MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faced Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 37 of the IPL 2023 edition on Thursday (April 27). The four-time winners' three-match winning streak came to an end as they lost to Sanju Samson's RR by 32 runs in a high-scoring clash at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur. RR opted to bat first and rode on Yashasvi Jaiswal's 77, Dhruv Jurel's quickfire 34 (15) and Devdutt Padikkal's 27* (13) to post 202 for 5. In reply, Chennai only managed 170 for 6 to lose by a convincing margin.

To the dismay of several Dhoni fans in the stadium, the CSK captain didn't come out to bat during his side's steep run-chase. Usually batting at No. 8 this season, the 41-year-old was expected to come out in the middle when CSK were reduced to 124 for 5 in 14.5 overs. While Shivam Dube (who top-scored with a 33-ball 52) kept Chennai in the hunt, Ravindra Jadeja and he couldn't find the ropes during the end overs as the required run-rate went past 15. Had Dhoni been there, he may have got CSK closer to the target -- as he did during the earlier face-off between both sides this season -- but the captain remained at the dugout in his side's chase.

Former Australia pacer Shaun Tait reacted to CSK's loss and Dhoni not coming out to bat. "Watching MS (Dhoni) sit on the boundaries when they need sixes... I was like, 'can someone get out?'"&nbsp;Tait said after the game on&nbsp;ESPNCricinfo.

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India's former wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta also echoed Tait's sentiments and said, “There's this fear factor when MS is batting. No matter whether he's (on) 40 or 50, no matter how good a bowler you are, you'd still be thinking, 'it's MS who's batting there'."

He added, "It (target) was quite a bit above par. The reason was the first six overs, gave too many runs, but at the same time the pitch was best to bat on at that time. Even when they were finishing the edges kept going for boundaries. They got par+ score and we were not able to stop the runs."

CSK slipped to the third spot in the points table as RR went on top after their comprehensive win. The Yellow Army will now host Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Sunday afternoon (April 30).

MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faced Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 37 of the IPL 2023 edition on Thursday (April 27). The four-time winners' three-match winning streak came to an end as they lost to Sanju Samson's RR by 32 runs in a high-scoring clash at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur.

MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faced Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 37 of the IPL 2023 edition on Thursday (April 27). The four-time winners' three-match winning streak came to an end as they lost to Sanju Samson's RR by 32 runs in a high-scoring clash at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur. RR opted to bat first and rode on Yashasvi Jaiswal's 77, Dhruv Jurel's quickfire 34 (15) and Devdutt Padikkal's 27* (13) to post 202 for 5. In reply, Chennai only managed 170 for 6 to lose by a convincing margin. To the dismay of several Dhoni fans in the stadium, the CSK captain didn't come out to bat during his side's steep run-chase. Usually batting at No. 8 this season, the 41-year-old was expected to come out in the middle when CSK were reduced to 124 for 5 in 14.5 overs. While Shivam Dube (who top-scored with a 33-ball 52) kept Chennai in the hunt, Ravindra Jadeja and he couldn't find the ropes during the end overs as the required run-rate went past 15. Had Dhoni been there, he may have got CSK closer to the target -- as he did during the earlier face-off between both sides this season -- but the captain remained at the dugout in his side's chase. Former Australia pacer Shaun Tait reacted to CSK's loss and Dhoni not coming out to bat. "Watching MS (Dhoni) sit on the boundaries when they need sixes... I was like, 'can someone get out?'" Tait said after the game on ESPNCricinfo. Also Read: Expected Virat Kohli to lead Team India in 2022 Birmingham Test in Rohit Sharma's absence: Ravi Shastri India's former wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta also echoed Tait's sentiments and said, “There's this fear factor when MS is batting. No matter whether he's (on) 40 or 50, no matter how good a bowler you are, you'd still be thinking, 'it's MS who's batting there'." He added, "It (target) was quite a bit above par. The reason was the first six overs, gave too many runs, but at the same time the pitch was best to bat on at that time. Even when they were finishing the edges kept going for boundaries. They got par+ score and we were not able to stop the runs." CSK slipped to the third spot in the points table as RR went on top after their comprehensive win. The Yellow Army will now host Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Sunday afternoon (April 30).

IPL 2023: 'Watching MS Dhoni sit there when they need sixes...' - Ex-Aus pacer reacts to CSK's loss vs RR

Like all good things come to an end, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s tenure as a Chennai Super Kings captain and player will meet a similar fate too. But when? Well, no one really knows, especially with MS, who is not vocal about his plans going ahead.

Like all good things come to an end, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s tenure as a Chennai Super Kings captain and player will meet a similar fate too. But when? Well, no one really knows, especially with MS, who is not vocal about his plans going ahead. However, with what he has said in the post-match pressers lately, he’s probably hinted about hanging his boots from cricket as a player after the end of this season. The Indian Premier League has benefited from plenty of stars from across the world, but it’s fair to say none bring the crowd and the craze to the stadium the way MS does. Barring his accolades that makes him perhaps the greatest-ever captain in the tournament’s history, Dhoni’s persona and how ecstatic everyone becomes by just having a glimpse of him is seen during CSK’s training sessions at Chepauk, where people gather in thousands, leaving aside whatever they are doing to come and watch him train. ALSO READ: Explained – Why India should look beyond Jasprit Bumrah for 2023 World Cup It’s hard to figure out or comment on what the fans will miss the most when Dhoni says goodbye to this tournament and cricket – MS Dhoni - the batter, or MS Dhoni - the captain. MS Dhoni - the batter, was lethal, as dangerous a lower-order batter and a finisher like none other, but as time would have it, he’s a pale shadow of that player now. Never mind, he had cracked the code of taking the games deep and finishing on his terms, and even today, he holds that charisma to do that. MS Dhoni - the captain, is for eternity! Barely anyone comes close to him as a leader in this tournament. He has the sharpest mind, the quickest hands in the east, an eye for every moment, and above all - a gut that never lets him down. CSK, for as many as 13 years, has blossomed under his guidance; plenty of players, irrespective of for which team they play for, make sure they are listening to what he says and pick his brain. Such things are beyond every word, every learning curve and anything this game has to offer. Life beyond MS Dhoni in IPL will hit different! So, looking at the bigger picture now, when MS Dhoni leaves, who succeeds him as the CSK captain? Ben Stokes, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja or someone else? Let’s have a look – Ben Stokes as CSK’s captain It looks like the most viable option for all obvious reasons. Stokes is England’s Test captain, and the best modern-day all-rounder. Under Brendon McCullum, who also once was part of MS Dhoni’s CSK, Stokes had led England to great heights and has shown hunger for more success. His cricketing knowledge, his game sense, much like MS - his gut, everything seems to align. Having played under Dhoni at the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS), and now at Chennai, Stokes understands the dressing room atmosphere and how things go about in this dugout. Also, considering the passing the baton to Stokes would be a smooth process, the top bosses and, of course MS himself wouldn’t mind Ben to be the next CSK captain. However, there is one obstacle – Stokes’ history with injuries and commitment to international schedule could spoil the plan. So, it’s about time before these issues get addressed and a new captain is named. Ajinkya Rahane as CSK’s captain Surprise, surprise! Yes, you read it right, Ajinkya Rahane as CSK’s captain when Dhoni retires. Why not? Rahane is a calm cricketer; he lets his mind and game speak for him, he surely has the brain of a leader – for what he achieved for India against Australia in the famous 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar series, where he led his team to an improbable series win – the biggest of that came at the Gabba. For an outsider, Rahane was just a random buy at the 2022 IPL auction, and he wasn’t even considered to be playing, let alone being considered as MS Dhoni’s successor at CSK. Then, life happened! Dhoni not only made him play, but also gave him the liberty to unleash himself, and when Rahane did what his captain said, he took IPL 2023 by storm. It is what confidence does to a human being. With this going forward, and keeping in mind several other factors, including the rule of four foreign players in the XI, picking an Indian player to lead the side would at least solve this worry. ALSO READ: Explained: What future holds for Chennai Super Kings after Dhoni? Who will take forward his legacy? Who else? Who else? Chennai tried Ravindra Jadeja, and it didn’t work but going by the experience, he’s most likely to be a backup option. Ruturaj Gaikwad? He could be tried, but has no credentials as such to push for a case; but again, who knows, no one knew MS could turn into a super-hero captain, but here he is!

