The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to begin from March 28. The schedule of the entire tournament will be announced in two phases due to elections in various states. Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia had told ANI that the schedule for the first 20 days of the IPL 2026 will be announced soon. "We will announce the first 20-day schedule of IPL in 2 or 3 days after considering the election dates in a few states and will announce the rest of the tournament schedule later," he said. In the previous edition, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clinched the title. They defeated the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Earlier this month, 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. Cricket at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has been suspended since June last year. Following RCB's triumph, fans gathered in huge numbers outside the stadium. During the celebrations, 11 people lost their lives, and several were left injured in a stampede. The stadium did not host any of the ICC Women's World Cup matches or the recently concluded Men's T20 World Cup 2026 games. Even the domestic and state franchise-based tournaments had been affected by this suspension placed on the iconic venue. It will be interesting to see if the defending champions, RCB, manage to defend their title under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar. Ahead of the tournament, Jacob Bethell, Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, Dewald Brevis, and Ramandeep Singh are the top names to watch out for from the season. With these players, all cricketers will enter the cash-rich league after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2026. The "Men in Blue" successfully managed to defend their shortest format world title by defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final of the marquee event.
11 March,2026 04:34 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAfter celebrating Team India's historic T20 World Cup 2026 triumph, star spinner Kuldeep Yadav is all set to begin a new chapter in his life. According to reports, he is all set to marry his fiancée, Vanshika, on March 14, and the venue for the wedding is expected to be in Mussoorie. Earlier, according to reports, Kuldeep and Vanshika got engaged in June last year in a private ceremony in Lucknow, which was attended by only close family members. The news about their wedding comes shortly after Team India's dominance in the recently concluded global showpiece. The "Men in Blue" defeated New Zealand by 96 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Reflecting on the victory, the spinner expressed happiness and stated that when you participate in an ICC event, the aim is always to win the title. "It is an important victory. The tournament went very well for us, and we have been preparing for this for a long time. This is what you play cricket for. Every time you participate in an ICC tournament, you want to win the trophy. I congratulate the team and also thank the fans for supporting us," he said. Kuldeep also gave special mention to fellow teammate Sanju Samson and said that he is happy that the Kerala-born cricketer is reaping his rewards for his hard work. "I am very happy for Sanju Samson, who performed exceptionally well. I have shared my cricketing journey with him since the Under-12s, and I am very happy to see him reap the rewards of his hard work over the years," said the 31-year-old cricketer. T20 World Cup 2026: Final summary Batting first in the final, the "Men in Blue" posted a mammoth total of 256 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs. Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan smashed half-centuries. Facing 46 balls, Samson scored 89 runs with the help of five boundaries and eight maximums. Abhishek also garnered 52 runs in 21 balls, including six boundaries and three maximums. Ishan smashed 54 runs off 25 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and four maximums. Later, burly all-rounder Shivam Dube also played a fiery cameo of an unbeaten 26 runs in just eight deliveries. Chasing a target of 256, New Zealand was bowled out for 159 runs in 19 overs. Team India's lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah returned with figures of four for 15 in four overs. Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Abhishek also chipped in with one wicket each. (With ANI Inputs)
11 March,2026 03:50 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the early hours of Monday, when most of India was celebrating a historic T20 World Cup win, one of the stars of the Indian team was hiding on the top berth of an AC 3-tier coach on the Ahmedabad–Mumbai Sayaji Express. Shivam Dube, his wife Anjum and a friend were looking for ways to get back to Mumbai in the aftermath of the World Cup win. However, with all the flights booked, Dube decided to use the train to get back home to his children. Speaking to the Indian Express, Dube said there were no flights available for him to leave from Ahmedabad, so he decided to go by train.“There were no flights available, so I decided to take a train early in the morning from Ahmedabad to Mumbai. We could have gone by road, but the train was faster.”Dube said. The all-rounder admitted that he was scared of being recognised in public in a packed train, but used a disguise to go through the night. Dube covered himself with a mask, full-sleeved-tshirt and a cap before hiding away on the top berth of the train, “Me, my wife and a friend decided to take the train. Third AC tickets were available, so we booked them. Everyone we spoke to was worried: family, friends. What if someone recognised me at the station or inside the train?” Dube added. Even the ticket checker in the compartment was left puzzled to see Shivam Dube's name in the ticket list and asked Dube's wife if he was the cricketer, to which she quickly said no. “‘Shivam Dube? Woh kaun hai, cricketer?’ the TC asked. Anjum responded: “No, no. Woh kahan se aayega?” (Where would he come from?) Dube managed to sleep through the night before the police came and helped him move from Borivali station to his home in broad daylight. Shivam Dube was one of the Indian stars at the T20 World Cup Final Shivam Dube had a night to remember in Ahmedabad at the T20 World Cup final. The Indian star all-rounder scored 24 runs in the last over to put India in a commanding position during the first innings of the match. During the tournament, Dube was India's fourth-highest run-scorer and scored a half-century during the tournament.
