Bangladesh out, Scotland in. But wait, could Pakistan leave as well? BCCI cancels A+ contracts and backs Gautam Gambhir. Will Sanju Samson get dropped? Will we see Virat Kohli play for Anushka Sharma in the IPL?
No Bangladesh in T20 World Cup
ICC has replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the T20 World Cup. The BCB had refused to send their team to India, citing security concerns. Addressing the claim, the ICC said it found ‘no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, officials or supporters in India’.
ICC, India’s puppet?
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi hasn’t confirmed Pakistan’s participation in the T20 World Cup after the ICC kicked Bangladesh out of the ICC event. Naqvi stated that he’ll consult with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on whether the team should travel to Sri Lanka, since India and the BCCI are bullying other cricket boards. Former PCB chief Najam Sethi backed Naqvi while calling the ICC the ‘Indian Cricket Council’.
RCB sale buzz
Virat Kohli’s wife and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma has shown interest in buying a minority stake, 3 per cent, in the RCB. The franchise owner, Diageo, plans to exit the ownership by March 2026. Apart from Anushka, actor Ranbir Kapoor is also keen to jump on the IPL bandwagon and buy a 2 per cent stake.
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A+ contracts cancelled
In the aftermath of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retiring from Test cricket, the BCCI has decided to do away with the A+ category in the central contracts, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia informed. Jasprit Bumrah is the only player who had an A+ contract and still plays all formats for India.
Kishan in, Samson out?
Aakash Chopra thinks Sanju Samson’s spot as India’s second opener might be in danger. After Ishan Kishan’s fireworks in Raipur and back-to-back failures for Samson, the former Indian cricketer thinks Team India could drop Samson for the last two games and play Kishan when Tilak Varma returns to the side.
BCCI backs Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir has received the backing of Rajeev Shukla. The BCCI vice-president acknowledged that India’s Test results haven’t been great under Gambhir, but he’s done exceptionally well in white-ball cricket. Shukla also highlighted how people would criticise Sachin Tendulkar after one bad series, and that if he wasn’t spared, how could Gambhir be?
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