Shreyas Iyer finally broke free from the shackles of poor form as he raced to a 68-run knock in the rain-hit ENG vs IND 1st T20I in Durham on Wednesday. This marked the first T20I fifty by an Indian captain on English soil. Ishan Kishan, who was dismissed for a duck, trumped Abhishek Sharma to become the new number 1 T20I batter following consistent perforrmances in the T20 World Cup. In other news, MI have denied reports of being in talks with CSK and KKR over Hardik Pandya’s potential trade. On that note, let’s take a look at the top headlines from Wednesday.
Shreyas Iyer does what no captain has done
At a decent rate, Shreyas Iyer completed his first fifty as an Indian T20I captain. He then pummelled 18 runs in his 8 balls, and was set for a rapid acceleration. He tried to go against Saqib Mahmood but was dismissed after trying to do too much against the pacer. Nonetheless, it was a much-needed innings by Iyer, who required some confidence going deep into this series. En route to his 68, Iyer has become the first Indian captain ever to score a T20I fifty on English soil. The previous highest was Virat Kohli’s 47 in Cardiff back in 2018. Read more here.
No Rishabh Pant in DPL 2026
Although the schedule for the DPL 2026 isn’t out, the likely window for the tournament is set from July 31 to August 30. That’s means the tournament will take place in the entire month of August. Coincidentally, India are slated to play two Tests against Sri Lanka in the same month. That leaves Pant with only first week of August to be available for DPL. So, instead of opting to play just a couple of games, Pant has altogether pulled out of the league. Read more here.
MI deny talks over Hardik Pandya trade
The Mumbai Indians have denied engaging in trade talks with any franchise regarding Hardik Pandya. Reports have suggested that, since the IPL 2026 season ended, the all-rounder won’t stay with the 5-time champions, with Pandya and the franchise both amicably deciding to part ways. As a fast-bowling all-rounder, Pandya is the rarest of rare commodities. It’s only natural for teams to be interested in him. But MI has denied having any trade talks with any franchise as of now. The franchise has yet to complete the IPL 2026 season review and will take a decision only when they’ve dissected what went wrong. Read more here.
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Ishan Kishan becomes no.1 batter
Ishan Kishan has trumped his teammate Abhishek Sharma to become the new number 1 T20I batter. The southpaw returned to the T20I setup earlier this year after a long exile and after he led Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in the 2025/26 season. Kishan’s ascension to the top of the rankings comes after a splendid performance in the T20 World Cup 2026, while Abhishek Sharma delivered a rather sub-par performance. Read more here.
India vs Bangladesh series media rights
India’s tour of Bangladesh has been up in the air for almost a year now. On paper, nothing’s different as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) still says any call will come only after talking to the Government of India. But something big just happened in Dhaka after which that six-match white-ball series is back on everyone’s radar. BCB has invited expressions of interest for the television and digital media rights of its upcoming home international fixtures. Read more here.
Abhishek Sharms shatters record
Abhishek Sharma has started the five-match T20I series against England on a high. While the other Indian batters took time in Durham, Abhishek was menacing right from the start. Till his 20-ball fifty, Abhishek hammered a boundary in every over. He started on the second ball itself, going over the infield in his typical ‘slicing’ manner. In his innings, Abhishek also broke the record for smashing 100 T20I sixes in the fewest balls. Read more here.
