With the farewell of the year 2025, Indian cricket has entered the year 2026. This year is going to be no less than a litmus test for Team India. On one hand, India has to enter a mega event like ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, on the other hand, the team has the challenge of saving its reputation in red ball cricket also. Even though this year the focus of the Indian team will be mostly on white ball cricket, but there are some issues which are giving sleepless nights to the team management. Team India will face three big challenges in 2026, which will be necessary to overcome at any cost.

Surya’s form becomes a matter of concern

The start of 2026 has not been easy for T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav. His performance at the end of 2025 was disappointing in terms of statistics. His average in the last 16–17 innings has been around 15. Which is a matter of concern for a captain and match-winning batsman. Just before the T20 World Cup, the captain not being in form like this can become a big threat for the team. Now there is double pressure on Surya – one to score runs and second to justify his captaincy and place in the team.

win in home test

India’s home Test record has been like an impregnable fortress for a long time. However, in recent years, teams like New Zealand and South Africa have made a dent in this fort. In 2026, India has to play many important Test series at home, which will decide the path to the WTC final. Batsmen will be tested on spin-friendly pitches and consistent performance will be expected from young players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. The transition phase that the team is going through after the senior players makes this challenge more difficult.

Gambhir’s coaching: Success in white ball, questions in red ball

The third and important challenge is regarding the coaching of head coach Gautam Gambhir. During Gambhir’s tenure, India has achieved great success in white ball cricket. The team showed its strength by winning the Champions Trophy and Asia Cup. However, the same edge was not visible in Test cricket. After the defeat in some matches, questions were being raised on Gambhir’s aggressive strategy. Critics believe that the method which is effective in limited overs can upset the balance in Test cricket. 2026 will be a decisive year for Gambhir – where he will have to prove that he is not just a white-ball but an all-format coach.

The whole world is about to enter the new year. In the year 2025, big tournaments like Champions Trophy, World Test Championship and Women’s ODI World Cup took place in the cricket world. Many cricketers have made a series of records, but many legends have also said goodbye to the game of cricket. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma said goodbye to Test cricket, while Steve Smith has retired from ODI cricket.

This process of taking retirement may continue in the year 2026 also. See here the list of those legendary cricketers who can retire in the year 2026.

These 5 cricketers can take retirement in 2026

Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav made his international cricket debut in the year 2021 and within a few years he has become the captain of the T20 team. He will be seen captaining Team India in the T20 World Cup 2026, but Surya’s poor form can sink his career. Suryakumar Yadav has been able to score only 244 runs in the last 25 T20 matches. He has not played any half-century innings after the series against Bangladesh in 2024. If Suryakumar is not able to recover from this poor form, then the end of his career does not seem to be far away.

glen maxwell

37-year-old Glenn Maxwell has retired from ODI cricket. Maxwell has not played Test matches after 2017 and is currently active only in T20 format. It is possible that T20 World Cup 2026 may be Maxwell’s last major tournament, because after that the Australian Cricket Board would like to prepare a new team for 2028. In such a situation, Maxwell will have to take a difficult decision on his career.

david miller

David Miller has been representing South Africa in international cricket since 2010. Has scored more than 7 thousand runs in his international career. Miller’s dream of winning the World Cup for South Africa in the 2024 T20 World Cup final remained unfulfilled. In 2026, he can make his last attempt to win the World Cup for his country.

mohammed nabi

Last year, Afghanistan’s veteran player Mohammad Nabi had said that the Champions Trophy would be his last major tournament in the 50-over format. Nabi said that after that he would probably play international cricket for one more year. Based on that statement, Nabi can be seen in Afghanistan jersey for the last time in T20 World Cup 2026.

Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane has not played any match for the Indian team after July 2023. Rahane bats in the upper order, but there is no vacancy till number-4 in the white ball teams. At the same time, the Test team needs a number-3 batsman, on whom many experiments have been done. But the management under Gautam Gambhir has been giving more opportunities to the youth, so there is very little chance of a comeback for Rahane. For him, retirement seems to be the last option.

Glenn Phillips Played A New Shot ‘Switch Cover Drive’: New Zealand’s star batsman Glenn Phillips played a brilliant half-century in a match of the domestic league Super Smash. He batted aggressively and scored 90 runs in 48 balls, but two special shots were seen in this innings, due to which Phillips is in a happy mood. Both his shots are going viral on social media, in which Phillips is seen hitting a six and a four. A shot of Glenn Phillips got a new name which did not exist till now. Now this shot will be known as ‘Switch Cover Drive’.

