Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh headline star-studded S…

Chandigarh [India], August 10 (ANI): The stage is set for the upcoming Sher-e-Punjab T20 League 2026, with all six franchises completing their squads at the recently concluded auction. The tournament will see Fazilka Falcons, Amritsar Soormas, Bathinda Royals, Jalandhar Warriors, Ludhiana Lions and Mohali Kings battle it out for the coveted title.

According to a press release, each franchise entered the auction with a purse of Rs 45 lakh, while the six marquee players were signed for Rs 10 lakh each. Indian captain Shubman Gill will be a part of Fazilka Falcons, while explosive opener Abhishek Sharma will represent his home team, Amritsar Soormas.

India pacer Arshdeep Singh will turn out for Ludhiana Lions, while wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh will don the Jalandhar Warriors jersey. All-rounder Ramandeep Singh will represent Mohali Kings, while pacer Gurnoor Brar will play for Bathinda Royals. xsportfeed.quest

As per the auction rules, each franchise had to build a squad of at least 16 players and a maximum of 20 players. Among the biggest buys, all-rounder Sanvir Singh emerged as the most expensive player at the auction after Fazilka Falcons secured his services for Rs 13.20 lakh.

Amritsar Soormas made another notable signing by picking Naman Dhir for Rs 10.80 lakh, while Amolpreet Singh joined Mohali Kings for Rs 8.20 lakh. Bathinda Royals secured Harnoor Singh and Ashwani Kumar for Rs 7 lakh each, while Sukhdeep Bajwa was picked by Jalandhar Warriors for Rs 6 lakh.

The auction also highlighted the depth of talent available in Punjab, with franchises investing in a mix of experienced players and promising youngsters. The opportunity to share the dressing room with established Indian stars is expected to give several young players valuable experience.

The President of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), Amarjit Singh Mehta, said, “We have worked tirelessly with the Punjab Chief Minister to turn this vision into reality, and we are delighted to see it taking shape. The PCA Stadium in Mohali is a special venue, and every cricketer dreams of playing here. Through this league, we want to give players from every part of Punjab the opportunity to step onto this iconic ground, gain valuable experience and showcase their talent on a bigger stage. We believe this will be an important step in strengthening the cricketing pathway in Punjab and creating more opportunities for our young players."

With six well-balanced squads and several of Punjab’s biggest cricketing names set to feature, the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League promises an exciting season while providing a strong platform for the state’s next generation of cricketers.

Ful Squads:

Fazilka Falcons: Shubman Gill, Vihaan Malhotra, Sanvir Singh, Prerit Dutta, Raghu Sharma, Anmoljeet Singh, Jasan Jindal, Eish Rao, Garv Kumar, Manpreet Singh, Laksay Kasal, Karanveer Singh, Navpreet Singh, Anshul Chaudhary, Jaiveer Bhinder, Ayushmaan Ayushmaan, Pranshu Pratap, Aarush Latta, Kirandeep Singh, Immanuel Deveser

Amritsar Soormas: Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Markande, Naman Dhir, Rahul Kumar, Sahil Khan, Jasanpreet Singh, Dhurv Rahul Jindal, ReevanPreet Singh, Prabhjit Singh, Ishan Sood, Adhiraj Singh Mangat, Abhay Choudhary, Dhruv Bhagania, Shubham Rana, Sahaj Dhawan, Ishmeet Singh Sandhu, Navneet Virk, Akash Pandey, Vaibhav Kalra, Jaipratap Singh Johal

Bathinda Royals: Gurnoor Brar, Harnoor Singh, Ashwani Kumar, Uday Saharan, Gourav Choudhary, Sumit Sharma, Dev Amritpal Singh, Ridham Satyawan, Ashish Lowrance, Jatin Sahota, Abir Kohli, Rishabh Gupta, Noorveer Singh, Tavleen Singh, Shahbaz Singh Sandhu, Simranjeet Singh Gharu, Imrozpreet Singh, Harshit Parashar, Lovepreet Kamboj

Jalandhar Warriors: Prabhsimran Singh, Emanjot Singh Chahal, Vishwa Pratap Singh, Abhinav Sharma, Sukhdeep Bajwa, Anmol Malhotra, Mayan Gupta, Yash Karan, Harjas Singh Tandon, Aryan Yadav, Shaanvir Kalsi, Paras Jaidka, Umesh Gill, Randeep Singh, Jaskirat Singh, Depinder Cheema, Arpan Walia, Gurvinder Singh Bhullar, Subinay Mahajan, Gourav Markan

Ludhiana Lions: Arshdeep Singh, Krish Bhagat, Salil Arora, Jass Inder, Abhijeet Garg, Arjun Rajput, Yuvi Goyal, Kartik Chadha, Taranveer Singh Randhawa, Havneet Singh, Rajvir Jaswal, Harish Kumar, Bikramjeet Singh, Madhav Singh Pathania, Karteek Sharma, Lovedeep Singh Kharod, Lovekirat Singh, Aseem Kohli, Gurman Singh, Sahil Bhaskan

