JAIPUR: Sikkim didn’t win a match in the Vijay Hazare Trophy this season, but their three-week stint in Jaipur may still prove a turning point. Up against seven stronger sides in Elite Group C, the northeast team finished last, as expected. Yet, armed with the experience, they will go back with a clearer roadmap of what it will take to compete.Their defining moment arrived early. On Dec 24, under the lights at a packed Sawai Mansingh Stadium against mighty Mumbai, Rohit Sharma hit a blistering 155 off 94 balls against them.

Sikkim, however, refused to go down tamely and replied with 236, giving the underdogs something tangible to build on.“It was a dream day for the team. For every Sikkim player, playing against Rohit Sharma was a dream come true. It was also a moment of pride for us that we scored 236 against Mumbai in front of around 20,000 spectators,” said Sikkim coach Bikash Pradhan.Pradhan felt the campaign offered proof that the gap can be narrowed.“We put up a very good fight against Goa, Uttarakhand and Mumbai. Against Goa, we scored 247/7 while chasing a target of 310. It gave us a lot of confidence that we can also match some of the best teams if we can improve our local cricket,” he said.Much of that push, Sikkim believe, will come from facilities. Cricket is largely centred in Rangpo, where a floodlit ground has hosted BCCI matches for the last few years, with two more grounds being developed at the same premises.The momentum has also extended to the women’s team, which won the plate division of the BCCI Senior Women’s T20 Trophy — Sikkim’s first national title.“In a couple of months, we’ll have three grounds. We have six districts and if we improve facilities, we can conduct regular inter-district tournaments,” said Sikkim manager Rajen Gurung.“We will soon have indoor cricket facilities. BCCI is supporting us a lot.”With the Sikkim Cricket Association advertising for a professional coach and cricket director, captain Lee Yong Lepcha sounded hopeful.“If we can get a quality coach, nothing can stop us from being competitive,” he said.

Khawlhring Lalremruata (Image credit: X)

Former Mizoram Ranji Trophy cricketer K. Lalremruata passed away on Thursday, hours after collapsing during a local cricket match, officials confirmed. He was 38.A resident of Maubawk near Aizawl, Lalremruata was playing for Venghnuai Raiders Cricket Club (VRCC) in the second division screening tournament of the Khaled Memorial at the Suaka cricket ground near the Sairang railway station when the tragic incident occurred. According to the Cricket Association of Mizoram (CAM), Lalremruata suffered a stroke while the match was in progress and later succumbed despite being rushed for medical treatment.

The incident took place during a Khaled Memorial 2nd Division Screening Tournament match between Venghnuai Raiders CC and Chawnpui ILMOV CC. Lalremruata, who was representing VRCC, suddenly collapsed on the field while play was underway. He was immediately attended to and taken for medical care, but doctors were unable to save him.In a statement, the CAM confirmed the cause of death and expressed deep condolences to the bereaved family, calling it a significant loss for cricket in the state. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family; may God comfort them as they navigate this great loss,” the CAM said.Lalremruata represented Mizoram twice in the Ranji Trophy and seven times in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. A wicketkeeper by role, he made his First-Class debut against Meghalaya in 2018 and played his last competitive match in 2022 against Nagaland. Beyond the domestic circuit, he was also a familiar figure in Mizoram’s local cricket scene, having played for several clubs and served on the Senior Tournament Committee, contributing to the game’s development at the grassroots level.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also condoled his passing. “Deeply saddened by the passing of Mizoram cricketer K Lalremruata. He proudly represented Mizoram in the Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The BCCI extends heartfelt condolences, thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and the Mizoram cricket community,” BCCI Domestic posted on X.Mizoram’s Sports and Youth Services Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar mourned Lalremruata’s death, while the impact of the tragedy extended beyond the state. Following the incident, Assam Cricket cancelled all matches scheduled for Thursday, including games in the 2nd Division Screening Tournament at SCG, Sihhmui, the 3rd Division Screening Tournament semi-finals at Lawipu Playground, and the Samagra Inter-School Cricket Tournament for boys and girls at venues in Mualpui. Revised schedules will be announced later.

VADODARA: Clad in a sleeveless T-shirt despite the severe cold, Virat Kohli arrived at the Kotambi Stadium a couple of hours earlier than Team India. Kohli hit the nets immediately and hit some gorgeous drives as preparation for the first ODI against New Zealand here on Sunday.A couple of nets away, India’s ODI captain Shubman Gill was going through the paces, hitting the ball hard and appearing totally focused. All looked well with his game. With the likes of Kohli and Rohit Sharma still around in the ODI setup, Gill’s current situation is a reminder of the time a young Mohammad Azharuddin captained a starstudded Indian team.