Glenn Phillips dominates domestic tournament Super Smash

Glenn Phillips is dominating the domestic league Super Smash. Phillips is a right-handed batsman but he hit both these shots in lefty style. Phillips was playing for Otago and the match was against Central Districts, suddenly in the 19th over, Phillips played such a shot that everyone was stunned. Phillips changed from a right-handed stance to a left-handed stance; the bowler threw the ball towards the off stump to escape. But even here the bowler was not saved and Phillips hit a cover drive in cover lefty style and scored a four.

Left is right for Glenn Phillips

Watch the #SuperSmash from Dec 26 – Jan 31, LIVE on Sony Sports Network TV channels & Sony LIV. #SonySportsNetwork #SuperSmash pic.twitter.com/2QV2k7VudI

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) December 30, 2025

Kevin Pietersen gave a switch hit

Earlier, a new shot was given to cricket by former England captain Kevin Pietersen, which became known as ‘Switch Hit’ across the world. After this, Suryakumar Yadav’s scoop shot was also much discussed. Now Philips has come up with Switch Cover Drive. Phillips also hit a six in this match, in which the right handed batsman became a left handed batsman and hit the six. This shot of his is also going viral.

Glenn Phillips loved it so much, he had to do it twice

Watch the #SuperSmash from Dec 26 – Jan 31, LIVE on Sony Sports Network TV channels & Sony LIV. #SonySportsNetwork #SuperSmash pic.twitter.com/kBMsAVAfDI

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) December 30, 2025

What did Glenn Phillips say on the shots?

Talking about his shots after the match, Glenn Phillips said, ‘I had practiced it for some time in net practice, but never came out openly. It is very interesting to play such shots in professional cricket. Last day in net practice, I was hitting better shots playing with my left hand than playing with my right hand. So when there was nothing left to lose, it seemed right to at least decide to give it a try.

A statement by model and Bollywood actress Khushi Mukherjee has created a sensation in the cricket and film world. He has claimed that Indian T20 team captain Suryakumar Yadav used to message him. Khushi Mukherjee has come to Splits Villa reality show. During a media interaction, he said that he no longer talks to Suryakumar Yadav, but earlier Surya used to message him a lot. This video of Khushi Mukherjee is going viral on social media.

Suryakumar Yadav me…

A media reporter asked Khushi Mukherjee if she wanted to date a cricketer. On this he said, “There are many cricketers following me. Suryakumar Yadav used to message me often. Now we do not talk much, nor do I want any kind of association. I do not like any kind of link-up (relationship) associated with my name.”

There has been no reaction from Suryakumar Yadav yet on this claim of Khushi Mukherjee. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav and his wife Devisha Shetty had come to visit the Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh. He prayed on the occasion of Vaikuntha Ekadashi.

people’s reaction

Fans are also reacting in different ways to this claim of Khushi Mukherjee. Some people trolled Khushi and said that she wants to become famous by taking the name of Suryakumar. Whereas someone said that Khushi Mukherjee is lying. Most people called it a publicity stunt. Let us tell you that Suryakumar Yadav married Devisha Shetty in the year 2016.

Suryakumar Yadav will be seen captaining the Indian team in the T20 World Cup 2026. He has been surrounded by criticism due to his continuous poor form.

Also read:

Year Ender: These 7 batsmen were out on zero the most number of times in international cricket this year, 2025 was not special for these Indians

We, you and the entire cricket world is about to enter the New Year. Some cricketers are going to say goodbye to the year 2025 with good memories, who scored a lot of runs and took wickets this year. Here we will discuss such batsmen, who came to bat but many times got out without opening the account. So see here, who were the 7 batsmen who were out on zero the most number of times in the year 2025. This list includes only the names of players from countries with full membership of ICC.

These batsmen were out on zero the most number of times

Pakistan’s rising star Sam Ayub could not even open his account in eight innings in 2025. Ayyub scored 817 runs in 37 innings this year. Second in this list is West Indies’ Roston Chase, who was out on zero seven times this year. The year 2025 was not good for Pakistan ODI team captain Shaheen Afridi from the batting point of view. He was out 6 times this year in an innings without opening an account.

