India’s Shubman Gill (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

India’s T20I squad for the 2026 World Cup threw up a major talking point, with Shubman Gill left out and Axar Patel named vice-captain instead. The decision caught many by surprise, including Sunil Gavaskar, who admitted on air that he did not see Gill’s omission coming. Reacting to the squad announcement, the former India captain said the call genuinely shocked him. “Not a bit of a surprise, it is a surprise,” Gavaskar remarked, making it clear that Gill’s absence was unexpected.

Gavaskar was quick to underline Gill’s quality, even while acknowledging his recent struggles. He described Gill as a class batter who has enjoyed an excellent run with the bat in the recent past. While conceding that Gill found it tough in the series against South Africa, Gavaskar stressed that form can fluctuate, but class remains constant. He also pointed to the challenges of returning to T20 cricket after time away from the game. According to Gavaskar, a lack of rhythm can be brutally exposed in the shortest format, where batters are expected to attack from the very first ball. Coming off a long layoff, Gill appeared short of timing, which made the task even harder. Gavaskar explained that Gill’s natural game is more suited to longer formats, with an emphasis on timing and playing along the ground. When rhythm is missing, adjusting to the range of shots required in T20 cricket does not come easily. However, he was clear that this does not mean Gill is unsuited to the format, pointing out Gill’s strong performances in the IPL as proof of his T20 credentials. Adding a personal touch, Gavaskar revealed that he had just travelled from Ahmedabad on the same flight as Gill and India captain Suryakumar Yadav. During their brief interaction, Gavaskar said he offered Gill some heartfelt advice, saying he told Gill to ask someone elder at home to ward off the evil eye. “Ghar pe kisiko bolo nazar utar de. You know, because we believe in that. We believe in ki kabhi kabhi nazar lag jaati hain,” Gavaskar said, adding that his words came only from a place of care and goodwill for the young batter. Despite the omission, Gavaskar’s words reflected continued faith in Gill’s ability and a belief that the right-handed batter will find his way back once rhythm and fortune return.

Mumbai: Bombay high court has set up a three-member committee to resolve a dispute regarding land at Danda Koliwada, Khar West, on which a slum rehabilitation scheme is being implemented. A part of the land is used by the Koli community for drying fish and nets.Justices Girish Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe on Wednesday directed the additional principal secretary, urban development department, along with the collector (suburbs) and CEO, Slum Rehabilitation Authority, “to resolve the issue after hearing both parties and also after considering it appropriate to have a fresh demarcation of the land considering the traditional rights of the petitioners”.The judges said this is “imperative” as it is the state govt’s land and it would be its “obligation”, not only in relation to the slum scheme, to resolve such issues. “It cannot be that the owner of the land, state govt, is oblivious to what is happening to its prime land,” they added.Two Koli societies moved HC objecting to encroachment by the developer on part of the land reserved for fish drying in the development plan. The judges noted that the land is adjoining the petitioner’s land. It is being developed by Hanuman Nagar Shubh Shanti CHSL, a slum dwellers society, through Jasani Realty Pvt Ltd. “Thus, on one hand it is the rights of the encroachers who have proposed a slum scheme on govt land and on the other hand that of the petitioners who are asserting traditional rights. The impasse needs to be resolved by the state govt in accordance with law,” they said.Senior advocate Gayatri Singh said the fish drying land encroached by the slum scheme is about 1,500 sq m. Demarcation of the land has not taken place and even if done, it was without notice to her clients. Singh was contradicted by advocates for the society and the developer.The judges said, “The dispute is purely of demarcation and as to whether the traditional rights of the petitioners… are in any manner affected by the slum redevelopment.”They directed the committee shall, within 10 days meet the parties, undertake a site visit and “pass such appropriate orders which would consider the rights of both the parties”. Till demarcation is made and an appropriate order passed, “no coercive action shall be taken in respect of the land in the petitioners’ use”. They also directed a status quo till the committee takes an appropriate decision and directed the decision to be taken by Jan 10. If any decision adverse to the petitioners is taken, “the same shall not be given effect to for a period of ten days from the date of communication of such order”. Disposing of the petitions, the judges grant the petitioners liberty to revive the petition if “need so arises”.

