Skipper Suryakumar Yadav on Friday said India will not hesitate from playing Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav together in the T20 World Cup 2026 if required, describing the selection conundrum surrounding the two spinners as a “very good headache”. “It is an added advantage that you have such good bowlers available. But at the same time, you also have to look at the combination, whom do you play against a certain opposition,” Suryakumar told the media on the eve of their T20 World Cup opener against the USA here. “If there is a need to play two spinners, [or] two wrist spinners, then we will definitely play [them]. But yes, it is always good to have options like Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, two [of the] best spinners in the world and it is a very good headache,” he added. The India skipper also admitted that pacer Harshit Rana was “not looking good” after suffering a knee injury during the warm-up game against South Africa. ”Harshit Rana has not been ruled out yet, the physios are assessing him, but he does not look good,” 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
07 February,2026 10:43 AM IST | Mumbai | PTIFormer Pakistan skipper Asif Iqbal remains hopeful that the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match scheduled for February 15 in Colombo will be played. Pakistan recently said that they will boycott the Group A clash in Colombo. “I’m still hopeful that good sense will prevail and the India-Pakistan match will be played as scheduled,” Iqbal told mid-day. Iqbal was surprised at how the issue has escalated and blamed it on a “lack of communication”, adding that “any problem can be resolved if both parties engage in a dialogue.” Iqbal warned that the arch-rivals not facing each other would deal a blow to cricket’s popularity. “Not many nations play cricket and if India and Pakistan don’t play against each other, the popularity of the game will take a jolt,” he said. Tracing the controversy back to India’s refusal to shake hands with Pakistan during the Asia Cup in Dubai, Iqbal said, “We must go back to the roots,” adding that the ICC should have nipped the issue in the bud. “It all started when India refused to shake hands with Pakistan. The ICC should have nipped the controversy in the bud. How can India ignore a handshake? The ICC should have punished India. How can the ICC head [Jay Shah] support his own nation?” lamented Iqbal, who has played 58 Tests and 10 ODIs. “If the ICC had handled the handshake issue strictly, the situation would not have reached this far,” he said. However, Iqbal asserted that Pakistan cannot take an escape route. “Pakistan cannot take the escape route. Similarly, the ICC should behave in a neutral manner. Both parties should realise this controversy is bad publicity for the game,” he concluded.
07 February,2026 10:09 AM IST | Mumbai | Debasish DattaZainullah Ihsan missed the cutoff age for the Under-19 World Cup that ended on Friday, but the stars have now aligned nicely for the young fast bowler. “I was a little sad but, look, now I’m in the T20 World Cup!” gushed the Afghan pacer, who moved to Scotland four years ago. Scotland, having failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup, found a berth after Bangladesh refused to play in India. In the scramble to put together a team in a short period of time, Ihsan made the cut. “I was half hoping, half expecting, but when I actually got the news of my call-up from the [team] coach, I was in shock.” Despite being short on preparation, the Scots have arrived with bubbly confidence. “We’ve beaten them twice [2022 T20 World Cup and in an ODI in 2023] recently, so I don’t see why we can’t do it again,” reminded left-arm spinner Mark Watt on the eve of their opener against West Indies at the Eden Gardens. “They are dicey opponents,” concurred WI head coach Darren Sammy, who was the skipper in 2016 when they last won the T20 World Cup. Watt said they are “very sympathetic towards Bangladeshi players,” but also believe that they belong here. “We believe that we can beat teams higher ranked than us.”
