Cricket might be known as a gentleman's game but often it turns out to be the opposite which involves cricketers or coaches or others from the cricket fraternity. Cricket controversies can arise from issues like match-fixing to ball-tampering to the selection of players to what not. There have been many such instances that became huge cricket controversies in cricket history.

Recently, Usman Khawaja, the Australian cricketer revealed that he was often criticized and faced racism because of his skin color. After the recent controversy related to Ollie Robinson went viral on Twitter, Usman Khawaja revealed that he has faced racism and was told that he will not be selected for the team because of his skin color. Keeping the recent cricket controversies in mind, let's dig into the 5 selection cricket controversies featuring team India.

1. Controversy related to the selection of Hanuma Vihari 

After a disappointing loss in the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, India went on its first tour in West Indies. The controversy that arose at the moment was the selection of Hanuma Vihari instead of Rohit Sharma. We all are familiar with the dominance of Rohit Sharma as an opener and that is why his exclusion from the squad was shocking and rose many eyebrows. At that point in time, the rumor of a split between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli was a matter of discussion. Though Vihari took the best advantage of the chance given to him and scored his first century in Test, many thought that the exclusion of such an experienced batsman like Rohit Sharma was a deliberate decision by the captain himself. Also, there were many talks about Virat Kohli opening with KL Rahul in the series.

Read also: Most international sixes in Cricket by Captains

2. Controversy related to the selection of Sourav Ganguly

Many people think that Sambaran Banerjee's greatest achievement was the selection of Sourav Ganguly the Indian squad for the tour of England in 1996. While everyone starting from the captain Mohammad Azharuddin to the coach during that time Sandeep Patel was against this decision, Banerjee fought against everyone for his inclusion in the Indian team. His past performance in the ODI was not up to the mark. Everyone criticized the decision and blamed that he got the chance from the East zone quota. But at the end of the day, all is well that ends well. Ganguly proved his worth impressively and scored 131 runs in 301 balls including 20 fours. Also, he became the 10th Indian player who scored a century on the test debut.

3. Controversy related to the selection of Karn Sharma

The former captain of the Indian cricket team Mahendra Singh Dhoni injured his right thumb and that is why he was not able to lead the team in the first test of the 2014-15 tour of Australia. Virat Kohli became the skipper of the team and he took an astonishing decision. He selected Karn Sharma for his debut test against Australia instead of selecting bowlers like Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. His motive for selecting Karn might have been different but that did not work out well in the first test match. In 33 overs he gave 143 runs. Though he picked up the wickets of David Warner and Michael Clarke but it was way too late for him as both of them have already scored 145 and 128 runs respectively.

The continuation of struggling of the Indian bowling lineup was clearly visible in the second innings as well. Karn gave 95 runs in 16 overs and picked up two wickets. Once again his wickets were of no such significant value in the match. Though the skipper proved this ability as a great batsman by scoring centuries, his decision of team selection went horrible and India lost the match by 48 runs. The tournament was an absolute nightmare for the debutant and he played for India once again.

4. Controversy related to the selection of Bharath Reddy

Samar Banerjee is the only captain from West Bengal who won the Ranji Trophy after independence. In an interview, he revealed the harsh incidents from his cricket career. In an interview, he said, ''We knew Kiri would be dropped. A day before the team selection, few players came up and said, "Sambaran we know you are in the squad, we need a treat. ''I must have spent around 400 bucks to take a few boys out for dinner and the next day, the list had Reddy's name. I think he scored 30 odd runs in 4 Tests (38)," But the end did not go according to his expectations.

He was replaced with Tamil Nadu's Bharath Reddy. Coincidentally the captain during that time, S Venkataraghavan was from Tamil Nadu as well. He also mentioned that the selector of the south zone and North zone were in his favour whereas the selector of the east zone was in the favour of the then skipper and he got to select his preferred wicketkeeper.

5. Controversy related to the selection of Rusi Jeejebhoy

One of the selection controversies in the 70s is related to Rusi Jeejebhoy and Farokh Engineer. For the 1971 tour of West Indies and Duleep Trophy, there was an empty slot for the third wicket-keeper. The team was then led by Ramesh Saxena and Daljit Singh. Rosi played in 46 first-class matches with a disappointing batting average of 10.46 whereas Farokh was playing stunningly. Though in that time batting was not necessary or essential for the keepers but still, Farokh had better ability than Rusi. Rusi, the Parsi cricketer was selected by Vijay Merchant, an icon of the Parsee community, selected Rusi as a keeper, and this decision was criticized by a lot of people back then.

Hello and welcome to the final night of an extraordinary season we have had. Welcome to the night of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 final. 

This is Koushik Biswas, who will bring you all the LIVE coverage of the PSG vs Inter Milan, UEFA Champions League 2024-25 final match, scheduled to take place at the Munich Football Arena in Munich. 

