As the countdown to the IPL 2026 Auction gathers pace, cricket expert and former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has revealed his list of five players he believes will attract strong interest from franchises. With teams preparing to rebuild and restructure, Pathan’s selections focus heavily on fast bowling — a commodity increasingly dominating T20 cricket. His list also includes a high-impact all-rounder who could become one of the biggest talking points of the auction.

Star Indian bowler leads the domestic pacer category

Pathan’s first pick was India’s rising fast bowler Akash Deep, whom he praised for his impressive control and new-ball prowess. Speaking on Star Sports, Pathan explained that the right-arm quick possesses a straight seam position, late movement, and zippy release — all of which make him a dangerous bowler in the powerplay.

He suggested that Sunrisers Hyderabad, who recently moved on from Mohammed Shami, might be among the teams keen to secure Akash Deep. Pathan emphasized that any franchise looking for a dependable Indian fast bowler with strong new-ball skills will likely keep a close eye on him during the bidding.

“If I talk about Akash Deep, his seam is very straight. If any team can make use of his new-ball skills, he can be beneficial because he is excellent with the new ball. The way his deliveries zip and comes onto the bat, it comes well. He also generates that late movement, as we saw in England. Akash Deep’s quality is with the new ball. I feel SunRisers Hyderabad are short of Indian fast bowlers, they have also released Mohammed Shami, so they can go for him,” said Pathan on Star Sports.

Pathan also included Akash Madhwal in his five-player watchlist, praising his rapid rise in T20 cricket and his ability to handle pressure at the death. Known for his pinpoint yorkers and disciplined bowling in crunch moments, Madhwal has already showcased his temperament in high-stakes IPL matches.

Australian all-rounder tipped to draw massive attention

Among all-rounders, Pathan’s standout pick was Australia’s Cameron Green, predicting that teams will go all out for him despite purse constraints. Calling him a rare entity in world cricket, Pathan noted Green’s high-arm action, natural bounce, ability to swing the ball, and impact with the bat.

Green prefers batting at the top but also offers flexibility in the middle order — a combination that makes him a strategic asset. Pathan stated that fast-bowling all-rounders of his calibre are ‘scarce in nature,’ making the Australian one of the most valuable names heading into the auction.

Also READ: IND vs SA T20I series: Dale Steyn and Irfan Pathan predict scoreline and identify the highest wicket-taker

Pace duo expected to create frenzy

Adding to his list, Pathan picked two overseas quicks known for their lightning pace — Anrich Nortje and Matheesha Pathirana — both of whom he believes will be in heavy demand.

Nortje, with his ability to consistently clock speeds above 150 km/h, brings raw intimidation and wicket-taking ability in all phases of the innings. Pathan noted that Nortje’s experience across global T20 leagues makes him an immediate impact signing for any side seeking a strike bowler.

Pathirana, known as the ‘Baby Malinga’ due to his slingy action, has built a reputation as a deadly death-overs specialist. His ability to deliver pinpoint yorkers and unsettle batters with deceptive angles places him among the most exciting young pacers available. Pathan believes that his unique skillset will spark strong competition among franchises.

Also READ: 5 uncapped stars who can trigger a bidding war in IPL 2026 mini auction

US President Donald Trump (AP photo)

US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that Thailand and Cambodia, two Southeast Asian neighbours locked in a long-running territorial dispute, had agreed to halt all hostilities with immediate effect.Trump said he had a “good conversation” with the prime ministers of both nations about their “long-running war”, after which they agreed to “cease all shooting” and return to the “original peace accord”. He also credited Malaysia’s prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, for his role in the negotiations.In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I had a very good conversation this morning with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, and the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Manet, concerning the very unfortunate reawakening of their long-running War. They have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord made with me, and them, with the help of the Great Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim. The roadside bomb that originally killed and wounded numerous Thai Soldiers was an accident, but Thailand nevertheless retaliated very strongly. Both Countries are ready for PEACE and continued Trade with the United States of America. It is my Honor to work with Anutin and Hun in resolving what could have evolved into a major War between two otherwise wonderful and prosperous Countries! I would also like to thank the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, for his assistance in this very important matter.”The announcement comes amid escalating violence along the disputed 800-kilometre border, where both Thailand and Cambodia claim ownership of several historic temples. The colonial-era demarcation has fueled periodic clashes for years.Fighting surged again on Thursday, with explosions reported near centuries-old temple complexes ahead of Trump’s phone calls with both leaders. At least 20 people have been killed since the latest round of border violence erupted last week, officials said.Around 600,000 people, mostly in Thailand, have fled areas near the frontier, where jets, tanks and drones have been used in combat. The ongoing confrontation is the deadliest since five days of fighting in July left dozens dead before a fragile truce was reached following intervention by Trump.