07 February,2026 10:08 AM IST | Kolkata | Arup ChatterjeeRoyal Challengers Bengaluru captain Smriti Mandhana on Thursday said that three titles in three years was an amazing result for the franchise following the win in the Women’s Premier League final here. The RCB women ended the title drought for the franchise with a groundbreaking triumph in 2024 before the men finally found a way to win the IPL last year. On Thursday, the RCB women beat Delhi Capitals by six wickets to be crowned WPL champions for the second time. “Very pleased. RCB fans are the best in the world. We get support wherever we play. Three titles in three years for the franchise, it is amazing,” said Mandhana who overcame recent off-field setbacks to excel in the tournament. On chasing 204 in the final, she said: “We felt 203 is a good score, but it was a match-winning spell from Lauren Bell. 400 in the match and she goes for just 19 (off four overs). Also, what Voll (54-ball 79, 14x4s) did was special. Everyone going back home will say this is what we have contributed,” added Mandhana, who top scored for RCB with a 41-ball 87 (12x4s, 3x6s). 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
07 February,2026 10:05 AM IST | Vadodara | PTIShardashram Vidyamandir English Medium School (Dadar) registered a comfortable nine-wicket win over KEM High School (Kanjurmarg) in the girls U-16 quarter-final of the Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) Manoramaben Apte inter-school cricket tournament at the Police Gymkhana (Marine Lines) on Friday. After electing to bat, KEM were restricted to 43-5 in their quota of 10 overs against a disciplined Shardashram bowling attack led by Kartika Poojary (3-19), who was well supported by Madura Dyadke (1-9). Only Avani Vengurlekar managed to get into double digits (13 off 29 balls) for the Dadar outfit. In reply, Shardashram chased down the target in 6.4 overs, for the loss of just one wicket. Ria Thakur led the charge with an unbeaten 30 off 27 balls. Avani (1-20) picked up the lone wicket for the KEM girls.
07 February,2026 10:04 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamThe unavailability of Sarfaraz Khan because of viral fever has left a huge void in the Mumbai batting line-up in this Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Karnataka. With the early dismissal of Test opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Musheer Khan for five and one, respectively, to the impressive new-ball operators Vidwath Kaverappa and Vidyadhar Patil, it seemed Mumbai’s long tail started earlier than expected. Cashing in on the brittle Mumbai batting in fine bowler-friendly conditions, India quick Prasidh Krishna rocked the middle-order to leave Mumbai in the doldrums, bowled out for 120. Karnataka replied with 110-2 at stumps, just 10 behind. Krishna’s 3-21 — all his wickets coming in one spell of 5-2-9-3 post lunch in which he picked up the wickets of Suryansh Shedge, Akash Anand and Shams Mulani, the last two off successive deliveries — out-shadowed the impressive performances of Kaverappa (3-38) upfront and leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal (3-4), who polished off the tail. When you have an international bowler in your ranks, you’d expect him to open the bowling. But Krishna came first change in the 11th over. “I did bowl with the new ball last game. Coming in one change this game, it’s just the way the team wanted to go about,” the 29-year-old lanky pacer said at the end of the day’s play. “I think it was the first-day wicket. There was a bit in the pitch. We started off well. Credit goes to Vidya and Vidwath the way they started. That let me come in and get my time in to hold the line and length that we wanted to do.” Krishna was not surprised at Mumbai choosing to bat, saying “it was a good toss to lose” and credited his bowling partners Kaverappa, who completed 100 first-class wickets on the day when he dismissed Siddhesh Lad and Patil. Amidst the dominance by Karnataka bowlers, Mumbai’s 31-year-old opener Akhil Herwadkar nearly carried his bat through. He was beaten umpteen times early, had a life on 26, but stood like a rock amidst the dismal Mumbai batting before being the last man out for 60, trapped lbw by Gopal. Brief scoresMumbai 120 (A Herwadkar 60; S Gopal 3-4, P Krishna 3-21, V Kaverappa 3-38) K’taka 110-2 (M Agarwal 58 not out; K Rahul 28; S Shedge 1-16)
07 February,2026 10:00 AM IST | Mumbai | G KrishnanThe ICC T20 World Cup will spring to life on Saturday evening at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai ahead of India’s clash against USA, with a opening ceremony featuring Bollywood star Nora Fatehi and rapper Badshah. The event will commence at 6 pm with a musical medley from artists Rishab Sharma and Shivamani, before the trophy’s presentation. Thereafter rapper Badshah will deliver a high-energy live performance, before Nora will set the stage alight with some of her sizzling dance moves, alongside a large cast of supporting dancers. The two will then join forces for a grand finale performance. 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
