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WPL 2026 will run from January 9 to February 5 and will be played across two cities, Navi Mumbai and Vadodara. The dates for the fourth season was made by the league chairman Jayesh George at the start of the WPL auction in Delhi on Thursday.The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai – where India recently won the Women’s ODI World Cup final – will start the tournament and host the first leg of the WPL. The league will then move to the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara where the final will also be played on February 5. This is the first time the WPL will be played in the January-February window; the first three seasons were played in February-March just before the IPL. This will also be the first time the WPL will not clash with major international fixtures.Thursday marked the first mega auction for the WPL since the inception of the league in 2023, and the first time right-to-match (RTM) cards were available to teams.Mumbai Indians (MI) are the defending champions of the WPL and have won two out of three editions so far. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the title in 2024 and Delhi Capitals (DC) had finished as runners-up in all three seasons. Ten days after the WPL ends, the India women’s team will start an all-format tour in Australia, for three T20Is, three ODIs and a Test from February 15 to March 9.

‘Would love to see home and away format’ – DC’s Jindal

Earlier this year was the first time the WPL was held in more than two cities, when the matches were played in Lucknow, Vadodara, Mumbai and Bengaluru and came closest to a home-and-away format, with UP Warriorz, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Giants and RCB getting home games. But with the format returning to just two cities for 2026 – as was the case in 2024 – the DC co-owner Parth Jindal hoped the tournament would get a longer window to accommodate a home-and-away format.”Yes, we would love to see the WPL home and away as well. I think this caravan format is okay, but it’s not ideal,” Jindal said during the auction. “And I’m sure that the BCCI is working on it. I think the amount of time that they get is very short and that’s why in order to fit the WPL within this window, this is the best and most ideal format, but I hope we get a bigger, longer window for the WPL as well going forward. And I think it is imminent that either one or two new teams will come in at some point. And that’s why I think the cycle is such a short cycle with only two WPLs over 14 months. So I’m pretty sure that the BCCI is planning on adding a team, and maybe with that addition, we move home and away. That would be ideal for the fans, for the game, and for the growth of the WPL.”The WPL has been expanding to more than one city since the first edition in 2023, when it was co-hosted by the Brabourne Stadium and the DY Patil Stadium in and around Mumbai.

T20I captain Litton Das has expressed his unhappiness with the Bangladesh selectors’ decision of dropping Shamim Hossain from the squad for the first two T20Is against Ireland. Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said last Friday that they were dropping Shamim to give Mahidul Islam Ankon a chance in the middle order.Litton, however, said that the selectors didn’t inform him or coach Phil Simmons about such a decision.”I think it would have been better if [Shamim] was in the team. But this is not my call, [it is] totally the selectors’ call,” Litton said. “I don’t know why, but the selector dropped Shamim without giving us notice. I have known that a captain would know which player would be in the team, and which player would be out of the team. I don’t see any reason behind Shamim getting dropped. It would have been better if he was in the team.”Related

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Litton also said that he has received a directive that he would have little say in squad selection. Litton, however, did not say where the instructions came from or when he got them.”The selection panel and board has told me that I have to totally work with whatever team they have selected,” Litton said. “I can’t have a say about which player I want or don’t want. I have known for a long time that a captain has a planning for organising the team. Recently, I have been informed that my job is to deliver something good from the field with [the] team that I have been given.”Litton, however, said that he will continue leading the side despite such conditions given to his leadership. “I won’t say it is insulting, but I think the captain and coach must be informed. We don’t know anything about [the selection]. If the same thing happens during the World Cup, I will try to implement with the team to the best of my ability.””Why not Shamim [Hossain]? He performed extraordinarily in some of the series” – Litton Das•AFP/Getty Images

