CRICKET NEWS

The Rajasthan Royals team notched their first win of the IPL 2025 as they beat five-time champions Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati on Sunday. The 2008 IPL champions are known as a side who always punches above its weight and it has reflected in their game too. While Jaipur is RR's first-choice home ground, this year the side has chosen Guwahati as its second home-ground. There was no shortage of support for RR in Guwahati, especially with home boy Riyan Parag leading the side in the initial matches. Bollywood actor Malaika Arora was also present in Guwahati in RR jersey watching the game against Chennai Super Kings. She saw the game with RR Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara . Social media users were surprised to see her in RR colours.  Malaika Arora after yesterday's win to me in my dreams: ‘I am a huge fan of Rajasthan Royals, especially Sanju Samson —he is one of my favorite players from Rajasthan. I have been supporting them since 2008. It was a really good way to sta...

The last season of the IPL was a revolutionary one, witnessing an unprecedented domination of bat over ball- there were record totals, sixes galore and the run-rate soared higher and higher like never before. There was mayhem in the powerplay with teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders redefined batting in the first six overs - incidentally, they were the two finalists last season. The 2025 edition has also started with a bang and if the first week is anything to go by, the bar has already been raised by the batters. We look at the early trends and numbers that define the first week in IPL 2025.  Note: All numbers updated till end of Match 10  Run-Rate at an all-time high  If the batters scaled K2 last season, they seem set to trek Mount Everest in IPL 2025! The collective run-rate in the first 10 matches this season is a stunning 9.91, a few notches higher than the 9.53 at the same point last year. There has been some outstanding hitting already in ...

Ben Stokes is not expected to play in the early rounds of the County Championship as he battles to be fit to lead England, his Durham coach Ryan Campbell said on Monday. The 33-year-old Test captain is recovering from hamstring surgery after breaking down in New Zealand in December, his second hamstring tear in five months. But the all-rounder is not yet ready for action in the four-day domestic championship, which starts on Friday. England host Zimbabwe in May, with a five-Test series against India to follow. Later in the year they head to Australia for a five-match Ashes series. Durham have six matches in the top tier of the County Championship before the Zimbabwe Test. Campbell, who is also without England quicks Brydon Carse (toe) and Mark Wood (knee), made it clear no risks would be taken. "When you look at Carse, Stokes and Wood, at this stage they're probably not likely to play for us. My expectation is that it'll be zero -- anything else is an added bonus,...

Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad blamed their poor starts and fielding lapses as key reasons behind their six-run defeat to Rajasthan Royals in the IPL on Sunday, marking their second consecutive loss. Nitish Rana's blistering 36-ball 81, combined with Wanindu Hasaranga's four-wicket haul, powered Rajasthan Royals to a hard-fought win at the Barsapara Stadium. Chasing 183, CSK lost Rachin Ravindra for duck while Rahul Tripathi got out after the power play as they finished at 176/6. They had lost their last match at home to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, a first in 17 years. “We haven't been getting good starts, but once we do, things will be different,” Gaikwad admitted at the post-match presentation. “We also conceded 8-10 extra runs through misfields, and that's something we need to improve.” Gaikwad's valiant 63 anchored the chase, but with wickets falling at regular intervals, CSK couldn't cross the line. On batting at No. 3, the CSK captain expla...

Nitish Rana smashed a blistering 36-ball 81, while leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga starred with a four-wicket haul as Rajasthan Royals (RR) opened their account with a hard-fought six-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL in Guwahati on Sunday. Promoted to number 3, left-handed Rana dominated the CSK bowlers, hitting 10 boundaries and 5 sixes en route his scintillating knock but Royals struggled towards back-end just about manage a par-score of 182 for 9. CSK, who had never successfully chased a target over 180 since 2019, faltered again, managing 176 for six in the allotted overs. The chase was built around skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad's 63, but it wasn't enough as CSK succumbed to their second consecutive loss. The legend of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's last over finishes in IPL is fast becoming a story of yesterday as he failed to muscle Maheesh Theekshana and Sandeep Sharma. Chasing 183, CSK found themselves at 5/1 in the first three overs, with Jofra Archer star...

