Wednesday, May 06
Hungarian GM Richárd Rapport shared insights on the upcoming 2026 Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, saying experience will play a key role. He noted that veterans like Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana may play tight games against each other, while decisive results often come against struggling players. Rapport added that lower-seeded players can still create surprises in the round-robin format.
Former England captain Alastair Cook slammed the MCG pitch after a chaotic opening day saw all 20 wickets fall. He deemed it "not a great Test wicket," heavily favouring bowlers and making strokeplay a high-risk exercise. Despite acknowledging batting improvements needed, Cook felt conditions were "unfair," with even Australia's Scott Boland proving unplayable at times.
Delhi defeated Gujarat by seven runs in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match. Virat Kohli scored 77 and Rishabh Pant made 70 for Delhi. Gujarat faltered under pressure during their chase. Saurav Chauhan offered resistance with 49 runs. Prince Yadav took three wickets for Delhi. The win was sealed in the final overs.
Mumbai secured a 51-run victory over Uttarakhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy despite Rohit Sharma's golden duck. Hardik Tamore's unbeaten 93, along with half-centuries from the Khan brothers, powered Mumbai to 331. Uttarakhand's chase faltered, with Yuvraj Choudhary scoring 96, as Mumbai's bowlers held their nerve for a convincing win.
Khaled Mahmud walked out of Noakhali Express’s training ahead of the BPL opener, unhappy with team management and poor facilities. Pace coach Talha joined him after a reported argument over a lack of practice balls and alleged misbehaviour by the owner. Both later returned after being convinced, as BPL officials criticised the franchise’s unprofessional conduct.
Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made history by smashing 190 off 84 balls for Bihar against Arunachal Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He became the youngest to score a List A hundred and the first men’s cricketer to hit centuries in both List A and T20 cricket before 15. His knock helped Bihar post a record 574.
Mumbai batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi was hospitalized after a serious head injury during a Vijay Hazare Trophy match in Jaipur. The 21-year-old, also an IPL player, was stretchered off, causing concern. Earlier, Mumbai posted 331/7, with strong contributions from Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, and Hardik Tamore. Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck.
