Player from Central Delhi Kingdom reports suspicions of match-fixing in DPL; DDCA seeks advice from BCCI

The fast bowler for the Indian national team, Akash Deep, shared his little-known story during the 'Play, Jump, Become a Gentleman' session at the Panchayat AajTak venue in Patna. He recounted that in his village in Bihar during childhood, there was no money to buy equipment for ball games, so he gave up playing ball games and started practicing bowling.

Deep also told about the tragic loss of his father and elder brother over several months, which forced him to leave home. He noted that in his native village, playing cricket was considered something akin to a crime because at that time, none of the players from Bihar could secure a future through sports. His father was a teacher, and since the family belonged to the middle class, all parents wished for their children's futures to be secured through education. Furthermore, there was no cricket field in the village.

At the age of 20-21, his father and elder brother passed away. This period hardened his character and gave him the determination to go to Delhi, where his sister and uncle, who served in the army, lived. There, he first saw the game of cricket with a leather ball, as they only played with a soft ball in the village. Due to the high cost of ball game equipment, he chose bowling because a bowler did not need to buy his own equipment.

After this, he went to Calcutta, trained diligently, and was able to transition from club cricket to professional cricket the following year. In 2023, he was selected for the team. The news of his inclusion in the Test squad reached him via a message from Rahul Dravid, which he initially missed because the number was not saved. His debut took place in Ranchi, where his mother and family were present. He named Sachin Tendulkar his idol and highly praised the policy of the Bihar government regarding sports, noting that the sports budget increased from thirty to six hundred and fifty million. He himself also manages a sports academy.

The Indian team defeated Afghanistan in the first match of the three-match T20 series, winning by seven wickets. After a confident start, the Indian squad aims to win the second game to gain an advantage in the series.

Young 15-year-old batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who impressed with his powerful batting during the visit to Zimbabwe, did not get a chance to play in the first match against Afghanistan. Before the game, there were active discussions among fans regarding Vaibhav Suryavanshi's participation.

Despite India's comfortable seven-wicket victory, the decision not to include Vaibhav in the starting lineup sparked controversy. Former Indian selector and experienced player Krishnamachari Shrikant sharply criticized this decision by the team management.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Shrikant noted that it was completely unclear why the player, who was the best in the previous match of the series, was suddenly excluded. He joked that when Vaibhav Suryavanshi didn't play yesterday, they started watching movies instead of the match on TV. His wife also expressed dissatisfaction, questioning why the star from the previous match was absent from the team today. He added that if such an ordinary viewer asks this question, one should consider what the player himself is going through.

Shrikant believes that constantly including and excluding a young athlete undermines his confidence. He stated that the team is treating Vaibhav incorrectly. Now, when he steps onto the field for the next match, he will have the fear of being excluded again if he does not score runs.

Shrikant emphasized that this young batsman, who has proven his worth in domestic cricket, India-A, IPL, and international T20, should be given consistent opportunities. Furthermore, he expressed regret over the treatment of Sanju Samson. He noted that Samson is sometimes included in the team and sometimes suddenly excluded, which does not contribute to the stability of any player.

It turned out that Vaibhav Suryavanshi participated in the final match of the Theleef Trophy, a red-ball tournament, just two days before the series against Afghanistan. Because of this, he had fewer opportunities to train with white balls (T20). In the first match, Sanju Samson played in place of him in the opening batting alongside Abhishek Sharma. Although Samson was dismissed after scoring 10 runs, the Indian team achieved the target of 157 runs in just 13.4 overs.

During the match in Sher-e-Punjab T20 League 2026 on Tuesday, March 8th, Naman Dir created a real storm on the field in Mohali. This all-round player for the Mumbai Indians team, playing for Amritsar Surmas, scored 173 runs off just 64 balls. His performance included 16 fours and 12 sixes, and he set the largest individual score in the history of the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League.

In the match, which took place at the PCA IS Stadium in Mohali, Mohali Kings captain Ramandeep Singh decided to start the game with a coin toss, choosing to play defensively first. Naman Dir came out onto the field for Amritsar Surmas as the first batsman. Usually, Dir plays in the lower or middle order, but this time he had the opportunity to start the innings.

In the first over, he had to face three deliveries without scoring. However, after that, he gained incredible momentum, and the Mohali players could not respond to his attack. By the second over, Dir had hit two sixes. By the end of the powerplay, he was scoring 53 runs off just 19 balls.

The most dangerous moment in the game was the 12th over. Lavdip Chata, who initially allowed Dir to face three dot balls, received his 'reckoning' in this match. In Chata's over, Dir first hit two fours, followed by three consecutive sixes. Furthermore, Chata bowled a no-ball. 30 runs were scored in this over.

After this, Dir crossed his century mark in just 38 balls. His century was achieved not through a large number of fours and sixes, but due to the explosive pace of his attack.

Dir did not stop there. In the next over, Abhishek Sharma joined him. Jaspreet Singh was dismissed for 41 runs off 25 balls bowled by Harpreet Barra. Abhishek hit two sixes immediately after coming in, but was removed from the game by Tejpreet Singh's ball. In the same over, Tejpreet took three sixes, two of which were hit by Naman Dir. Then, in the 16th over, Dir hit two more sixes off Harpreet Barra's balls and reached the mark of 150 runs off just 54 balls.

Dir's storm finally ended in the last over. He was caught by Harshdeep Singh off Ayush Goel's bowling. Dir concluded his historic innings by scoring 173 runs off 64 balls, including 16 fours and 12 sixes, totaling 28 boundaries. Thanks to this innings, Amritsar Surmas managed to score an impressive total of 279/7 in 20 overs. Although Ayush Goel took four wickets, Dir's fiery performance significantly reduced the impact of his overs.

According to records, Naman Dir set the record for the highest individual score in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League. Nevertheless, in overall T20 cricket, the record for the highest score belongs to Chris Gayle with 175 runs. Since inter-state leagues are not included in the official T20 record books, this innings is also not included. If this league were recognized as T20 status, and Dir could surpass Gayle's score of 175 runs, it would be another milestone. In any case, his innings of 173 runs brought great joy to his IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians.