Chennai: Rajasthan Royals Has relied on young talent for success – Vaibhav Suryavanshi tops the list. And one of those backroom boys who has helped the franchise shape its youth structure is performance coach Siddharth Lahiri, who also oversees RR academies around the world. Reflecting on Suryavanshi’s rapid rise, Lahiri told TOI: “He definitely has immense potential, he is a freak, a 14-year-old kid with that level of ability. He is at that stage of his life where he loves breathing cricket and he loves batting. From a cricketing point of view, we can only hope that he will do things that seem unreal to watch.”
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Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag watching West Ham vs Man City in London
The coach stressed that the franchise aims to develop not just players but also quality coaches. Their academies have already produced international names like Ollie Pope, Shoaib Bashir and Phil Salt, while closer to home, their focus remains on developing such talents. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag And Dhruv Jurel. departure of sanju samson It was a blow to the Royals and Lahiri admitted that the team would miss him. “He is one of the best white-ball cricketers and a player of immense potential. Of course, he will be missed. I have had the privilege of watching him play some amazing innings for us… People have been talking about his World Cup success in the last three matches, but we were used to that at the Royals. The decision to part ways was mutually agreed and I wish him every success.” Despite a mixed season last year, Lahiri expressed strong confidence in the young player, endorsing Parag’s leadership abilities. “He is excellent. He has led his domestic team; he plays his cricket in Assam, which means he knows what it means to be the underdog. He has a lot of respect within the Royals and has a good relationship with the head coach.” Kumar Sangakkara And team. I believe Parag has the quality to be an astute leader,” he said. Lahiri also said that Parag’s progress in the white-ball format has been significant. “Had it not been for a minor shoulder injury, he could have been a part of the T20 World Cup squad. He is an incredible white-ball player and fits in perfectly with the fearless brand of cricket that India are playing,” he said.
India and Pakistan are set to clash in one of the most anticipated matches of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 on August 19. The International Hockey Federation unveiled the full schedule on Wednesday as the tournament takes place in Belgium and the Netherlands from August 15 to 30.
Both the Indian men’s and women’s teams, competing in their respective categories in Pool D, will play their matches in the Netherlands.
The India men’s team will begin their campaign against Wales on August 15, followed by a crucial clash with England on August 17. The high-profile India vs Pakistan pool-stage match is scheduled for August 19, and all three matches will be held at the Wagner Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen.
Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team will open against China on August 16, take on South Africa on August 18 and conclude the pool stage with England on August 20 at the Wagner Stadium.
The knockout round promises to be a tough competition. The men’s semi-finals will be held on August 28 and the final on August 30 in Wavre. The women’s semi-finals are scheduled for August 27, followed by the final in Amsterdam on August 29, which is sure to be a thrilling contest.
Germany, the defending men’s champions who secured their third World Cup title in Bhubaneswar in 2023 with a win over Belgium, will compete in Pool B along with Belgium, France and Malaysia.
New Delhi: The Indian Premier League With the (IPL) 2026 season fast approaching, all 10 franchises are finalizing their coaching setups and support staff ahead of the new campaign. The tournament is scheduled to begin on March 28, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.Teams have assembled a mix of experienced international names and former players in their backroom staff.
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Cricket stars gathered at the grand reception of Kuldeep Yadav’s wedding. starry night
RCB will be led by head coach Andy Flower, who will be supported by Dinesh Karthik and Omkar Salvi. Chennai Super Kings are moving forward under the guidance of Stephen Fleming with Michael Hussey and Eric Simmons.At Mumbai Indians, Mahela Jayawardene leads a strong staff including Lasith Malinga and Kieron Pollard. The head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders is Abhishek Nair, while Shane Watson and Dwayne Bravo are in lead roles.Gujarat Titans are coached by Ashish Nehra, while Rajasthan Royals rely on Kumar Sangakkara. Punjab Kings have Ricky Ponting.Lucknow Super Giants are guided by Justin Langer with Kane Williamson as the advisor, while Delhi Capitals is headed by Hemang Badani.Sunrisers Hyderabad will be coached by Daniel Vettori, who will be supported by Muttiah Muralitharan and others.
