The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction is shaping up to be a fascinating battle of strategy and budget management. With several top franchises facing leadership voids and seeking settled top-order batters, the spotlight is firmly fixed on Australian veteran Steve Smith. Set at a manageable base price of INR 2 crores, the former Australian captain brings a wealth of experience, tactical acumen, and a reliable batting technique. His proven track record of stabilizing an innings and his previous stint as an IPL captain make him a high-impact, low-risk target. Let’s have a look at some franchises that are strategically placed to secure Smith’s services.

5 teams that can target Steve Smith in IPL 2026 auction

1. Rajasthan Royals (RR)

• Purse Remaining: ₹16.05 crore | Overseas Slots: 1

Rajasthan Royals are perhaps the most natural fit for Smith’s return. Having previously led the side, Smith is familiar with the franchise’s culture and strategy. Crucially, with the hypothetical departure of key player Sanju Samson, RR has a gaping hole in their top-order batting lineup. They desperately need an experienced, reliable anchor and a potential captaincy figure. With only one overseas slot to fill, Smith represents the perfect, high-value acquisition to stabilize their batting and provide on-field leadership, fitting well within their moderate purse.

2. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

• Purse Remaining: ₹64.30 crore | Overseas Slots: 3 (Highest Purse)

KKR enters the mini-auction with the deepest pockets, boasting the highest remaining purse. This financial firepower gives them the confidence to engage in a bidding war if necessary. Much like RR, KKR is looking for a settled, consistent top-order batter. The team has historically valued experienced leadership, and Smith fits this requirement perfectly. With three overseas slots available, KKR can afford to bring in Smith as an established pillar around which they can build their batting unit for the next phase of the tournament.

3. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

• Purse Remaining: ₹22.95 crore | Overseas Slots: 4

Despite retaining several strong overseas players like Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, and Mitchell Marsh, LSG understands the necessity of having quality backups for the high-octane tournament. With four overseas slots open, they have the flexibility to invest in experienced depth. Smith provides an elite-level alternative or a supplementary top-order option, ensuring the team’s balance is not compromised by injuries or poor form among their retained stars. His inclusion would elevate the overall quality and resilience of the squad.

4. Delhi Capitals (DC)

• Purse Remaining: ₹21.80 crore | Overseas Slots: 5

The Delhi Capitals possess a moderate purse, suggesting a strategic focus on acquiring high-impact players who can immediately slot into and complete their playing XI. Smith, a former DC player, is a known quantity who delivers consistent performances. Given DC’s need to solidify their core group of overseas players, Smith represents a proven, high-calibre option who can fulfill both the batting and mentorship roles required to push the team toward a playoff spot.

Also READ: IPL 2026: 5 franchises that can target Jacob Duffy in the mini-auction

5. Gujarat Titans (GT)

• Purse Remaining: ₹12.90 crore | Overseas Slots: 4

The Gujarat Titans face a different challenge: they have a relatively small purse yet need to fill four overseas slots. This dictates a budget-conscious, highly tactical approach. While they have retained core Indian stars like Shubman Gill and overseas talent like Jos Buttler, GT still needs players who can manage their middle-order effectively and act as backup stars. Smith’s low base price of ₹2 crores makes him an extremely attractive, high-quality, and cost-effective option who can anchor the middle overs and guide lower-order batsmen.

Valuable numbers in IPL

Smith’s IPL pedigree makes him a valuable asset. Across 103 matches, he has accumulated 2,485 runs, including one century and eleven fifties, with a highest score of 101. These statistics underscore his capability to deliver match-winning performances and provide the crucial stability that many franchises are currently lacking. His availability at a modest base price ensures that he will be one of the most hotly contested names when the bidding war commences.