The 26-year-old Gill is still very new to India’s Test and ODI captaincy and will look to pick up the pieces after being dropped from India’s T20I team despite being appointed as the side’s vice-captain just a few months ago. After training for a week in Mohali, Gill turned out for a solitary match for Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Jaipur, where he was dismissed for 11 against Goa.For the past two days here, though, Gill has made every effort to rediscover the kind of touch that saw him amassing 754 runs in five Tests in England last year. Those who know him closely swear by Gill’s work ethic and his zeal to bounce back after the T20I setback.“He’s mentally very strong. Such things happen in the life of a sportsperson. He’s not the type who will get affected. He knows he has to respond to such things with his bat,” said Arvinder Singh, the CEO of Gill’s IPL team Gujarat Titans.Ro-Ko set to ‘flag off’ Baroda ODIThe Baroda Cricket Association is making grand plans to mark the first-ever men’s ODI at the Kotambi Stadium with an event in which the star duo of Kohli and Rohit Sharma will ‘flag off ’ the match. The first ODI will mark the return of international cricket to Vadodara after almost 15 years. The last international in Vadodara, on Dec 4, 2010, was also played between India and New Zealand, with current head coach Gautam Gambhir hitting a century.

NEW DELHI: Wasim Akram stole the show during the Pakistan Super League’s franchise auction on Thursday, turning the high-stakes bidding war into a moment of levity with his trademark wit.As the PSL officially added two new teams ahead of the 2026 season, Akram — who conducted the auction — kept the atmosphere light even as millions were at stake. At one point, spotting a hesitant bidder, the Pakistan great quipped: “Balance toh khatam nahi ho gaya?”, drawing laughter from those present. Several journalists and social media users later identified the potential bidder as representatives of Jazz, Pakistan’s leading telecom service provider, who ultimately did not place a bid.The auction concluded with two successful bids, expanding the PSL to eight teams. OZ Developers, a real estate consortium, secured the Sialkot franchise for Rs 1.85 billion ($6.55 million/INR 58.38 crore), while US-based FKS Group won the Hyderabad team for Rs 1.75 billion ($6.2 million/INR 55.57 crore). Overall, the two franchises fetched $12.75 million (approximately INR 114 crore).The new teams will join the league when the next season begins on March 26.Multan Sultans, meanwhile, will be operated by the Pakistan Cricket Board for the upcoming season before being put up for sale after the PSL concludes in April. Former owner Ali Tareen, who had public differences with the PSL management, was eligible to bid but pulled out at the last moment from a pool of 10 approved bidders.Akram’s presence at the auction came amid recent debate sparked by his comments on league durations. Speaking at a PSL promotional event, the former fast bowler praised the league’s shorter window and took a swipe at longer tournaments.“The best thing about the league is that it is played for only about 34-35 days, maybe a little more next year. It’s not like three months, like the other league. Bacchey bade ho jate hain, woh league khatam hi nahi hoti. Foreign players, when they come to Pakistan, prefer to be here for 35-40 days. More than that – two-and-a-half to three months – is a bit too long for everyone. Even I get bored,” Akram said.He also cited Australia’s Big Bash League as an example of why shorter leagues work better.“Prime example is the BBL. They started off with two-and-a-half months. They realised after four or five years it wasn’t working. Now their duration is about 40 days. That’s it. That’s the beauty of the PSL. Of course, the talent. Everybody overseas, when I talk to them, they talk about bowling in the IPL and other leagues. They say the PSL, as far as talent is concerned, is definitely No. 1 because we have quality, not quantity,” he added.Akram’s comments triggered mixed reactions online, with many fans criticising the comparison — particularly given his long association with the Indian Premier League as both a coach and commentator.

Mustafizur Rahman (AFP Photo)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday offered its first response to the ongoing controversy surrounding Bangladesh’s request to play its T20 World Cup matches outside India. The BCCI top brass reviewed operations at its Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and also discussed plans to streamline India U-19 and India A tours going forward, board secretary Devajit Saikia told PTI.Following the meeting, Saikia was asked about Bangladesh approaching the International Cricket Council (ICC) to seek a shift of its T20 World Cup games out of India after the BCCI instructed IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Mustafizur Rahman from its roster amid the prevailing relations between the two countries.