Mohali Kings: Ramandeep Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, Harpreet Brar, Ayush Goyal, Sagar Virk, Jaskaran Veer Singh Paul, Yuvraj Maan, Harshdeep Singh, Aalam Bakshi, Tanmay Dharni, Saksheya, Aryan Bhatia, Lovepreet Chatha, Gurmehar Sra, Karan Choudhary, Souraab Dhaliwal, Tejpreet Singh, Nipun Pandita, Manpreet Johal, Rajinder Singh Devgan. (ANI)

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Darwin [Australia], August 11 (ANI): Australian all-rounder Beau Webster is keen to prove himself that he belongs in the playing XI ahead of the first Bangladesh Test at Darwin, saying that what he has done since his debut has shown that he can be considered as a genuine number six batter and his inclusion in the eleven with Cameron Green will provide the skipper with more benefit and skill.

Webster only made his Test debut at the start of last year against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and the 32-year-old has already experienced plenty of highs and lows through eight Test match appearances as he attempts to cement his place in the best XI for the World Test Championship pacesetters.

In eight Tests and 13 innings, he has made 452 runs at an average of 41.09, with five fifties and taken 11 wickets at an average of around 24 with his ability to bowl both medium pace and spin.

Webster top-scored for Australia in the first innings of their loss to South Africa in last year’s World Test Championship Final at Lord’s and then performed admirably in the Caribbean shortly after as the Aussies clinched a series sweep over the West Indies, scoring 150 in six innings with two fifties.

But the tall all-rounder then found himself on the outer at the end of 2025 when England visited for the five-match battle for the Ashes, as the likes of Cameron Green, Josh Inglis and Usman Khawaja were preferred.

Webster did earn a recall for the series finale against England in Sydney and performed well with an unbeaten 71* and three wickets with the ball, which has provided the all-rounder with the belief that he belongs ahead of a gruelling upcoming Test schedule that features two matches against Bangladesh this month ahead of difficult contests with South Africa, New Zealand and India.

“The biggest thing I have learned (since making my debut) is that I’m good enough at this level," Webster said on Tuesday as quoted by ICC.

“You never really know. The question in the lead-up to that first Test was, ‘do you feel ready?’, and although I was bluffing myself saying ‘absolutely’, at the end of the day you do not really know until you get out there and face the bowlers from other countries and are put into situations with big crowds and big moments in games of cricket where you’re expected to perform. That was the biggest tick over the last 12 months."

“I forced my way into this team through weight of runs … primarily as a batter you deal in runs, and that has been my way into the team and the way to stay in the team. What I have done in my first eight Tests with the bat has probably showed I can be considered a genuine top-six batter," he continued.

Just where Webster slots into Australia’s strong batting lineup remains to be seen, with Australia selectors facing a wealth of riches as they try and squeeze all their talented red-ball stars into the final XI against Bangladesh.

The Aussies have 13 players in their squad for the two-match series with the Asian country and Webster sees no reason why both himself and fellow all-rounder Green cannot co-exist in the XI.

“I do not see why not," Webster said. “It is surely more of a benefit to have more options in that top seven with the ball, and I certainly do not see it as a direct competition. It only adds more option and more benefits for the captain if we are both performing with the bat, with both of our main skill, and what we can offer in the field.

“I love playing with Cameron, I love having the options if he is on with the ball or if I am on with the ball, we can chop and change if the big three and the spinner need a chop-out. So I am more than happy."

“I am just happy doing my job and making myself hard to leave out of the XI, whether that is with the bat or the ball. I pride myself on being able to contribute in all facets of the game, and so does he. It just so happens that we are all-rounders and both primarily batters," he signed off.

Australia Test squad for Bangladesh: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

Series schedule:

First Test: August 13-17, Darwin

Second Test: August 22-26, Mackay. (ANI)

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Belfast [Ireland], August 11 (ANI): With Afghanistan sealing their direct spot in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027, two-time champions West Indies will have to go through qualifiers for the third successive time to make it to the tournament, reported Cricinfo.

The top eight teams in the ODI Rankings on September 30 this year, excluding two of the three WC co-hosts, South Africa and Zimbabwe, are going to get an automatic spot in the 2027 showpiece event. Afghanistan will join defending champions Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh, South Africa and Zimbabwe after a win in the third ODI at Belfast.

West Indies, ranked 10th in the ODI rankings, do have two ODIs against India in the cut-off date, but even winning these two ODIs would not be enough for them, and the grind for them will continue with the qualifiers starting in February next year, as per Cricinfo.

West Indies were knocked out of the 2023 WC contention and failed to make it to the tournament as they finished fifth in the Super Six stage and lost to the Netherlands in a shocker. It was the first-ever 50-over World Cup they missed, which also cost them a spot in the ICC Champions Trophy, a competition which they have not featured in since 2013.

