Franchise Cricket

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Punjab Kings have signed Australian Mitchell Owen as a replacement for injured compatriot Glenn Maxwell at the Indian Premier League.

Owen, 23, is currently playing for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League and it is unclear if he will leave immediately or join the Kings when that tournament concludes.

Peshawar's final group-stage game is on 9 May but they may yet reach the play-offs which run until 17 May. If they do reach the latter stages he could join the Kings for the IPL knockouts, which start on 20 May.

Owen's prominence has risen in recent months after he hit a 39-ball century as Hobart Hurricanes won the Big Bash final in January.

He played in the SA20 after and has averaged 16.83 in six PSL innings, while claiming two wickets.

Maxwell has been ruled out with a fractured finger. The all-rounder struggled for form with single-figure returns in five of his six innings and a high score of just 30.

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Islamabad United slipped to a third consecutive defeat with a two-wicket loss to Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League.

Having won their first five matches, Islamabad have now lost their place at the top of the standings to their opponents.

Hasan Nawaz anchored Quetta's chase of 158, hitting an unbeaten 64 from 41 balls as his side reached their target with a ball to spare.

No other batter passed 27, and Islamabad may have been hopeful of victory after Kyle Jamieson was dismissed for three to leave Quetta 117-7 in the 16th over.

However Nawaz added 26 with Mohammad Wasim, then struck the remaining 16 runs required in the final over, with two sizes and a pair of twos.

Mohammad Nawaz had been the highlight of Islamabad's innings, hitting 49 from 34 before he was dismissed in Jamieson's final over.

Sahibzada Farhan and Kyle Mayers struck an opening partnership of 58, but six batters were out for 10 or less, four of them falling to Faheem Ashraf for the cost of 25 runs.

Quetta now top the table with five wins, two losses and one no result from their eight games, while Islamabad sit in second with five victories and three defeats.

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Jos Buttler scored his fifth half-century of the 2025 Indian Premier League to help Gujarat Titans beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 38 runs and join the leaders at the top of the table.

Former England white-ball captain Buttler scored 64 from 37 balls with four sixes in Gujarat's imposing 224-6.

He was dropped by Australia captain Pat Cummins on 22 but found boundaries with his trademark strokeplay until he holed out off Cummins in the penultimate over.

Buttler is now third in the run-scoring standings at this year's IPL with 470 runs in 10 innings.

Team-mate Sai Sudharsan, who scored 48, is top on 504 while Shubman Gill is fourth after an elegant 76.

Opener Abhishek Sharma batted until the 15th over for 74 in pursuit but the Sunrisers were always behind the required scoring rate.

Needing 86 from the final five overs, they finished on 186-6. Seamer Prasidh Krishna took 2-19 and is now the leading wicket-taker with 19.

"The guys are in great form at the top, setting brilliant platforms," Buttler said of Gill and Sudharsan.

"They are two guys who are quite traditional with a fantastic technique. They take you by surprise how fast they score with classical shots."

Gujarat, who were also excellent in the field, join Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the top of the table on 14 points.

Mumbai are top courtesy of their net run-rate but have played a game more while the Titans edged above RCB, who play eliminated Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, into second.

Sunrisers, beaten finalists last year, are ninth on six points - seven points adrift of the top four meaning their play-off hopes are all but over.

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Leaders Islamabad United suffered their second successive defeat in the Pakistan Super League as they were comfortably beaten by six wickets by Peshawar Zalmi.

Islamabad, who won their first five matches before defeat by Lahore Qalandars, struggled with the bat and posted only 143-9. Opener Sahibzada Farhan was their highest scorer with 36 from 35 balls.

Peshawar took only 16.4 overs to chase their target with captain Babar Azam easing to 53 not out from 49 balls.

Islamabad stay top of the standings but Lahore and Quetta Gladiators are only a point behind.

Zalmi stay fifth with six points from seven games.

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Multan Sultans continued their dismal Pakistan Super League campaign with a crushing 87-run defeat to Karachi Kings.

The league's bottom side, who have now won one of their eight matches, were chasing 205, but were bowled out for 117 with 23 balls to spare.

Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi took 3-14 for Karachi, who dismissed six Multan batters for single figures.

Kamran Ghulam top-scored for Multan with 29, while former England bowler David Willey was run-out for a duck by compatriot James Vince after facing one ball.

Vince had been the pick of the Karachi batters after they won the toss and chose to set a total, hitting an unbeaten 65 from 45 from number three.

Captain David Warner (30 from 13) and Tim Seifert (22 from 11) put on an opening partnership of 53 inside four overs, before both fell inside the space of three balls.

Vince added 68 with Irfan Khan Niazi (40) and 66 with Khushdil Shah (33 not out) as Karachi closed on 204-4, a total that proved well beyond Multan.

Karachi remain in fourth position, with four wins and three defeats.

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The match between Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League was abandoned in the first innings because of rain.

