India captain Shreyas Iyer wants his players to play fearless cricket and not be weighed down by criticism after the team’s disappointing run in England, saying the recent setbacks have only brought the squad closer ahead of the three-match T20 series against Zimbabwe.

India arrive in Zimbabwe after enduring a winless white-ball tour of England and Ireland, but Iyer said the team has identified the areas it needs to improve on.

“We had a rough patch in England, but there were a lot of positives out of that. We got to know what we have to build as a team going forward, what kind of presence of mind, awareness and adaptability we need once we step onto the field,” Iyer said on the eve of the opening T20I here.

The series in England and Ireland was also Iyer’s first assignment as captain.

The skipper, who is touring Zimbabwe for the first time, said the biggest challenge would be adjusting to the conditions in a short span of time.

“Some of us are playing here for the first time, so the quicker we adapt, the better results we will get.” Iyer also urged the young members of the squad to play without the fear of failure despite recent scrutiny following India’s performances.

“I don’t think they should fear failure because when you have such thoughts at the back of your mind, then you play to save yourself. When you don’t have that fear, you can get the best out of yourself.

“We don’t have to think much about what people are saying outside. We have to stay in the present. The more we play good cricket and play together as a unit, the better it will be for the team.” The captain acknowledged the demanding schedule after India’s players travelled directly from England, with just one training session before the series opener.

“It is definitely very challenging. We came yesterday, today is practice and tomorrow is the match. But it is fun, and if you perform well in these situations, you will definitely be happy with yourself.” Iyer said India’s overseas assignments in Ireland, England and now Zimbabwe have provided valuable exposure.

“The results didn’t go our way, but that has brought the team closer to each other. We’ve been having a lot of discussions about how we’re going to play as a unit going forward.

“It’s a great exposure because you don’t get this often. This is a challenging phase, and the quicker you overcome it, the better you become as a team.” The 31-year-old also praised Zimbabwe, describing them as a competitive side with several players carrying IPL experience.

“They have an amazing team and a good lineup. A couple of them have also played in the IPL, so they carry immense experience.” Reflecting on his own comeback from injury, Iyer said the rehabilitation period had strengthened him mentally.

“It has made me more confident as an individual. When you overcome the injury phase, mentally it makes you very positive. Whatever challenges you face on the field, you know how quickly you can overcome them.

“There can be ups and downs, but the quicker you analyse and execute what you want to do, the better it is for the team,” he said.

15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s historic India debut did not go as per script. Iyer said Sooryavanshi and other youngsters in the team would be wiser with the experience in England and Ireland.

“All the youngsters, I think, they have definitely practiced. There was a decent gap after the T20 series.

“So he (Sooryavanshi) must have rectified where he went wrong. So personally, I don’t have to give much advice,” Iyer added.

Ayaz Khan rose to the occasion when it mattered, his composed yet authoritative knock ensuring MSC Maratha Royals kept its title defence alive by sealing a place in the T20 Mumbai semifinals at the Wankhede Stadium here on Wednesday.

Ayaz’s superb 87 (49b, 7×4, 3×6) helped Royals chase down 169 against ARCS Andheri and set up a last-four showdown against North Mumbai Panthers on Thursday.

Even before the final league fixture began, the equation had become crystal clear. With SoBo Mumbai Falcons defeating table-topper Panthers earlier in the day, Siddhesh Lad’s Royals needed only a victory to advance.

Already assured of a semifinal berth, Andheri opted to rest captain Shivam Dube, placing the responsibility of steering the innings on Musheer Khan’s shoulders.

The youngster responded impressively. Musheer crafted a fluent 62 off 36 deliveries, timing the ball sweetly and ensuring the scoreboard continued to move despite wickets falling at regular intervals.

However, a disciplined Royals attack denied Andheri the late flourish it desperately sought, restricting the innings to 168 at the end of the allotted overs.

The chase suffered an early setback when opener Sahil Jadhav departed off the very first ball. Ayaz, though, remained unfazed. Walking in at No. 3 under considerable pressure, the stylish left-hander built the innings methodically before accelerating at the right moments.

Equally adept at finding gaps and clearing the ropes, Ayaz ensured Royals never found themselves behind the required rate. By the time he departed in the 18th over, the outcome was a mere formality.

