Virat Kohli’s long wait to lay his hands on the IPL trophy finally ended as Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the Indian Premier League for the first time by defeating Punjab Kings in the final on Tuesday (June 03).

PBKS kept losing wickets at regular intervals, with captain Shreyas Iyer being dismissed for just one run. Earlier, RCB posted a score of 190 for nine after PBKS won the toss and opted to bowl first at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Virat Kohli was the top scorer for RCB with 43 off 35 balls, while Arshdeep Singh and Kyle Jamieson took three wickets each for PBKS.

This was Punjab’s first title clash since 2014, while it was the fourth for RCB. The final was also the second successive for Shreyas Iyer as captain after marshalling Kolkata Knight Riders’ triumph in 2024.

PBKS and RCB had finished at the top two positions respectively after a gruelling 70-match league round. 

(NDTV)

A settlement was reached today before the Court of Appeal regarding the petition filed by national cricketers against a decision made by the Inland Revenue Department to impose withholding tax on them by treating them as employees of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

The writ petition was filed by Sri Lanka’s national cricket players, challenging what they term as an arbitrary and unreasonable classification of national cricketers as employees of SLC by the Inland Revenue Department.

The petition was taken up before a Court of Appeal bench comprising Acting President of the Appeals Court Justice Mohamed Laffar Tahir and Justice Priyantha Fernando.

The court issued formal notices on the respondents, including the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), following an agreement between the parties for an interim settlement.

Accordingly, Sri Lanka Cricket agreed to make the necessary payments to cricketers, and it was also agreed that the relevant withholding tax amounts would be remitted to the Inland Revenue Department starting from June.

In the event that the petitioners receive a favorable verdict from court, it was also agreed that the taxes withheld in this manner would be refunded.

Additionally, a settlement was reached between the parties on several other related matters as well.

Meanwhile, these petitions were fixed for argument on 6th, 14th and 18th November this year.

Court of Appeal (Acting President) Justice Mohammed Laffar and Justice K. Priyantha Fernando issued this order pursuant to writ petitions filed by ODI Captain Charith Asalanka, Test Captain Dhananjaya de Silva and national women’s cricketers Chamari Athapaththu and Anushka Sanjeewani.

Kuvera de Zoysa PC with Sajana de Zoysa, on instructions of Sanjay Fonseka, represented SLC.

Harsha Cabral PC with Vikum Jayasinghe and Manith Dassanayake on the instructions of Gamindu Karunasena appeared for the petitioners Chamari Athapaththu and Anushka Sanjeewani.

Counsel Nishan Premathiratne   appeared with Shenali Dias and Sidath Gajanayaka on the instructions of Gamindu Karunasena on behalf of the petitioners Charith Asalanka and Dananjaya De Silva.

Deputy Solicitor General Manohara Jayasinghe appeared for the Attorney General.

In a bold step towards redefining Malaysia’s presence in international cricket, the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) today (June 03) unveiled a comprehensive high-performance roadmap for 2025–2026.

Designed to elevate the national team’s competitiveness, the initiative introduces a refreshed coaching structure, an enhanced player development pathway, and defined performance benchmarks aimed at securing Malaysia’s rise on the global stage.

As part of this strategic shift, Dav Whatmore has been appointed as the Director of Cricket, the MCA announces.

“Dav Whatmore is a highly accomplished and successful gentleman that has played many roles in various full members. Whilst as Head Coach, Sri Lanka won the ICC World Cup in 1996 and has since produced many positive results. It is expected that the appointment will result in Malaysia building a total cricket structure that will connect the dots from lateral development to being a high performing country. Dav Whatmore would also play a leading role in building the women’s team as its moves ahead,” the MCA statement notes.

In addition, Bilal Asad has been appointed Head Coach of the National Men’s Team while Rakesh Madhavan has been appointed as Head Coach of the Men’s Emerging Team.

President of the MCA – Mahinda Vallipuram says :  “Malaysia has earned a strong reputation globally for consistently delivering world-class events. Now, it is time for our national teams to match that excellence with on-field performance. This structure represents our determination to transform Malaysia into a competitive force in international cricket. We are no longer content with participation—we aim to qualify, to win, and to lead.”