Lahore were 111-3 having batted 11.3 overs when the players were forced off the field.

Fakhar Zaman had been bowled for a duck by Khurram Shahzad from the third ball of the game, but Mohammad Naeem (50) and Abdullah Shafique (53 not out) added 101 for the home side's second wicket.

Abrar Ahmed had Naeem caught by Hasan Nawaz, and then saw Daryl Mitchell taken for three by Rilee Rossouw in his next over from what proved to be the last ball of the match.

The sides remain level on nine points, with Lahore one place above Quetta in second thanks to a superior run-rate, but having played a game more.

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Punjab Kings all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been ruled out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League season with an injury to his right hand.

The Australian missed Wednesday's match against Chennai Super Kings with his captain Shreyas Iyer saying before the toss that he had sustained a fractured finger.

Maxwell had played in seven of Kings' preceding nine games, but has struggled for form with single-figure totals in five of his six innings and a high score of just 30.

The 36-year-old has taken four wickets this season with his off-spin, at an average of 27.50.

Kings bought Maxwell at the pre-season mega auction for 4.2 crore (£390,000), after he played the previous four IPL seasons for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

He is the franchise's second overseas player to see their season ended prematurely, after New Zealand seamer Lockie Ferguson injured his leg in mid-April.

"We will be signing some replacements at some stage," said Kings head coach Ricky Ponting.

"We've got until our 12th game [to name replacements], so we have a couple of games to go yet.

"We're having a look around at Indian talent as well and we're looking at what roles we might be able to fill."

Kings currently sit in second in the IPL table with six wins and three losses and will next face Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday, 4 May (15:00 BST).

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Lahore Qalandars inflicted a first defeat of the Pakistan Super League season on Islamabad United with a thumping 88-run victory.

Lahore piled up 209-6 and then impressively dismissed Islamabad, who had won all five of their previous matches, for 121 in 16.5 overs.

Fakhar Zaman's 44, 25 by Mohammad Naeem, 22 by Abdullah Shafique and 28 by Daryl Mitchell laid the platform for Lahore.

They were then powered beyond 200 by England wicketkeeper Sam Billings' 38 not out and 39 by Zimbabwe international Sikandar Raza - both faced only 17 balls - with 96 runs coming in the last six overs.

Off-spinner Raza took 3-20 and Haris Rauf 4-31 in Islamabad's sorry chase.

They remain top of the standings but Lahore move up to second two points behind.

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Kolkata Knight Riders boosted their hopes of qualifying for the Indian Premier League play-offs by beating Delhi Capitals by 14 runs.

After being held to 204-9 after a fast start, KKR removed the Capitals' top three inside seven overs.

Faf du Plessis and Capitals captain Axar Patel rebuilt to 136-3 with a fine partnership of 76 but Axar, who was struggling with a hand injury sustained while fielding, fell as the first of three wickets for veteran spinner Sunil Narine.

Axar was caught at cover for 43, South Africa Tristan Stubbs bowled for one four balls later and Du Plessis caught at deep mid-wicket for 62.

West Indies international Narine, standing in as skipper with Ajinkya Rahane off the field, then turned to fellow spinner Varun Chakravarthy who dismissed Ashutosh Sharma and Mitchell Starc in consecutive balls.

Some powerful hitting by Vipraj Nigam kept the game alive but, with 25 needed from the final over, the Capitals finished on 190-9. Nigam fell for 38 from 19 balls off the penultimate ball.

Narine and Ramanullah Gurbaz had earlier put on 48 in three overs for the first wicket in KKR's innings which faded late on.

Narine made 27, Gurbaz and Rahane 26, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 44 and Rinku Singh 36, meaning they passed 200 despite losing 5-45 in the final five overs.

Rahane said before KKR will have to win their final five matches to finish in the top four. They remain seventh but close the gap to the Capitals in fourth to three points.

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Multan Sultans' miserable run in the Pakistan Super League continued as they were bowled out for just 89 in a 10-wicket thrashing by Quetta Gladiators.

Opener Mohammad Rizwan batted through for a run-a-ball 44 but number nine Usama Mir, who made 11, was the only other batter to reach double figures.

The score was the Sultans' lowest in their history.

Pakistan international Usman Khan and New Zealand's Michael Bracewell made ducks while former England all-rounder David Willey was out for seven.

Seamer Khurram Shahzad took 4-23 and Multan were bundled out in 17 overs.

The Gladiators took just 6.5 overs to complete their chase with Finn Allen ending unbeaten on 45 and Saud Shakeel 42 not out.

Multan have now lost six of their seven matches this season and are bottom of the table. The Gladiators move up a place into second behind leaders and defending champions Islamabad United.

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The cricket world is still reeling from 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi's stunning century in the Indian Premier League on Monday.

India legend Sachin Tendulkar has led the praise.

