Chennai Super Kings’ Jamie Overton (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Amid an otherwise disastrous IPL 2026 opener for Chennai Super Kings, Jamie Overton refused to go quietly. On a chaotic day at Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, CSK were bowled out for just 127 by a ruthless Rajasthan Royals attack, but Overton’s knock provided a rare bright spot.Walking in with CSK reeling at 82/8, Overton played a defiant innings, scoring 43 off 36 balls. His effort now holds a special place in CSK history: it is the highest score by any CSK batter at No. 8 or below in the IPL, surpassing MS Dhoni’s previous best of 37* against Delhi Capitals in 2024. Overton’s innings was a mix of patience, timing, and power, showing that even in the midst of collapse, resilience can shine.The rest of the CSK lineup struggled from the start. Sanju Samson fell early attempting a slog over mid-wicket off Nandre Burger, while skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s aerial stroke off Jofra Archer saw his stumps dislodged. Burger, Archer, and Ravindra Jadeja ran through the CSK batting order, leaving the home team in tatters at 57/6 after just eight overs.The chase was a spectacle for Royals, led by 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The young sensation blazed his way to a 15-ball half-century, including a six over point off Matt Henry and two towering sixes off spinner Noor Ahmad, becoming the third fastest to fifty in IPL history. With Yashasvi Jaiswal (38* off 36) and Riyan Parag (14* off 11) supporting him, Royals finished the chase in 12.1 overs, making light of the target.While Royals’ collective brilliance and Sooryavanshi’s heroics stole the headlines, CSK were left searching for answers after a disastrous opening day.

Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi celebrates his fifty (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Rajasthan Royals announced their arrival in IPL 2026 with a commanding eight-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings, powered by a breathtaking innings from teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The Royals’ bowlers set the tone early, restricting CSK to a modest 127 on a pitch that had seen limited play due to rain. CSK’s batting struggled from the outset, with the home side failing to build any momentum. Royals captain Riyan Parag’s bowlers exploited the conditions perfectly, picking wickets at regular intervals to keep CSK under pressure. Ravindra Jadeja, returning to the Royals, struck twice in his opening over, signalling a successful comeback. Sooryavanshi, 15, displayed his rare talent in full flight, racing to a 15-ball fifty, including a spectacular six over point off New Zealand pacer Matt Henry and a couple of towering sixes off spinner Noor Ahmad. Dropped by Kartik Sharma in one punishing over, he made CSK pay immediately, turning the contest decisively in Rajasthan’s favour. His innings helped the Royals reach 74 in the powerplay, effectively sealing the game. Opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal (38* off 36) played a measured role, letting Sooryavanshi dominate, while Parag (14* off 11) joined later to finish the chase in 12.1 overs with ease. CSK’s marquee players struggled. Sanju Samson, fresh from India’s T20 World Cup triumph, was trapped by Nandre Burger trying to go over mid-wicket, while skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad fell attempting a lofted stroke off Jofra Archer. Jamie Overton provided some resistance with 43 off 36 but could not stem the collapse. The Royals’ pace attack, led by Nandre Burger and Archer, complemented Jadeja’s spin perfectly. Brijesh Sharma claimed the wicket of debutant Kartik Sharma, while Archer, Burger, and Jadeja finished with two wickets apiece. Both teams, who had swapped stars Jadeja and Samson ahead of the season, began their campaigns in contrasting fashion—Royals with a statement win, CSK with much to rethink after a difficult start.

England captain Harry Brook speaks with Sam Curran and Jos Buttler. (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: England captain Harry Brook admitted that costly fielding lapses — including a dropped catch of Sanju Samson — played a decisive role in his side’s defeat to India in the semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Thursday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Speaking during the post-match presentation, Brook conceded that England misread the conditions and failed to execute their plans, particularly in the field, allowing India to post a daunting total.

“We thought there might have been hold, spin in the first innings, slid onto the bat nicely, and India batted well. I’ll hold my hands up and admit I made a big mistake dropping Samson. We weren’t good enough in the field. We misexecuted, and can’t afford to do that against India,” Brook said.The turning point came when Brook dropped Samson while the Indian batter was on just 15. The chance, off the bowling of Jofra Archer, proved extremely costly as Samson went on to anchor India’s innings with a commanding knock.Samson’s blistering 89 off 42 balls powered India to a formidable 253/7, a total that eventually proved just out of England’s reach.