Saikia responded: “The meeting was about CoE and other cricketing matters. It’s not our domain to talk about that (as the ICC has the final say on Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup).”The meeting, held in Mumbai, was also attended by BCCI president Mithun Manhas, vice-president Rajeev Shukla and head of cricket at the CoE VVS Laxman. Several key technical positions at the CoE, which became fully operational in April last year, remain vacant, including the roles of head of education and head of sports science.“We assessed the vacancies at CoE and decided to go ahead with the recruitment process soon. There is an acute shortage of technical personnel worldwide, but we are trying to fill the positions at the earliest,” Saikia said.Reviewing the operations at the CoE and outlining the way forward, Saikia added: “We thought it was an appropriate time to review the preparations and activities of CoE.“We are hosting matches on the three grounds there (including the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy). We also talked about how the A tours need to be scheduled going forward.“In certain situations, the A side and senior team are touring together at the same time. We need to ensure that there is no overlap. An A tour is an important supply line of cricketers,” said the cricketer-turned-lawyer from Assam.

SA20 Commissioner Graeme Smith during the Betway SA20 Captain’s day prior to the start of season 4. Held at the Westin Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa on the 23rd December 2025. (Photo credit: Shaun Roy / Sportzpics for SA20)

TimesofIndia.com in Durban: SA20 is in the middle of its fourth edition and the league commercially is having its best edition till date. The stadiums are full, investors are happy and the league is growing from strength to strength with every match. With hundreds, hat-tricks, Super Over and tight contests, quality of cricket has been right up there and League Commissioner Graeme Smith is very happy to see the progress. In an interaction on the sidelines of a fixture in Durban, the former South Africa captain opens up on the commercial success, support of IPL franchises, role of Cricket South Africa and more.

Excerpts:

This season has been very unlike in the past in terms of rain interruptions. Has that been a challenge?

I think firstly, we’ve seen growth in the first two weeks. Viewership, crowd attendance, atmosphere, and cricket has been good. So I think that was really exciting. Unfortunately, you can’t always predict these things, and when these unseasonal types of fronts come through certain parts of South Africa, it’s a challenge, especially when you’ve got a game a day and you’re moving around the country. But I think right now we’ve just got to stay positive. There’s a lot of cricket still left to be played. We’re only halfway really in the season.And the tension and the atmosphere, and I can just feel in the mind of people that are talking, wanting to come to games. Even one or two washed out games, watching how the crowds haven’t left, it shows you that the product I think has really stepped up another level this year.

SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith during an event ahead of Season 4 of SA20, South Africa’s premier T20 franchise league, in Mumbai.

As a League Commissioner and administrator, what markers do you look at to evaluate success.

I don’t know if I like the word administrator, but, you know, I mean, obviously we’re always following metrics. I think for us, ticketing is a big one. So we’ve seen a big increase in ticketing. I think we’ve four more sold-out games already than we were at the same point last year. Over 27 or 28% increase in ticketing in the first half of the season. Viewership is up in India, viewership is up here.Digital growth is up. The other metrics that’s important for me is always got to be the cricket. The pitches have been slightly better on a consistent level than they were last year. We’ve seen closer games, super overs, hundreds, hat-tricks, and, a number of last over finishes. For me the quality of cricket has been excellent this year. I’m hoping that over the next two weeks we’ll really see the same or even get better.

Do you think the SA20 now needs more teams from next season?

I don’t know if it requires it. The decision’s got to be that it’s got to add value. Outside IPL, we’ve seen other leagues get bigger and struggle, over longer periods. We also work very closely with Cricket South Africa on the future tours programmes and making sure that there’s enough international cricket happening around the SA20. There’s definitely interest in being a part of the league.

SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith during an event ahead of Season 4 of SA20, South Africa’s premier T20 franchise league, in Mumbai.

That’s not the issue. The issue is just what is right for the league going forward and when is the right time to add more teams. After the 27 World Cup, you know, the FTP, then it’s a little bit easier to work with. There’s more, space to work and manoeuvre if you want to grow the number of games, extend the league by another 20 games. You need another two, three weeks or whatever it is. I think post 2027 27, in the new cycle, we’ll work with Cricket South Africa and see what’s the best way forward.

SA20 has got global attention, what are the plans to sustain momentum?