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 schedule unveiled (PTI Photo)

Media company JioStar has confirmed its commitment to fulfil its contract with the International Cricket Council. This statement was released following reports suggesting the broadcaster might exit its USD 3-billion deal before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. JioStar was formed through a merger between Reliance’s media division and Walt Disney’s India operations.

“Both organisations remain focused on delivering uninterrupted, world-class coverage of upcoming ICC events to fans across India, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, one of the sport’s most anticipated global tournaments,” JioStar said in a statement.The company assured that event preparations are proceeding as scheduled, with no disruption to viewers, advertisers, or industry partners.“ICC and JioStar, as long-term commercial partners, maintain regular communication on operational, commercial and strategic matters focused on the role the partnership can play in growing the sport,” it said.The company acknowledged recent media speculation about ICC’s media rights agreement in India.“These reports do not reflect the position of either organisation. The existing agreement between the ICC and JioStar remains fully in force, and JioStar continues as the ICC’s official media rights partner in India. Any suggestion that JioStar has withdrawn from the agreement is incorrect,” the statement said.ICC released its own statement confirming the partnership: “The existing agreement between the ICC and JioStar remains fully in force, and JioStar continues as the ICC’s official media rights partner in India. Any suggestion that JioStar has withdrawn from the agreement is incorrect.”The cricket governing body emphasised JioStar’s commitment to honour its contractual obligations. Recent reports had suggested that JioStar informed ICC about withdrawing from the remaining two years of its four-year agreement due to financial losses. These reports also claimed ICC had begun searching for new bidders for the 2026-29 rights cycle.

Pakistan on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with global crypto exchange Binance to explore tokenisation of sovereign and real-world assets of up to $2 billion, marking one of the country’s most significant steps toward adopting blockchain-based financial infrastructure, PTI reported.The MoU was signed at the Finance Division by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Binance CEO Richard Teng, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement. The agreement aims to assess the feasibility of digitising Pakistan’s assets — including government bonds, treasury bills, commodity reserves and other federally owned holdings — through blockchain platforms.According to the ministry, the proposed collaboration seeks to “enhance liquidity, transparency and international market accessibility,” with any move subject to Pakistani laws, policies and regulatory approvals. The MoU is non-binding, sets no exclusivity, and does not amount to a procurement commitment. Definitive agreements, if pursued, will be negotiated within six months.Officials said the arrangement could allow Binance and its affiliates to provide technical expertise, advisory support, training and capacity building to help Pakistan evaluate compliant blockchain infrastructure that can attract global investors while ensuring full sovereign control.Calling the MoU a major signal of the government’s reform direction, Aurangzeb said, “This is a very strong message — not only for Pakistan, but for the entire world. What we have signed today reflects a long-term partnership… The next step for us is execution, and we are fully committed to delivering results with speed and quality.”Advisor to the Pakistan Crypto Council Changpeng Zhao, who was present at the signing, termed the development “a landmark” for Pakistan’s financial future. “This is a great signal for the global blockchain industry and for Pakistan… now we can move towards full deployment and execution,” he said, expressing confidence that the collaboration would have “positive and lasting outcomes for the economy.”The ministry added that the initiative marks a key milestone in aligning Pakistan’s financial ecosystem with global best practices at a time when tokenisation is gaining traction worldwide.Separately, the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) said it has issued No Objection Certificates to Binance and HTX, launching a phased, FATF-aligned route toward full licensing. “Strong governance, AML and CFT compliance remain central as Pakistan builds a trusted digital asset ecosystem,” PVARA said on X.The authority said Pakistan has taken a “decisive step” toward a regulated digital-asset framework by entering formal arrangements with Binance and HTX.

The US Transportation Department has warned New York that it could lose $73 million in federal highway funds after an audit found thousands of immigrant commercial driver’s licences (CDLs) were allegedly issued without proper verification, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday, AP report.Duffy said federal investigators reviewed 200 non-domiciled commercial licences and found more than half had been issued improperly, including several that defaulted to an eight-year validity period regardless of when the applicant’s work authorisation expired. He also said New York could not demonstrate immigration-status verification for roughly 32,000 active licences in this category and, in some cases, issued CDLs despite applicants’ work permits already having lapsed.“When more than half of the licences reviewed were issued illegally, it isn’t just a mistake — it is a dereliction of duty by state leadership. Gov. (Kathy) Hochul must immediately revoke these illegally issued licences,” Duffy said. New York has 30 days to respond to the findings.The New York Department of Motor Vehicles rejected the allegations. DMV spokesperson Walter McClure said: “Secretary Duffy is lying about New York State once again in a desperate attempt to distract from the failing, chaotic administration he represents. Here is the truth: Commercial Drivers Licenses are regulated by the Federal Government, and New York State DMV has, and will continue to, comply with federal rules.”Duffy has launched a nationwide audit of immigrant CDL issuance following a fatal Florida crash involving a driver who was not authorised to be in the US. So far, only states led by Democratic governors have been warned of potential sanctions, though Duffy insisted the effort is not political and is focused on preventing unqualified drivers from operating heavy trucks and buses.The Transportation Department has already pressured California, Pennsylvania and Minnesota, where audits uncovered similar issues, prompting California to revoke 17,000 licences. A separate federal rule that sought to sharply restrict eligibility for noncitizens to obtain CDLs has been put on hold by a court.Immigrants constitute around 20% of US truck drivers, although non-domiciled licence holders account for only about 5% of CDL holders nationally.

