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)

Liverpool manager Arne Slot faces mounting pressure after the Reds' recent poor form, but reports confirm he'll remain in charge for the upcoming Champions League clash against Inter Milan. The hierarchy hasn't considered replacing him yet, though they demand results. Liverpool sits ninth in Premier League standings with six defeats from 15 fixtures after conceding a 2-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Leeds United. Mohamed Salah expressed deep disappointment after being benched for the third time, stating he feels the club has "thrown me under the bus." Reports suggest Liverpool is eyeing Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner as a potential replacement if Slot is sacked. (PC: Reuters)

Indian opener Abhishek Sharma emerged as Pakistan's most-searched athlete in 2025, surpassing even Pakistani cricketers and generating more searches there than in India. Hassan Nawaz, Irfan Khan Niazi, Sahibzada Farhan, and Muhammad Abbas followed him. His popularity stems from stellar Asia Cup performances against Pakistan, scoring 31 off 13 in the group stage and 74 off 39 in Super-Four. In India, he ranked third in searches behind teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Priyansh Arya. The top-10 included women's stars Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, plus three uncapped CSK players. IPL dominated overall Indian searches, with cricket tournaments occupying four of five top sports searches alongside Pro Kabaddi League. (PC: News18)

Indian women’s cricket vice-captain Smriti Mandhana returned to training just a day after announcing the cancellation of her wedding to composer Palash Muchhal. Her brother Shravan shared a photo of her batting in the nets, which quickly went viral, with fans praising her resilience and professionalism, noting that “most people would take months” to recover emotionally. Mandhana has stated that her priority remains cricket, especially with the upcoming five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka later this month. Her quick return to preparation reflects her strong commitment to the national team and her mental strength in difficult times. (PC: X)

India women’s cricket star Smriti Mandhana confirmed that her wedding to music composer Palash Muchhal has been called off. The couple was originally set to marry on November 23, but family health emergencies caused delays. Mandhana asked for privacy and urged fans to respect both families. Throughout this period, teammate Jemimah Rodrigues has stood by her, leaving her Women’s Big Bash League campaign to support Mandhana. Rodrigues posted an Instagram story featuring the song Man I Need, signaling her emotional support. Mandhana emphasized that cricket remains her focus and expressed determination to continue representing India at the highest level. (PC: X)

A former BCCI selector has warned the board against dropping Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the 2027 World Cup plans. Gautam Gambhir has said that both seniors are not automatic picks, but Devang Gandhi disagrees. He believes the team must be built around Kohli and Rohit to avoid past mistakes. Gandhi warned that India used too many players before the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, which hurt team balance. He said India must fix the middle order and pick a stable group of 20 players. He added that ignoring the seniors could lead to a “catastrophic” outcome. (PC: HT)

Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana announced her wedding to musician Palash Muchhal has been cancelled, requesting privacy without revealing reasons. The World Cup winner confirmed the decision on Instagram after weeks of speculation, stating her focus remains on representing India and winning trophies. Muchhal separately confirmed the split, slamming "baseless rumours" circulating since their November wedding postponement following Mandhana's father's heart attack symptoms. He warned of legal action against those spreading "false and defamatory content," calling it the "most difficult phase" of his life. Both emphasized the relationship's sacred nature and urged society to avoid judgment based on unverified gossip.

India Pickleball Association partnered with DUPR, the world's leading pickleball rating system, marking significant progress toward global integration. All IPA events and match results will now feed into DUPR's platform, which evaluates players on a 2.000-8.000 scale. Starting 2026, IPA tournaments become DUPR Verified Events requiring stricter score reporting, player authentication, and DUPR+ subscriptions for participants. DUPR CEO Tito Machado called it a major Asian milestone, while IPA President Suryaveer Singh Bhullar emphasized enhanced competitive standards and community connectivity. The collaboration ensures fairness, transparency, and unified ratings for India's rapidly growing pickleball community, aligning with DUPR's mission of providing one consistent global rating standard.(PC: Times Now)