Not Kohli, Dhoni or Tendulkar, THIS World Cup-winning star India cric…

Former India pacer and mentor of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise Zaheer Khan has found a new role and this time in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Zaheer has become co-owner of one of LPL’s most successful franchise – Jaffna Kings – Stockholm-based global sports ownership group Anchor Sports AB completed the acquisition. The Kings have won the LPL title a record four times so far.

Zaheer, who claimed 311 wickets in 92 Tests and 282 wickets in 200 ODIs for Team India, was part of the ODI World Cup 2011 title-winning team with Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar. He had also served as the team mentor of Sanjiv Goenka’s LSG team till IPL 2025 and also served as Head of Cricket Development with Mumbai Indians.

Following the acquisition, the franchise have officially been rebranded as ‘Anchor Jaffna Kings’, marking the beginning of a new chapter under their new ownership. Zaheer joins Anchor Sports owner Nagendra Siddoutam as co-owner as the group continues to expand their presence in global franchise cricket. amunra.help

The acquisition adds another prominent cricketing name to the Lanka Premier League, with Zaheer bringing decades of international experience to a franchise that has set the benchmark in the competition. Jaffna have won four LPL titles in five completed seasons and are once again among the frontrunners this year, sitting in the top two of the points table with four wins from six matches under the captaincy of Bhanuka Rajapaksa.

Zaheer Khan enters cricket ownership!

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The former India pacer is now a co-owner of the Jaffna franchise in the Lanka Premier League, with the team officially rebranded as Anchor Jaffna Kings under new ownership.

A new chapter begins for one of the LPL’s most successful… pic.twitter.com/UwgPy44sGP

— Third Man View (@3rdManView) August 5, 2026

Welcoming the new ownership, Anil Mohan Sankhdhar, Founder and CEO of Innovative Production Group (IPG), the official rights holder of the Lanka Premier League, said: “We welcome Anchor Sports on board and to the LPL family as they take over the iconic Jaffna franchise. Jaffna has been a legendary team in the six-year history of the league, winning four championship titles and setting the benchmark for excellence. We are confident that Anchors Sports will build on this remarkable legacy, bring fresh vision and energy to the franchise and continue to elevate the standard of the Lanka Premier League. We look forward to an exciting new chapter for Jaffna and wish the new ownership every success.”

Zaheer Khan, Co-owner of Anchor Jaffna Kings, said: “I’ve always admired the calibre, innovation and variety of bowling talent that comes out of Sri Lanka, it’s a country I’ve visited, competed in, and hold very fond memories of. To now be part of Sri Lankan cricket as an owner is something I’m genuinely thrilled about, and I can’t wait to get started with the Anchor Jaffna Kings.”

The acquisition further expands Anchor Sports’ international portfolio, which includes the Antwerp Anchors in the European T20 Premier League and the Vancouver Anchors men’s and women’s teams competing in Canada’s Super 60 League.

Samantha Dodanwela, Tournament Director of the Lanka Premier League, said: “Having an owner of Zaheer Khan’s calibre involved with the Anchor Jaffna Kings is a real boost for the league. The mentorship and direction he can offer our young Sri Lankan players will be enormous, and we’re excited to see that experience passed on both on and off the field.”

Exactly two years ago, in the very same month of August, Arshad Nadeem stunned the world. With two throws of over 90 metres in six attempts in Paris, he dethroned Neeraj Chopra and created a massive stir. While Neeraj had to settle for silver, Arshad won Olympic gold for Pakistan, in what was perhaps the greatest moment in the country’s sporting history.

Two years later, Arshad is struggling. He has been unable to produce anything of note and is clearly an athlete trying desperately to rediscover his touch. It is reflective of a deeper crisis in Pakistan sport – a crisis that now appears all-pervasive. Their men’s and women’s cricket teams are a pale shadow of what they once were. The hockey team, once a formidable force, has lost its sheen. Arshad is a pale shadow of the athlete we saw in Paris, and there is little else to celebrate.

On the day of the javelin qualifiers, a Pakistani journalist walked up to Arshad and, during an interview in the mixed zone, asked him to introduce himself to the viewers. Imagine an Indian journalist asking Neeraj to introduce himself before answering a question. Arshad is arguably Pakistan’s greatest-ever athlete – an Olympic gold medallist, for goodness’ sake. If he has to introduce himself while competing at the Commonwealth Games, there is something seriously wrong with the country’s sporting ecosystem.