EXPLAINED - Ben Stokes or Ajinkya Rahane? Who succeeds MS Dhoni as CSK captain after his IPL retirement

Gujarat Titans (GT) are going strong in the IPL 2023 edition. After the end of half of their league games, the defending champions have five wins from seven games and occupy the second spot in the points table following their 55-run win over Mumbai Indians (MI) at home on Tuesday (April 25). So far, the likes of Shubman Gill, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Sai Sudharsan, Md Shami, Rashid Khan, etc. have done well with some contributions from others as well.

Yash Dayal, one of their top performers in IPL 2022 campaign where he ended with 11 scalps in nine games, has been out of the playing XI ever since Rinku Singh slammed him for five successive sixes in Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)'s stunning win over Gujarat early this season. Requiring 29 off the last six balls in pursuit of 205, Rinku smashed five straight sixes off Yash to dent the pacer's confidence. Since then, he has lost his place in the playing XI and captain Hardik revealed that he is not doing well, with his return unlikely in the remainder of the season.

“I can’t confirm that (on his chances of Yash Dayal playing again this season)," Hardik said when enquired about Dayal, after GT-MI tie, on Star Sports. "He fell ill and lost 7-8 kilos after that match. There was a spread of viral infection during that period and also due to the pressure he had faced, his condition is presently not good enough to take the field. Someone’s loss is someone’s gain at the end of the day. It is going to take a long time before we see him on the field,” Hardik added.

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Yash ended with match figures of 4-0-69-0 during GT's loss versus KKR. He will hope to recover from illness at the earliest and stage a comeback in the business end of the ongoing tournament. At present, Gujarat have quite a lot of boxes ticked and look set to enter the playoffs. Nonetheless, they will need to retain the winning momentum in the second half of the league.&nbsp;

GT will next face the KKR franchise at the&nbsp;Eden Gardens, Kolkata on April 29 (Saturday).

Gujarat Titans (GT) are going strong in the IPL 2023 edition. After the end of half of their league games, the defending champions have five wins from seven games and occupy the second spot in the points table following their 55-run win over Mumbai Indians (MI) at home on Tuesday (April 25).

Gujarat Titans (GT) are going strong in the IPL 2023 edition. After the end of half of their league games, the defending champions have five wins from seven games and occupy the second spot in the points table following their 55-run win over Mumbai Indians (MI) at home on Tuesday (April 25). So far, the likes of Shubman Gill, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Sai Sudharsan, Md Shami, Rashid Khan, etc. have done well with some contributions from others as well. Yash Dayal, one of their top performers in IPL 2022 campaign where he ended with 11 scalps in nine games, has been out of the playing XI ever since Rinku Singh slammed him for five successive sixes in Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)'s stunning win over Gujarat early this season. Requiring 29 off the last six balls in pursuit of 205, Rinku smashed five straight sixes off Yash to dent the pacer's confidence. Since then, he has lost his place in the playing XI and captain Hardik revealed that he is not doing well, with his return unlikely in the remainder of the season. “I can’t confirm that (on his chances of Yash Dayal playing again this season)," Hardik said when enquired about Dayal, after GT-MI tie, on Star Sports. "He fell ill and lost 7-8 kilos after that match. There was a spread of viral infection during that period and also due to the pressure he had faced, his condition is presently not good enough to take the field. Someone’s loss is someone’s gain at the end of the day. It is going to take a long time before we see him on the field,” Hardik added. Also Read: IPL 2023: All-round KKR end four-match losing streak with 21-run win over Virat Kohli's RCB Yash ended with match figures of 4-0-69-0 during GT's loss versus KKR. He will hope to recover from illness at the earliest and stage a comeback in the business end of the ongoing tournament. At present, Gujarat have quite a lot of boxes ticked and look set to enter the playoffs. Nonetheless, they will need to retain the winning momentum in the second half of the league. GT will next face the KKR franchise at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on April 29 (Saturday).

Yash lost 7-8 kilos after Rinku's onslaught, reveals Hardik Pandya; GT pacer's return unlikely in IPL 2023

In what comes as a new or rather a shocking news, a few of the IPL teams have reached out to several overseas cricketers- six unnamed English players to be precise, to quit international cricket and instead join them and play in their teams in franchise-based T20 leagues across the world. As reported by Times first, informal conversations between undisclosed entities over the same have been going on in England, Australia, and New Zealand and even in South Africa.

The reports suggest that given the IPL owners now hold stakes in other T20-based league across world in UAE, South Africa and the USA, to name the latest ones; they are seeking players who could remain available to feature in those tournaments, even if this means quitting international cricket.&nbsp;

According to Heath Mills, executive chairman of FICA, the global players' body, such a report shouldn’t surprise anyone as players would like to opt for this option in years to come.

"There have been informal conversations between some franchises and players about being available to play in multiple tournaments. That can take a different shape and form for different players. But it should come as no surprise to anyone in cricket that these conversations are happening and that players will have these sorts of options in the future,” Mills said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

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Elaborating further on this, Mills, who without naming anyone or any team, added such talks are already underway.

"Without going into the specifics of individual conversations, they are about a player being available to play for a franchise in different T20 leagues. A franchise might have three or four teams globally, so they might want the player in multiple competitions - as opposed to just the IPL. It's not necessarily about signing a player up for all competitions exclusively but rather additional ones to their IPL team," Mills added.

