The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) looks to finalise the mega auction plan before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, a big difference in opinion has emerged among franchise owners. While the likes of Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad reportedly want to retain 7-8 players, other franchise like Punjab Kings want minimal retention. As the franchise bosses sat with the BCCI secretary Jay Shah to finalise the plans, a heated debate erupted between PBKS co-owner Ness Wadia and KKR’s Shah Rukh Khan.

In a chat on Cricbuzz, Wadia later revealed that the intense chat with Shah Rukh was only over the matter of the meeting that took place, but there’s no animosity between the two.

“I have known Shah Rukh for more than 25 years. There is no animosity here,” the co-owner of Punjab Kings said, while refusing to dwell upon his side’s position on the issue. “Everyone gave their views, and they had their opinions. At the end of the day, you have to look at all the stakeholders and do what’s best for all. That’s most important,” he added.

After the meeting, the Delhi-based franchise co-owner Parth Jindal said that some teams want the impact player rule because it gives a chance to the young players to play in the T20 tournament.

“Some people want it because it gives a chance to young players to play in the IPL. Some people don’t want it because it is detrimental to Indian cricket in terms of the development of allrounders. So it’s a mixed bag. I’m on the second camp. I don’t want it. I prefer the game as it is 11 versus 11, and I think all-rounders are very important. And you have different players who don’t bowl in the IPL or don’t bat in the IPL because of this rule, which is not good for Indian cricket,” Jindal was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.

The report stated that Sunrisers Hyderabad owner Kavya Maran suggested that “players could be secured via a plain retention process or a combination of retention and RTM at the auction or all exclusively via the right-to-match (RTM) card.”

The co-owner of Delhi Capitals added that he was ‘surprised’ to see that few franchises were against the mega auction.

“I was surprised. There was a debate. Some people said that there should not be a mega auction at all. There should be only smaller auctions. I’m not in that camp. I feel that I feel that it evens the playing field and it’s very good for everyone. It makes the IPL what it is. It makes it competitive. It makes it an even playing field,” Jindal added.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah, co-owner of Punjab Kings Ness Wadia, and Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan were spotted after the meeting.

With ANI Inputs

File photo of Sunrisers Hyderabad owner Kavya Maran© X (Twitter)

File photo of Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan© AFP

India captain Suryakumar Yadav has opened up on his bond with new head coach Gautam Gambhir, with the two set to join forces for the first time in Indian colours during the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. India will take on Sri Lanka in the series opener on Saturday. Suryakumar has been named as captain for the T20I rubber, which will be the first series of Gambhir’s much-anticipated tenure as head coach of the Indian team. Suryakumar, who has led India in the past, admitted that he has enjoyed being a leader, even when he is not captaining the side.

“I have always enjoyed being a leader on the field even though I was not the captain. I have always learnt a lot of things from different captains. It’s a good feeling and a great responsibility,” Suryakumar told BCCI.TV ahead of the first T20I against Sri Lanka Pallekele on Saturday.

Speaking on his relationship with Gambhir, Suryakumar recalled his early days in the IPL when he was playing for KKR under the leadership of the current India head coach.

“This relationship is special because in 2014 I played under him in KKR. It was special because from there only I got opportunities. The relationship is still strong. He (Gambhir) knows how I work, what is my mindset when I come to practice sessions. I also know how he tries to work as a coach. It’s all about the lovely relationship we have and very excited to see how it goes forward,” he added.

Talking about one big lesson this sport has given him, Suryakumar Yadav said that it has taught him to be humble and add a sense of balance to his life.

“I think the most important thing I have learnt from this sport is how humble you are after achieving something or even after when you are not doing well. That is one thing that I have learned. When you do something on the ground, you have to leave it on the ground and when you go off the field, that is it. This is not your life. It is just part of your life. So you cannot be… When you are doing well, you stay on the top and when you’re not doing well, you are underground. That is one thing which I feel you should not do as a sportsman,” he added.

Suryakumar led India in seven T20Is last year during the home T20I series against Australia and an away series against South Africa, winning five matches and losing two.

India’s tour of Sri Lanka will kick- off with a three-match T20I series, followed by a three-match ODI series. The Pallekele International Stadium will be hosting the T20I leg of the series while the R Premadasa is getting to host the 50-over matches.

