‘Why such a big craze over Rishabh?’: Ex-IPL star baffled by Pant’s Rs 27.5cr price tag | Cricket News – The Times of India
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‘Why such a big craze over Rishabh?’: Ex-IPL star baffled by Pant’s Rs 27.5cr price tag | Cricket News – The Times of India


‘Why such a big craze over Rishabh?’: Ex-IPL star baffled by Pant’s Rs 27.5cr price tag | Cricket News – The Times of India
Rishabh Pant (Photo by PTI)

NEW DELHI: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant’s performances and massive IPL price tag have come under scrutiny after a disappointing season last time, where he struggled for consistency as the team missed the playoffs. The wicketkeeper-batter, bought for a record Rs 27.50 crore, is now being urged to rethink his approach as he aims for a comeback in India’s white-ball setup.Speaking on Star Sports, former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis criticised Pant’s lack of a clear game plan, saying, “Even in his method in Test cricket, it looks all over the place. “But there must be something in his head that says this is the blueprint I want to play with in Test cricket. It’s the same in T20 cricket. Just figuring out what your game plan looks like to give yourself the best chance of not being a 1 or 2 out of 10 player and instead be a 60 to 70% player, where you can have consistency.”He added that Pant seems overwhelmed by too many shot options: “It boils down to him having too many options in his head. It feels like he can score a six off every ball… But you still need a method even for T20 batting… with Pant, you feel like he’s always on the edge.”Du Plessis also questioned Pant’s huge auction value despite modest T20 numbers. He added, “You look at players like Pant in the auction and ask why there is such a big craze over someone like him… If you look at his T20 numbers, it’s not that great. So why is there such an obsession with him?” Pant scored just 269 runs last season at an average of 24.45, his lowest in IPL history, raising concerns about whether he has lived up to expectations.

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‘Things will be little different for Virat’: Kohli warned before RCB’s IPL 2026 season | Cricket News – The Times of India
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‘Things will be little different for Virat’: Kohli warned before RCB’s IPL 2026 season | Cricket News – The Times of India


‘Things will be little different for Virat’: Kohli warned before RCB’s IPL 2026 season | Cricket News – The Times of India
Virat Kohli (BCCI/IPL Photo)

NEW DELHI: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes Kohli’s transition to playing fewer formats might impact his T20 rhythm, especially after breaks.“This time, things will be a little different for Kohli. For the first time, he will play the IPL having completely retired from Test cricket. He is playing only one format. It is not easy for anyone,” Pathan said in a video on his YouTube channel.

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“But he has scored, and his performance has been brilliant. Even when he comes after a break, it has not been difficult for him in one-day cricket.”Virat Kohli has joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of IPL 2026, but this season could be slightly different for him. With Kohli now retired from Test cricket and only playing limited formats, expectations are high, but experts feel the shift could bring new challenges in T20 cricket.“In T20S, when you play the aggressor and come in not having played a lot, it will be challenging. But he has faced many challenges before as well. I am very excited to see how he will go forward this season,” he added.Pathan also highlighted how Kohli’s change in batting style last season played a big role in RCB’s success. Instead of anchoring the innings, Kohli took a more attacking role, which helped the team win the title.“Virat Kohli and RCB is an identity that goes together. He started with RCB and is still playing for them. He has delivered brilliant performances. It was also a golden period in his career when he captained the team; there were a lot of brilliant performances,” he noted.“When they won last season, his strike rate also went up. He did not play anchor but took the role of an aggressor. It was a very big factor. They will expect even this time that he keeps up the same form.”

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‘India bigger than Pakistan’: Imad Wasim slams critics downplaying T20 World Cup triumph | Cricket News – The Times of India
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‘India bigger than Pakistan’: Imad Wasim slams critics downplaying T20 World Cup triumph | Cricket News – The Times of India


‘India bigger than Pakistan’: Imad Wasim slams critics downplaying T20 World Cup triumph | Cricket News – The Times of India
Imad Wasim, Gautam Gambhir, and Suryakumar Yadav

Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim praised India’s performance after their T20 World Cup 2026 triumph, saying the team proved its dominance despite criticism about pitches or alleged advantages. India successfully defended their title by defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, continuing their strong run in global tournaments.Some critics had earlier suggested that conditions favoured India during the tournament, but Wasim dismissed those claims and said the pitches were fair for all teams.

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According to him, there were even moments when the conditions did not favour India, yet they still performed strongly throughout the competition.“We always hear people saying that umpires favour India or that they prepare spin-friendly pitches, but you have to agree that in this tournament, the pitches were very well balanced. Sometimes, the conditions were even against India, but they still managed to deliver a dominating performance,” Imad said on a Pakistani TV show.Wasim added that instead of questioning India’s success, other teams should acknowledge how well they played. He said their consistent results show how strong they currently are in international cricket.“So, we should not always nitpick or claim that India are looking for an escape route. As a cricketing nation, we have to praise them for their performance and accept the fact that in terms of cricket, they are bigger than us (Pakistan) and many other teams,” he added.India’s victory also made history as they became the first men’s team to retain the T20 World Cup title. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side also became the first host nation to win the tournament and the first team to lift the trophy three times.


‘He covered for us all year, now it’s our turn’: Suryakumar Yadav backs Abhishek Sharma after three ducks in T20 World Cup | Cricket News – The Times of India
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‘He covered for us all year, now it’s our turn’: Suryakumar Yadav backs Abhishek Sharma after three ducks in T20 World Cup | Cricket News – The Times of India


‘He covered for us all year, now it’s our turn’: Suryakumar Yadav backs Abhishek Sharma after three ducks in T20 World Cup | Cricket News – The Times of India
Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma

NEW DELHI: Amid the poor run of form of opener Abhishek Sharma in the T20 World Cup, India captain Suryakumar Yadav on Saturday backed the explosive batter, saying “it’s now our turn to cover for him”.“Abhishek Sharma ki form ki jo chinta kar rahe hain, unki chinta mai kar raha hu. (I am worried for those who are worried about Abhishek Sharma’s form),” Surya said in the pre-match press conference in Ahmedabad.“He covered for us all year, now it’s our turn,” the India captain added ahead of the Super 8 clash against South Africa on Sunday. In the three matches he has played so far in the T20 World Cup, Abhishek Sharma has failed to score a single run and has been dismissed for a duck in all three matches vs USA, Pakistan, and the Netherlands in the group-stage. The prolific opener with a monstrous strike rate of 192-plus is enduring a sudden lean patch, which can primarily be attributed to his return to competitive cricket less than a week after hospitalisation.The slow pitches haven’t helped his cause either.So far, the team’s collective might has successfully ensured that results are not impacted but with the Super Eights set to take off on Saturday, it would be crucial that his bat talks loudly. India take on South Africa on February 22 in their opening match of the stage.Earlier, India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel also backed the left-handed batter on Friday and said the left-hander was just one innings away from getting back in the zone.Absolutely no discussion in our team group about that,” said Morkel about Abhishek’s three ducks.“He is a world-class player. We are going to a very important phase of the World Cup now and I am sure he is going to deliver.“I am pretty sure he is hitting the ball in the nets. “It is just a matter of getting the start and getting the innings going.”