Kolkata Knight Riders player Cameron Green in action during the Indian Premier League 2026 Twenty20 cricket match against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on May 08, 2026.
| Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP

Gujarat Titans’ Kagiso Rabada during the practice session ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) – 2026 cricket match against Rajasthan Royals (RR), at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Rajasthan on Friday, May 8, 2026.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Akash Parkar.
| Photo Credit: File photo

India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav, head coach Gautam Gambhir and Ramesh Mhamunkar, chief curator of Wankhede Stadium, near the playing surface on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI

Jammu & Kashmir put Karnataka through the wringer again as it reached 527 for six at stumps on day two of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy final at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium here on Wednesday.

It wasn’t a display of unqualified control and superiority but more like how weaver ants are super-efficient in their team work.

There were half-centuries for skipper Paras Dogra (70, 166b, 8×4), Kanhaiya Wadhawan (70, 109b, 9×4) and Sahil Lotra (57 batting, 93b, 7×4) as J & K added 243 runs to its overnight total before a combination of bad light and a drizzle brought an end to the proceedings 40 minutes before scheduled close.

The morning began under partially cloudy skies and the previous night’s rain appeared to have rendered the outfield a tad sluggish. The Karnataka bowlers kept it tight, not allowing a boundary for nearly 40 minutes, as V. Vyshak bowled four straight maidens.

Though Abdul Samad pulled Vyshak for a four, it was far from pressure-releasing. Centurion Shubham Pundir (121, 247b, 12×4, 2×6) and Samad (61, 104b, 6×4, 1×6) fell in the span of six balls, with the former caught at square-leg off Vidyadhar Patil and the latter edging Prasidh Krishna behind.

Dogra, who had retired hurt on Tuesday, came in at 307 for four and the Karnataka pacers resumed their ploy of peppering him with bouncers. The close-in fielders joined in by being chirpy and even succeeded in provoking Dogra into head-butting substitute K.V. Aneesh — albeit, ever-so-slightly — at silly-point.

But the experienced man soon cleared the fog that had settled over his head and combined for 73 runs with Wadhawan to take J & K to 380 for four at lunch. Similar to the first day, Karnataka’s intensity dropped at an inopportune time, as Dogra and Wadhawan collected a series of fours through cover, backward-point and wide of the slip fielders.

However, Wadhawan fell trying one too many, as K.L. Rahul at slip latched on to a dab after a juggle. Dogra’s day, though, continued to be eventful when a bouncer from Vidyadhar ricocheted off his helmet, hit the stumps but couldn’t dislodge the bails.

Luck finally ran out when a defensive stroke to Shreyas Gopal ended with the cherry crashing into his stumps after bouncing off the ground.

Amidst this chaos, Lotra kept his head, reaching an unbeaten 57, his first half-century of the season. A few more runs on Thursday will leave Karnataka with a mountain to climb in a final where the first-innings lead is seemingly all important now.

The scores: Jammu & Kashmir — 1st innings: Qamran Iqbal c Rahul b Prasidh 6, Yawer Hassan c Rahul b Prasidh 88, Shubham Pundir c sub (Aneesh) b Vidyadhar 121, Paras Dogra b Shreyas 70, Abdul Samad c Kruthik b Prasidh 61, Kanhaiya Wadhawan c Rahul b Shikhar 70, Sahil Lotra (batting) 57, Abid Mushtaq (batting) 20; Extras (b-14, lb-16, w-4): 34; Total (for six wkts. in 156 overs): 527.

Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-157, 3-303, 4-307, 5-417, 6-471.

Karnataka bowling: Vidyadhar 29-2-104-1, Vyshak 31-10-60-0, Prasidh 29-7-90-3, Shreyas 33-2-130-1, Shikhar 32-1-112-1, Karun 2-1-1-0.

Published – February 25, 2026 08:08 pm IST

As many as 73 changes in laws of cricket, including mandatory completion of the final over in case of fall of a wicket in multi-day matches, have been announced by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), with the amendments set to come into effect from October this year.

The MCC said the ‘new edition of the Laws of Cricket’, the first since 2022, has been drafted in to ensure laws are ‘up to date and fit for the modern game and that they should be as inclusive as possible’.

Announcing the changes on its website, the MCC said the final over in a multi-day match will have to be completed if a wicket has fallen, as not doing so takes “the drama out of the game”.

“It was felt unfair that, if a fielding side takes a wicket in the final over of the day, the batting side does not have to send out a new batter,” MCC said.

