WHY ZIMBABWE AND INDIA CRICKETERS ARE WEARING BLACK ARMBANDS FOR THE SECOND T20I

India and Zimbabwe players were seen wearing black armbands during the second T20I in Harare on Saturday - here’s why.

The two teams took on each other in the second game of the three-match T20I series on Saturday (July 25). At the toss, which was won by Zimbabwe, both skippers, Shreyas Iyer and Sikandar Raza, were seen wearing black armbands, the reason for which was later confirmed by the BCCI.

Why are India and Zimbabwe wearing black armbands for the 2nd T20I?

According to a statement by the Indian cricket board, both Team India and Zimbabwe players are paying their respects to the Zimbabwe Cricket vice-chairman Sylvester Matshaka, who passed away last night.

Zimbabwe Cricket mourned the loss of Matshaka, 76, who passed away following a short illness on Friday. He joined the ZC board in 2006 and served as the vice-chairman since 2015. He was also part of the leadership that oversaw Zimbabwe’s return to Test cricket in 2011, after a six-year absence.

Zimbabwe Cricket’s chairman, Tavengwa Mukuhlani, paid tribute to Matshaka: “Mr Matshaka was a steady hand during some of the most defining moments in our history and his wisdom, sound judgement and quiet strength helped shape the organisation we are today, while his passion for growing the game touched countless lives across Zimbabwe.”

India make one change, Ashok Sharma dropped

India made one change to their XI, bringing in debutant Yash Thakur for Ashok Sharma for the game. Ashok, who had also made his debut in the last game, conceded 0-29 in four overs on Thursday. Zimbabwe were unchanged, hoping to draw level in the series after India clinched the first game by seven wickets.

The third T20I will be played tomorrow, Sunday, July 26

- Wisden

RIYAN PARAG SMOKING CONTROVERSY: MATCH REFEREE COULD BE PUNISHED FOR NOT CHECKING ON BANNED SUBSTANCE REACHING DRESSING ROOM: BCCI SOURCES

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 30 (ANI): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could punish the match referee for bringing disrepute to the game by letting a banned substance reach the dressing room unchecked, as Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Riyan Parag was caught smoking on a e-cigarette in the dressing room during his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) match, as per BCCI sources.

As per the BCCI sources, there is no provision in the BCCI rule book to penalise Riyan for smoking during the Punjab Kings (PBKS) clash at Mullanpur. However, the match referee could be on the receiving end of the punishment as the banned substance was brought inside the dressing room without any checking.

While RR is having a fine IPL campaign as a collective, having won six and lost three matches and being a strong contender for playoffs with 12 points, holding a fourth-place finish currently, Riyan is himself having a poor run with the bat, having made just 117 runs in nine matches at a poor average of 14.62, a strike rate of 124.46 and a best score of 29.

So far, the RR's fire-packed campaign has been dominated by the opening pair of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (400 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of over 238, with a century and two fifties) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (306 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of over 158, with three fifties), the pace duo of Jofra Archer (14 wickets at an average of 19.50) and Nandre Burger (nine wickets at an average of 32.77).

Donovan Ferreira (182 runs in six innings at an average of 36.40 and a strike rate of over 158, with two fifties) has also delivered some strong finishes for RR.

The Royals will take on the Delhi Capitals (DC) at a home clash on Friday. (ANI)

- Vipul Kashyap

BCCI WANTED TO MAKE VIRAT KOHLI CAPTAIN OF INDIA VS ENGLAND TEST SERIES BEFORE HIS 'RETIREMENT'

Kohli has allegedly informed the BCCI that he's decided to retire from Test cricket.

Virat Kohli has reportedly decided to retire from Test cricket. The former India cricket team captain has also informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his decision. And as expected, the BCCI was shocked. Not just because he’s one of the greatest Test batters India has ever had but also because he wanted to name him India’s Test captain once again.

BCCI wanted Kohli back as India Test captain

Three days ago, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket. But it’s believed that BCCI and Rohit had been talking about it for some time. So even before he hung up his boots, the BCCI were thinking about his replacement as India’s Test captain. And just like they had done in Australia, they eyed making Kohli skipper.

“It is true that selectors did think about having Kohli as India skipper for the England series,” a BCCI source told PTI.

