Sunday, April 26
BCCI announced annual player contracts for India’s men’s and women’s teams for 2025–26. Grade A includes Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and women stars Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma. Senior stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are in Grade B, signalling a shift toward younger players and a new phase in Indian cricket.
Punjab Kings have commenced their IPL preparations with an overseas training camp in Abu Dhabi, focusing on fitness and team cohesion. This follows a successful pre-season camp in Udaipur. The franchise aims to build on their strong 2025 runners-up finish, led by Shreyas Iyer, as they target their maiden IPL title.
Italy's Thomas Draca dreams of meeting his idol Hardik Pandya at the T20 World Cup, aiming to emulate his fearless approach and charisma. Draca, mentored by legends Dennis Lillee and Carlos Brathwaite, is eager to represent Italy in their maiden World Cup appearance and learn from Pandya's game.
US President Donald Trump has voiced strong support for the American cricket team in the ongoing T20 World Cup, with the nation backing their journey. Despite being a developing cricket nation, the USA squad, largely of Indian origin, is gaining global attention. Defending champions India recently defeated the USA by 29 runs in a closely contested match.
Zimbabwe dominated Oman in their T20 World Cup match, winning by eight wickets. Fast bowlers Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, and Brad Evans dismantled Oman’s batting to limit them to 103 runs. In reply, Brian Bennett’s unbeaten 48 and Brendan Taylor’s 31 guided Zimbabwe to a comfortable chase in just over 13 overs. The win highlighted Zimbabwe’s strong bowling attack and Bennett’s excellent form.