However, with the Indian players being the biggest draw and knowing they are unlikely to get the NOC from the BCCI to appear in any other league other than the IPL, the owners had no choice but to reach out to foreign players. It comes on a back of a few instances in the past where a major player in a team decided not to sign a central contract just to remain available for these T20 leagues – the biggest example of which is of New Zealand’s Trent Boult, who decided against signing the central contact with the BlackCaps.

On the contrary, the ECB’s managing director, Robert Key, while speaking on BBC’s Test Match Special Podcast earlier this week, said for England players, Test cricket is still the priority, and for them to fall into this bracket, it would take a few years and will not be easy.

"Test cricket is still the hold for English players, I don't see any time in the near future certainly where one of the Test players, certainly the centrally contracted players, is going to say 'by the way I'm going off to America for three weeks," Key said. "I just don't think that's going to happen. That is not a threat at the moment. Obviously it is different for white-ball cricketers," Rob Key said.

In what comes as a new or rather a shocking news, a few of the IPL teams have reached out to several overseas cricketers- six unnamed English players to be precise, to quit international cricket and instead join them and play in their teams in franchise-based T20 leagues across the world.

In what comes as a new or rather a shocking news, a few of the IPL teams have reached out to several overseas cricketers- six unnamed English players to be precise, to quit international cricket and instead join them and play in their teams in franchise-based T20 leagues across the world. As reported by Times first, informal conversations between undisclosed entities over the same have been going on in England, Australia, and New Zealand and even in South Africa. The reports suggest that given the IPL owners now hold stakes in other T20-based league across world in UAE, South Africa and the USA, to name the latest ones; they are seeking players who could remain available to feature in those tournaments, even if this means quitting international cricket. According to Heath Mills, executive chairman of FICA, the global players' body, such a report shouldn’t surprise anyone as players would like to opt for this option in years to come. "There have been informal conversations between some franchises and players about being available to play in multiple tournaments. That can take a different shape and form for different players. But it should come as no surprise to anyone in cricket that these conversations are happening and that players will have these sorts of options in the future,” Mills said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. ALSO READ: World number one Iga Swiatek calls for prize money equality between WTA and ATP events Elaborating further on this, Mills, who without naming anyone or any team, added such talks are already underway. "Without going into the specifics of individual conversations, they are about a player being available to play for a franchise in different T20 leagues. A franchise might have three or four teams globally, so they might want the player in multiple competitions - as opposed to just the IPL. It's not necessarily about signing a player up for all competitions exclusively but rather additional ones to their IPL team," Mills added. However, with the Indian players being the biggest draw and knowing they are unlikely to get the NOC from the BCCI to appear in any other league other than the IPL, the owners had no choice but to reach out to foreign players. It comes on a back of a few instances in the past where a major player in a team decided not to sign a central contract just to remain available for these T20 leagues – the biggest example of which is of New Zealand’s Trent Boult, who decided against signing the central contact with the BlackCaps. On the contrary, the ECB’s managing director, Robert Key, while speaking on BBC’s Test Match Special Podcast earlier this week, said for England players, Test cricket is still the priority, and for them to fall into this bracket, it would take a few years and will not be easy. "Test cricket is still the hold for English players, I don't see any time in the near future certainly where one of the Test players, certainly the centrally contracted players, is going to say 'by the way I'm going off to America for three weeks," Key said. "I just don't think that's going to happen. That is not a threat at the moment. Obviously it is different for white-ball cricketers," Rob Key said.

Is IPL asking foreign players to quit international cricket and play franchise-based T20 leagues?

MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are at the top of the points table at the halfway mark of the IPL 2023 edition. The Yellow Army, who finished at the ninth position in IPL 2022, have found their rhythm and have won five out of their seven games. Hence, Harbhajan Singh -- former Indian and CSK off-spinner -- lavished huge praise on Dhoni's leadership and decoded the reason behind his staggering success as captain.

Under Dhoni, CSK have won the IPL championship on four occasions (in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021), ended as the runners-up in five seasons (2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019) and have reached the playoffs for a record 11 times. Thus, Bhajji lauded Dhoni as captain and revealed that he backs players to the hilt, which is a reasno for the franchise's success and envious record.

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Speaking to Star Sports, ahead of CSK's away game versus Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday (April 27), Harbhajan said, "The winning mantra of MS Dhoni is that he backs the player at his best and favoured batting position. Dhoni backs the players to the hilt and that is the reason why CSK is a champion team. He doesn't deviate from his game plan frequently or after every match. The players need to have that belief and faith in the management and captain. Only then they perform and MS and CSK team management understands it."

Dhoni's CSK have had injury concerns with the likes of Ben Stokes, Deepak Chahar, Sisanda Magala, etc. being on the bench. However, Dhoni-led team management have backed their available resources and got performances from the likes of inexperienced Akash Singh,&nbsp;inconsistent campaigners such as Tushar Deshpande and Shivam Dube and&nbsp;veterans Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja (who had a dismal run in 2022) and Moeen Ali.

Even Dhoni has struck at&nbsp;196.77, scoring 61 runs off 31 balls faced so far. CSK will take on RR on Thursday evening and aim to strengthen their position at the top with another win.

MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are at the top of the points table at the halfway mark of the IPL 2023 edition. The Yellow Army, who finished at the ninth position in IPL 2022, have found their rhythm and have won five out of their seven games.

MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are at the top of the points table at the halfway mark of the IPL 2023 edition. The Yellow Army, who finished at the ninth position in IPL 2022, have found their rhythm and have won five out of their seven games. Hence, Harbhajan Singh -- former Indian and CSK off-spinner -- lavished huge praise on Dhoni's leadership and decoded the reason behind his staggering success as captain. Under Dhoni, CSK have won the IPL championship on four occasions (in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021), ended as the runners-up in five seasons (2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019) and have reached the playoffs for a record 11 times. Thus, Bhajji lauded Dhoni as captain and revealed that he backs players to the hilt, which is a reasno for the franchise's success and envious record. Also Read: When MS Dhoni lost his cool, invaded ground over controversial no-ball call in RR-CSK IPL 2019 tie Speaking to Star Sports, ahead of CSK's away game versus Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday (April 27), Harbhajan said, "The winning mantra of MS Dhoni is that he backs the player at his best and favoured batting position. Dhoni backs the players to the hilt and that is the reason why CSK is a champion team. He doesn't deviate from his game plan frequently or after every match. The players need to have that belief and faith in the management and captain. Only then they perform and MS and CSK team management understands it." Dhoni's CSK have had injury concerns with the likes of Ben Stokes, Deepak Chahar, Sisanda Magala, etc. being on the bench. However, Dhoni-led team management have backed their available resources and got performances from the likes of inexperienced Akash Singh, inconsistent campaigners such as Tushar Deshpande and Shivam Dube and veterans Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja (who had a dismal run in 2022) and Moeen Ali. Even Dhoni has struck at 196.77, scoring 61 runs off 31 balls faced so far. CSK will take on RR on Thursday evening and aim to strengthen their position at the top with another win.

