Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Image Credit: BCCI/IPL)

New Delhi: Rajasthan Royals‘Teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi and his habit of terrorizing bowlers is no secret. It started in the last IPL, continued during India’s victorious 2026 Under-19 World Cup campaign, and is still going strong in IPL 2026. The boy from Bihar has created havoc by hitting sixes, instilling fear in bowlers and opposition teams alike. More importantly, he is delivering on his promises.Rajasthan Royals were in a position to win at all costs against the Lucknow Super Giants team, which was already eliminated after suffering three consecutive defeats. the head coach is watching Kumar SangakkaraThe 15-year-old came up to him with a stressed face and said, “It will be done.”Then he stood up and went towards the middle.The conversation took place after Rajasthan Royals opted to bowl first against LSG.After LSG posted a mammoth score of 220/5, Suryavanshi was at his best with a blistering 93 off just 38 balls as Rajasthan Royals easily chased down 221 to keep their playoff hopes alive. RR won by seven wickets with five balls to spare.Suryavanshi hit 10 sixes and seven fours in his breathtaking innings.After the match, Suryavanshi spoke to Rajasthan Royals team manager Romi Bhinder and revealed the promise he made to Sangakkara.“He was really not going well for us for the last 2-3 matches. We were losing. He was under a lot of pressure as I saw him. Even today when I was padding up to score 220, he had a lot of stress and tension on his face. But I am confident today that I will get my game back.” I will do it and I will do it well [Actually, things hadn’t been going well for us for the last 2-3 matches. We were losing games. I could see that he was under a lot of pressure. Even today, when I was padding up to chase 220, there was a lot of tension and stress on his face. But I was confident that today I would back my game again and do well]Suryavanshi said.“So I told him, ‘It will be done’, it is not a big score according to this wicket. Don’t take tension.” [So I told him, ‘It will happen.’ It’s not a very big score according to this wicket. There’s no need to take tension],” He said.The 15-year-old opening batsman has already hit 53 sixes this season, leaving him just six sixes short of Chris Gayle’s record of 59 sixes in an IPL edition.In the process, the teenage genius became the first Indian batsman in IPL history to hit 50 sixes in a single season.He also became the youngest player in the history of the tournament to reach 500 runs and maintained the highest strike rate of 236.3 in an IPL season with more than 500 runs.

Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Anukul Roy has been included in the India A squad for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka for the tri-series. Anukul has been included in the team in place of Harsh Dubey. Who was included in India’s Test and ODI team for the first time For the home series against Afghanistan.

The triangular series between India A, Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A is scheduled to take place in Dambulla from June 9 to June 21, 2026. Aditya has played a vital role for KKR especially in their turnaround, which makes them still contenders for a playoff spot this season.

“The men’s selection committee has included Anukul Roy in the India A squad for the upcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka. He replaces Harsh Dubey, who has been included in India’s Test and ODI squad for the first time for the upcoming IDFC First Bank home series against Afghanistan.”

“The tri-series will feature Sri Lanka A, India A and Afghanistan A and will be played in Dambulla from June 9 to June 21, 2026,” the BCCI statement said.

Tilak Verma will captain a strong team with Riyan Parag serving as his deputy. All focus will be on Vaibhav SuryavanshiWho aims to impress in India A colors as he continues his bid for a senior team call-up.

Indian team updated for tri-series

Tilak Verma (captain), Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Riyan Parag (vice-captain), Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Suryansh Shedge, Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Kumar Kushagra (wicketkeeper), Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur, Yudhveer Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Arshad Khan, Anukul Roy.

friendly in IPL 2026

Anukul comes into the IPL 2026 season on the back of a brilliant Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign with Jharkhand, in which he was named as the Player of the Tournament.

IPL 2026 has been the first season when Anukul has been successful in securing a permanent place in the KKR team by taking eight wickets in 13 matches.

He has acted as the third spinner for Kolkata. With Sunil Narine and Varun Chakraborty.

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Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings will face each other in their final league stage encounter of IPL 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Ahead of the much-awaited clash, Gujarat Titans star opener Sai Sudarshan revealed about his deep emotional bond with CSK, the franchise he has grown up idolising.Sai Sudarshan has once again enjoyed a stellar IPL campaign and continues his rise as one of the most consistent batsmen in the league. After winning the Orange Cap in IPL 2025 with a brilliant innings of 759 runs, the 24-year-old has maintained his form in IPL 2026 as well and remains firmly in the race for another dominant season. Despite a relatively quiet start to the campaign, Sudarshan has rediscovered top gear and crossed the 500-run mark for the second consecutive season. In 13 matches so far, the stylish left-hander has scored 554 runs and is currently placed fourth in the Orange Cap standings heading into GT’s final league clash.Ahead of the CSK clash, Sudarshan reflected on one of the most memorable innings of his IPL career, his maiden IPL century against Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad in 2024. Speaking on JioStar about his maiden IPL century against CSK, Sudarshan admitted that the innings holds extra emotional significance because of his childhood association with the Chennai-based franchise.“It wasn’t a conscious decision; I think it was God’s grace, and it came at the right time. But spending time in between is always special, especially when I play against CSK because, whatever is said and done, I have a deep emotional connection with CSK,” Sudarshan said.“I have grown up watching CSK play. We used to stand on the road to watch the team bus pass by our school. Those are great memories.” I am thankful to God that I was able to put up some memorable performances against CSK,” he said.Sai Sudarshan played a brilliant inning of 103 runs in just 51 balls and made a record opening partnership of 210 runs with the captain. Shubman GillWho also scored 104 runs on 55 balls. This stand equaled the record for the highest opening partnership in IPL history, which was previously made by KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock in 2022.