MS Dhoni was dismissed on the first ball of the final over as Chennai Super Kings slumped to a 6-run loss against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025 on Sunday. Dhoni looked in good touch as he scored 16 off 11 balls with the help of one four and one six. With 20 runs needed off the final over, all eyes were on Dhoni but the veteran India wicket-keeper batter was caught in the deep as the fans were left disappointed. It was a low wide full toss from Sandeep Sharma and Dhoni went for the big one but the ball went straight to Shimron Hetmyer at deep mid-wicket who made no mistake. Wanindu Hasaranga 's brilliance derailed Chennai Super Kings' chase as Rajasthan Royals sealed a six-run win in an IPL match on Sunday. Shimron Hethmayr today you silenced the realm of MS Dhoni. #cskvsRR #msdhoni #CSKvsRR pic.twitter.com/hlwuaFuKKm — Immanuel Rudhrakshan (@immanrudhra9066) March 30, 2025 Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad led CSK's fightback with a 44-ball 63 (7x4, 1x6), but Hasaranga...

Mumbai Indians' bowlers had a challenging time on Saturday but managed to restrict Gujarat Titans to below 200 in an IPL 2025 match in Ahmedabad. While skipper Hardik Pandya turned up the heat, there were occasions when MI fielders were found wanting. One such occasion was when an overthrow resulted in five runs. It happened when Sai Sudharsan pulled one off   Deepak Chahar . But Naman Dhir 's throw created a chance of a run out at the non-striker's end. The throw, however, missed the stumps. To add to the woes, there was no one to back up as the ball raced to the boundary.    The act left Sunil Gavaskar , commentating on Star Sports, fuming. "That's absolutely terrible cricket. No wonder Deepak Chahar is not happy, it (the five runs) goes against his name!” Gavaskar said. Sai Sudharsan showcased his growing stature with a composed 63, but a Hardik Pandya-inspired Mumbai Indians fought back brilliantly in the backend to limit Gujarat Titans to a par 196/8 in an...

Having spent his first five Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons primarily as a finisher, Riyan Parag experienced a breakthrough campaign in 2024. Elevated to No. 4 in the batting order, he emerged as Rajasthan Royals' leading run-scorer, playing a pivotal role in their journey to the playoffs. This season, Parag has been handed an even greater responsibility, moving up to No. 3 as Rajasthan Royals aim to maximize his potential. Head coach Rahul Dravid has hailed him as one of their best batters. However, his start to IPL 2025 has been modest, with scores of 4 and 25 in RR's opening two matches. Sunday's clash against Chennai Super Kings presents his final opportunity to register a significant score on his home ground, as Guwahati will host RR's last match of the season. "That's the right word to use, that he's promoted," Dravid said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo. "Look, Riyan is one of our best batters, let's be honest. And we want to give h...

Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar felt that his bowlers grabbing three crucial wickets during the Power Play overs of Chennai Super Kings' chase was the game-changing moment in their 50-run win in the IPL in Chennai on Friday. Josh Hazlewood (3/21) dismissed CSK opener Rahul Tripathi and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad while Bhuvneshwar Kumar sent Deepak Hooda back as the home side were reduced to 30 for 3 at the end of six overs while chasing 197. "It was game-changing because we got two-three wickets in the first six overs. Amazing to see how they kept it on the hard length because the ball wasn't coming on to the bat easily," Patidar said at the post-match presentation. "This track was pretty helpful for spinners, so, I was just keeping it in my mind that I could use my spinners at the early stage. Especially Livingstone, the way he came in and bowled four overs was incredible." Patidar, who was also adjudged player of the match for his 51 off 32...

Skipper Rajat Patidar's fortuitous fifty received excellent support from an unerring set of bowlers as Royal Challengers Bengaluru snapped a 17-year winless streak at Chepauk with a huge 50-run victory over Chennai Super Kings in Chennai on Friday. Having fought their way to a competitive 196/7, RCB applied the perfect squeeze on CSK with early strikes and the five-time winners crumbled without any resistance, making 146/8. CSK's defeat to RCB in the "Southern Derby" in their own "Anbuden" (Den of Love) was their first since the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008. The value of the victory could have gauged from the wide smile on the face of old warhorse Virat Kohli, the only one man in this RCB line-up who was part of that distant 2008 victory. RCB's win came courtesy a heady mix of orthodox game of giving it all with the bat and stifling the opposition with regular wickets. But the Royal Challengers also had to thank CSK's shocking lack of g...

