County finances warning, Kuldeep to Yorkshire, Lalit Modi gets legal relief — cricket digest 23 Jul 2026

· Cricombo Editorial

County report warns Hundred windfall is widening the gap between rich and poor

A new Leonard Curtis Cricket Finance Report has warned that county cricket’s financial divide is set to grow, even after last year’s £520m Hundred equity sale. The report says Surrey, Lancashire, Hampshire and Warwickshire generated 53% of the combined revenue across the 18 first-class counties (£134m out of £253m), while the seven counties that host Hundred franchises (excluding MCC) all sit in the top 10 for financial viability.

Sussex were flagged as a particular concern after an operating loss of £1.33m in 2025, a wages-to-revenue ratio of 58% and net debts of close to £4m, raising questions about their ability to keep together the squad that finished fourth in last season’s top flight. The report also introduced a Digital Footprint Index (with Surrey’s Instagram reach of 228,000 bigger than the bottom five combined) and England Player Development Rankings for 2015-2026, led by Yorkshire, Warwickshire and Surrey.

Kuldeep Yadav signs for Yorkshire across One-Day Cup and late-season Championship run-in

Kuldeep Yadav will make his first county appearance after agreeing a two-part deal with Yorkshire: five One-Day Cup matches from July 24 to August 2, then a return in September for the club’s final three County Championship fixtures. The split stint comes either side of India’s two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in August, which Kuldeep is expected to be involved in.

Yorkshire said the left-arm wristspinner adds strength for the closing stages of a dry summer, and Kuldeep spoke of the appeal of English conditions. He becomes the fifth Indian to represent the county after Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Cheteshwar Pujara and Mayank Agarwal.

Lalit Modi says he plans India visit after tribunal sets aside IPL 2009 forex penalties

Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi said he is “looking forward to coming back to India” later this year or early next year after receiving legal relief in the long-running 2009 IPL South Africa foreign-exchange case. The Appellate Tribunal under SAFEMA set aside key penalties imposed by the Enforcement Directorate against Modi and other former BCCI officials.

The tribunal held the remittances were current-account transactions not requiring prior RBI approval, and ruled Modi was not responsible for ensuring the BCCI’s compliance with FEMA. Modi, who has lived in London since leaving India in 2010 amid multiple investigations, said he would continue to be based there while visiting India from time to time.

India push for quick adaptation in Zimbabwe as Iyer looks to end winless run

India captain Shreyas Iyer urged his side to “adapt as soon as possible” ahead of the T20I series against Zimbabwe, with several players arriving from England less than 48 hours before the opener in Harare. Iyer said the defeats in Ireland and England had served as a “reality check”, and called for sharper awareness and execution in unfamiliar conditions.

He also asked the group to play without fear of failure and not get dragged into outside noise after the recent results. Iyer, winless after seven straight matches as T20I captain, said the tough spell and an injury setback last year had helped him learn quickly and grow in confidence.

Kusal Mendis ruled out of LPL with hamstring injury; Kamindu to captain Colombo Kaps

Sri Lanka white-ball captain Kusal Mendis has been ruled out of the remainder of the Lanka Premier League after suffering a right hamstring injury while attempting a run during Colombo Kaps’ win over Kandy Royals on July 19. Sri Lanka Cricket said he will return to the National High Performance Centre to begin rehabilitation.

Kamindu Mendis will lead the Kaps for the rest of the tournament. The timing is a concern for Sri Lanka with a two-Test home series against India starting on August 15, though there is no confirmation yet on how long Mendis will be sidelined.

In brief

  • Phil Salt’s unbeaten 47 guided Welsh Fire to a six-wicket win over Southern Brave after Brave posted 135 for 7 in the Hundred men’s competition.
  • Southern Brave beat Welsh Fire by eight runs in the Hundred women’s competition after Fire lost five wickets for six runs in a late collapse.
  • Jack Hope-Bell and Alex Horton struck centuries as Glamorgan beat Sussex by 12 runs in their One-Day Cup opener, after a 240-run sixth-wicket stand turned the game.
  • Leicestershire edged Gloucestershire by two wickets with 10 balls to spare in the One-Day Cup, with Ben Cox and Ruan de Swardt steering a tense chase of 236.
  • Zimbabwe recalled Wessly Madhevere and Newman Nyamhuri and handed wicketkeeper-batter Tafadzwa Tsiga a first T20I call-up for the home series against India.
  • Zimbabwe head into the India T20Is looking to press an India side still searching for the right combinations under Shreyas Iyer.
  • Vaibhav Sooryavanshi said he remains confident despite “several ups and downs” ahead of India’s T20Is in Harare, a ground where he previously made 175 off 80 balls in an Under-19 World Cup final.
  • India’s top-order options, Rinku Singh and the pace attack are among the main talking points as they begin the Zimbabwe T20I series after back-to-back defeats in Ireland and England.
  • India Under-19 were left needing one more burst after Lakshya Raichandani’s unbeaten hundred and Chigurupati Venkata’s three-for put Sri Lanka Under-19 317 behind with six wickets in hand.
  • Joe Root returned to the top ten of the ICC ODI batting rankings after England’s series against India, while Rohit Sharma moved closer to the top three; Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli stayed second and third behind No.1 Daryl Mitchell.
  • Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford took West Indies to a two-wicket win over New Zealand in a tense chase of 269 despite late strikes from Matt Duffy.
  • Rahmat Shah has replaced Hashmatullah Shahidi as Afghanistan’s ODI and Test captain after Shahidi resigned with immediate effect.
  • Sam Konstas, Campbell Kellaway and Kurtis Patterson were named in a 14-man Cricket Australia XI to play Bangladesh in a three-day Darwin tour match next month, with Corey Rocchiccioli also included.
  • Australia’s selectors are weighing whether to prioritise an Australia A four-day series in India over ODIs in southern Africa in September, with an eye on the next Border-Gavaskar tour.
  • Nicholas Pooran’s latest stint with MI London was the newest stop on a franchise circuit that has already taken him to MI teams in the UAE, South Africa and the United States.
  • Pakistan batter Abdullah Fazal’s rapid rise over the past two years has put him firmly in the frame as a long-term prospect ahead of the West Indies tour.
  • The World Test Championship 2025-27 series schedule continues to take shape, with updated series details listed.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo