Suved Parkar produced a captain’s innings, equalling the highest individual score in T20 Mumbai history with a scintillating 110 (54b, 10×4, 7×6). Yet, even that wasn’t enough as North Mumbai Panthers scripted another extraordinary chase before holding its nerve in a dramatic Super Over to register a second successive victory against Bandra Blasters.

Chasing a daunting 229 at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, Panthers once again found inspiration through opener Hardik Tamore, whose second consecutive half-century — 83 (39b, 10×4, 4×6) — ensured the chase never drifted away. His 67-run partnership with Abhigyan Kundu, who contributed 39 (24b, 3×4, 1×6), kept Panthers firmly in contention through the middle overs.

Tanush Kotian then played the finishing act to perfection with 32 n.o. (14b, 2×4, 2×6), while Vaibhav Mali unleashed 32 (14b, 2×4, 2×6) as Panthers remarkably drew level at 228.

Even after Mali’s dismissal in the penultimate over, the chase remained alive courtesy left-arm spinner Rahul Sawant, whose consecutive pull shots — a boundary and a six off Royston Dias — shifted momentum dramatically.

Needing 14 off the final four deliveries, Kotian responded with characteristic composure, reducing the equation to three off the final ball. When Dhanit Raut’s last delivery was driven over covers for a couple, the game headed into a Super Over.

Mali once again turned aggressor, taking on Atif Attarwala’s left-arm pace with two sixes and a boundary to set a challenging target. Seasoned seamer Mohit Avasthi then produced a near-flawless Super Over, sealing a memorable victory for the Ajinkya Rahane-led Panthers.

Earlier in the afternoon, Parkar’s conventional strokemaking set Blasters on course for a a gargantuan total. But once he perished in the 15th over after scoring 110 — the same as Jay Bista in 2019, the Blasters couldn’t pile on 250. Those last five overs, in the end, turned out to be the difference.

The scores: Bandra Blasters 228/5 in 20 overs (Suved Parkar 110, Prateek Ravishankar 33, Pratik Mishra 3/38) tied with North Mumbai Panthers 228/8 in 20 overs (Hardik Tamore 83, Abhigyan Kundu 39, Tanush Kotian 32 n.o., Vaibhav Mali 32, Sagar Chhabria 3/9, Dhrumil Matkar 3/32).

Super Over: North Mumbai Panthers 20/1 bt Bandra Blasters 7 for no loss.

SoBo Mumbai Falcons 126 in 18.2 overs (Aditya Tare 59, Shivam Dube 3/17, Ajay Mishra 3/27, Deepak Shetty 2/32) lost to ARCS Andheri 127/5 in 14 overs (Divyaansh Saxena 50).

Women’s League: Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs 113/9 in 20 overs (Sayali Satghare 4/29, Swara Jadhav 3/19) lost to SoBo Mumbai Falcons 117/3 in 15.5 overs (Sarika Koli 33 n.o., Sayali Satghare 30 n.o.).

Moments after Rajasthan Royals sealed the final Indian Premier League playoffs berth with a convincing win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday (May24, 2026) night, head coach Kumar Sangakkara passionately defended captain Riyan Parag, insisting the young allrounder remains the “absolute right guy” to lead the franchise despite a turbulent IPL 2026 season.

Parag’s maiden full season as captain has been marked by inconsistent batting returns, recurring fitness concerns and off-field scrutiny, including repeated social media criticism following the vaping incident in the dressing room during a match. Yet, Sangakkara made it clear that the Royals management remains firmly invested in the 24-year-old.

“I have seen very few players who have been criticised like Riyan has been for about seven years now,” Sangakkara said. “Ever since I came to the franchise, there have always been people who liked Riyan, but there are a lot who didn’t really like him, especially on social media. But that’s the reality of the modern game.”

The former Sri Lankan captain revealed that Rajasthan never doubted Parag’s leadership credentials when handing him the captaincy before the season.

“When we decided to offer Riyan the captaincy, he was the absolute right guy to lead this franchise. I have no doubt in my mind,” Sangakkara said.

Despite battling physical niggles through parts of the campaign and enduring fluctuating form with the bat, Parag continued to front up for the Royals during their successful late push towards qualification. Sangakkara particularly praised the batter’s resilience and commitment.