Jaden Seals of West Indies has also been out on zero 6 times. The next name in the list is also from West Indies, which is Sherfan Rutherford. Rutherford was also out without an account in 6 innings this year. You will be shocked that the next name is that of Jomel Warrican, who comes from West Indies. Warrican was out for zero five times. The batsman who has been out on zero the most number of times for India in 2025 is Jasprit Bumrah.

• 8 times – Sam Ayub (Pakistan)
• 7 times – Roston Chase (West Indies)
• 6 times – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
• 6 times – Jaden Seales (West Indies)
• 6 times – Sherfan Rutherford (West Indies)
• 6 times – Jomel Warrican (West Indies)
• 5 times – Jasprit Bumrah (India)

2025 was bad for these Indians

Jasprit Bumrah was the Indian batsman who got out the most number of times this year without opening the account. Bumrah was out on zero 5 times this year. Mohammad Siraj also got out five times in 2025 without scoring any runs. Arshdeep Singh has been out four times and T20 team captain Suryakumar Yadav has been out on zero thrice this year.

• 5 times – Jasprit Bumrah
• 5 times – Mohammed Siraj
• 4 times – Arshdeep Singh
• 3 times – Suryakumar Yadav

Also read:

RCB got a 440 volt shock, these 2 Australian legends withdrew their names, bad news for Delhi Capitals too

Indian T20 team captain Suryakumar Yadav ended the year in a spiritual atmosphere. Suryakumar, who is in the news for his poor form, reached the famous Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday on the occasion of Vaikuntha Ekadashi. His wife Devisha Shetty was also present with him on this special occasion. Both of them offered prayers in the temple and took blessings of Lord Sri Venkateswara.

Special arrangements were also made by the temple administration for Suryakumar Yadav and his family. During the darshan, the temple administration gifted him a silk shawl. Suryakumar and Devisha spent some time in the temple and worshiped peacefully. After the darshan, a video of him surfaced on social media, after which fans got information about this tour.

Simplicity seen with fans

While going to the temple, Suryakumar Yadav and his wife Devisha were seen in traditional clothes. Surya wore a pink colored kurta, while Devisha was seen in a yellow saree. It was seen in the video that as soon as Suryakumar moved towards the temple, fans surrounded him. Despite this, he maintained patience and got photographed with fans while walking. After pausing for some time, he also ensured that no one was inconvenienced. His fans liked his simplicity very much.

This is not the first time that Suryakumar has reached Tirupati. Even before this, he had visited Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in 2023 and during that time he had shared pictures on social media.

Discussion is going on regarding the form

Suryakumar Yadav’s time on the cricket field has not been easy these days. He faced criticism after not performing as expected in the Asia Cup. After this, even in the T20 series against South Africa, he did not score runs from his bat. His form also remains a topic of discussion regarding the T20 World Cup and the upcoming series.

Recently, while talking about his performance, Suryakumar had said that even though runs are not being scored, his form is not bad. He expressed confidence that he is working hard and soon the fans will get to see big innings from his bat.

Top 10 Batsmen Who Scored The Most Runs In IPL 2025: The Orange Cap is given to the player who scores the most runs in every season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The batsman who won the Orange Cap in IPL 2025 is Sai Sudarshan of Gujarat Titans. In the 18th season of this tournament, SAI had performed brilliantly from his very first match, due to which he remained on top by scoring 759 runs in the entire season. Here we are going to tell about those top-10 players who scored the most runs in IPL 2025.

Top-10 batsmen who scored the most runs in IPL 2025

1. Sai Sudarshan (GT) – 759 runs

Gujarat Titans’ young opening batsman Sai Sudarshan was at number one in the list of top-10 batsmen who scored the most runs in IPL 2025. This season, Sai had scored 759 runs in 15 matches at an average of 54.21, in which his best score was 108 not out.

2. Suryakumar Yadav (MI) – 717 runs

Mumbai Indians batsman Suryakumar Yadav is at second place in the list of batsmen who have scored the most runs in IPL 2025. Surya played a total of 16 matches this season, in which he scored 717 runs at an excellent average of 65.18. During this period, his biggest inning was 73 runs unbeaten.

3. Virat Kohli (RCB) – 657 runs

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s veteran batsman Virat Kohli is at third place in the list of batsmen who have scored the most runs in IPL 2025. This season, Virat had scored 657 runs in 15 matches at an average of 54.75, in which his best score was 73 not out.

4. Shubman Gill (GT) – 650 runs

Gujarat Titans captain Shubhman Gill is at fourth place in the list of batsmen who scored the most runs in IPL 2025. Shubman played a total of 15 matches this season, in which he scored 650 runs at an average of 50.00. During this period, his biggest innings was 93 runs unbeaten.

5. Mitchell Marsh (LSG) – 627 runs

Lucknow Super Giants’ explosive opening batsman Mitchell Marsh is at number five in the list of batsmen who have scored the most runs in IPL 2025. This season, Marsh scored 627 runs in 13 matches at an average of 48.23, in which his best score was 117 runs.

6. Shreyas Iyer (PBKS) – 604 runs

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer is at sixth place in the list of batsmen who scored the most runs in IPL 2025. Shreyas played a total of 17 matches this season, in which he scored 604 runs at an average of 50.33. During this period, his biggest inning was 97 not out.

7. Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR) – 559 runs

Rajasthan Royals opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal is at seventh position in the list of batsmen who have scored the most runs in IPL 2025. This season, Yashasvi scored 559 runs in 14 matches at an average of 43.00, in which his best score was 75 runs.

8. Prabhsimran Singh (PBKS) – 549 runs

In the list of batsmen who scored the most runs in IPL 2025, Punjab Kings wicketkeeper batsman Prabhsimran Singh is at eighth place. Prabhasimran played a total of 17 matches this season, in which he scored 549 runs at an average of 32.29. During this period, his biggest inning was 91 runs.

9. KL Rahul (DC) – 539 runs

Delhi Capitals wicketkeeper batsman KL Rahul is at ninth position in the list of batsmen who have scored the most runs in IPL 2025. This season, Rahul scored 539 runs in 13 matches at an average of 53.90, in which his best score was 112 not out.

10. Jos Buttler (GT) – 538 runs

In the list of batsmen who have scored the most runs in IPL 2025, Gujarat Titans wicketkeeper batsman Jos Buttler is at tenth position. Butler played a total of 14 matches this season, in which he scored 538 runs at an average of 59.78. During this period, his biggest inning was 97 not out.

Well-known actress and model of Bollywood and TV industry, Khushi Mukherjee is once again in the headlines for her statement. Khushi, famous for her bold style and outspoken conversation, has made such a claim this time about Indian T20 team captain Suryakumar Yadav, which has intensified the discussions on social media.

Khushi Mukherjee’s big claim about Surya

Recently, during an interview, Khushi Mukherjee said that many cricketers used to try to stay in touch with her. He revealed that Suryakumar Yadav also used to message him a lot earlier. However, Khushi clearly said that now there is no conversation between them and she does not want to be a part of any kind of link-up or rumours.

Khushi said, “I don’t want to be associated with anyone nor do I like any kind of link-up with my name. So actually there is nothing like that.” After his statement, different types of reactions are being seen among the fans. Some people are calling it just a publicity stunt.

Who is Khushi Mukherjee?

Khushi Mukherjee was born on 24 November 1996 in Kolkata. He started his career from South Indian cinema. In 2013, he entered the world of acting with the Tamil film Anjal Thurai. After this she participated in Telugu films like Donga Prema and Heart Attack. He also worked in Hindi cinema in films like Shringaar.

However, Khushi got her real recognition from the small screen and reality shows. She became very popular among the youth after participating in MTV’s popular shows Splitsvilla 10 and Love School 3. Apart from this, she has also worked in the TV serial Baalveer Returns as Jwala Pari and the mythological show Kahat Hanuman Jai Shri Ram.

old association with controversies

Khushi Mukherjee is often in the news due to her statements, fashion sense and social media posts. Due to working in bold web series, she has faced trolling many times. Despite this, she does not shy away from expressing her views openly. After this statement given regarding Suryakumar Yadav, Khushi Mukherjee is once again in the headlines.

Shubhman Gill has not got a place in the team for T20 World Cup 2026, which was surprising for the fans. Test and ODI captain Gill was the vice-captain in the T20 series against South Africa, his performance was not good. Gill got injured during this period, but he was dropped from the World Cup not because of injury. Now a report has revealed that BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia had called a secret meeting, in which the performance of the players was discussed.

