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Toss Ben Stokes won his third toss in a row but defied his recent preference by opting to bat first at Lord’s, as England and India welcomed back Jofra Archer and Jasprit Bumrah respectively.Stokes chose to bowl first in both the first two Tests but said that overhead conditions – with Lord’s bathed in sunshine and temperatures set to pass 30-degrees Celsius this week – dictated his decision to bat. It’s only the third time that Stokes has opted to bat first in home Tests, with England losing on both the previous occasions.Shubman Gill, India’s captain, said he was “a bit confused” as to what he would have done if he had won the toss. “I think I would have bowled first,” he said. “I came in yesterday, and the wicket had a bit of green in it. If there’s anything in the wicket, it’s on the first day and in the first session.”2:15

Pant: Great to see bowlers stand up in Bumrah’s absence

Both teams made a single change from the second Test at Edgbaston, with Archer replacing Josh Tongue and Bumrah returning in place of Prasidh Krishna.”The mood is good,” Stokes said. “It’s been a very well-fought two matches… We’re pushing towards coming away from Lord’s at 2-1. The bodies are all good. Everyone likes playing at Lord’s. It’s one of those weeks where you’ve got to enjoy it as much as you can.”Gill has scored 147, 8, 269 and 161 in the series so far. He has played at Lord’s once before, for Glamorgan against Middlesex, but this is his first Test at the venue. “I’m feeling great,” he told Ravi Shastri at the toss. “The hard work, when it pays off, is quite satisfying.”England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Shoaib BashirIndia: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Karun Nair, 4 Shubman Gill (capt), 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Akash Deep, 11 Mohammed Siraj

The most remarkable thing about Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) run to the IPL 2025 final was that they did so with hardly any international experience in their batting. Shreyas Iyer was the only capped Indian batter they had and even he is out of favour in two of the three international formats right now. Josh Inglis, who can perhaps consider himself an Australia regular now, played only 11 out of 17 matches. Glenn Maxwell played seven. Marcus Stoinis batted too low.Throughout the season, this merry band of inexperienced and shackle-free Indian batters kept taking the game on even if it meant getting bowled out for 111 and 101. This approach came off even when they found themselves down at 34 for 3 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on one occasion.In the final, though, probably for the first time all season, PBKS blinked. In overs three and four, they didn’t try to make the play and found themselves at 32 for 0, only one more than their lowest four-over score all tournament. That brace of 31s was 31 because they had lost three wickets in the first four overs in those matches.Related

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Here, in the big final, PBKS’ inexperienced openers were playing in a way that wasn’t true to their game. Part of it was not because it was the final. It was actually smart, their coach Ricky Ponting said later. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) bowled Josh Hazlewood in the first three overs for only the fourth time this IPL. The openers probably decided RCB were looking for an early wicket. They also recognised that Hazlewood had done against them in previous matches, and were circumspect.It was the over after, bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, that Ponting felt could have been attacked. Just four runs came off that over as the openers, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, played to the merit of the ball instead of playing their natural attacking game. “You know, when you have a really good defensive over, it’s really important that the next one you go after and try and capitalise on,” Ponting said. “And we weren’t able to do that in the fourth over of that powerplay.”After that, PBKS were always chasing the game against RCB’s well-rounded attack. Asked if this circumspection was a reaction to their 101 all out against the same team in Qualifier 1, Ponting said, “I would like to think not because one thing I’ve told this group is always taking the game forward, always seeing the positive result and the way that we go about it, and not thinking about the negative result that might happen if you get out.”One thing as a batsman in this game, you can’t be worried about getting out. If you’re worried about getting out, you can’t play the game well.”It just made Phil Salt’s catch of Arya much more significant – he ran about 20 yards to his right and along the boundary, took the catch, lobbed the ball up before stepping out, and came back in to complete the catch.Ricky Ponting: “I think I talked at the first press conference I had with Shreyas about becoming a daring, dynamic, and different team”•Getty Images

