Gold Coast, Nov 5: Former batting great Shane Watson has praised India opener Shubman Gill for maintaining consistency in his batting and stated it won’t take him long to adapt across different formats. He described the opener as a ‘ridiculously talented’ batter with amazing technique.

While Gill remains a key figure across formats, his T20I performances since returning to the format in September 2025 reveal a worrying trend, as he has scored just 170 runs in ten innings at an average of 24.14 and a strike rate of 148.24.

In the ongoing Australia tour, he is struggling, having scored 37 not out, 5, and 15 in the first three games of the five-match series.

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Watson reflected on how challenging it is for a modern team batter to go through the phase of frequently changing formats and said, “It definitely is a challenge and the more you do it, the better you get at really understanding the little adjustments that you have to make to your technique, to your game plan, your mindset around each format to be able to then get into the best version of you every time you have to make that adjustment.”

The fourth T20I will be a historic game, as it will be the first time India and Australia play at the Carrara Oval (formerly known as the People’s First Stadium) in Gold Coast.

Watson expressed excitement about this stadium hosting a major event and said, “It’s an amazing opportunity for the Gold Coast to be able to show off its incredible natural beauty. For the Indian team to be able to come here, for the Gold Coast to be able to get a game of this calibre, is something very special to the Gold Coast community. So I’m sure the players and the Indian fans who have made their way here will certainly enjoy the tournament.”

New Delhi, Nov 4: The mega player auction for the 2026 season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) will be held on November 27 in the national capital, sources aware of the development told Media on Tuesday.

Had previously reported on October 22 that New Delhi edged Goa to emerge as the top choice to be the host city of the mega auction set to be held for the first time in WPL’s history. “There was a toss-up between November 26, 27, and 28. But it has now been communicated to all five franchises by the BCCI that the auction will be on November 27,” further said sources.

In terms of the venue for the auction to be held for one day, Media understands that a plush hotel in Aerocity could be the venue for the WPL mega auction, especially after it emerged that the initial choice, Bharat Mandapam, will be busy hosting the India International Trade Fair (IITF) from November 14-27.

The player retention deadline for all five WPL teams – two-time winners Mumbai Indians, 2024 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru, three-time runners-up Delhi Capitals, UP Warriorz, and Gujarat Giants – is on Wednesday.

Each franchise will be allowed to retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indian players. If a team chooses to retain five players, at least one must be an uncapped Indian player. The auction purse has been set at INR 15 crore.

Retention slabs have been defined as follows: INR 3.5 crore for Player 1, INR 2.5 crore for Player 2, INR 1.75 crore for Player 3, INR 1 crore for Player 4, and INR 50 lakh for Player 5. The Right to Match (RTM) option will enable franchises to buy back players who were part of their 2025 WPL squads, with a cap of five RTMs per team.

Depending on the number of retained players, the corresponding deductions from the purse will be: INR 9.25 crore for five players, INR 8.75 crore for four, INR 7.75 crore for three, INR 6 crore for two, and INR 3.5 crore for one.

The number of RTMs available will vary accordingly – franchises retaining fewer players will have more RTMs at their disposal. Teams using all five retentions will forfeit the RTM option entirely. The final date for WPL mega auction player registration is November 18, while the final list of players in the auction will be released on November 20.

Understands that India’s win in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup could have a late impact on WPL teams’ player retention strategies.

“A few franchises may have a relook at their retained players list to accommodate the ones who did well for India in winning the trophy. The same goes for a few overseas players who did well in the World Cup,” further said sources.

Malappuram (Kerala), Nov 3: The Kerala government has once again stirred public excitement and controversy with Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman asserting that Argentine football legend Lionel Messi will play in India next year.

According to the minister, the state has received a new email from the Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirming that the G.O.A.T player Messi and his team will visit India in March.

“Two days ago, we received an email from the AFA team confirming their visit to Kerala in March,” Abdurahiman said.

He added that the match was initially planned for November but had to be deferred due to infrastructural issues at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

However, this fresh claim has drawn widespread skepticism, with critics recalling the earlier unfulfilled promise of Messi’s visit.

The absence of any official agreement or confirmation from the AFA has led to questions about the government’s credibility and the procedures followed in organising what is billed as a major international sporting event.

The Opposition and sports enthusiasts have also raised concerns over why the Kochi stadium was partially dismantled for “renovation” despite the lack of a signed deal.

With no documented terms, the government is now under pressure to clarify who the sponsors are, what the contractual commitments were, and whether due diligence was observed.

Adding to the controversy, it has emerged that the sponsors involved in the initiative have alleged links to the notorious Muttil tree felling case despite the government’s previous assurances that it would not engage with tainted entities.

As anticipation mixes with disbelief, many are demanding transparency and official documentation to substantiate the minister’s claim.

For now, Messi’s supposed Kerala appearance remains more of a political talking point than a confirmed sporting event, a story that continues to keep football fans across the country guessing and critics on edge.

If the world cup winning team led by Messi lands on Kerala’s soil, the timing of the visit will add a feather to the cap of the now beleaguered Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is caught in a few scams which the Congress-led UDF is playing up. More importantly by then Kerala will be at the peak of election campaigning fever for the Assembly polls.