Varun Chakaravarthy out of Afghanistan T20Is with injury
Team India has suffered a major setback during the ongoing T20 series against Afghanistan. Star spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of the series due to injury. This has cast doubt on his participation in the Asian Games. It’s worth noting that he recently recovered from a hamstring injury, which he suffered during the England tour in July.
News agency PTI reported that Varun is injured and ruled out of the series, though, the BCCI had not released any official updates on Varun’s injury. The report quoted a source as saying that this is a new injury that has ruled him out of the series.
Varun bowled brilliantly in the first match of the Afghanistan T20 series. He conceded just 16 runs in 4 overs and took 1 wicket. He has been consistently given opportunities in Team India, but injuries are becoming a major problem for Varun.
Shafali surpasses Harmanpreet, creates new record
The final match of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 was played between India and Sri Lanka on Sunday. In this match, Shafali Verma batted brilliantly for Team India and scored a half-century. She was out after scoring 68 runs in 39 balls. During this innings, she set several records. Shafali has surpassed Harmanpreet Kaur as the Indian batsman with the most runs in a calendar year in women’s T20I. Shafali has now reached the second position in this list.
With her brilliant innings of 68, Shafali Verma took her total to 675 T20I runs in 2026. This makes her the second-highest run-scorer for India in a single year in T20Is, surpassing Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored 663 runs in 2018. She is now only surpassed on this list by Smriti Mandhana, who scored 763 runs in 2024.
Pakistan team penalized for slow over-rate at Edgbaston
Pakistan has faced sanctions for a slow over-rate during the Test series against England. The team was penalized 11 World Test Championship (WTC) points following the final Test played at Edgbaston, and the players were fined 50% of their match fees. Pakistan had lost that Test by eight wickets.
In the first innings of the Edgbaston Test, Pakistan bowled 89 overs. After accounting for time allowances, the team was found to be 11 overs short, triggering the penalty. Under the current WTC cycle, one WTC point is deducted for every over a team falls short; this action was taken in accordance with Article 16.11.2 of the ICC WTC playing conditions. Additionally, players were fined 5% of their match fees for each short over, as per Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct.
However, the rules stipulate a maximum fine of 50% of the match fee for a single match. Since Pakistan was 11 overs short, the calculated fine—at 5% per over—would have amounted to 55%; yet, due to the 50% cap, the players were fined only 50% of their match fees.
England announce playing XI for first T20I against Sri Lanka
England has announced its playing XI for the first T20 match against Sri Lanka. 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Aneurin Donald is going to make his debut in this match. He will be playing his first match for England. Actually, due to injury, Phil Salt will not be able to play in this match, hence now Aneurin Donald will open the innings along with captain Jos Buttler.
Several key England players are missing the three-match T20I and three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Jacob Bethell has been ruled out of the entire series due to a knee injury , while Sam Curran has been ruled out due to a groin injury. Bethell’s absence has given Jordan Cox a place in the playing XI, making his first T20I appearance since October 2025.
Despite returning to the squad, Gus Atkinson and Ben Duckett were not included in the playing XI for the first match. Jofra Archer, despite being selected in both limited-overs squads, was not included in the squad for this match. In his place, Sonny Baker, who will be playing his second T20 International after making his debut against Ireland last year, has been selected.
England’s playing XI:
Aneurin Donald, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook (captain), Tom Banton, Jordan Cox, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Josh Tongue, Sonny Baker, Adil Rashid
ICC deducts Kranti Gaud’s match fee after her aggressive gesture
Following the Women’s T20 Asia Cup final in Dubai, Indian fast bowler Kranti Gaud has been handed a severe penalty by the ICC. Kranti has been fined 10 percent of her match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the match. In fact, after dismissing Imeesha Dulani in the very first over of Sri Lanka’s innings, Kranti celebrated aggressively by making a gesture.
The Indian bowler has been found guilty under Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct. This is a Level 1 on-field offense. This rule applies when a bowler or player uses abusive language, makes inappropriate gestures, or attempts to provoke a dismissed batsman. Kranti Gaud has also been charged with provoking an opposing batsman by gesturing aggressively to the pavilion after dismissing him. This is the first violation of this rule in the last two years, and therefore, she has been assessed one demerit point.
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