Indian opener Prithvi Shaw made an emotional return to the Arun Jaitley Stadium as he rejoined the Delhi Capitals (DC) camp ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, set to begin on March 28.Shaw’s long-standing association with Delhi Capitals came to an end after seven seasons when the franchise released him ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. The 26-year-old endured a difficult phase, going unsold as Delhi chose not to re-sign him. His wait for another opportunity continued into the IPL 2026 auction, where he was initially overlooked in the main rounds. However, fortunes turned during the accelerated phase, as Shaw was among the final set of players picked, securing a Rs 75 lakh deal with his former franchise.

“Delhi, Your Boy is Home”

Delhi Capitals marked Shaw’s return with an emotional video on social media, captioned “Our Boy is back home.”In the video, Shaw reflected on his bond with the franchise and the stadium:“You don’t forget a place like Kotla. Not the noise. Not the silence. Not what it made you. Some stories don’t end. They come back. Delhi, your boy is home.”

Shaw’s Journey with Delhi Capitals

Shaw was originally signed by Delhi Capitals for Rs 1.2 crore following India’s triumph in the 2018 U-19 World Cup, where he captained the side. Over seven seasons, he featured in 79 matches, scoring 1,892 runs at an average of 23.5, including 14 half-centuries. Delhi Capitals narrowly missed out on a playoff spot last season, finishing fifth with seven wins in 14 matches. Still chasing their maiden IPL title, the franchise will be eager to turn things around in the upcoming edition.As per the schedule, Delhi Capitals will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on April 1. Delhi Capitals Squad: Axar Patel(C), KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Mitchell Starc, David Miller, Ben Duckett, Pathum Nissanka, Sahil Parakh, Prithvi Shaw, Abhishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari, Auqib Dar, Nitish Rana, T. Natrajan, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera, Lungisani Ngidi, Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Yadav.

South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, second right, celebrates with teammate Marco Jansen (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

TimesofIndia.com in New Delhi: South Africa are the team to beat in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Except a nervous and edge-of-the-seat double Super Over against Afghanistan, they have highlighted their credentials with win versus title favourites and defending champions India. As a result, they’re on a six match winning run and the only undefeated team in the competition. Up next for them are the already-eliminated Zimbabwe in an all-Africa contest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.With a semi-final against New Zealand in the offing, this would be the worst time to take the foot off the pedal. What is most impressive for the Proteas is the fact that there’s no single individual at the wheel to keep this juggernaut going all guns blazing. Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs have fired with the bat and Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch have done the job with the ball.

“From our point of view, we’ve been really sharp and what we want to ensure is that we maintain that discipline and intensity and that we don’t drop off as far as those are concerned,” said South Africa batting coach Ashwell Prince on the eve of the dead rubber.Six wins in a row and two recent ones coming in convincing fashion, against India and West Indies by 76 runs and 9 wickets, respectively, South Africa have form and momentum on their side as they enter the knockouts. Their semi-final opponents, New Zealand, in comparison, scraped through as Pakistan failed to restrict Sri Lanka in their Super Eight clash. So, is there anything as “ideal lead-up”?“Obviously winning creates good momentum. However you win, sometimes you can have convincing wins. Other times you can have tight matches that really brings the group together, so however you’re able to get over the line I don’t think there’s an ideal way. If you look at England’s last game (vs New Zealand), you win the way that England did (by 4 wickets with 3 balls to spare) and their guys down at number seven and eight making telling contributions, that lifts them as well, gives their batting lineup a lot of confidence knowing that those guys can come to the party and take the team over the line,” explained Prince.“I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way of doing it or an ideal way – I think it’s nice not to have a lot of close games, but I think close games definitely helps in terms of team morale,” he continued.

Zimbabwe will be playing for pride on Sunday (AP Photo/Wonder Mashura)

If Zimbabwe’s last two games are an indication, the odds of it being a close encounter look slim. After becoming the darlings of the tournament with wins over Australia and Sri Lanka, the journey across the Palk Strait has brought with a rude awakening. The Sikandar Raza-led unit were walloped for 254 runs by West Indies (in Mumbai) and 256 runs by India (in Chennai) – both featuring in the top-3 highest totals in T20 World Cup history.“The conditions over here in India is different from what we had in Sri Lanka, different pitches, and all that. So it took a while for us to adapt. We didn’t adapt as quickly or as quickly as we wanted to. And it’s a different surface. So obviously, we didn’t go to plan in terms of our execution but I still think the guys put their hands up they did the best they could,” said Zimbabwe’s bowling consultant Courtney Walsh.“Hopefully we’ll have taken away a lot from these conditions here for future references And I think one of the things, the biggest takeaway is that how quickly you have to adapt in different conditions is one of the things that we will take away from this group,” he continued.In the group stage, Zimbabwe and Raza stressed on being taken seriously and being respected. After the two recent hammerings, the brutality of the sport means they’d have to go about chasing that all over again.

