Mumbai Indians gave the debut to young recruits Danish Malevar and Krish Bhagat in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 season against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Monday, April 20.

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While the franchise continues Opener and former captain Rohit Sharma missed out due to hamstring injuryMI also dropped overseas opener Ryan Rickelton due to his poor form at the top.

Who is Danish Malevar?

A right-handed batsman, Danish hails from Vidarbha and is regarded as an emerging talent in the domestic circuit due to his consistency in red-ball cricket. MI had bought the 21-year-old player in the 2026 auction at a base price of Rs 30 lakh.

Malewar started his cricket journey at City Gymkhana Academy under the guidance of coaches Swaroopraj Srivastava and Nitin Gawande. Coaches immediately recognized his discipline and determination.

He was also a key contributor to Vidarbha’s title-winning Ranji Trophy 2024-25 campaign, scoring 783 runs at an average of 52 in nine matches. The batsman recorded two centuries and six half-centuries that season, and finished as his team’s third-highest run-scorer. Malewar played in the middle order for his state, usually at number 4.

The young batsman has represented Vidarbha since the Under-14 level and joined the team at the age of 12. Taking inspiration from idols Sachin Tendulkar and KL Rahul, Malewar is known for his strong work ethic. However, his aim is to develop his own batting identity by mastering every shot, from drives to flicks and sweeps.

The Danish, who came in to bat alongside veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock, failed to make a mark after being blown away by Kagiso Rabada’s inswinger. Malewar was declared LBW after scoring just two runs in four balls.

Who is Krishna Bhagat?

Krish, who was a replacement for Atharva Ankolekar at the start of the season, is a bowling all-rounder from Punjab. He has been a part of the Mumbai Indians trials for the last two years, played for the Reliance team in the DY Patil T20 Cup 2026 and served as a supporting bowler during the pre-season.

“Krish, who was part of the supporting bowlers, really impressed us. He came into the team three days ago and today he is having the time of his life,” captain Hardik Pandya said during the toss.

The 21-year-old right-handed all-rounder brings versatility as a right-arm fast bowler and can also contribute with the bat lower down the order.

“Kriss has consistently impressed the coaching staff with his dedication, work ethic and quality in every session and practice game for Mumbai Indians. His commitment and development in domestic cricket and practice sessions for Mumbai Indians this season has earned him this well-deserved opportunity to transition into the main team,” the franchise said in a brief statement.

The young all-rounder is likely to be used in the middle overs, while the premier pace bowlers are struggling to make breakthroughs.

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Sanjeev Goenka with Priyansh Arya, Preity Zinta with Rishabh Pant

Sanjeev Goenka of Lucknow Super Giants and Preity Zinta The Punjab Kings remain two of the most visible franchise owners in the IPL, who are regularly seen following their teams closely from the stands. His latest appearance came during Sunday night’s clash at the PCA Stadium in Mullanpur, where PBKS dominated LSG and post-match footage saw both owners interacting with the players. Goenka, who has often been seen actively engaging with his team management and captains over the past few years, including his earlier and recent discussions with KL Rahul. Rishabh PantHe was once again in the headlines after LSG’s defeat. After the 54-run defeat, he was seen talking to Punjab Kings’ in-form batsman Priyansh Arya, who had devastated the bowling attack with a brilliant inning of 93 runs off just 37 balls. Meanwhile, LSG captain Rishabh Pant was involved in a separate conversation with PBKS co-owner Preity Zinta. In which he was also present in a small group Yuzvendra Chahal And Shashank SinghWhen she exchanged words with Zinta in a casual setting after the match. On the field, Punjab Kings put in a stellar performance to continue their strong start to the season. They recorded their fifth win in six matches and moved back to the top of the table. Priyansh Arya’s explosive innings set the tone, Cooper Connolly provided valuable support, and late contributions from Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis took PBKS to a mammoth total of 254. In contrast, LSG had no reply on goal. Struggling for rhythm and consistency this season, they slipped to their third consecutive defeat. The heavy 54-run defeat exposed their existing issues, with the team now needing quick changes to arrest the decline and rebuild the momentum.

