Mumbai Indians began their IPL 2026 campaign with a commanding win over Kolkata Knight Riders at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, successfully chasing down a daunting 221-run target with surprising ease. What was expected to be a closely fought contest turned into a one-sided affair as MI’s batters dominated proceedings, handing KKR a tough start to their season.

The chase was headlined by a blistering opening stand led by Rohit Sharma, whose aggressive approach in the powerplay set the tone early. With contributions flowing from the top order, Mumbai Indians cruised to victory in just 19.1 overs, losing only four wickets in the process. However, amid KKR’s disappointing bowling display, one player who came under heavy scrutiny was their mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy.

Kris Srikkanth criticises Varun Chakaravarthy’s disappointing show against Mumbai Indians

Former India captain Kris Srikkanth did not hold back in his assessment of Chakaravarthy’s performance, openly criticising the spinner for his ineffective bowling and lack of variety. Speaking on his YouTube channel after the match, Srikkanth pointed out that Varun’s over-reliance on googlies has made him predictable in the eyes of modern batters. He stressed the need for the spinner to rediscover his leg-spin and bring more variation into his game.

According to Srikkanth, Varun’s “mystery” factor has faded significantly, making it easier for batters to read him. He added that unless the spinner evolves and develops a fuller range of deliveries, he could continue to struggle at the highest level. The criticism comes after a disappointing outing where Varun conceded 48 runs in his four overs without picking up a single wicket—figures that proved costly in a high-scoring encounter.

“Unless Varun Chakaravarthy learns to spin the ball and bowl leg-spin, he will struggle. Just bowling googlies all the time will not sustain. He has to get some variations and get the leg-spin going. There is no mystery with him anymore. Your mystery has become history,” said Srikkanth.

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Powerplay gamble backfires against Rohit Sharma

Srikkanth also questioned KKR’s tactical decision to introduce Chakaravarthy during the powerplay, particularly against a batter of Rohit’s calibre. The move backfired almost immediately, as Rohit took the spinner on, striking boundaries and a six to seize momentum. The former Indian captain believes that bowling Varun early in the innings dented his confidence. Once put under pressure, the spinner appeared to lose control, resorting to quicker deliveries that further played into the hands of Mumbai’s batters.Srikkanth emphasised that spinners like Varun are more effective when they operate outside the powerplay, where they can rely on deception rather than pace.

“Bowl leg-spin and take the ball away from the batters. That’s when batters will fear you. Firstly, he should not be given the ball in the powerplay. Rohit Sharma finished the match in his over itself in the powerplay. Varun Chakaravarthy’s confidence got dented there itself, and after that, he started bowling fast,” added Srikkanth.

Chakaravarthy’s struggles are not limited to this match alone. The spinner has endured a difficult run in recent months, including a challenging phase during the latter half of the T20 World Cup 2026, despite India eventually lifting the trophy.

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Historically, companies maintained a sizeable bench by hiring in anticipation of future projects. (AI image)

Indian IT sector majors – Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, Infosys, HCL Tech, and Tech Mahindra – have seen their bench strength drop by 25% in the last two years. Bench strength acts as a traditional reserve workforce with an aim to be a cushion during demand fluctuations. This buffer has contracted sharply, declining by roughly one-fourth over the past two years, and industry observers believe it may not return to earlier levels even if growth revives.Across major firms such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCLTech and Tech Mahindra, the number of employees on the bench has dropped by around 75,000, falling from nearly three lakh to about 2.25 lakh, according to industry estimates cited by experts in an ET report.The proportion of unassigned employees has also narrowed considerably. “The bench across IT services is currently between 8-15% of the workforce compared to over 20% earlier,” said Pareekh Jain, CEO of EIIRTrend. Similarly, TeamLease Digital estimates the current range at 8-12%, down from 20-30% in previous years.