Mumbai: Students planning to pursue the fourth year of their undergraduate programmes under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, from the coming academic year will have to pay higher fees than what they were charged for the first three years. With no govt aid for the fourth year, colleges are planning to raise fees by 25-50%, depending on their expenditure on factors such as teacher salaries, infrastructure, and software or collaborations, wherever needed.Courses offered by colleges that already run aided postgraduate programmes are also expected to see a fee increase, as faculty members will be required to simultaneously handle first-year postgraduate classes and fourth-year undergraduate courses, adding to the institutions’ financial and academic burden. Most colleges, however, run fewer unaided programmes at PG level. The first batch of NEP students will be entering their fourth year in 2026-27 academic session. While colleges are awaiting directives from the govt and the university on the implementation of the fourth year, many have started planning for it. Since the fourth year is optional, many colleges have seen poor interest from students. Less than a third of students have shown interest so far.A city college said that they plan to offer the fourth-year for some programmes in collaboration with a knowledge partner. “It will not be sustainable if the fees are not hiked,” said the principal. “For some programmes, we may also need to check the requirement of non-teaching staff. There are no clear guidelines on the distribution of workload, too, so far,” added the principal, adding that percentage-wise, aided programmes may see higher hikes as their fees in the first three years are very low. Unaided programmes could see a marginal hike. The principal added that there is also uncertainty over whether they will attract enough students from their own colleges to run the programme, as the government is yet to issue clear directives on the possibility of lateral entry.A senior teacher from one of the suburban colleges said that teachers’ salaries will be the primary expenditure and if the colleges invest in licensed software, for instance, for programmes with a specialisation in SAP, then along with the software cost, it could lead to an estimated hike of 25-35% of the fees students paid in the third year.As central regulatory bodies are giving weightage to the implementation of four-year programmes for assessment and rankings, many autonomous colleges are planning to offer it despite the poor interest.

James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ has managed to get a firm footing at the Indian box office. The highly awaited film, which was released in cinemas on Friday, has reportedly crossed the Rs 50 crore mark in just 2 days of its release.The film that remains a key big-screen family entertainer this holiday season has, however, been performing lower than expected for a blockbuster franchise release. As per a report on Sacnilk, the film collected approximately Rs 23.25 crore on its opening day. However, it did register a modest growth of about 15 per cent on Saturday, offering some relief after a comparatively muted start.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ box office collection Day 2

Early box office reports indicate that the film collected an estimated Rs 22.35 crore net on Day 2. The film’s net collections were driven largely by English-language screenings, which contributed around Rs 10.50 crore, followed by the Hindi version with approximately Rs 6.25 crore. The Tamil-dubbed version earned an estimated Rs 3 crore net, while the Telugu version added around Rs 2.50 crore.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ gross collections

In terms of gross collections, the film earned an estimated Rs 26.57 crore on Day 2, with English shows contributing about Rs 12.60 crore, followed by Rs 7.50 crore from Hindi. The Tamil and Telugu versions also posted solid numbers, earning roughly Rs 3.48 crore and Rs 2.88 crore, respectively.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ occupancy

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ recorded an average occupancy of 23.8 per cent on its second day, reflecting wide market penetration across regions with 5,091 shows nationwide.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ vs ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

Despite the extensive release and strong brand recall, the film has struggled to match the opening momentum of its predecessor. As per the reports, the film has earned nearly half of what ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ earned on Day 1 in India in 2022. Back then, the film delivered a massive start at the Indian box office, grossing close to Rs 50 crore across all versions on its opening day and amassing around Rs 100 crore within its first two days. In comparison, the box office performance of ‘Fire and Ash’ is now nearly 50 per cent behind at the same point.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ vs ‘Dhurandhar‘