Litton also said “sorry” to Shamim, calling it a disappointment for the player.”It won’t disturb the team but [the situation] is disappointing,” Litton said. “You can’t expect the same performance in every series from every player. We have been trying to build a team for a long time. Why not Shamim? He performed extraordinarily in some of the series. Getting dropped from there, it is disappointing for Shamim.”As a captain, I can’t say anything more than sorry to Shamim. I don’t expect all 15 players in my squad to perform at the same level. We have to back a player when he doesn’t perform in two or three series. I am really sorry that I couldn’t back him.”Shamim has had only single-digit scores in his last three T20I outings for Bangladesh, which may have prompted the selectors to drop him. Shamim, however, has made some important contributions in Bangladesh’s T20I revival this year. He made 48 against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in July. That innings took Bangladesh to a massive win, which is now considered as a turning point for them.Shamim also contributed against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the Asia Cup. His 22-ball 33 against Afghanistan in early October was the last time he reached double figures, before his run of three successive single-digit scores in T20Is.Meanwhile, chief selector Gazi made a statement after Litton’s comments on the non-selection of Shamim.”Our focus should be on the Ireland series that’s coming up, but because of what our captain Litton Das said at a press meet, I wanted to say a few things,” Gazi said. “We held a brief meeting with the captain and coach before the Bangladesh squad for the Ireland T20Is was announced. When we asked about his opinion about Shamim Hossain, Litton Das told us that he wants Shamim in the team against Ireland. He also informed us that he spoke to the coach [Simmons], who said he also wants the same batters who played against West Indies, in the next T20I squad.”After discussing with Hasibul Hossain [another selector], we decided to leave out Shamim from the squad. We thought that we will announce the squad for the first two matches so that if we win the series by then, we can do some experiment in the third T20I. We announced the team following the rules, after going through cricket operations and the board. The selectors don’t always have to agree with the captain and coach when making selection calls. We don’t have to take any permission. We are accountable to the board.”

James Anderson, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker, has received his knighthood from Princess Anne during a ceremony at Windsor Castle.Anderson, 43, was named in former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list in April for services to cricket, having brought the curtain down on his 21-year, 188-Test career at Lord’s in July 2024.He finished with 704 Test wickets, the most ever taken by a pace bowler, and behind only spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708). He claimed a further 269 in ODIs – still an England record, despite playing his last white-ball match in 2015.After his international retirement, Anderson continued to play for his county Lancashire during the 2025 season, and excelled on his return to T20 cricket after a decade-long absence, as he helped take his club to Finals Day at Edgbaston.He also earned a wildcard contract with Manchester Originals in the Hundred, and is in talks to continue his county career into the 2026 season.

The PCB has banned South African allrounder Corbin Bosch from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for one year as a penalty for withdrawing from this year’s competition despite being picked at the draft.Bosch, who was a diamond pick for Peshawar Zalmi at the PSL draft, was later signed as an injury replacement by Mumbai Indians (MI) at the ongoing IPL.As the PSL clashes with the IPL this year, Bosch withdrew from the PSL, prompting the PCB to serve him a legal notice while alleging breach of contract. A statement posted on the PCB’s website stated that Bosch had “expressed his regrets” for withdrawing from the PSL, and that he would be barred from participating in the 11th edition of the competition in 2026.Related

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“I deeply regret my decision to withdraw from the PSL, and offer my sincere apologies to the people of Pakistan, the fans of Peshawar Zalmi, and the wider cricket community,” Bosch, who is yet to play for MI in IPL 2025, said in a statement released by the PCB. “I fully understand the disappointment caused by my actions.”To the loyal fans of Peshawar Zalmi, I am truly sorry for letting you down. I take full responsibility for my actions, and accept the consequences, including the penalty fine and the one-year ban from the PSL. This has been a hard lesson, but I am committed to learning from this experience, and hope to return to the PSL in the future with renewed dedication and the trust of the fans.”The PCB was keen to set a precedent with Bosch’s case to deter players from switching to the IPL after signing up for the PSL should the two leagues continue to clash in the future, as is expected. One of the reasons the PSL moved into the IPL window was to achieve greater certainty on player availability; the PSL draft took place after the IPL auction for this year to ensure it was only drafting in players left unpicked by the IPL.As a result, the PSL draft attracted a large number of high-profile players, including David Warner, Daryl Mitchell, Jason Holder, Rassie van der Dussen and Kane Williamson, who all went unsold at the IPL auction.The tenth edition of the PSL starts on April 11, when defending champions Islamabad United take on Lahore Qalandars in Rawalpindi.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has issued orders to review the decision to reduce match fees of players and reserves selected to play in the National T20 Cup.It is understood that the fees are expected to go back up to the previous edition’s sum of PKR 40,000 per match, and PKR 20,000 per match for reserves. Originally, the fees had been slashed 75%, to PKR 10,000 (USD 35 approx), and PKR 5000 for reserves. Even the figure of PKR 40,000 is a fall compared to 2022, when players had been paid PKR 60,000 per match.Related

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The decision to reduce match fees of players, as decided by the PCB’s domestic department, led to a hue and cry in cricket circles, leaving fans and critics wondering whether the board was facing a financial crunch. PCB sources, however, claim that the expense cuts have been executed because of an increase in domestic tournaments this season, leading to greater earning opportunities for players.The National T20 Cup starts on March 14, with 39 matches across three cities: Faisalabad, Lahore and Multan. The final will take place in Faisalabad on March 27. Several leading Pakistan international cricketers will be unable to feature, with the national side having left for New Zealand for five T20Is and three ODIs.