The BCCI is likely to announce its central contract list in the next few days. According to reports, the BCCI is set to convene a meeting on Saturday with BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and India head coach Gautam Gambhir in attendance. There will be a lot of intrigue surrounding big names like Virat Kohli , Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja . The veteran trio now play only two formats after having retired from  T20s following the 2024 T20 World Cup win.  If a TOI report is to be believed India's ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and allrounder Ravindra Jadeja will continue to be place in the A+ category of central contracts - the highest level among central contracts. The trio, along with Jasprit Bumrah , will be retained in the category, according to sources, said the report.  The report further claimed Shreyas Iyer , who was dropped from the BCCI central contracts for the 2023-24 season for not playing domestic cricket, is set to be back. Wicketkeeper I...

  Shardul Thakur 's four-wicket haul and a sensational display of power-hitting from Nicholas Pooran set up a five-wicket win for Lucknow Super Giants over Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL match on Thursday. Shardul continued his dream comeback returning with figures of 4/34 to help LSG restrict a power-packed SRH to 190 for nine before Pooran (70 off 26; 6x4s, 6x6s) displayed his 360 degree hitting skills. Pooran shared quick-fire match-winning 116 runs for the second wicket with Marsh (52 off 31) to help LSG chase down the target in 16.1 overs. With it LSG registered its first win of IPL 2025 and climbed to the second spot in the IPL 2025. As far as Orange Cap, LSG's Nicholas Pooran became the highest run-scorer with a tally of 145. LSG's Shardul Thakur is the highest wicket-taker with six scalps. LSG didn't have the best start to their chase as they lost Aiden Markram early. But thereafter, it was the effortless hitting from Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran th...

Shardul Thakur continued his dream comeback with a four-wicket haul to help Lucknow Super Giants restrict a power-packed Sunrisers Hyderabad to 190 for nine in an IPL match on Thursday. Opting to bowl, Shardul (4/34) gave LSG a fiery start, removing Abishek Sharma and last match centurion Ishan Kishan in consecutive balls in the third over. Shardul sent packing Sharma with a short delivery before getting Ishan Kishan caught behind off an innocuous delivery down the leg side. Travis Head (47 off 28), however, looked in ominous form as he took the attack to the opposition and used his brute power to deal in boundaries and sixes. Shardul Thakur, after the innings ended, opened up on not getting picked up by any team in the IPL 2025 mega auction. Thakur only joined LSG after Mohsin Khan was ruled out due to injury.  "I feel all these things happen in cricket. It was a bad day for me in the auction (I didn't get picked by any franchise.) LSG was the one who approached me first...

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra was full of praise for Shreyas Iyer 's innings of unbeaten 97 off 42 balls in Punjab Kings' 11-run victory over Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2025 opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Chopra highlighted Iyer's ability to dominate the middle overs, particularly against spin, calling him India's best batter in that phase of the game. “It was just clean, crisp hitting—especially against spin. I believe he is the best Indian batter in the middle overs when it comes to taking down spinners. While most batters rely on stepping out to generate momentum before hitting over the top, Shreyas doesn't need to. This makes it incredibly difficult for bowlers to predict his next move," Chopra said on JioHotstar. Iyer's dominance was on full display as he expertly tackled Gujarat Titans' bowling attack, particularly against their spin duo of Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore . He dismantled Sai Kishore with two more boundaries immediately...

