Faf du Plessis to skip IPL 2026, will play in PSL
Johannesburg (PTI): Former South African captain Faf du Plessis on Saturday said he will not be participating in the Indian Premier League for the first time in 14 years, but will be exploring an opportunity in the Pakistan Super League in 2026.
Du Plessis made his IPL debut in 2012 for Chennai Super Kings and made an instant impression, making 398 runs.
Later he won the IPL title twice with CSK in 2018 and 2021.
“After 14 seasons in the IPL, I've decided not to put my name into the auction this year. It’s a big decision, and one that comes with a lot of gratitude when I look back. This league has been a massive part of my journey,” du Plessis said in a X post.
But he vowed to make a return to the league in future.
“I've been lucky to play with world-class teammates, for amazing franchises, and in front of fans whose passion is like nothing else.
“Fourteen years is a long time, and I'm proud of what this chapter has meant to me. India has a special place in my heart, and this certainly isn't a goodbye - you'll see me again,” he added.
But for now, the 41-year-old is ready to embark on a new journey with PSL, which will be held concurrently with the IPL between March and May 2026.
“This year, I've chosen to take on a new challenge and will be playing in the upcoming PSL season. It’s an exciting step for me - a chance to experience something new, to grow it as a player, and to embrace a league filled with incredible talent and energy,” he wrote.
Du Plessis has already played in the PSL for Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi, featuring in six matches over two seasons.
Apart from CSK, the SA right-hander had also captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru between IPL 2022 and 2024.
The Delhi Capitals bought him ahead of IPL 2025 but his contribution was a meagre 202 runs from 9 matches, averaging 22.44 with two fifties.
He had also donned the jersey of now-defunct Rising Pune Super Giants in 2016 and 2017.
Overall, du Plessis has played 154 IPL matches, scoring 4,773 runs at an average of 35.09.
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Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