The scores: ARCS Andheri 168 in 20 overs (Musheer Khan 62, Tushar Deshpande 2/39, Irfan Umair 2/27, Atharva Bhosale 2/35, Maxwell Swaminathan 2/45, Aditya Dhumal 2/14) lost to MSC Maratha Royals 170/5 in 18.2 overs (Ayaz Khan 87, Prasoon Singh 3/26).

North Mumbai Panthers 157 in 19.2 overs (Anish Chaudhery 32, Abhigyan Kundu 45, Yash Dicholkar 2/17, Vedant Gore 2/33, Mayuresh Tandel 4/30) lost to SoBo Mumbai Falcons 158/3 in 18.1 overs (Ishan Mulchandani 65, Gautam Waghela 45 n.o.).

Semifinal line-up: ARCS Andheri vs Aakash Tigers MWS (2 p.m.); North Mumbai Panthers vs MSC Maratha Royals (7 p.m.).

Women’s League: Thane Sky Risers 113/9 in 20 overs (Vrushali Bhagat 32, Manali Dakshini 2/20, Batul Pereira 2/22) lost to Aakash Tigers MWS 117/2 in 15 overs (Sanika Chalke 74 n.o., Fatima Jaffer 35 n.o., Kashish Nirmal 2/32).

Billed as a family affair, with Sarfaraz Khan leading Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs against younger brother Musheer Khan’s ARCS Andheri, left-arm pacer Ankur Singh stole the spotlight as Tigers kept their qualification hopes alive with a thrilling seven-run victory in a T20 Mumbai cricket league match on Sunday (June 7, 2026).

For long periods of the chase, ARCS Andheri appeared firmly in control. Powered by Prasad Pawar’s composed half-century (54, 39b, 3×4, 2×6), the Andheri outfit looked set to chase down 172 comfortably.

With Pawar and captain Shivam Dube at the crease, Andheri required 47 runs from the last five overs and seemed to have momentum firmly on its side.

The turnaround began when Dube attempted to take on Ankur. After being struck for a four and a six in the 16th over, the left-arm pacer had the last laugh, forcing Dube to top-edge towards third man where Akash Anand completed a running catch.

Even then with 16 needed from the final two overs with four wickets intact, the equation favoured the chasing side. But left-arm spinner Vinayak Bhoir swung the momentum decisively when he removed the well-set Pawar, whose attempted reverse sweep proved costly.

That left Ankur with 10 runs to defend in the final over. The pacer held his nerve brilliantly, dismissing two lower-order batters while refusing to concede a boundary before the last batter was run out off the final delivery to seal a dramatic win for Tigers.

While the men’s competition delivered late drama, the morning fixture in the T20 Women’s League proved a lop-sided affair as SoBo Mumbai Falcons maintained its unbeaten start with a comfortable 39-run victory against Aakash Tigers.

The scores: Aakash Tigers MWS 171/6 in 20 overs (Ajit Yadav 55, Jay Bista 35, Ajay Mishra 2/18) bt ARCS Andheri 164 in 20 overs (Prasad Pawar 54, Ayush Jethwa 36, Ankur Singh 4/39, Shams Mulani 2/30).

Triumph Knights MNE 147/8 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 48, Nutan Goel 34, Prathamesh Dake 4/30) lost to SoBo Mumbai Falcons 149/5 in 16.4 overs (Shreyas Iyer 61).

Women’s League: SoBo Mumbai Falcons 143/7 in 20 overs (Sarika Koli 49, Simran Shaikh 38, Fatima Jaffar 3/20) bt Aakash Tigers MWS 104 in 18.2 overs (Sanika Chalke 42, Swara Jadhav 2/12, Sayali Satghare 2/21, Nirmiti Rane 2/21).

Shreyas Iyer picked the perfect evening to score his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) ton as he powered Punjab Kings to a comfortable seven-wicket win over the Lucknow Super Giants.

“He’s a tremendous leader of many. He reads the game well,” said PBKS assistant coach Brad Haddin after the game.

“There are two main things that I think I enjoy most about him. One is his care for his players, and the other is his appetite for the big moment. He’s seen that tonight. He wanted to be the one to make the difference, and that’s what you want from your leaders, whether it’s for the IPL or for your country,” added the 48-year-old.