Former South African batsman AB de Villiers has backed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to win consecutive Indian Premier League titles. last year, RCB ended the wait of 18 years by defeating Punjab Kings Lost by six runs in the final at Narendra Modi Stadium.
De Villiers, who played 11 seasons for RCB from 2011 to 2021, said that the team is no longer overly dependent on Virat Kohli. He said that Kohli can have his place, as RCB now has many players who are capable of performing well consistently.
“Virat can feel it, he can understand that he is not the only one carrying the burden anymore,” de Villiers told JioHotstar.
He added, “They have a team of fighters around them who are ready to win trophies. I think they’re in a really good place. It’s a very similar team, they don’t need to make too many changes, and they have good reason to believe they can make a run again this coming season.”
RCB strengthened their team by signing Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 7 crore and Mangesh Yadav for Rs 5.2 crore in the IPL auction. They added Jordan Cox for Rs 75 lakh, Jacob Duffy for Rs 2 crore, and young talents Satwik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra and Kanishk Chauhan for Rs 30 lakh each.
‘Not two, even three’
De Villiers praised Kohli’s mentality, saying that RCB now has the momentum to win multiple trophies in a row, which shows Kohli’s confidence in converting one win into multiple wins in a row.
“You remember he (Kohli) would often speak about it in the dressing room, ‘If we can win one, we will soon win two, three, four.’ I really believe in that. I think RCB are in that zone now where they can explode, explode… maybe win two or three trophies in a row,” de Villiers said.
Last month, the RCB women’s team won their second Women’s Premier League (WPL) title by defeating Delhi Capitals in the final. The men’s team now has a chance to achieve a double feat by defending their IPL title this year.
New Delhi: Former England captain jos buttler He admitted that his T20 World Cup was disappointing but insisted that his international career is not over. The experienced batsman scored only 87 runs in eight innings. England cricket team Reached the semi-finals before losing to the Indian cricket team. Despite the failure, he believes he can return to his best form.
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Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag watching West Ham vs Man City in London
Reflecting on his performance, Buttler said, “Obviously I had a bad tournament, which is disappointing,” but remained hopeful, adding, “But I’ve been playing some of the best cricket of my (career) in recent years, so hopefully I can get back to playing my best.” He also made it clear that he still wanted to play for England, saying, “I definitely have ambitions (to play for England again), but I’m not captain anymore, I’m not a selector and whatever happens, it will happen.”
‘It didn’t happen at all’: Jos Buttler
After the World Cup, Buttler took a holiday to France with his family to recuperate mentally. He explained the need to step back, saying, “I couldn’t get any further away from cricket, which was perfect for me at the time.” He added, “It’s exactly what I needed.” The break helped him reflect on his game and mentality. He said, “It was really refreshing, I really enjoyed it, a perfect kind of release.” Acknowledging that things did not go his way, Butler concluded, “It wasn’t for lack of trying, it just didn’t happen.”
Sunrisers Hyderabad have promoted Ishan Kishan to the role of stand-in captain ahead of the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League, the franchise announced on Wednesday, March 18. The team confirmed that regular captain Pat Cummins will miss the first few matches of the tournament due to a lower back injury.
While Kishan has been given the captaincy, aggressive opening batsman Abhishek Sharma has been made the vice-captain. Kishan’s promotion comes after a sensational T20 World Cup 2026, where he scored 317 runs at a strike rate of 193. He was a vital presence in the powerplay, even as Abhishek performed poorly for most of the tournament.
Despite 2026 being Kishan’s second season with the team, the top-order batsman has been handed the leadership role. The decision could be taken from his recent captaincy success with Jharkhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he led the team to the title last season.
This marks a significant turnaround for Kishan, who had fallen out of favor with the Indian national team at the end of 2022 and was later dropped from the central contract after being out of domestic cricket for a period.
After some time away from the game, Kishan ensured that the break did not hamper his development. The wicketkeeper-batsman developed into a leader to watch, leading Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in 2025. Kishan scored 517 runs in just 10 matches at a tremendous strike-rate of 197. He was the top scorer of the tournament.