“This doesn’t save time (which is the case at lunch and tea) as the remaining balls need to be made up the next day, and it takes the drama out of the game, while letting the incoming batter off the hook – at a time when the conditions are often more favourable to bowling.” “The new change means that the final over of the day will be bowled fully, even if a wicket falls during it (assuming conditions remain fit),” it added.

The MCC, along with current and former women’s players at its World Cricket Connects, has worked with manufacturers to set new limits and names for balls in junior as well as women’s cricket.

“The balls are now Size 1, Size 2 and Size 3, and while Size 1 (traditionally the men’s ball) has not changed, the margins are now uniform, making for three distinct categories of balls,” the MCC said.

The MCC legalised used of laminated bats for “open age cricket rather than just junior cricket” in an attempt to slow the rising costs of bats around the world.

The wicket-keepers will no longer be penalised for having their gloves in front of the stumps when the bowler runs up.

“Wicket-keepers cannot come in front of the stumps to collect the ball until it has passed the striker’s wicket or made contact with their bat or person – that remains the case,” MCC said.

“But in a DRS age, umpires were noticing that some keepers move level with, or in front of, the stumps while the bowler is running up – technically a No-ball, but not something that would give them any advantage.” “The Law has now changed so that it is only after the ball is released that the wicket-keeper must be wholly behind the stumps. This brings the wording in line with a fielder’s position,” it added.

The use of laminated bats — made by bonding two or more pieces of woods — is now permitted in “open age cricket” to meet the rising costs of bats around the world.

“MCC has spent considerable time testing these bats, and it is not felt that laminated bats will give a significant performance advantage. However, it is expected that, at the top level of the game, bats will remain a single piece of willow,” the MCC said.

Removing the ‘bunny hop catch’, the MCC said fielders going outside boundary can only touch the ball once while airborne, “and then, having done so, to be wholly grounded within the boundary for the rest of the duration of that delivery.” The MCC said if the fielder parries the ball from outside the boundary to his teammate who is inside it, and subsequently steps outside, then a boundary will be scored.

The MCC said it was defining an ‘overthrow’ for the first time.

It said, “An overthrow is an attempt to direct the ball towards the stumps to stop run-scoring or attempt a run out. A misfield – whether an attempt to stop the ball or pass it to another fielder close to the boundary – should not be treated as an overthrow.” The fielding side will have a third law on their side to determine which batter is on strike when it comes to deliberate short running.

“This is now one of three times that players will be permitted to determine who is on strike for the next delivery. Law 41.5 (where a fielder obstructs the batter) has long been one such occasion, but this clause, and Law 37.5.2, when a batter is out obstructing a catch, will now give that power to the fielding captain,” the MCC said.

The ball will be considered “finally settled” when it is in the hands of a fielder or stationary on the ground, said MCC.

“The ball no longer has to be in the bowler’s or the wicketkeeper’s hands to be finally settled,” it said.

Published – February 04, 2026 03:29 am IST

Ishan Kishan’s thrill-a-second maiden T20I hundred compensated for Sanju Samson’s familiar failure, and the knock in conjunction with Arshdeep Singh’s fifer scripted India’s 46-run romp over New Zealand in the fifth and final match here on Saturday.

India thus sealed the series 4-1, and wrapped up their preparations to defend the T20 World Cup title on a highly satisfactory note.

Once India made a humongous 271 for five, riding on Kishan’s (103, 43 balls, 6×4, 10×6) and skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s (63, 30b, 4×4, 6×6), only the margin of victory was needed to be known.

The Kiwis fought gamely in pockets, but eventually finished with 225 all out. For India, pacer Arshdeep regrouped from his early travails to take a delightful five-wicket haul (5/51).

He had conceded 40 runs in his first two overs for the wicket of Tim Seifert, but then took four wickets in the next three overs for a mere 11 runs.

Fin Allen (80, 38b) played a powerful innings upfront but the target was always outside the Kiwis’ grasp.

Allen, the top-scorer in the recently concluded Big Bash League, carried that form to the Greenfield Stadium.

The right-hander put pacer Arshdeep through the shredder, collecting two fours and a six in the opening over of the Kiwis’ innings.

Soon, Allen clubbed the Indian pacer for 4, 4, 6, 4, 4 in his second over to make 23 runs in total.

Allen, who reached his sixth T20I fifty in 22 balls, fell to returning left-arm spinner Axar Patel (3/33), ending a second wicket alliance of 100 runs with Rachin Ravindra (30, 17b).