South Africa’s Corbin Bosch celebrates after taking the wicket of UAE’s Aryansh Sharma during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between South Africa and UAE, at Arun Jaitley Stadium, in New Delhi.

TimesofIndia.com in New Delhi: South Africa will go into the T20 World Cup Super Eight stage with a massive morale boost after beating the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 6-wickets on Wednesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.Already qualified for the next round, South Africa got the icing on the cake with an unbeaten run through, despite rain disrupting proceedings before the second innings.

Despite the weather gods playing a role, there was no loss of overs as South Africa began their chase of 123 in their trademark aggressive style.Aiden Markram (28) and Quinton de Kock (14) provided the early impetus.Dhruv Parashar dismissed dangerous Ryan Rickelton (30). Dewald Brevis (36) soon followed. But it was already too late. Tristan Stubbs (7) and Jason Smith (2) finished the job, taking the Proteas over the line as floodlights stayed on during the morning fixture.On the eve of the match, the sun was shining brightly, and the weather was as pleasant as a typical February afternoon in Delhi.But almost 24 hours later, conditions had changed drastically, with rain, steady gusts sweeping across the stadium and enough moisture in the air to make the pacers lick their lips.At the toss, skipper Aiden Markram opted to bowl first after assessing the conditions.“Obviously, a bit of rain around. There’s been moisture in here this morning, and we’ll be able to maybe find something in the wicket up front,” he said.However, the start betrayed that feeling of early help for the pacers as UAE openers Muhammad Waseem (22) and Aryansh Sharma (13) took on the Proteas pace trio of Kagiso Rabada (0/30), Kwena Maphaka (0/30) and Anrich Nortje (2/28) with some serious resolution.In the first four overs, they amassed 36 runs without losing a wicket. But George Linde (1/17) and Corbin Bosch (3/12) halted their progress, sending both openers back in successive overs.Alishan Sharafu, one of the most dependable batters in the UAE line-up, once again rose to the occasion to keep the scoreboard ticking, while Sohaib Khan (6) and Syed Haider (6) had a subpar day in the office.A few more could have followed if South Africa had been sharper in the field.Sharafu missed out on his second half-century of the tournament as he fell for 45 to Nortje.Despite being wicketless in the first four overs, the Protea pacers had the final laugh, with all six wickets falling to them.However, heading into the Super Eight, Rabada’s wicket drought and the fielding standards could be a couple of concerns for the 2024 T20 World Cup’s runners-up.

Joji Varghese with Sanju Samson

NEW DELHI: In 2017, Joji Varghese packed his luggage, left Thiruvananthapuram forever, and flew to Canada. He had obtained a Canadian PR — a challenging but necessary step to secure a bright future for his children. His wife had been working as a nurse in Italy, but language barriers made settling there difficult. A long-term vision, his children’s future, and a decent life — these were all in Joji’s mind, and hence he chose Canada. While applying for PR, he needed a profession to qualify and chose a six-month massage therapy course. The course eventually helped him secure permanent residency in Canada.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!He moved to Canada and started living in Brampton, near Toronto.He had achieved all his dreams by then except one — meeting his favourite cricketer, Sanju Samson, whom he had watched play from afar at the same college where he worked as a physical education teacher.

Fate, it seems, had its own plans. Destiny served that dream on a platter to Joji, and he became emotional.Over time, Joji made a name for himself as a skilled massage therapist in Canada and later got an opportunity to work with Cricket Canada. Now, he is travelling with the Canadian team for the T20 World Cup 2026 in India. Wearing the Canada jersey, he moves from one corner of a cricket ground to another, meeting cricketers from all over the world and cherishing every moment of his homecoming.Interestingly, his long-cherished dream was fulfilled when India and Canada were scheduled to practice at the Arun Jaitley Stadium recently in different time slots, and Joji got to meet his hero — Sanju Samson.“I was destined to meet him. It’s nothing short of a dream story for me. Finally meeting Sanju was truly a dream come true,” Joji told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview. “Back when he was a college student, I would often see him on campus because we were in the same college. He was at Mar Baselios Engineering College in Thiruvananthapuram for his bachelor’s degree, and I was in the Sports Department in the same campus.“

Joji Varghese with Canada cricket team captain Dilpreet Bajwa

“When I learned that Canada and India were sharing the same practice session, I was really excited. And when I finally saw him on the ground, it became one of the most memorable moments of my life that I will cherish forever. Our conversation took place after his warm-up session when he came to the dressing room. Sanju was extremely humble, approachable, and down-to-earth. When I told him I was from Kerala, he immediately smiled, addressed me as ‘Chetta,’ and asked, ‘Sugamano?’—instantly creating a personal and emotional connection. Despite being such a big international star, he interacted with great simplicity and respect,” he said.“We spoke about Canadian cricket and our journeys. Sanju also has a massive fan following in Canada. The Indian community there, as well as many members of the Canadian team, admire him deeply for his batting consistency and calm leadership. Among young cricketers and fans of Kerala origin, his popularity continues to grow. Every weekend, people form teams and play cricket, and Sanju is a big inspiration for them,” Joji added.Joji has also worked with several international cricketers including Rassie van der Dussen, Dwaine Pretorius, Moeen Ali, Shane Bond, Tim Southee, Yuvraj Singh and Mark Chapman.