IPL 2023: 'The winning mantra of MS Dhoni is....' - Harbhajan Singh decodes CSK captain's success

Match 36 of the IPL 2023 edition saw the two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat the hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Wednesday (April 26). Being asked to bat first, KKR rode on Jason Roy's 56, quickfire knock from captain Nitish Rana and cameos from Rinku Singh and David Weise to post 200 for 5.

In reply, RCB only managed 179 for 8 in 20 overs to lose by 21&nbsp;runs. With this loss, RCB's two-match winning streak came to an end. They had a chance to reach 10 points along with table-toppers Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) but missed a great opportunity. For KKR, they ended their four-match losing streak and finally earned their third win this year.

Earlier,&nbsp;Roy slammed an impressive 29-ball 56 as he took on the RCB attack in the powerplay overs. While his opening partner N Jagadeesan struggled, making a 27-ball 29, the England opener's knock&nbsp;featured&nbsp;with 4 fours and 5 sixes at 193.10.

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Nitish's 21-ball 48 along with timely hits from Rinku (10-ball 18*) and Weise's 3-ball 12* ensured KKR did fall behind as they posted 200-5.

RCB's run-chase started with in-form openers Faf du Plessis and Kohli attacking from the word go. In-form spinner Suyash Sharma was brought into the attack in the third over and&nbsp;he instantly removed Faf. The regular captain continued to play as an impact player, with Kohli leading the side, but fell for 17 (7).

Kohli looked in sublime touch. He&nbsp;found the boundaries and the gaps&nbsp;amid the regular fall of wickets. He eventually fell for a 37-ball 54 as KKR came on top. Mahipal Lamror (34) and Dinesh Karthik (22) got starts but the writing was on the wall once Kohli departed.

From KKR, Suyash (2 for 30), Varun Chakaravarthy (3 for 27), and Andre Russell (2&nbsp;for 29) contributed with regular breakthroughs to dent RCB's chase and halt their mini-winning run.

RCB remain in the fifth spot with eight points. KKR move to the seventh position, replacing Mumbai Indians (MI), after this win.

Match 36 of the IPL 2023 edition saw the two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat the hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Wednesday (April 26).

Match 36 of the IPL 2023 edition saw the two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat the hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Wednesday (April 26). Being asked to bat first, KKR rode on Jason Roy's 56, quickfire knock from captain Nitish Rana and cameos from Rinku Singh and David Weise to post 200 for 5. In reply, RCB only managed 179 for 8 in 20 overs to lose by 21 runs. With this loss, RCB's two-match winning streak came to an end. They had a chance to reach 10 points along with table-toppers Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) but missed a great opportunity. For KKR, they ended their four-match losing streak and finally earned their third win this year. Earlier, Roy slammed an impressive 29-ball 56 as he took on the RCB attack in the powerplay overs. While his opening partner N Jagadeesan struggled, making a 27-ball 29, the England opener's knock featured with 4 fours and 5 sixes at 193.10. Also read: IPL 2023: 'He will have to...' - Harbhajan Singh shares advice for Virat Kohli before RCB vs KKR clash Nitish's 21-ball 48 along with timely hits from Rinku (10-ball 18*) and Weise's 3-ball 12* ensured KKR did fall behind as they posted 200-5. RCB's run-chase started with in-form openers Faf du Plessis and Kohli attacking from the word go. In-form spinner Suyash Sharma was brought into the attack in the third over and he instantly removed Faf. The regular captain continued to play as an impact player, with Kohli leading the side, but fell for 17 (7). Kohli looked in sublime touch. He found the boundaries and the gaps amid the regular fall of wickets. He eventually fell for a 37-ball 54 as KKR came on top. Mahipal Lamror (34) and Dinesh Karthik (22) got starts but the writing was on the wall once Kohli departed. From KKR, Suyash (2 for 30), Varun Chakaravarthy (3 for 27), and Andre Russell (2 for 29) contributed with regular breakthroughs to dent RCB's chase and halt their mini-winning run. RCB remain in the fifth spot with eight points. KKR move to the seventh position, replacing Mumbai Indians (MI), after this win.

IPL 2023: All-round KKR end four-match losing streak with 21-run win over Virat Kohli's RCB

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are improving with each passing game in the IPL 2023 edition. At the halfway mark of the league stage, RCB are placed in the fifth position with four wins from seven encounters. Ahead of their home game versus the two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh shared&nbsp;some&nbsp;advice for Virat Kohli.

Kohli has had a good run in IPL 2023, with 279 runs in seven matches including four half-centuries. While he has been impressive in the powerplays, he tends to slow down in the middle overs with the spinners operating in tandem. Ahead of the RCB-KKR face-off, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday (April 26), Bhajji feels the onus is on Kohli, who has been the stand-in captain in the past two encounters with Faf du Plessis playing only as an impact player, to deliver the goods for Bengaluru.

"Virat Kohli will have to take the responsibility to keep RCB up. His partnership with Faf will be crucial. Virat and Faf are in good form and this will always give relief to RCB," Harbhajan told&nbsp;Star Sports.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-hardik-pandya-is-growing-and-maturing-as-captain-former-indian-opener-after-gt-beat-mi-586306">IPL 2023: 'Hardik Pandya is growing and maturing as captain' - Former Indian opener after GT beat MI</a>

Kohli has struck at&nbsp;141.62 in IPL 2023. He has struck at 171 versus pacers, averaging 75, but struggled against spin -- striking at 103 with an average of 22.25 along with four dismissals. Thus, it has been one of the reasons for RCB slowing down in the end overs -- managing only 37 in the last four overs versus Punjab Kings (PBKS) and 27 during the same period versus Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their previous tie.

Will Kohli go bonkers&nbsp;and also progress ahead at a healthy strike rate versus KKR this evening? Only time will tell...

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are improving with each passing game in the IPL 2023 edition. At the halfway mark of the league stage, RCB are placed in the fifth position with four wins from seven encounters.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are improving with each passing game in the IPL 2023 edition. At the halfway mark of the league stage, RCB are placed in the fifth position with four wins from seven encounters. Ahead of their home game versus the two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh shared some advice for Virat Kohli. Kohli has had a good run in IPL 2023, with 279 runs in seven matches including four half-centuries. While he has been impressive in the powerplays, he tends to slow down in the middle overs with the spinners operating in tandem. Ahead of the RCB-KKR face-off, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday (April 26), Bhajji feels the onus is on Kohli, who has been the stand-in captain in the past two encounters with Faf du Plessis playing only as an impact player, to deliver the goods for Bengaluru. "Virat Kohli will have to take the responsibility to keep RCB up. His partnership with Faf will be crucial. Virat and Faf are in good form and this will always give relief to RCB," Harbhajan told Star Sports. Also read: IPL 2023: 'Hardik Pandya is growing and maturing as captain' - Former Indian opener after GT beat MI Kohli has struck at 141.62 in IPL 2023. He has struck at 171 versus pacers, averaging 75, but struggled against spin -- striking at 103 with an average of 22.25 along with four dismissals. Thus, it has been one of the reasons for RCB slowing down in the end overs -- managing only 37 in the last four overs versus Punjab Kings (PBKS) and 27 during the same period versus Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their previous tie. Will Kohli go bonkers and also progress ahead at a healthy strike rate versus KKR this evening? Only time will tell...