India fast bowler Shikha Pandey is set to represent Canterbury Magicians in the ongoing Women’s Super Smash 2024-25 in New Zealand, the club announced on Thursday. She will be the first player from India to play in the Super Smash.The six-team T20 tournament kickstarted on Thursday and will run till February 2. Magicians will be play against Otago Sparks in their opening game in Alexandra on Friday, with Laura Hughes leading the team.Pandey is fresh off her maiden stint at the WBBL, where she picked up 12 wickets in 12 matches for Brisbane Heat at an economy rate of under seven. A key bowling option with the new ball, Pandey was central to Heat finishing the competition as the runners-up. She also finished as the joint second-highest wicket-taker for the side.Earlier, this year she also played for Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL).Pandey last represented India at the T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa where she played only three games and took three wickets. She has been overlooked in the format since then with the Indian team management preferring younger crop of fast bowlers. Overall, she has 43 wickets in 62 T20Is at an economy rate of 6.49 and in ODIs, she has played 55 matches and scalped 75 wickets.Apart from Pandey, Australia’s Madeline Penna is the other overseas players in the Magicians’ squad this season.

Ben Stokes has revealed he did not enter the IPL mega auction to strip back his playing commitments as he attempts to prolong the twilight of his career.Stokes was a notable omission from the list of 52 Englishmen signed up for the mega auction in Jeddah for the 2025 competition. It means England’s Test captain would not be allowed to play in the IPL until 2026, by which time he would be 35. Under the new regulations introduced by franchise owners – and ratified by the BCCI – players who have previously appeared in the league but did not register for the mega auction would be unable to register for the subsequent mini-auction.History suggests the allrounder would have fetched a hefty deal. Stokes has previously earned lucrative million-pound deals with Rising Pune Supergiant, Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).Related

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“[There is] just so much cricket,” Stokes told in Christchurch ahead of England’s first Test against New Zealand. “There’s no hiding behind the fact that I’m at the back-end of my career. I obviously want to play as long as I possibly can. Looking after my body and looking after myself as much as I can is key to that.”England’s Test side face a legacy-defining 2025 with a five-match Test series at home to India before the Ashes at the end of the year. And with Brendon McCullum assuming control of the limited-overs teams, Stokes could well return to the ODI set-up for the Champions Trophy in February. All of this on top of a stint with MI Cape Town in the SA20 at the start of the year.Having spent most of the last 12 months rehabbing his left knee after surgery and recovering from a torn right hamstring, Stokes, centrally contracted to the ECB until October 2026, admitted it was time to start listening to his body for the good of what remains of his international career.”[It is about] prioritising games and when I do play – obviously I’m in South Africa this year – so it’s about looking at what I’ve got ahead and making the decision that I think is right for me to be able to prolong my career as long as possible. I want to wear this England shirt for as long as I can.”Stokes had opted out of the 2024 edition of the IPL to manage his workloads after a gruelling Test series in India. Under the new regulations, if he had put his name in the 2025 auction and then pulled out of the tournament (after being bought by a team), that would also earn him a two-year ban, unless he could provide an injury sheet from the ECB which proved he had withdrawn for legitimate medical reasons rather than simply wanting a rest.By not entering the auction altogether, Stokes has also helped the ECB, who found themselves in an awkward situation last week when they had to budge late to allow Jofra Archer to enter the auction despite initially blocking the move. Archer, whose central contract runs until October 2025, was bought by RR for £1.2m (US$1.49 million approx.).