PSG, who are looking for the first-ever Champions League trophy, defeated Arsenal in the semi-final to enter the final. In the meantime, Inter Milan are going for their fourth UCL title after being defeated by Manchester City in the 2023 final. They have qualified for the final, beating Barcelona in a Champions League classic.

Luis Enrique, as a coach, is looking for a second treble after winning it with FC Barcelona in 2015. Meanwhile, Inter Milan player Lautaro Martinez will be looking to complete his circle of being a World Cup and Champions League winner tonight. 

So stay tuned as we take you through a historic night of football. Enjoy the coverage.

Punjab Kings, who are trying to win their first title, will face a tough challenge from five-time champions Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2025 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings suffered a crushing defeat over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the first qualifier, which would have certainly shaken their confidence. While Mumbai Indians took another step towards their sixth title by defeating title favourites Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator. The winner will confirm their fixture in the final of the tournament against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on June 3.

Also Read: Most sixes hit by any batter in IPL history

Now, both PBKS and MI are set to play their last league match of the season. PBKS, who have qualified for playoffs after 11 years, finished ahead in the points table and get the top-two spot. On the other hand, the five-time champions MI also looked in dominant form in the later stage of the tournament and qualified for the playoffs despite having a poor start in the season. 

From possible playing XIs to head-to-head record, here is everything you need to know about the Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians Qualifier 2 in IPL 2025.

Match Details

• Match: Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians 
• Tournament: IPL 2025, Qualifier 2
• Date: 1 June 2025
• Time: 7:30 PM IST
• Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Streaming Details

Cricket fans from India can watch the Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians Qualifier 2 on Star Sports TV Channels on Television. They can also stream the match LIVE on JioHotstar for free.

Pitch Report

The surface of the Narendra Modi Stadium looks good for batting where we can expect a 200-plus total getting scored easily in the first innings. It also has a good bounce where the fast bowlers can get the movement. Out of 42 IPL matches played at this ground, the team batting first and bowling have won 21 matches each. The average score batting first at this ground in 176 runs.

Weather Report

The weather forecast for the Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians Qualifier 2 is predominantly fine, with no rain anticipated to disrupt play on a hot and humid day. The wind speed is expected to be between 15 and 30 km/h on match day, while the temperature could range between 27 and 36 degrees Celsius. The humidity is predicted to be around 51-64%.

PBKS vs MI: Head-to-Head Record

Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians have faced each other 33 times in the IPL history so far. Out of these 33 matches, MI won 17 times while PBKS defeated them on 16 occasions.

PBKS vs MI Recent Performances

Also Read: IPL 2025: How many times have the teams that lost Qualifier 1 become champions?

Possible XIs

Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kyle Jamieson

Impact Subs: Yuzvendra Chahal

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Richard Gleeson

Impact Subs: Ashwani Kumar

Fantasy Team Prediction

Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis, Jonny Bairstow, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shreyas Iyer (vc), Priyansh Arya, Hardik Pandya, Marcus Stoinis, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar.

India A batsman Karun Nair scored a double century in the first innings of the first Test match of ENGA vs INDA. With this double century, Karun strengthened his claim in the Indian playing eleven for the 5-match Test series against England starting on 20 June.

Also Read: ENG-A vs IND-A: Karun Nair makes solid return to India set up; scores unbeaten 186 on Day 1

Karun's best score for India A till now

Karun Nair completed his double century in the first innings of ENGA vs INDA by hitting a four on 272 balls. On the first day, he played an innings of 186 runs and then on the second day he started batting with the same intent and completed his double century. Batting in English conditions is considered quite challenging, but Karun showed that if there is a desire, runs can be scored on any pitch or in any condition.

This was also Karun's best score for India A till now. Before this, his best for India A was an unbeaten 114 against South Africa A in 2015. Karun also made a century partnership for the team along with Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel in the first innings. He shared a 181-run partnership with Sarfaraz, while he shared a 195-run partnership with Jurel.

Fourth double century for Nair

This marked the fourth time Nair has scored 200 or more in an innings. His highest First-Class score is 328 for Karnataka against Tamil Nadu in the 2015/16 season. On two of the three previous instances where Nair crossed 200, he remained unbeaten.

For Nair, this was the second double century in England. He had scored an unbeaten 202 for Northampton against Glamorgan in 2024. Nair is also the second Indian batter, after Virender Sehwag, to score a triple century in Test cricket.

Sarfaraz and Jurel missed the century

In the first innings of this match, Karun completed two double centuries, but Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel missed their centuries after coming close to them. Dhruv Jurel was out after scoring 94 runs in 120 balls in this match while Sarfaraz Khan played an innings of 92 runs in 119 balls. Earlier, skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran scored 8 runs while Yashasvi Jaiswal made 24 runs and was dismissed.