IPL 2023: 'He will have to...' - Harbhajan Singh shares advice for Virat Kohli before RCB vs KKR clash

Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT) beat five-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI) in match 35 of the IPL 2023 edition on Tuesday (April 25). Being asked to bat first, in Ahmedabad, the defending champions rode on Shubman Gill's 56, David Miller and Abhinav Manohar's 46 (22) and 42 (21) respectively and Rahul Tewatia's 5-ball 20* to post 207 for 6.

In reply, GT restricted the Rohit Sharma-led MI line-up for 152 for 9 to lose by 55 runs. After the game, former Indian captain-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra lauded Hardik's captaincy skills and feels he is growing and maturing with each game.

Chopra said on JioCinema, "It's hard to win a match from a defensive position, we've seen this in the TATA IPL. The point about captaincy was very salient. The game started with fast bowlers bowling quite often with discipline due to the movement of the ball. Soon after, spinners were introduced at the right time. They made an error last game (versus Rajasthan Royals)&nbsp;in judging the dew and brought Noor at the end and Hetmyer punished him."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-rohit-should-take-a-break-come-back-fresh-for-wtc-final-vs-australia-suggests-gavaskar-586273">IPL 2023: Rohit should take a break, come back fresh for WTC final vs Australia, suggests Gavaskar</a>

He added, "He learned from that and ensured Noor's overs were done earlier. Rashid and Noor, two spinners with five wickets, and Hardik's captaincy just seems to keep improving. Mohit wasn't playing well but he still sent him to bowl the final over and take crucial wickets even though he could've done that himself as a captain. He changed Mohit's day from bad to good to maintain his confidence. I think Hardik Pandya as a captain is growing and maturing."

Hardik was promoted as India's ODI vice-captain early this year and has been leading the T20I line-up ever since Rohit Sharma has been out of the scheme of things in the format following the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.&nbsp;

At present, GT occupy the second spot in the points table with five wins from seven encounters.

Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT) beat five-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI) in match 35 of the IPL 2023 edition on Tuesday (April 25). Being asked to bat first, in Ahmedabad, the defending champions rode on Shubman Gill's 56, David Miller and Abhinav Manohar's 46 (22) and 42 (21) respectively and Rahul Tewatia's 5-ball 20* to post 207 for 6.

Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT) beat five-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI) in match 35 of the IPL 2023 edition on Tuesday (April 25). Being asked to bat first, in Ahmedabad, the defending champions rode on Shubman Gill's 56, David Miller and Abhinav Manohar's 46 (22) and 42 (21) respectively and Rahul Tewatia's 5-ball 20* to post 207 for 6. In reply, GT restricted the Rohit Sharma-led MI line-up for 152 for 9 to lose by 55 runs. After the game, former Indian captain-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra lauded Hardik's captaincy skills and feels he is growing and maturing with each game. Chopra said on JioCinema, "It's hard to win a match from a defensive position, we've seen this in the TATA IPL. The point about captaincy was very salient. The game started with fast bowlers bowling quite often with discipline due to the movement of the ball. Soon after, spinners were introduced at the right time. They made an error last game (versus Rajasthan Royals) in judging the dew and brought Noor at the end and Hetmyer punished him." Also read: IPL 2023: Rohit should take a break, come back fresh for WTC final vs Australia, suggests Gavaskar He added, "He learned from that and ensured Noor's overs were done earlier. Rashid and Noor, two spinners with five wickets, and Hardik's captaincy just seems to keep improving. Mohit wasn't playing well but he still sent him to bowl the final over and take crucial wickets even though he could've done that himself as a captain. He changed Mohit's day from bad to good to maintain his confidence. I think Hardik Pandya as a captain is growing and maturing." Hardik was promoted as India's ODI vice-captain early this year and has been leading the T20I line-up ever since Rohit Sharma has been out of the scheme of things in the format following the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. At present, GT occupy the second spot in the points table with five wins from seven encounters.

IPL 2023: 'Hardik Pandya is growing and maturing as captain' - Former Indian opener after GT beat MI

After playing half their games in the league stage of IPL 2023, Rajasthan Royals (RR)&nbsp;occupy the third spot with four wins from seven outings. It isn't a bad start by any means&nbsp;for the one-time winners. Under Sanju Samson, who became their captain since IPL 2021, the Royals have become a formidable force and are eyeing to play their second final on the trot, with a hope to get past the finish line this time around.&nbsp;

In the inaugural edition, in 2008, the Royals ended as the eventual champions when no one gave them&nbsp;a chance. The franchise roped in superstar Shane Warne, serving&nbsp;as the captain-cum-coach, who inspired an inexperienced squad to win the championship. The late Aussie leg-spinner had some international stars, such as Graeme Smith, Mohammed Kaif, etc., but a plethora of unknown names&nbsp;rose to the occasion in his influence.

After Warne-led RR's initial success, there was a period of lull for the Jaipur-based franchise till IPL 2012. In the 2013 edition, the 2008 winners made it to the playoffs, finished third, and even played the final of that year's Champions League (CLT20), a now-defunct tournament. Back then, RR was led by Rahul Dravid, an equally inspiring figure like Warne.&nbsp;

Post Dravid and Warne, the team was led by able readers of the game, such as Shane Watson, Steve Smith, and Ajinkya Rahane, as they enjoyed sporadic success but never came close to winning the title. From the Dravid-era till IPL 2020, Samson remained a part of the Royals' dugout -- barring 2015 and 2016 when the franchise was serving a spot-fixing ban -- and was silently groomed by&nbsp;several eminent leaders in the camp.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-as-soon-as-he-brett-lees-advice-to-mis-arjun-tendulkar-to-bowl-at-140kmph-585864">IPL 2023: 'As soon as he...': Brett Lee's advice to MI's Arjun Tendulkar to bowl at 140kmph</a>

While Samson's batting credentials made heads turn in his debut IPL season in 2013, not much was known about his leadership skills. After a dismal IPL 2020, RR team management appointed Samson as their new captain before the 2021 edition. While his team ended seventh that year, Samson didn't look like a fish out of the water. He improved in IPL 2022 and by now, RR certainly looks like a unit controlled by Samson.

Ingredients of a fabulous leader

Recently, Ravi Shastri -- former India head coach -- said on ESPNCricinfo, "You say you stamp your personality as a leader. You see that with Hardik, he calls the shots, and takes the decisions. You see that with Dhoni. He takes the decisions, there is no two ways about it, he might be right or wrong. Sanju has improved a lot. You can see that quiet confidence in his own ability and he understands his game a lot better."

