Mohammed Shami (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)

Sunrisers Hyderabad traded Mohammed Shami to Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 10 crore before this season. On Sunday, he repaid them back with interest, ripping out Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma in the Powerplay with a masterclass in skill and deception.Shami began over the wicket to Head, a line that hinted at predictability. The Australian, expecting the ball to shape away, set up accordingly. Instead, the first three deliveries jagged back in: tight and invasive, cramping him for room. By the fourth, when Shami finally sent one across on a perfect length, Head was content to nudge it to get off strike. Against Sharma, the bluff took shape. Shami shifted deep third man to deep point, hinting at width outside off stump. Shami, however, bowled a searing yorker, speared at Sharma’s leg stump. Then came the flourish. In the final ball of the opening over, another fielder was pushed to the off side, reinforcing the idea of width. Shami did bowl wide, but it was a cutter. Sharma, through with the short early, was caught at short third for a duck. The hook was baited.

Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bat vs KKR at Eden Gardens (BCCI/IPL Photo)

NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane faced heavy criticism on Monday after opting to bat first in a rain-threatened clash against Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens. In matches with rain forecasts, captains usually prefer to field first to have clarity on the target in a shortened game. However, Rahane’s decision did not go down well with many, including legendary Anil Kumble and former India cricketers Ravichandran Ashwin and Saba Karim.According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the rain was triggered by a low-pressure trough stretching from Bihar to Manipur, passing over North Bengal, Assam and Bangladesh, leading to moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal.“Thunderstorms with lightning and rain may occur in most districts of South Bengal. From Sunday to Thursday, scattered rainfall is likely across the state, with higher intensity on Tuesday and Wednesday,” the IMD said.Despite these conditions, Rahane’s decision to bat first drew criticism from former cricketers.“I am surprised that Rahane won the toss and chose to bat first. On a pitch like this, where there’s some rain around, ideally, you would want to field first,” Kumble said on the JioHotstar broadcast during the rain break.Ashwin took to social media and posted a sarcastic remark.“When you know it’s going to be a rain affected game, with an inexperienced bowling attack at your disposal, you choose to bat first. Interesting thought process. #ipl2026,” Ashwin wrote.“I cannot understand this call. I cannot wrap my head around it,” Saba said.Former Bengal batter Shreevats Goswami wrote: “Very surprised to see Rahane winning the toss & electing to bat first on a overcast condition. Bit of a shocker there. Immediately you can see swing and 2 caught behinds. Very very brave call. #kkr,” he said.Rain then interrupted Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL match against Punjab Kings, with the home side struggling at 25 for 2 in 3.4 overs amid steady drizzle that later intensified into a thunderstorm.Opting to bat, KKR – still searching for their first win of the season – were jolted early as Xavier Bartlett struck twice in the span of three balls.Showing excellent control over swing and seam, the Australian pacer dismissed KKR’s two key overseas batters Finn Allen (6) and Cameron Green (4), who had been promoted to No. 3.Green, the highest-paid overseas player at Rs 25.20 crore, endured another poor outing, having earlier scored 18 against Mumbai Indians and 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, as KKR’s struggles continued following two opening losses.Skipper Rahane (8) and young wicketkeeper-batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi (7), who has been KKR’s most consistent performer this season with back-to-back fifties, were attempting to rebuild when persistent drizzle forced the umpires to halt play at 7:45 pm.With Eden Gardens equipped with full ground covers, the groundstaff moved swiftly to cover the entire field.

Yuvraj Singh and Ravi Shastri (Image credit: Agencies)

NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer on Monday came out in support of former India allrounder Yuvraj Singh, who recently revealed that he did not receive clear communication from then captain Virat Kohli, head coach Ravi Shastri and selectors while reflecting on his retirement.In a recent interview with Sports Tak, Yuvraj, who played 40 Tests, 304 ODIs and 58 T20Is, said he did not receive proper communication from Kohli and Shastri and had to approach MS Dhoni for clarity about his future.Taking to X, Jaffer, who played alongside Yuvraj, backed the allrounder and criticised the Indian team management, the BCCI and the selectors.“Earlier players used to find out in newspapers if their career is over or not, although things have gotten better in terms of communication still if a big player like @YUVSTRONG12 who’s won India two WC says he wasn’t communicated then that’s not right. Communication should be there. #Indiancricket”, Jaffer said.