Aston Villa won their first Europa League title under Unai Emery on Wednesday, May 20, as the Spanish coach once again proved why he remains the undisputed king of the competition. Remarkably, all five of Emery’s Europa League wins have come with clubs having ‘Villa’ in their name – Sevilla, Villarreal and now Aston Villa.

Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 in the final in Istanbul, capping a stunning rise under Emery, who took charge of the club in 2022 when they were hovering dangerously close to the Premier League relegation zone. Less than four years later, he had transformed Villa into one of the strongest teams in England, taking them back to the Champions League and now leading them to their first European trophy since 1982.

Wednesday’s performance was perhaps the perfect representation of Emery’s Aston Villa project. They were organized without the ball, brutal in transition and clinical in front of goal, completely outclassing Freiburg on the biggest night of their season.

“This final is confirmation of how we are progressing,” Emery told TNT Sports after the match. “Europe gave us a lot.”

As the final whistle blew in Türkiye, thousands of Aston Villa supporters began celebrating inside the stadium. They included Prince William, possibly the club’s most famous fan, who delightedly watched Villa lift European silverware once again.

“Amazing night!! Congratulations to all the players, team, staff and everyone associated with the club! 44 years since the last taste of European silverware!” Prince William posted on

“With this manager in charge, anything is possible.”

UNAI Emery: MR Europa League

Emery, dubbed “Mr. Europa League” by fans across Europe, has created a unique legacy in the competition. He dominated the tournament with Sevilla, winning three consecutive titles between 2014 and 2016, before leading Villarreal to glory in 2021. Aston Villa has now become the latest club to benefit from his remarkable European touch.

The win also marks Villa’s first major trophy since the League Cup in 1996, underlining how dramatically the club has progressed under the Spaniard.

Emery said after the game that he was proud to have enhanced Aston Villa’s reputation in Europe and stressed that the ambition is now to establish the club among the Premier League elite by competing strongly in the Champions League next season.

Villa captain John McGinn dedicated the win to the supporters who stood by the club through some of the darkest moments in recent history, including their three-year stint in the Championship between 2016 and 2019.

“I can’t believe what we’ve been through as a club, to be honest,” McGinn said.

“Seven years ago this club was in a terrible state. Tonight was everything we’ve built together.”

“Ten minutes before 3-0, thinking we were European champions, it was something I can’t even describe. It’s very special.”

Forward Morgan Rodgers echoed those sentiments after Villa completed a historic night in Istanbul.

“We’ve worked very hard for this,” Rogers said.

“We knew we had to play another game to give everything we had and we performed well. Great moment for the fans, great moment for the club. We will go down in history.”

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Hardik Pandya didn’t try to hide Mumbai Indians’ biggest problem after another crushing defeat, making their already poor IPL 2026 campaign even worse. The MI skipper admitted that the franchise’s repeated fielding failures throughout the season have badly affected the team, adding that frequent dropped catches have left Mumbai “chasing the game.”

Mumbai Indians suffered another defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on 20 May, a result which summed up their poor season. After securing just four wins from 13 matches, MI are now second-last IPL 2026 points table with only eight points and already out of the race for the playoffs.

IPL 2026, KKR vs MI: highlight | Achievement:

Speaking after the defeat, Hardik openly admitted that Mumbai’s fielding standards have fallen far below the level required to compete consistently in the IPL.

Hardik Pandya said, “I think we have been very bad in the field throughout the season. I think we have dropped a lot of catches, obviously no one wants to do that. But in that part of the game, I think there is no point in hiding. I think if you get chances, if you want to win the game, you have to take all the chances, even half chances.”

“But yes, when you give up chances that can change the game, it always happens that you are chasing the game,” said the embattled Pandya.

After posting a below par score of 147/8, MI still managed to create moments during KKR’s chase where they could have pulled themselves back into the contest. But once again his fielding disappointed him badly.

The most disappointing moment came in the 10th over.