Ever since returning to the T20I set-up as vice-captain, Shubman Gill has blown hot and cold with the bat. The opener has had a few starts but lacked consistency that he has enjoyed in other formats and for Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Gill was dismissed for a golden duck in the second T20I versus South Africa and could only manage four runs in the five-match series opener in Cuttack. The 26-year-old is drawing a lot of criticism for a tally of 263 runs in last 14 outings in the format but GT head coach Ashish Nehra is “not worried” about the stats and backs his captain to come good. “Look, the player you are talking about. If IPL was 3 weeks away, I wouldn’t be worried. Because you are talking about T20 format. And there are only 2 matches played with South Africa. If I am not wrong. And this is our problem. In such a fast-paced format, whether it is international cricket or IPL, if we start evaluating players like Gill after two-three matches, then it will be difficult. You have many options, If you want to see. You can remove Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. You can open with Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad. If you want to remove them, you can do it with Washington Sundar and Ishan Kishan. So options are always there if there are talks about changing players after not good stats but aise karege to bahut mushkil hogi,” says Nehra in a select media interaction.

Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Apart from Gill, another GT player making a lot of noise with his performances with both bat and ball is Washington Sundar. Retained by the franchise, the all-rounder is playing all three formats for India. There were murmurs of a trade deal involving the youngster and while Nehra rubbished those claims, he lavished praise on the cricketer he expects to grow in confidence after regular outings for India. Nehra feels he is not a finished product yet and hopes the youngster stays in form, and gets better from here.“Washington Sundar, the kind of skill set he has… number one, for me, Washington Sundar is a batsman who can bat from 1 to 6, 7, whatever number you want him to bat. He has the ability to bat that much. And now, as he is playing all three formats for India, he will gain more confidence. It also depends on the conditions. As I said, if there is a little help in the pitch, then Washington Sundar has the full package with both batting and bowling. With the new ball, he has bowled very well from where he started his career. “So it depends on how the team uses him. But overall, Washington Sundar, whether you talk about batting, bowling, or fielding, he is a quick fielder and very deceptive. He is not a finished product. The sky is the limit. He will get better from here. He is only 25-26 years old and has been in the system for so many years. So now his experience is coming in front of you. Because of the combination last year, he was not able to play that much. But next year, I hope he stays in form. Then you will see him playing more than last year,” says Nehra.

GT have retained their core team ahead of the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi next week and Nehra asserts they will approach the bidding with a very open mind. With a remaining purse of Rs 12.9 crores and only five available slots, the franchise is expected to be not very active on the table but will have to ensure some smart buys to fill in the gaps.“Our core team is set and we have released only 4-5 players. So we go in the auction with a very open mind. When you are making a team from scratch, like last year, it’s a different kind of strategy. But right now, pretty much all the slots are filled. So we’ll see what we’ll get, the kind of purse we have because other teams have so much purse. So you have to go with the flow, go with the auction. And this time, again, we are looking to do that only. Our team is set. Rahul Tewatia, Shah Rukh Khan, Washington Sundar, so many middle order batsmen already, Glenn Phillips. You have so many players,” adds the former India cricketer.

Hobart Hurricanes Women and Perth Scorchers Women clash in the Women’s Big Bash League 2025-26 final at Bellerive Oval, Hobart, on December 13. The Hurricanes earned direct entry as regular season toppers with 7 wins in 10 matches, while the Scorchers advanced through recent knockout victories, winning six of their last seven games. This marks the Hurricanes’ first title shot at home, contrasting the Scorchers’ push for a second championship.​

Hobart Hurricanes topped the table with a +0.662 net run rate but haven’t played a full match since early December, relying on rest over rhythm. Perth Scorchers enter hot, beating Sydney Sixers recently and showing depth despite a prior high-chase loss to Hobart.