Former India opener and former Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Aakash Chopra came up with a strong defense of Rinku Singh on social media against trolls who criticized him during his poor spell in T20 cricket. On Sunday night at the Eden Gardens, Rinku smashed an unbeaten 53 off 34 balls to lead Kolkata Knight Riders to a thrilling win against Rajasthan Royals and turn the narrative from failure to finisher. KKR vs RR: highlight | Achievement:

Aakash Chopra expressed happiness for Rinku Singh, who played a key role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ first win of the season. The 28 year old was lucky When Rajasthan Royals dismissed him for 8 runsAnd they took advantage of this and saved KKR from 84 runs for 6 wickets while chasing the target of 156 runs.

The veteran commentator pointed to a troubling sentiment that has emerged during the southpaw’s recent decline in form: a classist nostalgia that suggests Rinku was a better cricketer when he was a disadvantaged underdog.

Chopra said in her YouTube show, “I feel very good for Rinku because she was being trolled a lot. What nonsense people say.” KKR won by four wickets.

“I have heard many people say that ‘Rinku was good when he was poor.’ Aren’t you ashamed to say this? How would you feel if someone said the same thing about you?”

This criticism highlights a deeper issue in the Indian sporting world – the tendency to romanticise a player’s struggles, but as their performance declines, their success is weaponized against them. Rinku’s difficulties were evident in the first five games of the 2026 season, yet Chopra was quick to remind critics of the player’s pedigree. A few months ago, Rinku suffered a personal defeat during India’s T20 World Cup campaign. To dismiss such a player as useless after a few matches is, in Chopra’s view, a collective failure of memory.

Chopra said, “People said he was a useless player. People forgot he was a world champion.” “He gets fewer chances. At the numbers he bats at, you can’t bat that well and this team hasn’t used him well. Everyone can go through bad form. Rinku was trolled as if he had murdered someone.”

The role of finisher is arguably the most volatile in T20 cricket. Coming in at number five or six, often with only a dozen balls remaining, there is little margin for error.

Chopra pointed out that inconsistency in KKR’s use of the middle order early this season compounded Rinku’s struggles, yet fans chose to take aim at the personal rather than the tactical setup.

How did Rinku deal with the noise?

While the noise on social media reached its peak, Rinku remained notably silent. His response came not through a tweet but through a thoughtful, cool innings in the light of Eden. Chasing a difficult target of 156 runs on a slow pitch, Rinku took charge of the game withstood the pressure under which some of the big names of the team including Ajinkya Rahane and Cameron Green crumbled.

Rinku and another lower-order all-rounder Anukul Roy added 76 runs for the seventh wicket to take KKR to the finishing line. As Rinku scored the winning runs to secure KKR’s first points of the season, familiar chants of his name began to echo through the stands, replacing the negative chatter.

Captain Rahane was also happy for Rinku Singh and Anukul Roy, admitting that Rinku has gone through a lot recently.

“Rinku Singh again, he was going through a tough phase mentally. Really happy to see him finish the game. And Anukul Roy, he had a great domestic season, he was a very confident guy. We wanted to give him that chance. Today, he couldn’t bowl because of the left-hand-right-hand combination. But it was really heartening to see how those two built a partnership for us,” Rahane said.

Rinku Singh lost her father during India’s T20 World Cup campaign. However, the Uttar Pradesh cricketer decided to return to attend his funeral and join the team that eventually won the trophy.

Rinku and KKR will be hoping that the crucial match-winning innings in Kolkata will be the beginning of a turnaround for the left-handed batsman. Having not scored more than 200 runs since the 2023 season, the finishers will be keen to maintain the momentum they found against the Royals.

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Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh and Ricky Ponting (Image Credit: BCCI/IPL)

