The Pakistan spinner, Usman Tariq, has mocked the Australia all-rounder, Cameron Green, in a social media post after the latter appeared to accuse the spinner of chucking during the second T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The hosts sealed a crushing 90-run win after the visitors got rolled for 108 runs in 15.4 overs, with all ten wickets falling to spin. 

During the 11th over of the run chase, Green miscued a wide delivery from Usman Tariq towards the point region, dismissed for 35 runs to leave the Australians in trouble at 6/76. Upon returning to the dugout, the right-handed batter mimicked a baseball throw, which seemed to be accusing the Pakistan spinner of chucking.

See Also: Watch: Jatin Sapru trolls PM of Pakistan Shahbaz Shariff post India’s victory in IND vs NZ 5th T20I  

Tariq, on the next morning, appeared to poke fun at Green by uploading footage of a crying child to Instagram, captioning the post with ‘after getting out’ alongside a laughing emoji. Tariq’s bowling action is unorthodox. After pausing at the point of delivery, coming to a halt, he produces the off-breaks with a slinging action and pronounces a bend in his arm.

Usman Tariq reacts to Cameron Green on Insta post 

Under the regulation of the ICC, a bowling action is called illegal if a player’s elbow extends by more than 15 degrees during the delivery stride, which starts from the point where the bowling arm reaches horizontal until the ball is released. Any natural elbow hypertension is discounted when it’s being assessed for legality.

Usman Tariq's Instagram story. 😂 pic.twitter.com/F0ICAYvcE9

— Sheri. (@CallMeSheri1_) February 1, 2026

Tariq has twice been reported for a suspected illegal action while being part of the Quetta Gladiators during the 2024 and 2025 seasons of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). On the very first occasion, he was reported by the umpires, Asif Yaqoob, and later by Richard Illingworth, while last year, he was cited by the match officials, Ahsan Raza and Chris Brown.

“I do have two elbows in my arm. My arm bends naturally. I have got this tested and cleared. Everyone feels I bend my arms and all that. My bent arm is a biological issue.” Tariq expressed his opinion on his bowling action.

Brief Scores: Pakistan 198/5 (Salman Agha 76, Usman Khan 53, Adam Zampa 1/27) beat Australia 108 (Cameron Green 35, Abrar Ahmed 3/14) by 90 runs.

There are so many calls of the Pakistan off-spinner, Usman Tariq, chucking, and during the second T20I of the three-match series against Australia, the latter’s all-rounder, Cameron Green, complained of that after he got dismissed for 35 runs in 20 balls at a strike rate of 175, with the help of one boundary and a couple of sixes.

The Incident took place on the fifth delivery of the 11th over during the second innings when Tariq paused and went for a fullish delivery with a low release-action as Cameron Green shaped to go over the mid of our extra cover region and ended up slicing it in the air of the outer edge.

See Also: Watch: Abhishek Sharma flicks Kyle Jamieson for massive six during IND vs NZ 5th T20I

The ball only went sky high in the air before Sadaq Khan settled himself and grabbed a simple catch at backward point. While going back to the dressing room, the Australian batter copied the bowling action of Tariq to their dressing room, where he used his hand to show that the spinner was perhaps chucking the delivery, which is against the ICC’s rule book.

Cameron Green unhappy with Usman Tariq's chucking in Lahore T20I vs Pakistan 

Earlier in the game, Pakistan posted a massive score of 198 for the loss of five wickets in their allotted 20 overs as their captain, Salman Ali Agha, smashed a strong knock of 76 runs in 40 balls, with the help of eight boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of 190.

Watch the video here: 

Cameron Green crying over the bowling action of Usman Tariq. 🤣

- The so called most expensive player of IPL.

pic.twitter.com/1B3vdMmxSU

— Salman. (@TsMeSalman) January 31, 2026

Their most veteran batter and the former captain, Babar Azam, failed for two runs at number 4 before the wicket-keeper batter, Usman Khan, blasted a decent knock of 53 runs in 36 balls at a strike rate of nearly 150, which was recorded with four boundaries and a couple of sixes.

In reply, the visitors got bundled out for just hundred and eight runs in 15.4 overs, losing the contest by 90 runs as Green ended up being their highest leading run getter individually in the scorecard with 35 runs. Usman Tariq picked up two wickets for 16 runs in his 2.4 overs, while Abrad Ahmed ended with three wickets for 14 runs in his three-over spell.

Brief Scorecard: Pakistan 198/5 (Salman Ali Agha 76, Usman Khan 53, Adam Zampa 1/27) beat Australia 108 (Cameron Green 35, Abrar Ahmed 3/14) by 90 runs.