Haddin emphasised that the team’s overall execution in high-pressure situations has been a major focus behind the scenes.

“I think as any coaching staff, you have to identify moments where you need to get better, and that’s what we’ve done. A lot of the games we lost went to the last over and a couple to the last ball where we were close, but we probably weren’t identifying those big moments,” he said.

While one captain delivered when it mattered, his counterpart, Rishabh Pant, had little to show for his efforts — either on Saturday (May 23, 2026) or across a grueling season.

LSG’s Global Director of Cricket, Tom Moody, felt his captaincy and batting are correlated. “From a captaincy point of view, he’s found it challenging, obviously, and the results reflect that. And you have to wonder whether that is a pressure that is reflected with his performance with the bat,” he said.

“And certainly when it comes to the leadership of the franchise, it’s something that we’ll be giving some very serious consideration to what it looks like in the future,” he added.

Even before the final round of league-stage matches began, Sunday (May 25, 2026) afternoon’s fixture at the Wankhede Stadium had already emerged as the most consequential contest of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) business end.

Of the five teams that were still in contention for the lone remaining playoffs spot, Rajasthan Royals is the only side with its fate firmly in its own hands.

Adding to the intrigue is the maiden appearance of teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at the Wankhede — that too in front of nearly 19,000 schoolchildren attending as part of Mumbai Indians owners’ Education and Sports For All initiative. For perhaps the first time at the venue, the Royals could find themselves enjoying overwhelming crowd support.

The equation for Rajasthan Royals is straightforward: win and qualify. But the challenge is anything but simple.

The Royals management will anxiously monitor the fitness of captain Riyan Parag and veteran allrounder Ravindra Jadeja. Yet, even in their absence, stand-in skipper Yashasvi Jaiswal marshalled the side impressively before Sooryavanshi’s explosive innings against Lucknow Super Giants earlier this week kept RR’s campaign alive.

Rajasthan will once again bank on the youthful duo of Sooryavanshi and Jaiswal — returning to his alma mater — while hoping Jofra Archer continues his fine rhythm with the ball.

But facing Mumbai Indians with nothing to lose can often be a dangerous proposition. After an underwhelming season, the home side will be desperate to sign off on a winning note. It will be interesting to see if Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya — the duo that has had a lacklustre season — end it on a high.

Will Mumbai Indians play disruptor-in-chief? Or will Rajasthan Royals seal the playoffs berth and render the final league game in Kolkata irrelevant?

Moments after Delhi Capitals suffered a harrowing loss to Kolkata Knight Riders at home on May 8, skipper Axar Patel, resigned to his team not making the playoffs of IPL 2026, said the remaining three league games would be used to give opportunities to newer players. One of the beneficiaries of Axar’s view has been all-rounder Madhav Tiwari.

The 22-year-old from Madhya Pradesh — his family hails from Rewa district but he was born and brought up in Indore — has grabbed his opportunity in DC’s previous two matches.

The seamer picked up two wickets apiece against both Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals, and he also provided a glimpse of his ability with the willow during an unbeaten 14-ball 18 to seal a successful chase at the expense of Shreyas Iyer’s men.

Curiously, Madhav, whose IPL debut came against Mumbai Indians last year, is yet to feature for his State team at the senior level. He attracted the attention of Capitals when he turned out for Bhopal Leopards in the maiden Madhya Pradesh T20 League in 2024.

“What was spoken about Madhav when we picked him was that he was somebody who liked the pressure. He can bat, hit a long ball, and also bowl through all three phases,” DC head coach Hemang Badani told the media.

Madhav owes his cricketing skills to former India batter Amay Khurasiya, having trained at the 54-year-old’s academy in Indore since the age of 12. As Khurasiya recounts, Madhav, whose father has a transport and logistics business, was a reluctant bowler to begin with.

“Those kids who bat well generally don’t like bowling. He was one of those kids who loved batting,” Khurasiya told The Hindu. “He never enjoyed bowling, but he somehow took my advice. I have been particular about everyone developing both the fundamental skills in the game.”

Comfort has eluded Delhi Capitals at home in IPL’s 19th edition. The Axar Patel-led franchise has won just one out of five matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. On its visits to other venues, it has fared much better, notching up three wins in five games.

