IPL matches in Australia? BCCI, Cricket Australia discuss landmark pr…

Discussions are underway to bring Indian Premier League (IPL) matches to Australia as part of a broader plan to strengthen sporting ties between the two countries. According to a report by The Age, Cricket officials and government representatives are exploring the possibility of regular cross-border domestic fixtures. tbzikra.org

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. As part of the initiative, the Melbourne Renegades will face the Perth Scorchers in the opening match of the 2026-27 BBL season at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on December 12, 2026.

IPL Matches Could Be Played in Australia in the Future

Cricket Australia, the BCCI, and government officials from both countries have held discussions for several years about strengthening cricket ties. While the immediate focus is on the BBL opener in Chennai, the long-term plan includes inviting the BCCI to stage future IPL matches in Australia.

The report added that both boards want to build a stronger cricket partnership beyond bilateral tours and broadcast deals, and IPL in Australia could be a major step towards achieving that. Officials hope regular domestic matches between the two countries will create a lasting relationship instead of depending only on the international calendar.

Broadcast experts also believe the move could increase the popularity of the BBL in India and the IPL in Australia. Stronger interest in both leagues could even revive the Champions League T20, which was discontinued after struggling to attract fans despite launching in 2008. Notably, The Age reported this IPL move to Australia.

Australian and Indian Leaders to Promote BBL Match

Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Indian PM Narendra Modi are scheduled to meet AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon and BBL head Alistair Dobson on Friday. CA chief executive Todd Greenberg and chair Mike Baird are not part of the discussions, as they are attending the ICC annual conference in Edinburgh.

The Chennai match will be the main event of the wider 'G'day Namaste' initiative, according to the report. The program will also include business conferences, trade forums, and arts and film events aimed at strengthening commercial and cultural ties between Australia and India.

The Melbourne Renegades were selected for the match because they had available home fixtures after their agreement at Marvel Stadium ended. The Perth Scorchers were chosen as the opposition partly because of the shorter travel distance from Western Australia, allowing both teams enough recovery time.

AFL Unveils India Engagement Plan Alongside Cricket Initiative

Alongside the cricket plans, the Australian Football League (AFL) will unveil a long-term strategy to strengthen ties with the Indian community. The plan aims to increase participation in Australian rules football in India and improve engagement with the growing Indian community across Australia.

A leaders' forum featuring business executives, community representatives, and athletes was held before the meeting between AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon and Narendra Modi. The event included North Melbourne VFLW player Zoe Savarirayan, who became the first player of Indian heritage to play in the AFLW in 2022.

Australia's High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, has also highlighted the rapid growth of the relationship between the two countries. Speaking earlier this year, he said:

"When I reflect on the trajectory of the Australia-India relationship, what strikes me most is the sheer pace of change. In Australia's history, we have never seen such a rapid ramp-up in a major power relationship."

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New Delhi [India], July 10 (ANI): Norway’s Ambassador to India, May-Elin Stener, led the viral ‘Viking Row’ celebration at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi on Thursday, joining embassy officials and football fans in recreating the signature chant that has become synonymous with Norway’s historic FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign.

Norway’s World Cup campaign has captured global attention because of the ‘Viking Row’, a synchronised celebration in which supporters mimic rowing a Viking longboat. The tradition has gone viral across social media, with players including Erling Haaland and captain Martin Odegaard joining supporters after victories.

Appearing in their first-ever quarter-finals against England, scheduled for July 11 (local time), Norway’s incredible run in the tournament, which also includes an impressive 2-1 win over Brazil in the Round of 16, has been powered by Manchester City’s goal-scoring machine Haaland, who is amongst the contenders for the Golden Boot with seven goals, just one behind Argentina icon Lionel Messi.

May-Elin Stener said Norway reaching the quarter-finals for the first time has created immense excitement across the country. She praised the team’s strong unity and collective effort, adding that the success has brought Norway into the global spotlight while allowing the nation to share its history and showcase the widespread passion and support for football among its people.

“This is the first time we are in the quarter-final. That’s very exciting for the whole of Norway. So that’s the feeling that we have. Very excited… we also have a very good team supporting him and playing very well together. that’s our strength… It’s very exciting that Norway in this way is coming into the news. Then we can also shed a little light on our history and we can also show the world that we are very happy and very supportive of our football team and everyone in Norway is very interested in football," she said while speaking to ANI.

Norway’s clash against England will witness Haaland battling the talismanic England skipper Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.

During the match against Brazil, Haaland’s goal tally in the World Cup went to seven goals after a brace, making him the player with the joint-most goals in his debut World Cup since Poland’s Grzegorz Lato scored seven in 1974.

Haaland is averaging a goal every 14 touches in the tournament, the lowest ratio of any player to score three or more goals in a single World Cup edition over the past 60 years.

Haaland has netted seven goals from just 18 shots at the 2026 World Cup, giving him a 39% conversion rate. This is the best finishing efficiency (with 15 or more shots) in a single World Cup since Gary Lineker in 1986, who scored six goals from 15 shots at a 40 per cent rate.