Jafer Chohan, the Yorkshire legspinner, is to return home from England’s white-ball tour of the Caribbean before he has had a chance to make his international debut, with the team management choosing instead to manage his workload ahead of the forthcoming Lions tour of South Africa.Chohan, 22, made history last month when he became the first graduate of the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) to be named in an England squad. Launched in 2021 by Dr Tom Brown, the academy aimed to remedy the under-representation of British South Asian players in the professional game, with Chohan’s opportunity with Yorkshire arising after he had been released by Middlesex as a 17-year-old in 2019.Chohan will not, however, be making the step-up to England international status just yet. Instead, he will fly home on Monday, with the rest of the squad relocating from Barbados to St Lucia, having last night taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series, following a comfortable seven-wicket win.In addition to the Lions tour, which takes place from November 20 to December 14 and will be Andrew Flintoff’s first outing as head coach, Chohan is also due to play for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, with that tournament commencing on December 15.Related

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His release from England’s white-ball squad is a reflection of the T20I team’s current success, as well as the wealth of spin options already available to Jos Buttler and Marcus Trescothick, the interim head coach.In addition to Adil Rashid, Chohan’s mentor at Yorkshire, with whom he has been working in the nets for the past fortnight, England also have Rehan Ahmed waiting in the wings as a back-up legspinner, plus Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Dan Mousley and Will Jacks in the current starting XI.Nevertheless, his fast-tracking into the England set-up remains a notable achievement, given the distance he has come since 2022, when he was playing National Counties cricket for Berkshire.”SACA helped me a hell of a lot,” he told ESPNcricinfo in the wake of his call-up. “I felt like my game was in a pretty good place, but there’s no real way in, once I got out of the system. It was really tough to think, ‘Okay, I want to become a pro cricketer, how can I actually do it?’ And SACA provided that opportunity for me.”

New Zealand have played down all the talk around the Pune pitch – a slow, dry, black-soil surface is in the works – but if conditions turn out to be extreme and the ball turns square from the first day, it could favour the visitors’ spinners too. This is the assessment of their captain Tom Latham on the eve of the second Test against India at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.”I guess whatever we’re presented with, it’s about, for us, trying to adapt as quick as we can; that’s something that we can’t control with the wicket,” Latham said. “So it’s about trying to go out there and adapt as quick as we can, and if it’s going to be a wicket that turns a little bit more, then we’ve obviously got four spinners in our line-up, so fingers crossed that will play into their hands, but yeah, as I said, it’s about trying to adapt on the run, and try not to go into the game with too many preconceived ideas.”Allrounder Rachin Ravindra, who is among New Zealand’s spin options, agreed with his captain. When Pune had served up a sharp turner in 2017, it had backfired on India, with left-arm fingerspinner Steve O’Keefe spinning Australia to victory inside three days. O’Keefe took 12 wickets, which was as many as R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja combined.Related

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“If it’s an extreme wicket, it almost brings us into the game more,” Ravindra said. “If you win the toss, all of a sudden you take a couple of wickets and you’re right into the game on a wicket that’s pretty spicy and turns a lot. As a team, it’s about accepting what’s in front of us. We can’t change that. We can’t control what wicket they’re going to roll out.”But we can control our attitude, how we approach it, and each and every position we get into with the bat or consistency with the ball. We’re excited for the challenge, whatever it may be.”New Zealand had picked three spinners for the first Test in Bengaluru, but didn’t need any of them with the ball in the first innings in seaming conditions. Their workload, however, could be much heavier across both innings in Pune. New Zealand are also open to selecting an extra spinner in place of a seamer if the conditions dictate the need for it. Offspin-bowling allrounder Michael Bracewell has returned home for the birth of his second child, but they have other options in Mitchell Santner (left-arm fingerspinner) and Ish Sodhi (wristspinner).Rohit Sharma and Tom Latham chat after Bengaluru Test•BCCI

“Yeah, I obviously had a little bit of a think around what that [the playing XI] may look like, but we’ll make those final decisions after I speak to you guys, Latham said. “So yeah, as I said, it’s just about trying to make sure we adapt as best we can, and try to get a little bit of information from previous games here, and also the practice wickets that we’re on will hopefully be something around, or similar to what we’re getting, so I think that’s the beauty of our team, is trying not to go into the game with too many preconceived ideas, and trying to make sure we adapt as best we can.”Latham also looked back fondly on the success in Bengaluru – he became only the third New Zealander to captain the side to a Test win in India – but he quickly shifted the focus to Pune, where New Zealand hope to go one better and seal the series.”Yeah, obviously very special, I guess to be… there’s myself, Graham Dowling and John Wright, to be in this position is really special, Latham said. “But for me it was a team effort, it wasn’t just me that obviously contributed to the win, you know, the guys did a fantastic job, and obviously that was last week, we obviously celebrated what was a special performance.”But our attention turned quickly to this game, and we’re trying not to, I guess, rest on what happened last week, as trying to take the confidence from last week, and take that into this game, and hopefully hit the ground running.”