South Africa's Quinton de Kock struck an unbeaten 97 as holders Kolkata Knight Riders registered their first win of the IPL season with an eight-wicket hammering of Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday. Spinners Moeen Ali and Varun Chakravarthy combined to help restrict Rajasthan to 151-9 after KKR elected to field first in Guwahati. De Kock bossed the chase with his 61-ball innings laced with eight fours and six sixes as Kolkata achieved their target with 15 balls to spare. He handed his team a quick start, hitting two fours but then lost opening partner Moeen, run out for five. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane fell after a brisk 18 but De Kock stood firm and along with impact substitute Angkrish Raghuvanshi , who made 22, steered the team home in an unbeaten stand of 83. De Kock finished with a six off Jofra Archer as Kolkata bounced back from their opening loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Rajasthan suffered their second straight loss. IPL 2025 Updated Points table: Earlier, Kolka...

Quinton de Kock struck a magnificent 97 not out on a tacky Barsapara wicket, anchoring Kolkata Knight Riders' chase to perfection as they secured a dominant eight-wicket win against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL clash on Wednesday. Opting to bowl, KKR's disciplined bowling attack, led by their spin duo Varun Chakravarthy (2/17) and Moeen Ali (2/23), restricted Rajasthan Royals to a below-par 151/9. In response, De Kock remained 97 not out from 61 balls, his knock laced with eight fours and six sixes, as KKR comfortably chased down the target in 17.3 overs. They get off the mark in #TATAIPL 2025 A comprehensive show with both bat and ball for the defending champions @KKRiders in Guwahati Scorecard https://t.co/lGpYvw87IR #RRvKKR pic.twitter.com/4p2tukzLau — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 26, 2025 Despite the challenging nature of the surface, De Kock displayed controlled aggression, timing the ball beautifully while ensuring KKR's chase remained on track. The ...

Indian batter KL Rahul's teammates in the Delhi Capitals (DC), including skipper Axar Patel, welcomed his newborn daughter, posting a heartwarming video on social media. The official X handle of DC celebrated the "extension" of the DC family in style, welcoming the baby with coach Hemang Badani, Skipper Axar Patel, mentor Kevin Pietersen, Tristan Stubbs and Jake Fraser McGurk being among those in the video making the cradling gesture to welcome KL's baby with wife and Bollywood actress Athiya Shetty. In the video, the song 'Meri Duniya Tu Hi Re' from the 2007 Akshay Kumar starrer 'Heyy Babyy' was used. The song is sung by Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Shankar Mahadevan. Our family extends, our family celebrates pic.twitter.com/lqX9g2x2wU — Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) March 25, 2025 KL and Athiya have become parents to a baby girl. Athiya, on Monday evening, took to Instagram and announced the arrival of her daughter with a cute post. She posted a paint...

Shreyas Iyer shone with an unbeaten 97 as Punjab Kings beat Gujarat Titans by 11 runs in their Indian Premier League match on Tuesday. Chasing 244 to win, Gujarat Titans fought hard to make 232 for 5 but the target proved to be beyond their batters despite Sai Sudharsan making 74, Shubman Gill hitting a quick 33 and Jos Buttler scoring 54. Sherfane Rutherford also played a quick knock of 46 but his effort was not enough.  The win saw Punjab Kings begin their campaign with a win . They are third in the points table. SunRisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings are the other teams in the top four. Earlier in the first innings, Shreyas Iyer missed out on a maiden IPL century but his 97 not out off 42 balls (9 sixes, 5 fours) and Shashank Singh's 44 not out off 16 balls (6 fours, 2 sixes) helped Punjab Kings post 243 for 5. Sai Kishore was the pick of the bowlers for Gujarat Titans with 3/40 but the home team bowlers generally struggled to ke...

Two of the greatest cricketers of their generation, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli share a camaraderie that isn't hidden from anyone. Kohli made his debut under 'captain' Dhoni and also experienced some of his biggest achievements under his guidance. Both led their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises too for a long time but head into the 2025 season without the leadership load on their shoulders. In an interview, Dhoni shared the essence of his relationship with Kohli, even explaining why he wouldn't reveal the text he had sent the batting maestro when he stepped down as India's Test captain. Kohli has often spoken about Dhoni being the only cricketing personality who texted him when he decided to quitthe  Test captaincy of the Indian team. When Dhoni was asked about the same in an interview with JioHotstar, he said that he would talk about the relationship he has with Virat but not that message. "I will talk about the relationship, not the message....

