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KL Rahul Batting Position, NZ Win And Shafali Hat-Trick – March 18 Cricket Highlights

Aakash Saini

KL Rahul and New Zealand batters [Source: @mufaddal_vohra, @BLACKCAPS/x]KL Rahul and New Zealand batters [Source: @mufaddal_vohra, @BLACKCAPS/x]

New Zealand registered another emphatic win over the visiting Pakistan team to go 2-0 up in the five-match T20I series. Indian women’s star Shafali Verma excelled with the ball in a domestic Under-23 One-Day game. In other news, Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood has signed a new County deal.

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, March 18.

Shan Masood To Join Leicestershire After PSL 2025

Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood has penned a fresh County deal for the Leicestershire Cricket Club for the 2025 English County season. The 35-year-old is slated to arrive at the Uptonsteel County Ground shortly after the conclusion of PSL 2025 to join Leicestershire Foxes ahead of the 2025 Vitality T20 Blast season.

Notably, Masood is also eligible to play Metro Bank One-Day Cup and County Championship 2025 matches for Leicestershire. The seasoned Pakistani cricketer has previously played for Yorkshire and Derbyshire cricket clubs in England.

Shafali Verma Bags Hat-Trick For Haryana In U23 One-Day Trophy

Team India discard Shafali Verma picked up a sensational hat-trick for the Haryana Women’s Under-23 team in the pre-quarterfinal match of the U23 One-Day Trophy match against Karnataka in Fulung, North Guwahati. An occasional off-spinner, Verma dismissed P Saloni (30) and Soumya Verma (0) off consecutive deliveries before cleaning up Namita D’Souza to complete her hat-trick. Overall, she picked up figures of 3-20 in four overs to limit Karnataka to just 217.

Currently out of contention from India’s national playing XI, Shafali Verma also recently enjoyed a prolific run with the bat for Delhi Capitals in the WPL 2025 season.

Seifert, Allen Take New Zealand 2-0 Up Over Pakistan

New Zealand won the second T20I match at the University Oval in Dunedin to go 2-0 up in the five-match T20I series against Pakistan. Fast bowlers Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears and James Neesham picked up two wickets each to restrict the ‘Men in Green’ to 135-9 in a 15-over game.

In response, New Zealand opener Tim Seifert blasted 45 runs off just 22 balls and Finn Allen bludgeoned one boundary and five sixes in his 16-ball 38 as the hosts romped to an easy five-wicket win with 11 balls to spare.

KL Rahul To Bat In Middle-Order For Delhi Capitals: Report

KL Rahul will likely bat in the middle-order for the Delhi Capitals franchise in the upcoming IPL 2025 season. As per Sahil Malhotra of Times of India, the Capitals management is aiming to open the innings with overseas stars like Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser McGurk.

It is worth noting that Rahul was acquired by the Delhi Capitals franchise last year during the IPL 2025 mega auction. The charismatic Indian batter subsequently declined any offer of captaincy, prompting the management to appoint all-rounder Axar Patel as team skipper instead.

BCCI To Amend Family Stay Policy On Tours: Report

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly considering to make changes to its family stay policy. According to an ANI source, the Indian board might allow players to have their families accompany them on long foreign tours.

Earlier this year, the BCCI restricted family travel with players on overseas tours after Team India crashed to successive Test series defeats against New Zealand at home and against Australia ‘Down Under’ in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.