I am conscious that I will be criticised for writing this piece and told off by some in Pakistan because I am an Indian. But I am not writing this as an Indian journalist. I am writing it as a sports analyst. The truth is that, in Paris, Arshad left us all in awe. It was one of the finest performances of the Games, and watching him throw beyond 93 metres was extraordinary. The subsequent decline has been equally striking.

What makes Neeraj the athlete he is, however, is his consistency and longevity. He has been at the top level for seven or eight years and, apart from the World Championships in 2025, has reached the podium every single time. That is what sustained excellence looks like, and it is where both Arshad and Pakistan are currently falling short.

If we look at cricket, Pakistan are no longer the team they once were. While we continue to build up the India-Pakistan contest, deep down we know that India would probably win 95 out of 100 matches – and win comfortably. It is no longer the rivalry it once was, and that is not a good sign for world cricket.

The women’s team is in an even more difficult position. Apart from Fatima Sana, who is world-class, and perhaps Muneeba Ali, there is little to suggest they can consistently challenge the leading sides. With Arshad on a downward trajectory, there is very little left to celebrate in Pakistan sport. The hockey team were comprehensively beaten by India in the Pro League, and that reality should not be lost on anyone. While Neeraj is on a comeback trail and once again finished on the podium in Glasgow, Arshad did not even make the top eight in the final.

Perhaps it is time for some genuine introspection and soul-searching. Otherwise, the same story is likely to play out at the Asian Games a month from now.

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New Delhi [India], August 5 (ANI): India has included Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Tanush Kotian and Vipraj Nigam among their net bowlers ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle from August 15 onwards.

As per the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Indian batters, who have had their share of struggles against spin at home, have ramped up their preparation against the tweakers in spin-friendly Sri Lankan conditions by adding four spinners to their net bowlers line-up.

“Update: Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Tanush Kotian and Vipraj Nigam have joined the Indian squad as net bowlers to assist the team in the build-up to the first Test against Sri Lanka," said BCCI’s statement.

Harsh, a slow left-arm orthodox spinner, had made his Indian debut during the ODI series against Afghanistan, taking four wickets in two matches. He had made his way into the Indian side after promising performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), taking eight wickets in eight matches at an average of 28.50 and a solid domestic season before that for Vidarbha.

24-year-old Shivang, a left-arm wrist spinner, had also been a regular for SRH in the IPL this year, taking nine wickets in 13 matches at an average of 41.66 and, like Harsh, is a very handy lower-order batter. Recently, he has shown solid performances in the MP T20 League, scoring 194 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 176.36 with a half-century and taking seven wickets.

Tanush, 27, a right-arm off-break bowler, is a proven performer for Mumbai in the domestic circuit, with 131 wickets in 44 first-class matches at an average of 27.48, with eight four-fers and three five-wicket hauls to his name. He has also made 2,168 runs in 65 innings with two centuries and 17 fifties at an average of 42.50.

Lastly, Vipraj Nigam, a right-arm leg-break bowler, has been a part of the Delhi Capitals (DC) camp in the IPL for past two seasons, with 13 wickets in 19 matches and is also a handy batsman down the order.

In the tri-nation series against Sri Lanka in the 50-over format after the IPL, Vipraj delivered promising performances with seven wickets in five innings, with an economy rate of 5.38 and scored 116 runs in four matches, with a half-century to his name.

The two-match Test series will get underway with the opening game at the Galle International Cricket Stadium from August 15 to 19, before the teams move to Colombo for the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club from August 23 to 27.

India’s ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the series as he has not fully recovered from the left knee injury he sustained during the ODI series against England.

The Men’s Selection Committee has included Aquib Nabi in the squad as Bumrah’s replacement.

India are also grappling with multiple injury concerns ahead of the series, with Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy sidelined due to hamstring and quadriceps injuries, respectively.

Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the opening Test with a hamstring issue, while Akash Deep remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from stress reactions in his back.

The series will form part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. Led by Shubman Gill, India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship standings, having registered four wins and four losses in nine matches, with a Points Percentage (PCT) of 48.150.

India’s squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka is: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain and Auqib Nabi.

*Subject to fitness clearance. (ANI)

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