07 February,2026 09:59 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesThere is a certain charm to India beginning their quest for another home World Cup crown at the same venue where they won their first and only global title in their backyard, nearly a decade and a half back. The iconic Wankhede Stadium has seen numerous stirring battles in its 51-year existence, none more famous and celebrated than India’s six-wicket conquest of Sri Lanka in the final of the 50-over World Cup on April 2, 2011. It’s at the Wankhede that the hosts will kick off their immediate challenge in the T20 World Cup against United States of America on Saturday, under a local lad who has firmly established himself as a wonderful leader of men. USA players celebrate a wicket during their warm-up match vs NZ at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday. Pic/USA Cricket Suryakumar Yadav has been tasked with the responsibility — as he sees it, where some others might consider it a burden — of carrying forward the legacy set by his fellow Mumbaikar, Rohit Sharma. Some 19 months back, Rohit masterminded a fabulous run that culminated in World Cup glory in Bridgetown. The 35-year-old Suryakumar is a terrific student of cricketing history and will be acutely aware of how he can storm the pantheon if he can steer his ship to the Promised Land in four weeks’ time. USA, led by Monank Patel and packing numerous players in the 30-plus age bracket, can be pesky challengers whose run-in to the tournament has been exciting without being fruitful. Replete with expats, mainly from India, they have nothing to lose and will give it their best shot while being acutely understanding of the massive gulf between the sides. India are the No. 1 side in the globe while the Americans are ranked a modest 18th; even if this is one format where rankings count for little, it’s hard to see David slaying Goliath in front of what is expected to be a heaving, throbbing mass. India will not be lulled into using this outing as preparation for the potentially stiffer battles ahead because nothing can be a more disastrous approach. In any case, they have warmed up superbly with commanding series victories at home against South Africa and New Zealand in the last couple of months, and have ticked almost every box that needs to be.
07 February,2026 08:54 AM IST | Mumbai | R KaushikAhead of the T20 World Cup 2026, former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen feels that India are the favourites to clinch the title. He also said that, considering the nature of the format, two players from any team can deliver performances to defeat their opposition. "India are the favourites, definitely, and everyone will admit this. But in T20 cricket, anything can happen. In T20 cricket, on any given day, you can have two superstar players in the opposition who can beat you," he said. "You are playing against great players in other teams. That's international sport," added Pietersen. The former cricketer then heaped praise on star spinner Kuldeep Yadav, saying that he has all the tricks to help his team win the matches. "Kuldeep is a star and a brilliant, brilliant guy. He is a tremendous character and a fighter. He is desperate to win and has got all of the tricks," he said. While there has been periodic discussions around fluctuations in Kuldeep's form, Pietersen urged patience and perspective. "In life and in sport, people need to realise that sometimes it doesn't go your way. Maybe he (Kuldeep) is having one of those periods that everyone has. I don't know because I'm not following it that closely technically, but he is a beautiful human and a wonderful bowler," said the former England cricketer. "Pressure is always there when you're expected to win, and handling those moments is what defines champions," he added. The T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to begin from February 7, and will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Team India is placed in Group A of the tournament along with teams Namibia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, and the United States of America (USA). The "Men in Blue" will begin their campaign on the same date by playing a clash against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. India's squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (WK), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma, Harshit Rana. (With PTI Inputs)
