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A calf strain has meant that the legendary wicketkeeper-batter might miss the first two weeks of IPL 2026, a massive blow for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The development was confirmed by the franchise on tournament’s opening day adding that Dhoni is under rehabilitation and being monitored closely by the medical team. CSK will start their IPL 2026 campaign against Rajasthan Royals before facing Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Delhi Capitals in the first fortnight. It’s a big blow for the team since they’ve been getting 的 assists from all over, but Dhoni’s really on top in these particular points of early-season cricket. With Dhoni out, newly acquired star Sanju Samson will likely take over wicketkeeping duties in his absence. Samson, who was roped in by CSK in a high-profile trade deal where Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran moved the other way, would also likely open the batting for the team with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. His addition adds stability and aggression at the top of the order. CSK do have Urvil Patel and young wicketkeeping prospect Kartik Sharma as backup options apart from Samson. Given the astronomical bidders of INR 14.20 crore, Kartik has a lot to live up to given his recent saturated more interstellar reach in domestic leg Cricket Urvil, though got limited chances last season but took them with a bruising strike rate of 200 plus, and can be an option in the playing XI. The veteran continues to be a guiding force for the team, so CSK will feel his absence both tactically and emotionally. He played all 14 matches of IPL 2025, amassing 196 runs from 13 innings at a strike rate of 135.17. He batted lower down the order so would usually arrive at the crease in the final overs and when drama was unfolding, but his presence ensured calmness and strategic clarity prevailed amid stressful spells. After a disappointing season that ended at the bottom of the IPL 2025 points table with only four wins, CSK will be looking to turn their fortunes around this year. After so much of squad and strategy changes, the team looks to make a stronger comeback in IPL 2026. Australian pacer Nathan Ellis has already been ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury, dealing another blow to the franchise. He has been replaced by fellow Australian Spencer Johnson in a pace attack led by Matt Henry. Bowling is by Khaleel Ahmed, Gurjapneet Singh, Zak Foulkes, Anshul Kamboj, Ramakrishna Ghosh and Jamie Overton in addition to Mukesh Choudhary. CSK has to challenge IPL 2026 early without MS, and they are expected to lead the younger players and new signings. With hopes of the veteran recovering and being back in action, bringing his vast experience to the team at a vital juncture of the event. Read also : Nuwan Thushara Fails Fitness Test | Rajasthan Royals Sold for $1.635 Billion to US Investors | IPL 2026 Schedule Announced

Sri Lankan fast bowler Nuwan Thushara has been a significant blow to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2026 before it even starts as he manages to fail his mandatory fitness test and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) doesn’t provide him with a No-Objection Certificate (NOC). SLC chief executive Ashley de Silva explained that Thushara’s overall score of 12 out of a possible 29 based on five metrics did not hit the fitness benchmark. The passing mark was set for the players at 17 points. And so he has not been given the all-clear to play in overseas leagues, including the IPL. This development implies that Thushara will miss at least the opening match of IPL 2026 in which RCB are scheduled to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru. RCB, who are already struggling with squad uncertainties, could not have afforded to lose Brookes at this stage. The franchise recently ruled out Indian pacer Yash Dayal due to injury and there are doubts over Australian speedster Josh Hazlewood’s availability. Thushara’s unavailability further diminishes the threat of RCB’s bowling attack going into the deeper stages of the tournament. According to reports, Thushara might also skip RCB’s second match against Chennai Super Kings on April 5. But it is not too late for the Sri Lankan pacer. He can retake the fitness test after four to five days. He can still join the RCB camp midway through if he meets the necessary standards in his next attempt. If he will not be able to do so, however, it may see him put out of all forms of representative cricket for some time. Thushara is not the only Sri Lankan cricketer dealing with fitness issues. Two other star performers, Matheesha Pathirana and Wanindu Hasaranga, are also injured as yet and have to pass their own fitness tests for the IPL. Pathirana, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a big INR 18 crore sum, is recuperating from a calf strain. Earlier, the injury had forced him out of the 2026 