The three ODIs will be held on August 2, August 4, and August 7.

Both teams will be taking to the field with new head coaches. While legendary all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya has been named as the interim head coach for Lankan Lions, this will also be the first assignment for former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir as the head coach, succeeding the T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid.

India’s last tour of Sri Lanka for a bilateral white-ball series came back in July 2021, with Dravid coaching the Shikhar Dhawan-led side. India won the ODI series 2-1, while Sri Lanka secured the T20I series by the same margin.

T20I Squad for Sri Lanka series: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.

(With ANI Inputs)

Indian Premier League franchise Punjab Kings is not likely to renew the contract of head coach Trevor Bayliss, as per a report. The Australian cricket coach took over the duties from Anil Kumble at PBKS ahead of the 2023 IPL season. Bayliss’ two-year contract with the side has ended now and the franchise is unlikely to continue with him, said the report. It added that PBKS are in hunt for an Indian coach. If this turns out to be true, Bayliss would be the second Australian coach after Ricky Ponting to be removed this month.

Indian coaches and mentors in IPL, of late, have given good results to different franchises.

“PBKS are on the lookout for an Indian coach to guide the team. Whether they will ultimately choose an Indian coach remains to be seen, but they are believed to be considering several options with one of them being Sanjay Bangar,” stated a report in Cricbuzz.

Apart from PBKS, Bayliss has also coached teams like Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Under his coaching, PBKS finished at the eighth and ninth spots in IPL 2023 and 2024, respectively, which seems to have played a significant role in his potential ouster.

The same report added that PBKS owners did not have any complaint with the coaching style of the Australian but it is the result of the team’s performance that has forced them to come to the decision.

Around a week ago, Delhi Capitals parted ways with head coach Ricky Ponting after seven unsuccessful years in their quest for an elusive IPL silverware, the franchise announced on social media.

While it is still early days, there is every possibility that Sourav Ganguly, the current team director of DC, could double up as the head coach next season.

“As you move on as our head coach, we are finding it incredibly difficult to put it down in words. The four things that you told us about in every huddle — care, commitment, attitude and effort, they sum up our seven years together,” DC posted on their official ‘X’ handle.

The newly-appointed Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir will begin his tenure with the tour of Sri Lanka which consists of 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs. Ahead of the T20I series starting Saturday, Gambhir had his first practice session with the cricketers since his appointment. The video of the Indian cricket team arriving for the practice session was posted online by the official broadcasters and social media users were delighted to see Gambhir carrying a souvenir from Kolkata Knight Riders. The former India batter had a bag with the KKR logo and his name as he made it way into the stadium.

#SonySportsNetwork #TeamIndia #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/TploJUhTdW

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 23, 2024

Gambhir has a deep connection with KKR as he led the franchise to two Indian Premier League (IPL) titles in 2012 and 2014 as captain. He later joined KKR as their mentor for IPL 2024 and he played a pivotal role in guiding the Shreyas Iyer-led side to their third IPL trophy.

Before leaving for the island nation, Gambhir addressed his first press conference with chief selector Ajit Agarkar, who revealed the reason behind the appointment of Suryakumar as the T20I captain over all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

!#TeamIndia | #SLvIND | @GautamGambhir pic.twitter.com/sbG7VLfXGc

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 23, 2024

“He is one of the deserving candidates. He is one of the best T20 batters in the world. We wanted a captain who was likely to play all the games. We will see how he will do,” Agarkar told the reporters.

“As far as Hardik is concerned, he is still a very important player. And that’s what we want him to be. Fitness has been a challenge for him over the last few years…Then it becomes difficult for the coach or selectors. I think Surya has the necessary qualities to succeed as a captain,” he added.

The first T20I between India and Sri Lanka will be played in Pallekele on Saturday.

India T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.

(With IANS inputs)

1. Hardik Pandya not part of leadership group

Whilst Gambhir’s faith in Suryakumar Yadav is not a surprise, what is alarming is the complete omission of Hardik Pandya from any sort of captaincy role. Instead, it is India’s captain in the Zimbabwe tour, Shubman Gill, who has been named vice-captain in both the ODIs and T20Is.