Also READ: KKR veteran Andre Russell reveals why he decided to retire from the IPL

MUMBAI: The office of the Protector of Emigrants (PoE) and the Crime Branch, in a joint operation on Wednesday, sealed nine entities in the Nagpada area for allegedly running illegal overseas recruitment operations and arrested two persons.According to officials, several agencies in the locality were promising foreign jobs and collecting money from aspirants despite not possessing the mandatory registration or licence required under the Emigration Act, 1983. These unauthorised operators were allegedly defrauding citizens by offering overseas employment through illegal means. Officials said the team recovered 238 Indian passports belonging to prospective emigrants and several other documents, including employment offer letters, logbooks, fake visiting cards, and rubber stamps, used to process foreign employment through fraudulent channels. A press release issued by the PoE has advised aspirants to verify details of authorised agents and emigration procedures on https://emigrate.gov.in.Later in the day on Wednesday, the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of the 37th Court, Esplanade, Vinod Patil, released the two accused. “The offence is related to cheating. However, the FIR does not disclose the name of the victim whom the accused cheated. It is not the case of the prosecution that the police station concern ed has received the complaint regarding the cheating. If the act of cheating has been done by the accused, for that purpose, the investigating officer has to conduct a preliminary inquiry in that regard. However, he has not done so,'” the magistrate observed.The magistrate, quoting a Supreme Court judgment, said it is mandatory for the investigating agency to do a preliminary inquiry. “The arrest of the accused is not essential for investigation purposes. The arrest has been made in an arbitrary manner.”

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Cloudflare is down again, temporarily impacting hundreds of websites, including Canva, Zoom and Claude, among various others, unreachable on Friday (December 5). Cloudflare CTO Dane Knecht confirmed the technical problems, saying that the company is working on a fix and the websites should soon be coming back online. He also shared the “root cause” of what led to the worldwide outage. The internet infrastructure provider deployed corrective measures.

Root Cause: Disabling logging features

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Knecht said, “We are aware of the issue impacting the availability of Cloudflare’s network. It was not an attack; root cause was disabling some logging to help mitigate this week’s React CVE.”“Will share full details in a blog post today. Sites should be back online now, but I understand the frustration this causes and the work being,” he added.He previously posted that the company is “closely tracking the React RSC vulnerability.” If you deploy on Cloudflare Workers, you are protected. The Workers security model prevents this exploit at the runtime layer. For users that rely on WAF to protect self hosted applications more variants of this exploit are already surfacing and we are evaluating each one. As always the best way to stay protected is to upgrade to the patched versions of React and NextJS as soon as possible,” he added. Later, the cmopany rolled out “additional mitigations” to protect more customers. Meanwhile, the company posted on its status page that a fix has been resolved, the services are back online, and the team is monitoring the situation.“Cloudflare services are currently operating normally. We are no longer observing elevated errors or latency across the network. Our engineering teams continue to closely monitor the platform and perform a deeper investigation into the earlier disruption, but no configuration changes are being made at this time,” the company said (at the time of writing).“At this point, it is considered safe to re-enable any Cloudflare services that were temporarily disabled during the incident. We will provide a final update once our investigation is complete,” the company added.

Second Cloudflare outage in a month

This is the second such outage in a month’s time. Previously, on November 18, Cloudflare went down for hours, impacting major websites worldwide. At that time, the CTO said, “A latent bug in a service underpinning our bot mitigation capability started to crash after a routine configuration change we made. That cascaded into a broad degradation to our network and other services. This was not an attack.”Knecht stressed that the extent of the issue and the time required for resolution were “unacceptable.”

Mitchell Starc (AP Photo)

Mitchell Starc has officially stepped past a living legend. The Australian speedster is now the most successful left-arm fast bowler in Test history, surpassing Pakistan icon Wasim Akram‘s tally of 414 wickets during a sensational spell on day one of the second Ashes Test at the Gabba.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Starc produced a fiery 6/71 against England, the performance that elevated him to 418 Test wickets, pushing him to the top of the all-time list for left-arm pacers — and triggering an emotional tribute from the man he overtook.Within minutes of the milestone, Akram took to social media and posted a heartfelt salute to Starc, calling him a worthy successor to the throne he has held for decades. His message read like a coronation.“Super Starc! Proud of you, mate,” Akram wrote on X. “Your incredible hard work sets you apart, and it was only a matter of time before you crossed my tally of wickets . I am pleased to give this to you! Go well, and keep soaring to new heights in your stellar career.”Akram’s words are more than praise. They symbolise a baton being passed between two generations defined by reverse swing, toe-crushing yorkers and unrelenting aggression.Yet, in a moment of humility that stunned reporters, Starc insisted Akram remains untouchable.“Wasim’s still a far better bowler than I am,” Starc said. “He’s the pinnacle of left-armers… I’ll just try and keep churning a few out.”While he plays down the achievement, Starc now sits alongside cricket’s immortals. Among Australian wicket-takers, only Shane Warne (708), Glenn McGrath (563) and Nathan Lyon (562) stand ahead of him. At 35, with form sizzling and the Ashes still unfolding, his chase isn’t over.

