Virat Kohli On Fire, Harshit Replaced And Khawaja In PSL- March 25 Cricket Highlights

Virat Kohli and Harshit Rana [Source: AFP]

Virat Kohli struck an enterprising cameo in an intra-squad RCB match before IPL 2026. Harshit Rana has been replaced by the KKR franchise by another Indian fast bowler. In other news, former Australian opener Usman Khawaja is set to join the PSL 2026 roaster for the Rawalpindi Pindiz franchise.

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 Wednesday, March 25.

KKR replace Harshit Rana with Navdeep Saini for IPL 2026

The KKR franchise has signed up Indian fast bowler Navdeep Saini for the upcoming IPL 2026 season. After going unsold at the auction, Saini has joined KKR as a replacement of fellow Indian paceman Harshit Rana. It is worth that Rana was ruled out of the entire IPL 2026 season owing to an injury he suffered prior to the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup last month.

Navdeep Saini last played an IPL match back during the 2023 edition of the tournament for the Rajasthan Royals. He has played just 32 IPL matches so far in his career.

Virat Kohli smashes 45 off just 19 before IPL 2026

Virat Kohli clubbed 45 runs off just 19 balls in an intra-squad practice match for the RCB franchise. Batting at the iconic M. Chinnasawamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 25, i.e., just a couple of days prior to the launch of the IPL 2026 season, the legendary Indian batter maintained a staggering strike rate of above 236 in his innings.

Also Read- Watch- Virat Kohli Hints At New Role For RCB In Latest IPL 2026 Preparations

Kohli’s thunderous knock indicates that the 37-year-old is aiming to maintain a blistering strike rate and dictate terms from the outset in IPL 2026.

James Vince opts out of PSL 2026 for Peshawar Zalmi

Attacking England batter James Vince has opted himself out of the PSL 2026 season, as per reports. The 35-year-old will not be available for the entire tournament, at least as per a team sheet shared by Peshawar Zalmi. 

It is worth noting that Vince opted out of the tournament just a day after fellow English batter Ben Duckett made himself unavailable. Duckett, however, pulled out of PSL 2026 to focus on his Test revival after a dismal Ashes series in Australia.

Usman Khawaja joins PSL 2026 for Rawalpindi Pindiz

Former Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has been roped in by the Rawalpindi Pindiz franchise for the upcoming PSL 2026 season. Khawaja will be replacing England-based attacking wicketkeeper-batter Laurie Evans. While Pindiz has not confirmed the exact reason behind Evans’ unavailability, the franchise simply dropped an update that the ex-Australian opener will be joining their PSL 2026 squad instead.

Khawaja, aged 39, confirmed his retirement from international cricket just a couple of months ago after winning the 2025-26 Ashes series for Australia. He will be making his return to the PSL lore after a gap of over five years, having last played for the Islamabad United franchise back in 2021.

Jasprit Bumrah set to play for Mumbai Indians after CoE update

Jasprit Bumrah recently made a visit to the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru ahead of the upcoming IPL 2026 season. Visiting the center for his strength and conditioning, the legendary Indian fast bowler has been allowed to play the opening match of IPL 2026 for the Mumbai Indians franchise.

The speedster has been playing non-stop cricket off late, which included the entire 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

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