Australia has made significant changes to their squad ahead of the Boxing Day Test against England in the 2025-26 Ashes series. Steve Smith will captain the team, filling in for Pat Cummins, who will not play due to workload management, and Nathan Lyon is unavailable because of injury (hamstring). As Australia has already retained the Ashes, the selectors were able to concentrate more on player fitness and balance going into the final stages of this series.
Pat Cummins was omitted as a "precaution" due to back problems that have been affecting him recently. Although he played in the 3rd Test at Adelaide, the team management opted not to take the risk of putting him under further strain. Similarly, Nathan Lyon will not play again in this series following a hamstring injury sustained during their last match. Reports say that Lyon will have to have surgery and will miss a significant amount of time from competitive cricket.
Australia has boosted their pace attack due to the absence of Cummins and Hazlewood by bringing back fast bowler Jhye Richardson, who is fully fit after getting cleared by his medical team. Todd Murphy has also been selected to provide off-spin cover in place of Matthew Kuhnemann and Corey Rocchiccioli based upon the strength of his performance in the Tests and being able to replicate the right-handed off-spin of Nathan Lyon.

Also Read: BBL 2025-26 Match 10: STR vs STA head-to-head, pitch report & predicted playing XIs

Richardson and Murphy Return as Australia Focus on Depth

Todd Murphy, who recently made his Test debut, has taken 22 wickets in just seven Tests at an excellent average. His calmness and consistency have made the selectors feel confident about using him as the replacement for Nathan Lyon through the Melbourne Test because of Murphy's past experience performing well in difficult conditions.

The return of Jhye Richardson is yet another positive for the Australians, as the quick has taken 11 wickets for the Test matches he has played (3) with an excellent average. His pace and control provide additional variety to the bowling unit while also providing much-needed support to both Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland.

Australia will be captained by Steve Smith in the Boxing Day Test, his third time captaining Australia during this Ashes series, having missed the Adelaide Test due to illness. Smith has returned to form and fitness and joins a team that includes Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Cameron Green, and Alex Carey, thus ensuring that Australia will have a very strong and well-balanced team for the all-important Melbourne Test.

Australia squad for fourth Test of Ashes 2025-26

Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

The IPL mini-auction delivered a major twist for three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders, who were unable to bring back Venkatesh Iyer. The left-handed batter was snapped up by defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 7 crore. Iyer had earlier been bought by KKR for INR 23.75 crore before the 2025 season. His poor form in the last IPL played a big role in KKR letting him go before the retention deadline.

Even so, KKR did not give up easily at the auction table. The franchise kept increasing the bid and went as high as INR 6.8 crore. When the amount touched INR 7 crore, KKR decided not to continue. That final call allowed RCB to secure the player and brought an end to Iyer’s long spell with KKR.

KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar later spoke about the situation and confirmed that the team wanted Iyer back. He explained that the management felt other teams were holding money for different players. Because of that, KKR believed they might be able to re-sign him at a lower price.

Cameron Green Pick Explains KKR’s Auction Strategy

Speaking to JioHotstar, Nayar said, “Venkatesh Iyer has been a franchise player for us from the start. We tried to get him back. We felt other teams were saving money for different players, so we thought we could get him at a lower price.” He also pointed out that Iyer suited KKR’s setup well. According to him, the all-rounder gave the team valuable balance and flexibility. He further added, “He is experienced and fits our setup, giving us flexibility. We tried, but RCB always seems to go after our players. This year, they got him. Venkatesh has been phenomenal for us over the years, and I wish him all the best in his new IPL journey.” The coach’s words showed respect and appreciation for Iyer’s contribution. He made it clear there was no bitterness over the outcome.

See Also: IND-W vs SL-W 1st T20I: Head-to-head, pitch report and predicted playing XIs

While missing out on Iyer, KKR made headlines by signing Cameron Green for INR 25.20 crore. This deal made Green the most expensive player in IPL history, going past Mitchell Starc. Explaining the move, Nayar said, “I can’t say how high we were willing to go for him, but we wanted to go all out. If we have the money, we spend it. There was no point in saving the money.” He added, “The idea was to do whatever we could to get Green because he is a very important player for us. With Andre Russell gone, we need someone to take the franchise forward. So, we decided we must have Cameron Green.” Along with Green, KKR also added Matheesha Pathirana, Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, and Rachin Ravindra to strengthen their squad.

Talking about IPL 2026, KKR is going to be led by Ajinkya Rahane. After being eliminated from the playoffs in the previous season, the team hopes that their aggressive strategy in the auction really makes a difference in their favor. With a refreshed squad and new leadership options, KKR will aim to return to the top when the tournament begins on March 26.

Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani has revealed why the team briefly raised its paddle for Cameron Green during the IPL 2026 auction — even though they knew they could not afford him.

Green eventually became the most expensive overseas player in IPL history, with Kolkata Knight Riders buying the Australian all-rounder for ₹25.20 crore, the third-highest bid ever in the league.