Even if it was the lack of experience that might have cost PBKS the final, Ponting promised similarly competitive and aggressive cricket from his players, who will be more experienced come next season. “I can’t speak highly enough for what those young boys have done through the tournament,” Ponting said. “I think I talked at the first press conference I had with Shreyas about becoming a daring, dynamic, and different team.”On the back of that, what Prabh and Priyansh and [Nehal] Wadhera and these sort of guys were able to do, there’s probably enough been said through the media over the last couple of months. The way that we’ve been able to play our cricket, it’s been highly entertaining. For a coach to be able to sit back and say that about a team gives me a lot of satisfaction.”You can probably look at it tonight and say, ‘was it probably a little bit of inexperience that cost us?’ Maybe a little bit of experience in that middle order today might have helped us out, but what I know is that we’re going to have these younger guys around this team for a long time and I think they’re going to win us a lot of games going forward.”Ponting did feel, though, that PBKS let this one slip after keeping RCB down to 190. “We’ve got it right for most of the year,” Ponting said. “It was only a couple of days ago that we were here celebrating one of our great wins for the season to get into the final, and today we probably feel that we’ve let one slip, but as I said, with this group being as young as it is, we’ll be back bigger and stronger next season.”

Kagiso Rabada’s well-being was top of mind for Cricket South Africa (CSA) when the organisation learnt of his positive drug test and subsequent month-long ban. Now, coach Shukri Conrad, Test and ODI captain Temba Bavuma and director of the national team and high performance Enoch Nkwe are all satisfied that Rabada is not a regular recreational drug user, has educated himself, and is ready to get back to his best at the World Test Championship (WTC) final next month.”I’ve been engaging with KG ever since I learnt about it,” Conrad said at a press conference in Johannesburg, where South Africa’s squad for the WTC final was announced. “The biggest thing for me was whether KG is all right and to close ranks around him and ensure that he’s in a good space. At the end of the day, we care for all our players. He served his sentence, and all that I’m interested in now is KG producing performances that we know he’s capable of.”Rabada tested positive on January 21 after a match between MI Cape Town and Durban’s Super Giants in the SA20 for what the South African Institute of Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS, which is a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Agency) calls a “substance of abuse”. SAIDS will reveal the exact substance on June 4, 30 days after Rabada’s appeal period lapses, but according to their doping code, it can only be one of four: cannabis, cocaine, heroin or ecstasy.Bavuma on Rabada: “If there is an issue there, then he gets the support that he needs. If there’s not an issue, if it was him being reckless, then he deals with it”•Gallo Images

Several sources around Rabada said they hoped it was a one-off while recognising that the chances of someone using a substance just once and being caught are minimal, which has raised questions over Rabada’s general well-being. Nkwe confirmed that the incident happened “out of competition” (which is not on a match day) but had no further details, while Bavuma, also a long-time friend of Rabada’s, said his “biggest concern is more from a personal point of view”. “If there is an issue there, then he gets the support that he needs. If there’s not an issue, if it was him being reckless, then he deals with it,” Bavuma said. “The sledging, the media from the UK, from Australia, he deals with that. Just make sure that he comes out better from the situation.”Related

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• Rabada heads six-man pace attack in SA's WTC final squad

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• Rabada serves suspension for recreational drug use

The timing of Rabada’s indiscretion, with a WTC final against Australia in England as his next assignment, means that there would be more spotlight on his sanction than usual. Already, former Australian captain Tim Paine has criticised the communication around Rabada leaving the IPL for what was at the time said to be “personal reasons” even though, by then, Rabada knew he was banned.Nkwe explained that CSA was unable to communicate any more detail because they needed to “respect SAIDS in driving the process and ensuring that everything was completed correctly”. “SAIDS embarked on that process and unless an individual feels that they want to come out straight away, it is a private matter,” he said. “We needed to respect that when it was time for information to be shared, it was shared by SAIDS.”Conrad was blunt in his response to Rabada’s naysayers. “To Tim Paine and everybody else out there, I’d probably say something simple like, ‘Let he without sin cast the first stone’. I’d leave it at that.”Paine resigned as Australia’s captain in 2021, after it was revealed that he was involved in an explicit text-message scandal before he took over as captain. He had ascended to that post in the wake of Sandpapergate, when Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper on the ball during the Newlands Test – in a series where tensions had been simmering all the way through.Rabada earned demerit points for a shoulder brush against Smith in the second Test and was initially banned from the following two games before a successful appeal; his history with Australia is fraught. Nkwe expected that to continue: “We know the Australians are probably going to use it against him. But he’s gone through that journey, in 2018 with Sandpapergate and we saw the outcome of that.”For now, Nkwe said, Rabada had paid his penance, which included two educational sessions.”As much as he’s a superstar, he can also make a mistake,” Nkwe said. “But for us now, it’s the educational side of things and putting that into practice. It’s one of the things that he wants to drive – educating the youth and turning this thing around and making it into a positive message. For a 19-year-old or a 16-year-old, to hear it from someone that has done great things for South Africa, I think it becomes even more impactful.”