One can only speculate the real reason behind Hardik’s downfall on the captaincy pecking order. Is it Hardik’s disastrous Mumbai Indians stint? Or is it the fact that Hardik’s injury-prone nature means he may not always be a part of the squad? It could also be that Gambhir is firmly looking towards the future, aiming to prepare Gill as India’s next captain in all formats from now itself.

2. Shubman Gill’s Big Promotion

Gambhir seems to have his eyes set firmly on the 2027 World Cup, and it seems like Shubman Gill is his vote as the nation’s future captain in all formats. Gill has been named as the vice-captain in both the T20I and the ODI squads, ahead of Hardik Pandya no less. With Rohit being 37 and Suryakumar 33, Gambhir is looking to mould a future captain right from the start.

3. Abhishek Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Ruturaj Gaikwad left out of T20I squad

Despite Kuldeep’s starring role in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup victory – where he picked up 10 wickets in just five games – he has been left out of the T20I squad. The reason behind this could be to manage Kuldeep’s workload, as he still continues to feature in the ODI squad.

Gambhir has also worked in close quarters with Ravi Bishnoi in the past at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and may trust him as India’s lead spinner in T20Is.

Gaikwad has also been left out, despite a fine T20I series against Zimbabwe. He has been left out from both squads, with the likes of Riyan Parag favoured over him.

Abhishek Sharma scored a ton against Zimbabwe but he has also been dropped from the Sri Lanka tour, while off-colour Riyan Parag has been picked for both T20Is and ODIs.

4. Gambhir backs his KKR boys

KKR stars Shreyas Iyer, Harshit Rana (ODIs) and Rinku Singh (T20Is) are all part of Gambhir’s first India squad. Much like Suryakumar, Gambhir’s faith in Shreyas Iyer also does not come as a surprise, after he guided KKR to a third IPL title in 2024. Harshit Rana had an excellent campaign, and could be utilised as a handy lower-order batsman as well in the ODI format.

Here the India squads for Sri Lanka tour –

T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj. 

ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.

Newly-appointed Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir posted an emotional farewell note to Kolkata Knight Riders and its fans. Gambhir was the mentor for KKR in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and with him at the helm, they went on to win the title after defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in an one-sided final. Gambhir’s connection with the franchise goes even further back as the former India batter captained the side to two IPL trophies in 2012 and 2014. With Gambhir starting his journey with Team India from the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, he took to social media to thank the KKR fans.

Meanwhile, the schedule of India’s upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka has been revised, and the start of the contest pushed back by a day to July 27, the BCCI said.

Come Kolkata, let’s create some new legacies @KKRiders @iamsrk @indiancricketteam

Dedicated to Kolkata and KKR fans…

Special thanks to Cricket Association of Bengal @cabcricket @kkriders

Directed by:

@pankyyyyyyyyyyyy

DOP: @Rhitambhattacharya

Written by:

Dinesh Chopra… pic.twitter.com/vMcUjalOLj

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) July 16, 2024

The Indians will be touring the island nation later this month for three T20 Internationals and as many ODIs.

Originally, the first match — a T20 International — was to be played on July 26, but it will now be held on July 27, followed by the remaining two T20 games on July 28 and July 30, with all the ties to be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

The ODIs, initially scheduled to start on August 1, will now begin on August 2, followed by the remaining matches on August 4 and August 7, with all the games to be held at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

It will be India’s first white-ball bilateral trip to the Island nation since 2021. Dravid was the stand-in coach then, with Shikhar Dhawan leading a second-string side.

India had won both the T20I and ODI series on that occasion.

India is yet to announce the squad for the tour, but, as reported by PTI on July 8, senior players such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are set to be rested for this trip.

India will also have a new head coach in Gautam Gambhir, while the Sri Lankans will have a new man at the helm of affairs in Sanath Jayasuriya, who has been named as the interim head coach.

(With PTI inputs)

File photo of Mitchell Starc© BCCI/Sportzpics

After SRH paid Rs 20.5 crore for Pat Cummins, KKR splashed Rs 24.75 crore on Mitchell Starc.© BCCI