IPL News

Lockie Ferguson has praised New Zealand’s ability to respond to the pressure as one of their key attributes, stressing it was this quality that has gotten them back into the ongoing T20I series against South Africa national cricket team after its being off on a bumpy start. The hosts were unsettled after being bundled out for only 91 in Mount Maunganui. But a resurgent Hamilton had them posting a respectable 175 for 6 on fingers spinning even more than Golden Highway and comfortably chased that down by 68 runs. That change, according to Ferguson, was less about stirring overhauls as it was tracking trends with near-ventriloquism. “As a unit we’ve spoken quite a bit about adaptiveness,” Ferguson said, prior to the third T20I. “It’s not always cut and dried, particularly if a pitch isn’t acting as it should. But knowing what a good total is on a particular surface is very important and actually I think we did that in Hamilton really well.” That effort was spearheaded by Devon Conway, whose composed 60 held the innings together as bowlers found assistance from a steady pitch. Ferguson conceded that Conway wasn’t at his most fluent, but that the innings was precisely what was required by a team in tough conditions. For Ferguson, the match also provided a welcome return to action after time away due to family commitments and previous injury issues. He revealed that he cherishes the rare feeling of being back on home soil. “I love playing in New Zealand, especially for our home crowd,” he said. “It’s something special, and I missed it.” While Ferguson’s performance was eye catching, he also singled out fellow pacer Ben Sears who took three wickets in harmony with his own output. Ferguson thinks that Sears has continued to develop and also has more velocity to access. “He’s definitely got more speed in him,” Ferguson said. “What I love is that he’s such a hard worker—always working on his variations, asking questions and putting in the hard yards during training. That’s the sort of progress that paves a path for sustained success.” With the series now transitioning to Eden Park in Auckland, conditions are forecasted to be favourable towards batters, with shorter boundaries frequently resulting in high-scoring matches. Ferguson acknowledged the venue has its own challenges while also offering unparalleled energy. “It can be intimidating with the short boundaries and the crowd on top of you,” he said. “But it’s by far also one of the best places to play. The atmosphere is amazing, and games there are always fun.” To make this home season even more special, Ferguson shared that his one-month-old son recently watched his first match. With professional momentum and personal joy aligned, Ferguson and New Zealand will hope to carry their resurgence through the rest of the series. Read also : IPL Team Captains 2026 Confirmed | IPL Team Owners 2026 | CSK Ban Year Explained

Finish Setup May 2023: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced the schedule for opening phase of Indian Premier League 2026. The 19th edition of the tournament will kick off on March 28, 2026 with the first round taking place until April 12, 2026. The full schedule for the season will be announced later, with some Indian states going to Assembly elections during this time, the cricket board confirmed. According to the new IPL schedule, Sunrisers Hyderabad will face last year’s champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first match. This is the match everyone has been waiting for to see as RCB will get their title run started in front of their home crowd at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The first stage of the tournament will see 20 matches played at 10 different venues, according to the timetable. Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati/New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi/Ahmedabad and Hyderabad will be the host cities for these matches. With 88 venues partnered by every state from the South to West, fans across India will now be able to watch live IPL action. Four double-header match days will also take place during the tournament for cricket fans to enjoy successive action. Afternoon matches will commence at 3:30 PM IST whereas the evening games would kickstart at 7:30 PM IST. The season will have its first double-header on April 4, 2026. Afternoon Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals @ Arun Jaitley Stadium on that day. In the evening, Gujarat Titans will face off against Rajasthan Royals at Narendra Modi Stadium. In the early stages of the season, some are starting their home campaigns at alternative venues. The Rajasthan Royals will then have their first two home matches in Guwahati, with the teams facing both the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. As for Punjab Kings, they will play their initial home matches at the stadium in New Chandigarh and shift later during the tournament to other venues. IPL 2026 – Royal Challengers Bengalurucheduled to play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur But matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium are only subject to clearance from a the committee set up by the Karnataka government. The committee is scheduled to visit the stadium and check arrangements at a match on March 13 before giving its final approval. Now with amazing fixtures and matches set to happen in various cities, the first phase of IPL 2026 is sure to provide fans across India with nail biting action. Read also : Most Expensive IPL Team in 2026 | Unsuccessful Team in IPL | CSK Released Players 2026

International investors, including Manchester United co-owner Avram Glazer, are set to bid more than $1bn for the Indian Premier League franchises Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). The projected valuations are on par with or higher than the ₹12,715 crore ($1.69 billion) spent to purchase the Lucknow and Ahmedabad franchises in 2021. Eight Potential Bidders Reportedly interested in RCB The shortlist of prospective bidders for RCB include Lancer Capital (Glazer), Ranjan Pai from Manipal Group, Adar Poonawalla from Serum Institute, Times India Group EQT Private Capital Capri Global Sanjay Govil Premji Invest RR has five final bidders, and the overlaps are Lancer Capital and Capri Global; Times Group and Govil; tech entrepreneur Kal Somani. Bids are reportedly between $1.2 billion and $1.8 billion for RCB, and between $1.2-1.4 billion for RR, according to non-binding bids. Both the franchises are available for a 100 per cent takeover. RR is slated to receive final bids early next month, while the process for RCB will likely finish in February. RCB is owned by Diageo at present, which has categorised cricket as a non-core business and wants to sell it by March 31. RR is controlled by Manoj Badale (65%) and has a minority backer in RedBird Capital. The BCCI will get 5 per cent of the final sale price and the sales have to be ratified. In general, the development comes in the backdrop of rising global valuation and investor interest around IPL teams, underlining the position of the league as one of world’s richest sports properties.