The auction turned into a big battle. Rajasthan Royals dropped out around ₹13 crore. Then Chennai Super Kings pushed the price past ₹20 crore, bidding up to ₹25 crore. Finally, KKR won with the last bid of ₹25.20 crore.

Also Read -Watch: Babar Azam fails again in BBL 15 against Adelaide Strikers

Mumbai Indians bidding for Cameron Green till 2.40cr with 2.75cr purse. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/dC5S3vcact

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 16, 2025

Mumbai Indians’ Symbolic Bid for Cameron Green

Mumbai Indians briefly entered the bidding for Cameron Green, even though they knew they could not afford him.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, MI owner Akash Ambani said the move was symbolic.

“A little bit of homage to him," he said. “His first IPL team was the Mumbai Indians. We knew he was out of our purse this auction, but just to tell him that we value him, he’ll still be in our thoughts. And whenever Cam Green is in the auction, our paddle will go up for him."

Read More -“This is a blessing for Bangladesh” – Bangladesh cricketers celebrate Mustafizur Rahman’s historic IPL 2026 deal with Kolkata Knight Riders

Green’s IPL Journey and MI’s Auction Strategy

Green started his IPL journey with MI and later played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In the 2023 and 2024 seasons, he scored 707 runs in 29 matches at an average of 41.58 and a strike rate over 153, including a century and two fifties. He also took 16 wickets. Injury kept him out of last season’s auction.

Ambani expressed satisfaction with MI’s overall auction strategy, even though they had their lowest purse in 19 years.

“Very satisfied with the team we have," he said. “It was a different challenge — I don’t think we’ve had this kind of auction in 19 years. But it shows how balanced we were. We only needed to fill a couple of gaps."

After five underwhelming seasons, Ambani sounded hopeful.

“Hopefully, this is the year. We believe it’s a complete and competitive squad."

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made big news at the IPL 2026 mini-auction in Abu Dhabi by spending heavily on Australian all-rounder Cameron Green. KKR bought Green for ₹25.20 crore, which made him the most expensive overseas player in IPL auction history. With this signing, KKR showed that they are serious about making a strong comeback after a poor season last year.

Cameron Green is 26 years old and is known for his power hitting and useful fast bowling. KKR management believed he was the missing player in their team. The franchise also strengthened their bowling by signing Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana for ₹18 crore, adding more speed and aggression to their attack.

KKR also made smart buys for adding depth to the team. They selected the New Zealand batsman Finn Allen for the price of ₹2 crores at the base price and invested ₹3 crores on the uncapped Indian batsman Tejasvi Singh. Before the IPL auction, KKR held onto the reliable set of players such as Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakravarthy.

See Also: IPL Auction 2026: Full squad and new bought players for Punjab Kings

Kolkata Knight Riders Bought Players at IPL 2026 Auction

Cameron Green (₹25.20 crore), Matheesha Pathirana (₹18 crore), Mustafizur Rahman (₹9.2 crore), Tejasvi Singh (₹3 crore), Finn Allen (₹2 crore), Rachin Ravindra (₹2 crore), Tim Seifert (₹1.5 crore), Akash Deep (₹1 crore), Rahul Tripathi (₹75 lakh), Kartik Tyagi (₹30 lakh), Prashant Solanki (₹30 lakh), Sarthak Ranjan (₹30 lakh), Daksh Kamra (₹30 lakh).

Kolkata Knight Riders Full Squad for IPL 2026

Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Matheesha Pathirana, Mustafizur Rahman, Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Rahul Tripathi, Tejasvi Singh, Akash Deep, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra.

Cameron Green became the most expensive overseas player in the history of the Indian Premier League as soon as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) raised their paddle for INR 25.20 crore in the IPL 2026 auction on Tuesday. 

Cameron Green was the topic ahead of the auction because of his all-round abilities. Speculations turned true when the auctioneer announced his name. There were multiple interests for the young Australian all-rounder. Mumbai Indians was the first bidder in the room, with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as another contender to rope in the player. But soon, KKR hijacked the show, as they had the largest purse in the room. With a whopping amount of INR 25.20, KKR confirmed Cameron Green in their squad for the IPL 2026 season. 

Soon, after the intense bidding war, KKR released a video of Green, where fans can hear the first few words from the Aussie cricketer after breaking the records. He is super excited to join the team and can't wait for the moment to play at the Eden Gardens in front of KKR supporters. 

Read More: Who is Ashok Sharma who was sold to Gujarat Titans at Rs 90 Lakhs in IPL 2026 auction?

Watch the first video of Cameron Green after joining KKR for IPL 2026 season 

First words from our 🆕 Knight 🎙️😍 pic.twitter.com/Qmg80QksXj

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) December 16, 2025

"Hello KKR friends, this is Cameron Green. I'm very excited to be a part of the Kolkata team this year. I'm very excited to be at Eden Gardens and be a part of the atmosphere there. See you soon." Green certainly won the hearts of Kolkata fans by saying, "Ami KKR!" in Bengali.