11 March,2026 03:42 PM IST | Mumbai | Atharva UpasaniIn the wake of India's historic T20 World Cup triumph, a debate has emerged involving 1983 World Cup winner Kirti Azad and former Indian players Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh. Azad's tweet about the Indian coach and captains' temple visit with the trophy turned into a heated exchange with current and former Indian players. What did Kirti Azad say that sparked the controversy? Shortly after India's historic World Cup win, skipper Suyakumar Yadav, coach Gautam Gambhir and ICC Chairman Jay Shah visited a Hanuman temple with the trophy to seek blessings. This gesture did not go down well with Kirti Azad, who took to X to post his displeasure. Kirti Azad, now a Member of Parliament, voiced his disapproval, stating that the World Cup trophy belongs to 1.4 billion Indians of every faith. He further hinted at the 1983 World Cup-winning squad as a model of religious diversity. "SHAME ON TEAM INDIA! When we won the World Cup under Kapil Dev in 1983, we had Hindu Muslim Sikh and Christian in the team. We brought the trophy to our religious birth place our motherland India Bharat Hindustan. Why The Hell Is The Indian Cricket Trophy is being Dragged. Why NOT a Mosque? Why NOT a Church? Why NOT a Gurudwara? This Team Represents INDIA — not Surya Kumar Yadav's or Jay Shah's Family ! Siraj never paraded it at a Mosque. Sanju never took it to a Church. latter had a major part to play and was man of the tournament. The Trophy Belongs to 1.4 BILLION Indians of EVERY Faith — NOT ONE RELIGION'S VICTORY LAP!" Kirti Azad tweeted. Kirti Azad's tweet has gathered more than 3.7 million views on X. The former Indian off-spinner and current TMC member has since been in the thick of things, as Indian coach Gautam Gambhir and former Indian World Cup winner Harbhajan Singh have hit back with strong replies to his tweet. How did Gautam Gambhir, Ishan Kisan and Harbhajan Singh enter the controversy? "Stop degrading your own team and players," Gautam Gambhir, the current Indian coach, responded to Kirti Azad without holding back. Initially, Gambhir claimed that the remarks were not worth answering, but later said that such comments were degrading the team and the player. "It is not even worth answering this question. Answering that question is a big moment for the entire country. Today, if you are giving such a statement, you're literally degrading your players and degrading your own team, which should not be done," Gautam Gambhir said. Gambhir was supported by his former teammate Harbhajan Singh, who was far from pleased at Azad's comments. Singh slammed Azad for his comments, hinting at a political angle about his tweet. It is absurd that he (Kirti Azad) is trying to play politics with this. The Indian team can take the trophy to a temple, a mosque, a church, wherever they want to. If they have asked something from their God and have revisited their faith after their wish was fulfilled, what's the problem with that? It is unfortunate to hear these things from fellow cricketers. Maybe they prefer politics over the sport." Harbhajan Singh said. Recently, Ishan Kishan, part of the World Cup-winning squad, was also asked about his opinion on the controversy, but he refused to indulge in it by asking for 'better questions' from the reporters. With the controversy gaining more pace with each passing day and elections around the corner, there are sure to be more reactions to Kirti Azad's comments in the coming days. Who is Kirti Azad? Kirti Azad is a former Indian World Cup winner in 1983. The off-spinner was part of the Kapil Dev-led team that won India's maiden World Cup title. Azad's international career was short-lived as he played 7 Tests and 25 ODIs for India between 1980 and 1986. However, he was a stalwart in domestic cricket, scoring 4867 runs and taking 162 wickets in 95 Ranji Trophy matches for Delhi. After he retired from cricket, Azad joined politics initially with the BJP, before moving to Congress in 2019. Azad joined Trinamool Congress (TMC) after meeting TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in Delhi on 23 November 2021.