Trade observers suggest that the film’s opening-day potential may have been impacted by the continued blockbuster run of Ranveer Singh’s ‘Dhurandhar’, which remains dominant at the box office even in its third week. The film has been overshadowing all new releases to continue its blockbuster run at the Indian markets. The film, which completed 16 days at the box office, managed to score an impressive Rs 33.50 crore net collection.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ early predictions

While the numbers posted by ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ are still strong for a Hollywood release in India, they are being viewed as underwhelming for a franchise of this scale. The film is expected to continue a steady run and register an estimated Rs 75 crore debut weekend collection. However, ‘Dhurandhar’s continued dominance over the Indian box office may prove difficult in the days ahead.

Ambernath: Held after a gap of 10 years, the election process in Ambernath concluded peacefully on Saturday despite several allegations and counter-allegations among political parties. Polling for the 59-seat Ambernath Municipal Council recorded an overall voter turnout of around 54.5% by 5.30pm, higher in comparison with 48.8% in 2015. On the same day, polling was also held for the remaining six seats of the Badlapur Municipal Council, out of a total of 49 seats. Earlier, voting for 43 seats in Badlapur had taken place on Dec 2, while the remaining six seats went to polls on Saturday. In Ambernath, tensions surfaced even before voting began. Early Saturday morning, the Congress and BJP accused Shiv Sena candidate Krishna Rasal of facilitating bogus voting by allegedly bringing voters from outside and accommodating them in his marriage hall. Acting on a complaint by Congress leaders, the election flying squad, along with the police, conducted a raid at Krishna Hall in Kohajgaon. Around 200 women allegedly brought from Bhiwandi were taken into custody for questioning. After inquiry, action was initiated against them under BNS Act Section 174 (punishment for undue influence or personation at an election) and under the section for unlawful assembly.DCP Sachin Gore said the gathered individuals were questioned and later released, adding that further investigation is underway to determine whether they were brought for bogus voting. Earlier, based on a complaint by Pradeep Patil, husband of Congress president candidate Nutan Patil, the flying squad had raided the hall around 2.30am and detained the group. Patil alleged that Shiv Sena’s candidate had brought them from Bhiwandi for fake voting. Shiv Sena candidate Krishna Rasal, though, denied the allegations, claiming the women had come to attend a wedding.During polling hours, former vice-president of Ambernath Municipal Council Rajendra Walekar accused a BJP candidate of distributing money to voters at an office in Matoshree Nagar. This led to a face-off between workers of both parties. Police rushed to the spot and dispersed the crowd with lathi charge. A similar clash occurred in Kohajgaon between Congress and Shiv Sena workers, following which police intervened to restore order.Allegations of EVM malfunction were also reported at a few polling centres. At Municipal School No 7, BJP leaders alleged that when the EVM of Panel No 19 stopped functioning, election officials temporarily installed an EVM belonging to Panel No 24, on which a few votes were allegedly cast. After objections were raised, the machine was sealed and replaced. Heated exchanges followed as BJP and Shiv Sena candidates demanded explanations from election officials. At Guru Nanak School, Shiv Sena’s candidate Manisha Walekar alleged that the button for Shiv Sena votes on the EVM was not functioning, a claim denied by election officials.Despite these isolated incidents, polling across Ambernath remained largely peaceful. Elections to the municipal council were held after a gap of 10 years, and voters were seen turning out in good numbers from early morning. Youth, senior citizens and persons with disabilities were among those who exercised their franchise. By 11.30am, voter turnout had crossed 21%. Although polling slowed temporarily later in the day, it picked up again in the afternoon.Following polling, Shiv Sena leaders expressed confidence of retaining control over the council, which the party has dominated for several years. Speaking to TOI, Shiv Sena city president Arvind Walekar said the party, especially MP Shrikant Shinde, had undertaken several development works over the past decade when civic elections were not held. “The results of these development works give us full confidence that Shiv Sena will win more corporator seats and the President post with a strong mandate,” he said.The BJP, too, went all out to break Shiv Sena’s stronghold. Former municipal council president Gulabrao Karanjule fielded his daughter-in-law Tejashree, who is CA by profession, as the BJP’s president candidate, and the party campaigned aggressively in her support. Karanjule claimed that the BJP would put up a strong performance and secure the president’s post for which this time direct election happening along with corporator election.With claims and counter-claims from all sides, the final verdict now rests with the voters. The outcome of both Ambernath and Badlapur civic bodies will be known on Sunday when counting of votes takes place.