Green's T20 stats are pretty impressive as an all-rounder. The emerging star has 1334 runs in 57 innings at a strike rate of 151.07 with the help of eight half-centuries and one century at the best score of an unbeaten 100 to go with 28 wickets under his belt. 

In the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions, we have witnessed numerous huge bids that have stunned the cricket world. We have experienced something spicy in every IPL auction, while the recent auctions produced some record-breaking bids that put the marks in the list of the most expensive IPL players. 

Most expensive players in the history of IPL

Rishabh Pant (INR 27 Cr)

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant created history when Lucknow Super Giants bought him for INR 27 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction. Without a doubt, Pant was selected as the captain of the team then, while the previous captain, KL Rahul, had already been released. 

Shreyas Iyer (INR 26.75 Cr)

The IPL 2024 winning captain Shreyas Iyer became the most expensive player in IPL auction history when Punjab Kings secured the Indian cricketer for INR 26.75 crore during the mega auction for IPL 2025. However, in that same auction, Rishabh Pant broke that record. 

Cameron Green (INR 25.2 Cr)

Australian all-rounder Cameron Green now holds the record for the most expensive player in IPL mini-auction history as well as the Cameron Green sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for this price during IPL 2026 auction. In the mini auction for the IPL 2026, the three-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders bought Green for INR 25.20 crore. 

Mitchell Starc (INR 24.75 Cr)

Before Cameron Green, Australian left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc held the record for the most expensive overseas player in IPL auction history, which was also then the most expensive buy in IPL auction history, when Kolkata Knight Riders won the bid for him for INR 24.75 crore during the IPL 2024 mini auction.

See Also: Venkatesh Iyer sold to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for this price in IPL 2026 auction

Venkatesh Iyer (INR 23.75 Cr)

In the IPL 2025 mega auction, the Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer was successfully bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 23.75 crore. From 2021 to 2025, he served for KKR before Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured him ahead of the IPL 2026 season. 

There was a massive anticipation around the Australian all-rounder, Cameron Green, ahead of the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi. Many predicted that the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Chennai Super Kings, both of whom had the biggest purses in the bidding war, would be up against each other for the auction, and the same picture took place.

Cameron Green, who has smashed 707 runs in IPL history at a strike rate of 153.69 with the help of two half-centuries and one century, including his 452-run campaign in 2023 at a strike rate of 160.28, saw his bidding started at INR 2 crore by the Mumbai Indians before the Rajasthan Royals joined the party for INR 2.20 crore.

See Also: Watch: Know Izaz Sawariya whom Punjab Kings recommend to add in IPL 2026 auction

The inaugural champions of the event continued a fierce battle with the Kolkata Knight Riders for a long time. Neither looked eager to leave the player as the KKR won the small bidding war till INR 13.40 crore, when the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) joined the party and stretched it till INR 25 crore.

Cameron Green sold to KKR for INR 25.20 crore in IPL 2026 auction

But the Kolkata side had the last laugh as their next bid of INR 25.20 crore became the last bid for the all-rounder, who will now spend most of his time at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the IPL. He can offer at least three overs to the team besides batting at the top or middle order of the line-up.

Green has also been a successful campaigner in the T20s with 1334 runs in 57 innings at a strike rate of 151.07 with the help of eight half-centuries and one century at the best score of unbeaten 100 runs, besides picking up 28 wickets at an economy rate of just over nine.

Despite the massive price, Green will only get INR 18 crore from the auction, with the rest of the INR 7.20 crore going to the IPL governing council fund. It’s the new rule that has been set by the tournament committee.

The final countdown to the IPL 2026 auction has begun. Ahead of the event, Star Sports hosted a mock auction to give the cricket fans an idea about what is going to happen in the acution, which will begin at 2:30 PM IST on Tuesday, December 16. 

Alligning perfectly with the hype on social media platfroms, Australian all-rounder Cameron Green got the record deal. For INR 30.50 Cr, Green joined roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), as it was expected before. After spending the staggering amount for the Aussie pace bowling all-rounder KKR bought experenced England opener Jonny Bairstow for only INR 2.5 Cr. 

Among the Indian players, it was the spinner Ravi Bishnoi who received the maximum amount from the mock auction. Ravi Bishnoi sold to Rajasthan Royals (RR) for 11.5 cr. Before concluding the programme, Indian pacer Navdeep Saini also joined RR for 1.75 Cr. 

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On the other side, there were some star overseas players who remained unsold during the mock auction. No buyers for Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, while star Indian batters Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan got lucrative deal-  2.75 Cr and 7 Cr respectivly. All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer went to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for INR 6 Cr. 

Notable players who get teams in IPL mock auction arranged by Star Sports: