Australia all-rounder Cameron Green became the most expensive overseas buy in Indian Premier League history, with a winning bid of 252 million rupees at auction on Tuesday.

Green’s name, in the first set of players in the auction in Abu Dhabi, triggered a bidding war with former champions Kolkata Knight Riders finally signing him for the 2026 edition.

The big money for Green surpassed the previous overseas record of 247.5 million rupees paid by Kolkata in the 2024 auction for Mitchell Starc.

But due to conversion fluctuations between rupees and US dollars — with India’s rupee falling to a record low of over 90 to the greenback this month — Starc’s value at the time was higher in dollars.

Green on Tuesday was bought for the equivalent of $2.77 million, compared to $2.98 million splashed out for Starc.

Green himself has a capped salary of 180 million rupees ($1.98 million) due to a new “maximum fee” rule, with the remainder going to the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

He becomes the third most expensive player in the IPL, after India’s Rishabh Pant (270 million rupees) and Shreyas Iyer (267.5 million rupees).

Green, 26, has scored 707 runs in 29 IPL matches for Mumbai Indians and defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

He missed the 2025 edition due to a back injury but is currently playing in the Ashes against England.

The auction witnessed a few surprises, including when Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk and England all-rounder Liam Livingstone went unsold. Their names could reappear later, if the franchises demand.

The business value of the IPL was estimated at $18.5 billion, according to US investment bank Houlihan Lokey

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In a pulsating Big Bash League (BBL) encounter at Ninja Stadium, Pakistan’s Shadab Khan delivered a standout all-round performance for Sydney Thunder, but it wasn’t enough to prevent defending champions Hobart Hurricanes from clinching a tense four-wicket victory with just one ball to spare.

Chasing 181, the Hurricanes reached 181/6 in 19.5 overs, sealing their title defence opener in dramatic fashion.

Shadab, making his debut for Thunder after switching from Hurricanes in the off-season BBL draft, showcased his versatility with both bat and ball.

Facing his former side, the leg-spinner contributed a brisk 34 off 24 balls (two fours and a six) lower down the order, helping Thunder post a competitive 180-6 after being sent in to bat.

His knock included a stunning six off Riley Meredith in the 19th over, creaming a near-yorker over deep point

Shadab’s partnership with Bancroft added crucial runs in the middle overs, but his dismissal in the final over – caught by Nikhil Chaudhary off Nathan Ellis – capped Thunder at 180.

With the ball, Shadab turned the game in Thunder’s favour during the chase, claiming 2-36 in his four overs.

Introduced in the sixth over, he bowled economically early on before striking twice in quick succession.

In the 13th over, he deceived Ben McDermott (38 off 24) with a well-disguised googly that crashed into the top of off stump, leaving the batter bamboozled.

Two overs later, Shadab enticed Rehan Ahmed into a miscued loft, caught by Bancroft at long-on.

These wickets reduced Hurricanes to 151-5, injecting life into Thunder’s defence as the required run-rate climbed.

Hurricanes’ chase started explosively, with Mitchell Owen smashing 32 off 14 (six fours and a six) in a 48-run opening stand.

Chaudhary’s 41 off 31 anchored the middle, but Thunder’s spinners – including Tanveer Sangha (1-26) and Chris Green (1-33) – applied pressure.

McDermott’s aggressive 38, featuring three sixes, kept Hurricanes on track until Shadab’s double strike.

The climax unfolded in the final overs, with Matthew Wade (25 off 16) and Chris Jordan (16 not out off 13) steadying the ship.

Daniel Sams’ penultimate over yielded 12 runs, including Wade’s six, but the last over – bowled by Sams – turned chaotic. A

no-ball high over Nathan Ellis’ head gifted extras, followed by dots and a reviewed non-wide. Ellis punched the winning run past the stumps in the 19.5th over, sparking celebrations.

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Formula One will return to Portugal’s Portimao circuit in 2027 and 2028 after the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort drops off the calendar.

Formula One announced a two-year deal in a statement on Tuesday.

The 4.6-km Algarve International circuit in the country’s south last hosted the Portuguese Grand Prix in 2020 and 2021, both seasons impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic with stand-in venues.

In 2020 seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton took his 92nd career win at Portimao, breaking the record previously held by Michael Schumacher. Hamilton also won in 2021.

“The interest and demand to host a Formula One Grand Prix is the highest that it has ever been,” said Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali, thanking the Portuguese government and local authorities.
The financial terms of the deal were not announced.

“Hosting the Grand Prix in the Algarve reinforces our regional development strategy, enhancing the value of the territories and creating opportunities for local economies,” said Economy Minister Manuel Castro Almeida.

Portugal first hosted a grand prix in Porto in 1958, with subsequent races at Monsanto and Estoril near Lisbon. The late Brazilian great Ayrton Senna took his first grand prix pole and win at the latter circuit in 1985.

Formula One announced last year that Zandvoort, a home race for four-times world champion Max Verstappen, would drop off the calendar after 2026.

The championship already features a record 24 races and Domenicali has spoken of European rounds alternating to allow others to come in.

Belgium’s race at Spa-Francorchamps is due to be dropped in 2028 and 2030 as part of a contract extension to 2031 announced last January.

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