Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel and Ajinka Rahane could lose their IPL captaincy after their respective teams had an awful campaign this year. LSG, DC and KKR might assign captaincy to new players after the season. These are reports actually. However, what isn’t a report is the fact that Tilak Varma has been named India A’s captain again when the side faces Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A for a Tri-nation series next month. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will play under him too. Meanwhile, CSK have added another injury replacement in their team.
Rishabh Pant to be sacked by LSG?
IPL 2026 has been rough for LSG, DC, KKR, and MI, with most already out or close to elimination. Now, big changes may be coming. PTI reports that Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, and Ajinkya Rahane could lose their captaincy after two failed seasons each. Pant, IPL’s highest paid at 27 crore, has just 251 runs in 11 games and made odd calls like changing Markram’s spot and underusing Shahbaz. Axar has has failed to inspire DC and some of the decisions have been baffling too. Rahane couldn’t lift an injury-hit KKR either. With instant results expected, franchises may sack captains who miss playoffs two years straight. Read more here.
India A squad picked; Tilak to lead Sooryavanshi
The BCCI named India A’s ODI squad for the tri-series against Afghanistan A and Sri Lanka A in Dambulla, starting under 10 days after IPL 2026. Tilak Varma stays captain, with Riyan Parag promoted to vice-captain. 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earns his first unofficial ODI call-up after his Asia Cup Rising Stars debut last year. Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, and Harsh Dubey are also included. Arshad Khan replaces injured Khaleel Ahmed. Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh, and Anshul Kamboj join the pace unit. India A will later play two four-day games in Galle. Read more here.
New CSK player
CSK’s injury woes continue as England all-rounder Jamie Overton has been ruled out of IPL 2026 with a right thigh injury and has returned to the UK for assessment. The franchise confirmed the news Wednesday. Overton was key as CSK’s middle-overs enforcer, taking 14 wickets in 11 games at 17.78 average and an 8.89 economy, making him their second-highest wicket-taker. He was Player of the Match against LSG with 3/36 and also scored 136 runs at a strike rate near 160. CSK have already lost four players this season. South African all-rounder Dian Forrester has replaced Overton for INR 75 lakh. Forrester has 681 T20I runs at a 140 strike rate and 11 wickets. Read more here.
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Team India announcement date
India’s home series against Afghanistan starts June 6 with a Test followed by three ODIs, just a week after IPL 2026 ends. Ajit Agarkar’s selection committee will announce both squads on May 19. Shubman Gill is set to captain the Test side, while Jasprit Bumrah may be rested since it’s not a WTC match. Fresh faces are expected, with pacer Gurnoor Brar impressing selectors. Players have been told to increase workloads ahead of selection. The ODI squad will likely see minimal changes, but the second keeper spot is up for debate. Rishabh Pant’s white-ball role is fading after a poor season, opening the door for Ishan Kishan. Ravindra Jadeja’s place is also under scrutiny. Read more here.
Pat Cummins gets involved
Cricket Australia (CA) faces a potential BBL crisis as top players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc may skip the league for SA20 in January 2028. A Sydney Morning Herald report says senior Aussies feel underpaid in the BBL, believing they’re worth close to $1 million compared to current offers. That pay gap could push them toward South Africa’s T20 league. CA’s Head of Cricket James Allsopp admitted multi-format stars drive major value and must be retained, warning that losing them to franchise circuits hurts Australian cricket. Cummins denied claims on X, calling reports of SA20 NOC and The Hundred offers “made up.”. Read more here.
Bumrah captains MI
Jasprit Bumrah made his MI captaincy debut on Thursday after Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav both missed the PBKS vs MI clash. While Surya has been blessed with a baby girl, Hardik is still recovering from back spasms. Bumrah, fascinatingly, won the contest as Mumbai beat Punjab courtesy of a superb knock from Tilak Varma. Shardul Thakur impressed with the ball as well, taking a four-fer.