11 March,2026 03:24 PM IST | Mumbai | Atharva UpasaniVeteran wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni is expected to play every game in the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), according to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan. However, he added that the team management will ultimately decide on his playing position. The 19th edition of the IPL will begin on March 28, and the franchises have already started their training camps for the mega event. Players participating in the T20 World Cup will join the teams shortly before the start of the tournament. MS Dhoni is set to play yet another campaign of IPL at the age of 44. There were some doubts about the participation of the former Indian captain, but the CSK CEO has clarified that the fan-favourite will play all the matches. "He will play all the matches, according to me." CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan said. When asked about MS Dhoni's role in the team after the signing of Sanju Samson, Viswanathan said that the team management will take that call. Samson joined CSK after leaving the Rajasthan Royals. "That I cannot say. The cricket staff will make that decision. Not by the administrative personnel. They will therefore determine whether he will play as an impact player, a batsman, or a wicketkeeper-batter." Kasi Viswanathan added. IPL schedule to be announced in the next couple of days The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia said that the schedule for the first 20 days of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL) will be announced within the next two to three days, considering the election dates in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. In an interview with the ANI, Devajit Saikia said, "We will announce the first 20-day schedule of IPL in 2 or 3 days after considering the election dates in a few states and will announce the rest of the tournament schedule later". The IPL 2026 is set to kick off from March 28, the official broadcaster Star Sports confirmed on Sunday. Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be the defending champions, having won their maiden IPL title last year. (With IANS Input)
11 March,2026 02:07 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentMaharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis felicitated Indian T20 World Cup-winning team members Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube on Tuesday. The official CMO page posted pictures of CM Fadnavis felicitating the two Indian World Cup stars at his residence. Fadnavis congratulated the two cricketers and lauded their role in bringing glory to the country. India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad to secure a historic title win. Team India became the first team to successfully defend their title, as well as the first team to win a T20 WC at home. Captain Suryakumar Yadav joined the elite list of Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma to win a World Cup trophy for India. Suryakumar was India's third-highest run scorer at the World Cup, behind Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. The skipper scored 242 runs at an average of 30.25 in nine matches, including one half-century. All-rounder Shivam Dube was one of the underrated performers in the Indian team. The southpaw scored crucial runs at the end of the innings and amassed a total of 235 runs in nine matches at the strike-rate of 169. BCCI announce record breaking prize money for the victorious Indian team On March 10, BCCI announced a record cash prize of Rs 131 Crore for the Indian T20 World Cup-winning team and staff. The Suryakumar Yadav-led team will receive the highest-ever prize money for their historic triumph. "The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a cash reward of INR 131 crore for Team India following their triumphant campaign in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. The Board congratulates the players, support staff and selectors once again on this historic achievement and wishes them continued success in the future," the BCCI statement said. This is the highest reward ever announced, surpassing Rs 125 Crore given by the board to Rohit Sharma and his team for winning the 2024 T20 World Cup and Rs 58 Crore for the ICC Champions Trophy-winning team of 2025. The Indian Women's World Cup-winning team were presented with a reward of Rs 51 Crore.(With input from ANI)
