Former England skipper Michael Vaughan was full of admiration for Jasprit Bumrah following the Indian pacer’s sensational performance in the final of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup against New Zealand national cricket team in Ahmedabad last Sunday.Bumrah delivered a historic spell, returning figures of 4 for 15 in the title clash. In doing so, he became the first fast bowler to claim a four-wicket haul in a knockout match in the tournament’s history. The performance also took his tally to 40 wickets across all his T20 World Cup appearances, the most by a pace bowler, achieved while maintaining an impressive economy rate of just 5.66.

During a discussion on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Vaughan made a bold claim, saying Bumrah is the finest bowler he has seen in all the years he has followed the game. The former England captain went as far as comparing the Indian speedster to global football superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, highlighting the kind of impact he can have on a team.“Put Jasprit Bumrah in England’s team and they win it,” he said.Former England batter Mark Butcher quickly agreed with the assessment.“I reckon if you put him in anybody’s team, they’ll win it.”“Exactly,” Vaughan added. “He’s probably like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo — those kinds of players.”However, the conversation took an interesting turn when former England cricketer David Lloyd reminded Vaughan of his earlier statement.“Didn’t you say he is the best bowler you have ever seen?” Lloyd asked.Vaughan stood firm on his opinion.“Yes, he is. You’ve got to remember that I started watching or studying cricket in 1985, and he’s the best I’ve seen.”Another former England captain, Alastair Cook, offered a slightly more measured perspective. While he acknowledged Bumrah as the leading multi-format bowler in world cricket today, Cook wondered whether the Indian pacer had produced a truly iconic match-winning spell in Test cricket.“Is he the best in terms of match-winning spells in Test cricket? Without a shadow of a doubt, he is the best all-format bowler around, I think. I mean, you can safely say that. But has he, like, in a Test match bowled a spell like an 8/15, or is he not that kind of bowler?” he asked.Vaughan, however, quickly defended Bumrah’s record.“I’ve seen him a bit in Australia. Some of the spells have been different — that too on flat decks.”Interestingly, statistics suggest Bumrah has indeed delivered several outstanding performances in the longest format. The Indian pacer has recorded eight or more wickets in a Test match on eight occasions, with six of those efforts coming on challenging overseas tours in England, South Africa and Australia. On three of those occasions, his performances also earned him the Player of the Match award.

BENGALURU: With the West Asia crisis escalating and recent Iranian strikes targeting the UAE, several IT companies and global capability centres (GCCs) have activated their business continuity plans (BCPs), introducing measures such as work-from-home, travel advisories and temporary office closures.Amid rising geopolitical uncertainty, many tech firms and GCCs are increasingly relying on India as a stable hub for global operations. Many are running mirror command centres from India to ensure operational continuity during disruptions.TCS, which has over 9,000 employees across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, has asked its staffers to work remotely. The company has activated a call tree, with associates in impacted and neighbouring regions being contacted on priority. A call tree is a structured chain-based communication method used to quickly relay alerts or critical updates to teams. “We are also coordinating closely with local authorities and the Indian embassies to track developments and will continue to provide timely updates as the situation evolves,” the company told TOI.Infosys has introducing tighter travel restrictions The company said only critical travel will be permitted for now, with group meetings, events, offsites and conferences currently restricted. Wipro, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and Standard Chartered have asked their employees to work from home, among others.

Vikram Ahuja, co-founder of ANSR, said organisations that were in the middle of setting up or expanding GCCs in the region have paused non-essential travel and executive visits as a precaution. “If the situation persists, we could actually see an acceleration of GCC ramp-ups in India as a stable anchor,” he said. Cognizant advises BYOF After Infosys, Cognizant has encouraged employees to adopt BYOF (Bring Your Own Food) wherever feasible, to reduce reliance on office cafeterias while it monitors the evolving situation linked to the West Asia crisis. Cognizant has pre-identified alternate food vendors that do not rely on commercial LPG. The company said the current situation does not indicate an immediate disruption but could evolve into a prolonged period of operational pressure. Transport services are another area being closely monitored. Email to employees noted a “moderate risk of service strain” in commute operations due to fuel cost escalation impacting cab and shuttle vendors.