Naseem Shah (Image credit: X)

NEW DELHI:It appears that Pakistan’s star pacer Naseem Shah and trouble are going hand in hand. First, he was handed a hefty fine for his comments about a politician on social media – narrowly avoiding a ban – and now fresh concerns around his fitness that ruled him out of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).Beyond behavioural issues, his fitness worries have continued to mount, something that has not gone down well with the Pakistan Cricket Board.Naseem is likely to face action from the Pakistan Cricket Board over both his fitness concerns and his conduct. He will be required to undergo an extensive rehabilitation programme under the supervision of the medical panel.He was fined what is believed to be the largest penalty in Pakistan cricket history – PKR 20 million (approximately USD 72,000) – after criticising Punjab’s chief minister, Maryam Nawaz, in a tweet.“Naseem suffered a side strain during Rawalpindi’s match against Karachi Kings on Thursday and missed the team’s last match, which has raised serious questions over his fitness,” sources told www.telecomasia.net“Naseem’s rise has been stunted by off-field behaviour, his excessive attention to advertisements and podcasts, which has derailed his career. He also missed the 2023 ODI World Cup due to fitness issues, which are blots in his career,” Telecom Asia Sport said, quoting sources.“Naseem will appear before the medical panel under Dr Javed Mughal in the next couple of days, as the selection committee is also not happy with his frequent fitness issues,” sources added.Naseem had suffered an injury during Pakistan’s disappointing 2026 T20 World Cup campaign and was subsequently ruled out of the tour of Bangladesh.He was also demoted to the ‘C’ category in the central contracts list last year.

NEW DELHI: Searching for their first win of the IPL 2026 season, Kolkata Knight Riders opted to bat first against Shreyas Iyer‘s Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Monday.KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and decided to bat first at Eden Gardens.KKR made two changes in their playing XI, and neither of their two mystery spinners, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, made it to the team. “We are going to bat first. Looks like a good wicket, a little bit of the drier side, but it’s a very good wicket and slightly less covering of grass as well. It’s all about having that belief and confidence. It’s about winning those small moments. We are confident. Two changes, forced. Varun Chakaravarthy got injured taking the catch in the last game and Narine isn’t playing. Powell and Saini are in,” Rahane said at the toss.Meanwhile, PBKS went with the same team.“I was supposed to bowl as well. So kind of happy with the decision he took. Our (Shreyas and Ponting) chemistry blossomed from our Delhi Capitals days. He gives freedom to all the youngsters and he is an inspiration himself. Same team for us,” PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer said. TeamsPunjab Kings (Playing XI): Prabhsimran Singh(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Cooper Connolly, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra ChahalKolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Navdeep Saini, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik TyagiImpact subs listPunjab Kings Impact subs: Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Pravin Dubey, Harpreet BrarKolkata Knight Riders Impact subs: Blessing Muzarabani, Manish Pandey, Tejasvi Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Saurabh Dubey

NEW DELHI: In a big boost for the Mumbai Indians, their captain Hardik Pandya will be available for the IPL 2026 clash against the Rajasthan Royals at the ACA Stadium in Barsapara, Guwahati, the franchise’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey confirmed on Monday.“He will be available, he had a good couple of hours of net session yesterday. He is fit and fine. Just to clarify, Hardik wasn’t injured, he was unwell, that’s why he missed the game,” Mambrey said in the pre-match press conference.Pandya, a key figure in the side, missed MI’s previous outing due to illness, and his absence proved costly in their six-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals on Saturday.While India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav stepped in to lead and ensured continuity, the five-time IPL champions missed Pandya’s all-round abilities on a tacky surface.His absence also forced a rejig in the combination. Deepak Chahar, drafted in for the game, delivered a tidy spell, but the decision to bring in pace all-rounder Corbin Bosch in place of seasoned left-arm pacer Trent Boult backfired, with the South African leaking runs.Despite picking two wickets early in the second essay, MI couldn’t prevent DC from chasing down the 163-run target with eleven balls and six wickets to spare.Shardul Thakur, who starred with the ball in their opening game, was expensive in the last outing, while the ever-reliable Jasprit Bumrah has been economical but is yet to open his account this season.In the spin department, Mitchell Santner justified his selection ahead of Afghan mystery spinner Allah Ghazanfar and is likely to retain his place.The MI bowlers, however, will need to raise their game against a Rajasthan top order that has been in excellent form so far.RR openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi have provided explosive starts, with Dhruv Jurel then building on the momentum.New skipper Riyan Parag is yet to make a significant contribution with the bat but will take confidence from his leadership, particularly his tactical decisions at the death that guided the Royals to a thrilling win over the Gujarat Titans.Among the bowlers, Tushar Deshpande and Ravi Bishnoi have been impressive.Bishnoi has emerged as the joint leading wicket-taker with five scalps from two matches, marking a strong turnaround after a challenging 2025 season following which he worked on multiple aspects of his game.Deshpande, meanwhile, showcased his death-bowling skills by successfully defending 10 runs in the final over against the Titans, conceding just four with a series of pinpoint yorkers.With Mumbai, currently sixth on the points table, seeking to bounce back and second placed Rajasthan riding a wave of confidence, the contest’s result could hinge on how effectively MI’s bowlers handle the Royals’ in-form top order.