Mitchell Starc made a dramatic entrance to the ODI series with a searing inswinging yorker to England captain Harry Brook, after Alex Carey had produced a match-changing innings as Australia, strengthened by the return of key names, went 2-0 up in the series with a convincing 68-run victory at Headingley.Starc’s brilliant set-up of Brook, which he capped off with a wicked delivery that thundered into his pad as he was beaten for pace, added to England’s early problems in a chase of 271 after Carey’s 74 provided crucial late runs to a curious Australia innings. A short while later the home side were 65 for 5 when Aaron Hardie claimed two wickets in two balls, including a brilliant caught-and-bowled to remove the in-form Ben Duckett, to leave them with a mountain to climb.Jamie Smith and Jacob Bethell stopped the bleeding with a stand of 55 before Bethell somehow managed to skew a short, wide long hop from Glenn Maxwell to backward point. The game was just about done when Smith clipped Josh Hazlewood to midwicket for a very neat 49 although England’s lower order showed there were few demons in the surface.Australia had been bowled out with more than five overs remaining, having been nine-down in the 37th over before a last-wicket stand of 49 between Carey, only playing due to Josh Inglis’ quad injury, and Hazlewood. But with the visitors having welcomed back Hazlewood and Starc from illness, it still felt as though it would be a considerable test of an England side still trying to reestablish their one-day credentials. The Test duo would finish with five between them.Hazlewood landed the ball on a handkerchief to give Phil Salt a working over – a tough chance was put down at second slip by Matt Short – and it was little surprise when Salt slashed an edge to Carey. In the next over Will Jacks drove expansively outside off stump against Starc and this time Short held on safely in the cordon.Starc, playing his first game since the T20 World Cup in June, then produced a classy over against Brook, barring a delivery on the pads that was clipped for four, probing away across the right-hander before going fuller, straighter and with sharp inswing to have Brook trapped in front of leg stump.Alex Carey pulls during his fighting half-century•AFP/Getty Images

Duckett had again played well, scooping Hazlewood over the keeper and sending a bottom-handed whip over the leg side for six, but toe-ended a slower ball to the left of Hardie who took a spectacular catch low to his left. Next ball Liam Livingstone glanced a leg-side delivery to Carey who took an excellent grab to his left and England’s frontline batting was nearly done.In the first half of the game, Australia were not as dominant with the bat as they had been at Trent Bridge. Mitchell Marsh and Marnus Labuschagne took them to 145 for 3 when Bethell and Adil Rashid, who claimed his 200th ODI wicket, took three quick wickets with another mini-collapse following a stand of 55 between Carey and Hardie.But Carey, who had been welcomed to the crease by a crowd needlessly reminding him of events last year, played smartly as he took singles late in an over to protect Hazlewood – who contributed just four to the stand – while exploiting boundary opportunities including handsome off-side sixes against Potts and Olly Stone.There had been movement for England’s new-ball attack, particularly Stone who was impressive after being recalled for the rested Jofra Archer, but Travis Head was just starting to move through his gears when he picked out deep backward square with a whip-pull off his hip. In his second spell, Potts nipped the ball both ways: movement away found Short’s edge then a peach of a delivery zipped back to take Smith’s off stump.Marsh and Labuschagne went about their task carefully and the run-rate slowed. They had to combat some sharp spin from Rashid, but Marsh flicked a switch with two sixes in three balls off the struggling Carse, the first a huge pull deep into the Western Terrace to take him to a 47-ball fifty and the second coming from a free hit after Carse overstepped.Adil Rashid claimed his 200th ODI wicket when he removed Glenn Maxwell•Getty Images

Then, much as it did for Australia two days ago, spin made an impact. Labuschagne spliced a pull against Bethell to mid-on and Marsh missed a sweep to give the left-armer his second. Maxwell pummeled his first ball from Bethell for six but picked out deep midwicket while attempting a repeat to hand Rashid his 200th ODI wicket.Carey and Hardie played positively as they took advantage of Brook’s decision to squeeze out some extra overs of spin, with Livingstone and Jacks going for 34 in three between them. A curious innings involved another twist when Carse’s day took a turn for the better. Recalled to the attack, he removed Hardie first ball with a pull spliced to midwicket and next delivery had Starc flicking into the leg side.When Adam Zampa carved Rashid to point it appeared the innings was on the brink of a very early finish but the final-wicket stand, coupled with Australia’s start with the ball, put a very different complexion on the game.