A second century in three days from England’s Tammy Beaumont led The Blaze to a fourth straight win as they continue to set the pace in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup women’s competition.Essex captain Grace Scrivens impressed with a fine unbeaten 120 but 231 for 9 from 50 overs always looked a difficult total to defend against their top-of-the-table opponents.The England A batter had support from Jodi Grewcock (28) and Amara Carr (34) but from too few partners overall as Ireland allrounder Orla Prendergast and England legspinner Sarah Glenn took three wickets each.Beaumont followed her unbeaten 112 against Hampshire at Trent Bridge on Sunday with 116 not out here, with backing from Scotland skipper Kathryn Bryce (47) and England’s Amy Jones (41) as The Blaze won by five wickets with 55 balls to spare. Esmae MacGregor took 3 for 42 as the pick of the Essex bowlers.Put in, Essex were 37 for 2 after 10 overs, left-arm seamer Grace Ballinger having dismissed Alice Macleod, bowled, and Cordelia Griffith, leg before.Having been 17 for 2, Scrivens and 20-year-old Grewcock built a decent recovery, adding 59 before the introduction of Ireland international Prendergast brought about a mini-collapse.Prendergast bowled Grewcock, on the back foot, and dealt Essex two more blows from balls banged in short, Florence Miller gloving behind and Sophia Smale chopping on, as 76 for 2 became 95 for 5.Scrivens found more support from Carr in adding 80 for the sixth-wicket, passing 50 from 79 balls with her fourth boundary, putting Essex in a decent position at 175 for 5 going into the last 10 overs.But Glenn, after a wicketless first spell, returned to dismiss Carr, who skied to mid-off, and Eve Gray leg before with consecutive balls before MacGregor also fell leg before in her next over. Ballinger could not complete her allocation after an injury in the field.Scrivens survived a difficult chance to long-on on 92 off Josie Groves, going on to reach 100 with her ninth boundary from 120 balls, picking up another couple and a six, off Kathryn Bryce, as she and Kate Coppack added 35 for the ninth wicket.The Essex attack struggled to contain Jones and Beaumont as the England duo propelled their side to 54 without loss in the opening powerplay. Jones eventually mistimed MacGregor to be caught at mid-on for 41 out of 92, Beaumont completing a second consecutive half-century from 54 balls with six fours and a six to the short straight boundary off Grewcock’s legspin.Jones gave way to Kathryn Bryce, with no let-up for Essex, the second-wicket pair putting on 104 in a 20-over partnership, Beaumont hitting her second six over the sightscreen at the athletics track end of the Haslegrave Ground, before Bryce feathered one behind.Sarah Bryce and Georgie Boyce both holed out chasing – in vain – a bonus point on offer for winning inside 40 overs, and Prendergast was bowled swinging, before Beaumont, whose hundred came from 110 balls, restored order by hitting Gray square of the wicket for the winning boundary, her 13th to go with two sixes.

