Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Vikram Rathour (Image credit: BCCI/RR/IPL)

NEW DELHI: ‘See the ball and tonk the ball’ – that’s the approach young batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi follows against any opponent and any bowler in the world. As Rajasthan Royals gear up to face Mumbai Indians in a mouth-watering clash in Guwahati, the spotlight has once again shifted to the 15-year-old sensation, with much of the discussion centred around how he will tackle world-class pacer Jasprit Bumrah.Ahead of the clash, the Rajasthan Royals team management chalked out a plan on a board, leading to a light-hearted moment.Sooryavanshi, who was looking at the board with Vikram Rathour, Rajasthan Royals’ batting coach, by his side, started with: “Koi to akele batting karega hi na, toh mai kar leta hun akele batting.”After Rathour nodded, Sooryavanshi added: “Aree 5 minute kam kar lunga sir,”.He then began teasing Siddhartha Lahiri, Rajasthan Royals’ performance coach, who was writing the batting plan on the board.“Your game plan is correct,” Sooryavanshi said.Lahiri jokingly replied: “Isko nikalo pehle mere paas se”.Rajasthan Royals will be aiming to register a third consecutive win when they take on five-time champions Mumbai Indians on Tuesday.Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, will be looking to bounce back after their loss to Delhi Capitals.Sooryavanshi has carried his form from last season into the current one.In two innings so far this season, he has scored 83 runs at an average of 41.50 and a strike rate of 237.14, with a 17-ball 52 against Chennai Super Kings as his best score. He has also carried his rich form from the U19 World Cup-winning campaign this year, where he scored 444 runs in seven innings at an average of 62.71 and a strike rate of 169.50, including a century and three fifties.Squads:Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Brijesh Sharma, Ravi Singh, Shubham Dubey, Adam Milne, Dasun Shanaka, Kuldeep Sen, Sushant Mishra, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Kwena Maphaka, Vignesh Puthur, Aman Rao PeralaMumbai Indians Squad: Ryan Rickelton(w), Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Corbin Bosch, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Markande, Trent Boult, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Quinton de Kock, Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Raghu Sharma, Atharva Ankolekar, AM Ghazanfar, Danish Malewar, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar.

Aminul Islam Bulbul, and Tamim Iqbal

NEW DELHI: The Bangladesh government on Tuesday appointed former cricketer Tamim Iqbal as the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), and dissolved the current board of directors of the country’s cricketing body.The current president of BCB, Aminul Islam Bulbul, has been removed by the country’s National Sports Council (NSC), which formed an ad-hoc committee to run the day-to-day affairs till fresh elections are held.This development comes days after the BCB reached out to BCCI requesting the revival of bilateral ties.Tamim, 37, is the youngest BCB chief and will lead an 11-member ad-hoc committee that includes former Bangladesh captain Minhajul Abedin and former cricketer and TV commentator Athar Ali Khan.As per a report by news agency PTI, Bulbul was removed primarily due to the fiasco during the T20 World Cup where erstwhile interim government advisor Asif Nazrul didn’t allow the national team to visit India for the global event.Nazrul’s stand was to shift Bangladesh’s games from Kolkata and Mumbai to Sri Lanka as a mark of protest for removal of Mustafizur Rahaman from the IPL.During the whole issue, Bulbul was a mere bystander and over the past few days, six directors of the BCB resigned because of him.Former Bangladesh skipper and country’s greatest opener Tamim Iqbal has been named as head of the 11-member ad-hoc committee, whose duty would be to hold the cricket board’s election in the next 90 days (three months).According to NSC Director Aminul Ehsan, the decision to dissolve the current BCB board and put forth an ad-hoc committee has been informed to the International Cricket Council (ICC).While the ICC charter doesn’t allow government or external interference in board matters, it is unlikely that the global body will ban the Bangladesh board as a timeline to hold the elections has already been announced by the NSC.The 11 member ad-hoc committee comprise Tamim Iqbal (president), Athar Ali Khan, Rashna Imam, Mirza Yasir Abbas, Syed Ibrahim Ahmed, Minhazul Abedin Nannu, Ishrafil Khusroo, Tanzim Choudhury, Salman Ispahani, Rafiqul Islam, Fahim Sinha.

NEW DELHI: Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has sparked a fresh debate in IPL 2026, urging the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to crack down on players who do not fully perform their designated roles — with KKR all-rounder Cameron Green emerging as a talking point for not bowling due to workload concerns.In his column for Sportstar, Gavaskar questioned the growing trend of all-rounders featuring purely as batters, despite being picked for their dual skillsets. “A bowler can bowl only four overs in a match… what is stopping them from doing so in the game?” he wrote, in a stinging critique of workload management narratives.‘If not fit, don’t play’Gavaskar made it clear that players who are not fully fit should step aside before the tournament begins. “It is only fair that a player not fit from day one should withdraw and give the franchise the chance to pick someone else,” he stated.The former India captain dismissed the argument that franchises were informed in advance. “To suggest that the franchise was ‘informed before’ is not a great excuse,” he added, questioning the timing and transparency of such disclosures. After Ajinkya Rahane’s jibe of “ask CA” over Cameron Green not bowling, Cricket Australia issued a clarification, stating that the franchise had been informed beforehand about the situation.His remarks come amid criticism of teams like Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have struggled with bowling combinations, partly due to key players not being available to bowl.‘Time for BCCI to step in’Drawing parallels with existing rules, Gavaskar suggested stricter intervention from the BCCI. “Maybe the BCCI needs to step in and… introduce something similar for players who are not available from the first game,” he wrote, referring to the two-year ban imposed on overseas players who pull out after being bought at auctions.He stressed that franchises, which invest heavily in players, deserve complete commitment. “Don’t the franchises… deserve full commitment?” he asked, highlighting the financial and emotional investment teams make.

Other cricket boards milking money for IPL NOCs

Gavaskar further disclosed that the IPL has not only been lucrative for overseas players but has also turned into a significant revenue stream for their respective cricket boards. A lesser-known aspect is that boards receive around 10% of a player’s auction fee as part of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) process.The scale of earnings is substantial. As per Gavaskar, in recent seasons, 16 Australian players have been signed for a combined Rs 121.65 crore, while 12 English players have fetched Rs 68 crore. New Zealand’s 12 players have earned over Rs 33 crore, South Africa’s 17 players around Rs 71 crore, and eight West Indies players close to Rs 59 crore. These figures translate into sizeable returns for their respective boards.What makes this arrangement stand out is its uniqueness. No other T20 league globally shares player auction revenues with cricket boards in this manner.