![Shreyas Iyer and Mustafizur Rahman [Source: AFP]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1767457117507_shreyas_iyer.jpg?type=hq)
Shreyas Iyer and Mustafizur Rahman [Source: AFP]
Shreyas Iyer has been selected in Team India squad for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand at home. Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has been officially axed by the KKR franchise for the upcoming IPL 2026 season. In other news, Hardik Pandya charted his maiden first-class century with a Vijay Hazare blitzkrieg against Vidarbha.
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 Saturday, January 3.
Mustafizur Rahman axed from KKR for IPL 2026
Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has been officially axed by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise for the upcoming IPL 2026 season after BCCI’s instruction. The speedster was roped in by the KKR franchise for a staggering sum of Rs. 9.20 crores during the IPL 2026 auction last month.
In light of the recent geopolitical tensions between India and Bangladesh, the BCCI has now granted the KKR franchise a choice of selecting a replacement player for Mustafizur Rahman.
Pat Cummins, Hazlewood out of PAK series, says Bailey
Legendary Australian fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood will likely miss Australia’s upcoming three-match T20I tour of Pakistan, as confirmed by CA chair of selectors and former cricketer George Bailey. With Cummins and Hazlewood still recovering from their respective injuries, Bailey said that Australia is still keeping its doors open for both speedsters for the upcoming 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
The T20I series against Pakistan, set to be held in January and February, will serve as Australia’s final crack at the format before the showpiece event.
Gill and Iyer return as India name squad for ODI series vs NZ
The BCCI has named Team India’s 15-player squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand. Captain Shubman Gill and senior batter Shreyas Iyer both made their respective returns to the ODI team after recovering from their injuries; however, the latter is still subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru.
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Senior pros like KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant and legendary batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also made a cut in the Indian line-up for the ODI series.
Hardik Pandya charts 68-ball ton to record maiden List A century
Legendary Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya blasted his maiden List A century, doing so with his 133-run knock from just 92 balls for Baroda against Vidarbha in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy season. The cricketer smeared eight fours and 11 huge sixes in his innings, and raced to his hundred from just 68 balls as Baroda mounted 293-9 in 50 overs.
Despite his magnum opus List A batting performance, Hardik Pandya’s Baroda team lost its Elite Group B match against Vidarbha in Rajkot by nine wickets and more than eight overs to spare.
Devdutt Padikkal records fourth Vijay Hazare ton in five innings
RCB batter Devdutt Padikkal recorded yet another List A century, this time scoring 108 runs from 120 balls for Karnataka against Tripura in the Elite Group A match of the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy in Ahmedabad. The innings marked Padikkal’s 13th century in List A cricket in just 37 innings, and his fourth in Karnataka’s last five matches of the ongoing 50-overs tournament.
Devdutt Padikkal’s List A batting average also shot up to a staggering 83.38 as the 25-year-old continues to knock on selection doors for a possible Team India ODI call-up.
