Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma has ignited fresh debate among cricket fans after revealing his all-time Indian Premier League (IPL) XI ahead of the 2026 season. Shared via the Crictracker Instagram handle, Jitesh’s selection features some of the most iconic performers in IPL history. However, the biggest talking point has been the absence of former RCB captain Virat Kohli, one of the league’s most prolific run-scorers.

Jitesh Sharma names his all-time IPL XI

Star studded top and middle-order

Jitesh’s chosen XI reflects a clear preference for match-winners who have consistently influenced games across multiple IPL seasons. At the top of the order, he picked Rohit Sharma alongside former Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab legend Adam Gilchrist (2069 runs). The combination blends Rohit’s calm leadership and clutch performances with Gilchrist’s explosive intent in the powerplay. Rohit is the second all-time leading run-scorer in IPL, having amassed 7046 runs in 272 matches.

The middle order is equally formidable, featuring Suryakumar Yadav (4311 runs), widely admired for redefining modern T20 batting, and legendary South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis (2427 runs and 65 wickets), whose consistency with both bat and ball made him invaluable during his IPL stint.

Power-packed finish with iconic names

For the finishing role, Jitesh opted for a trio that has shaped IPL history in different ways. Hardik Pandya (2749  runs and 78 wickets) brings explosive hitting and seam bowling, while MS Dhoni (5439 runs) slots in as wicketkeeper and leader, a nod to his unparalleled legacy as a captain and finisher.

Completing the batting firepower is AB de Villiers (5162 runs), whose ability to dominate bowlers in any situation made him one of the most feared batters the league has ever seen.

Balanced bowling attack with proven performers

Jitesh’s bowling unit focuses on control, variation, and big-match temperament. All-rounder Axar Patel (1916 runs and 128 wickets) provides balance and reliability in the middle overs, while mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy (100 wickets) adds unpredictability.

The pace attack is led by Jasprit Bumrah (183 wickets), widely regarded as the most lethal IPL fast bowler of his generation. Australian quick Josh Hazlewood (57 wickets) completes the XI, offering bounce, discipline, and consistency in high-pressure games.

Also WATCH: Prithvi Shaw drops a cute post featuring his love interest Akriti Agarwal ahead of IPL 2026

No place for Virat Kohli

The exclusion of Kohli from Jitesh’s all-time IPL XI has come as a major surprise, considering Kohli is the leading run-scorer in the history of the league. Over the years, Kohli has been one of the most consistent performers in the IPL, combining longevity with match-winning impact at the top of the order. His record-breaking 2016 season, leadership for RCB, and ability to anchor as well as accelerate an innings have made him a defining figure of the tournament. Given his stature and statistical dominance, many fans expected Kohli to be an automatic choice, which is why his absence has sparked widespread discussion and contrasting opinions across social media. Notably, Kohli is the only player to cross 8,000 runs mark in IPL, having scored 8661 runs in 267 games with 8 hundreds and 63 half-centuries.

Jitesh Sharma’s all-time IPL XI:

Rohit Sharma, Adam Gilchrist, Suryakumar Yadav, Jacques Kallis, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni, AB de Villiers, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood

Also READ: IPL 2026: 3 players PBKS can sign to replace Lockie Ferguson if he misses out

File photo (Picture credit: ANI)

