![Virat Kohli and UAE squad [Source: AFP, @EmiratesCricket/x]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1769790052291_ViratKohliandUAE.jpg?type=hq)
Virat Kohli and UAE squad [Source: AFP, @EmiratesCricket/x]
The Instagram account of former Indian captain Virat Kohli got deactivated and re-activated again in a major social media scare. The UAE named its 15-player squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. In other news, the ICC has announced the list of all match officials for the showpiece event next month.
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 Friday, January 30.
UAE name squad for T20 World Cup 2026, Waseem to lead
UAE Cricket unveiled UAE’s 15-player squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka next month. Muhammad Waseem will continue to lead the national side, and he will be accompanied by fellow senior pros and star performers like Alishan Sharafu, Junaid Siddique and Aryansh Sharma among others.
The UAE cricket team is set to return to the T20 World Cup lore through the upcoming edition after a gap of nearly four years, considering they failed to qualify for the 2024 event in the West Indies. The first match of the UAE team in the upcoming tournament will be played against New Zealand on February 10 in Chennai.
Virat Kohli’s account deactivated, and activated again!
In a major social media scare, the Instagram account of legendary Indian batter Virat Kohli got deactivated. Several fans perceived the deactivation of Kohli’s account to be a hint of his cricketing retirement. As it turned out, the account merely faced technical glitch as it got activated again after a few hours.
Notably, Virat Kohli’s Instagram account has over 270 million followers, making him the most popular Asian personality on the file-sharing app, and one of the most followed overall in the world.
Bangladesh permits journalists to travel to India for T20 World Cup 2026
The Bangladesh government has allowed its journalists to travel to India next month to cover the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, as confirmed by their Youth and Sports Ministry Secretary Mahbub Ul Alam. However, the government also advised the journalists to travel at their own risk, stating that any decision of India travel will entirely rest with the journalists themselves.
Earlier this month, the BCB and the Bangladesh government decided to pull the Bangladesh team out of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup in India citing sudden “security concerns”.
ICC announce list of officials for T20 World Cup 2026
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the list of all match officials for the upcoming 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Andrew Pycroft was one of the referees confirmed for the tournament, while veterans Kumar Dharmasena and Wayne Knights will be officiating in the opening match between Pakistan and Netherlands as on-field umpires.
The six referees named for the 2026 T20 World Cup are Dean Cosker, David Gilbert, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagal Srinath. The ICC named 24 umpires overall for the showpiece event, including Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nitin Menon, Sam Nogajski among several others.
Sajeevan Sajana grabs a stunner vs Gujarat Giants in WPL
Sajeevan Sajana plucked a sensational catch against Gujarat Giants in match 19 of the WPL 2026 season. Stationed at midwicket by her Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Sajana moved to her left and lunged forward to send Giants opener Beth Mooney packing back to the pavilion.
Sajeevan Sajana’s fielding brilliance helped Shabnim Ismail remove Mooney as Mumbai Indians struck with the first wicket inside the powerplay. The Giants went on to chart a competitive 167-4 later in the innings courtesy of attacking 40s from captain Ashleigh Gardner and Georgia Wareham.
