Cricket fraternity extends wishes on Diwali

The 25-year-old opener batter played a crucial knock of 52 runs off just 21 balls in the summit clash against New Zealand, which helped India win the match by a big margin of 96 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

RCB have bought the all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 7 crore in the IPL mini auction for the upcoming season. Last season, he played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).after being bought for a massive Rs 23.75 Crore bid in the 2025 season.

Some notable players attracted relatively modest bids. India all-rounder Deepti Sharma was picked by Sunrisers Leeds at her base price of £27,500 after receiving a single bid. Meanwhile, Indian wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh was bought by Manchester Super Giants for £50,000.

Pujara was also part of CSK in the 2021 edition when they clinched the title

The latest ICC T20I rankings were updated after Suryakumar Yadav's side cruised to a 96-run triumph over New Zealand in the final in Ahmedabad on March 8. With the win, India clinched back-to-back titles and became the first team to win three Men's T20 World Cup trophies since the tournament's inception.

Abhishek, who had struggled for form during the early stages of the T20 World Cup 2026 campaign and registered three consecutive ducks, delivered a crucial performance in the final.

Samson scripted a comeback for ages during the recently-concluded T20 World Cup as he battled inconsistency and benching to emerge as India's leading run-getter in the tournament, delivering clutch performances when it mattered the most, with a string of half-centuries from virtual quarterfinal against West Indies to the title clash against New Zealand. When the entire cricketing world had their eyes on world number one batter Abhishek Sharma, a recently-returned Ishan Kishan and skipper Suryakumar Yadav as India's potential top run-getter and 'X-Factors', Sanju's domineering presence and authoritative strokeplay were out of the syllabus for his opponents.

Fiery half-centuries from Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan, a three-wicket haul by Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah's masterclass spell of 4/15 were the highlights as Team India successfully defended a massive 256 runs, beating New Zealand by 96 runs to become the first-ever team to defend the title and also lift it at home.

Samson had a redemption story to remember, as he went from not being a part of the playing eleven in the start and having a frustratingly inconsistent form, he went on to play three of the most important innings of his career when it mattered the most, producing gems right from the virtual quarterfinal to the title clash against New Zealand. Tharoor also wished Samson for a new beginning in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), a franchise he was traded to after years of association with Rajasthan Royals.

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan praised India's T20 World Cup win against New Zealand, calling them the best white-ball team.