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Babar Azam flops, Shreyas Iyer to lead and Kohli to miss – January 5 Cricket highlights

Aakash Saini

Babar Azam and Virat Kohli [Source: @KohliInsider/x]Babar Azam and Virat Kohli [Source: @KohliInsider/x]

Babar Azam flopped miserably for the Sydney Sixers in their low-scoring thriller against Brisbane Heat in match 24 of the BBL 2025-26 season. Shreyas Iyer will lead Mumbai in place of injured Shardul Thakur in the remainder of the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy. In other news, Virat Kohli has reportedly made himself unavailable for Delhi selection for the match against Railways.

Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest cricketing news that emerged out of Monday, January 5.

Shreyas Iyer replaces Shardul as Mumbai captain in remainder of Vijay Hazare

India’s ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer will lead the Mumbai cricket team in place of injured all-rounder Shardul Thakur in the remainder of the ongoing 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy season. Shreyas was also recently picked in Team India squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand. However, his final position in the Indian squad for the series is still subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru.

It is worth noting that Shreyas Iyer has been out of action since he suffered a nasty injury while fielding in the ODI series in Australia a couple of months ago.

Joe Root levels Ponting after fighting Ashes 2025-26 century

Senior England batter Joe Root piled up 160 from 242 balls with 15 elegant boundaries to register his second century of the ongoing 2025-26 Ashes series in Australia. The innings also marked Root’s 41st hundred in Tests, as he levelled up with former Australian captain Ricky Ponting to become the third-joint highest century-maker in the history of the format behind Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis.

Joe Root’s marathon knock helped England mount 384 in 97.3 overs by Day 2 of the fifth Test of the series at the SCG.

Babar Azam flops miserably for Sixers in BBL 2025-26

Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam managed to score just a sluggish two from seven balls for the Sydney Sixers against Brisbane Heat in match number 24 of the BBL 2025-26 season at the International Sports Stadium in Coffs Harbour.

The innings marked his fourth failure out of six innings this tournament, as he failed to anchor Sixers in their small 115-run task. Fortunately for the Sydney Sixers, Joel Davies and Hayden Kerr defied Brisbane Heat bowlers with a courageous eighth-wicket stand in a match-winning cause.

Virat Kohli to miss Delhi’s Vijay Hazare match vs Railways: Report

India legend Virat Kohli is set to miss Delhi’s upcoming 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Railways in Alur on January 6. As reported by the ANI, the cricketer has made himself unavailable for selection without citing any reason. Virat Kohli recently made his return to List A cricket for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament last week, scoring 131 in the game from just 101 balls against Andhra. The senior Indian batter also composed a sizzling 77 in his next match against Gujarat to sustain his rich vein form in 50-overs format.

Bangladesh stops IPL broadcast after Mustafizur-KKR row

Bangladesh’s interim government has decided to ban broadcasting of the IPL ahead of the upcoming 2026 season in the country. The government made the decision after Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was disbarred from the KKR franchise in participating in IPL 2026 in India, as per BCCI’s instruction. Notably, the BCCI expelled Rahman from the IPL in light of the rising anti-India sentiments and the attacks on Hindu religious minorities in Bangladesh over the last few months.