DRS Nov 11: Pakistan to pull out of Champions Trophy, no MS Dhoni, Pant at CSK & India leave for BGT

November 10 saw quite a few developments take place as far as the cricketing world is concerned. We woke up to the news of Phil Salt wreaking havoc with a century before Pakistan did the unthinkable and beat Australia 2-1 in an ODI bilateral series. We saw Lockie Ferguson take a hat-trick to seal the deal for New Zealand. Team India, on the other hand, succumbed to a defeat against South Africa, despite Varun Chakaravarthy’s superb bowling show. Amidst all this, the ICC Champions Trophy news kept on coming, with rumours circulating that Pakistan might pull out of the tournament if ICC decides it host at another country. In other news, CSK CEO talked about Rishabh Pant’s potential transfer at the IPL 2025 auction. Will he play alongside MS Dhoni? Only time will tell. On that note, here are six of the most eye-catching news from November 10, Sunday.

MS Dhoni-Rishabh Pant

The highly anticipated pairing of Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni in IPL 2025 seems unlikely. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan hinted that signing Pant would deplete their squad, given their remaining purse of Rs 55 crore. CSK prioritizes retaining key players, having already spent heavily on Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, and Matheesha Pathirana. Viswanathan stated, “We knew retaining these players would limit our auction purse… we won’t be able to compete for top Indian players.” Pant’s potential CSK move, speculated after Delhi Capitals’ release, now appears improbable.

Pakistan threatens to boycott the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy after India refused to tour the country. The BCCI cited government restrictions as the reason for their decision. It was earlier today as well when ICC cancelled a pre-tournament event originally planned for November 11 in Lahore, which was set to mark the 100-day countdown to the ICC Champions Trophy. The PCB is also expected to seek the intervention of the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee and could go take legal notice.

1st Indian batch off to Australia

The Indian cricket team’s first batch has left for Australia, ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Akash Deep were spotted at Mumbai airport on Sunday. Notably absent were Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who’s expected to miss the initial part due to personal reasons. Jasprit Bumrah will lead the team in Rohit’s absence. The second batch will depart on Monday. The likes of KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, and others are already in Australia, having played the unofficial Test series against Australia A.

South Africa beat India despite Chakaravarthy’s menace

Team India endured a rare defeat in T20Is as South Africa won the second T20I by three wickets in Gqeberha. Tristan Stubbs and Gerald Coetzee finished off a tricky run-chase after Varun Chakaravarthy wreaked havoc. The KKR retained spinner danced the Protea batters on his tunes and took 5/17. However, the Indian pacers squandered the chase. Earlier, India were restricted to just 124, with Hardik Pandya playing a slow knock and Sanju Samson getting out for a duck.

KL Rahul sold to RCB for Rs 20 cr?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans overwhelmingly want KL Rahul back on the team for IPL 2025. In a mock auction, fans were willing spent ₹20 cr to sign Rahul, who was released by Lucknow Super Giants. Rahul, who began his IPL career with RCB, is touted to return to his local franchise. With RCB seeking a new captain after Faf du Plessis’ release, Rahul’s batting and leadership skills make him an ideal fit. RCB has retained only three players: Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal, ahead of the November 24-25 auction in Jeddah. This means they will be having purse to lure KL back at “home”.

From Ravi Ashwin to fans…

Ravichandran Ashwin has urged fans to show empathy amidst harsh criticism following India’s historic 0-3 Test series loss to New Zealand at home. In a YouTube video, Ashwin addressed disheartened fans, emphasizing that players feel defeat’s pain more deeply. He expressed disappointment at criticism targeting individual performances and the team’s struggles against spin. “No one can hurt as much as a player in the dressing room,” Ashwin said, stressing that “character assassination” is unfair. This loss marks India’s first home Test series defeat since 2012 and first-ever whitewash in a three-plus match series.