MS Dhoni and Sanju Samson (PTI Photos)

NEW DELHI: Sanju Samson has expressed his excitement about finally sharing a dressing room with legendary cricketer MS Dhoni in the upcoming Indian Premier League season. Although Samson has spoken to Dhoni before and met him during national team camps, he says this will be the first time they will actually play together in the same team.“I’ve spoken to Mahi bhai many times over the phone and seen him around during Indian team camps, but this will be the first time I’ll actually play alongside him in a team, so the excitement is very high,” Samson told PTI.

He believes spending time with Dhoni for a full season will be a great learning experience. “Whenever he calls or we meet, there is always something positive to take away. But being with him in a team for two months and seeing first-hand how he approaches cricket and prepares for games will be a huge benefit for me. I’m really happy and see it as a big opportunity to learn from him.”

Still processing India’s T20 World Cup win

Samson also spoke about India’s victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, admitting that the moment still feels surreal. The tournament was held in India, and Samson played a key role in the team’s triumph.“Not yet, I am still like, when I get up in the morning, I’m like, ‘has it really happened’. So honestly, that’s the feeling. But I feel that in the coming years, with the quality of players we have in our country, this is going to be repeated. The number of players who are coming up in India is definitely going to do this more and more often,” he said while speaking to broadcasters at the BCCI Awards in New Delhi.Samson was named Player of the Tournament after scoring 321 runs at a strike rate close to 200 in just five innings. His performances included a match-winning 97 not out against the West Indies national cricket team in the Super Eight stage, followed by scores of 89 in the semi-final against the England national cricket team and another 89 in the final against the New Zealand national cricket team.Reflecting on his journey, Samson described it as unpredictable and emotional. He continued, “You can only dream where you want to go, but you can’t definitely ride the path towards it. So my life or my career has been one of the best examples. I definitely wanted to do this a couple of years ago. I want to win a World Cup for my country, but it had its own plan, its own script. So, it’s more like a movie. I enjoyed it.”He explained that his mindset changed once he focused more on helping the team rather than personal goals. “As I said before, I wanted to do something like this, then I got pulled out of my journey, and then suddenly, the team wanted me to come and contribute, and that’s when I actually mentally flipped a bit… I think, before that, in the New Zealand series, the focus was all about me,” he added.

Mohammed Siraj’s unexpected World Cup story

Samson’s story was not the only surprising one from India’s title win. Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj also experienced an unlikely journey to the trophy. He was not part of the original squad and only joined after Harshit Rana was ruled out with an injury.Reflecting on the moment, Siraj said, “I was not in the initial squad, then I got it, played a game, and now I have been part of two World Cup-winning squads. I would say it’s a miracle for me.”

Afghanistan on Monday accused Pakistan of killing civilians in fresh airstrikes on Kabul, an allegation Islamabad denied, saying it had carried out precision strikes on military and “terrorist” targets.Loud explosions rocked the Afghan capital at about 9.00 pm local time, with plumes of smoke visible from the Shahr-e-Naw and Wazir Akbar Khan areas of the city.Afghanistan’s Taliban government said the Pakistani strikes hit a hospital treating drug addicts in Kabul, killing four people and wounding several others.Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on X that the Pakistani military had “once again violated Afghan territory,” calling the strikes “a crime” and an “act of inhumanity.” He said most of those killed and wounded were addicts receiving treatment at the facility.Pakistan rejected the allegation. A spokesman for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Mosharraf Zaidi, dismissed the claims as baseless and said no hospital was targeted in Kabul.Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said the strikes “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure including technical equipment storage and ammunition storage of Afghan Taliban” and Afghanistan-based Pakistani militants in Kabul and Nangarhar. It said the locations “were being used against innocent Pakistani civilians.”The ministry added that Pakistan’s targeting was “precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted.” It described Mujahid’s claim as “false and misleading” and aimed at stirring sentiment and covering what it called “illegitimate support for cross-border terrorism.”Pakistan’s military has struck Kabul several times in recent weeks as tensions rose over accusations that Afghanistan’s Taliban government has sheltered militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan.The latest developments came as deadly clashes continued along the countries’ shared border.Pakistan has repeatedly said its military only targets Afghan posts and militant hideouts. Officials in Islamabad have described the situation as an “open war,” with clashes including multiple Pakistani airstrikes on Kabul President Asif Ali Zardari said Afghanistan’s Taliban administration crossed a “red line” by deploying drones that injured several civilians in Pakistan last week.In response, Pakistan’s air force struck equipment storage sites and “technical support infrastructure” in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province over the weekend, saying the sites were being used for attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul said Pakistan hit two locations, including an empty security site and a drug rehabilitation center that sustained minor damage.In Kabul, Afghanistan’s administrative deputy prime minister Abdul Salam Hanafi said defending sovereignty is the duty of all citizens. Speaking during a meeting with political analysts and media figures, Hanafi expressed regret over civilian casualties in recent Pakistani attacks and said the war was imposed on Afghanistan.