Big Picture: The Warne-Muralidaran trophy is back

Australia’s Test series in Sri Lanka often seem to have a touch of the dramatic about them. Last time Australia were in Galle, Sri Lanka saw the greatest mass protests in the country’s history, while the teams battled out a 1-1 series. In 2016, Australia had nosedived spectacularly against spin, Rangana Herath gobbling up their top order en masse.Over the years there have been series-ending fielding collisions, such as in 1999 in Kandy when Jason Gillespie broke a leg and Steve Waugh broke a nose, Shane Warne triggering one of Sri Lanka’s most painful 90s collapses to clinch victory in a game Australia were losing, and Sri Lanka producing one of their most infamously dry surfaces in Galle in 2011. Where Sri Lanka have never won a Test in Australia, these teams tend to be more evenly matched in Sri Lanka.Related

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• Injured Nissanka likely to miss first Test between Sri Lanka and Australia

• Can Kamindu overcome fresh hurdles after a stellar 2024?

• Head to replace Konstas as opener against Sri Lanka

And so it shapes up again. Australia are coming off their big Border-Gavaskar Trophy win, of course. Through their 3-1 win in that series, they also booked their World Test Championship final spot. They are missing regular captain Pat Cummins, who is on paternity leave, but have a seasoned leader in Steven Smith.Sri Lanka had had a decent Test year in 2024, until the disappointing series in South Africa to finish it off. But they will feel as if their Test team is building to something – maybe mounting a more serious campaign in the next WTC cycle, in which they appear to have a relatively easy schedule.It will likely come down to spin in Galle. This surface doesn’t appear to be the dryest one the ground has turned out, and may stay together a little longer than usual, owing to January’s cooler weather. But it is likely to take substantial turn from day three onwards. Expect plenty of sweeping and reverse-sweeping, and catchers around the bat as the match wears on.

Form guide

Sri Lanka: LLWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: WWWDLCaptain Steven Smith, senior spinner Nathan Lyon and selector Tony Dodemaide take a look at the pitch•Getty Images

In the spotlight: Nathan Lyon and Prabath Jayasuriya

A track that tends to start off dry, a sea breeze that helps sap what little moisture there is in the pitch, footmarks to bowl into from as early as day two sometimes – Galle is basically spin-bowling paradise. As such, how well your lead spinner goes in a Galle Test goes a long way to deciding the outcome.It is a track Nathan Lyon will know well. Not only did he get a five-wicket haul on debut here in 2011, he also took a match-winning 9 for 121 from the first game in 2022, when Australia last visited. He has 21 wickets from seven innings at this venue, with an average of 27.61. Expect this group of Sri Lanka’s batters to attempt to attack Lyon, particularly in the first innings. Sri Lanka’s easiest path to upsetting Australia’s bowling plan is to unsettle Lyon.Prabath Jayasuriya had also made his debut in Galle, and he has dominated as few spinners ever have at this venue. He’s got 71 wickets at an average of 21.78 at this venue, and the key to much of that success has been his devastating straight ball, as well as his control. With Sri Lanka’s remaining frontline spin options lacking in experience, the hosts will look to Jayasuriya to define the back half of these Tests.

Pitch and conditions: Some rain around

There’s a little unseasonal rain around in Galle, but rare is the Galle Test that even goes into the last couple of sessions, even if there are interruptions along the way. Dhananjaya de Silva said he expected the surface to be decent for batting to begin with. Temperatures are forecast to hover around 30 degrees celsius.Prabath Jayasuriya has an incredible record at Galle•AP

Team news: Who will be SL’s opener?

Australia have confirmed that Travis Head will open the innings, displacing Sam Konstas from that position. They are pondering their attack though, and could go in with as many as three spinners – Todd Murphy potentially joining Lyon and Matthew Kuhnemann. They will likely have Josh Inglis and Beau Webster – who bowls spin as well as seam – in the lower middle order.Australia (possible): 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Travis Head, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith (capt.), 5 Josh Inglis, 6 Beau Webster, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Mathew Kuhnemann, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Scott Boland/ Todd MurphySri Lanka have a decision to make around their attack as well – whether their second seamer will be Vishwa Fernando or Lahiru Kumara. They also have to replace the injured Pathum Nissanka at the top of the order. Oshada Fernando is his likeliest replacement.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Oshada Fernando, 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva (capt.), 7 Kusal Mendis (wk), 8 Prabath Jayasuriya, 9 Nishan Peiris, 10 Asitha Fernando, 11 Lahiru Kumara/Vishwa Fernando

Stats and trivia: Smith 10,000 watch

• Steve Smith is one run away from completing 10,000 in Test cricket. He’d be the fourth Australia batter to the milestone, after Alan Border, Steve Waugh, and Ricky Ponting.
• Prabath Jayasuriya took 12 wickets for 177 in the one Test he’d played against Australia – on debut in Galle.
• All up, Australia have won three of the six Tests they’ve played in Galle, losing two and drawing one.