Look, that’s always the case. There’s always, in the southern hemisphere, a lot of cricket on the go. Just look at India now. Women’s Premier League starts and there’s an Indian vs New Zealand series. We’ve been up against the Ashes and all that sort of stuff. I think the one thing about being here since the beginning is we’ve always built that way.We’ve never had a clean window. We’ve always had to build up against ILT20 or against, a busy southern hemisphere. And I think we’ve proven to be successful in that climate. You know, so our brains don’t work like that. Our brains are focused on, like, developing the best product. Making sure that people enjoy it, that cricket’s competitive, that the fans are filling the stadiums and having a great time.And hopefully we get some great sunshine in the next two weeks to really help with that momentum. I think the game every day and close games, we see, when we have two or three good games close together, how you can feel the tension shift and change. And, hopefully we’ll get that run of games now.

(L-R) Mark Boucher, SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith, Paarl Royals player David Miller, Joburg Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis, former Australian cricketer Tom Moody, and South African cricketer Hashim Amla during an event as they gear up for Season 4 of SA20, South Africa’s premier T20 franchise league, in Mumbai.

How much impact does SA20 have on the social critical scenario of South Africa as a community builder?

Well, I mean, we have obviously our social partners like Laureus where we’re investing in communities. I think the most important thing is that we’re also delivering money back to Cricket South Africa, which flows into growing the game. We, as SA20, have invested in our own development programmes as well. So we have SA20 schools, which is girls and boys in our over 700 schools.And then from an economy perspective, last year we brought over R4 billion to the economy, created 8,500 jobs. So those are some really great metrics in a very young product. You know, we’re delivering almost a world event every year in this country. From that perspective, I think being just around four years old now, I think we’ve done some amazing work around the social aspect of South Africa.

Do you see SA20 has come to a stage where it is changing the lives of cricketers who are coming from backgrounds where they did not have money to play cricket. Now they are in, you know, SA20 playing. Say someone like Mokoena who was spotted.

Graeme Smith Commissioner of SA20 during match 14 of the Betway SA20 season 4 between Pretoria Capitals (PC) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) held at the Supersport Park Stadium in Centurion , South Africa on the 5th January 2026. (Photo Credit: Arjun SIngh / Sportzpics for SA20)

I mean, it’s great. I actually watched his interview last night. Just listening to him, his first experience bowling at the Wanderers in a high-pressure game, and he’s done extremely well. He’s been throwing the ball in some of the most high-pressure moments as a young man. It’s great to see him coming through last year. I think credit to our franchises that have really got behind the youth programme that we’ve tried. The rookies have started now in the U23. I think IPL franchises are good at attracting youth and backing them.I think we’ve seen that in India. We see it here as well. And, you know, a lot more players are getting an opportunity to be recognised on a global stage. I was looking at it the other day. Over 10 years, you know, the player salaries will probably be close to a billion rand, if you take it over the 10-year period. And that’s a huge, huge uplift in South African cricket ecosystem for players. I think now as a youngster coming through, the cricket dream or from a job perspective, it’s looking highly strong for youngsters that want to make it or play.

What has been the biggest challenge as a League Commissioner? Identifying and freezing a window?

We’ve been pretty consistent in our window. I think this year is an anomaly. We normally, every year we start at January 9 and 10 after the New Year’s Test match and we run for those couple of weeks after that. This year because of South Africa being in India up until the 20th of December and the World Cup in February and there wasn’t any international cricket in the window.

SA20 captain’s and league commissioner Graeme Smith with the trophy (SA20 | X)

So, it made sense for us to start slightly earlier. But outside that, our window will generally always be the same, depending on when the New Year’s Test match starts and run for a couple of weeks after that. In terms of plugs, I think for us, what we’ve realised is a lot of what we’ve done has been really good and it’s about making sure we hit those same markers every year. Obviously, they’re improving. I think we would love to see the pool of South African players get bigger.So, now we’re starting to see across the six teams that the South African group of players are getting really strong. If you want to start adding more teams and stuff into the future, you need to start looking at another 20, 25 high-quality players that make sure when we add new franchises that there’s enough depth to make sure that the league remains equally competitive. And then, you know, for us, commercially, we’re having our strongest year. You know, we’re seeing corporate South Africa get behind us. Global broadcasters as well. So, I think it’s about now just making sure you go from strength to strength.

With regards to the investors and the IPL team owners here in SA20, you reckon it was very important to have patience from them because they are coming from a big, giant league?

I think having six IPL franchises for us has been amazing. I know not every other league has all IPL, but for us it’s been amazing because they’re equally competitive, they want to win, they invest in players. They’re highly driven to be successful. I think they’ve also had the patience to learn. So, when they move into a new region, they’ve had to learn about South Africa, learn about ticketing, hospitality, the way fans operate, you know, the culture as well.

