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.

Stand-in ODI skipper KL Rahul on Saturday conceded that Indian batters' repeated struggles against spin, especially on home tracks, remain a concern but he didn’t have a "definitive answer” to the decline of their traditional strength. His comment comes amid a worrying pattern of Indian batting line-up's repeated buckling against spinners on home tracks in Test cricket over the last two seasons -- once their fortress.

India will look to address several lingering selection puzzles when they take on South Africa on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the set-up for a short audition that could well shape their 2027 World Cup fate.

Harmanpreet Kaur-led defending champions Mumbai Indians will face 2024 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening match of the fourth Women's Premier League on January 9 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Iran has decided to boycott the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington next week because the U.S. denied visas to members of its delegation, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

From 2012 to late 2024, the Indian Men’s Test cricket team did not lose a single home series. Between February 2013 and September 2024, India played 53 Tests at home, winning 42 and losing only four. Beating India on home soil was once considered nearly impossible, the team was compared to the great Australian side led by Ricky Ponting.

Portugal won the FIFA Under-17 World Cup title Thursday, beating Austria 1-0 in the final of a 48-nation tournament where European teams took the first three places.

Former off-spinner R Ashwin has defended under-fire India head coach Gautam Gambhir after the 0-2 home Test series loss to South Africa, saying it is not right to call for his sacking at a time when not enough responsibility has been shouldered by the players.