RCB and India Women [Source: @Rajiv1841, @BCCIWomen/x]The RCB franchise has found new owners ahead of the upcoming IPL 2026 season. Rinku Singh has been appointed as new vice-captain of the KKR team. In other news, the BCCI has unveiled the entire India Women’s squad for the upcoming T20I series in South Africa. Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest cricketing news that emerged out of Tuesday, March 24. RCB gets new owners just before IPL 2026 The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise has now been sold to the consortium of Aditya Birla Group, US sports investors David Blitzer and US private equity firm Blackstone. The consortium blazed past competition from Manchester United co-owner Avram Glazer, as well as from Adar Poonawalla for acquiring the popular IPL franchise. Also Read- Watch- Virat Kohli Hints At New Role For RCB In Latest IPL 2026 PreparationsIt is worth noting that the United Spirits Limited put up the RCB franchise for sale mere months after lifting the IPL 2025 title last year. The team, under the leadership of Rajat Patidar, will start out the IPL 2026 season as defending champions. Rinku Singh named vice-captain of KKR for IPL 2026 The KKR franchise has named Rinku Singh as the new vice-captain of the team for the upcoming IPL 2026 season. The explosive middle-order batter was appointed for the high-profile role as a replacement for Venkatesh Iyer, who was ruled out of the franchise prior to the IPL 2026 auction last year. Rinku has been a part of the KKR set-up since the 2018 edition of the tournament. Interestingly, the hard-hitting radical also holds captaincy experience, albeit for the Uttar Pradesh team in Indian domestic cricket. Ben Duckett pulls out of IPL 2026 for Delhi Capitals England opening batter Ben Duckett has opted himself out of the upcoming IPL 2026 season. The blistering left-hander was acquired by the Delhi Capitals franchise for a sum of Rs. 2 crores at the auction late last year. However, Duckett has made the last-minute withdrawal in a bid to rediscover his Test form, especially after a dismal 2025-26 Ashes series in Australia. The 31-year-old will now be penalized by the BCCI for a period of two years, thus facing a similar ban as his national teammate Harry Brook did last year. Spencer Johnson replaces Nathan Ellis in CSK for IPL 2026 Australia fast bowler Spencer Johnson has been roped in by the CSK franchise for the upcoming IPL 2026 season. The speedster will be replacing fellow Australian paceman Nathan Ellis, who was ruled out of the tournament owing to an injury. Johnson played a handful of matches for KKR last year in IPL 2025, before getting released by the franchise prior to the IPL 2026 auction. Notably, the speedster himself will be making his return to the tournament after recovering from a back injury. Harmanpreet Kaur to lead India Women in South Africa The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has unveiled a 15-player India Women’s squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series in South Africa. Harmanpreet Kaur is set to continue as team captain, with prolific opener Smriti Mandhana set to reprise her role as vice-captain. The team also features several other star performers like Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma. The five-match T20I series will be played between April 17 and April 27 next month. The series will mark India Women’s first trip to the rainbow nation for a bilateral series since February 2018. Also Read- PSL 2026: Squads, Schedule, Time Table, Live Streaming, Teams, Venue