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: A 17-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped from her home at a village in Beed district on the night of March 10, raped and later left tied to a pole in the village chowk throughout the night. The Pimpalner police on March 13 arrested the survivor’s former boyfriend (29) based on her statement.The police said the survivor and the suspect belonged to families of sugarcane cutters. The incident came to light early in the morning of March 11 when some villagers spotted the survivor tied to the pole and alerted her husband, who reached the spot. The survivor was taken to her marital home, while her husband went to the Pimpalner police station to report the incident.Inspector Madhusudhan Ghuge of the Pimpalner police said on Sunday, “We told the survivor’s husband on March 11 to bring her to the police station, but he did not come back thereafter. Instead, the survivor reached the police station on March 13, along with her mother and uncle, and recorded her statement. She named her former boyfriend from the same village as the culprit. We then arrested the suspect based on her statement.”Ghuge said, “The survivor told us in her statement that she had left the door of her house open in the night because it was hot. Her husband and father-in-law were asleep. Taking advantage of this, the suspect entered the house, picked up the girl and pressed her mouth to ensure that she did not raise an alarm. He took her near the riverbed on the outskirts of the village and raped her.”Beed superintendent of police (SP) Navneet Kanwat said “We arrested the suspect immediately after receiving a complaint. The suspect is in police custody till March 17. From the initial investigation, it appears that the survivor had an affair with the suspect before she got married.”Assistant police inspector Atulkumar Landge, who is investigating the case, said, “We referred the survivor and the suspect to a govt hospital for medical examination. Its reports are awaited. We have invoked Section 4 (penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and sections 137 (2) [kidnapping], 333 (trespassing) and 64 (2) [i] rape of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in the case.”Inspector Ghuge said, “We are investigating the case from all angles to clear certain ambiguities arising from the initial statement by the survivor’s husband and the charges levelled by the survivor against her ex-boyfriend, a bachelor.”(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is just a few weeks away. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the first match of the competition. Over the years, the tournament has delivered some of the greatest cricketers for India, among them, Sai Sudharsan has been one of the future stars.

Sai Sudharsan plays for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL. The left-handed batter was picked by GT back in 2022, and since then, he has been making a name for himself in the tournament. His amazing performance in the 2025 season earned him the Emerging Player of the Year award.

Sai Sudharsan is an underrated T20 player

Sai scored 759 runs in the tournament and was also the Orange Cap winner of the season. Though his side failed to qualify for the final, he had an excellent season in the IPL, which also earned him a call in the ODI, T20I, and Test teams for India. He has just played 3 ODI and 6 Test matches for the Men in Blue.

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Ahead of the IPL, former India opener Sadagoppan Ramesh has praised the Southpaw for his phenomenal consistency and also believes that he has not been provided the due credit, and his performances become undervalued as he does not have the explosive nature like Rajasthan Royals’ wonderboy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Sai Sudarshan is similar to Shikhar Dhawan- Sadagoppan Ramesh

Speaking on JioHostar, Ramesh said, “His biggest strength is boundary hitting. Shikhar Dhawan is one of the least talked-about IPL batters. Dhawan used to consistently score 500 runs in a season at one stretch. But his innings would be built in a way that goes unnoticed, yet he would keep scoring timely boundaries.”

“Sai Sudarshan is similar to Shikhar Dhawan in his scoring pattern. His batting will not look explosive like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. But the runs will keep flowing for Sai. Before you realize it, he will shock you by how many runs he has scored in an innings.”

It’s hard to be consistent- Sai Sudharsan

Sadagoppan Ramesh also suggested that Sai Sudharsan should add more firepower to his batting, along with his consistency, as this would help him to get a chance in the T20I team. Sai has just played one T20I for the Men in Blue against Zimbabwe back in 2024.

Ramesh concluded, saying, “It’s hard to be consistent. Yet, Sai Sudarshan must be aware of the pressure he is under, given the openers he is competing with in India. His competition is full of explosive batters, who play at strike rates of 180 and 200. Sai is a guaranteed 600-run scorer per season. But there was a time where he looked good to break into the Indian T20I side.”

Sai Sudharsan will look to score runs in this edition of the IPL. However, he needs to have the firepower rather than the classic stroke play as Team India plays on the philosophy of high risk, high reward, where the batters have to strike from the very first delivery. He will be seen on March 31 against the Punjab Kings.

Also Read: NOT Abhishek Sharma! Ishan Kishan to lead SRH in IPL 2026

NEW DELHI: Sanju Samson, who was named Player of the Tournament in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, recently spoke about his journey after India’s historic title win. The wicketkeeper-batter played a crucial role in the tournament, scoring 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate close to 200. His performances included several match-winning knocks as India went on to lift the trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad after defeating the New Zealand national cricket team in the final.

Long relationship with Gautam Gambhir

While speaking to the media in Thiruvananthapuram, Samson talked about his long-standing bond with India head coach Gautam Gambhir. According to him, their connection goes back many years to when he played for Kolkata Knight Riders.“Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) and I have a very old relationship. I think I met him when I was in KKR. He was the captain of the team and he also lives in Delhi. I also played in the same academy where he was…so it’s a very long relationship and what has happened from there till now, I think cannot be expressed in words,” he told PTI.Samson’s impressive run in the tournament also helped him surpass Virat Kohli’s record of 319 runs in a single T20 World Cup edition by an Indian, which Kohli had set in 2014.

Emotional message from Sachin Tendulkar

The 31-year-old also shared that he received a special message from cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar after India’s victory.“I got a message from Sachin, sir. It was a very emotional message for me,” said Samson.India’s triumph was historic, as the India national cricket team became the first side to win three T20 World Cup titles and also the first team to successfully defend the trophy on home soil.

Sanju Samson reflects on his journey

Samson described his comeback in the tournament as one of the most memorable phases of his career. After facing inconsistency and spending time on the bench earlier, he emerged as India’s top performer when it mattered the most, delivering key innings from the Super Eight stage against the West Indies national cricket team to the final.Reflecting on his approach to the game, Samson said he always focuses on being true to himself and playing for the team.“I never wanted to be selfless. I’ve always wanted to be myself. So I bring a lot of different qualities, a lot of strengths, a lot of weaknesses. I like to look at cricket as a team sport. So I think we play to win. And looking at what things have happened in my life lately, I definitely carry a lot of dreams with me. So a lot of youngsters, a lot of people, not even in cricket, a lot of people in different careers, they look at me like their own careers, like their own life,” Samson concluded.