India’s telecom industry body COAI has asked the government to reduce regulatory levies and ease Goods and Services Tax (GST) norms in the upcoming Union Budget, arguing that high statutory payments continue to strain the sector’s finances.The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), whose members include Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, has proposed lowering the licence fee to 0.5–1 per cent from the current 3 per cent, saying the existing structure places a heavy burden on telecom operators, reported news agency PTI.At present, the licence fee comprises a 3 per cent levy on Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR), along with a 5 per cent contribution to the Digital Bharat Nidhi. “The licence fee, which is a combination of the licence (three per cent of AGR) and Digital Bharat Nidhi Contribution (five per cent of AGR), is a huge financial burden for the licensed telcos,” COAI said in its submission.The association argued that a reduced levy of 0.5–1 per cent would be sufficient to cover administrative costs.COAI has also urged the Department of Telecommunications to pause further contributions to the Digital Bharat Nidhi until the existing unutilised corpus is fully used. The industry body said such steps would help reduce financial stress and allow operators to invest more in network expansion and next-generation connectivity, in line with the government’s ‘Viksit Bharat’ vision.On GST-related issues, COAI flagged concerns over rising input tax credit (ITC) accumulation in the sector. It recommended a special GST exemption on regulatory payments such as licence fees, spectrum usage charges (SUC), and spectrum acquired through auctions, reported news agency ANI.As an alternative, the association suggested cutting the GST rate under the Reverse Charge Mechanism (RCM) on these payments to 5 per cent from the current 18 per cent. COAI said this would be revenue-neutral for the government while offering liquidity relief to telecom operators and helping reduce ITC pile-up, as per ANI.COAI director general Lt Gen Dr SP Kochhar said the current levy framework continues to impose a significant financial burden on licensed telecom operators. The association also proposed allowing the use of existing ITC balances to discharge GST liabilities under RCM on licence fees and SUC, a move it said would reduce cash outflows and improve credit utilisation.Emphasising the sector’s wider role, COAI said telecommunications is no longer a standalone vertical but a “horizontal value-added enabler” supporting multiple industries. In this context, it has called for a broader recalibration of spectrum pricing and assignment models to reflect the sector’s strategic importance in India’s digital economy.

US President Donald Trump (AP)

TOI correspondent from Washington: US President Donald Trump has certifiably changed his mind on regime change. On Tuesday, the MAGA supremo directly encouraged a public uprising in Iran after imposing a blanket 25 per cent tariff on any country that continues to do business with the Islamic Republic in an effort to topple the ruling Islamic government in Teheran.“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price….HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!” Trump posted on social media amid reports of a bloodbath in Iran following a crackdown on protests, unapologetically wading into Iran’s internal affairs. Trump’s open backing for the revolt came hours after he said Iranian leadership had reached out to him for talks and the U.S was weighing a choice between military action and negotiations, with some senior aides, including vice-president J.D.Vance, reportedly in favor of the latter course. “There seems to be some people killed who weren’t supposed to be killed. We’re looking at it very seriously; the military’s looking at it. And there’s a couple options,” Trump said on Monday as reports of a bloody crackdown flowed out of Iran. By Tuesday morning, the U.S President appeared to have set his mind on effecting a regime change in yet another country (after similar approach in Venezuela and Cuba), announcing he has “cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS,” and pledging “HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”While Trump campaigned in the past against regime-change wars, his administration is now openly exploring tools to bring about leadership change in Iran and Cuba, after effecting one in Venezuela. He has reportedly been briefed on options ranging from long-range missile strikes to cyber operations and psychological campaigns in Iran, and even though White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “diplomacy is always the first option for the president,” the temptation to pull off a coup in Iran on the back of widespread protests appears irresistible for now for Washington hawks like Senator Lindsay Graham. Analysts point to several reasons behind Trump’s evolution from opposing regime change to actively pursuing it in countries such as Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba. The administration views these governments as economically weak and politically brittle, believes coercive leverage can work without large-scale U.S. troop deployments, and increasingly frames them as part of a broader anti-American axis aligned with China and Russia. A more conspiratorial explanation by critics, who have dubbed Trump the “Walt Disney of chaos” is such frenetic activity is designed to distract voters from everyday issues at home. Many MAGA principals remain skeptical of Washington getting into another fracas in the middle-east. Former Trump aide Steve Bannon among others are berating Fox News and Graham for encouraging the latest caper, reminding them of the quagmire the U.S got into in Iraq. While most Democrats have uniformly opposed U.S interference in Iran, even some Republican lawmakers, the “non-interventionist” wing of the party have cautioned about getting into another fracas.“The Constitution does not permit the executive branch to unilaterally commit an act of war against a sovereign nation that hasn’t attacked the United States,” Thomas Massie, an anti-Trump Kentucky Republican said while introducing a bipartisan War Powers Resolution to block unauthorized hostilities against Iran.

There’s clearly no relief for filmmaker Vikram Bhatt as the fraud case against him gathers pace. Investigators claim they have now secured crucial evidence and are in the process of verifying it, even as they allege a lack of full cooperation from Bhatt’s team during the probe. Bhatt and his wife, Shwetambari, were taken into custody in December in connection with the case and continue to remain in judicial custody after the court turned down their bail plea on medical grounds. According to the latest update reported by PTI, the police have seized material from several Mumbai locations linked to the filmmaker.

