Daily brief of Bharat-centric happenings and beyond!
Published at 8PM IST on 2025-12-16.
Good evening, and welcome to the news. Let's get straight to tonight's headlines.
First, a look at developments from the IPL 2026 mini auction held in Abu Dhabi today. Several players secured lucrative deals. Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka has earned his maiden IPL contract, acquired by the Delhi Capitals for ₹4 crore. Also making his IPL debut is Australian all-rounder Cooper Connolly, who will join the Punjab Kings for ₹3 crore. Notably, Nissanka recently impressed against India in the Asia Cup, scoring a century in Dubai. The Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans engaged in a bidding war for West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder, ultimately with Gujarat Titans securing him for ₹7 crore. Holder, previously unsold in the last two IPL auctions, previously represented the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023. Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana has become the most expensive Sri Lankan player in IPL history, acquired by the Kolkata Knight Riders for a significant ₹18 crore. Chennai Super Kings, acknowledging Pathirana’s talent, posted a message wishing him well, stating, "May you continue to inspire younger generations, Pathi!"
In other sports news, West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein’s twelve-year-old tweet expressing his admiration for Ravindra Jadeja has gone viral after Jadeja’s current team, the Chennai Super Kings, acquired Hosein for ₹2 crore. Former Team India captain Anil Kumble has praised the Delhi Capitals' acquisition of South African batter David Miller for ₹2 crore, calling it “an absolute steal” and a “genius move” to add experience to their squad.
Turning to national politics, a rather unusual situation has unfolded in West Bengal. TMC councillor Surya Dey staged a protest at a crematorium near Kolkata, claiming he has been declared 'dead' in the state's draft electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision. He demanded officials come to the crematorium to formally cremate him, alleging the issue isn't a simple clerical error. The Election Commission has published the draft electoral rolls, revealing that a substantial number of names have been removed. West Bengal’s electorate has been reduced from 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore after 58,20,898 names were excluded. Similarly, in Rajasthan, 41.85 lakh names have been removed from the draft rolls, as confirmed by state Chief Electoral Officer Naveen Mahajan