Franchise Cricket

Image source, Getty Images

Punjab Kings' match at Kolkata Knight Riders was abandoned due to heavy rain in the Indian Premier League.

The rain started to fall, alongside very strong winds, in the first over of the Knights Riders' chase and the umpires took the players off the field.

The rain was persistent and play was called off at 18:30 BST.

Punjab had posted 201-4 from their 20 overs with Prabhsimran Singh making 83 off 49 balls and Priyansh Arya 69 off 35.

The pair shared 120 for the opening wicket, with Arya dominating, before Prabhsimran went through the gears and looked to be propelling the Kings to a huge total.

However Knight Riders fought back well and restricted the Kings to 43 in the final six overs, with Glenn Maxwell out for seven to continue his difficult tournament, with his average now eight after six innings.

Both sides take a point each and Punjab remain fourth, while Kolkata are seventh but fourth points off the play-off places.

• Scorecard, IPL fixtures & results, table

Image source, Getty Images

Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming says they need to do a lot of "soul-searching" and reflect on where they went wrong at the Indian Premier League mega auction.

The five-time champions are bottom of the 10-team table with two wins from nine games and have lost their past four home matches.

Afghanistan leg-spinner Noor Ahmad and seamer Khaleel Ahmed have impressed but their only batter in the top 30 run-scorers is Shivam Dube, who was retained from 2024.

"It's hard to say we got it completely right with the performances that we've had," said Fleming.

"We have been looking over that in detail, just around our style of play and also looking at how the game is evolving.

"It is not easy, that is why we're proud of our record to date to be consistent for so long and it doesn't take much for it to go another way. Other teams have got better and that is the point of the auction but we just haven't been able to get it right.

"That has to be an area where we need to reflect and say 'it hasn't been as good as it could have been' or it hasn't worked out how we wanted.

"But, it is also not a perfect science, the auction is a very fluid beast. It is like buying 25 houses so you can come away from it mentally, and sometimes, physically exhausted.

"There's a lot of responsibility and soul-searching and that certainly starts at the top with me."

Image source, Getty Images

Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Chennai Super Kings by five wickets in a match between the bottom two in the Indian Premier League.

Both sides went into the game with just two wins from their opening eight games, but it is Chennai who remain rooted to the bottom after suffering a fourth successive home defeat.

The five-time IPL winners were skittled out for 154 with one ball remaining in their innings, with Harshal Patel the pick of the bowlers taking 4-28.

Hyderabad stumbled to 54-3 and 90-4 in their chase, but a fifth-wicket partnership worth 49 between Nitish Kumar Reddy (19) and Kamindu Mendis (32) saw them home with eight balls to spare.

Kamindu hit the winning runs to complete a fine display that included bowling figures of 1-26 and a stunning catch to dismiss Chennai debutant Dewald Brevis.

A first win in Chennai for Hyderabad lifts last season's finalists above Rajasthan Royals into eighth and within four points of the play-off places.

Having been put into bat, the tone of Chennai's innings was set when opener Shaik Rasheed edged a wonderful seaming delivery from Mohammed Shami to first slip with the first ball of the match.

Brevis, who joined Chennai last week as a replacement for the injured Gurjapneet Singh, showed the most resistance with a punchy 42 from 25 balls before falling to Kamindu's stunning diving catch at long-off.

Hyderabad lost Abhishek Sharma with the second ball of their reply, but Travis Head (19) and Ishan Kishan (44) kept the innings on track.

Noor Ahmad (2-42) removed Kishan and Aniket Verma (19) in successive overs as Chennai sensed an opening, before Kamindu and Nitish saw Hyderabad over the line.

• Scorecard, IPL fixtures & results, table

Image source, PCB

A stunning collapse from Karachi Kings saw Quetta Gladiators claim a five-run victory in the Pakistan Super League.

Karachi lost six wickets for 22 runs in the space of 5.4 overs as their chase disintegrated following a promising start.

Needing 143, Karachi were cruising at 75-1 thanks to 47 from opener Tim Seifert and 30 from James Vince.

But Seifert's dismissal at the end of the 12th over saw them slip from 93-2 to 115-8 with just 15 balls remaining.

Hasan Ali's battling unbeaten 24 from 13 deliveries lifted Karachi back to within sight of victory, but it was too little, too late.

Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Amir and Khurram Shahzad picked up two wickets apiece for Quetta, who secured their second win of the season.

Faheem Ashraf had earlier top-scored with 43 as Quetta scrambled their way to 142 all out, with Kusal Mendis (36) and Hasan Nawaz (35) the only other players to score more than 10.

The win takes Gladiators level on points with Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi with a game in hand, but they remain behind both sides in fifth because of their inferior net run-rate.

Karachi stay second and four points behind leaders Islamabad United having played a game more.

• Scorecard, PSL fixtures & results, table

Image source, Getty Images

Rajasthan Royals fell to a fifth consecutive defeat in the Indian Premier League, losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 11 runs.

Chasing 206, Yashasvi Jaiswal got the Rajasthan innings off to a flier with a 19-ball 49, but some tight middle-order bowling and a strong performance from Josh Hazlewood (4-33) sealed a first home victory for RCB.

Having been put into bat, RCB openers Virat Kohli and Phil Salt put on an opening partnership of 61 before the England batter was caught by Shimron Hetmyer off Wanindu Hasaranga for 26.

Kohli brought up his side's 100 and his 60th IPL half-century with consecutive fours in the 12th over, reaching his half-century from 32 balls.

He struck 70 from 42 before being caught at cover off England seamer Jofra Archer (1-33), while Devdutt Padikkal made 50 from 27 deliveries before being being taken at mid-on.

Tim David (23) and Jitesh Sharma (20) added 42 from the final 19 balls of the innings, with the former run out from final delivery as RCB closed on 205-5.

In the reply, Jaiswal hit seven fours and three sixes before he was caught at mid-wicket off Hazlewood from the penultimate ball of the powerplay.

Rajasthan stormed to 110-2 after nine overs, but some superb bowling from Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma dramatically slowed the Rajasthan run-rate, leaving the visiting side needing 46 from 24 deliveries.

Rajasthan hit 22 from Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 18th over, but Hazlewood returned to crush hopes of victory for the Royals, dismissing Dhruv Jurel (47) and Jofra Archer with consecutive deliveries while conceding just one run from his six balls.

Shubham Dubey and Wanindu Hasaranga were both dismissed in the final over as Rajasthan ended short of their target.

The win lifts RCB one place to third, level with leading sides Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals on 12 points, but having played a game more.

Rajasthan remain eighth with two wins and seven defeats.

• Scorecard, IPL fixtures & results, table

Image source, PCB

Babar Azam and Hussain Talat struck unbeaten half-centuries as Peshawar Zalmi beat Lahore Qalanders by seven wickets in the Pakistan Super League.

Captain Babar hit 56 off 42 from the top of the order, while Talat joined him for a 37-ball 51 as Peshawar reached passed their target of 130 in the 17th over.

Lahore had a horrific start having been put into bat, falling to 34-5 inside the powerplay and then 67-7.

Alzarri Joseph was the pick of the Peshawar bowlers, taking 3-15, while England seamer Luke Wood finished with figures of 2-25.

Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza was dismissed by Talat in the final over having hit 52 from 37 to help take the home side to 129, as they were bowled out with four balls to spare.

However he was the only Lahore batter to pass 16, with England's Sam Billings (nine) one of five batters to be removed for single figures.

Peshawar were 7-2 in the second over of their reply, with Saim Ayub caught for two and Tom Kohler-Cadmore bowled by Haris Rauf for a four-ball duck.

But an unbroken 93 partnership for the fourth wicket took Peshawar to victory, with Talat finishing the match and reaching his 50 with consecutive fours.

The win takes Peshawar level on points with Lahore with two wins and three defeats apiece, but Qalanders sit in third one place above their opponents thanks to their superior net run-rate.

• Scorecard, PSL fixtures & results, table

Image source, Getty Images

A new Major League Cricket franchise team will launch in 2027 with direct investment from New Zealand Cricket (NZC).

Terms have been agreed between NZC and a US-based consortium True North Sports Ventures (TNS) in what will be an unprecedented overseas franchise investment for a national governing body.

A statement from NZC said they will provide "high-performance and operational support" to the new MLC franchise "including coaching, management, and support staff, as well as integrating the franchise into NZC's domestic high-performance ecosystem".

TNS will be headed up by MLC co-founders Vijay Srinivasan and Sameer Mehta and include backers such as the 49ers Enterprises, the investment wing of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers.