Graeme Smith during match 15 of the Betway SA20 season 4 between MI Cape Town (MICT) and The Joburg Super Kings (JSK) held at the Newlands Cricket Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa on the 6th January 2026 (Photo credit: Ron Gaunt / Sportzpics for SA20)

But they’ve brought excellence to South African cricket, and that has been a huge asset. They bring excellence to the table and they push you. And that helps everyone get better.

One of the most important success factors of the new franchise leagues is the presence of superstars from other countries. In the last four years, has the SA20 developed as a viable alternative for the global players?

Obviously these things, not being in a clean window, are always FTP-related. You know, like Ben Stokes was under contract, but the Ashes is happening, he doesn’t come back, he gets replaced. And a poor owner, right. So, I think what you want is for those top players in your window to, if they’re not playing international cricket, to want to be here.And I think that’s the message we’re getting back from them. That they really love coming here, it’s highly competitive cricket. Obviously, it’s a great place to be over the summer, and there’s crowds, and it’s fun. Hopefully, also credit to the franchises. I think they play a huge role in attracting the international talent as well.

Sourav Ganguly is head coach of Pretoria Capitals this season. How has it been having him around?

No, we hope to get more and more, you know. There’s some great friends that we have in India. And like I say, we’ve worked closely with the BCCI as well.

Former cricketer Sourav Ganguly at an event, in Kolkata, West Bengal.

They’ve been really supportive in helping us make some key decisions over the years in terms of building the product. But, you know, to have Dada, you know, is a highlight. And I know, having chatted to him a number of times through the year, how seriously he’s taking this, and he wants to do well.He’s a competitive man. With the Capitals franchise, he has a big influential role. Now, coaching, so he’s put himself in the hot seat. I hope the rest of the season goes well for him. It’s been a huge asset to have people like him, Kumar Sangakkara, Stephen Fleming come out here for our players and also for the status of the league.

Keeping the game and the league clean. Has that been a big area of attention?

You can’t control everything. We do invest a lot of money in making sure that our anti-corruption units are strong, working with the ICC, best practise. We’ve had a very strong anti-corruption team here. We educate players on everything… We’ve seen a strong influence in the drug-free sport.We’ve seen anti-corruption. So we do all the educational stuff pre-tournament, constantly follow up on it. Make sure there’s good policing units around. And you’re right. It is a risk to your league. So that’s why we spend a lot of money making sure that we’re doing everything we can to protect the integrity of the game.

Do you see on the horizon where an exhibition match or two, three matches, like women’s SA20 getting started some way?

I do. I really do. I’ve said over the last few years, Cricket South Africa started a domestic women’s programme, I think it was two years ago. We’ve invested in the schools and, you know, trying to grow the depth of the women’s game here. You know, I think how it starts, I’m not sure yet. I think that’ll be a bit, you know, the Cricket South Africa CEO has come out and said that it’s time now. So, I think post this tournament, we will all sit down and figure out what that step looks like. But absolutely, it will be one of the major discussions post season four.

Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan Super League trophy. (Image: X)

NEW DELHI: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) took a decisive step towards expansion on Thursday, inducting two new franchises ahead of the 2026 season — but the price tags attached underlined the stark financial gap between the PSL and the Indian Premier League (IPL).Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!A real estate consortium and a US-based aviation and healthcare conglomerate won the bids for the two new teams at a combined price of $12.75 million (approximately INR 114 crore). OZ Developers secured the Sialkot franchise for PKR 1.85 billion ($6.55 million), while the FKS Group from the United States picked Hyderabad after a successful bid of PKR 1.75 billion ($6.2 million).

With these additions, the PSL will expand from six to eight teams when the season begins on March 26, marking a new phase in the league’s growth strategy. However, the auction figures have sparked discussion across the cricketing world for a different reason — the dramatic contrast with IPL valuations.Each of the new PSL teams was sold for roughly INR 56–59 crore, a figure that is almost identical to the combined IPL salaries of Shreyas Iyer (INR 26.75 crore) and Rishabh Pant (INR 27 crore). In fact, the combined cost of the two new PSL franchises is still lower than the INR 118 crore spent on just the top nine players at the IPL 2026 auction.