Leading superstars such as Jos Buttler, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, etc., can be intimidating. However, Samson has always looked his part and been assertive as captain. He&nbsp;remains calm behind the stumps, uses his bowlers judiciously, and does not shy away from changing plans when required. In addition, he&nbsp;does not overcommunicate; passing too many unnecessary suggestions from behind the stumps.

During RR's clash vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in Chennai, Sandeep Sharma was taken to the cleaners by MS Dhoni in the last over. With seven required off&nbsp;three balls, Samson raced from his wicketkeeping spot to just ask Sandeep about his plans.&nbsp;

"After I was hit for two sixes in the last over, Sanju and I discussed the plans on how to bowl the next 3 balls. Sanju is very calm as captain. He did not give any suggestions to me. He simply asked me about my plans for the next ball. I told him about my instincts and he backed me to bowl that. This quality is very rare in a captain in such a pressure situation," said the RR pacer.

Thus, Samson backed his experienced bowler and did not give suggestions. Rather, he just looked for ideas from his bowler and backed him to the hilt.

You will win some, you will lose some but remain unfazed

After RR's loss versus RCB, their second loss on the trot, Samson said in the dressing room, "I think it's very normal in this tournament when you have these couple of losses or you have those couple of wins, you go up and down. But the pattern and the style of our team, the style of our franchise is to stay humble when we're going high, and when we're going low, we believe in ourselves, as simple as that."

He added, "We believe in each and every one of us, believe in yourself and there is no pointing fingers, that's the rule we need to follow. In my experience, from what I've understood, the reason you end up on the losing or the winning side only is because how hungry are you there to win. How badly do you want it? Is it only because of you, is it only because you want to do it or do you want to do it for the team."

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Sanju Samson. 💗💗💗 <a href="https://t.co/fZmuYk4Wyl">pic.twitter.com/fZmuYk4Wyl</a>
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Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-virat-kohli-fined-24-lakhs-other-rcb-players-fined-6-lakhs-for-slow-over-rate-vs-rr-585868">IPL 2023: Virat Kohli fined 24 lakhs, other RCB players fined 6 lakhs for slow over-rate vs RR</a>

Not bogged down by responsibility

Many captains get bogged down by extra responsibility or get too cautious in their primary role. However, this has not been the case with Samson. Ever since he took over as RR skipper, he has amassed over 400 runs every season. In 2021, he made 484 runs, including a ton, at 136.72. His strike rate did dip as compared to the previous edition (where he struck at 158.89) but it was still acceptable. It shot up considerably in 2022, where he scored 458 runs at 146.79. After seven games this year, he is striking at over 150 (158.77).

One does not know what fate has in store for RR in IPL 2023. Irrespective of the outcome, the Royals should be lauded for identifying a rare talent like Samson, grooming him amid several leaders, retaining him, and making him the leader in his late 20s;&nbsp;when a cricketer has matured with enough experience and past mistakes. The right-hander has shown glimpses&nbsp;of his captaincy skills and will only grow leaps and bounds if given a longer rope, which seems likely at this point.

In his book 'Coaching Beyond - My Days with the Indian Cricket Team', R Sridhar -- former India fielding coach -- revealed it was Samson (who was on the bench) who suggested Chahal feature in India's XI as a concussion substitute for Ravindra Jadeja in a T20I versus Australia in Canberra, in late 2020. Chahal ended as the Player-of-the-Match (3 for 25) in India's win.

Thus, Samson always had a knack for reading the game and being tactical. Now, he is only growing with each passing day and is destined for a bright run as captain. Is India captaincy in the reckoning? Well, only time will tell. For now, he certainly looks like a long-serving&nbsp;captain in the IPL.

After playing half their games in the league stage of IPL 2023, Rajasthan Royals (RR) occupy the third spot with four wins from seven outings. It isn't a bad start by any means for the one-time winners.

After playing half their games in the league stage of IPL 2023, Rajasthan Royals (RR) occupy the third spot with four wins from seven outings. It isn't a bad start by any means for the one-time winners. Under Sanju Samson, who became their captain since IPL 2021, the Royals have become a formidable force and are eyeing to play their second final on the trot, with a hope to get past the finish line this time around. In the inaugural edition, in 2008, the Royals ended as the eventual champions when no one gave them a chance. The franchise roped in superstar Shane Warne, serving as the captain-cum-coach, who inspired an inexperienced squad to win the championship. The late Aussie leg-spinner had some international stars, such as Graeme Smith, Mohammed Kaif, etc., but a plethora of unknown names rose to the occasion in his influence. After Warne-led RR's initial success, there was a period of lull for the Jaipur-based franchise till IPL 2012. In the 2013 edition, the 2008 winners made it to the playoffs, finished third, and even played the final of that year's Champions League (CLT20), a now-defunct tournament. Back then, RR was led by Rahul Dravid, an equally inspiring figure like Warne. Post Dravid and Warne, the team was led by able readers of the game, such as Shane Watson, Steve Smith, and Ajinkya Rahane, as they enjoyed sporadic success but never came close to winning the title. From the Dravid-era till IPL 2020, Samson remained a part of the Royals' dugout -- barring 2015 and 2016 when the franchise was serving a spot-fixing ban -- and was silently groomed by several eminent leaders in the camp. Also Read: IPL 2023: 'As soon as he...': Brett Lee's advice to MI's Arjun Tendulkar to bowl at 140kmph While Samson's batting credentials made heads turn in his debut IPL season in 2013, not much was known about his leadership skills. After a dismal IPL 2020, RR team management appointed Samson as their new captain before the 2021 edition. While his team ended seventh that year, Samson didn't look like a fish out of the water. He improved in IPL 2022 and by now, RR certainly looks like a unit controlled by Samson. Ingredients of a fabulous leader Recently, Ravi Shastri -- former India head coach -- said on ESPNCricinfo, "You say you stamp your personality as a leader. You see that with Hardik, he calls the shots, and takes the decisions. You see that with Dhoni. He takes the decisions, there is no two ways about it, he might be right or wrong. Sanju has improved a lot. You can see that quiet confidence in his own ability and he understands his game a lot better." Leading superstars such as Jos Buttler, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, etc., can be intimidating. However, Samson has always looked his part and been assertive as captain. He remains calm behind the stumps, uses his bowlers judiciously, and does not shy away from changing plans when required. In addition, he does not overcommunicate; passing too many unnecessary suggestions from behind the stumps. During RR's clash vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in Chennai, Sandeep Sharma was taken to the cleaners by MS Dhoni in the last over. With seven required off three balls, Samson raced from his wicketkeeping spot to just ask Sandeep about his plans. "After I was hit for two sixes in the last over, Sanju and I discussed the plans on how to bowl the next 3 balls. Sanju is very calm as captain. He did not give any suggestions to me. He simply asked me about my plans for the next ball. I told him about my instincts and he backed me to bowl that. This quality is very rare in a captain in such a pressure situation," said the RR pacer. Thus, Samson backed his experienced bowler and did not give suggestions. Rather, he just looked for ideas from his bowler and backed him to the hilt. You will win some, you will lose some but remain unfazed After RR's loss versus RCB, their second loss on the trot, Samson said in the dressing room, "I think it's very normal in this tournament when you have these couple of losses or you have those couple of wins, you go up and down. But the pattern and the style of our team, the style of our franchise is to stay humble when we're going high, and when we're going low, we believe in ourselves, as simple as that." He added, "We believe in each and every one of us, believe in yourself and there is no pointing fingers, that's the rule we need to follow. In my experience, from what I've understood, the reason you end up on the losing or the winning side only is because how hungry are you there to win. How badly do you want it? Is it only because of you, is it only because you want to do it or do you want to do it for the team." Sanju Samson. 💗💗💗 pic.twitter.com/fZmuYk4Wyl — Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) April 23, 2023 × Also Read: IPL 2023: Virat Kohli fined 24 lakhs, other RCB players fined 6 lakhs for slow over-rate vs RR Not bogged down by responsibility Many captains get bogged down by extra responsibility or get too cautious in their primary role. However, this has not been the case with Samson. Ever since he took over as RR skipper, he has amassed over 400 runs every season. In 2021, he made 484 runs, including a ton, at 136.72. His strike rate did dip as compared to the previous edition (where he struck at 158.89) but it was still acceptable. It shot up considerably in 2022, where he scored 458 runs at 146.79. After seven games this year, he is striking at over 150 (158.77). One does not know what fate has in store for RR in IPL 2023. Irrespective of the outcome, the Royals should be lauded for identifying a rare talent like Samson, grooming him amid several leaders, retaining him, and making him the leader in his late 20s; when a cricketer has matured with enough experience and past mistakes. The right-hander has shown glimpses of his captaincy skills and will only grow leaps and bounds if given a longer rope, which seems likely at this point. In his book 'Coaching Beyond - My Days with the Indian Cricket Team', R Sridhar -- former India fielding coach -- revealed it was Samson (who was on the bench) who suggested Chahal feature in India's XI as a concussion substitute for Ravindra Jadeja in a T20I versus Australia in Canberra, in late 2020. Chahal ended as the Player-of-the-Match (3 for 25) in India's win. Thus, Samson always had a knack for reading the game and being tactical. Now, he is only growing with each passing day and is destined for a bright run as captain. Is India captaincy in the reckoning? Well, only time will tell. For now, he certainly looks like a long-serving captain in the IPL.

