A desperate Bangladesh Cricket Board has written to the Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) of ICC requesting it to overturn the governing body’s decision to hold the national men’s team’s T20 World Cup games in India, but its appeal won’t be heard as it is outside the remit of the sub-committee. Even as the ICC has kept Scotland on stand-by, the BCB under Aminul Islam Bulbul, after being completely cornered, decided to use its last resort — approach the DRC headed by Englishman Michael Beloff (Kings Counsel). “Yes, BCB has approached the DRC of ICC as it wants to exhaust all its options. If DRC rules against BCB, then the only body that can be approached is Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS) in Switzerland,” a BCB source told PTI. 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
24 January,2026 08:18 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIGujarat Giants head coach Michael Klinger said his message to the team during the drinks break in their WPL clash against UP Warriorz was to go out and fight hard, a call that spurred them to a 45-run win at the BCA Stadium here and lifted them to second place on the points table. Sophie Devine starred with an unbeaten 42-ball 50 to take GG to 153-8 on a slow pitch. Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad marked her return to the playing XI with a spell of 3-16 while Sophie took two wickets as UPW lost wickets in a heap to be bowled out for 108 in 17.3 overs, as GG ended their three-match losing streak at their home ground. “The black soil doesn’t bounce as much, but it came onto the bat quite nicely. So, if I’m being honest, I thought we were probably 20 short with the bat, even just a couple of mistakes through the innings that we made could have helped us get there,” said Klinger in the post-game press conference. “But one thing we spoke about in the break was just asking the girls to really go out and fight hard. I’m extremely proud of the group,” he added. 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
24 January,2026 08:18 AM IST | Vadodara | IANSStar batter Shubman Gill endured his second successive unproductive outing as Punjab faltered against Saurashtra’s spinners, going down by 194 runs on Day Two of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match here on Friday. Chasing a daunting 320 on a tough pitch, Gill, Punjab’s biggest hope to pull off a win, fell for a 32-ball 14 as the visitors were bundled out for 125 in their second innings. In the first innings, Gill was dismissed for a two-ball duck. In both the innings, Gill was trapped in front of the wicket by left-arm spinner Parth Bhut (5-8), who completed a 10-wicket match haul. Deep, Shami on song Meanwhile, in a Group C match, India pacers Akash Deep (3-31) and Mohammed Shami (2-27) starred for Bengal, as the pair picked up five wickets between them to leave Services hobbling at 126-8. Earlier in the day, Bengal racked up 519 all out, riding on opener Sudip Chatterjee’s maiden double century (209). Reddy fails to capitalise Elsewhere, In a Group A match between Andhra Pradesh and Vidarbha, India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy failed to capitalise on his start as he was dismissed for a 48-ball 35, while Andhra Pradesh were bowled out for 228. Earlier, Reddy had also picked up a wicket with the ball (1-51) as Vidarbha were bowled out for 295. Yash Rathod was the standout batter for Vidarbha with his 191-ball 115. 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
24 January,2026 08:17 AM IST | Rajkot | PTITest batter Sarfaraz Khan scored a brilliant 227 (19x4, 9x6) to help Mumbai post a mammoth 560 all out against Hyderabad on Day Two of their Elite Group ‘D’ Ranji Trophy match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday. In reply, Hyderabad were 138-2 at stumps. Sarfaraz, who resumed Day 2 on his overnight score of 142, scored his fifth double century and went past 5000 first-class runs in his 61st game. “My first 5000 runs [in first-class cricket] have come quite early. It feels special because very few players have achieved this [milestone] in such few matches. It’s not easy to score runs, home and away, consistently,” Sarfaraz told mid-day over the phone from Hyderabad on Friday. White-ball form continues Sarfaraz was in good form in white-ball cricket, scoring, 329 runs with the help of one century and three half-centuries in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) last month. He then collected 303 runs with one century and a couple of fifties in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the same month. However, a Ranji ton this time was elusive. This double ton is his first Ranji century of the season and has come in his