Indian selectors have shocked the cricket world by dropping Shubman Gill from the squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 and the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. Shubman Gill has been left out entirely as the team focuses on form, balance, and impact roles at the top despite the fact that he was the vice-captain in T20Is.

In September, Shubman Gill returned to the Indian T20I team, and that too as the vice-captain, as the selectors were looking to make him the all-format captain after handing him the reins of the Test and ODI teams. However, Gill failed to meet the expectations in the shorter format of the game.

Shubman Gill dropped, Axar Patel named India’s new vice-captain

Following a string of poor performances, Shubman Gill was dropped from the T20I side, and in a bold move, Axar Patel has been named vice-captain to assist Suryakumar Yadav at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The experienced all-rounder brings stability and leadership experience to the side.

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Read Also: Ishan Kishan reacts as his long wait ends with ICC T20 World Cup 2026 selection

The Indian all-rounder previously stepped in as vice-captain when Gill was rested for the home T20I series against England and now gets the big honor for the World Cup and the home series against the Black Caps next year.

Axar Patel picked ahead of Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah

Interestingly, the Indian selectors picked Axar ahead of the likes of Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah despite their strong performances. Both Pandya and Bumrah had previously captained India in a couple of T20Is, yet they were overlooked for the spin all-rounder.

Axar’s experience as captain of Delhi Capitals in the IPL adds to his credentials. DC started IPL 2025 strongly under him but finished fifth after a mixed run. His IPL leadership and prior stint as India’s stand-in vice-captain made him a safe choice for the selectors.

Indian chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated, “Shubman was the vice-captain; he’s not in the team. Axar was the vice-captain when the T20s used to clash. About continuity, you’re looking at combinations.”

Axar Patel will be the x-factor: Sunil Gavaskar

Meanwhile, legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar predicted that Axar Patel will be India’s X-factor at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. He praised Axar’s ability to make an impact with both bat and ball, noting his aggressive hitting, clever variations in bowling, and strong fielding.

Read Also: Sunil Gavaskar gives blunt advice to Shubman Gill after T20 World Cup setback

Sunil Gavaskar said on JioStar: “Axar Patel, the vice-captain. He is the x-factor with the bat and with the ball. His batting has really gone up there. He can crash the ball everywhere. He’s bowling, varying his pace, bowling across the crease.

Bringing the speed variation will get grip and turn. He’s also an outstanding fielder. He will be the x-factor; you can use him at 5 or 6, and he can bowl in the first 6 overs. He’s capable of doing that. He and Hardik Pandya will be the two.”

India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 and New Zealand series:

Suryakumar Yadav (C), Axar Patel (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wk), Rinku Singh.

