India's women's cricket team announced their squad for the five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, marking their return after winning the Women's Cricket World Cup in November. Star opener Smriti Mandhana was included alongside two uncapped players: 17-year-old wicket-keeper Gunalan Kamalini and 19-year-old left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma, both U-19 World Cup winners. Kamalini, who played for Mumbai Indians in WPL, scored 143 runs in seven U-19 matches. Vaishnavi was the top wicket-taker in multiple domestic tournaments with impressive performances. The squad sees three changes from England series: injured Yastika Bhatia, Radha Yadav, and Sayali Satghare miss out. The series begins December 21 in Visakhapatnam.(PC: Times Now & The Statesman)

Hardik Pandya delivered a match-winning all-round performance in his comeback game after three months, leading India to a crushing 101-run victory over South Africa in Cuttack. Scoring an unbeaten 59 off 28 balls when India struggled at 78/4, he propelled the team to 175/6 before claiming a wicket in South Africa's collapse to 74. Returning from injury sustained during the Asia Cup, Pandya revealed he spent 50 days at the National Cricket Academy, away from loved ones, working on his fitness. When asked about his bowling role, he emphasized his team-first mentality: "It's not about what Hardik Pandya wants; it matters what India wants. That's my biggest USP."(PC: NDTV Sports)

India crushed South Africa by 101 runs in their T20 World Cup preparation match in Cuttack, but the dominant win masks a critical flaw. Shubman Gill's inclusion has significantly weakened India's aggressive top-order approach. Since his return during the Asia Cup, India has crossed 200 just once in 13 matches, compared to six 200+ scores in 12 matches with the Abhishek-Sanju Samson opening pair. Despite scoring three T20I centuries last year, Samson sits out while Gill, the vice-captain struggles to justify his spot. India collapsed to 17/2 before Hardik Pandya's late assault saved them. With the World Cup approaching, India must decide: Does Gill truly belong, or is hierarchy trumping performance? (PC: India Today)

Jasprit Bumrah made history in Cuttack by becoming the first Indian bowler to take 100 wickets in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. He reached the milestone in the first T20I against South Africa by dismissing Dewald Brevis. Bumrah is now the fifth bowler in world cricket to achieve this record. He has 234 Test wickets, 149 ODI wickets and 101 T20I wickets. India dominated the match, scoring 175 for 6 before bowling out South Africa for just 74, their lowest T20I total. Hardik Pandya hit an unbeaten 59, while Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy also took key wickets. (PC: India Today)

The BCCI has added nine new players to the IPL 2026 auction list, taking the total number of players to 359. Earlier, the board had released a list of 350 names from over 1300 registrations. The new additions include IPL winner Swastik Chikara and Malaysia’s Virandeep Singh, the only Associate-nation player in the pool. Other names are Manisankar Murasingh, Chama Milind, K.L. Shrijith, Ethan Bosch, Chris Green, Rahul Raj Namala and Virat Singh. Out of 359 players, only 77 will get contracts. BCCI also corrected an error after listing BBL-contracted Nikhil Chaudhury as an Indian instead of an overseas player. (PC: BCCI)

Hardik Pandya's unbeaten 59 off 28 balls and crucial wicket powered India to a dominant 101-run victory over South Africa in Cuttack's series opener. Returning after 74 days from quadricep injury, Pandya rescued India from 48/3, propelling them to 175/6 with late fireworks, 71 runs in the final six overs. South Africa collapsed to their lowest-ever T20I total of 74 in 12.3 overs, surpassing their previous low of 87 against India in 2022 Rajkot. Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel each claimed two wickets. Lungi Ngidi took 3/31 exploiting the challenging red-soil surface, but India's ruthless bowling secured the 1-0 series lead.(PC: X)

India demolished South Africa by 101 runs in the opening T20I at Cuttack's Barabati Stadium. Chasing 176, South Africa collapsed to 74 all-out in just 12.3 overs against India's disciplined bowling attack. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Varun Chakravarthy all claimed wickets. Player of the Match Hardik Pandya praised his fitness work over the last seven months, emphasizing team-first mentality. South Africa captain Aiden Markram acknowledged the sticky pitch with "tennis-ball bounce" but lamented batting collapse, stating they would've backed themselves chasing 175. Markram stressed the importance of building partnerships, vowing quick turnaround for the next match.

South Africa captain Aiden Markram won the toss and chose to bowl first in the 1st T20I in Cuttack. India left out Sanju Samson and Kuldeep Yadav, while Hardik Pandya returned to the XI, bringing balance to the side. India will rely on Suryakumar Yadav to lead the batting in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma opened the innings. Ravi Shastri made headlines after stumbling twice during the toss. South Africa fielded a strong lineup with De Kock, Miller, and Nortje. Both teams aim to prepare for next year’s T20 World Cup. 

The BCCI has released the final list of 350 players for the IPL 2026 auction. The event will be held on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. The pool includes 240 Indian and 110 overseas players. There are 224 uncapped Indian players and 14 uncapped overseas players. Ten teams will fight for 77 slots, including 31 for overseas names. Forty players have chosen the highest base price of ₹2 crore. Only Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi are in this bracket from India. Quinton de Kock is a surprise entry after being released by KKR. Strong bidding battles are expected. (PC: India Today)

The IPL 2026 auction, scheduled December 16 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, will feature 350 players after BCCI pruned the initial 1355 registrations. Thirty-five new names were added, notably South Africa's Quinton de Kock, who recently ended international retirement and smashed a century against India. De Kock halved his base price to Rs 1 crore after Kolkata Knight Riders released him following an underwhelming season where he was bought for Rs 2 crore. Cameron Green registered as a batter instead of all-rounder. The auction commences at 2:30 PM IST with capped players by specialism like batters, all-rounders, wicketkeeper-batters, fast bowlers, spin bowlers followed by uncapped players. (PC: Google Play)