Rovman Powell hit a pull shot off Hardik Pandya and what should have been a simple catch turned into complete confusion between Deepak Chahar and Robin Minz. Both fielders hesitated, neither committed properly and the ball eventually fell safely between them.

It was exactly the kind of moment that had haunted Mumbai throughout IPL 2026.

Fielding errors sum up MI’s horror season

Mumbai’s catching problems have haunted them almost the entire season.

The franchise dropped five catches in a single game against Punjab Kings at the start of the tournament, while missing chances in the field resulted in several matches being lost.

For a side that once built its dominance on discipline and ruthlessness, the decline in standards is obvious.

And the contradiction against Kolkata Knight Riders during the Eden Gardens clash made things even tougher for MI.

While Mumbai maintained chances, KKR once again looked to be one of the fastest fielding teams in the competition.

Much of the credit for that improvement has been internally given to fielding coach Dishant Yagnik, who has turned Kolkata into the best catching team of IPL 2026. The clearest example of this came during Cameron Green’s brilliant catch to dismiss Rohit Sharma during the match.

That sharpness ultimately became one of the biggest differences between the two teams.

KKR kept their chances, handled the pressure better and ultimately chased down the target patiently under the leadership of Manish Pandey and Rinku Singh.

Meanwhile, Mumbai’s season is now heading towards its conclusion with only one match left against Rajasthan Royals.

And after a campaign filled with inconsistency, poor fielding and constant pressure, MI now enter IPL 2027 with far bigger questions than answers.

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Hardik Pandya (Image Credit: BCCI/IPL)

New Delhi: Disappointment on Captain hardik pandyaHis face was clearly visible, a major reason behind which is proving to be poor fielding. Mumbai IndiansDefeat against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Wednesday.After MI scored 147/8 in 20 overs, they had a few chances on the field but failed to capitalize on them. The frustration reached its peak in the 10th over when KKR’s Rovman Powell hit a pull shot off Hardik Pandya.Deepak Chahar at fine leg looked set to take the catch, but he left it to Robin Minz coming in from deep square leg and the ball eventually fell safely between the two fielders.“(What was going on in the field?) I don’t know. I think throughout the season, we’ve been pretty bad fielding. I think we dropped a lot of catches, obviously nobody wants to do that. But in that part of the game, I think there is nothing to hide,” Pandya said after the match.He said, “I think if you get chances, if you want to win the game, you have to convert all the chances, even half chances. But yes, when you give up chances that can change the game, it is always that you are chasing the game.”Kolkata Knight Riders stayed alive in the playoff race with a crucial four-wicket win as the Sunil Narine-led bowling attack once again performed well on the difficult surface at Eden Gardens.Needing a win to stay in the competition, KKR put up a disciplined effort to restrict the already-eliminated five-time champions to 147/8. Ajinkya Rahane Won the toss and decided to field.This is the third instance of Pandya losing four consecutive matches as captain in the IPL.“(Were you about 20 runs short?) Yes, I mean, quite amusing. Certainly as a batting group, we were 20 runs short. I think we lost a lot of wickets in the powerplay, but if Tilak and I had stayed longer, and we had made a few more partnerships and got 15-20 runs, I think we would have had a good chance,” Pandya said.

Mohun Bagan super giants have headlined the worrying list of seven clubs whose applications for AIFF Premier 1 licenses for the 2026-27 season have been rejected, casting fresh uncertainty over the future of several Indian Super League sides. The decision, taken by the AIFF’s Club Licensing Committee – First Instance Body (CLC-FIB), will now temporarily make several top-flight clubs ineligible to participate in national and AFC competitions until the situation is quickly resolved.

While some clubs managed to secure licenses with restrictions, many major ISL names failed to get approval from the AIFF.

The clubs that were granted licenses with approval were:

• Northeast United FC
• East Bengal FC
• Jamshedpur FC
• Mumbai City FC
• bengaluru fc
• FC Goa
• punjab fc

Meanwhile, the clubs whose licenses were rejected are:

• Mohun Bagan Super Giant
• Kerala Blasters FC
• Odisha FC
• Chennaiyin FC
• Mohammedan Sporting Club
• Antar Kashi
• Sporting Club Delhi

Many ISL clubs are already grappling with widespread uncertainty over the league’s commercial future, ownership concerns, sponsorship pressures and operational plans for next season. Now the licensing setback adds another administrative headache right in the middle of that chaos.

But unless those issues are resolved quickly, Indian football may soon face another off-field mess just months before the new season begins.

What does AIFF club license rejection mean?

AIFF’s Indian club licensing system is not just paperwork.

It is essentially the league’s quality-control system designed to ensure that clubs meet mandatory standards involving finance, infrastructure, youth development, administration and sporting operations before they can participate in professional competitions.

Every season, clubs must secure licenses to participate in the ISL, I-League and AFC tournaments.

