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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Teenager Samra Swaps Snowy Canada For Mumbai Heat With IPL Dream Y uvraj Samra honed his batting skills in indoor stadiums back home in snowy Canada and the gifted teenager is now ready to test himself in the heat of Mumbai as he chases an Indian Pre- mier League deal after an impressive Twenty20 World Cup. The 19-year-old became the youngest centurion in a T20World Cup match last week when he made a scorching 110 off 65 balls, a knock that included 11 fours and six sixes, during his team’s eight-wicket defeat to New Zealand. While hisWorld Cup adventure ended after Canada’s exit, Samra is eager to get used to Indian conditions and has shifted base to Mumbai to train under India inter- national Yashasvi Jaiswal’s childhood coach Jwala Singh. “I want to practise on turf wickets, especially on Mumbai wickets as it’s not easy to bat on them. If I can bat well here, I can bat on any wickets,” Samra told reporters, noting that he did not have similar opportuni- ties back home. “It’s minus 20 degrees Celsius and it snows for like six months there. It’s tough playing indoors all the time.” Samra, born in Ontario and named after India great and fellow left-hander Yuvraj Singh, is eager to impress scouts from the 10 teams in cricket’s most lucrative franchise league and break new ground. “I want to be in the IPL as its first Canadian and I want to play as much franchise cricket as I can around the world,” Samra said. While there is no shortage of elite T20 leagues around the world, players from the associate members of global governing body the International Cricket Council often struggle to secure deals. The limited opportunities are not restricted to franchise cricket, with international matches against full members few and far between, affecting players’ chances to compete. “It’s hard to compete against nations like New Zea- land and South Africa because we play these teams once every two to four years,” Samra said. “If we play teams like these in smaller series through- out the year, I feel we can become a better team.”. -Reuters By Suramya Kaushik PHOTO: instagram.com/yuvraajsinghsamra/ Yuvraj Samra Blitzer Joins Bidding War For Indian Premier League Cricket Teams, Sources Say B illionaire David Blitzer is eyeing a majority stake in an Indian Pre- mier League cricket team and is holding talks with two franchises, two sources said, stoking a bidding war with Manchester United co-chairman Avram Glazer and Indian tycoons. Blitzer, co-founder of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, is conducting due diligence on Royal Challengers Ben- galuru and Rajasthan Royals, two sources with direct knowledge of the discussions confirmed. The talks value Royal Challengers Bengaluru, last year’s IPL champions, at around $1.8 billion, three sources said. Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Raj- asthan Royals declined to comment. Avram Glazer, co-owner of Premier League soccer club Manchester United and owner of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buc- caneers, has also submitted initial bids for both the IPL teams, according to five sources familiar with the matter. Blitzer did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The growing interest in IPL franchises is driven by rising team revenues and the Twenty20 league’s record valuation, which investment bank Houlihan Lokey put at $18.5 billion last year. Global investors KKR and Blackstone are among others competing for a stake; KKR is evaluating both teams, while Blackstone has shown interest in Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Reuters reported last week. TALKS ONGOING FOR FORMING CONSORTIUMS Diageo’s India arm launched a stra- tegic review of its 100% holding of the Bengaluru franchise in November, label- ing the team “non-core” to its primary alcohol business. Rajasthan Royals are majority owned by London-based ven- ture capitalist Manoj Badale. Diageo declined to comment, while Badale did not respond to Reuters’ que- ries. A stake in the IPL would further diversify Blitzer’s global sports portfolio, which includes stakes in all five major North American professional leagues, with holdings including the NBA’s Phila- delphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Blitzer’s family office, BOLT Ventures, has progressed to the second round of negotiations for both IPL teams, and is conducting “serious work” as he weighs a move for either franchise, one source close to the negotiations said. Both Glazer and Blitzer are in talks with investors and debt providers to form consortiums to secure a majority stake in one of the two teams, four sources added, without naming the other parties. INDIAN TYCOONS ALSO INTERESTED The deadline for final bids is set for mid-March, sources said. The next IPL season starts on March 26, and will feature 84 matches played in the cricket- mad nation over two months. Any deal requires approval from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the world’s richest cricket board. Raine Group is advising the Rajasthan Royals; Citigroup is managing the process for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Both Raine Group and Citigroup declined to comment. Royal Challengers Bengaluru reported revenue of $56 million for 2024-25, a 73% increase over a three-year period. Raj- asthan Royals recorded a 136% revenue jump over the same period. The continent-spanning bidding war also includes Adar Poonawalla, CEO of vaccine maker Serum Institute of India, who has said he will make a “strong and competitive bid” for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Indian billionaire and Manipal Educa- tion and Medical Group chairman Ranjan Pai is also eyeing a stake in the Bengaluru team, two sources familiar with the mat- ter said. Pai did not respond to a request for comment by Reuters. -R euters PHOTOS:REUTERS/AMIT DAVE/FILE PHOTO Cricket – Indian Premier League – IPL – Final – Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Punjab Kings – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India – June 4, 2025 Royal Challengers Bengaluru players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Indian Premier League. Sports News India Times (February 28, 2026 - March 6, 2026) March 6, 2026 27 By Amy-Jo Crowley and Vibhuti Sharma