In fact, both the spinners — Axar and Varun Chakravarthy (1/36) — did a commendable job in reining in New Zealand after the Power Play.

There was no real life in New Zealand’s chase once Allen went back with wickets falling at regular intervals.

ALSO READ: WPL 2026: Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham Star As Gujarat Giants Edge Mumbai Indians To Seal Eliminator Berth

Samson Fails Again

But none entertained a full weekend house more than Kishan on a sultry evening, who came in after the early departures of Samson and Abhishek Sharma.

Opener Samson (6), whose fifth successive failure in this series now casts a huge shadow over his T20 World Cup prospects could not get going, falling to pacer Lockie Ferguson.

If he needed a more ominous sign then Kishan later kept the wickets too, giving a hint to the Indian team management’s thinking ahead of ICC showpiece, starting in a week’s time.

Abhishek (30 off 16 balls) gave a solid start but extra pace from Ferguson did him in as India went through a relatively tepid power play phase — 54 for two.

Ishan Kishan
Photo Credit: PTI

But those were the only moments of joy for New Zealand during India’s innings after the hosts elected to bat.

For the rest of the innings, they were treated with utter disdain by Kishan and Suryakumar during their 137-run third wicket stand which came in just over 10 overs.

Kishan, who missed the fourth T20I with an unspecified injury, showed no trace of rust, putting the New Zealand bowlers through the wringer with his fast hands and nimble feet.

The left-hander started his carnage, smashing Ferguson for a four and six over extra over and the runs never really stopped thereafter.

Kishan brought his 50 in 28 balls with a four off Ish Sodhi and Suryakumar, who also completed 3000 runs in T20Is, went past the mark in two fewer balls with a six off Jacob Duffy.

Kishan, who completed 1000 T20I runs, was severe on Sodhi, creaming the leg-spinner for 29 runs in the 12th over and the sequence of his big-hits read — 4, 4, 4, 6, 4, 6.

Suryakumar departed in between, getting stumped by Tim Seifert while giving a charge to his opposite number and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner.

But that did not deter Kishan.

The Jharkhand man soon reached the cherished three-figure mark in 42 balls — a six off Santner took him to 97 and the subsequent one carried him past the landmark, which he celebrated with gusto before melting into Hardik Pandya’s bear hug.

Kishan’s second fifty came off just 14 balls.

From a team perspective, India made 189 off the last 11 overs at an economy of 17.18 runs per over.

The Kishan show finally ended when he was taken at square leg by Glenn Phillips off Duffy, and walked back to the hut accompanied by cheers and whistles.

Pandya’s strong hits (42 off 17 balls) towards the end ensured that India went past the 250-run mark for the fourth time in their T20I history.

ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026: India face off against Pakistan in their final Super Six game of the ICC U19 World Cup 2026 on Sunday, Feb. 1. The Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo plays host to the crucial game that will determine the last semi-finalist of the competition from Group 2. Led by Mumbai and Chennai Super Kings star Ayush Mhatre, India U19 sit second on the points table with 3 wins in their previous 3 matches.

After qualifying with wins over fellow group qualifiers Bangladesh and New Zealand, India U19 hammered Zimbabwe in their first Super Six match. The victory elevated India to six points with a strong net run rate of +3.337, which should give Mhatre & co some leeway even if they lose to the Pakistanis. 

For Pakistan, the need of the hour is a massive win over India if they are to displace the neighbours and qualify alongside top-ranked England from this group. Heading into the contest in Bulawayo, they are positioned third on the table despite winning their previous Super Six game against New Zealand convincingly. Since Pakistan entered the Super Six with the loss to fellow qualifiers England, they carried a disadvantage. Despite beating the Kiwis, they have just 4 points from 3 games and a lesser NRR of +1.484.

England, having beaten Pakistan and Zimbabwe in the group stage, cemented their berth in the semis with wins over Bangladesh and New Zealand. If India beat Pakistan, they will replace England in the top spot in the Super Six Group 2, owing to a superior NRR and book the semi-finals clash with Afghanistan on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at the Harare Sports Club. It will mean that England will have to face Australia in the semi-final scheduled on Tuesday, Feb. 3, in Bulawayo.

However, if Pakistan somehow pull off a victory so big that they displace and eliminate the Indians with a second spot finish, they will likely play Australia, and England will go on to face the Afghans. Even a marginal defeat for the Indians would mean the end of the road for Pakistan. 

