DRS December 20: Sanju Samson better than Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma to play VHT and Rishabh Pant to captain Virat Kohli

It was yet another eventful day in cricket on Friday as India added yet another series win to their name after defeating SA 3-1 in the series. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant are all set to return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy after a long gap and will take part in at least a couple of games before IND vs NZ ODIs. Meanwhile, Brisbane Heat completed the highest run-chase in the history of the Big Bash League. In other news, the India squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 will be announced on Saturday. On that note, let’s take a look at the top headlines from Friday (December 19).

Samson > Gill

Sanju Samson wasted no time in proving that he is a better opener for the team in T20Is than Shubman Gill in the IND vs SA 5th T20I. raced to 37 runs off 22 deliveries, striking 4 fours and 2 sixes during his knock. Such was the elegance and class displayed by the Kerala keeper-batter that former India head coach Ravi Shastri couldn’t help but wonder why he was not in the playing XI automatically and instead was acting as an injury replacement. Read more here.

History created in BBL

It was match 6 of BBL 2025-26 between Brisbane Heat and Perth Scorchers, and the former went on to chase down a massive 258 runs in their stipulated 20 overs; courtesy of tons by Matt Renshaw and Jack Wildermuth. That means, the duo took Heat to the highest successful chase in the history of the tournament, surpassing the previous best by Adelaide Strikers in 2023 (230) vs Hobart Hurricanes. Read more here.

Rishabh Pant to captain Delhi

Rishabh Pant has been named the skipper for the Delhi side, in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy which starts on December 24. As revealed earlier by multiple reports, veteran Virat Kohli is also part of the squad for the first two matches. Now the big question is, till when will both Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli play, since the IND vs NZ ODI series starts on Jan 11 in Vadodara. Check full squad here.

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Rohit Sharma in VHT

Rohit Sharma is confirmed to play at least two games in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as Mumbai announced their squad on Friday. This comes after reports cited chief selector Sanjay Patil claiming that the veteran, along with 3 others, won’t be named in the side initially. Rohit will not only return to VHT but will also use it as a preparation stage for the IND vs NZ ODIs. Read more here.

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KKR to go on sale?

Kolkata Knight Riders are reportedly exploring a minority stake sale ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) season. This decision of the three-time champions comes after the current owners of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) have expressed interest in selling stakes for their franchises ahead of 19th edition of the cash-rich league. Read more here.

SKY fails again

Suryakumar Yadav’s miserable run in T20Is continues as he finishes 2025 without a single fifty to his name. On Friday, the batter was dismissed for just 4 runs in the IND vs SA 5th T20i at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in what was India’s last game in this year. With the T20 World Cup 2026 just over a month away and SKY failing consistently, India have a big headache. Read more here.

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