JOJI’S JOURNEY: KERALA TO CANADAWith his wife working in Italy, Joji managed both children while continuing his job in Thiruvananthapuram.Both Joji and his wife applied for Canadian PR, and once they received it, they didn’t look back. The decision was emotional, but considering the future of their children, they took this bold step.“My daughter missed her mother a lot. We needed money at that time, so my wife had to leave. In Italy, you need to know Italian if you apply for PR. That’s why we chose an English-speaking country, and we chose Canada. My wife is in the medical field, so she easily got PR, and I did a sports massage therapist course. Because of the demand, I got an opportunity too,” he said.“Now, I have four kids. My daughter is 16, my second child, a son, is 13, and I have twin boys who are six years old,” he added.“I worked in a private company and then got the opportunity with the Global T20 Canada tournament. That was a big opportunity for me. Later, I got an offer with Cricket Canada, and with the help of the cricket board, I am now travelling to India,” he said.“Currently, it’s minus 30 degrees in Canada. Cricketers need extra attention in such conditions. We came in the first week of January to Sri Lanka for a practice session to adapt to the climate. We trained there for a whole month,” he added.

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has dismissed allegations of adulteration and unhygienic practices involving soft drinks sold at the Arun Jaitley Stadium during a recent ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 match.In a statement released on Thursday, the DDCA responded to claims made in a video circulating on social media that appeared to show a vendor pouring a cold drink back into bottles. The association said the action was part of agreed commercial arrangements and operational standards, adding that the bottles were later disposed of “responsibly in line with established environmental and operational guidelines”.

Addressing the viral clip, which surfaced on X (formerly Twitter) after Tuesday’s match between the Netherlands and Namibia, the DDCA said, “We have come across a video circulating on social media, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), alleging that a vendor was seen pouring cold drinks back into bottles during a recent match.”The DDCA clarified that the activity was carried out by the stadium’s authorised concessionaire and complied with event guidelines.“In this regard, it is clarified that pouring is undertaken by the authorised concessionaire for the stadium, in line with the event guidelines. The concessionaire was serving Coca-Cola products in accordance with the agreed commercial arrangements and operational standards,” the statement said.The association further stressed that strict hygiene measures are followed at the venue.

“We follow strict hygiene protocols at the venue. In the instance shown in the video, the vendor, while segregating wet and dry waste, poured the unused beverage back into the bottle before disposal as part of the waste collection process. The bottles were subsequently collected, segregated, and processed in accordance with the venue’s waste management and recycling policy,” the statement added.“It is reiterated that the bottles were disposed of responsibly in line with established environmental and operational guidelines,” the DDCA said.

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir during a training session in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: As India gear up to face Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the match holds a deeply personal touch for head coach Gautam Gambhir. Delhi is not only his hometown but also a venue that celebrates his legacy, with a stand named in his honour.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The former India opener welcomed the squad to his home for dinner after their arrival, emphasising the importance of togetherness in a profession he described as emotionally demanding. Speaking in a BCCI video, Gambhir opened up about the realities behind the scenes of elite sport.

“You’re around your family, so for me, home has always been special… it’s sometimes a very challenging profession as well,” Gambhir said, highlighting the loneliness and pressure that often accompany life in international cricket. He stressed that the support staff often become more than colleagues. “Support staff is not just support staff; it’s actually more than a family,” he added, noting how shared experiences build strong bonds within the team environment.Despite the intense build-up to matches, Gambhir believes maintaining a relaxed atmosphere away from the heat of competition is crucial. “Once the game gets started, it’s always tense… but in the dressing room and during practice, you try and be as relaxed as you can; you can joke around,” he explained, adding that the captain’s leadership plays a key role in shaping the team’s mood.

However, the India coach was candid about the unforgiving nature of professional sport. In a striking remark that captured his philosophy, Gambhir said, “The only time players or support staff can smile is when you go into a winning dressing room… a winning dressing room is a smiling dressing room.” For Gambhir, returning to Delhi is ultimately about balance — finding peace amid pressure. “Irrespective of how the day has panned out, you go back home… home is love, and home is where you get peace,” he concluded.