NEW DELHI: As part of its tariff pressure, the US Trade Representative has launched a section 301 investigation against 15 countries, including India, to ascertain if there is structural excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors.Based on the outcome of the probe – which follows US Supreme Court’s rejection of Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff using emergency powers – the USTR can impose penalties on the countries whose policies are seen to be hurting American interests.While identifying solar modules, petrochemicals and steel among areas where India has “created significant excess capacity”, USTR Jamieson Greer said that the country’s trade surplus sectors include textiles, health, construction goods, and automotive goods.Probe aimed at reshoring critical supply chains: GreerGreer said, “The US will no longer sacrifice its industrial base to other countries that may be exporting their problems with excess capacity and production to us. Today’s investigations underscore President Trump’s commitment to reshore critical supply chains and create good-paying jobs for American workers across our manufacturing sectors.”“The Trump Administration’s reindustrialisation efforts continue to face significant challenges due to foreign economies’ structural excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors. Across numerous sectors, many US trading partners are producing more goods than they can consume domestically. This overproduction displaces existing US domestic production or prevents investment and expansion in US manufacturing production that otherwise would have been brought online. In many sectors, the US has lost substantial domestic production capacity or has fallen worryingly behind foreign competitors,” he said.Apart from India, the probe covers China, the European Union, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Mexico and Japan.

Mumbai: Domestic LPG dealer outlets are reporting a more than 100% surge in daily bookings as consumers fearing an impending shortage rush to secure supplies.Dealers said while commercial LPG supply has come to a complete halt, domestic LPG supply has not stopped. However, deliveries have slowed and what normally takes two days is now taking four to five days, and in some cases up to a week. But that may not explain the panic that appears to be setting in.Outlets which usually had bookings of around 1,000 a day now report more than 2,000. An agency in Vasai said daily bookings had jumped to nearly 4,000 from 1,000-1,200 last week. Many are customers who are trooping in before the mandatory 25-day gap required after a cylinder is delivered. Consumers queued up early on Thursday at dealer outlets in Mulund, Bhandup, Ghatkopar, Dadar, Girgaum, Vasai and Navi Mumbai, with many complaining that IVRS numbers, WhatsApp booking channels and other systems were either inaccessible or unresponsive. Dealers said nearly one in three customers are complaining that online or phone booking was not possible.Businessman Anwar Khan, who visited an LPG dealer from Bhandup, said, “People are unable to make bookings over the IVRS or any other number, WhatsApp, etc. I have been trying to book a cylinder since yesterday.” Dadar resident Sandeep Mhatre said he visited a dealer and was told delivery could take up to 7 days after booking due to the backlog. Homemaker Payal Mishra, who visited a dealer in Mulund West, said she had not received her cylinder despite booking it three days ago. A dealer, PrasanGas, who supplies BPCL cylinders in the eastern suburbs, said domestic users were being given priority and urged people not to believe rumours of a shutdown. “There is no stoppage in domestic supply, everyone will get a cylinder, the panic is needless,” he said. Several consumers were turned away because of the mandatory 25-day gap required for a fresh booking. Some dealers said booking would not be accepted during the interval. A woman who visited a Mulund dealer with her daughter said her family had no gas left to cook and feared they would have to turn to kerosene stoves or induction cooking until supplies arrived. (With inputs by Vishal Rajemahadik)

Anxiety over LPG shortage has spilled over to the domestic sector, fuelling panic bookings of cooking gas cylinders, while server glitches in the IVRS and other online booking systems are prompting people to queue up outside distribution agencies, compounding the chaos and fraying the nerves of consumers as well as suppliers across the country.Despite govt’s direction to prioritise domestic LPG, consumers said supplies on the ground remained uncertain. Dealers maintained that while commercial LPG supply has come to a complete halt, domestic LPG supply has not been stopped but deliveries have slowed sharply.Amid an unprecedented surge in bookings through digital platforms, including mobile apps and websites, servers crashed, making people across cities dash to dealer outlets to get their cylinders refilled.LPG booking system not built for heavy traffic: DistributorsConsumers across the country complained that IVRS numbers, WhatsApp channels and other LPG booking systems are either inaccessible or unresponsive, and repeated attempts ended with the same message — “server down”. Many, who had already placed orders, said they are receiving cancellation alerts.Women accompanied by young children, elderly residents clutching empty cylinders, and office-goers who had taken time off work were seen standing in long queues for hours outside LPG outlets in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Chennai and many other cities.Shashi Kant Sharma, vice-president of Federation of LPG Distributors of India, said the system was not built to handle such heavy traffic. “Bookings have risen tenfold, so the system has slowed. We are working on it at the backend,” he said.The Nagpur bench of Bombay HC on Thursday sought responses from Centre, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, and Confidence Petroleum India on a petition filed by six LPG distributors, who contended that continued LPG export amid a shortage in country runs contrary to govt’s March 9 direction imposing restrictions on export of essential commodities and mandating prioritisation of household supply.The crisis has prompted employers, after Infosys, to sound an alert to employees. Cognizant has encouraged employees to adopt ‘Bring Your Own Food’, wherever feasible. Hotels, restaurants, caterers, canteens, street vendors and other services continued to slim down menus, shut outlets and explore switching to alternatives.