T20 World Cup in which he played only three matches. KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar had recently hinted that Pathirana would not return for the first part of IPL season and she may only rejoin the squad around mid-April, but it would depend on how quickly he recovered. All-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga is nursing a hamstring injury, although he was signed by Lucknow Super Giants for INR 2 crore. Hasaranga, like Pathirana, also saw his T20 World Cup cut short due to fitness issues. He is working toward a return timeline that has not yet been determined, but his availability will depend on passing the SLC fitness test. It underscores the increasing importance placed on fitness tests by Sri Lanka Cricket, which has made passing the tests compulsory for players who want to play in international leagues. While this guarantees that players are ready to play and fit for the long haul, it presents challenges for franchises sporting an international flavor. As IPL 2026 commences, franchises like RCB, KKR, and Lucknow Super Giants can expect to keep an eye on the fitness progress of their Sri Lankan recruits. RCB will now regroup and look for other options, as they get set to kick off their campaign without Thushara. Read also : Rajasthan Royals Sold for $1.635 Billion to US Investors | IPL 2026 Schedule Announced | Prithvi Shaw Comeback 2026

In a game-changing move for franchise cricket, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) are to be bought by a consortium of high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) based in the USA at an eye-popping value of approximately $1.635 billion (almost INR 15,290 crore). If completed, the deal would be one of the largest ownership transactions in Indian Premier League (IPL) history. The investment group is headed by Kal Somani, a technology entrepreneur from Arizona, who is already a current supporter of the franchise. He is joined by notable figures from American sports ownership, including Rob Walton, owner of the N.F.L.’s Denver Broncos, and Michael Hamp, part of the Lion’s ownership group. The group won exclusive negotiation rights to the franchise after reportedly outbidding multiple international investors. The takeover also gives them ownership of Rajasthan Royals’ sister franchises in global T20 leagues — Paarl Royals in South Africa’s SA20 tournament and Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League. That multi-league presence is thought to have greatly increased the franchise’s overall valuation. The victorious Somani-led group won after rounds of intense bidding that ended on March 20. Among the competing bidders were global investment firms and large business houses, and a consortium led by Avram Glazer. The spirited bid, which came in at a 35 percent premium to the previous record individual sports franchise payment, underscores increasing global investor conviction in the IPL’s explosive growth and India’s surging sports market. The franchise is currently owned by the UKbased Emerging Media, which is led by Manoj Badale and that bought the team for a mere $67 million in 2008. The Royals were then viewed as the least-valuable franchise. But their fairytale story really kicked into gear when they won the first IPL under the leadership of the late Shane Warne. RR has attracted a number of prominent investors over the years. In 2009 Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra bought a minority stake. In September, RedBird Capital Partners acquired a 15% stake in the franchise, part of an effort to woo potential investors. Among other investors are a who’s who of business leaders and tech entrepreneurs from around the globe. Despite inconsistent seasons — including a ninth-place finish most recently — the value of the franchise has continued to rise. Experts point out that apart from match results, IPL team valuations depend largely on their commercial potential, brand strength and media rights growth. The new owners are expected to finalise discussions with Badale over the next few weeks, which will then need to be formally approved by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. When the deal is approved, it will mark an official new high in IPL franchise valuations. Crucially, this change of ownership will not impact Rajasthan Royals’ participation in IPL 2026. Now captained by Riyan Parag, the team will start its campaign against the Chennai Super Kings on March 30. The deal marks a new milestone in the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) evolution into an international sports juggernaut and underlines the league’s growing attractiveness to foreign investors seeking share of India’s booming sports market. Read also : IPL 2026 Schedule Announced | Navdeep Saini Joins KKR, Kulwant Khejroliya Replaces Yarra at GT | Prithvi Shaw Comeback 2026

