Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ravi Bishnoi were the talking points in Guwahati. BCB have accepted their fate. PCB won’t back Bangladesh anymore after ICC gave them a stern warning. And will there be warm-ups for the 2026 T20 World Cup?
ICC’s stern warning to PCB
After PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi claimed that Pakistan was not confirmed to play in the T20 World Cup after Bangladesh was replaced with Scotland, the ICC threatened them with heavy sanctions, including a ban from playing any international bilateral series. Pakistan quickly changed its tune and announced their squad for the ICC event.
BCB accepts fate
BCB won’t challenge ICC’s decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland. It was expected that BCB might knock on the door of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) with the hopes of a reversal. Now, BCB might lose up to INR 247 crore if ICC excludes Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup’s revenue pool.
Record for fastest T20I fifty nearly broken
Abhishek Sharma came mighty close to breaking his mentor Yuvraj Singh’s record of the fastest T20I fifty for India. Abhishek smashed a 14-ball half-century against New Zealand in Guwahati. India scored 94 runs in the powerplay, their second-highest, and chased down a target of 154 in just 10 overs.
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T20 World Cup warm-up matches
The ICC is expected to announce the schedule for the T20 World Cup warm-up matches on January 26. Due to the Bangladesh issue, the BCB couldn’t reveal the fixtures earlier. India is expected to play just one warm-up game, against South Africa on January 4 in Navi Mumbai.
Duck for Samson
Sanju Samson registered his 7th T20I and 25th T20 duck against New Zealand in Guwahati. The opener hasn’t been making runs since 2025, and in his last 12 T20I innings, he’s crossed the 30-run mark just twice. Meanwhile, his wicketkeeper backup, Ishan Kishan, smashed 28 from 13 after scoring 76 from 32 in the previous match.
Bishnoi one-ups Kuldeep
Playing his first T20I since February 2025, Ravi Bishnoi outbowled Kuldeep Yadav. The leg spinner didn’t play in Nagpur or Raipur since he isn’t part of India’s squad for the T20 World Cup. But the Men in Blue tried to test him since Washington Sundar or Axar Patel isn’t available for selection.
Cricket
ICC T20 World Cup warm-up schedule to be announced on Jan 26, IND vs SA match likely