As fighting between Iran and the United States continues to intensify, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has indicated that Tehran may be willing to return to negotiations, but only under strict conditions.Pezeshkian spoke with leaders from Russia and Pakistan over the past two days, signalling that diplomatic channels could reopen despite the ongoing war. According to Iranian officials, Tehran would consider renewed talks with Washington only if three key demands are met: recognition of Iran’s sovereign rights, reparations for damage caused during the conflict, and firm guarantees that future military aggression will not occur.

Iranian leaders have repeatedly said they are waiting for a response from the other side but remain deeply sceptical about Washington’s intentions. Officials in Tehran say years of confrontation and the current war have eroded trust in negotiations with the United States.

The comments come as the conflict between Iran, Israel and their allies continues to expand across the region, raising fears of a prolonged war with significant economic and humanitarian consequences.Violence has spread across the Gulf and the eastern Mediterranean in recent days. A container ship near the United Arab Emirates was struck by a projectile, sparking a small fire, though the crew were reported safe. In the vital Strait of Hormuz, three crew members remained trapped aboard a Thai bulk carrier that was hit while transiting the waterway, highlighting growing risks to global shipping routes.Regional tensions escalated further after authorities in Bahrain reported attacks on fuel tanks in Muharraq Governorate and urged residents to remain indoors as emergency crews battled fires. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted multiple drones targeting strategic areas, including one heading towards the Shaybah oil field. Kuwait also reported intercepting several drones.Israel said a fresh wave of Iranian missiles was launched toward its territory, prompting the deployment of air defence systems. In response, Israeli forces carried out what they described as “wide-scale” strikes in Tehran and against Hezbollah positions in Beirut. Lebanese authorities reported multiple casualties from Israeli strikes, including attacks on areas where displaced families had been sheltering.The fighting has also disrupted global energy markets. Attacks on shipping near the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most important oil transit routes — have pushed the price of Brent crude above $100 a barrel, raising concerns that the war could trigger wider economic instability.Meanwhile, Donald Trump insisted that US strikes had already severely weakened Iran, telling supporters that the country was “pretty much at the end of the line”.

The Hundred 2026 auction has finally concluded. It has been an exciting auction for the franchises. On Thursday, March 12, 2026, the Hundred (men’s competition) held its first-ever player auction at Piccadilly Lights in central London. The cricket league, which began in 2021, employed a draft system to assign players to franchises for the first five editions.

There have been new investors in the league, with some of the owners from the Indian Premier League (IPL) owning some stakes at the Hundred auction. The impact is immediate, with three teams changing their previous names to IPL-style names.

The Hundred gets new owners

Oval Invincibles are now known as MI London, Manchester Originals have become Manchester Super Giants, and Northern Superchargers are now Sunrisers Leeds. Only the Southern Braves have not changed their names, as it is owned by the GMR Group, which also owns the Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

Once they acquired the stakes, there were reports of a ban on Pakistan players from the auction. However, it did not happen; there were atotal of 63 to 67 Pakistan players (including both men and women) registered for the 2026 The Hundred draft/auction. However, only a select group of 14 Pakistani players were shortlisted for the final bidding process in the men’s auction.

Few Pakistan players were shortlisted

There was only one Pakistan player who withdrew from the auction was Pakistan ODI team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi. However, the other players who were registered were Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Zaman Khan, Usama Mir, Imad Wasim, Akif Javed, and Salman Mirza.

Among them, only two players were being sold in the auction. Usman Tariq and Abrar Ahmed are the two players to be sold at the auction. Tariq was the first player to be picked in the auction. He was picked by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000 during the auction.

Sunrisers Leeds shocks everyone after picking Abrar Ahmed

Abrar Ahmed was the second player to be picked in the auction by Sunrisers Leeds, for a price of £190,000, as it gained much attention, with the Sunrisers Leeds being a part of the SUN TV company, which also owns the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.

Except for the two players, Haris Rauf went unsold at the auction. Apart from them, no other players from Pakistan were even selected in the later part of the auction. James Coles became the highest-paid player at The Hundred. He was sold to the London Spirit for the upcoming season of The Hundred at a price tag of £390K.

List of Pakistan players who were sold and unsold at the Hundred Auction 2026

Also Read: Fans tolls Kavya Maran after Sunrisers Leeds sign Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed in the Hundred auction

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