Kishan led from the front in the final against Haryana. Starting the innings, He scored a century in just 49 ballsA brilliant 69-run victory and underlined his value beyond his role behind the stumps.
Kishan’s return to India
After an incredible domestic season, Kishan was brought back into the Indian team. Kishan grabbed the opportunity and was included in India’s playing eleven for the T20 World Cup. After a disappointing start against USA in the first match, Kishan scored two consecutive fifties against Namibia and Pakistan.
His innings against Pakistan was particularly impressive and proved to be the difference between the two sides. Kishan also played a quickfire inning of 54 runs in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand and led India to the highest score in the history of the tournament final.
Cummins took part in only one match in the Ashes and took six wickets in Australia’s victory over the England cricket team, before being rested for the remainder of the series. He was also ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026, although SRH say he is expected to be fit in time for the latter stages of the IPL.
Virat Kohli Having reached Bengaluru well ahead of the upcoming IPL season, Royal Challengers Bangalore have been in attendance as they look to defend their title.The star batsman was at the heart of RCB’s historic win last season, scoring 657 runs at a strike rate of 144.71 and an impressive average of 54.75, which included eight half-centuries. His consistency at the top played a huge role in ending the franchise’s long wait for silverware.RCB finally broke their 18-year title drought Rajat Patidar Stepping up as a leader during the campaign. Having achieved that milestone, the focus now turns to repeating the success in what promises to be a challenging title defence.Kohli had already retired from T20 and Test. With only ODIs and IPL left, the importance of each appearance has now increased.Even at the age of 37, Kohli’s excellent performance continues. His statistics from last season underline his enduring quality, as he is one of the most complete batsmen in the format, capable of anchoring and adding pace as required.His recent ODI form further highlights his consistency. Against South Africa, Kohli scored 135 runs from 120 balls, 102 runs from 93 balls and 65 not out from 45 balls in the three-match series. After this, he scored 93 runs on 91 balls in the first ODI against New Zealand and 124 runs on 108 balls in the third ODI.RCB will begin their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28.Kohli also enters this season as the IPL’s all-time leading run-scorer, with 8,661 runs in 267 matches, including a record eight centuries.
Bangladesh Sports Minister Aminul Haq plans to form a second committee to investigate why Bangladesh could not participate in the T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka this year. Haq said a second committee would be formed to look into the call for a boycott and whether withdrawing from the event was a failure of sports diplomacy.
Bangladesh decides to ignore T20 World Cup They were forced to change the venue to India after Mustafizur Rahman’s unceremonious exit from the IPL. The ICC decided to reject Bangladesh’s request and this forced the BCB to continue its stance of boycotting the tournament. Their place in the tournament was taken by Scotland.
Haq said that the matter will be investigated after Eid and such mistake will not be repeated in future.
“We will try to find out why we did not go to the World Cup. We have to understand why our sports diplomacy was weak. We will form an inquiry committee on this subject after Eid. We have to strengthen our sports diplomacy and ensure that we do not repeat this mistake in future.”
ICC will decide the future of BCB?
On 11 March, the Sports Ministry decided to form an inquiry committee to investigate allegations of irregularities, abuse and manipulation of power during the BCB elections last year. The board reacted strongly to this, saying that the move to form a committee was tantamount to government interference. Haq said that once the committee submits its report within 15 working days, he will discuss the matter with the ICC.
“We are all aware of the direct interference of our previous government in the BCB elections last year,” Haq said. “I have spoken about it on several occasions. Following the allegations from Dhaka clubs and districts, we have formed an inquiry committee. I will read their report, but my next step will be after speaking to the ICC.”
There were strong allegations that former captain Tamim Iqbal and a large group of Dhaka Club officials had planned the elections. Before the elections, allegations were also leveled against BCB President Aminul Islam. A few weeks before the elections, Aminul had written a letter to the Sports Ministry urging the replacement of councilors from select districts. Tamim also claimed that the BCB revised the nomination deadline on two separate occasions.
Haq said investigators would look into the process through which district administrators changed their nominations before the elections.