sixth game. Sarfaraz, who has represented the country in six Tests so far, credited India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav for boosting his morale to get big scores. “Surya has played a big role. I did not play the first three matches of the SMAT. And when I got picked for the fourth game [vs Assam on December 2], Surya gave me his batting position, No. 3. He advised me to play in front of the wicket rather than behind it, which I was doing often. I ended up scoring an unbeaten 100 off 47 balls in that match. His words of encouragement boosted my confidence. He has seen me playing right from my childhood, how my father [Naushad] and I have worked hard over the years. So this support from him means a lot. He’s a great captain because he always thinks about his teammates,” said Sarfaraz. No more cheeky shots Sarfaraz added that Surya’s words helped him understand his own game better. “Earlier, I used to play cheeky shots, behind the stumps. Even I didn’t know that I could play such good shots in front of the wicket, but after following Surya’s advice, I’ve started scoring some big runs. He later left to join the Indian team [for the NZ series] and I was a bit nervous, but he kept in touch with me over the phone thereafter,” said Sarfaraz. Meanwhile, the big-hitter hammered nine sixes en route his 227, but he made a special mention of the one he hit straight back over the head of India pacer Mohammed Siraj. “I think today [Friday] I hit the longest six of my life [against Siraj]. I stepped out and hit it and the ball went into the second tier of the stadium. It was a new ball too,” said Sarfaraz. Ankolekar hospitalised Meanwhile, Mumbai’s left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar had to be hospitalised on Thursday. Incidentally, he had replaced Shams Mulani the previous day after the latter suffered a urine infection. Ankolekar, who remained unbeaten on 35 (5x4, 1x6), hurt a ligament while fielding, without bowling a ball. He will be returning to Mumbai on Saturday. FiveNo of first-class double centuries scored by Sarfaraz Khan 65.26Sarfaraz’s average in first-class cricket — the fifth-highest in history 5090No of first-class runs scored by Sarfaraz Khan, crossing the 5000-mark vs Hyderabad
24 January,2026 08:17 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureSwashbuckling India opener Abhishek Sharma said he has been following the aggressive template set by former skipper Rohit Sharma in T20I Powerplays after being encouraged to do so by head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav. Having made his T20I debut in July 2024, Abhishek’s minute-a-mile batting approach has helped him take the No. 1 spot in the ICC rankings for batters in that format. In 34 matches so far, he has cracked two tons and seven fifties to score 1199 runs at a strike rate of 190.92. “Rohit bhai has done a lot for the country. There is always pressure because of the starts he used to give in the Powerplay,” Abhishek told JioHotstar when asked about Rohit’s influence on him. “When I came into the team, the coach and captain wanted the same from me. I felt it suited my style too because I love to attack from the first few balls. I have been following in Rohit bhai’s footsteps and I am really happy to play in this manner and do well for India,” he added. Abhishek said that while there is room for improvement in his game, he has complete role clarity. “I wouldn’t say I am fully mature yet, because there is always room to improve. But I feel my job is to play aggressive cricket in the first six overs. “I have been practising a lot for that. I know if I give a good start or show good intent early, the team can follow that momentum [and] that is what I always think about,” 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
24 January,2026 08:12 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIIt could be fear of failure among the country’s elite batters that led to India’s global title drought between 2011 and 2024, T20 World Cup-winning former skipper Rohit Sharma said on Friday. “The last [ODI] World Cup we won was in 2011, and then we won again [T20 World Cup] in 2024. That’s 13 years. Yes, we did win the Champions Trophy in 2013, so technically it was an 11-year ICC trophy drought. But 11 years is still a long time,” one of India’s greatest captains said. “We always believed that we had to keep doing the right things, and we did keep doing the right things. Unfortunately, something was missing. There was something we weren’t able to do. I felt it might have been a fear of failure creeping into all of us, maybe yes, maybe not, I don’t know, but that was my feeling,” he added. 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