But much to their dismay, not only has Kohli denied becoming India’s Test captain once again. He’s actually decided to retire from red-ball cricket. This puts a wrench in BCCI’s plan.

Shubman Gill to be Rohit Sharma’s replacement

It’s true they wanted Shubman Gill to eventually take over from Rohit in Test cricket. But Gill hasn’t found himself in the format. At least, not yet. BCCI hoped him to ease Gill into captaincy. England being your first assignment as skipper is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks.

But BCCI has no option now. They don’t want Jasprit Bumrah in a leadership role due to his fitness. KL Rahul’s age, 33, does him no good. Rishabh Pant’s form and captaincy haven’t been great. That leaves Gill. Ideally, they wanted Kohli as a stopgap option, but it doesn’t seem like that’s possible.

“This would have given Gill some time to grow into the leadership role, but at 25-and-a-half years of age, he is yet to hit his peak. Due to Bumrah’s fitness issues, Gill looks like the obvious choice for Ajit Agarkar’s committee,” the source added.

- Ansh Athani

IPL 2025 SUSPENDED FOR ONE WEEK AS BCCI RESPONDS TO HEIGHTEN TENSIONS AND SHAREHOLDER APPEAL

The decision, posted on IPL’s official X handle, was taken after consultations with key stakeholders, including franchise owners, broadcasters, sponsors, and players

The remainder of the ongoing TATA IPL 2025 has been suspended with immediate effect for one week, the IPL Governing Council announced on Friday, amid rising military tensions between India and Pakistan.

The decision, posted on IPL’s official X handle, was taken after consultations with key stakeholders, including franchise owners, broadcasters, sponsors, and players.

“The decision was taken by the IPL Governing Council after due consultation with all key stakeholders following the representations from most of the franchisees, who conveyed the concern and sentiments of their players, and also the views of the broadcaster, sponsors and fans,” the statement said.

While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reiterated its “full faith in the strength and preparedness of our armed forces,” it termed the suspension a prudent step in the collective interest of all stakeholders.

The announcement came shortly after the BCCI issued a powerful statement of solidarity with the Government of India, the armed forces and the people of the country, in light of the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 dead and the subsequent military operations under Operation Sindoor.

“The Board salutes the bravery, courage, and selfless service of our armed forces… as they lead a resolute response to the recent terrorist attack and the unwarranted aggression by Pakistan’s armed forces,” the BCCI posted.

The IPL had already come under a cloud of uncertainty following Thursday’s match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala, which was called off midway after air raid alerts in nearby cities like Jammu and Pathankot.

A total of 12 league games and four knockouts were yet to be played in the high-stakes tournament, which was originally scheduled to end on May 25 in Kolkata.

Sources within franchises confirmed that overseas players had expressed growing unease, and travel arrangements were being made to fly them out. “The players are doing okay but are understandably worried,” a team official told PTI.

Cricket boards in Australia and New Zealand also acknowledged the evolving situation and said they were monitoring developments. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was shifted to the UAE after Indian drone strikes hit Lahore and Rawalpindi, with PCB officials calling an emergency meeting to discuss the league's future.

The BCCI, however, made it clear that cricket would not remain unaffected by the situation on the ground.

Not the first IPL disruption

It's not the first time that external factors have caused a disruption to the league, which has been taken thrice out of the country in the past due to varied reasons. In 2009, the entire tournament was moved to South Africa because of security issues amid the Lok Sabha elections.

In 2020, the tournament was played in the UAE in September, instead of the usual April-May window, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The next year, the event began in India in a bio-bubble but was halted when players began testing positive for the deadly infection. The league was eventually completed in the UAE in September that year.

It remains to be seen how the BCCI will complete the ongoing edition after this break.

The Indian team is scheduled to be in England next month for a five-match Test series that will end in the first week of August.

- The Telegraph Online (With inputs from PTI)

AGARKAR NAMED INDIA'S NEW CHAIRMAN OF SELECTORS

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Former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar has been appointed chairman of India's selection committee, the country's cricket board (BCCI) said on Tuesday.

The senior selection committee, led by Chetan Sharma, had initially been sacked in November after India were knocked out of the Twenty20 World Cup in the semi-finals in Australia.

CRICKET: INDIA'S CRICKET BOARD BOSS ORDERED TO QUIT

Anurag Thakur, an influential politician and India's cricket board chief, has been ordered to resign by India's Supreme Court...