The Indian contingent, over 60 athletes participating at the Asian Athletics Championships 2025 in Gumi, Republic of Korea, from May 27 to 31. So far, Indian athletes have won 23 medals, eight gold, nine silver and six bronze, at the Asian Athletics Championships 2025.

400m runner Rupal Chaudhary and 1500m runner Pooja bagged silver medals, while Yoonus Shah added a bronze in the men’s 1500m event. Rupal clocked 52.68 seconds to finish second in the women’s 400m final. India’s Vithya Ramraj came in fifth with a time of 53.00 seconds. Pooja timed 4:10.83sec in the women’s 1500m to come in second, ahead of Lili Das, who finished fourth in 4:13.81sec.

In the men’s section, Yoonus Shah bagged the bronze with a time of 3:43.03, behind Japan’s Kazuto Lizawa, who clocked a PB of 3:42.56 and South Korean Jaeung Lee, who timed 3:42.79.

Also Read: Asian Athletics Championships 2025: Gulveer Singh wins gold in the men’s 10,000m, third Indian to achieve this feat

Meanwhile, India’s 4x400m mixed relay team successfully retained the gold medal as the quartet of Rupal, Santhosh Kumar, Vishal TK and Subha Venkatesan earned top spot with a timing of 3:18.12sec.

Decathlete Tejaswin Shankar added a silver for the nation, as he finished second in his event after accumulating a score of 7618 following the 10 events.

Earlier, India’s Gulveer Singh claimed the gold medal in the 10,000m event, while Servin Sebastian bagged the 20km race walk bronze.

The 26th edition of the Asian Athletics Championships features over 2000 athletes from 43 nations. Indian athletes are participating in a total of 30 medal events - 15 for men, 14 for women and one mixed team - over the five-day competition.

Asian Athletics Championships 2025 | India’s medal winners

Asian Athletics Championships 2025 | Medal Tally

The IPL is like a festival of sports for India as we call it. It is also the festival of explosive and jaw-dropping sixes. The list for most sixes hit by any batter in IPL history is led by one and only, Chris Gayle. It is not surprising one bit, is it? 

Dive into the list of several batters that are so close to match Gayle's six-hitting numbers, where some names will surely surprise you.

1. Chris Gayle (357 sixes)

When it comes to hitting sixes in IPL, there is Chris Gayle, and then there's everyone else. This West Indies legend tops the chart for most sixes hit by any batter in IPL history with 357 sixes (in just 141 innings)!

Gayle's IPL journey spanned from 2009 to 2021, and he was the first batsman to cross the 300-mark in terms of sixes. He displayed his batting peak with franchises like KKR, PBKS, and especially RCB.

His most memorable six-hitting moment of IPL came in 2013 when he smashed 175* runs off 66 balls against PWI, hitting 17 explosive sixes.

Read Also: 5 batters with the most runs in IPL playoffs history

2. Rohit Sharma (302 sixes)

Known for his aggressive start and batting, Rohit Sharma, is the only batter who has hit 300+ sixes after Gayle in IPL history. He holds the second place, with 302 sixes (in 265 innings).

The hitman doesn't like to take things slow, and always delivers the ball out of the boundary with his powerful pulls and cover drives. Once he gets in his six-hitting zone, it truly gets difficult to stop him!

Sharma has consistently stood up for the team, and these numbers are about to get high as he will continue to play and dominate in IPL in the future.

3. Virat Kohli (291 sixes)

When has it occurred that there's a list of excellent batting records where this man doesn't hold a spot? 

Virat Kohli, the batting maestro, holds the 3rd position with 291 sixes (in 258 innings). Even though he is widely known for his exquisite cover drives and hitting smooth boundaries, his ability to time the ball perfectly out for a six has been phenomenal throughout his IPL career.

Kohli is just 9 sixes away to cross the 300-mark, that he might cross in IPL 2025 itself!

Read Also: IPL records - Batters with most 500+ runs seasons: Kohli breaks Warner's records

4. MS Dhoni (264 sixes)

MS Dhoni, like the greatest finisher he is, has hit an impressive 264 sixes (in 242 innings) in his IPL career so far. He has been brutal in the death overs and has always made sure his team takes the victory home when he his unbeaten at the crease.

Dhoni's six-hitting skills often changes the momentum of the game and puts the opposition under immense pressure, as he becomes unstoppable!

5. AB de Villiers (251 sixes)

The South African legend, AB de Villiers, holds several batting records and had delivered many cherishable moments for RCB throughout his IPL journey (2008-2021), and this is one of them. He is the 5th batter to have 250+ sixes in IPL history.

He hit 251 sixes (in 170 innings) which tells a lot about his phenomenal skills and love for hitting sixes. He had the ability to deliver the ball in every corner of the stadium and was called "Mr. 360" for a reason!

Read Also: Most Sixes in an innings by an Indian in IPL

Other batters with 200+ sixes in IPL history