The Indian Premier League has announced the full schedule for the league stage of its 2026 season, sending fans into a frenzy as it gears up for another exciting installment in the popular tournament. The league stage will end on May 24, with the final lined up for May 31 even though venues for all playoff stages have not been finalized. There was already a partial schedule released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, but Thursday’s announcement detailed most of the above-mentioned fixtures. With venues like Dharamsala and Raipur returning to the fold, one of the big takeaways from this edition is that it would expand the footprint of T20 cricket a little further in order for more geographical locations to get to see live IPL action. The league is scheduled to start on March 28, when defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first game. Twenty matches are planned from March 28 to April 12, including an early double-header Sunday, establishing a quick tempo for the tournament. Teams are once again arranged into two groups of contenders based on their title history for the 2026 season. The teams in Group A are Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings. Group B: Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants In a substantial format shift, the IPL contrarians have not done it once again with their schedule. There will be no more double round-robin play and teams will face their group rivals just once, but they have to play the entire opposite group twice this year. The change allows for marquee clashes such as the two Chennai Super Kings-Mumbai Indians matches on April 23 in Mumbai and May 2 in Chennai, to have an added dimension for fans. From April 13 to May 24, the tournament’s middle stage will include a set of 50 matches played in 12 venues. Raipur has been chosen by the Bengaluru franchise as a secondary home ground and they will play hosts against Mumbai Indians (May 10) and Kolkata Knight Riders (May 13) at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium. Dharamsala also returns to the IPL calendar after a long gap as an eagerly awaited stop. A match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium last season was affected because of cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. This year, the fixture has been set for May 11 and a symbolic, exciting return to that venue. The revised fixture list also adds eight new double-headers, for eleven total matchdays in which two matches will be played on the same day. The days of action are designed to encourage viewership and give fans a longer period of entertainment. Now with new venues, a revamped format and a festooned schedule of matches, IPL in 2023 is all set to usher in another season of mind-boggling cricket. They now await the announcement of where and when it will host its playoffs as the countdown begins to one of cricket’s biggest leagues. Read also : Navdeep Saini Joins KKR, Kulwant Khejroliya Replaces Yarra at GT | Prithvi Shaw Comeback 2026 | Pat Cummins IPL 2026 Return Update

Meanwhile, there have been fresh updates regarding squads in the Indian Premier League (IPL), as both Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans made vital injury replacements ahead of the ongoing season. KKR have signed Indian pacer Navdeep Saini in place of the injured Harshit Rana. Saini returned to IPL at INR 75 lakh and was last seen playing in 2023. The decision is a boost for KKR’s pace attack, which has been hurt by injuries in the early goings of the tournament. Having played two Tests, eight ODIs, and 11 T20Is for India across formats, Saini has been out of the national setup since 2021. Nonetheless, the right-arm speed merchant is a decent prospect and has pace and bounce in that action. Saini, having only played in 32 matches so far in his IPL career, with a total of 23 wickets to his name at an economy rate of 8.88 for teams like the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals. Saini called the opportunity a “revival” of his career while speaking about his comeback. He reflected on the highs and lows he had endured in recent years, but added that he stands for hard work and determination. The signing is KKR’s second recent replacement after they brought in Saurabh Dubey as a replacement for injured Akash Deep ensuring that squad balance needs were met. On the other hand, Gujarat Titans have added left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya as a replacement for their injured player Prithvi Raj Yarra. Khejroliya joins for INR 30 lakh and is familiar with the franchise, having been part of Titans’ setup last season. Khejroliya has played in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, first in 2018 and then again in 2019 before a brief appearance for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2023. Though his chances have been few and far between, he has proved to be effective with the ball as well, including one tidy spell of 1 for 29 in his last outing for GT in three overs. These last-minute signings emphasize the manner in which teams are working on overdrive to counter injury measures while competing in as-per usual like Saini and Khejroliya. One significant opportunity, and one that can change (if so happens) the picture drastically for Saini in particular is to get back to form and prove his worth again on big stage