Shakib Al Hasan has been suspended from bowling in all competitions run by ICC-approved national federations, both domestic and international, the BCB said in a statement on Sunday. Shakib had been suspended from bowling by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for an illegal action, and this, the BCB said, was the automatic next step. The board also said Shakib will soon appear for reassessment at an accredited testing centre in an effort to have his action cleared and his suspension lifted.Shakib failed an independent assessment of his action at Loughborough University, an ICC-accredited testing centre in the UK, earlier this month, after being reported for a suspect action during an English county cricket match in September. This prompted the ECB’s action, and, in accordance with clause 11.3 of the ICC’s regulations for illegal bowling actions, when a national federation suspends a player from bowling in its domestic competitions, the suspension is automatically recognised and enforced by the ICC in international cricket and by all national cricket federations in their respective domestic competitions. This applies immediately, upon receipt of the official notice, without the need for further formalities.”The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been informed that national team allrounder Shakib Al Hasan has been suspended from bowling in competitions under the jurisdiction of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). As a result, Shakib is also suspended from bowling in domestic cricket competitions outside Bangladesh and in international cricket,” the BCB statement said.Related

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“Should the results of this [reassessment] analysis clear his action, Shakib will be permitted to bowl in international cricket and in domestic cricket competitions under the jurisdiction of all national cricket federations.”For now Shakib can play as a batter in all forms of domestic and international cricket.This caps an extraordinary year for the feted Bangladesh allrounder, whose international career is already in a state of limbo stemming from his role as a Member of Parliament in the now-overturned Awami League government after protests in which several hundred civilians – mostly university students – were killed in July and August. He is effectively retired from Tests and T20Is; his wish of a farewell Test at home in Dhaka was thwarted by protesting students.Shakib is still an active player in ODIs but he wasn’t picked for the Afghanistan and West Indies series in the past four weeks. He is currently playing in the Lanka T10 competition. Shakib did not bowl in the last two matches for Galle Marvels, including the one played on Sunday evening.

Jaker Ali has been ruled out of Bangladesh’s second Test against South Africa with a concussion.Mahidul Islam Ankon has been named his replacement. Jaker suffered a concussion during training at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on Sunday.”Jaker Ali suffered a concussion while batting in practice yesterday [Sunday],” Bangladesh’s physio Bayjedul Islam Khan said. “He has a history of concussions and is still showing symptoms. Given his previous concussion record, recovery may take some time. Based on the clinical findings, he has been ruled out of the second Test.”Wicketkeeper-batter Jaker made a fifty on Test debut in Bangladesh’s second innings in the first Test against South Africa.Related

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He has also played 19 T20Is, having made his debut in the format earlier this year.This is wicketkeeper-batter Mahidul’s maiden call-up to the Bangladesh side. He has played most of his first-class matches for Dhaka Division, hitting all three centuries for the NCL team. He has also played one game for Bangladesh A against Pakistan A in August this year.Mahidul comes into the squad on the back of good form, having struck 118 against Sylhet Division last week.Earlier the selectors also called up pace bowler Khaled Ahmed to replace Taskin Ahmed.