Skip Bengaluru. Take a trip to Thailand instead. Or Vietnam. Or London. Or even Singapore. All at a much much much cheaper rate than Delhi to Bengaluru, Goa, Pune or Goa. But you cannot travel to Hyderabad, at least not on Friday, because the tickets are sold out. Ironically, IndiGo flight tickets are available.The situation arose amid IndiGo’s massive operational chaos which has led to the cancellations of hundreds of flights and widespread distress for travellers at airports nationwide. On Friday, the airlines cancelled all departures from Delhi till midnight.

According to the DGCA, IndiGo acknowledged that it had severely miscalculated the number of pilots needed to operate its existing schedule under the new crew duty regulations.The flight ticket fares on Friday for Bengaluru, Pune, Lucknow and Goa, which usually ranges 10k-15k, depending upon the demand and the festival factors, stood at an average of 25k-30k.

A travel portal recently showed the fastest December 5 Delhi connection on Air India at around Rs 70,000 before it sold out; even after the price dipped to roughly Rs 32,000, it remained far above the usual Rs 10,000–15,000 range for that sector. And it’s just a one-way fare.The trend extended across domestic routes: the quickest Delhi–Goa Air India option was priced above Rs 56,000, Delhi–Pune fares were between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000, and Delhi–Lucknow tickets crossed Rs 20,000 on Air India Express, with IndiGo selling seats between Rs 9,000 and Rs 17,000.In sharp contrast, international routes appeared far more affordable. Delhi–London fares on Air India began just above Rs 25,000, while Lufthansa and Swiss were priced below Rs 70,000.Taking potshots at the situation, a social media user named Rocky Singh suggested going to Tokyo or New York instead of Bengaluru, given the fare situation.“Going to Bengaluru from Delhi on Air India ? DONT Go to New York or London Or Tokyo instead …. It’s cheaper,” he said.From Delhi to Thailand, Thai Lion Air offered tickets under Rs 10,000, SpiceJet stayed below Rs 15,000, and Air India remained under Rs 25,000. Delhi–Vietnam fares were under Rs 15,000 on Air India and around Rs 25,000 on Thai AirAsia X.“You get food poisoning, I will kill my grandmother,” said Vijaya Srivastava, a 25-year-old news writer, when asked about going to Thailand, given the fares for the day. Even Delhi–Singapore flights were cheaper, with Thai Lion Air under Rs 20,000, Batik Air around Rs 20,000, and Air India at about Rs 30,000.A flyer expressed concern over the situation over “Jodhpur to Bangalore Air India flight 1 lakh rupees”. “This is so unfair of airlines taking advantage of current situation,” Ankita said in a post on X.

IndiGo too nonchalant about it?

While the chaos has been caused by the IndiGo itself, the flyers cited lax management mechanism on the part of the airlines. “Flight radar was more credible source to find the flight status than the website itself,” said a flyer from Delhi, who faced a 7-8 hours delay for Bengaluru flight.Describing the 5am chaos, he said that “every departure gate was crowded with angry passengers who had been waiting from 6 to 8 hours.” There’s no option to cancel as the ticket fares are 3-4 times, so people just prefer to wait.,” he said.Another flyer from Ranchi noted ill management of takeoffs and landings saying, “Passengers had to wait for two hours inside the flight at Delhi airport as the bay area not empty.” “As tempers flared and some travellers began confronting the crew, the pilot said, ‘We are just as helpless as you are,” he said. “I can park the aircraft and offload only when we receive permission’,” the flyer recalled.“Indigo @IndiGo6E ‘s website has no mention whatever of the chaos, and still allows you to book, even for tomorrow between Bengaluru and Hyderabad (which I picked as two of the worst-hit airports). Shouldn’t they be prioritising moving stranded passengers across the country?” a user named Rahul Siddharthan said on X.“And Indigo is still selling tickets with huge margins. Hyd- Blore tickets normally Rs. 3000/- to Rs.4000/- being sold on their App for Rs.11,000/- plus. Even though they know their flights are being cancelled. This called “Make Hay while the sun shine,” another user, posting the screenshot said.

Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi flagged the “govt’s monopoly model” saying that “it’s ordinary Indians who pay the price – in delays, cancellations and helplessness.”He called for a “fair competition in every sector, not match-fixing monopolies.”“IndiGo fiasco is the cost of this Govt’s monopoly model. Once again, it’s ordinary Indians who pay the price – in delays, cancellations and helplessness. India deserves fair competition in every sector, not match-fixing monopolies,” he said.Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi took on the government calling out to “shut down the civil aviation ministry”.“I have submitted a calling attention. I was hoping that the civil aviation minister would give information in the Parliament yesterday itself, but unfortunately, that did not happen yesterday. He held a meeting late in the night and issued some directives, but what is the point of directives if so many flights are still being cancelled? If you are not responsible for rising airfares and passenger grievances, then shut down the Civil Aviation Ministry,” she said.

NEW DELHI: Multiple videos from airports across the country on Friday captured scenes of massive chaos, with passengers lying on terminal floors, crowding airline counters and demanding answers from officials as IndiGo’s operational crisis spiralled into one of the worst meltdowns India’s aviation sector has seen in years.Footage from Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports showed serpentine queues, exhausted travellers dozing on the ground and passengers pleading for information after flights were cancelled with little notice.

Sources said IndiGo cancelled more than 400 flights nationwide, while a large number of others were delayed, leaving thousands stranded.At Delhi airport, over 220 flights — including arrivals and departures — were cancelled through the day. Bengaluru reported more than 100 cancellations, while Hyderabad saw over 90. Several other airports also reported heavy disruptions.Passengers said airline staff were unable to provide clarity on revised timings. “People are just lying everywhere. No one is telling us anything,” a flyer at Mumbai airport said in one of the viral videos.IndiGo has been grappling with severe operational disruptions triggered by cabin crew shortages and other internal issues, sending its on-time performance crashing to an unprecedented 8.5% on Thursday, its lowest ever and the first time it has entered single digits.The crisis deepened further on Friday when the Delhi airport announced that all IndiGo domestic departures from IGI Airport were cancelled till 11.59 pm.The collapse of India’s largest carrier — which operates over 2,200 flights daily and holds 64% of the domestic market — has set off a frantic surge in demand for tickets on other airlines, pushing airfares to staggering levels.One-way economy fares for Delhi–Mumbai for Sunday (Dec 7) were quoting between Rs 21,500 and Rs 39,000 on non-IndiGo airlines. Bengaluru–Kolkata was at Rs 20,000–23,000, while Chennai–Delhi touched Rs 21,000.Routes from smaller cities saw even sharper spikes — Udaipur–Delhi was between Rs 15,300 and Rs 26,400, and Udaipur–Mumbai surged to Rs 24,000–35,000.With IndiGo’s network crumbling, “a large segment of the travelling public is now chasing tickets of the remaining 34% market share carriers, so fares are skyrocketing,” an industry official said.Thousands of passengers stuck in different cities said they had no choice but to buy exorbitantly priced tickets just to return home.The civil aviation ministry and the DGCA have been monitoring the crisis. On Thursday, IndiGo informed the regulator that it expected full operational stabilisation only by February 10, 2026.For now, the videos flooding social media reflect a single message: India’s busiest airports struggled to cope as the country’s largest airline buckled under pressure.

Filmmaker Raj Nidimoru’s ex-wife, Shhyamali De, on Thursday shared a series of stories on her social media handle, following her ex-husband’s wedding with Samantha Ruth Prabhu. In her initial stories, she thanked all who sent her warm wishes and positive vibes. She even mentioned her Jyotish guru’s stage 4 cancer and urged everyone to keep the social media space clean during difficult times. Following these humble words and sweet requests, she posted another story, wherein she clarified that she maintains a distance from drama, and those looking for it would not find it in her space.