After Ashutosh Sharma 's late carnage of unbeaten 31 balls 66 helped Delhi Capitals edge out Lucknow Super Giants by one wicket in the IPL 2025 fourth match at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, skipper Rishabh Pant admitted that his team LSG felt the pressure as they lost control of the match but credited Ashutosh and Vipraj Nigam for their crucial partnership that turned the game in their favour. Chasing 210, DC had a terrible start, losing three wickets for just eight runs. The situation worsened when Faf du Plessis and Axar Patel , who had steadied the innings, were also dismissed, leaving DC at 85 for 5. The required run rate kept climbing, and the match seemed to be slipping away. "I think the runs were enough on the board. The batters batted really well. We may have lost the momentum in the middle but I think that was a pretty good score on this wicket. Definitely as a team we are looking to take positives from every match and learn from it. I ...

Delhi Capitals found a new hero in Ashutosh Sharma, who singlehandedly left Lucknow Super Giants gobsmacked and sealed a narrow one-wicket win for his side in the ongoing Indian Premier League on Monday. The crowd at Visakhapatnam was on a rollercoaster ride they hardly anticipated. They sat on the edge of their seats, witnessed the nerve-wracking events, and slowly fathomed what 26-year-old Ashutosh had achieved at the end as DC completed its biggest run-chase in the cash-rich league. From being down and out at 65/5, Ashutosh played the decisive role in a game where the pendulum swung in favour of both sides. He put on a show for cricket lovers across the globe, stayed till the end, struck the winning six and returned with a match-winning unbeaten 66(31). Despite lining up with a depleted pace attack, the Super Giants rattled DC early, who were in pursuit of a herculean 210-run target. Shardul Thakur pegged Jake Fraser-McGurk cheaply on the third ball of the second innings. Abishek ...

Perhaps, 2024 was a year that Ishan Kishan would like to forget in a hurry. Or perhaps not. The 26-year-old's story of redemption is way more compelling than his stylish 45-ball-century on his Sunrisers Hyderabad debut in the IPL against Rajasthan Royals here on Sunday. "The nervousness was there. Looking at the team, Pat (Cummins) and the coach gave me a lot of confidence. The environment is so calm. I just enjoyed my time in the middle," Kishan said after collecting his Player of The Match trophy for his maiden IPL ton. Around this time last year, Kishan was dropped from the central contracts as national selectors and BCCI top brass felt that he had no time for Ranji Trophy. From being among the top three keeper-batters in the country alongside Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, Kishan was not even in the periphery, left behind to learn a lesson or two. Suddenly he had a lot of time and by his own admission, it was well spent. "I had a lot of time, I was practising...

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cruised to victory over reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the opening game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. KKR managed a total of just 174, which was chased down by RCB with ease, in just 16.2 overs. A big contribution to KKR's total was made by West Indies star Sunil Narine , who slammed 44 off 26 balls. However, there was a contentious hit-wicket call against Narine, which was not given by the umpire. During his knock, RCB were suddenly left intrigued when the bails abruptly fell. It appeared to be Virat Kohli who brought attention to the fact, and replays showed that Narine might have knocked them over with his bat. "How did the bails fall off," Kohli can be seen asking RCB wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma . "I don't know, I wasn't paying attention. My eyes were on the ball," Jitesh replied. There also appeared to be a half-hearted appeal from RCB's new skipper Rajat Patidar , but n...

It is that time of the year again. It is time for the biggest showdown in cricket. It is time for the most extravagant tournament of the year. The 18th edition of the prestigious Indian Premier League (IPL) got underway at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday with defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The 2024 edition saw unprecedented domination of the bat - run-rates soared, there was a deluge of fours and sixes, 250-plus totals were chased down and there was carnage in the powerplay and death overs! What does IPL 2025 have in store? Can SRH blast their way to the title this season? Will MI make a comeback and are Capitals the Dark Horse? What is ailing CSK and how are LSG and Titans placed this year? Destructive SRH start favourites SRH again have the firepower in batting to blast their way past opposition units this season. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were the most destructive opening pair last season and ...