24 January,2026 08:11 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIRiding on Ishan Kishan’s quickfire 76 and skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s 82 not out off 37 deliveries, India beat New Zealand by seven wickets in the second T20I to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series here on Friday. Chasing 209, Kishan laid the foundation for India’s victory with a 32-ball knock laced with 11 fours and four sixes after the hosts lost both openers quickly and were in a tough spot at 6-2 in 1.1 overs. Kishan was well supported by Suryakumar, who returned to form with nine fours and four sixes, as India chased down their joint-highest T20I target with seven wickets and 28 balls to spare. Suryakumar Kumar celebrates his half-century Earlier, Kuldeep Yadav returned to form with two timely strikes in the middle overs as India limited New Zealand to 208-6 on a good batting surface. Rachin Ravindra (44 off 26) and skipper Mitchell Santner (47 not out off 27) took the attack to India in different phases of the game to ensure New Zealand got past 200-run mark. Expecting heavy dew, Suryakumar predictably opted to bowl with Harshit Rana and Kuldeep Yadav playing instead of injured Axar Patel and rested Jasprit Bumrah. Devon Conway (19 off nine balls) and Tim Seifert (24 off 13), fresh off BBL, got the Black Caps off to a flying start before falling in quick succession. Mitchell Santner during his unbeaten 47 on Friday. PIC/BCCI Conway, who has been caught in the slip cordon multiple times on the white ball tour thus far, went on the offensive in the first over against Arshdeep Singh despite being beaten by an outswinger on the very first ball of the match. Brief scoresNZ 208-6 in 20 overs (M Santner 47*, R Ravindra 44; K Yadav 2-35) lost to India 209-3 in 15.2 overs (S Yadav 82*, I Kishan 76, Shivam Dube 36*) by seven wickets 21No of balls taken by Ishan Kishan to score his half-century on Friday — the fastest by an Indian against New Zealand OneNo of half-centuries for Suryakumar Yadav since October 2024 (27 matches) 100No of T20Is India have played at home 208-6No of runs scored by New Zealand on Friday — their highest-ever T20I total against India, surpassing their previous best of 196-2 at Rajkot in 2017 ZeroNo of half-centurions in NZ’s innings — their highest T20I total without an individual fifty 126No of matches played by Hardik Pandya to become India’s second-most capped T20I player, overtaking Virat Kohli (125). He now trails only Rohit Sharma (159)
24 January,2026 08:10 AM IST | Raipur | AgenciesIn the second T20I match against New Zealand, Team India emerged victorious by seven wickets at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Raipur. Having put to chase a target of 209 runs, Team India scored 209 runs for the loss of three wickets in 15.2 overs. Opening the innings, Sanju Samson departed after scoring six runs in five balls, including a maximum. Fellow opening batsman Abhishek Sharma was dismissed on a duck on the very first ball of his innings. Ishan Kishan accumulated 76 runs off just 32 deliveries, which was laced with 11 boundaries and four maximums. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube stayed unbeaten. Facing just 37 balls, Suryakumar garnered 82 runs, with the help of nine boundaries and four maximums, whereas Dube registered 36 runs in just 18 balls, including a boundary and three maximums. New Zealand's Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, and Ish Sodhi claimed one wicket each. Having put to bat first, New Zealand's Devon Conway scored 19 runs in nine balls, with the help of three boundaries and a maximum. Fellow opening batsman Tim Seifert accumulated 24 runs in just 13 balls, including five boundaries. Glenn Phillips scored 19 runs off 13 deliveries, and also smashed two boundaries and a maximum. Daryl Mitchell departed after scoring 18 runs in 11 balls, including three boundaries. Later, facing 26 deliveries, Rachin Ravindra garnered 44 runs, which was laced with two boundaries and four maximums. Mark Chapman returned to the pavilion on the score of 10 runs in 13 balls. Skipper Mitchell Santner and Zakary Foulkes stayed unbeaten. Facing just 27 balls, Santner smashed 47 runs, including six boundaries and a maximum, whereas Foulkes registered 15 runs off just eight balls, with the help of two boundaries and a maximum. With this, the "Black Caps" posted a total of 208 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. Team India's Kuldeep Yadav returned with the figures of two wickets for 35 runs in four overs. Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube also bagged one wicket each. Arshdeep Singh and Abhishek Sharma went wicketless in the second T20I match against New Zealand.
