Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium has been cleared to host IPL 2026 after a government-appointed Expert Committee approved the venue for use on Monday.

The immediate implication is that Chinnaswamy – scheduled to host the season opener between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28 – will also stage one playoff game and the final, in keeping with the tradition of the defending champions hosting the title clash.

A committee, appointed by Karnataka’s home minister G Parameshwara, conducted a thorough review of the stadium premises on Friday. The day-long audit involved several checks for structural compliance as well as measures taken to enhance crowd control around the venue.

On Monday, the final nod was given following a meeting between the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) officials, RCB’s top brass as well as members of the expert committee, chaired by G Maheshwar Rao.

The Chinnaswamy will host five RCB home games, while two others will be played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Stadium in Raipur, as per a pre-arranged agreement between the franchise and the Chhattisgarh government.

RCB has committed to engaging with KSCA to roll out digital QR coded tickets as one of several measures to tackle overcrowding around the venue. They have also partnered with the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) to ensure hassle-free travel.

The metro services will be extended until 1am on match days, while ticketing formalities are being worked out. It’s likely those with match tickets can travel free of cost. BMRCL is also likely to increase frequency of trains on all routes to prevent overcrowding.

This was an old-fashioned classic disguised as 21st century cricket. Probably the best ODI match of the year so far, tucked away as a gilateral decider in Mirpur. Two batters, Salman Agha and Tanzid Hasan, played stellar knocks while everyone else struggled on a pockmarked pitch. Yes, this was old-fashioned: there was the tragic Pakistan collapse, the comical Pakistan running, and the tragicomic Pakistan finish.

At the end of it all, Bangladesh won their second successive bilateral ODI series against Pakistan, the two series being 11 years apart.

Let’s start with just the last over: one wicket left, Shaheen Shah Afridi on strike, Rishad Hossain with the ball. 14 needed off six. Off the second delivery, Rishad ran back to collect a skier and spilled it at mid-on when he could have closed out the match. With 12 needed off two, a wide was given, then a sneaky review was taken by Bangladesh to reverse it. With 12 needed off the last ball, Afridi ventured down the track and missed the ball all ends up, and could have been off for a stroll by the time Litton Das remembered to whip off the stumps.

However, the match was a long way away from being a heart-stopper, and had mostly been a one-way dogfight with Bangladesh calling the shots. Then, Agha made a belated entry to the middle at 67 for 4. They were chasing 291 on a pitch that turned when you slowed it down, and bounced when you speared it in.

Taskin Ahmed was the early wrecker-in-chief for Bangladesh, taking out Sahibzada Farhan and Mohammad Rizwan in the first and third over. Maaz Sadaqat departed to an edge off Nahid Rana in the one over in between. Yet, debutant Ghazi Ghori and two-ODIs-old Abdul Samad got together to stem the bleeding: they poked and prodded, and sometimes middled one, as they laboured to a 50-run partnership in 67 balls. The highlight of their stand was at least four run-out chances, with many yes-and-no calls as nerves gave way.

Bangladesh were poor in the field themselves, with misfields and balls parried away by the close-in fielders – twice against Ghori and Samad – letting Pakistan stay in the contest for as long as they did. Ghori, in particular, rode his luck, smacking three fours and one eye-catching six into the deep-square boundary.

Ghori (29) and Samad (34) departed in quick succession. Having walked in with 224 needed off 36 overs, Agha built a case for Pakistan’s chase from one end, while Saad Masood, the other debutant of the day, kept the other end chugging along. Still, a rush of young blood was inevitable. They had put together a 79-run partnership for the sixth wicket when Masood rushed down the pitch, and Mustafizur Rahman rattled his stumps. Agha took off his gloves and helmet, and sunk to his haunches at the other end.

The pitch might as well have been laid out with Mustafizur in mind, as he kept angling balls away from the batters to finish with figures of 3 for 54. But Agha countered him – and the other pace bowlers – by mostly sticking to shots down the ground. His knock was peppered with nine fours and four sixes. This was as good a riposte as any with the bat, having been run-out in the previous game in rather unusual circumstances.

Here, he only kept the team’s needs in mind as he dug deeper in the middle with Afridi. Even when he bashed Rana down the ground in the 45th over to bring up his century, they still needed 48 off 35 balls with just three wickets left. He did not indulge in much of a celebration.

Agha and Afridi compiled 52 runs in 49 balls, but Agha was the first to depart: skying a cross-batted shot off Taskin to become his fourth and final victim of the night in the 48th over.