11 March,2026 01:07 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIndian star Virat Kohli has started getting ready for the Indian Premier League 2026 season. Videos of the former captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) working out in the nets have gone viral on social media. Kohli posted a reel on Instagram where the 37-year-old was seen working hard during a practice session, concentrating on batting as he prepares for the IPL season. Fans flooded the comments section in anticipation of the 19th edition of IPL. Virat Kohli is an all-time IPL great, having scored 8661 runs in 267 matches and 259 innings in IPL history. The former Indian skipper has a strike rate of 132.85 and an average of 39.54, along with eight centuries and 63 half-centuries in the competition. The seasoned batsman scored 657 runs at an average of 54.75 in 15 games during the 2025 season, helping Bengaluru win their first IPL championship. With a strong strike rate of 144.71, Kohli amassed eight half-centuries. On March 8, broadcaster Star Sports confirmed that the upcoming season of the IPL will officially kick off on March 28; however, the IPL fixtures are yet to be announced. RCB will be the defending champions after their maiden title win in 2025. RCB set to play five games at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium Santosh Menon, the secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), said earlier this month that five of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 home games will take place at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Additionally, he announced that one of the tournament's play-off games and the IPL 2026 final will be held at the location. RCB's two home matches will be held at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Since June of last year, cricket at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium has been suspended due to a stampede that resulted in 11 fatalities and multiple injuries during RCB's IPL 2025 title celebration. The stadium did not hold any matches at the recently finished ICC T20 World Cup and the ICC Women's World Cup. This suspension of the iconic venue has also impacted domestic and state franchise-based competitions.(With ANI inputs)
11 March,2026 01:05 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIndian head coach Gautam Gambhir reacted to former skipper MS Dhoni's congratulatory post following India's T20 World Cup win in Ahmedabad. Dhoni congratulated the players and added a special message for Gambhir, saying, 'smile looks great on you' Gambhir, known for his serious demeanour, has been a source of banter among fans and players alike. During the World Cup celebrations, Arshdeep Singh posted a video with Gambhir asking him to smile more. Gambhir reacted to MS Dhoni's message and lauded him for posting after India's historic win. The former Indian opener added that the pressure of representing the country in major events makes it difficultforhim to express his emotions "It's very difficult to be in a situation where people have not been. But good on him that he posted on that, honestly, but I feel that when you're in a dugout, there is so much at stake. There is always so much expectation from the Indian team that even if you want to laugh, you can't laugh. Especially when you play a tournament like the World Cup. Because in India, unfortunately, losing is not an option, but it can happen. Because if losing was not an option, then India would have won all the World Cups. But that doesn't happen," Gambhir Gambhir said MS Dhoni's message for the Indian team after the T20 World Cup win In a rare appearance on Instagram, former Indian skipper MS Dhoni posted a picture congratulating the Indian team for their historic World Cup triumph. The former World Cup-winning captain had a special compliment for coach Gambhir as he wrote, "smile looks great on u, intensity with smile is a killer combo". "History gets created at Ahmedabad, big congratulations to the team and support staff and to all the fans of the Indian Cricket Team worldwide. Such a pleasure to see all of u play. Coach Sahab smile looks great on u, intensity with smile is a killer combo, very well done. enjoy guys(BUMRAH ke baare mein kuch na likhoon tou hi acha hai. CHAMPION BOWLER)," MS Dhoni said in his Instagram post. India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final of the T20 World Cup to win back-to-back titles. This was also Team India's third T20 World Cup title, the most in the history of cricket. (With ANI input)
