March 16 was all about the Indian Premier League (IPL). We got an update as to when Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson will join his side. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have replaced Umran Malik with Chetan Sakariya. Shardul Thakur was also spotted in the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) camp. But the most important of them all was that a Mumbai Indians (MI) recruited player received a notice from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
In other PCB news, it has been revealed that the board incurred heavy losses for hosting the 2025 Champions Trophy. And lastly, the Pakistan cricket team, sans Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, was humiliated by a second-string New Zealand side.
PCB suffer losses due to Champions Trophy
PCB has suffered a whopping Rs 709 crore loss for hosting an ICC event, the 2025 Champions Trophy, after 29 years. Hosting just 10 of the total 15 matches, PCB went way over budget, spending heaps on renovations of the three venues selected for the venue.
Corbin Bosch served notice for leaving PSL for IPL
Corbin Bosch has been served a legal notice by the PCB. The South African all-rounder was picked up by Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 auction in the diamond category. However, a few days ago he decided to leave the league after getting an IPL 2025 contract with MI.
Sanju Samson receives NCA fitness clearance
Sanju Samson will join RR’s camp for IPL 2025 soon. Having been at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE) since early February, recovering from a finger fracture, the 30-year-old seems to have finally recovered. To know on which date Samson will join RR, read here.
Shardul Thakur to join LSG?
Shardul Thakur, who went unsold in the IPL 2025 and recently secured a County Championship deal, has been spotted training with LSG. The all-rounder had an all-timer of a Ranji Trophy season, and with several LSG pacers either injured or not at their 100%, Shardul might just be added to Lucknow’s squad.
Chetan Sakariya replaces ‘injured’ Umran Malik
KKR needed Umran Malik’s speed, but that won’t happen in IPL 2025. The pacer has been at the BCCI CoE for some time, recovering from his hip injury. But the medical staff hasn’t cleared the speedster. Therefore, he’s out of the tournament. KKR has replaced the Kashmiri bowler with left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya.
Pakistan humiliated by New Zealand
Pakistan cricket fans are having a rough time. Facing seeing their team get battered in the ICC Champions Trophy and getting knocked out after just 6 days, they have had to endure watching a new side with fresh faces get absolutely mauled by New Zealand without half of their main players.