Explained | IPL 2023: Why Sanju Samson is a great captain in making

Veteran CSK captain MS Dhoni dropped a bombshell on his IPL future while speaking with Harsha Bhogle during the post-match presentation on Friday night. Following a seven-wicket win over SunRisers Hyderabad, Dhoni, as a customary norm, came down to address how the game went, and it was then he said, 'It's the last phase of my career, and it's important that I enjoy&nbsp;it.'

"Whatever said and done, it's the last phase of my career, however long I play. It's very important to enjoy it," Dhoni said after the match.&nbsp;

Known to be crisp and as candid as possible during post-match presentations, MS lived up to it again as he acknowledged the Chennai crowd for being supportive throughout and what it meant to him to come here and deliver in front of them.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-match-30th-lucknow-super-giants-vs-gujarat-titans-match-preview-and-result-prediction-584998">IPL 2023, Match 30th: Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans - Match preview and result prediction</a>

"IPL... after two years, the fans have had the opportunity to come here and watch. It's a full house, and the new stands are good. So, it feels good to be here. We haven't played at Chennai a lot; as I said at the start of the season. The crowd has given us a lot of love and affection. They always stay back to hear me out (presentation speech). Not getting enough chances to bat, but no complaints. The guys are doing a fantastic job," the CSK skipper added.

The 41-year-old legend of the game is a four-time IPL winner with Chennai Super Kings, and despite retiring from international cricket in 2020, Dhoni continues to play for his franchise in IPL.&nbsp;

Ahead of the start of IPL 2023, there were a lot of speculations as to if this year will be MS' final year as a professional cricketer, with Dhoni as expected, keeping tight-lipped on it. Going by the fitness, he looks good physique-wise, though he had shown little signs of discomfort while fielding on a few occasions this time.&nbsp;

Talking about the form, he hasn't fared badly either, despite spending very little time at the crease. So far in IPL 2023, he has scored 59 runs in four innings with two fours and six sixes. However, behind the wicket, Dhoni is still the best - be it for wicket-keeping or captaincy.

Even against SRH at Chepauk, Dhoni effected a stumping, a run-out and also grabbed a stunning catch to dismiss Aiden Markram.

Considering how he likes to keep his cards close to his chest, Dhoni is unlikely to reveal when he will hang his boots from IPL.

Veteran CSK captain MS Dhoni dropped a bombshell on his IPL future while speaking with Harsha Bhogle during the post-match presentation on Friday night. Following a seven-wicket win over SunRisers Hyderabad, Dhoni, as a customary norm, came down to address how the game went, and it was then he said, 'It's the last phase of my career, and it's important that I enjoy it.

Veteran CSK captain MS Dhoni dropped a bombshell on his IPL future while speaking with Harsha Bhogle during the post-match presentation on Friday night. Following a seven-wicket win over SunRisers Hyderabad, Dhoni, as a customary norm, came down to address how the game went, and it was then he said, 'It's the last phase of my career, and it's important that I enjoy it.' "Whatever said and done, it's the last phase of my career, however long I play. It's very important to enjoy it," Dhoni said after the match. Known to be crisp and as candid as possible during post-match presentations, MS lived up to it again as he acknowledged the Chennai crowd for being supportive throughout and what it meant to him to come here and deliver in front of them. ALSO READ: IPL 2023, Match 30th: Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans - Match preview and result prediction "IPL... after two years, the fans have had the opportunity to come here and watch. It's a full house, and the new stands are good. So, it feels good to be here. We haven't played at Chennai a lot; as I said at the start of the season. The crowd has given us a lot of love and affection. They always stay back to hear me out (presentation speech). Not getting enough chances to bat, but no complaints. The guys are doing a fantastic job," the CSK skipper added. The 41-year-old legend of the game is a four-time IPL winner with Chennai Super Kings, and despite retiring from international cricket in 2020, Dhoni continues to play for his franchise in IPL. Ahead of the start of IPL 2023, there were a lot of speculations as to if this year will be MS' final year as a professional cricketer, with Dhoni as expected, keeping tight-lipped on it. Going by the fitness, he looks good physique-wise, though he had shown little signs of discomfort while fielding on a few occasions this time. Talking about the form, he hasn't fared badly either, despite spending very little time at the crease. So far in IPL 2023, he has scored 59 runs in four innings with two fours and six sixes. However, behind the wicket, Dhoni is still the best - be it for wicket-keeping or captaincy. Even against SRH at Chepauk, Dhoni effected a stumping, a run-out and also grabbed a stunning catch to dismiss Aiden Markram. Considering how he likes to keep his cards close to his chest, Dhoni is unlikely to reveal when he will hang his boots from IPL.