Shhyamali De says she is not looking for attention

On Thursday, Shhyamali gave a direct reply to those who were expecting her to share a dramatic post or reaction. She wrote, “Anyone looking for drama and breaking news. You won’t find it here. Urge you to leave.”

“Not looking for — Attention, media coverage, exclusive interviews, brand promotions, paid partnerships, sympathy. Not trying to sell anyone anything,” she concluded.

Shhyamali De’s long note after Samantha Ruth Prabh and Raj Nidimoru’s wedding

“I spent a sleepless night tossing and turning, debating, and realised it would be ungrateful and churlish not to acknowledge all the good that is coming to me. I have been practising Meditation on Twin Hearts for many years now. Doing the meditation involves blessing Mother Earth and all persons and beings with peace, love, forgiveness, hope, light, joy, loving-kindness, goodwill, and the will to do good,” she wrote before adding, “As a friend reminded me, what I am receiving now is simply that energy returning. I have no team, no PR, no staff, or associates managing my page. I am personally responding while dealing with something that needs my full presence.”She continued, “On 9 November, my Jyotish guru was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, which has unfortunately metastasised to multiple parts of the body, including the brain. I am sure you all will understand where my attention must be right now.”

Concluding the note, she mentioned, “So, a humble request: please keep this space clean. Thank you… thank you… thank you… May every person, every being be blessed with good health, happiness, prosperity, and spirituality.”

Samatha Ruth Prabhu and Raj Nidimoru

The end of 2025 marked new beginnings for Samatha Ruth Prabhu and Raj Nidimoru. On December 1, the couple had a Bhuta Shuddhi Vivaha at the Linga Bhairavi abode in Sadhguru’s Isha Yoga Centre, Coimbatore. They first met on the sets of ‘The Family Man Season 2,’ marking their debut professional collaboration in 2021. Later, their professional bond turned into friendship, which then blossomed into a relationship.

Former England captain Joe Root finally ended his long-standing wait for a Test century on Australian soil, producing a superb hundred on Day 1 of the second Ashes Test at the Gabba. While the milestone was a major boost for England, the most relieved reactions came not from his own dressing room, but from the family of Australian legend Matthew Hayden—thanks to a bizarre pre-series wager that had taken the internet by storm.

Matthew Hayden’s viral promise ahead of Ashes

In the build-up to the series, Hayden had made a playful yet outrageous promise on a podcast. Highlighting Root’s unusual record—zero Test centuries in Australia despite over 13,000 career runs—Hayden confidently declared: “I will walk nude around the MCG if he doesn’t make a hundred this summer.”

The comment instantly became a global talking point, adding unexpected humour to the Ashes rivalry. Fans followed Root’s every innings with heightened curiosity, wondering whether Hayden’s bold wager would force him into an unforgettable—and unmissable—lap of the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. Even Hayden acknowledged the pressure, joking that he had more ‘skin in the game’ than anyone else.

Joe Root breaks his century jinx in Australia

Coming in early with England under pressure, Root stitched together a masterful, composed innings. He played with authority, built vital partnerships, and displayed the calmness that had often deserted him in Australian conditions.

When he finally punched the ball through cover to bring up his 40th Test century—and his first ever in Australia—it sparked celebrations far beyond the English camp. The century not only broke a strange statistical drought but also delivered massive relief to millions who had followed Hayden’s viral promise.

Also WATCH: Ashes 2025-26: Marnus Labuschagne plucks a screamer to dismiss Jofra Archer on Day 2 of Gabba Test

Grace Hayden’s priceless reaction after Root’s century

While Root soaked in the applause, the internet was quickly taken over by the reaction of Grace Hayden, daughter of Aussie legend Hayden and a popular sports presenter. She had earlier pleaded online for Root to score a century to save the public from the possibility of her father’s nude MCG run.

Moments after Root reached triple figures, Grace posted her hilariously relieved message on Instagram which read: “Root thank you, you’ve saved all our eyes.”

Matthew Hayden’s daughter’s Instagram story on Joe Root’s hundred. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/OeCZLJk5N5

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 4, 2025

The post immediately exploded across social media, perfectly capturing the comic tension at the bet had added to the series and offering a heartwarming moment of humour amid the fierce rivalry.

Also SEE: Photo Gallery: WAGS of top England cricketers at the Ashes 2025-26