So when a license is rejected, it effectively means that the club has failed to meet one or several mandatory criteria set out by AIFF and AFC rules.

Technically, this currently makes these clubs ineligible to participate in ISL and continental competitions for the 2026–27 season.

But the important thing is that it is not an immediate removal.

Clubs still have ways to avoid complete disaster.

What’s next for Mohun Bagan and other clubs?

Despite the rejection, it is still not the end of the road for the seven clubs. The AIFF rules still leave some loopholes open before the 2026-27 season officially begins.

What can rejected clubs do now:

• File an appeal against the decision of the Club Licensing Committee
• Submit additional documentation or clarification to address compliance deficiencies
• Request special discounts to participate in national competitions
• Try to resolve infrastructure, financial or administrative issues within the permitted timeframe
• Will be temporarily ineligible for ISL and AFC competitions until approval is received

For Mohun Bagan in particular, the rejection has even greater significance given the club’s recent AFC troubles after refusing to travel to Iran for an ACL 2 match last year, which had already resulted in a heavy fine and a two-season continental ban.

And for clubs like Kerala Blasters, Odisha FC and Chennaiyin FC, this announcement will further heighten supporters’ concerns about where Indian club football is currently headed.

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New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday unveiled the schedule for the 2026-27 domestic season, confirming the… ranji trophy The two-phase format will continue to be followed. The major first-class tournament is scheduled to begin on October 11, while the domestic calendar will begin with the Duleep Trophy on August 23.The upcoming season will feature 1,788 matches across multiple categories in both men’s and women’s cricket. The competitions will include Under-16, Under-19, Under-23 and Senior tournaments in the men’s circuit as well as Under-15, Under-19, Under-23 and Senior tournaments in the women’s circuit.In another notable change, the BCCI has decided to shift the Under-23 one-day tournament and the inter-zonal university competition for the Vizzy Trophy to the T20 format in line with the evolving demands of the modern game.“The 2026-27 domestic season reflects BCCI’s continued commitment to building a strong and competitive domestic structure while ensuring balanced progress across all formats and categories,” the board said in the release.The Duleep Trophy, which has returned to the zonal format, will be played between August 23 and September 10. The entire tournament will be held at BCCI’s Center of Excellence in Bengaluru.The Irani Cup between Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir and Rest of India will be played in Srinagar from October 1 to 5.The first phase of the Ranji Trophy, the blue ribbon event of the BCCI’s domestic calendar, will be held from October 11 to November 5 with four rounds being held.The second phase will take place between January 17 and March 3, 2027, after the completion of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (National T20) and Vijay Hazare Trophy (National 50-over meet).SMAT will be conducted between November 14 and December 6. The four venues for the league stage are Mumbai, Mohali, Vizag and Kolkata. The knock-out stage will be held in Nagpur.The timing of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will allow talent scouts to prepare their lists ahead of the IPL auction which will be held sometime in December.Vijay Hazare Trophy will be held from 14 December 2026 to 8 January 2027.A good decision taken by the BCCI scheduling team is to play the Vijay Merchant Trophy (U16) from November to January, thereby improving the scheduling and preparation of the players.It also helps school cricketers prepare for their annual or board examinations which are generally held in February and March. (With inputs from PTI)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the ticket sale schedule for the IPL 2026 playoffs, with online booking set to begin in phases later this week. District has been named the official ticketing partner for the knockout stage by Zomato.

Playoff action begins Qualifier 1 will be held at HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala on May 26, followed by the Eliminator at New PCA Stadium, New Chandigarh on May 27. Qualifier 2 will be played on May 29 in New Chandigarh, while the final will be held on May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

RuPay cardholders get early access

Ticket sales will first open for RuPay credit cardholders, who have been given priority through the special booking window. The first priority window will open on May 20 at 7:00 PM and will be active for 24 hours, allowing eligible users to book tickets for Qualifier 1 and Eliminator.

The second special booking window for RuPay cardholders will begin on May 22 at 7:00 pm, which will include the sale of tickets for Qualifier 2 and the Final.

General sale dates announced

For the general public, the sale of tickets for Qualifier 1 and Eliminator will begin at 8:00 pm on May 21, a day after the start of the RuPay pre-sale. Booking for Qualifier 2 and Final will open on May 23 at 8:00 PM.

BCCI said that tickets will be available only through authorized online platforms, fans will be able to purchase through the official IPL District by website as well as Zomato website and mobile application.

Demand is expected to be high

The phased rollout aims to manage demand for the tournament’s most anticipated fixtures, with interest expected to be high as teams battle for the title. The playoffs will mark the culmination of another competitive IPL season, with the final set to be played at the world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

Fans have been advised to rely only on official booking channels to avoid fraud or fake tickets. With the knockout line-up confirmed, the race to secure seats for the decisive matches is expected to intensify in the coming days.

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