![Moeen Ali and KL Rahul [Source: AFP, @rushiii_12/x]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1764607442789_ind_vs_sa.jpg?type=hq)
Moeen Ali and KL Rahul [Source: AFP, @rushiii_12/x]
Moeen Ali has ruled himself out of the IPL 2026 season to play PSL in Pakistan. New Zealand coach Rob Walter has expressed his confidence ahead of the Test series against West Indies. In other news, KL Rahul led India’s cake-cutting celebration at the team hotel after defeating South Africa.
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, December 1.
Moeen Ali opts out of IPL 2026 to play PSL after KKR rejection
Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has seemingly ruled himself out of the IPL 2026 season ahead of the auction after getting released by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise. Taking to his Instagram account, the cricketer also confirmed that he is now available to play the PSL 2026 season in Pakistan instead, thus making his return to the Pakistani T20 tournament after a gap of five years. Moeen Ali last played PSL cricket back during the 2020 edition for the Multan Sultans franchise.
New Zealand coach Rob Walter confident vs West Indies in WTC 2025-27
New Zealand head coach Rob Walter has expressed his confidence ahead of his team’s upcoming three-match Test series against the visiting West Indies team. While speaking a day prior to the series opener, Walter said that the New Zealand team is keen to make the most of their home advantage, in a bid to get off to a winning start in the ongoing 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC).
Notably, the inaugural 2021 WTC winners are yet to play a single Test in the ongoing cycle. Their first Test against West Indies will be played in Christchurch from December 2 onwards.
Linsey Smith justifies RCB’s WPL 2026 deal with stunning WBBL 2025 spell
England spin bowler Linsey Smith unfurled an exceptional match-winning spell for Hobart Hurricanes against Melbourne Stars in match 32 of the WBBL 2025 season in Hobart. Defending 177 for a win, the 30-year-old bagged the important wickets of Meg Lanning and Annabel Sutherland to claim figures of 2-29 from her four overs, as Stars folded up for just 98.
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Linsey Smith’s spell also justified her latest WPL 2026 deal with the RCB, considering she was acquired by the women’s franchise during the WPL auction for a sum of Rs. 30 lakhs last week.
Scotland name Owen Dawkins as new head coach
Scotland has appointed former England cricketer Owen Dawkins as the new head coach of the men’s cricket team. Interestingly, Dawkins has previously worked for Scotland cricket on a consultancy basis. He will be replacing Doug Watson, who left his role a couple of months ago after the conclusion of his two-year tenure.
Scotland cricket team has endured some tough outings off late. They also failed to make it to the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup in India next year owing to their underwhelming performance in the qualifiers.
KL Rahul leads India’s win celebration over SA with cake-cutting
Early on Monday, December 1, India’s stand-in captain KL Rahul celebrated his team’s high-scoring win over South Africa in Ranchi. Celebrating the occasion alongside the rest of his teammates at the team hotel, Rahul cut a cake as other players applauded.
India’s 17-run win helped them take a 1-0 lead over South Africa in the three-match ODI series. Moreover, it also sparked a sense of belief and fightback after having been crashed to a humiliating 0-2 defeat in the preceding Test series.