06 February,2026 09:29 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the U-19 World Cup final match against England, Team India emerged victorious by 100 runs at the Harare Sports Club in Zimbabwe. While chasing a target of 412 runs, England was bowled out for 311 runs in 40.2 overs. Opening the innings for England, Ben Dawkins scored 66 runs in 56 balls, with the help of seven boundaries and two maximums. Fellow opening batsman Joseph Moores registered 17 runs in 16 balls, including four boundaries. Ben Mayes departed after scoring 45 runs in his 28-ball knock, which also included seven boundaries and two maximums. Skipper Thomas Rew played a knock of 31 runs off 18 deliveries, which was laced with four boundaries and a maximum. Caleb Falconer delivered a blistering century. He garnered 115 runs off 67 deliveries, including nine boundaries and seven maximums. Ralphie Albert and Farhan Ahmed registered zero and one runs, respectively to their names. Sebastian Morgan also departed on a duck, and Manny Lumsden was dismissed on three runs. Facing 41 balls, James Minto managed to score 28 runs, including a boundary. Alex Green stayed unbeaten without facing any balls. Team India's RS Ambrish returned with the figures of three wickets for 56 runs in nine overs. Deepensh Devendran and Kanishk Chouhan bagged two wickets each. Khilan Patel and skipper Ayush Mhatre also claimed one wicket each. Earlier, having opted to bat first, opening batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played a blistering knock of 175 runs off just 80 deliveries. His knock also included 15 boundaries and the same number of maximums. Fellow opening batsman Aaron George also scored nine runs in 11 balls, including two boundaries. Skipper Ayush Mhatre smashed 53 runs after facing 51 balls. His knock was laced with seven boundaries and two maximums. Vedant Trivedi accumulated 32 runs in 36 balls, with the help of three boundaries. Vihaan Mahotra garnered 30 runs in his knock of 36 balls. He also smashed two boundaries. Wicketkeeper-batsman Abhigyan Kundu managed to register 40 runs off 31 balls, including six boundaries and a maximum. Later, RS Ambrish also registered 18 runs off 24 balls, with the help of two boundaries. Kanishk Chouhan also gave the finishing touches to India's innings. Facing 20 balls, he scored an unbeaten 37 runs, with three boundaries and a maximum. With this, the U-19 Team India posted a total of 411 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 50 overs. England's James Minto returned with the figures of three wickets for 63 runs in eight overs. Alex Green also bagged two wickets by conceding 49 runs in five overs. Sebastian Morgan and Manny Lumsden also chipped in with two and one wickets, respectively.
06 February,2026 08:58 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAhead of the T20 World Cup 2026, Australia received another blow as their star pacer Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the tournament. The pacer is running out of time to recover from the hamstring injury. Earlier, veteran pacer Pat Cummins was ruled out of the entire tournament due to a persistent back injury and was replaced in the 15-man squad by Ben Dwarshuis. Earlier, Cricket Australia stated that the pacer would make his return in the middle of the tournament and would play across the venues in India and Sri Lanka. "We were hopeful Josh would be back to match fitness by the Super 8 stage but the latest indications he is still some time away and accelerating his program will carry too much risk," said selector Tony Dodemaide. He also stated that Australia is not in a hurry to name a replacement player for Hazlewood. The decision could be taken later, depending on the need of the situation. "We will not be naming a replacement player immediately. We feel we are well covered for the initial games so will make any later decisions based on priority need at the time," he said. Nathan Ellis and Tim David are on track to be available for the group stage, while Adam Zampa will be available for the first match in Colombo next week. The T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to kick off from February 7, and will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Australia is placed in Group B of the tournament along with teams Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe. The Aussies will begin their campaign by playing a clash against Ireland on February 11 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. The "Super 8" stage of the marquee event will begin from February 21. Semi-final 1 and semi-final 2 of the tournament are scheduled on March 4 and 5, respectively. The title clash of the T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to be played on March 8, with the venue yet to be confirmed. Australia's updated squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh (C), Adam Zampa, Travis Head, Ben Dwarshuis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Matt Renshaw, Josh Inglis (WK), Xavier Bartlett, Cameron Green, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cooper Connolly. (With PTI Inputs)
06 February,2026 08:58 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