Will Rhodes marked his penultimate home game as a Warwickshire player with a double-century to put his side in total command of Kent in the Vitality Championship at Edgbaston.Rhodes struck a chanceless 201 (295 balls, 32 fours) to lift Warwickshire to 420 and a first innings lead of 264. Such a high-class innings from the former captain suggests that Durham, for whom he has signed a three-year contract, will welcome a player heading into his peak as a player.Rhodes’ six-and-a-half hour marathon laid a foundation for his side to press hard for their first championship win of the season. Needing 264 to avoid an innings defeat, Kent closed the second day on 157 for three as Olly Hannon-Dalby (three for 26) took his championship wicket tally this season to 43.Kent’s multitude of problems continues to mount. Their bowling attack, nobly led by George Garrett (three for 76) and Matt Parkinson (three for 94), was deprived of Grant Stewart by a shoulder injury while Tawanda Muyeye could not open the batting as he was unable to field due to a knee injury.When Warwickshire resumed on the second morning on 207 for three, their progress was immediately brisk. Rhodes struck the first ball of the day to the boundary and five fours from his first 17 balls faced in the session took him to a 151-ball century.Jacob Bethell edged Charlie Stobo to wicketkeeper Harry Finch but Rhodes and Barnard rattled up a century stand in 150 balls. Kent are having the sort of season where every time you think nothing else can go wrong something does, and so it proved when Stewart pulled up in his delivery stride, flexing his shoulder, first ball after lunch and left the field.The fifth-wicket stand reached 145 in 34 overs before Barnard lifted Parkinson to mid off. The last six wickets then fell for 46 as Warwickshire, miles ahead already, threw the bat. Michael Burgess pulled Joey Evison to deep mid-wicket, Michael Booth lifted Parkinson to extra cover and Michael Rae larruped the spinner for six but was then stumped off him. Garrett finished the innings by having Rhodes caught at deep square and knocking out Hannon-Dalby’s off stump.Kent started their second innings after tea with 43 overs to bat in the day and lost Ben Compton in the fifth of them when he edged a loose drive at a wide ball from Hannon-Dalby to wicketkeeper Burgess. Harry Finch, opening in Muyeye’s absence, and Daniel Bell-Drummond added 116 in 29 overs without many alarms but Lady Luck then truly turned her back on Kent in the closing overs.Bell-Drummond was adjudged lbw to a ball which appeared to be passing well down the leg-side. Finch (38, 96) departed in equal disbelief at being given out caught at slip off his shoulder. Lady Luck, it appears, has a real downer on Kent right now.

Ben Stokes is the star signing at MI Cape Town for the upcoming season of the SA20, with Azmatullah Omarzai the other big overseas name joining them as they look to put up a better show after finishing bottom of the table in both the previous editions.They join Rashid Khan and Trent Boult, the pre-signed overseas players for 2025, as well as Nuwan Thushara and Chris Benjamin, who have been retained. The roster of domestic players is as impressive: Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton and George Linde are joined by Delano Potgieter, Thomas Kaber and Connor Esterhuizen.For Boult, it’s the fourth Mumbai Indians-owned team he is a part of, having previously played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, MI New York in MLC, and MI Emirates in the ILT20.Related

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As ESPNcricinfo had reported last month, the SA20 franchises have been targeting top Test players from England for the third edition in 2025 after many of them were busy with the tour of India during the 2024 season. Joe Root has been signed by Paarl Royals, Pretoria Capitals have Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes have gone to Joburg Super Kings and Durban’s Super Giants respectively, while Zak Crawley has been acquired by Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who have won both editions of the competition.England are down to play both T20I and ODI series in India at the start of next year, but both their winter Test tours – to Pakistan in October and New Zealand in December – will be over before Christmas. Therefore, players not involved in the limited-overs games in India will be available to play full seasons at the ILT20 and SA20. The 2025 edition of the SA20 runs from January 9 to February 8.Stokes’ England contract is due to expire at the end of September, after he turned down a three-year deal last year. He hasn’t played a white-ball game for England since the 2023 ODI World Cup, and hasn’t played a T20I since November 2022, when he scored 52 not out to take England to the World T20 title in the final.He is out of action at the moment, a hamstring tear putting him out of Northern Superchargers’ campaign at The Hundred. The ECB has said in a statement that Stokes is aiming to return for the Test tour of Pakistan, which will start in Multan on October 7.If he takes part in the SA20, it will be a rare appearance for England’s Test captain at a franchise league. His last few appearances at the IPL were disrupted. In 2021, he broke a finger in Rajasthan Royals’ first game of the season and was ruled out for the tournament. Then in 2023, he played just two games for Chennai Super Kings all season, partly because of the long-standing knee condition, which had forced him to start the season as a specialist batter. He subsequently opted out of IPL 2024 to manage his workload.Mujeeb Ur Rahman has also represented Barbados Royals in the CPL•ICC/Getty Images