“Yeah, catches win matches, don’t they? Unfortunately, it didn’t stay in my hands and yeah, it’s just one of those things. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch it and he played a very, very good innings as well and arguably won them the game,” Brook said.The England skipper admitted that the missed opportunity stayed on his mind throughout the chase.“Obviously, it’s in the back of your mind as the game goes on. I kept on looking at the scoreboard and he was piling the runs on. I was like, ‘I’m going to have to get an 80 or 90 tonight.’ Not ideal, but it’s happened now,” he added.Despite the defeat, Brook found positives in England’s spirited chase, particularly praising young batter Jacob Bethell for his fearless century.Bethell smashed 105 off just 48 balls, while Will Jacks contributed 35 during a counter-attacking partnership that briefly revived England’s hopes.“Bethell was absolutely unbelievable, he’ll earn some serious money. To see him taking it from ball one showed the world what he can do,” Brook said.England eventually finished on 246/7, falling agonisingly short despite Bethell’s heroics and a late blitz from Archer. Brook, however, insisted his side could still take pride in their campaign.“We had a good tournament; we should be extremely proud of how we played. We stuck to it the whole game; unfortunately, we were on the wrong side,” he said.

England’s Sam Curran, right, and captain Harry Brook (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India piled up a huge total of 253/7 against England in the T20 World Cup semi-final at Wankhede, thanks mainly to a brilliant knock from Sanju Samson. The wicketkeeper-batter smashed 89 off just 42 balls, hitting eight fours and seven sixes, after already scoring an unbeaten 97 in the previous match. He built strong partnerships with Ishan Kishan (39 off 18) and Shivam Dube (43 off 25), putting England’s bowlers under pressure early in the innings.

England captain Harry Brook had won the toss and chose to bowl first, but India started aggressively. Samson attacked from the first over, taking on Jofra Archer and other bowlers with powerful shots across the ground. He also got a lifeline early when Brook dropped a simple catch at mid-on. After that, Samson continued to dominate and reached his fifty in just 26 balls, adding 97 runs with Kishan for the second wicket.The momentum slowed slightly toward the end as England picked up a few wickets. Samson fell while trying to reach his maiden T20 World Cup century, caught by Phil Salt off Will Jacks. Suryakumar Yadav scored only 11, and Dube was run out after a mix-up with Hardik Pandya, who contributed a quick 27 off 12 balls. Tilak Varma also chipped in with a late cameo, hitting 27 off just seven balls.During England’s fielding struggles, former England captain Michael Vaughan joked on social media about their poor catching. “My fielding academy might have to open again,” Vaughan said on X.Despite the late wickets, India’s massive total left England with a very challenging target in the high-pressure semi-final clash.

Sanju Samson of India (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

India opener Sanju Samson has thrust himself into the centre of attention after a match-winning, unbeaten 97 against the West Indies in a virtual knockout clash. The calmness he exhibited in a tense chase turned the game on its head and handed India crucial momentum ahead of the semifinal against England.The innings also represents a dramatic turnaround in Samson’s tournament. Having started on the bench after losing his spot in the playing XI, he made full use of the opportunity when recalled for the Windies encounter. Under immense pressure in a chase exceeding 190, the right-hander silenced detractors with a composed and authoritative display that could prove pivotal to India’s campaign.Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis offered a detailed tactical view of Samson’s game, identifying a potential chink in his armour. While acknowledging Samson’s strength through the mid-wicket region, Du Plessis suggested that high pace, particularly well-directed short balls above 140 kmph, can trouble him.“That’s always been the one area where you feel, with Sanju, you can attack him (with short ball), and it’s with high pace. He’s very strong in the tummy area, where that backswing is just beautiful. But 140-plus, if you get it nice and high, you feel like there’s a little window where you can attack him. It’s a weakness. So there’s the evidence in England, so they’ll have the blueprint,” Du Plessis said on ESPNCricinfo.Recent matches have followed a similar script for Samson, with quality short-pitched bowling testing him. The trend resurfaced in the Super 8 fixture against Zimbabwe, where Blessing Muzarabani removed him early by exploiting that very vulnerability.Expanding on his analysis, Du Plessis emphasised that Samson must now prepare for a barrage of short deliveries, especially against express quicks like Jofra Archer.“Sanju will know what’s coming, so for him now it’s – how do I counter it? What am I going to do when Archer comes short at me? Am I attacking it or are there other bowlers, where I can just play them a little bit better?” the former Proteas skipper added.