“The confidence with which he drives himself, sometimes almost on one foot to come and play, there is a huge amount of positivity,” Sangakkara observed. “I think he has captained exceptionally well.”

Sangakkara also stressed that Parag commands complete respect inside the dressing room, irrespective of outside noise.

“Sometimes what you see on the outside is not Riyan Parag,” he said. “He is a lovely, soft, gentle, really determined, smart young man. He has learned a lot in the last few years and he will continue on that journey.”

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?

The road to the IPL 2026 playoffs may seem distant for Lucknow Super Giants, which sits at the bottom of the table.

However, bowling coach Bharat Arun believes all is not lost yet. “There is light at the end of the tunnel. For us, there’s no other way. Every game is a knockout for us right from here,” Arun said.

: For Lakshmi Shastri, the unveiling of the Ravi Shastri Stand at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday (April 9, 2026) was not merely an honour bestowed on her son. It was a full-circle moment — one that brought back memories of train rides, packed stands, and the quiet pride of watching a young boy from Mumbai carve his place in Indian cricket.

“It means a lot to me. I feel so honoured to be present here. I would come to the Wankhade Stadium to watch him play, though I did not watch his six sixes that day (in 1985). And I never ever dreamt that one day I would stand before his stand that has been named after him,” Lakshmi told The Hindu moments after the ceremony, with her daughter-in-law Ritu and granddaughter Alekha patiently waiting for her. “This is with God’s grace, and I do believe Ravi’s devotion, dedication, most important, his self-belief that he will achieve what he dreamt of. So may he go from strength to strength, extremely proud of him.”

Her words carried the weight of decades. An ardent cricket follower since the 1960s, Lakshmi has been pivotal to pushing Ravi to the limits since his formative years. Yet, Thursday’s (April 9, 2026) honour had a special emotional pull, particularly because Dr. Jayadritha Shastri, Ravi’s father and one of his earliest supporters, was not present, having passed away in 2007.

He played for the Dadar Union Sports Club, one of the iconic cricket clubs in the home of Indian cricket. It was befitting then that Sunil Gavaskar, the former India captain who in 1987 became the first man on the planet to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket, has donated his Dadar Union cap along with his memorabilia to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for its unique museum.

“Dadar Union taught me so much about the fact that the game is bigger than the individual, that you do not take the game for granted, that you have to keep on giving back to the game,” Gavaskar said at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday (August 23, 2025) night.

But beyond displaying his affection for his alma mater, Gavaskar – whose statue with the 10,00th run celebration was also unveiled at the entrance of the MCA Sharad Pawar Cricket Museum – revealed the significance of the cap on display.

“That cap was worn on the day we beat Australia in 1981 (by 59 runs in the third Test) when Kapil (Dev) came in at Melbourne and took five wickets (5/28). He was unwell the previous day. He took painkilling injections and he came on to bowl,” Gavaskar recalled.

“It was a touch-and-go situation — I am superstitious, as you probably know by now — I had my Dadar Union cap, which was lucky. That is the reason I wore that cap that day — not the India cap — because they had to score some 60-80 runs and they had lost three wickets.”

Earlier in the evening, after his statue was unveiled along with Sharad Pawar’s at the entrance of the museum, Gavaskar remembered his childhood friends, late Milind Rege and late Hemant Waingankar, who have passed and dedicated the glorious moment to all the Mumbai cricketers who have played with and against him from gully cricket to international cricket.

His wife Marshneil, son Rohan, daughter-in-law Swati and grandchildren Reha and Vivaan were also in attendance along with former teammate Dilip Vengsarkar, whose statue will soon be erected in the Wankhede Stadium premises.

“I am actually at a loss for words because I am overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by this unique honour,” Gavaskar said. “It doesn’t happen to everybody that there is a statue just outside the museum where there is going to be so much more footfall to see the museum and every time you enter the museum to be able to see the statue, so that is something totally, really unique so I am overwhelmed.”

Gavaskar referred to the MCA – earlier Bombay Cricket Association – as his mother. “The Mumbai Cricket Association, I have said in the past, is like my mother, held my hand when I was beginning with cricket at the school’s level, playing for Bombay schools,” he said.

“Thereafter as well, for Ranji Trophy etc. It’s been absolutely just a privilege and an honour and a blessing to be able to play for Mumbai and I never ever dreamt that it would come to this.”