Mumbai: Govt departments and public authorities owe the BMC more than Rs 3,000 crore in property tax dues and the civic body has managed to recover only Rs 243 crore from them over the past five years, information shared by the BMC under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed.The data was provided by the civic body in response to an RTI query filed by civic activist and advocate Godfrey Pimenta, who had questioned why “honest taxpayers should bear the burden” while govt bodies continue to default on property tax payments.According to the reply dated Dec 12, 2025, property tax arrears owed by the state and Central govts and various authorities under their jurisdiction stood at Rs 3,283 crore as of Oct 31, 2025. The defaulters include agencies such as Mhada, Indian Railways and other state- and Centre-run bodies. In its response, the BMC stated that demand notices have been issued to these authorities under Section 202 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888.However, recovery has remained slow, with only Rs 243 crore collected from these govt entities in the past five years. The civic administration said that repeated correspondence has been sent to the state and central govts by the deputy chief accountant (finance) and concerned departments seeking clearance of the dues. “Follow-ups are carried out through periodic meetings with the relevant authorities to recover the outstanding arrears,” the BMC added in its reply.When contacted, civic officials confirmed the pending dues and said that they are following up with the concerned agencies. “However, our teams have been working hard to ensure that recoveries are also done in case of defaulters,” said an official.Pimenta, though, pointed out mounting arrears from govt bodies put additional pressure on civic finances and could lead to increased tax burden on individual citizens.For the BMC, property tax is the biggest revenue source currently. In the year 2024-25, the civic body collected property tax of the tune of Rs 6,198 crore. If a property owner in Mumbai fails to pay the tax, the BMC can initiate recovery proceedings under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, beginning with the levy of interest and penalties on the outstanding amount and the issuance of demand and reminder notices.

Mumbai: To ensure uniformity and quality in education across more than 500 special schools catering to children with intellectual disabilities, the Maharashtra govt has made a common curriculum and assessment framework mandatory statewide. The decision, announced through a govt resolution (GR) issued on Friday, aims to ensure structured learning, consistent Individualised Education Programmes (IEPs), and systematic monitoring of student progress. Importantly, the government has also mandated parental involvement in designing education plans to promote the holistic development and empowerment of children with intellectual disabilities. Maharashtra is among the first states in the country to make such a framework mandatory.The GR, issued by the Persons with Disabilities Welfare Department, mandates the adoption of the Disha Abhiyan curriculum, jointly launched six years ago by the Jai Vakeel Foundation and the state commissionerate for disability welfare. The curriculum has been certified by the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and validated by the department. The GR also talks about penalising schools with actions such as stopping grants or cancellation of registration for non compliance. Explaining the rationale behind the move, department secretary Tukaram Mundhe told TOI that the initiative is aimed at bringing transparency and accountability to interventions. “The programme primarily focuses on individualised education and therapeutic plans. Students will be assessed at the beginning of every academic year, after which goals for both educational and therapeutic interventions will be defined. Their progress will then be systematically monitored throughout the year,” Mundhe said.He added that the government is emphasising the participation of at least one parent while designing these plans at the start of the academic year, with progress reports made available to them through a digital portal. “This holistic and outcome-oriented approach to learning and therapy will also lead to improvements in students’ activities of daily living (ADL),” Mundhe said, adding that Maharashtra’s initiative sets a precedent for other states to follow. “This will ensure all stakeholders are on board for the empowerment of such students, whom I call persons with different abilities and determination and not disabilities,” he said.As per the GR, special schools for intellectually disabled students in the state shall be onboarded on the Disha portal by govt officials. The IEP should be prepared after consultations with parents, guardians, therapists and both school and home goals for the entire academic year should be set. The IEP process should be completed within one month of the beginning of the academic year for existing students and within a month or two for new students. For the Individualised Therapeutic Plans (IEP), including programmes such as speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, student assessments shall be conducted to determine therapy needs in areas such as social behaviour. Rekha Vijayakar, senior director, school operations, training and pedagogy, ADAPT, said that it is a great move if the govt is bringing about uniformity in the curriculum framework of special schools. “The needs of children with special needs are generally neglected. While this is a welcome move, the govt also needs to think about bringing in inclusivity in mainstream schools. The policy has been in force since 2006, but schools are not receptive, mainly because teachers are not trained for an inclusive classroom. Every child is unique and if they fail to understand a concept it is usually the teacher’s failure,” said Vijayakar.