Playing the first IPL El Clasico of their career, Chennai Super King’s Sanju Samson (101 not out) and Akeal Hosein (4-1-17-4) handed Mumbai Indians their biggest loss by runs in T20 history. CSK’s batting revolved around their new talisman; their second-highest score was 22. MI crumbled to spin, eight of their XI dismissed for single-digits.

CSK and MI came into the game as the seventh and eighth-placed teams in the season. And yet the amped-up nature of a game between the IPL’s two most decorated teams ever was on show from the very first ball, where Sherfane Rutherford couldn’t find the wicketkeeper with a regulation throw and the short fine leg fielder backing up didn’t do his job properly either. Jasprit Bumrah, the bowler, asked his fielders to calm down and then, in a sign that he was pushing himself harder too, overstepped. In the chase, Tilak Varma and Jamie Overton got into a brief but heated argument.

With the clock already ticking towards the next global showdown, Gary Kirsten has made it clear he isn’t here for a nets-and-notes assignment, his eyes are firmly on the big prize.

Unveiled at Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters at Maitland Place yesterday, the newly appointed Head Coach wasted no time in setting the tone, declaring that the World Cup in his native South Africa is the endgame. The sport’s showpiece event, co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, is scheduled for October next year.

Sri Lanka are bracing for a packed 18-month stretch. Starting in June, it’s going to be cricket on the road, suitcase in hand, hopping formats and time zones.

“Obviously, there are some big tournaments just around the corner. The World Cup is in 17 months’ time. We want to have a really good tournament there,” Kirsten said, laying it out straight. “The motivation is to take this talented group and get them flying in formation to perform consistently against the best in the world.”

There’s no shadowboxing here. With roughly 20-25 ODIs pencilled in before the tournament, Kirsten knows this is where the groundwork is laid.

“We’ve got around 20-25 ODIs before the World Cup, so planning starts now,” he said. “It’s already a good side, but we need to make sure we’re ticking every box to get the success we want in South Africa. The conditions will be very different, so how do we prepare for that?”

That’s where the nuts and bolts come in and Kirsten isn’t shy about spelling it out. South African surfaces aren’t for the faint-hearted; they demand pace, bounce and batters willing to trust the bounce rather than play from the crease.

“Do we have guys with genuine air speed? Can we swing the ball? Can we hit the deck hard? Do we have quality spinners? And do we have six batters who can handle those conditions?” he asked.

“That’s the progress we need to make through these one-dayers. Results matter, we can’t hide from that. Every series counts.”

For now, though, Kirsten is easing himself into the job, more observer than orchestrator. His first couple of weeks will be spent casting a wide net, given that Sri Lanka’s frontline players are scattered across franchise leagues in India and Pakistan, while the rest grind it out in domestic cricket. The next generation, meanwhile, are cutting their teeth in Galle against New Zealand ‘A’.

“I’ve been doing a bit of a team audit to understand where everyone is at,” he said. “It’s an exciting project. There’s a lot of talent in the country. I’m heading to Galle now to watch the ‘A’ team — just to see what’s coming through.”

Having previously coached the India national cricket team and the South Africa national cricket team, Kirsten knows what a top-tier outfit looks like and he’s not setting the bar low.

“To take Sri Lanka to the top of the tree in world cricket, that’s the goal,” he said. “The priority is to understand what’s required to get there. Because from what I’ve seen, there’s no shortage of talent or depth.”

If anything, he hinted that the current rankings don’t quite tell the full story that Sri Lanka are a side capable of punching above their weight if they string together consistent performances.

“With good players, you can do a lot,” he added. “And there are plenty of good players here. It’s about getting them moving in the right direction.”

by Rex Clementine

Sri Lanka seamer Nuwan Thushara has withdrawn his lawsuit against Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), just weeks after filing it when SLC denied him a no-objection certificate (NOC) to play in IPL 2026, where he is a part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who are yet to name a replacement for the 31-year-old slinger.

Thushara told the Colombo District Court that he wished to withdraw his case as much of the IPL was now already completed. ESPNcricinfo understands that Thushara had also sent a written apology to SLC last week, indicating his willingness to withdraw his lawsuit.

In his original court petition, Thushara had stated his desire to retire from international cricket. It is unclear at this point if that has changed or was the same. Either way, in accordance with SLC’s new fitness protocols, Thushara would not be eligible for selection until he met the minimum requirements.

Thushara had been denied his NOC on grounds of him not reaching SLCs required fitness standards, something he had argued had not been a barrier in previous years – periods that Thushara claimed his fitness had remained more or less the same as at present.

It was during this impasse that Thushara had signalled his decision to retire, and filed his lawsuit soon after. Thushara had contended that the enforcement of a fitness-based NOC was unreasonable and a barrier to his livelihood.

The timing – April 2 – had raised eyebrows, as it coincided with the Easter court holiday, meaning a swift resolution was always unlikely. The case was taken up once more on April 9, where SLC indicated its desire to file objections, before finally being taken up on April 23, which was when the case was dismissed.

Thushara, 30 matches old internationally, all T20Is, had been part of Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024 before moving to RCB in 2025.

[Cricinfo]