• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Ipl 2026 Auction Records Aus Xi And Pak Coach Steps Down December 16 Cricket Highlights

IPL 2026 auction records, AUS XI and PAK coach steps down – December 16 Cricket highlights

Aakash Saini

Kartik Sharma and Azhar Mahmood [Source: @Sportskeeda, @MuzamalDhother/x]Kartik Sharma and Azhar Mahmood [Source: @Sportskeeda, @MuzamalDhother/x]

Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma notched up huge records for uncapped players at the IPL 2026 auction. Cricket Australia has unveiled Australia’s entire playing XI for the upcoming third Test of the 2025-26 Ashes series in Adelaide. In other news, another Pakistan head coach has prematurely stepped down before term end.

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 Tuesday, December 16.

Cummins and Lyon return as Australia name Adelaide XI

Cricket Australia has unveiled Australia’s entire playing XI for the upcoming third Test of the 2025-26 Ashes series. Pat Cummins returns from his injury to take over his leadership duties from stand-in captain Steve Smith. Nathan Lyon will also be making his return to the XI after getting benched in Brisbane. Ageing opener Usman Khawaja has been ignored in light of his back spasm as Australia will continue to open with blistering opener Travis Head and Jake Weatherald.

Azhar Mahmood steps down as Pakistan Test coach

Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood has stepped down as Pakistan head coach in Test cricket. Mahmood was originally appointed as assistant all-format coach last year under Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie. However, he took over the role on an interim basis in Test matches back in June this year, and his tenure was set to run until March 2026. However, with no Tests in sight, and in light of Pakistan’s drawn series against South Africa at home a couple of months ago, Azhar Mahmood prematurely stepped away as head coach.

Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma make uncap auction records for CSK

Uttar Pradesh spin all-rounder Prashant Veer and Rajasthan wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma both fetched lucrative deals for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise worth Rs. 14.2 crores each at the IPL 2026 auction. In doing so, the two cricketers also became the joint-most expensive uncapped Indian players in IPL history, eclipsing the previous record set by fast bowler Avesh Khan back in IPL 2022.

Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi also bagged a huge Rs. 8.4 crores deal, albeit for the Delhi Capitals franchise to set the cash registers ringing at the bidding event.

Abhigyan Kundu smashes record 209* for India U19

India Under-19 crushed Malaysia by 315 runs in match number 10 of the 2025 Under-19 Men’s Asia Cup. Wicketkeeper-batter Abhigyan Kundu slapped 209 unbeaten runs in the innings from just 125 deliveries with 17 fours and nine huge sixes in Dubai. Kundu’s innings marked the highest individual score by any Indian Under-19 batter in 50-overs cricket, going past the likes of Ambati Rayudu and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

Apart from Abhigyan Kundu, players like Suryavanshi and Vedant Trivedi also blasted scintillating half-centuries as India Under-19 marched towards their third successive win this Asia Cup.

Sarfaraz Khan hammers 15-ball 50 vs Rajasthan in SMAT, picked by CSK

In an eventful day for Sarfaraz Khan, the Mumbai batter blasted 73 runs from just 22 balls against Rajasthan in the Super League Group A match of the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The cricketer launched six fours and seven huge sixes in his innings in Pune, as Mumbai overcame Rajasthan’s 216 with three wickets and nearly two overs remaining.

Sarfaraz Khan was also roped in by the CSK franchise later in the day at the IPL 2026 auction, thus marking himself for an IPL return since his last playing XI appearance in 2023.