When Shubman Gill was not playing T20, Sanju Samson was opening with Abhishek Sharma. With the arrival of Gill, Sanju had to come to bat lower in the order, but now questions are being raised whether it was necessary to include Gill in a strong team.

BCCI secret meeting

According to the report of News 18, BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia had called a secret meeting after the T20 match against South Africa in Dharamshala. In this there was discussion on the performance of the players. Before selecting the World Cup squad, the Secretary had asked for a report on the performance of the players from the Chief Selector. This meeting was important before the selection of the T20 World Cup 2026 team, which was kept completely confidential.

Questions raised on Shubman Gill’s poor form

Shubman Gill became the captain of the Test team this year. His first Test series as Test captain was in England, in which he performed brilliantly with the bat. Gill had scored 754 runs. After this, Gill was also given the captaincy of the ODI team and was made the vice-captain of the T20 team. But the end of the year was not good for Gill, he could score a total of 32 runs in 3 T20 matches against South Africa.

Shubman Gill was ruled out of the fourth T20 due to injury, although this match did not take place due to fog in Lucknow. After this, he also remained out of the fifth T20 played in Ahmedabad on 19 December. A day after this, on December 20, the team for T20 World Cup 2026 was announced in the press conference.

Discussion on Gill’s bad record

According to the report, in this secret meeting of BCCI, Shubman Gill’s poor T20 record this year and his average were discussed. During this period, names of players like Yashasvi Jaiswal also came up. It was said that Gill is in the team, but there is a question mark on the place of players like Yashasvi and Sanju Samson. In this meeting, it was decided that Gill will not be in the team for T20 World Cup 2026.

Gill had scored 4, 0 and 28 runs respectively in the first three T20s against South Africa. After this he suffered a leg injury and was out of the fourth and fifth T20. Let us tell you that Shubman Gill was also kept out of the T20 World Cup 2024, in which India became the champion by defeating South Africa in the final.

Indian squad for T20 World Cup 2026

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dubey, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakraborty, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.

After the announcement of India’s T20 World Cup team, two names are being discussed the most – Shubhman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav. While T20 vice-captain Shubman Gill was dropped from the team, captain Suryakumar Yadav, who was struggling with poor batting form for a long time, was retained in the team. Now Robin Uthappa, a member of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning team, has given a big statement on this issue.

SKY’s poor form became the reason for Gill’s ouster?

Talking on his YouTube channel, Robin Uthappa said that in a big competition like the World Cup, the team can carry only one player at a time who is not in form. According to Uthappa, “In the World Cup, you can give a chance to only one player who is not scoring runs, not more than that.”

When asked whether Shubman Gill was dropped because Suryakumar Yadav was not scoring runs, Uthappa said without mincing words, “Yes, perhaps that is the reason.”

Suryakumar ‘out of form’ or ‘out of run’?

Uthappa explained the situation of Suryakumar Yadav in a slightly different way. He said that Surya is not out of form, but is not able to score runs. “It is difficult to understand the difference without playing cricket at a high level. Shubman Gill is not in form, while Suryakumar is not able to score runs,” he said.

The statistics also tell the same story, Suryakumar Yadav has not scored a single half-century in his last 22 T20 International innings and has crossed the 25-run mark only twice in the last one year.

What did Uthappa say on Shubman Gill?

Commenting about Gill, Robin Uthappa said that he looks quite confused at the moment. According to Uthappa, “At the moment he is not looking in good touch. You can see in his eyes, there is a lot of confusion in him even while batting. He is getting out on good balls. Lungi Ngidi bowled brilliantly throughout the series and troubled Gill a lot whenever he played.”

Questions were also raised on the selection process

Uthappa said that he himself was surprised to see the Indian team announced for the T20 World Cup. He told, “I was really shocked. I had returned home after traveling late at night. When I woke up, I looked at the phone. I thought, what has happened?”

Uthappa admitted that the team has been selected strong, but questions arise on the selection process. He said. “For me, the issue is not that a player has been dropped from the team, but how these decisions were taken. If you are making a player the vice-captain, then the decision to remove him midway is incomprehensible. Either do not keep him in this role in the first place, or do not announce the vice-captain at all.”