Perth Scorchers hold a narrow edge in recent WBBL encounters, including a 2024 win at Bellerive where scores tied at 173. Hobart stunned with 203/3 (Lee 150*) versus Scorchers’ 131 earlier, but Scorchers chased down totals effectively in other meetings. Overall, matches often feature close finishes or high chases.

WBBL|11 Final, HH-W vs PS-W: Match details

• Dates: December 13, 2025
• Venue: Bellerive Oval, Hobart
• Start Time: 1:40 pm IST/ 8:10 am GMT/ 07:10 pm Local

Probable XI of both the teams

Perth Scorchers: Beth Mooney (wk), Katie Mack, Sophie Devine (c), Paige Scholfield, Maddy Darke, Freya Kemp, Alana King, Chloe Ainsworth, Lilly Mills, Ruby Strange, Amy Edgar.

Hobart Hurricanes: Lizelle Lee (wk), Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Nicola Carey, Elyse Villani (c), Heather Graham, Rachel Trenaman, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Molly Strano, Lauren Smith, Linsey Smith

Also READ: Perth Scorchers secure WBBL|11 final spot as Beth Mooney and Alana King star in Challenger win over Sydney Sixers

Broadcast and Live Streaming details for WBBL 2025

• India: Star Sports, JioHotStar app and website
• USA & Canada: Sling TV – Willow TV (sign up here)
• Caribbean & South America: SportsMaxx
• United Kingdom & Ireland: Sky Sports, TNT Sports
• Australia: 7 plus, Foxtel, Kayo Sports
• New Zealand: SKY Sport NZ
• Sub-Saharan Africa: SuperSport

Also READ: WBBL|11: Beth Mooney’s blistering knock powers Perth Scorchers into the Challenger after eliminating Melbourne Stars

This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.

NEW DELHI: House Oversight Committee Democrats on Friday released a set of photographs obtained from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, revealing images of several high-profile figures who had interacted with the disgraced financier over the years, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon, Bill Gates, Richard Branson and others.The photos, 19 in total, were part of a larger cache of more than 95,000 images the estate turned over to congressional investigators. While many of the individuals shown had previously been linked to Epstein, the newly released images offered additional glimpses into their associations. None of the photographs depicted sexual misconduct or involved underage girls, and it remained unclear when or where they were taken.Among the images was a bowl of novelty condoms featuring a caricature of Trump labelled “Trump condom 4.50,” with each packet printed with the phrase “I’m HUUUUGE!” Another showed Trump with a group of women whose faces were redacted. Additional photos included Epstein and Steve Bannon posing in a mirror, Bill Clinton alongside Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, Bill Gates with the former Prince Andrew, and images of former Harvard President Larry Summers and attorney Alan Dershowitz.The Republican-led committee had obtained the images as part of its ongoing probe into Epstein’s network and influence. Lawyers for the estate told the panel in a letter that the materials spanned photos and videos taken at any property owned or used by Epstein between 1990 and 2019. They added that only minimal redactions had been applied for nudity. Democrats said the production included “over 95,000 photos, including images of the wealthy and powerful men who spent time with Jeffrey Epstein” as well as thousands of images of women and Epstein properties.Rep Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, said, “It is time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends. These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW.”Republicans pushed back, accusing Democrats of selectively releasing images to create a misleading narrative about Trump. A committee spokesperson said, “We received over 95,000 photos and Democrats released just a handful. Democrats’ hoax against President Trump has been completely debunked. Nothing in the documents we have received shows any wrongdoing. It is shameful Rep Garcia and Democrats continue to put politics above justice for the survivors.”CNN has reached out to representatives for Trump, Clinton, Bannon, Gates, Summers, Dershowitz, Richard Branson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein, and his spokesperson has said he severed ties well before Epstein’s 2019 arrest. Gates’ representatives have also repeatedly denied that Epstein ever worked for him, and Gates has previously called his interactions with Epstein “a huge mistake.”Trump and his aides have portrayed the renewed focus on his past connection to Epstein as politically motivated. In earlier emails released by the committee, Epstein claimed that Trump “spent hours” with accuser Virginia Giuffre and “knew about the girls,” assertions Trump has dismissed as false, with White House officials calling the claims a “hoax.”The fallout from associations with Epstein has extended far beyond politics. Larry Summers stepped back from teaching at Harvard and left the OpenAI board, saying he was “deeply ashamed” of maintaining ties with Epstein. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor relinquished the use of his royal titles after public scrutiny intensified, though he has denied misconduct allegations.The latest disclosures add to the growing trove of documents, emails and images shaping the committee’s widening inquiry into the late financier’s network of influence, which continues to cast a shadow over figures across politics, academia, technology and global business.