Royals add Mujeeb to 2025 squad

Paarl Royals have added Mujeeb Ur Rahman to their squad for the third season of SA20. Dinesh Karthik, who retired from “representative cricket” in June and was appointed Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s batting coach and mentor in July, had been signed earlier, as were the English trio of Root, Jacob Bethell and Sam Hain.”Mujeeb is an impressive young man who has performed in the best leagues around the world. He has the ability to deceive batters with his variety and pick up crucial wickets, and as his stats state, he can be very economical as well,” Royals’ director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara said in a statement. “He adds a lot of depth and variety to our spin bowling department, and we are all very excited to have him make a real impact at the Paarl Royals.”Mujeeb had earlier represented another of the group’s teams, Barbados Royals, in the CPL.Paarl Royals squad for SA20 2025: David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Dinesh Karthik, Joe Root, Bjorn Fortuin, Andile Phehlukwayo, Mitchell van Buuren, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Codi Yusuf, John Turner, Jacob Bethell, Sam Hain, Keith Dudgeon, Nqaba Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dayyaan Galiem

India made significant gains during the two-and-a-half-year period where Rahul Dravid was their head coach, making the finals of a world event in each of the three formats and winning the T20 crown. Now the focus is on building on those gains and the man leading them forward will be Gautam Gambhir, their new head coach, who understands he has “big shoes to fill”.Speaking to reporters for the first time in his new role, Gambhir touched on the way he wants to work with India’s players and what they can expect from him. “It is very simple,” he said on Monday in Mumbai. “It is important to give players freedom – that’s what I believe in – and not have a relationship of a head coach and a player.”The best relationship is one built on trust. The most important thing is they’ll always have my backing. I don’t complicate too many things. I am taking over a very, very successful team – India are T20 world champions, have been runners-up in the World Test Championship and the 50-overs World Cup.”Related

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• Nayar, ten Doeschate set to join India's support staff

• Gambhir on working with Kohli: 'We are going to be on the same page'

Gambhir’s tenure begins on July 27 with India’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka. This is his first time as head coach of a team, although he has served as a mentor in the IPL, with both Lucknow Super Giants and the reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders. In his playing days, he was an excellent opening batter with an international career that spanned 13 years and peaked with World Cup wins in 2007 and 2011.”My learning has been simple – it has been all about winning,” he said. “I don’t deviate from something. We are in a profession where there can be only one winner. We try and play fair, we try and play hard, and try and come back in a winning dressing room and a happy dressing room.”A happy dressing room is a winning dressing room. Ultimately it is the players’ team, the support staff is there to try and get the maximum out of their potential. Sometimes international cricket can be tough, it can be insecure as well because only 15 can be picked. It is the job of support staff to keep them happy.”For the tour of Sri Lanka, Gambhir will have Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate as assistant coaches and Sairaj Bahutule as the bowling coach. T Dilip, so far, is the only one to reprise his role from the previous regime. He will be the fielding coach. The other support staff members, Gambhir said, will be finalised after the Sri Lanka tour.In the past, Gambhir has not been an advocate of players picking and choosing matches. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both have been selected for the ODIs against Sri Lanka, with the former set to lead. This is one of only two ODI series India are slated to play ahead of the Champions Trophy early next year.Gambhir said that workload management is important for fast bowlers but batters need to play all games if they are fit and available.”Workload management for someone like Jasprit Bumrah is important,” Gambhir said. “For batters, if they can play consistently and if they are in good form, [they] might as well play all the games. With Rohit and Virat now not playing T20 cricket, they only have two formats to look after. So they are going to be available for most of the games.”For Bumrah, because he is one rare kind of a bowler who anyone would want [in their team], so it’s our responsibility to try and have him fresh for most of the important games. So, workload management for, not just Bumrah, but fast bowlers becomes very, very important.”