23 January,2026 11:14 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentInternational Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Jay Shah will think of taking strict action against Bangladesh if they do not agree to visit India for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, ICC sources said on Friday. They added that the ICC Chairperson is in Dubai for the final call on the issue. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has requested ICC to shift its World Cup matches to Sri Lanka, citing security and safety concerns in India. The development comes amid strained India-Bangladesh ties following recent attacks on minorities in the neighbouring country. Against this backdrop, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had asked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The BCB began expressing concerns after the pacer's release. However, the ICC rejected BCB's request to shift their matches from India to Sri Lanka. Despite the rejection, BCB President Aminul Islam said that the board will stay firm on its decision. He also stated that there were a few "shocking" calls taken during the meeting held with the ICC to discuss the issue. "We will continue to communicate with the ICC. We want to play the World Cup, but we won't play in India. We will keep fighting. There were some shocking calls in the ICC Board Meeting. The Mustafizur issue is not an isolated single issue. They (India) were the sole decision makers in that issue," said Islam. "ICC had denied us our request to shift our matches away from India. We are not sure about the status of world cricket. Its popularity is going down. They have locked away 200 million people. Cricket is going to the Olympics, but if a country like us is not going there, it is ICC's failure," he added. T20 World Cup 2026: Group C teams and scenario if Bangladesh opt out of the tournament T20 World Cup 2026 is set to kick off from February 7, with the first game scheduled to be played between Pakistan and the Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Sri Lanka. As of now, Bangladesh is placed in Group C along with England, Italy, Nepal, and the West Indies. The Bengal Tigers are scheduled to play their first group stage match against the West Indies on February 7 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. In case Bangladesh opt to pull out of the marquee tournament, Scotland is likely to enter the event according to the rankings. (With ANI Inputs)
23 January,2026 08:49 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the second T20I match against New Zealand, Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Raipur. After winning the toss, the hosts' skipper, Suryakumar, said, "We’re opting to bowl first since there’s noticeable dew already, and chasing will give us a good test. The surface looks solid—same as the ODI wicket—and it should offer plenty of runs again. From the last win, our focus remains the same: keep improving in all three departments without assuming perfection. Repeating our processes in bowling, fielding, and batting is what we value the most as a group. We’ve made two changes: Axar sits out after being hit in the previous match, and Bumrah is being rested. Harshit and Kuldeep come into the XI to strengthen our options for this game". On the other hand, New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner said, "We would’ve bowled first as well, considering how wet the outfield already was with early dew. Facing a strong side always teaches you something, and India’s aggressive batting gave us plenty to reflect on. They kept attacking right through their innings, which means we need sharper plans and tighter execution. As a bowling group, squeezing them for longer phases is something we must improve quickly. We’ve made three changes today: Seifert replaces Robinson, Foulkes comes in for Clarke, and Henry slots in for Jamieson. Hopefully, these adjustments help us respond better to the challenge tonight". Currently, the "Men in Blue" are leading the five-match T20I series by 1-0. The "Black Caps" will be eager to secure a win and make the series more interesting. Later, both teams will engage in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. IND vs NZ 2nd T20I: Confirmed playing XI India: Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy. New Zealand: Devon Conway (WK), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (C), Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Zakary Foulkes.
23 January,2026 08:44 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAhead of the T20 World Cup 2026, New Zealand has included Kyle Jamieson in their squad after Adam Milne was ruled out of the marquee tournament. Milne has sustained a torn left hamstring injury and will not feature in the tournament. He suffered the injury in the first over of the SA20 match between Sunrisers Eastern Cape and MI Cape Town, and the scans have revealed the extent of the damage, according to New Zealand Cricket. "Jamieson, who is currently part of the Blackcaps white-ball tour of India, has been added to the T20 World Cup squad after originally being named as the traveling reserve for the February-March tournament in India and Sri Lanka," NZC said on their website. The head coach, Rob Walter, said that the entire team is gutted for Milne. "We're all gutted for Adam. He'd worked so hard to get himself ready for the tournament and was looking back to his best in his eight games for the Eastern Cape Sunrisers," he said. Further speaking, he also stated that Jamieson has a good set of skills, which will help him in T20 World Cup 2026. "It's great that Kyle is already with us here in India. He's an integral member of our pace-bowling group and has hit the ground running on this tour. He's a hard worker with a good set of skills and experiences that will hold him in good stead for the tournament," said the head coach. A replacement for Jamieson in the pool of travelling reserves will be announced later. The T20 World Cup 2026 tournament is set to kick off from February 7, with the first game scheduled to be played between Pakistan and the Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground. New Zealand have been placed in Group D of the tournament along with teams such as Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). New Zealand's squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi. (With PTI Inputs)
23 January,2026 07:00 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