Confirming the progress in the investigation, Investigating Officer DSP Chagan Rajpurohit said, “We have collected evidence from the filmmaker’s locations in Mumbai. Some bills have also been found. We are ascertaining their veracity. The filmmaker’s team did not fully cooperate in the investigation.” Meanwhile, Bhatt’s legal representatives have pushed back strongly against the allegations. His lawyer, Kamlesh Dave, has refuted claims of fraud and criticised the conduct of the police in the matter. “Police action was done in a hasty manner in this particular case. There are set procedures in the BNSS which were not duly followed,” he said, maintaining that all transactions were carried out with the full knowledge and consent of the concerned parties. The case originated from a complaint lodged by businessman Dr Ajay Murdia with the Udaipur Police. As per the FIR, Bhatt, his wife, and six other accused allegedly assured Dr Murdia that they would produce four films with a combined budget of Rs 47 crore, provided he invested an initial ₹7 crore and committed to further funding. The projects were reportedly pitched as ventures capable of earning Rs 100–200 crore in profits. Dr Murdia has claimed that the funds were subsequently diverted and misused, prompting him to approach the authorities. The FIR further notes that he was introduced to Bhatt by co-accused Dinesh Kataria during discussions surrounding a proposed biopic on Murdia’s wife, with meetings held in Mumbai in April 2024. Bhatt and Shwetambari were arrested in Mumbai on December 7 and brought to Udaipur, where they were produced before a court the following day. On December 9, they were sent to police custody for seven days

NEW DELHI: Another drones were sighted along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, prompting the Indian Army to activate counter-Unmanned Aircraft System measures, ANI sources said on Tuesday.The drones were sighted second time in last 48 hours alonf the international border and LoC. The development comes amid a sharp warning from Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi to Pakistan over active terror camps across the border.ANI sources said the drones were detected in forward areas and were engaged using counter-UAS protocols to prevent any potential threat. Further details are awaited.The sightings come a day after security forces detected suspected Pakistan-origin drones along both the International Border and the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba, Rajouri and Poonch districts. Officials said the flying objects were seen entering from the Pakistan side, hovering briefly over Indian territory and then returning.Following the sightings, ground search operations were launched across the affected areas. In the Nowshera sector of Rajouri district, Army troops opened fire with medium and light machine guns after observing drone movement over Gania-Kalsian village around 6.35 pm, officials said.Another drone was spotted over Khabbar village in the Teryath area of Rajouri district around the same time. In Samba district, a drone-like object with a blinking light was seen hovering for several minutes over Chak Babral village in the Ramgarh sector around 7.15 pm. A similar object was also noticed moving from the direction of Tain towards Topa in the Mankote sector along the LoC in Poonch district.The heightened alert along the border comes as Army chief General Dwivedi said that Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack, remains ongoing and warned Islamabad against any future misadventure.“At least 6 terror camps still active across the LoC & 2 across the International Border after Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. Will act, if any (nefarious) attempts are carried out,” the Army chief said while addressing the annual Army Day press conference.Reflecting on the operation, he said, “Operation Sindoor was conceptualised and executed with precision. Through 22 minutes of initiation on 7th May and an orchestration that lasted 88 hours up to 10th May, the operation reset strategic assumptions by striking deep, dismantling terror infrastructure, and puncturing the longstanding nuclear rhetoric.”General Dwivedi said Indian forces destroyed seven of the nine identified targets and later played a key role in ensuring a calibrated response to Pakistani actions. He also said about 100 Pakistan Army personnel were killed in firing along the LoC and International Border during the period of heightened tensions.“The entire country stands with the Army,” he said, adding that any future response would be resolute and coordinated across services.Indian armed forces carried out precision strikes under Operation Sindoor on the intervening nights of May 6 and May 7, destroying terror hideouts in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and mainland Pakistan, including facilities linked to Jaish-e-Mohammad in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke. India has said the strikes were aimed solely at terror infrastructure, while subsequent Pakistani missile and drone attempts were intercepted by Indian air defence systems.

Tonight’s Match 6 of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 at the DY Patil Stadium witnessed a rare tactical maneuver as the Gujarat Giants faced off against Mumbai Indians. While the match already saw high drama with the absence of stars like Nat Sciver-Brunt, the mid-innings strategic call involving debutant Ayushi Soni became the major talking point of the evening.