Afridi kept the fight going until the end, drilling two fours and two sixes in a knock of 37 off 38 and was only dismissed on the final ball.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh had put together an old-fashioned innings of their own after being put in to bat. When Tanzid smacked Agha over the ropes in the 33rd over, he was not wearing a helmet like the batters of yesteryears. He bumped his partner’s first at the other end, performed the sajda, and wiped away his sweat on a humid day in Mirpur. He had brought up his maiden ODI ton in the most old-school way possible.

His century was only one of two Bangladesh knocks that managed to go at or over run-a-ball. But even as he hit six fours and seven sixes, most of his run-making shots were along the ground. He stitched a 105-run opening partnership alongside Saif Hassan, who looked less comfortable in his stay of 36 off 55.

Tanzid kept one end stable through the middle overs, right up till when he cut a long-hop by Abrar Ahmed to Afridi at cover in the 37th over. It was a good reward for Abrar, who was Pakistan’s best spinner, bowling with varied pace and cramping up the batters throughout the middle overs.

Haris Rauf – returning after his expensive opening spell – might have learned his lessons from Abrar too, though he had to fulfil a different job at the death overs. He plucked out Litton Das (41) and Rishad (0) in quick succession, pulling his lengths shorter to throttle Bangladesh.

Rauf finished with 3 for 52, and the only reason Bangladesh managed 290 for 5 was because of a late surge from Towhid Hridoy, who scored 48 off 44.

Still, there were two lasting images from the day: one of Tanzid, smiling in celebration after bringing up his century. The other was of Agha after his dismissal – having struck a scintillating ton of his own, but wearing the glum look of a batter walking back with the job half-done.

Brief scores:
Bangladesh 290 for 5 in 50 overs (Saif Hasan 36, Tanzid Hasan 107, Towhid Hridoy 48*; Haris  Rauf 3-52) beat Pakistan 279 in 50 overs (Abdul Samad 34, Salman Ali Agha 106, Saad Masood 38, Shaheen Shah Afridi 37; Taskin Ahmed 4-49, Nahid Rana 2-62, Mustafizur Rahman 3-54 ) by 11 runs

[Cricinfo]

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that a new curriculum will be introduced for preschools in 2027, while steps will also be taken to train teachers accordingly and to regulate preschools through a regulatory authority.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing an awareness programme for preschool teachers in the Hambantota District on education reforms, held  on Sunday (15) at the Ambalantota Pradeshiya Sabha Auditorium.

During the programme, preschool teachers briefed  the Prime Minister about the challenges they currently face. Responding to their concerns, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya further stated:

“The issues within the preschool system cannot be discussed separately from the broader crisis in society and in the education sector. When we assumed office in 2024, our primary challenge was to free the country from its debt burden and to establish. a  sound economic indicators.

Although 2025 was a challenging year, we were able to bring the country’s economy to a certain level of stability and manage the national budget accordingly.

While we were working towards economic recovery, the war in the Middle East began, which has had certain impacts on our country as well.

A significant amount of Sri Lanka’s foreign remittances come from our fellow citizens working in the Middle East. Today, both their livelihoods and employment are under threat. In addition, a large number of tourists travelled to Sri Lanka through Middle Eastern airspace, and the closure of those air routes and airports has reduced tourist arrivals. Another issue concerns fuel transportation. This problem has affected not only Sri Lanka but many countries around the world. If the war continues for a long period, it will have further impacts on us, and therefore we must be prepared. We also need to manage the economy carefully and reduce certain expenditures.

Although we have the ability to borrow, our intention is not to weaken the country’s economy by relying on loans.

You are aware that we have begun implementing education reforms. Within that policy framework, we are also taking steps to reform preschool education. So far, the establishment of preschools and early childhood development has not been carried out in a systematic manner. Therefore, we must regulate and standardize all preschools, which is not an easy task.

First, all preschools must be formally registered. We have already prepared a curriculum for teacher training. In addition, we plan to introduce a new curriculum for preschools in 2027, provide teacher training accordingly, and regulate preschools through a regulatory authority. A recognized curriculum has also been prepared for the preschool diploma. In the future, priority for preschool teachers will be given based on these qualifications. We will also take gradual steps to enhance the professionalism of preschool teachers and establish a proper salary structure”.

The Prime Minister further stated that preschools fall under the authority of Provincial Councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas, while the line ministry can only provide policy recommendations. She also emphasized that issues related to preschools should be addressed in a systematic manner through structural committees and District Development Committees.

Member of Parliament Nihal Galappaththi and other public representatives, along with preschool teachers from the Hambantota District attended the awareness program.

(Prime Minister’s Media Division)