New Delhi: Run-fest was organized in Mullanpur on Sunday. It was Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly who played innings of 93 and 87 runs respectively with the help of 16 sixes to give Punjab Kings a spectacular 54-run win over Lucknow Super Giants.Arya and Connolly added 182 runs for the second wicket in just 13.2 overs, taking PBKS to 254/7 – the highest score this IPL season, surpassing Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 250/3.In reply, with the help of captain Rishabh Pant (43), opener Mitchell Marsh (40) and Aiden Markram (42), LSG could only score 200/5 in 20 overs.Amidst the run-celebration, several catches were dropped in the match, which left the Punjab Kings camp – especially the head coach – fuming. ricky ponting – clearly disappointed. Shashank Singh Performed hard in the field and dropped three catches.One of the key moments came in the 18th over off Arshdeep Singh, when Markram fired a shot to cover. Shashank had a clear chance but he looked careless and the ball went past the boundary cushion for six runs. Arshdeep looked clearly unhappy, while Ponting, when shown on camera, appeared both shocked and angry at the lapse.After the match, when Punjab Kings celebrated the victory, the captain Shreyas Iyer Shared a light moment with Shashank – hugged him and even playfully covered his face with a cap, shielding him from Ponting’s gaze.Later, Ponting was also seen hugging Shashank.Punjab Kings, the runners-up in IPL 2025, now top the points table with five wins from six matches. Punjab Kings have 11 points with a net run rate of +1.420.

A bizarre “black magic” controversy during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 took another turn after a viral letter purportedly from Chennai Super Kings was termed as fake by former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. Rejecting the claim, Modi also suggested that such incidents may not be completely unheard of in the league’s past.

During this time, controversy arose from a viral video. Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings match on 19th April Following this, an unverified complaint letter is being circulated online. Speaking on this matter through social media, Modi described the letter as suspicious, pointing to previous similar incidents.

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Modi wrote in his post, “This time it looks fake. But the owner of a team did this kind of practice.”

“I remember posting some team owners doing this to the opposing team. Doing it myself in the opposing team’s dressing room. I even alerted the opposing team owners about this in the 2011 season – when it happened and I received an alert with solid evidence. I will disclose all such activities by who in the movie/TV series, as my team has decided to disclose.”

The claims added another layer to an already bizarre episode, though neither of them have officially confirmed. IPL The officers or franchisees involved regarding the authenticity of the letter or alleged act.

What was the SRH vs CSK black magic incident?

The controversy started during the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, and continued till the end.

Chasing 195, CSK got off to a great start, scoring 76 runs in the powerplay and looking firmly in control. However, SRH clawed their way through a disciplined bowling effort, gradually slowing things down and removing key batsmen including Shivam Dubey to deepen the contest.

It was during this phase that the now viral moment unfolded. A fan in the stands appeared to perform the “lemon trick”, and soon after, Saqib Hussain bowled a full ball that dropped Dube. The timing of the dismissal made it one of the decisive moments of the game, leading to a change in momentum as CSK started to lose grip.

The drama did not end here. While defending 18 runs in the final over, Prafulla Hinge, who had already given away heavy runs, almost faltered after bowling a waist-high no-ball. But he shrugged off the pressure and bowled three tight balls in the death overs to restrict CSK to 184/8 and register a memorable win for SRH.

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Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer (PTI photo)

captain of punjab kings Shreyas Iyer Priyansh was impressed after Arya and cooper connolly On Sunday, he displayed brilliant batting and led his team to victory over Lucknow Super Giants by 54 runs. Arya, one of the country’s hottest T20 batting talents along with Vaibhav Suryavanshi, scored 93 runs from 37 balls, while Connolly, a highly rated Australian Next Generation batsman, scored 87 runs from 45 balls. Their 182-run partnership in just 80 balls laid the foundation for PBKS to post a massive score of 254 runs for 7 wickets. In reply, despite struggling for 43 runs, LSG could only score 200 runs for 5 wickets. Rishabh Pant and from 40 Michelle Marsh. Iyer praised the intentions and mentality of both of them. He described the performance as “extraordinary” and said that “some of the shots were surprising”, highlighting the courage and composure shown at the crease. He also revealed a light-hearted challenge within the group, saying he was “talking to Cooper and Priyansh” about who would hit the most sixes this season, adding that both were “up for it”. The PBKS captain stressed that the team environment gives complete freedom to the young batsmen. “When you let them be, go out and express themselves, they perform well,” he said, adding that he doesn’t dictate how they structure their innings as they follow their routines and procedures. Iyer also credited the support system around the team, mentioning Ricky Ponting’s involvement before the game while he was involved with inputs. On the bowling group, he said PBKS have a largely international-quality attack and cited their execution level as the key to victory, while admitting that the team gets “a lot of satisfaction” from reading and adapting to the wicket. The win underlined PBKS’ growing confidence this season, based on offensive intent and clarity in roles, as they look to build on a strong campaign in 2025 after finishing as runners-up.