The contrast becomes even sharper when placed against IPL franchise sales. The two IPL expansion teams added in 2021 were sold for INR 5,625 crore and INR 7,090 crore respectively — nearly 100 to 125 times the price of a new PSL franchise on a like-for-like basis. Even when adjusted for inflation, the IPL’s original 2008 franchise fees would today sit in the INR 900–1,500 crore range, still vastly higher than PSL’s latest numbers.Meanwhile, former Multan Sultans owner Ali Khan Tareen stayed away from the auction despite being eligible to bid. Explaining his decision on social media, Tareen reiterated that his association with the PSL was rooted in representing South Punjab. “When the Multan team is being sold, we’ll be ready,” he wrote.For now, Multan Sultans will be run by the Pakistan Cricket Board this season before being put up for sale after the PSL concludes in April.

Tamim Iqbal has urged Bangladesh Cricket Board to avoid being driven by “public emotion”.

NEW DELHI: Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal has urged the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to tread carefully amid the uncertainty over the national team’s participation in next month’s T20 World Cup in India, warning that decisions taken in haste and driven by “public emotion” could have long-term consequences for Bangladesh cricket.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Bangladesh have expressed reluctance to travel to India for the tournament, scheduled to begin on February 7, and have sought a venue shift to co-host Sri Lanka citing security concerns. The issue escalated after pacer Mustafizur Rahman was released from his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders on instructions of the BCCI, citing unspecified reasons, amid reports of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.

“The situation is a bit critical at the moment, and making a sudden comment right now is difficult,” Tamim was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. “But one thing you must keep in mind is that many issues can often be resolved through dialogue if everyone comes together.”Tamim stressed that the broader standing and future of Bangladesh cricket must remain central to any decision. “You have to consider where Bangladesh stands in world cricket and what the future of Bangladesh cricket could be and then make decisions accordingly,” he said.READ ALSO: ‘Ball in Bangladesh’s court’: Indian govt assures warm welcome to all nations for T20 World CupHis comments come at a time when sports ministry advisor Asif Nazrul has taken a hard-line stance on a venue change, invoking national pride, while reports suggest the Aminul Islam Bulbul-led BCB is not entirely aligned internally.“We consider the Bangladesh Cricket Board an independent body,” Tamim said. “Of course, the government plays a very big role, and discussions with the government are necessary. But if we consider the BCB an independent body, then it must also have the authority to make its own decisions.”

Tamim cautioned against reacting to crowd sentiment. “Public opinion will always vary. When we play, spectators say many things driven by emotion. But if you start making decisions based on all that, you cannot run such a big organisation,” he said. “Today’s decisions will have an impact ten years down the line.”The 36-year-old also criticised the stream of daily public statements from officials. “After taking a final decision and completing internal discussions, that decision should then be communicated publicly,” he said. “If you announce every step publicly, it creates unnecessary uncertainty.”Tamim concluded by urging calm and clarity. “Whatever the final decision is, I only hope that Bangladesh cricket’s interests are prioritised above everything else.”

NEW DELHI: Former India opener Aakash Chopra has made a strong case for Shreyas Iyer’s immediate inclusion in the T20I squad, insisting the middle-order batter should be the “automatic” replacement for Tilak Varma, who has been ruled out of the opening matches of the series against New Zealand due to an abdominal injury.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Tilak’s absence has opened up a key slot in India’s middle order ahead of a packed white-ball calendar and the T20 World Cup, which begins on February 7. With India in need of stability and experience in the middle order, Chopra believes the selectors need not look too far.

“Who can it be? Shreyas Iyer. ‘Sarpanch’ sahab should be picked automatically,” Chopra said on X. “He is already playing well and scored in the Vijay Hazare Trophy too. Even when Iyer was not picked in the Asia Cup, it felt slightly unfair, but it was understandable. But there is an opportunity for a middle-order role here. He is also an experienced player and set the IPL on fire. He fits the bill, and Shreyas Iyer gets my vote.”Backing his argument further, Chopra pointed out that India do not require additional openers. “India does not need an opener. So no Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. India need a middle-order batter,” he said, underlining why Iyer stands out as the most logical choice.

Chopra did acknowledge alternative options but placed them firmly behind Iyer. “Riyan Parag could also be one candidate. He was part of the T20I side before and can also bowl. If India is looking for a multi-skilled player, Parag could be that guy,” Chopra said. “But my vote is for Shreyas Iyer. I would place Parag at No.2.” Jitesh Sharma, he added, might have an outside chance, though India “do not need three wicketkeepers” in the squad.Meanwhile, the BCCI has confirmed that Tilak Varma underwent surgery for an abdominal issue in Rajkot on Wednesday, January 7. He was discharged from hospital on Thursday morning and is scheduled to fly back to Hyderabad on Friday. The board said the batter is currently stable and progressing well.