India’s Abhishek Sharma drops the catch of West Indies’ Roston Chase (ANI Photo)

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel has flagged India’s slipping standards in the field as a major worry ahead of their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal against England at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.Despite an impressive run to the last four, India’s catching has been far from convincing. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the side has shelled 13 catches in the tournament so far, with their catching efficiency dipping to a competition-low 72.7 per cent. In contrast, Pakistan, long criticised for their work in the field, have managed a significantly better success rate of 83.3 per cent.“One concern I feel is the fielding and not just the way India fielded in the game at Eden Gardens. It has been happening for almost a year and a half. We are dropping quite a few catches. That is something India would definitely like to work on,” Patel told Jio Hotstar.India sealed their semifinal place with a gritty victory over the West Indies at the Eden Gardens, successfully overhauling a target above 190. Patel termed the result a huge boost for the side.“It was an outstanding win. It will be a great confidence booster for India going forward. India won the toss and decided to bowl first, thinking there would be a lot of dew. When the game finished, there was no dew at all, but the conditions did get slightly better. In a knockout game, chasing in excess of 190, someone needed to play an outstanding knock, and Sanju Samson did that,” Parthiv said.“The Captain took his hat off. He has scored a lot of hundreds in international cricket, but to me, this innings was right up there. Skill-wise, we all know that Sanju Samson is a very talented batter, but fighting those mental battles is very difficult. I thought Sanju Samson did that really well. He also spoke about how his experience came into the fold. I thought it was a very mature innings. He always looked in control. He did not try to hit the ball hard. He will remember this innings for a long time,” he added.Patel also singled out pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for special praise, highlighting his knack for breaking key partnerships.“Bumrah is not a banker. He is the bank. The way he comes out and bowls, when you want to take a wicket against an in-form Hetmyer, he comes in and takes his wicket, then gets a set Roston Chase. Obviously, India has looked up to Jasprit Bumrah most of the time, and he has never disappointed. That is what he does most often. You are playing in a format right now, in this era, where the only way you can stop a batter is by getting him out, and Jasprit Bumrah does that.”Looking ahead to the clash with England, Patel stressed the importance of early breakthroughs against a dangerous batting unit.“India obviously need to get England’s dangerous batters out as quickly as possible. You have Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, who is due for runs and likes the Wankhede Stadium. Then you have Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook. So, they have a good, solid line-up. It is a good all-round team. Obviously, against England, India will have to be at the top of their game,” he concluded.

England’s Will Jacks (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Will Jacks produced a blistering all-round display as England cricket team defeated Italy national cricket team by 24 runs to book their place in the Super Eights of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, in their Group C fixture at Eden Gardens on Monday.Asked to bat first, England surged past the 200-mark for the first time in this edition, finishing on 202 for 7. The charge was led by Jacks, whose explosive unbeaten 53 came off just 22 balls and included four sixes and three fours. His late assault rescued England after they had slipped to 105/5. Sam Curran added a valuable 25 from 19 balls as the pair combined for a rapid 54-run partnership off only 25 deliveries for the sixth wicket.

Earlier, Phil Salt had set the tempo with 28 off 15 balls, helping England cross 50 inside five overs. However, Jos Buttler’s lean run continued as he departed for three, dismissed by Grant Stewart. Salt later fell to Ali Hasan, while Jacob Bethell (23 off 20) and Harry Brook (14 off 9) also failed to convert starts. Tom Banton contributed a fluent 30 off 21 before holing out to Manenti.Italy’s chase began in dramatic fashion. Jofra Archer’s searing opening over at 146kph reduced them to 1/2, soon becoming 22/3. Anthony Mosca fell first ball, while JJ Smuts edged to first slip. Harry Manenti followed, leaving Italy reeling.Yet the debutants responded bravely. Ben Manenti launched a stunning counterattack, smashing 60 off 25 balls, including a 22-ball fifty — the joint-fifth fastest of the tournament and joint-second fastest by an Associate batter in its history. He hammered five sixes and four fours, taking 21 runs off one Jacks over. Justin Mosca supported well with 43 off 34 as the pair added 92 in 48 balls to revive hopes.Jacks broke the stand by dismissing Ben, caught by Banton, before Adil Rashid removed Justin. Grant Stewart then reignited the contest with 45 off 23, striking two sixes off Archer and three against Rashid.However, Curran halted the surge with two wickets in two balls on his way to 3/22, while Jamie Overton claimed 3/18. Italy were bowled out for 178 in 20 overs, and England advanced with their Super Eights spot secured.