The winner of the World Cup qualifier will be getting a direct entry into the group stage phase of the tournament, while the teams finishing second, third and fourth will battle in the ‘Super Series’ round of the World Cup for a spot in the group stage.

This change has not been received well by associate members, particularly Scotland and the Netherlands, who issued a joint statement on Monday to call it out as a “setback to associate member cricket".

The qualifier includes two bottom-ranked, non-host, Test-playing nations in the ODI Rankings as of September 30, 2026 (Ireland and West Indies), the top four teams from the Cricket World Cup League two and the top four teams from the World Cup Qualifier Playoff. The World Cup Qualifier Playoff will feature the last four teams of CWC League Two and four teams from the Challenge League (the third-division of cricket). The format is yet to be decided, but the top four teams from this eight-team WC Qualifier playoffs will progress to the WC qualifier.

The Challenge League, the third-division of cricket, will have 12 teams divided into two pools of six, each playing three round-robin tournaments during a cycle, and the top two teams from each group will move to the WC Qualifier Playoff. (ANI)

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Team India is set to take on Sri Lanka in the two-match Test series. The first Test match is scheduled to be played from August 15 at the Galle International Cricket Stadium near Galle Fort.

Former Team India's cricketer Wasim Jaffer feels that KL Rahul will deliver performances when he doesn't have the additional responsibility of captaincy. He also said that the Karnataka-born cricketer has the ability to win two or three matches on his own.

"KL Rahul's personality is better off not captaining because if you leave him to play, I think he'll always give you 500-600 runs. He's a bankable player. He will win 2-3 games on his own, which he does in every season," said the former cricketer on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan.

"So I just feel that with the kind of personality he has, captaincy just puts a bit of added pressure on him," he added.

Ahead of the Test series against India's distant rivals, Rahul's role will be crucial for the visitors. In the three-day practice match against SLC XI, which concluded on Sunday, Rahul came in as an opener in the 1st innings and scored 40 off 67 balls. He did not bat in the 2nd innings.

Notably, India registered a six-wicket win against a Sri Lanka XI, providing several positives ahead of the two-Test WTC series. Shubman Gill eased injury concerns with a fluent 44, Devdutt Padikkal strengthened his case for the No. 3 spot with a 142-run knock, while Ravindra Jadeja impressed with both bat and ball.

Also, Madhya Pradesh's veteran off-spinner Saransh Jain has received a maiden call-up due to Washington Sundar’s unavailability for the first Test match. Sundar is undergoing rehabilitation for a hamstring injury. Jain has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket. According to several media reports, he was in contention for the series.

Meanwhile, Team India has included Aquib Nabi in the squad as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement.

Also, veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will mark his comeback after recovering from a tennis elbow injury suffered during the concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

India's updated squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka

Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi, Sarfaraz Khan.

(With ANI Inputs)

Shaheen Shah Afridi has said he remains Pakistan’s ODI captain for now, amid reports that Babar Azam could soon return as the team’s all-format captain.

According to Telecom Asia Sport, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has promised Babar the captaincy across all three formats. After handing him the Test captaincy, the board is now considering giving him charge of the ODI team as well.

Shaheen was asked whether white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and chief selector Aqib Javed still back him as the ODI captain. The left-arm pacer responded with a smile before making his position clear.

“Till now I am the captain,” Shaheen said.

The comments come at a time when Pakistan are once again going through changes in leadership following a series of poor results. Babar had previously led Pakistan in all three formats before stepping down from captaincy in 2024.

Shaheen was appointed Pakistan’s ODI captain in October last year, replacing Mohammad Rizwan. His appointment did not come with a fixed tenure. Under Rizwan, Pakistan had suffered an early exit from the Champions Trophy before losing an ODI series against the West Indies, their first series defeat to the Caribbean side in 24 years.

Shaheen has enjoyed considerable success as captain of Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League. He has led the franchise to three PSL titles in the last five years, which also helped strengthen his case for the national captaincy.

There were expectations that Shaheen would continue as Pakistan’s ODI captain until the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. However, Pakistan’s frequent changes in leadership have left his position uncertain.

Telecom Asia Sport has reported that Babar accepted the Test captaincy after being assured that he could eventually become Pakistan’s all-format captain. Sources reportedly told the publication that two selectors had assured Babar that if he produced good results in the upcoming two-Test series against the West Indies and three-Test tour of England, he would be considered for the all-format role.

Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali has also predicted that Babar will captain Pakistan at the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Pakistan have a busy schedule ahead as they prepare for the tournament. They are expected to play a home tri-series involving Sri Lanka and England before another tri-series featuring Zimbabwe and Ireland, which is likely to be held in Zimbabwe. A five-match ODI series in England is also part of their World Cup preparations.

For now, Shaheen remains Pakistan’s ODI captain. However, the latest reports suggest that another leadership change could be on the way.