The name and home city of the new franchise has yet to be decided although Atlanta in Georgia and the Canadian city of Toronto are both under consideration.

NZC will also have the option to invest in a second MLC franchise, earmarked for 2031.

"As franchise cricket grows globally, NZC needs to adapt to seize strategic opportunities that ensure the sustainability of our cricket network," said NZC chief executive Scott Weenink.

"This helps diversify our revenue streams, expands our global brand and fan base, and creates new talent development and retention pathways for both our players and coaches."

MLC launched in 2023 as a six-team tournament with this year's edition taking place between 12 June and 13 July across venues in Dallas, Florida and Oakland.

Image source, Getty Images

Islamabad United continued their superb start to the Pakistan Super League, recording their fifth win from five with a seven-wicket victory over Multan Sultans.

Chasing 169, United States opener Andries Gous hit an unbeaten 80 from 45 balls as Islamabad reached their target in the 18th over.

Having chosen to bat, Multan scored 168-5 from their 20 overs, with Usman Khan top-scoring with 60.

Openers Yasir Khan (29) and Muhammad Rizwan (36) put on 51, while the latter added a further 65 with Usman before he was caught off the bowling of Shadab Khan.

That left Multan 116-2, but they scored just 52 from the remaining 39 deliveries, with Usman run out by Sahibzada Farhan in the penultimate over.

Usman had his revenge in the reply, catching Sahibzada off Ubaid Shah for 22.

But Gous added 81 with Colin Munro (45) and 55 with Mohammad Nawaz (21) to put his side in control, and finished the game with his fifth six.

The defending champions now have 10 points at the top of the table, while Multan sit bottom with one win from five.

• Scorecard, PSL fixtures & results, table

Image source, Getty Images

Rohit Sharma made it consecutive half-centuries for Mumbai Indians with 70 in their seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.

The India captain, who hit 76 in the win against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, hit eight fours and three sixes in a 46-ball innings, with his side reaching their target of 144 in the 16th over.

The 37-year-old opener averaged 13.66 from his first six matches this season, but has returned to form, putting on partnerships of 64 with Will Jacks (22) and 53 with Suryakumar Yadav (40 not out).

Rohit looked set to take his side over the victory line, but was caught at mid-wicket by Abhishek Sharma off Eshan Malinga with 14 left to win, leaving it to Suryakumar to close the match with consecutive fours in the following over.

Hyderabad were fortunate to have reached 143-8, having fallen to 13-4 in the fifth over, with Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar taking two wickets apiece.

Heinrich Klaasen rebuilt his side's innings, hitting 71 off 44 deliveries in an innings that featured nine fours and two sixes.

His 99-run partnership with Abhinav Manohar was only ended when he found Tilak Varma off Jasprit Bumrah's penultimate over, before Boult (4-26) returned to take two wickets, including that of Abhinav, at the death.

Mumbai lost opener Ryan Rickelton (11) early, caught and bowled by Jaydev Unadkat, but Rohit soon put his side on course for their fourth consecutive victory.

The win takes Mumbai up three places to third, above three other teams on 10 points by net run-rate.

Hyderabad remain in ninth, having won two and lost six of their eight games.

• Scorecard, IPL fixtures & results, table

Image source, PSL

Multan Sultans earned their first win of the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) with a 33-run win over Lahore Qalandars.

Having lost their three opening matches, Multan posted an imposing 228-5 with opener Yasir Khan top-scoring with 87 from 44 balls which included six fours and six sixes.

Having added 89 in seven overs for the first wicket with captain Muhammad Rizwan, who made 32, Usman Khan added 39 and an unbeaten 18-ball 40 from Iftikhar Ahmed provided an explosive finish.

Seamer Haris Rauf conceded 54 runs from three overs in the onslaught.

Lahore kept up with the run-rate for most of their chase but were undone by regular wickets, and fell short on 195-9.

All-rounder Sikandar Raza finished unbeaten on 50 from 27 balls while England's Sam Billings made 43.

Ubaid Shah and Usama Mir were the pick of Multan's bowlers with 3-37 and 2-26 respectively.

Multan remain bottom of the PSL table despite the win, while Lahore are third behind Islamabad United and Karachi Kings.

Image source, BCCI/IPL

KL Rahul struck an unbeaten half-century to lead the in-form Delhi Capitals to a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Chasing a below-par 160 to win, Rahul anchored the innings to finish with 57 from 42 balls after opener Abhishek Porel had set the platform with 51 from 36.

