IND vs ZIM T20: India Zim, Zap, zoom to series win

Power-packed fifties by Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma worked well with bowlers’ diligence as India trumped Zimbabwe by 90 runs in the second T20I to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series here on Saturday.

Chasing 220 was never going to be easy for the Africans and the fate of the match was sealed when they lost five wickets inside nine overs. Eventually they were bundled out for 129, well short of India’s 219-5, which was constructed around Kishan’s 81 off 44 balls and Tilak’s unbeaten 60 off 29 balls. somethingsdifferent.biz

The series win will also give new T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer a big relief after losing two consecutive series against Ireland (0-2) and England (0-4). “I feel exultant, especially with the way we won today [Saturday]. It was a comprehensive victory and a brilliant contribution from each and every player,” Iyer said.

India skipper Shreyas Iyer

The skipper also praised Kishan and Tilak for their half-centuries, “I think the way Ishan and Tilak played was outstanding. A few of the shots they played were rakanaka [beautiful], and they were really pleasing to the eye. At the start, I felt anything between 180 and 200 would have been a par score, but we ended up getting 220, which was the icing on the cake. So, yeah, brilliant contributions from both of them,” he said.

Zimbabwe started the hunt in earnest through Brian Bennett (32 off 19 balls), who creamed debutant pacer Yash Thakur for a six and four in a row. But Thakur (2-30) extracted a quick revenge, as an attempted ramp did not go past wicketkeeper Kishan.

Once the first blood was drawn, Indian bowlers did not let the Zimbabwe batters off the hook. There were little pockets of fight such as 20s by Ryan Burl and Tadi Marumani, but nothing good enough to challenge the Indian bowlers for a sustained period.

Even part-timers Tilak and Abhishek Sharma (3-17) found themselves in the list of wicket-takers as India completed the stroll. But circumstances that led to the employment of part-timers might just give India some worries. Pacer Prince Yadav (2-10 in 1.2 overs) walked off clutching his hamstring, casting a shadow over such a dominant victory and raising another question about the team’s injury management system.

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Muscat [Oman], July 26 (ANI): The Indian Sub-Junior Men’s Hockey Team produced a clinical performance to defeat arch-rivals Pakistan 3-1 in the Gold Medal match of the FIH Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship 2026 in Muscat.

Goals from Romit Pal (5′), captain Ketan Kushwaha (12′), and Shahrukh Ali (13′) crowned India as the Asian Champions. With this victory, the Indian Men’s team completed a dominant, unbeaten campaign, having also finished at the top of the Elite Pool table, according to a press release.

The summit clash saw India take early control with sharp passing and disciplined structure. Romit Pal (5′) broke the deadlock in the first half, striking past the Pakistani goalkeeper to give India a 1-0 lead at half-time.

India extended their dominance early in the second half as captain Ketan Kushwaha (12′) found the back of the net, followed immediately by a strike from Shahrukh Ali (13′) to make it 3-0.

Pakistan pulled one goal back through Muhammad Usman (16′), but the Indian defence stood firm in the closing minutes to secure a 3-1 win and lift the trophy.

By virtue of reaching the final, both India and Pakistan have qualified for the inaugural FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup.

In the women’s competition, the Indian Sub-Junior Women’s Team bagged the Silver Medal after a hard-fought contest in their final against China, ensuring both Indian contingents return home with medals.

Celebrating the stellar performances of both squads, Hockey India announced cash rewards for the teams. Each player of the Gold medal-winning Indian Men’s Team will be rewarded with Rs 2 Lakhs, while each member of the support staff will receive Rs 1 Lakh.

Additionally, each player of the Silver medal-winning Indian Women’s Team will receive Rs 1 Lakh, with Rs 50,000 awarded to each member of their support staff. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

A leaked letter from FIFA president Gianni Infantino congratulating Argentina on their 2026 World Cup runners-up finish has sparked controversy after praising the team's professionalism despite an ongoing FIFA disciplinary investigation into post-final clashes with Spain. The correspondence has drawn scrutiny over FIFA's handling of the incidents, with critics questioning the timing and tone of the private message.

Hardik Pandya’s possible trade from Mumbai Indians (MI), ahead of the Indian Premier League 2027 (IPL 2027), could see Chennai Super Kings (CSK) release Shivam Dube and Dewald Brevis with an additional INR 10 crore. To bring Hardik on board, CSK may have to confirm a players-plus-cash deal with MI.

Still, at the age of 32, Hardik Pandya is arguably the best pace-bowling all-rounder in Indian cricket, who is all set to leave the Mumbai Indians ahead of next year’s IPL. According to IPL rules, trade talks are only possible between franchises, not with any player.

A player plus cash deal is possible between Chennai Super Kings and Hardik Pandya ahead of IPL 2027

Irrespective of Hardik’s performance in the IPL 2025 season, his market value in the Indian Premier League is projected at around INR 16.35 crore. The final valuation will be decided after negotiations between the franchises. As of now, CSK is considered the frontrunner to secure Hardik's services.

An all-cash deal is not going to happen between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Deals in IPL can happen in three possible ways: an all-cash deal, a swap deal (a player against another player), and a player-plus-cash deal. CSK is most likely to do a player-plus-cash deal for Hardik.

Mumbai Indians want to gain maximum profit from the Hardik Pandya deal

According to Hindustan Times, as the Mumbai Indians want to gain as much profit as possible by trading out their captain, they want multiple exciting prospects from CSK. Shivam Dube, a pace-bowling all-rounder, like-for-like substitution for Hardik Pandya, and Ayush Mhatre are reportedly the prime targets for the Mumbai-based franchise.

But will CSK allow Ayush Mhatre to join their rival franchise? Maybe not. Super Kings is reportedly not interested in letting a young prodigy like Ayush Mhatre join hands with any other IPL franchise. Instead, Dewald Brevis, another emerging talent, could be included in a potential player-plus-cash deal.

In summary, MI wants Shivam Dube and Ayush Mhatre in exchange for Hardik, but CSK is interested in offering Dube, Dewald Brevis and an additional INR 10 crore.

Hardik Pandya was not at his best in the IPL 2026 season

Despite repeated lacklustre seasons for the Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya is still considered the premium all-rounder in the fray. In the previous season, he scored 206 runs at an average of 22.89 and a strike rate of 138.26 without any half-century and missed multiple games because of injury. In the death overs, where Pandya made his name the most, he was not at his peak as well, scoring only 49 runs from 37 balls at a strike rate of 132.4.

With the ball, his performance remained subpar throughout the season. In the death overs, his economy rate was far from what was expected from him. Overall, Hardik got only 4 wickets in IPL 2026 from 22.4 overs for an average economy rate of 11.43 runs. The economy rate jumped to 15.75 during the death overs, and in the powerplays, that 13.75 per over. In the middle overs, from 12 to 16, he was effective with his variation, conceding only 7.80 runs per over.