“The inquiry committee will talk to the BCB election commissioners, the current board chairperson, BCB directors and CEO. It will also contact the district administrators who nominated the BCB councillors,” Haq said. It is alleged that many of these district administrators sent the name of a new councilor after receiving a letter already nominating one. [from Aminul]. I believe that these cases should be investigated impartially.”
Bangladesh recently defeated Pakistan in the three-match ODI series.
New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last month removed the A+ category from its players’ retainership system, saying there were not enough candidates to qualify for the gradation. However, TOI understands that the board may be forced to re-look at the evaluation structure of the existing gradation of contracts to ensure that players who have consistently performed well do not lose out on the money they received last year. India’s leading fast bowlers are at the top of this list. Jasprit BumrahWho have consistently received Grade A+ contracts since the start of the 2018–19 season. It is learned that the board has not officially informed about the value of the contracts for this season. As per the previous system, Grade A+ players received Rs 7 crore, while Grade A, B and C players received Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively. BCCI did not mention the amount for each category while announcing this year’s retainership. It is learned that the players have also not yet been officially informed about the value of their contracts.
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Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag watching West Ham vs Man City in London
Grade A+ was reserved for players who had made it to all three formats and achieved a world ranking in the top 10 in any one format. since Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli Also retired from two formats Ravindra Jadeja After his retirement from T20, only Bumrah is left on the board. The clash with the current contract system starts here as despite holding all three formats, Bumrah was kept in Grade A by default this year. Currently, Grade A includes only Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. The board is trying to figure out how Bumrah can be compensated. It is understandable that it would be unfair to reduce his fee from Rs 7 crore to Rs 5 crore. There are some other players who have gone down a grade despite performing well. There could be revisions in the valuation of contracts,” a BCCI source told TOI. The other name that is being debated is that of India’s T20I vice-captain Axar Patel, who has been an integral part of the T20I and ODI set-up in the 2024-25 season. Akshar has been given a Grade C contract, which was worth Rs 1 crore till last year. India are set to taste one of their most successful years in white-ball cricket in the 2024-25 season, with contracts awarded for the 2024-25 season. Test cricket has seen a decline at home and in Australia, with a five-Test series in England tied in between. TOI has acquired the official norms that were prepared when Grade A+ was introduced in 2018-19. According to the document, for a Grade A contract, a player must fulfill any two of the following four criteria: any two formats, automatic selection in the team, top 15 in the world ranking, automatic selection in the Test team with 40 or more matches. A Grade B contract requires the player to fulfill any two of the following criteria: any two formats, automatic selection in the team, top 20 in the world rankings, automatic selection in the Test team with 60 or more matches. Interestingly, Axar was the world No. 11 all-rounder in T20Is in 2025 and also played a key role in India’s win, which makes him two of the four to qualify for a Grade A or Grade B contract. Even though the BCCI has changed the criteria over the last three years, a minimum Grade B contract seemed viable. It will be interesting to see if the board has revised the criteria for this year also. Apart from Bumrah and Akshar, there are other players like KL RahulMohammad Siraj, hardik pandya And Rishabh Pant has been pushed from Grade A to Grade B. It should be noted that Rahul has been performing consistently in Tests and ODIs, while Siraj and Pant had exceptional Test tours of England. Pandya has also been a key member of India’s ODI and T20 teams. The BCCI has historically considered player injuries and has ensured that players are not penalized for leaving cricket due to injuries.
Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag was in London last week watching West Ham hold Manchester City to a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium. At first glance, an IPL captain attending a Premier League game seems like nothing more than a holiday. But Parag was not there just to watch football. He came there to learn.
This was perhaps an odd choice for the game. West Ham are in the midst of a relegation battle with just 29 points from 30 games, with every match now carrying the weight of the result. When City took the lead through Bernardo Silva, the 60,000 Hammers fans did not panic.
Four minutes later, Bowen turned a corner, a moment of chaos ensued in the box and Mavropanos headed home.
West Ham secured a point against one of Europe’s finest teams by refusing to concede defeat until the final minute in a resilient defensive display. The draw not only helped them gain a point against the City team but more importantly kept them alive in the Premier League, their battle to last at least another week.
By Parag’s own account, the stadium was deafening from start to finish, with every tackle and clearance demanding effort and delivering it in equal measure. And while watching from the stand something clicked.