Rahul hit the winning runs with a six off Prince Yadav with 13 balls to spare, accompanied by Delhi captain Axar Patel on 34 not out.

The win sees Delhi join leaders Gujarat Titans on 12 points, and are behind them only on net run-rate, while Lucknow are fifth.

Delhi's clinical run chase followed a superb fightback with the ball after Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram added an opening stand of 87 for Lucknow.

Markram reached his fourth half-century of the campaign, but his departure for 52 from 33 balls at the end of the 10th over saw Delhi seize control.

Mitchell Starc bowled the in-form Nicholas Pooran for nine and seamer Mukesh Kumar removed both Marsh for 45 and Abdul Samad for two in the 14th over to leave Lucknow 110-4.

Ayush Badoni was sent in as an impact player with quick runs required, and he delivered with 36 from 21 before he and captain Rishabh Pant fell to Mukesh in the final over as the seamer finished with fine figures of 4-33.

Image source, BCCI/IPL

Gujarat Titans strengthened their position at the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL) table with a comfortable 39-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders.

Titans captain Shubman Gill starred with a sublime 90 from 55 balls while fellow opener Sai Sudharsan crunched 52 from 36 to set up a total of 198-3.

England's Jos Buttler followed his unbeaten 97 from Gujarat's previous match with a crucial 41 not out.

Gill and Sudharsan added 114 in 12.1 overs as Kolkata's bowlers toiled, followed by a stand of 58 in 5.3 overs between the skipper and Buttler.

In reply, defending champions Kolkata lost opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first over, pinned lbw by Mohammed Siraj, before skipper Ajinkya Rahane kept his side in the contest with a 36-ball half-century.

But he was stumped by Buttler off Washington Sundar in the 13th over to leave Kolkata 91-4. The run-rate spiralled beyond their reach and they only managed 159-8.

Gujarat seamer Prasidh Krishna took 2-25 to keep his grasp on the purple cap for the most wickets in the tournament, while Sudharsan's knock saw him overtake Lucknow Super Giants' Nicholas Pooran as the leading run-scorer.

In-form Gujarat have won six of their eight matches so far while Kolkata continue to search for consistency, with three wins and five defeats.

• Scorecard, IPL fixtures & results, table

Image source, Getty Images

David Warner's 60 from 47 balls helped Karachi Kings edge to a two-wicket win over Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Warner's knock set up the Kings' chase of 148, which they reached with just three balls to spare after slipping to 42-3.

With nine runs needed from the final over, Khushdil Shah held his nerve to strike two fours and finished unbeaten on 23.

England bowler Luke Wood took 3-28 for Peshawar, including the dismissal of Tim Seifert with the first ball of the chase and dismissing compatriot James Vince for 11.

Earlier, Peshawar skipper Babar Azam struggled for fluency, making 46 from 41 balls in his side's 147-8, but had little support from the rest of the order.

Haris Rauf made 28 from 21 before West Indies' Alzarri Joseph whacked 24 not out from 13 balls to add some late impetus.

Khushdil added fine figures of 3-20 to his match-winning knock while Abbas Afridi took 3-30.

The win takes Karachi to second in the PSL table behind unbeaten Islamabad United, while Peshawar are fourth with just one win in the campaign so far.

• Scorecard, PSL fixtures & results, table

Image source, Getty Images

Islamabad United continued their unbeaten start to the Pakistan Super League season with a six-wicket win over Karachi Kings.

Chasing just 129, Azam Khan and Shadab Khan added 45 for the third wicket to put their side firmly in control.

Having seen Azam bowled by Mohammad Nabi for 31, Shadab took his side to the brink of victory with 47 from 40 balls.

He saw his stumps broken by Abbas Afridi with the scores level, before Mohammad Nawaz struck a single from the following delivery to seal four wins from four for Islamabad.

Karachi were put into bat by their opponents and were immediately in trouble, with top order batters David Warner and James Vince bowled for three and four respectively.

Opener Tim Seifert top-scored with 30, while four batters were dismissed for single figures as Kings slid to 102-7, before Abbas hit 24 from nine to close their innings on 128 without any further wickets lost.

The result sees both sides remain in place in table, with Karachi in third and Islamabad four points clear of Lahore Qalanders at the top, having played one game more.