11 March,2026 12:23 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIndia head coach Gautam Gambhir has fired back at former Indian cricketer Kirti Azad for questioning Team India's visit to a Hanuman Temple after the T20 World Cup triumph. Earlier, Kirti Azad had posted on X, questioning Team India's move to take the trophy to a temple soon after winning the World Cup. After a 96-run win over New Zealand in Ahmedabad, Captain Suryakumar Yadav, coach Gautam Gambhir and ICC Chairperson Jay Shah were pictured entering a Hanuman Mandir with the World Cup trophy. Kirti Azad was left disappointed by the move and posted a message on Twitter saying,'A sportsperson or sports does not belong to any religion or caste but only to the sport.' SHAME ON TEAM INDIA! 😡When we won the World Cup under Kapil Dev in 1983, we had Hindu Muslim Sikh and Christian in the team.We brought the trophy to our religious birth place our motherland India Bharat HindustanWhy The Hell Is The Indian Cricket Trophy is being Dragged.… — Kirti Azad (@KirtiAzaad) March 9, 2026 Now, Gautam Gambhir has reacted to the statement, saying these comments will dilute the players' achievement at the T20 World Cup. The Indian coach further added that such comments should be ignored. "I think it's not even worth answering that question. It's a big moment for the entire country. I think it is important that we celebrate a World Cup win, and that's why I say certain statements; there is no point picking up certain statements because these statements will only dilute your achievement." Gambhir said.The 2011 World Cup winner also said that people giving such comments are degrading the Indian team and its players. "If you want to dilute the achievements of those 15 players and their efforts, which is not fair to the boys. I mean, imagine the boys have gone through so much. The amount of pressure they have gone through after losing a match in South Africa. The kind of pressure the boys were under. And today, if you give such a statement, then you are literally degrading your own players and your own team, which should not be done," he added. Harbhajan Singh reacts to Kirti Azad's criticism Kirti Azad's criticism of Team India has drawn a reply from Ishan Kishan, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh. The former Indian off-spinner said he was surprised by Azad's comment, given his sports background. Kirti Azad was part of the World Cup-winning team in 1983. "It's absurd that someone is politicising the players taking the trophy to a temple. Kirti himself is a former cricketer, so I didn't expect him to say such a thing. Perhaps he's prioritising politics more and has forgotten he's a sportsman," Harbhajan Singh said. (Input from ANI)
11 March,2026 11:30 AM IST | MumbaiEminent cricket writer Neville Cardus once described cricketing music as, “The sound of the bat meeting the ball, a short, sharp yet musical ‘clock’ which tells of perfect timing.” Had Cardus been at the Narendra Modi Stadium for the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, he would’ve perhaps been disappointed. For, the moment the ball sped to the boundary, the stadium DJ sprang into action. As the ball travelled to different corners of the ground, one song followed another in rapid succession. And when the first Indian wicket fell in the form of Abhishek Sharma, before one could absorb the silence of disappointment, the DJ was back again. In Cardus’s words, there was no space for “the deep, sudden sigh of a thousand breaths,” that collective sound of heartbreak which so often defines the theatre of cricket. One understands that these are different times. The T20 cricket format thrives on constant stimulation and spectacle. Yet one cannot help but wonder whether such boisterous noise is needed. In an already fast-paced game, does it really add anything to the spectator’s experience? Recently, Sunil Gavaskar had also spoken about how the DJ’s sound during overs could disturb players. And for the fan, who wants to soak in the contest, there’s hardly a moment to breathe. The relentless blast of music often becomes an intrusion, interrupting the natural ebb and flow of the game. This overuse of stadium music reduces the charm of cricketing music to the background. True followers of the game can only hope that the organisers take note and let the natural symphony of cricket take centre stage.
11 March,2026 09:42 AM IST | Mumbai | Aditya BhushanSouth Africa may have endured heartbreak at the T20 World Cup, where they lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals, but Proteas batter David Miller found something to cheer about in his personal life. The big-hitter, nicknamed Killer Miller for his ruthless strokeplay, showcased his romantic side as he penned a heartfelt note to wife Camilla, on the occasion of their second anniversary on Tuesday. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dave Miller (@davidmillersa12) Miller, 36, who has played 178 ODIs and 140 T20Is, Instagrammed a series of pictures alongside Camilla and captioned it: “The love of my life…happy anniversary. Couldn’t think of anyone else to spend my life with! You are truly incredible, the love, care and joy you bring to me and Benji [their son] is out of this world.” Miller and Camilla, a professional polo player and entrepreneur, dated for several years before tying the knot in March 2024
11 March,2026 09:28 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentADVERTISEMENT
-1773211713925_d.png "Devendra Fadnavis with Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube (Pic: CMO)")