Mathematically, Pakistan’s best hope is to bat first. They would then need to win by 105 runs or more to finish second in the Group 2 standings and qualify at India’s expense. In case they chase, Pakistan will have to hunt down any target of 251 or higher within 29.4 overs or less to make it.

From Group 2, Bangladesh, New Zealand and co-hosts Zimbabwe have already been eliminated. In Super Six Group 1, Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa and Ireland failed to make it to the semi-finals.

U19 World Semi Finals And Final Date/Time

The first semi-final of the U19 World Cup will take place on Tuesday, Feb 3, and the second semi-final will take place on Wednesday, Feb 4. The final of the U19 World Cup 2026 will be played on Friday, Feb 6. All matches will begin at 1 p.m. IST.

Shivam Dube flickered brightly with a fifty of exceptional quality but it was insufficient to prevent India’s 50-run defeat against New Zealand in the fourth T20I here on Wednesday.

The clean-hitting Dube 65 (23 balls, 3×4, 7×6) batted all but his own in India’s steep chase of 216, but the hosts eventually finished at 165 all out as the Kiwis reduced the margin to 3-1 in the five-match series.

With Ishan Kishan sitting out with an unspecified injury, Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were expected to lead the chase.

But Abhishek fell in the first ball of India’s innings, skying Matt Henry to Devon Conway at deep point.

Suryakumar’s meek push was converted into a brilliant return catch by Jacob Duffy as India slumped to 9 for 2.

Rinku Singh (39) and Sanju Samson (24) tried to keep India afloat but they struggled to force the pace either in the Power Play or after that.

Rinku fell leg before to Zak Foulkes and Samson, who hit a delicious flicked six off Duffy, was foxed by Mitchell Santner’s straight delivery to get castled.

Hardik Pandya too returned without any significant contribution as India further slipped to 82 for five in the 11th over, leaving Dube and Harshit Rana (9) to save the day.

Dube batted fearlessly, and hardly displayed the pressure of an ever-climbing asking rate that hovered around 14 almost all the while.

Dube, who was saved by DRS from a leg-before decision on 46, raised the hopes in the Indian camp, biffing 29 runs off leg-spinner Ish Sodhi’s third over that included a sequence of 4, 6, 4, 6, 6.

ALSO READ: How Can DC, GG, UPW, MI Join RCB In Playoffs? WPL 2026 Qualification Scenarios Explained

The left-hander brought up his fifty in just 15 balls with a six over square leg off Duffy. The sixth wicket of Dube and Harshit Rana added 63 runs and the latter’s contribution was a princely four runs.

But Dube’s fortune finally deserted him when Rana’s rasping straight drive shattered the stumps at non-striker’s end after taking a deflection off Henry’s hand.

That effectively signalled the end of India’s chase.

Earlier, New Zealand’s innings revolved around Tim Seifert’s blistering fifty.

Seifert (62 off 36 balls, 7×4, 3×6) was the standout Kiwi batter but he did not have enough followers to fully drive home the advantage after India produced tight bowling in the middle overs.

Seifert, who joined the team after appearing in the recent Big Bash League, did not hide his intention, smoking Arshdeep Singh for three fours in a row, although two of them were off edges.

But in the next over, the right-hander smashed Rana for a six over long-on, showcasing his muscle and timing.

In the pacer’s next over, Seifert eked out a six and four in successive balls before sending a Jasprit Bumrah delivery to the sight-screen for another maximum.

New Zealand reached fifty in the fourth over and ended the Power Play at 71 for no loss.

Seifert’s frenetic innings also helped Devon Conway (44) to settle down and then have a go at the Indian bowlers.

After meandering to 9 off 9 balls, the left-hander found his range, plundering two fours and a six off Ravi Bishnoi — a loft between long-on and mid-wicket, a square cut and a slog sweep.

Conway made 35 runs off the next 13 balls but soon holed out to Rinku Singh at deep cover off Kuldeep Yadav, as the home side snapped a 100-run opening wicket alliance.

Seifert soon completed a 25-ball fifty but India found a small creek on the door, and soon snaffled four wickets in the space of 37 runs to reduce the Kiwis to 137 for four in 13.4 overs.

The Indians did not bowl any magic spell but the visiting batters were overly eager to maintain a run rate of 12 that the Seifert-Conway combine was scoring at.

But that overzealous attempt resulted in them losing wickets in a cluster. Daryl Mitchell (39 not out, 18b) made some strong hits in the death overs to take New Zealand past 200.