Prithvi Shaw has revealed how important the break he got from competitive cricket was in rebuilding his mental strength ahead of IPL 2026. Having gone unsold in the IPL 2025 auction, the right-handed batter returns to Delhi Capitals and eyes a great comeback. Indeed, Shaw’s last few years in the IPL have been rocky. In the 2023 and 2024 seasons combined, he scored only 304 runs from the bat in 16 innings, which saw Midway IPL 2024 him dropped. His troubles were not confined to international cricket as he was released from the Mumbai squad in the 2024-25 domestic season. Though the 26-year-old did not play during that time, he thinks taking a break from the game helped him reset mentally and physically. When asked about his time away, Shaw said he used the break to clear his mind and recharge. He endured some time traveling, then went back to a determined training regimen. In his own view, he stepped up the practice sessions and tripled the efforts in batting and fitness than even earlier phases of his career. Shaw presented the break not as a setback but as a laid-the-foundation and reinvigorated return. The young opener also responded to the criticism he had received over the past couple of years. He admitted he made mistakes, but said that public perception often tells only part of the story. Shaw said that, to keep his head in the game, he slowly grew more distant from noisy social media and negative talk. Most importantly, he relied on the support of his family and close friends — those who know his journey better than most. But during this trying phase, Shaw’s ex-Mumbai teammate Shreyas Iyer had taken to social media and talked about the need for him to work on his work ethics. Shaw handled such feedback with a philosophical eye and embraced it as motivation to grow. In domestic cricket, he eventually shifted to Maharashtra which was a new beginning of his professional career. Being back in the Delhi Capitals setup, Shaw will face tough competition for a spot in the playing XI. He will compete with Pathum Nissanka and Abishek Porel for an opening position alongside KL Rahul. DC will have quite a few options but they would want to keep a close eye on his form at the beginning of the tournament. Delhi Capitals — last seen in IPL playoffs back in 2021 — will open their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1 at Lucknow. As Shaw readies for a new chapter, he seems more measured and resolute — and primed to let his bat do the talking. Read also : Pat Cummins IPL 2026 Return Update | KKR Injury Blow | New Zealand vs South Africa 3rd T20I 2026

Pat Cummins confirms he is targeting a return in the second half of the 2026 Indian Premier League season as he continues his recovery from a lumbar stress injury The Australian captain, who is out of the recent T20 World Cup because of the issue, has since been put on a structured rehabilitation plan and has started light training in India. Cummins was spotted at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where he had been doing light sprints during warm-ups, earlier this week in Bengaluru. He also bowled occasionally in the nets, suggesting he is making solid strides towards recovery. Cummins revealed that he was aiming at being fit around midway through the tournament when asked about a return date. If things go according to plan, he should have a presence in the back half of the league stage and perhaps the playoffs. The injury has seen Cummins make just one competitive appearance since last year; the third Ashes Test in December. And though he hoped to be back in time for the T20 World Cup, a slight setback meant he would miss out on making it. His only concern now is returning to top fitness, but taking his time about doing so. Ishan Kishan will lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in the season opener in Cummins’ place. Cummins backed Kishan to lead the team properly, noting that he was fresh off winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with Jharkhand in domestic cricket. As an aside, Cummins also addressed the challenge of captaining an IPL side as a foreign player, dealing with language barriers for younger domestic players. He mentioned the importance of Indian teammates with more experience, who can fill in the gaps for better communication and help maintain cohesion within a team. Sunrisers Hyderabad, who last won the IPL trophy in 2016, will begin their campaign for 2026 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. However, if Cummins can return for the critical stages of the playoffs, his presence would surely be a major boost to his playoff ambitions. Read also : IPL 2026 Injury List | KKR Eye Fresh Start in IPL 2026 After Russell Exit | Sri Lanka Players Must Clear Fitness Test for IPL 2026 NOC