With the win over Brazil, Norway are the only side among 91 nations Brazil have faced that they have never managed to beat, with two draws and three defeats in five meetings. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) will kick off its 2026-27 season in India, with Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium set to host the opening match in December, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Friday. Albanese made the announcement alongside India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the final day of his three-day visit to Australia.

Cricket Australia later revealed that Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers will be the teams taking on each other in Chennai. The fixture will mark the first-ever BBL game played outside Australia and will officially kick off the BBL 16 season on December 12. The Melbourne Renegades will be the designated home side for the historic clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

India and Australia to strengthen ties through sports collaboration

PM Albanese and PM Narendra Modi also unveiled the Roadmap on Sport Cooperation, aimed at strengthening sporting ties between Australia and India, according to a media release. This joint initiative combines Australia's expertise in hosting major sporting events with India's growing ambitions in the sector, while opening new avenues for trade, tourism, and investment. It outlines key areas of collaboration, including capacity building, sports science and technology research, as well as industry and investment.

The Roadmap is expected to increase cooperation in hosting major international sporting events, with Australia preparing to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and India gearing up for the landmark edition of the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

Albanese said Australia and India share a deep passion for sport, and that the new Sports Roadmap will strengthen bilateral ties through collaboration in capability building, technology, and research, while also boosting trade, tourism, and investment between the two countries.

"Australia and India are united by our love and passion for sport. This sports roadmap will focus on practical priority areas such as capability building, technology and research to strengthen this cornerstone of our bilateral relationship. I am excited to expand cooperation with India on sport, which not only brings joy to Australians but boosts trade, tourism and investment," he said.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a three-day visit to Australia, where he announced the BBL match in Chennai.

(With inputs from ANI)

“Atrocious.” One word. One verdict. One that perfectly captured Shreyas Iyer’s emotions after India’s crushing defeat to England at Trent Bridge.

The Indian captain didn’t try to soften the blow or search for excuses. After watching his side bundled out for just 76 in reply to England’s imposing total of over 200, disappointment was inevitable. Any captain would have struggled to hide the frustration after such a one-sided contest. Shreyas didn’t. His choice of words reflected the mood in the dressing room as much as the scoreline itself.

The frustration, however, runs deeper than a single defeat.

Since taking over the T20I captaincy, very little has gone according to plan. A series loss in Ireland was followed by another disappointing campaign in England.

If Nottingham was “atrocious”, in Shreyas’ words, then Bristol was no better, as India were hammered by Harry Brook and Phil Salt in the second innings after the visitors managed only 158, a total that Shreyas himself admitted wasn’t a “perfect” one.

This leaves Shreyas without a win on the UK tour so far. Who would have thought that the world champions would struggle to win a single game under their new leader?

Batting has been a major letdown, the bowlers have blown hot and cold, and the fielding has been subpar. India have struggled in all three departments. From a captaincy perspective, Shreyas has kind of allowed things to slip. In Manchester, after reducing England to 1/2, India couldn’t capitalise on the excellent start with the ball. In Nottingham, England recovered from 111/4 to post 201 despite not having much batting left. It wasn’t just in this series either. The same thing happened in Ireland, where a second-string Irish side collapsed to 51/4 in the first T20I but still managed to post 182, which proved to be a match-winning total.

These are instances where India were firmly on top. Yet they failed to dictate the game despite being in commanding positions.

Shreyas has failed to win the small moments and keep teams under pressure for sustained periods as captain. While he remains a confident leader with a strong CV, tactically he has been poor on this tour, even allowing for the fact that he is leading a new-look side. There were similar instances in the IPL when he let games slip as captain of Punjab Kings. Take the Dharamshala game against Delhi Capitals, for example. PBKS lost despite defending 211 after reducing DC to 74/4. Not using Yuzvendra Chahal became the major talking point and proved to be a significant blunder.

Similarly, using Ravi Bishnoi in the slog overs proved costly in Manchester. These are examples that support the argument that Shreyas has allowed games to slip from his grasp.

Shreyas has won only one of his last 13 T20s as captain, suffering 11 defeats, with the remaining game ending in a washout in Durham. That is an alarming statistic.

There is no question about Shreyas’ leadership qualities, but he needs to have greater control over proceedings. Such is the ruthless nature of T20 cricket that a single mistake can completely change the complexion of a match. Some mistakes can be avoided with better planning, and Shreyas must understand that.

The post Shreyas Iyer Must Learn to Win the Moments That Matter appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

The India U-19 team succumbed to a one-wicket loss against Sri Lanka U-19 in the third and final Youth ODI here, losing the series 1-2 as a result.

After being sent in to bat, VK Vineeth (131) powered India to 290-8 in 50 overs. However, SL’s Chamika Heenatigala (84 not out) steered his side home in a nervy chase.

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