Lucknow, Ahmedabad join IPL
Lucknow and Ahmedabad, owned by the RP Sanjiv Goenka Group and CVC Capital Partners respectively, are the two new IPL franchises for the 2022 season. The RPSG Group has staked a claim for Lucknow for INR 7,000 crores, while CVC Capital Partners has got Ahmedabad for INR 5,200 crores.
The mega auction for the next edition of the IPL will be held on this December.
Kumara, Das fined for breaching ICC Code of Conduct
Lahiru Kumara and Liton Das have been fined 25 percent and 15 percent of their match fees respectively for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during Sri Lanka’s ICC T20 World Cup 'Super 12' fixture against Bangladesh on 24 October. They have also been handed a demerit point each. They breached Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.
On-field umpires Joel Wilson and Adrian Holdstock, along with third umpire Michael Gough and fourth umpire Rod Tucker, levelled the charges.
‘The incident occurred in the fifth over, after the dismissal of Liton in the Bangladesh innings. After he dismissed Liton, Lahiru walked towards him using actions and words which provoked an aggressive reaction from the batter. Having been provoked by the bowler Lahiru, Liton reacted aggressively and in a manner which was contrary to the spirit of cricket,’ ICC said in a statement.
Stokes back in England squad for Ashes
England have picked Ben Stokes in their squad for the Ashes tour of Australia, starting 8 December at The Gabba. Earlier this year, Stokes had taken an indefinite break to tend to work on his mental health as well as his injured left index finger. He is now ready to train after being given the all-clear by his consultant and the ECB medical team.
Ashley Giles, England Men's managing director, confirmed Stokes’ return: Following a very successful operation on his finger and several conversations over the last few weeks between Ben and I, our medical staff and his management team, Ben called me to say he was ready to return to cricket and was excited about the prospect of playing a significant role in the Ashes series.’
Stokes will depart for Australia with the England squad on 4 November.
Afghanistan hammer Scotland by 130 runs
Afghanistan thrashed Scotland by 130 runs in their first Super 12s match of the Men's T20 World Cup in Sharjah.
It was Scotland's first match at this stage. Set 191 to win, they were bowled out for 60 in 10.2 overs, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (5-20) and Rashid Khan (4-9) doing most damage.
Earlier, Afghanistan racked up 190/4, courtesy Hazratullah Zazai's 44, Rahmanullah Gurbaz's 46 and Najibullah Zadran's 59.