"Vaibhav's fearless approach, bat speed, picking the length early, and transferring the energy behind the ball was the recipe behind a fabulous innings," the former batter said. "Well played!"

Former England captain Jos Buttler, who was playing in the match for Rajasthan Royals' opponents Gujarat Titans, said: "Fair play youngster. That was incredible."

Yuvraj Singh, one of India's 2011 World Cup winners, said he was "proud to see the next generation shine".

"What were you doing at 14?!!" the all-rounder said.

"This kid is taking on the best bowlers in the world without blinking an eyelid! Vaibhav Suryavanshi - remember the name!"

India's Test and 50-over captain Rohit Sharma posted on Instagram to simply say "class", while T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav said "witnessed this carnage of an innings by this youngster. Absolutely insane!"

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The BCCI are considering expanding the Indian Premier League (IPL) season to 94 matches and adopting a full home-and-away format from 2028.

The lucrative T20 franchise league expanded to a 74-game campaign in 2022 when Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Supergiants entered the competition.

However, while the option of extending the tournament in time for the next media-rights cycle in 2028 is being looked into, there are no plans for any new franchises to join the league.

Asked about a tweak in the format and adding more games, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal told ESPNCricinfo: "Definitely, that might be an opportunity.

"We've been discussing in ICC (International Cricket Council), we've been discussing in-house in BCCI.

"Ideally, we'd want a larger window, or to maybe go on from 74 to 84 or 94 at some point. So that every team gets to play against every team home and away, for that, you need 94 games.

"Given the window and the kind of commitments that we have with regards to bilateral cricket and ICC events, that may not be possible in the short term.

"But given the landscape, how it is changing and evolving over the years, maybe at some point in time we would look and take that option."

The future tours programme (FTP) means the IPL's window from mid-March until the end of May is set in stone for the next two years.

But it could be changed beyond that with details of the next FTP to be decided next year.

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Quetta Gladiators bowled out Peshawar Zalmi in 15.2 overs in a 64-run thrashing in the Pakistan Super League.

Faheem Ashraf took 5-33 in 3.2 overs for the Gladiators, while Khurram Shahzad also impressed with 2-9 from his three.

Mohammad Amir took the big wicket of Babar Azam in the third over, which set the tone for Peshawar's chase.

Babar's side stuttered through their innings, losing wickets at regular intervals. Hussain Talat's 39 from 34 balls was the only bright spark in an otherwise lacklustre batting display from the away side.

Scoring 178-7 in the first innings, each of the Gladiators' top five made starts, in an impressive team effort. Mark Chapman top-scored with 33 from 26 balls, with the lowest score in the top five being Rilee Rossouw's 27 from 18.

Alzarri Joseph returned Peshawar's best bowling figures, taking 3-33.

The big improvement to their net run-rate sees the Gladiators move up into third, with Peshawar Zalmi slipping to fifth.

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Jasprit Bumrah became Mumbai Indians' all-time leading wicket-taker as his side beat Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League by 54 runs.

The India bowler took 4-22, taking his overall tally to 174 and surpassing Lasith Malinga's 170.

Bumrah brilliantly took three of his wickets in the 16th over of Lucknow's innings, which ended any hopes of a successful run chase.

Ayush Badoni top-scored for Lucknow with 35 from 22 balls as they were bowled out for 161, chasing 216.

No batter for the Super Giants was able to push on, as the home side took wickets at regular intervals, with Trent Boult taking 3-20 and Will Jacks 2-18.

After losing the toss and being stuck in, Mumbai scored 215-7 to set Lucknow an imposing target.

Opener Ryan Rickelton set the tone for Mumbai with 58 from 32 balls, before Suryakumar Yadav provided the middle order flair we've come to expect, notching 54 from 28 deliveries.

There was also a late injection of runs from Naman Dhir, who struck an unbeaten 25 from 11 balls, including a final-ball six.

It is a fifth consecutive victory for Mumbai Indians, who move up to second in the table. Lucknow are sixth, two points off the play-off spots.

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A stunning partnership of 89 from 41 balls between New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell and Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza helped Lahore Qalandars to a five-wicket win over Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League.

Chasing 186 to win, the pair came together at 95-4, with Mitchell on 19 from 17 balls.

The pair gelled beautifully and immediately transferred the pressure to the Sultans and almost got Qalandars over the line but Mitchell (64 off 38 balls) dragged on with two runs required.

Raza hit the winning run to finish unbeaten on 40 from 21 balls as the Qalandars won with six balls to spare.

The Sultans posted 185-3 from their 20 overs with Pakistan wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan making an unbeaten 76 from 48 balls at the top of the order.

It was a slow and sedate innings to start with Rizwan on 34 off 33 balls after 15 overs but he accelerated in the death overs.

He was supported by Kamran Ghulam's 52 not out from 31 balls in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 115.

The win sees the Qalandars climb to second, behind defending champions Islamabad United, while the Sultans are bottom with one win from six games.

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