• Scorecard, PSL fixtures & results, table

Image source, Getty Images

Virat Kohli hit an unbeaten 73 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings by seven wickets to move up to third in the Indian Premier League.

Chasing 158, Kohli put on a 103-run second wicket partnership with Devdutt Padikkal (68 from 49) to put his side firmly in command.

Padikkal holed out to long-on off Harpreet Brar, but Kohli pushed on, reaching his fourth half-century of the season before Jitesh Sharma ended the match with a six in the penultimate over.

Kings posted 157-6 from their 20 overs, steadily losing top-order wickets with no batter scoring more than opener Prabhsimran Singh's 33.

RCB may have hoped to bowl their opponents out after they slipped to 114-6 in the 14th over, with Suyash Sharma breaking the stumps of Australians Josh Inglis (29) and Marcus Stoinis (1) in the space of three balls.

Shashank Singh (31 from 33) and Marco Jansen (25 from 22) ensured the innings didn't end prematurely, but the pair struck just 43 from the last six overs, with only two sixes, as the visitors handled the death overs impressively.

RCB lost England opener Phil Salt for one in the first over of their reply, but Kohli's 54-ball innings anchored a straightforward chase, with his side avenging Friday's defeat to Kings.

The win sees them leapfrog Kings to take third place on net run-rate, having won five and lost three of their matches.

Their opponents drop one place to fourth, with the sides sitting first to fifth now all on 10 points.

• Scorecard, IPL fixtures & results, table

Image source, Getty Images

Tom Kohler-Cadmore top-scored with 52 as Peshawar Zalmi thrashed Multan Sultans by 120 runs in the Pakistan Super League.

Somerset's Kohler-Cadmore hit five sixes in his 30 balls in Peshawar's 227-7.

There were also contributions of 45 from Mohammad Haris, 40 from just 14 balls by Abdul Samad and 37 from Hussain Talat.

In another one-sided PSL contest, the Sultans were bowled out for 107 in 15.5 overs in reply.

The top three all made starts - Mohammad Rizwan 15, Shai Hope 20 and Usman Khan 44 - but none went on and David Willey, who added 13 at number eight, was the next highest scorer.

Kohler-Cadmore, 30, had been dismissed for eight and nought in his first two matches in the competition - two defeats for Peshawar.

Multan Sultans are bottom of the early PSL table after three defeats from three matches. Peshawar are a place above after their first win.

Scorecard, PSL fixtures & results, table

Image source, Getty Images

Punjab Kings edged out Royal Challengers Bengaluru by five wickets to move up to second in the table in the Indian Premier League.

In a match reduced to 14 overs per side, the Kings impressively restricted their hosts to 95-9.

The loss of regular wickets slowed their pursuit but they were always ahead of the required run-rate.

They won with 11 balls to spare - Nehal Wadhera ending 33 not out from 19 balls.

RCB, who have now lost all three of their home matches this year, only reached their total because of 50 not out from Australia all-rounder Tim David.

They were 42-7 in the ninth over with Phil Salt out for four, Virat Kohli one and Liam Livingstone four.

The Kings are level on 10 points with Delhi Capitals, who remain top courtesy of their superior net run-rate.

RCB are fourth on eight points.

Scorecard, IPL fixtures & results, table

Image source, Getty Images

James Vince's 70 from 47 balls helped Karachi Kings to a dominant 56-run victory over Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League.

Vince, who hit 101 in his first game of the competition, provided the backbone of the Kings' 175-7.

He came in at 60-1 in the sixth over after David Warner was caught at square leg for 31 and was only dismissed when he skied a catch off the final ball of the innings.

The 34-year-old hit four fours and a six, although he would have been run out on 10 had bowler Saud Shakeel not fumbled a throw from the deep.

Warner and New Zealand international Tim Seifert, who made 27, were the only other players to score more than 20.

In reply, the Gladiators collapsed to 37-5 inside the powerplay and were never in the chase.

They dragged the innings out for 20 overs, ending on 111-9, with opener Shakeel making 33 not out from 40 balls.

Vince signed a white-ball only contract with Hampshire this year, allowing him to play in the PSL. He is now the second-highest run-scorer in this year's competition with 171 runs in three innings.

The win means the Kings replace the Gladiators in third in the table.

Scorecard, PSL fixtures & results, table