Pollen’s West Ham parallel
During his visit to London, the newly appointed Rajasthan Royals captain sat with West Ham skipper Jarrod Bowen. The conversation went somewhere most pre-arranged interviews don’t, moving away from rehearsed answers to something more honest, more difficult to articulate.
Riyan Parag at the London Stadium. (Image: Premier League)
The Indian batsman, who is an avid fan of the Premier League, asked him the question he really came to ask: how do you keep the dressing room alive when the season is already gone? How will you care about the players when the points table has already moved up without them?
Parag knew what it felt like to see a season slip through one’s fingers. Rajasthan’s stand-in captain last season, Parag faced a tough campaign, with his team losing close games on several occasions, often finding ways to miss out at crucial moments.
And in the IPL, when you lose that many games, it’s hard to bounce back, and even harder to avoid quietly losing confidence.
“Last year we were ninth,” Parag said. “How do you motivate your players to come out and perform every time, knowing that you will not win the trophy, knowing that you will not qualify, but still go out there and put on a show for all those who have paid their hard-earned money?”
In a select media interaction organized by the English Premier League, Parag revealed that Bowen apparently had the answers.
“The way he has handled himself, the way he has given messages and motivation to his team, without being arrogant, without coming in the wrong direction, it is something that I can learn from,” Parag said. “I’m really glad I had this conversation. If we’re ever in a similar situation in the IPL, this year, next year, whenever, it’s going to be really helpful.”
It’s one thing to ask those questions in a room. Then it’s another thing to go out and see a team live out those principles in real time.
A franchise is still waiting
To understand why it resonated so deeply, you need to understand what the pollen is doing.
Rajasthan Royals won the first IPL title in 2008. The so-called misfit team led by the late great Shane Warne defeated Chennai Super Kings in what remains one of the great underdog stories in the history of the tournament. No one saw this coming. Rather this was the point.
Eighteen years later, many superstars later, they’re still chasing that feeling, still looking for a season where everything aligns the way it once did.
Over the past decade, a young Sanju Samson raised hopes for the franchise, and became the face of the club during seasons that promised a lot and delivered very little, often carrying the weight of expectations through inconsistency. But Samson has now moved on and with him a certain era has also gone.
The reins have been handed over to Parag, who has been at the club since 2019, and he has been promoted to a position where he is expected to take the franchise into a new phase, not just as a player. It is a loaded legacy.
Two clubs, one story
West Ham is a club that has an equally complex relationship with its history. A cult following, never a champion of England, and yet a consistent producer of world-class talent. Frank Lampard, Declan Rice and Michael Carrick all came through East London. The pedigree is real, but the trophy cabinet tells a different story.
This season, they find themselves languishing in the Championship, with relegation a real possibility, with every game now a lead that goes beyond points. Parag saw something of Rajasthan in all this.
“I didn’t see a single supporter who was a fan of Haaland or Doku or Foden,” he said. “Everyone wanted West Ham to win.” For a young captain who is about to lead a franchise still in search of its second title, that kind of unconditional support was something that lingers long after the final whistle.
the lesson he’s taking home
The trip to England means that, beyond Bowen, Parag also came away with two other reference points for the upcoming season, small but important pieces in shaping the kind of leader he wants to be.
Bruno Fernandes has remained steadfast at Manchester United through managerial changes and a difficult campaign, continuing to demand standards regardless of the circumstances. And Haaland, for his brutal efficiency every time he gets the chance, has the ability to reduce the chaos of the game to moments that can be decided in an instant. “Those three attributes will help me in my season this year,” Pollen said.
Ryan Pollen in conversation with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen. (Image: Premier League)
The broader point is simple. Parag went to London not as a tourist, but as a student of leadership, willing to keep his eyes and ears open, willing to learn what was put before him.
He saw the side threatened with relegation keep their composure against the best. He sat there as a captain holding things together, anchoring a season that could have easily gone away.
As Rajasthan’s quest for the title begins, Parag hopes that, like Bowen and West Ham, he can provide that glimmer of hope where no one expects it, and more importantly, his lessons will matter when they are tested most.
