundaries and a maximum. Later, Shadab Khan accumulated 30 runs off just 12 balls. His knock included four boundaries and a maximum. Shaheen Shah Afridi also scored an unbeaten nine runs in four balls, with the help of a maximum. With this, the "Green Shirts" posted a total of 190 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs. USA's Shadley van Schalkwyk returned with the figures of four wickets for 25 runs in four overs. Mohammad Mohsin and Harmeet Singh bagged one wicket each. In his spell of four overs, Mohsin was smashed for 27 runs, whereas Harmeet leaked 41 runs in four overs. Saurabh Netravalkar also bagged one wicket by giving away 40 runs in four overs.
10 February,2026 11:22 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