Contributing to the travails at home has been the large deviation in the nature of surfaces, hindering DC from cultivating a consistent style of play in its backyard.

The last three matches in the national capital make for pertinent examples. Having engaged in a run-fest against Punjab Kings on a featherbed where Shreyas Iyer’s side chased down a record 265 on April 25, 2026, Capitals’ duel against Royal Challengers Bengaluru just two days later swung to the other extreme.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood extracted swing and seam movement, reducing the host to eight for six inside four overs. DC folded up for 75 and lost by nine wickets.

On Tuesday (May 5, 2026) night, the strip in use was on the slower side. DC’s batters couldn’t adapt quickly enough, allowing Chennai Super Kings to register an eight-wicket victory.

DC head coach Hemang Badani conceded that the lack of homogeneity with the pitches at home wasn’t ideal. At the same time, the 49-year-old explicitly stated that the franchises didn’t have a role in the preparation of pitches.

“We don’t have any control over the surfaces. There is a clear mandate from the BCCI that it looks after the surfaces and it is the one which ensures that no local side benefits. You play on what is presented to you,” Badani told reporters.

“Yes, it’s been a bit of an up-and-down curve for us to understand what we are going to get in Delhi. I think the whole competition is quite neutral that way. But ideally, yes, you want to have some consistency.”

The adage ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ stands true for Anshul Kamboj and his emergence as a bankable death-bowler.

From bowling just three deliveries in overs 16 to 20 in his first two IPL seasons to being the first to take 10 wickets in that phase in the 2026 edition, Kamboj’s evolution has come at the right time for Chennai Super Kings.

Twenty-four days after launching its Men’s T20 World Cup title defence with a scratchy win over the United States, Suryakumar Yadav’s men returned to the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday night — this time with a semifinal against England looming large.

As the Indian squad went through its fielding drills under lights, the curators quietly covered the 22-yard strip that will dictate fortunes on Thursday. Two days out, the surface wore a greener look than is customary at the Wankhede — even by First-Class standards, let alone a T20 International.

With temperatures climbing steadily over the past fortnight, the decision to retain a healthy grass cover was understandable, a protective measure to prevent the pitch from drying out and breaking up. The pertinent question now is how much of that grass will be shaved off before match time.

Interestingly, while head coach Gautam Gambhir took a close look at the strip before it was covered, none of the Indian players ambled across to inspect it. Perhaps they are content to wait until match day, drawing cues from the two fixtures already played on this surface earlier in the tournament.

The red-soiled surface slated for Thursday’s semifinal was used for England’s clash against West Indies on February 11 and the Italy-Nepal game the following day. On both occasions, it offered assistance to spinners, particularly as the games progressed. Yet, much has changed since then — not least the weather and the stakes.

India’s preference for truer, flatter decks has been indulged through the Super Eights. Whether that pattern continues at the semifinal stage remains to be seen. For now, beneath the covers and the coastal humidity, the Wankhede strip holds its secrets close — waiting to reveal them on the biggest night of India’s campaign.

Format, opposition, conditions — nothing seems to matter to R. Smaran in his current vein of form. The Karnataka batter continued his prolific run with a career-best 67 (41b, 7×4, 2×6) — his second T20 fifty — to set up a successful chase of 198 against Uttarakhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament here on Wednesday. Karnataka got home with five wickets to spare.

Smaran later reflected that coming into the tournament on the back of a heavy run-scoring Ranji season helps, allowing him to “carry over the confidence” and have a positive start to the campaign.

The 22-year-old explained that his role in the T20 setup is “very simple” — “to take the game deep and finish things off.”

A compact, clean-hitting batter, Smaran is especially strong against spin, using his long levers to access both sides of the wicket. He displayed it against leg-spinner Himanshu Bish, launching two towering sixes down the ground. There were no funky strokes in his knock — just pure, orthodox ball-striking.

“You need to get your basics right in order to get those big hits. But I think I’m not a guy who can straight away go in and get those big hits. That is something I’m trying to work on — to get going from ball one,” he said.

He added that he’s been working on playing the reverse sweep. “Both point and short third will be in (inside the circle) for the spinners. And I think if you get that shot right, it straightaway puts pressure on the bowler.”