WPL 2026, MI-W vs GG-W: The reason behind Ayushi Soni’s ‘retired out’

In a bold and rare tactical move during the 16th over, Giants made the decision to “retire out” their debutant batter Ayushi Soni. After being brought into the side to replace the injured Anushka Sharma, Soni found it difficult to find her rhythm against a disciplined Mumbai Indians bowling attack. While she helped steady the ship alongside Georgia Wareham, her scoring rate had dipped, and she was sitting on 11 runs off 15 balls when the call was made. With the run rate climbing and only a few overs remaining, the Giants’ management opted to withdraw Soni to bring in the more aggressive Bharti Fulmali. This ‘retired out’ dismissal, distinct from a ‘retired hurt’ because the player cannot return to the crease, was a calculated attempt to maximize the death overs and push toward a competitive total.

Also WATCH: Nandini Sharma takes a sensational hat-trick in WPL 2026

WPL 2026: Did the gamble pay off for the Giants against Mumbai Indians?

The decision to retire Ayushi has sparked immediate debate as she has indeed become the first player in WPL history to be tactically ‘retired out.’ While the move has been seen in other T20 leagues, most famously with Ravichandran Ashwin in the IPL, it had never been utilized in the Women’s Premier League until tonight.

On her WPL debut, Gujarat Giants’ Ayushi Soni becomes the first player to be retired out in the WPL’s history#WPL2026#GGVSMI

— AayushKataria (@AKTalksSports) January 13, 2026

The decision to retire Ayushi Soni proved to be a masterstroke, as she became the first player in WPL history to be tactically ‘retired out.’ The gamble paid off almost instantly through the explosive cameo of Bharti Fulmali, who walked in and smashed a blistering 36 runs off just 15 balls, including three massive sixes. Fulmali’s aggression, combined with Georgia Wareham‘s steady 43 unbeaten, propelled the Giants to a formidable total of 192/5

This milestone marks a significant shift in the tactical maturity of the WPL, showing that teams are now willing to employ aggressive, data-driven strategies even with young debutants. By sacrificing Soni’s wicket, the Giants managed to inject 49 runs in the final four overs, turning a potentially sub-par score into a winning one.

Also READ: 5 contenders to replace Alyssa Healy as Australia captain after her retirement from international cricket

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

Mumbai: Political controversy erupted after alleged bookie Sonu Jalan organised a political meeting in a housing society for BJP minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha in Malad on Tuesday. While Lodha said society resident Aslam Shaikh, a Congress MLA, planted Jalan in the meeting, Shaikh said Lodha dragged his name into the controversy instead of providing an explanation about including Jalan in the election campaign. AICC secretary Sachin Sawant disputed Lodha’s claim after tweeting a permission request in the name of Sonu Jalan submitted to the society seeking the community hall for the meeting.Lodha said on his social media account: “.. I was campaigning in Evershine Nagar located in Malvani-Malad, in support of the BJP candidate. The same society is also home to the local MLA Aslam Shaikh. After my meeting began, he sent some of his men to stand behind me to gather information about my gathering, and Sonu Jalan was among them.” Lodha added, “It is well known to everyone who keeps people like Sonu Jalan close and who keeps them at a distance. My public life was always transparent. Under no circumstances did I bring such people along with me or allow them to stay by my side.” Sawant said on social media, “… the booking of the hall for the meeting that we are discussing was done by Sonu Jalan. After the programme concluded, he (Jalan) personally expressed thanks to everyone in the Oris Group (resident group). I am providing proof of both these (he posted a screenshot of society group chat and the permission request submitted to the society) for your perusal. There is no doubt that he himself organised the meeting, so why are you misleading the public?...”Earlier, Sawant posted a photo of the programme where Lodha was speaking to the gathering while Jalan was standing beside him. Sawant posted, “Now, does Lodha need the support of a bookie and MCOCA accused to garner votes?”Aslam Shaikh said, “We never organised any political meeting in our society, even while I was contesting the assembly election and despite my son contesting the ongoing BMC election. But, since Lodha dragged my name into the controversy, I found out from the society about the meeting and learnt that the community hall was booked by Jalan for the gathering, and he called people from the society and outside to attend Lodha’s meeting. Lodha is a minister; if he or his party took any wrong person with them, they need to give an explanation to those demanding a reply from him. I did not comment on it until he dragged my name into the controversy.”