Deeper Shift In IT Sector Bench Strength Trends

Historically, companies maintained a sizeable bench by hiring in anticipation of future projects, ensuring that skilled personnel were readily available when demand materialised. This approach was viable during periods of rapid expansion. However, firms are now moving away from that model and tightening workforce utilisation.Companies that once operated with 4-5% of employees on the bench are now targeting significantly lower levels, often between 1% and 1.5%. In some cases, stricter policies have been introduced. For instance, in TCS bench duration has been capped at around 35 days annually, after which performance evaluations are initiated, and employees who remain unallocated may be asked to exit.Experts indicate that this shift is not merely cyclical but reflects a deeper structural change. “The concept of bench does not make sense unless an IT services firm can predict skill or role-based demand with 90% accuracy three months in advance,” said Gaurav Vasu, founder of UnearthInsight.Slower industry growth has been identified as the primary driver behind this contraction, rather than technological disruption. “Low growth is the bigger factor in bench reduction today. When growth returns, firms may not need to rebuild their bench because local hiring in different countries has increased significantly over the last five to six years,” Jain said.Over the past two years, hiring patterns have undergone a clear shift. Demand for traditional mid-level delivery roles has declined by roughly 20–30 per cent, while requirements for skills in artificial intelligence, generative AI, data, and cloud technologies have increased by about 30–40 per cent across the same firms, according to Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital.Global capability centres, however, present a more varied trend, with mid-level recruitment showing relatively greater resilience. “Leadership hiring has grown in line with overall demand, with the share of such roles increasing from around 15% in 2024 to around 20% in 2025. What has changed is the nature of these roles. Today, more than 50% of job demand is driven by emerging skills, especially in AI, cloud, and platform engineering,” said Kapil Joshi, CEO of IT staffing at Quess Corp. In contrast, hiring at the entry level has declined by around 30–35 per cent during the same period, he added.The changes are also affecting how quickly professionals are placed. The average time required to assign a benched engineer with 8–12 years of experience has lengthened to 60–90 days, compared with 30–45 days earlier, Sharma told ET.

Salary Trends

Compensation trends are diverging as well. Premiums for lateral hiring in non-AI roles have reduced to 10–20 per cent, down from 25–35 per cent in FY 2022–23. In contrast, professionals with AI capabilities continue to command premiums of 20–30 per cent and tend to secure offers more quickly, Sharma said. According to Quess data, premiums for generative AI roles range between 15–40 per cent depending on the position.The broader career structure within IT services firms is also evolving. “The people manager role is not disappearing, but its responsibilities are narrowing, shifting toward revenue expansion and profitability management away from headcount oversight,” Vasu said.

‘Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge’ continues its record-breaking run on day 13, surpassing the lifetime India net of ‘Dhurandhar Part 1’ in just 11 days. With a domestic net of Rs. 873.99 crore and a worldwide gross nearing Rs. 1,400 crore, the Ranveer Singh starrer is successfully defying the IPL 2026 season craze. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the film is now chasing the Rs. 900 crore and eventually the Rs. 1000 crore India net milestone, a feat previously seen only by the Allu Arjun starrer ‘Pushpa 2.’

‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, continues its historic box office run as it enters day 13 of its theatrical release on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.’Dhurandhar 2 continues its phenomenal global run, amassing a worldwide gross of Rs. 1,392.23 crore. This massive total includes Rs. 1,042.23 crore from the Indian market and an additional Rs. 350 crore from overseas territories. On the domestic front, the film has recorded a staggering Rs. 872.17 crore in net collections by end of day 12 which marked the second Monday since its release. After a historic second weekend, the film is now on a steady march toward the Rs. 900 crore India net milestone. Notably, on Sunday, the spy thriller broke a nine-year-old record previously held by the Prabhas starrer ‘Baahubali 2,’ becoming the highest-grossing Indian film in North America by crossing the USD 22.7 million mark.Dhurandhar 2 Movie ReviewWith its strong word-of-mouth appreciation and repeat viewership despite the ongoing IPL season, ‘Dhurandhar 2’ continues to reign. The film has shown remarkable strength against the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which began on March 28, 2026. Even with high-profile opening weekend clashes like RCB vs. SRH and MI vs. KKR, theater attendance for ‘Dhurandhar 2’ remained impressively steady. This indicates that the film’s drawing factor is compelling enough to withstand the massive viewership of major cricket tournaments. Here is a full live tracking update for day 13.

‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ first week and second week projections

The film’s opening week set the tone with an extraordinary preview haul of Rs 43 crore, followed by a historic opening day of Rs 102.55 crore which marked the milestone of being the biggest opening day in Hindi film history. The momentum held powerfully through the extended weekend, closing Week 1 at Rs 674.17 crore. The second week continued strongly with Rs 49.70 crore on day 8, Rs 41.75 crore on day 9, Rs 62.85 crore on day 10, and the record-breaking Rs 68.10 crore on day 11, before settling at Rs 25.30 crore on day 12.The film’s performance on its second Sunday was nothing short of legendary as it officially pushed its cumulative India net past the Rs. 840.20 crore lifetime collection of its predecessor, ‘Dhurandhar Part 1.’ With the ongoing IPL 2026 season, it usually causes a dip in evening cinema footfalls. However, the film has continued to retain massive footfalls even during prime match hours of 7:30 PM IST.

‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ day 13 live tracking

According to Sacnilk, on its thirteenth day, ‘Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge’ is maintaining a robust presence with 6,384 active shows nationwide. Live tracking reveals the film has already added Rs. 4.97 crore to its total today, pushing its domestic net collection to Rs. 877.14 crore.With this steady Tuesday performance, the film’s cumulative India gross has climbed to Rs. 1,048.09 crore, as the final official figures are tallied for the day.

Day wise collections for ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’

Day 0: Rs. 43 croreDay 1: Rs. 102.55 croreDay 2: Rs. 80.72 croreDay 3: Rs. 113 croreDay 4: Rs. 114.85 croreDay 5: Rs. 65 croreDay 6: Rs. 56.60 croreDay 7: Rs. 48.75 croreDay 8: Rs. 49.70 croreWeek 1 collection: Rs. 674.17 croreDay 9: Rs. 41.75 croreDay 10: Rs. 62.85 croreDay 11: Rs. 68.10 croreDay 12: Rs. 25.30 croreDay 13: Rs. 4.97 croreTOTAL: Rs. 877.14 crore

More about ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’

Directed by Aditya Dhar, this sequel serves as a gritty origin story for Jaskirat Singh, tracing his transformation into Hamza, India’s most lethal intelligence asset operating deep within Pakistan. The film features Ranveer Singh in a career-defining role, alongside Arjun Rampal as Major Iqbal and Sanjay Dutt as SP Chaudhary Aslam. The supporting cast includes R. Madhavan, Rakesh Bedi, Danish Pandor, Udaybir Sandhu and Sara Arjun. Yami Gautam appears in a key special role. To achieve the gritty aesthetic of Lyari, Karachi, the team redesigned Ballard Estate in South Mumbai and utilized massive sets in Bangkok.Originally planned as a single movie, the scale of the footage led to a two-part duology. It currently holds a U/A certificate with a massive runtime of 3 hours and 49 minutes. The film’s climax features Jaskirat’s identity arc unanswered which was reportedly a conscious creative choice by director Aditya Dhar. The film features several timelines with historical moments such as the 2014 general elections and the 2016 demonetization included into the narrative.DISCLAIMER: The box office numbers and data in this article are compiled from diverse public and industry sources. All figures are approximate unless explicitly mentioned, offering a fair representation of the movie’s box office performance. These totals may change as official studio data is updated or as additional international market reports are finalized. This data is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only.

The US-Israel war on Iran, which has prompted retaliatory strikes on US allies in West Asia, including the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, entered day 32 on March 31

The United States’ Gulf allies, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have reportedly urged US President Donald Trump to continue military action against Iran, arguing that Tehran has not been sufficiently weakened by the monthlong US-led bombing campaign, according to American, Gulf, and Israeli officials.Click here for live updatesThis development represents a stark reversal in the stance of Middle Eastern states. At the outset of the conflict, they privately criticised the lack of advance notice for the US-Israeli strikes and warned that the war could have “catastrophic consequences” across the region. Now, they are pressing the White House to seize what they see as a “historic opportunity” to dismantle Tehran’s clerical regime “once and for all.”