Veteran MS Dhoni drops a bombshell on his IPL future, says 'it's the last phase of my career and I am...'

In match 20 of the IPL 2023 edition, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) hosted the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on April 15. In defence of 174 for 6, the Virat Kohli-starrer RCB beat Delhi by 23 runs but the game made maximum noise when Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly, former India captain and BCCI chief who is serving as DC's Director of Cricket, didn't shake hands after the match.

During the customary handshake, Kohli and Ganguly&nbsp;did not greet each other and walked off straightaway. Moreover, Kohli reportedly unfollowed Ganguly on Instagram and the latter returned the favour as well. Irrespective of the truth behind their recent action on Instagram, a lot has been said and written about Kohli vs Ganguly saga since late 2021 (when things got out of hands between the duo post Kohli's decision to resign as Team India's T20I captain).&nbsp;

Now, Shane Watson -- DC's assistant coach -- opined on Kohli vs Ganguly stare off and said on Grade Cricket's Youtube channel, "It could be rumour mongering, but I’m not sure. So, it’s not something I want to get involved in."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/kohli-unfollows-ganguly-on-instagram-after-latter-refuses-to-shake-hands-post-rcb-dc-tie-in-ipl-2023-reports-583218">Kohli unfollows Ganguly on Instagram after latter refuses to shake hands post RCB-DC tie in IPL 2023: Reports</a>

Watson, however, was quick to point out that there was "definitely some fire in Kohli's belly". "But there was definitely some fire in Virat’s belly, that’s for sure. For an opposition point of view, that’s the last thing you need as well. Virat, when he’s like that, that’s when he’s at his absolute best. Whatever reason that was, I’m not exactly sure,” the Aussie veteran added.

DC and RCB will once again face-off, in the reverse clash, on May 6 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi. It will be interesting to see what happens this time around between the two superstar cricketers.

In match 20 of the IPL 2023 edition, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) hosted the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on April 15. In defence of 174 for 6, the Virat Kohli-starrer RCB beat Delhi by 23 runs but the game made maximum noise when Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly, former India captain and BCCI chief who is serving as DC's Director of Cricket, didn't shake hands after the match.

In match 20 of the IPL 2023 edition, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) hosted the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on April 15. In defence of 174 for 6, the Virat Kohli-starrer RCB beat Delhi by 23 runs but the game made maximum noise when Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly, former India captain and BCCI chief who is serving as DC's Director of Cricket, didn't shake hands after the match. During the customary handshake, Kohli and Ganguly did not greet each other and walked off straightaway. Moreover, Kohli reportedly unfollowed Ganguly on Instagram and the latter returned the favour as well. Irrespective of the truth behind their recent action on Instagram, a lot has been said and written about Kohli vs Ganguly saga since late 2021 (when things got out of hands between the duo post Kohli's decision to resign as Team India's T20I captain). Now, Shane Watson -- DC's assistant coach -- opined on Kohli vs Ganguly stare off and said on Grade Cricket's Youtube channel, "It could be rumour mongering, but I’m not sure. So, it’s not something I want to get involved in." Also read: Kohli unfollows Ganguly on Instagram after latter refuses to shake hands post RCB-DC tie in IPL 2023: Reports Watson, however, was quick to point out that there was "definitely some fire in Kohli's belly". "But there was definitely some fire in Virat’s belly, that’s for sure. For an opposition point of view, that’s the last thing you need as well. Virat, when he’s like that, that’s when he’s at his absolute best. Whatever reason that was, I’m not exactly sure,” the Aussie veteran added. DC and RCB will once again face-off, in the reverse clash, on May 6 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi. It will be interesting to see what happens this time around between the two superstar cricketers.

IPL 2023: 'Could be rumour mongering, but...' - Shane Watson opines on Virat Kohli vs Sourav Ganguly saga

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) returned to winning ways as they beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 24 runs in match 27 of the IPL 2023 edition on Thursday (April 20), in Mohali. Virat Kohli captained the franchise after a long time as regular captain Faf du Plessis only featured as an Impact Player, due to his hip injury.&nbsp;

Being asked to bat first, Kohli-Faf stitched an impressive 137-run opening stand as the duo continued their rich forms. Towards the end, RCB only managed 37 runs in the last four overs as they posted 174 for 4. In reply, Shikhar Dhawan-less Punjab only managed 150 all-out in 18.2 overs to lose by 24 runs. Kohli slammed a 47-ball 59 whereas Faf top-scored with a solid 56-ball 84&nbsp;before Mohammed Siraj returned with 4-0-21-4.

Seeing RCB's batting, where they struggled for a late flourish, former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar said, as quoted by India Today, "The start promised so much, but the score wasn’t what we expected. But the fact is that it’s an afternoon game. The pitch will become slower. That gives RCB hope. But, yes, they could have added maybe 25 runs more, considering the start that they had."

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-all-round-rcb-beat-pbks-by-24-runs-to-return-to-winning-ways-move-up-in-points-table-584483">IPL 2023: All-round RCB beat PBKS by 24 runs to return to winning ways, move up in points table</a>

On Kohli slowing down after a fine start, Manjrekar opined, "It’s the same scenario with Virat Kohli that we have been seeing for a while. When the bowlers take the pace off, he struggles to get a move on. We saw that in the last IPL too. Once he gets into his 40s, he tends to slow down a little bit, I don’t know what the reason for that is."

"But, Faf du Plessis, how unselfish he was! He had an opportunity to get a hundred as well. But he was looking to hit a six every ball. He could have also maybe hang around and get a hundred. But he was looking to belt every ball for a six as he had a target in mind. That's the kind of batting that you really want to see," the ex-cricketer added.

Kohli-Faf added 59&nbsp;runs in the powerplays but the former slowed down once the field restrictions were lifted. He failed to accelerate freely in the middle overs, which has been an issue for him for quite some time.&nbsp;Kohli slammed 43 off 26 deliveries against pacers, smashing a six and three fours but&nbsp;faced as many as nine dot balls to only manage&nbsp;16 off&nbsp;21 balls against the Punjab spinners.

RCB will hope for Kohli to sort out his middle-overs issue and dominate pace and spin equally as the tournament progresses ahead.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) returned to winning ways as they beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 24 runs in match 27 of the IPL 2023 edition on Thursday (April 20), in Mohali.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) returned to winning ways as they beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 24 runs in match 27 of the IPL 2023 edition on Thursday (April 20), in Mohali. Virat Kohli captained the franchise after a long time as regular captain Faf du Plessis only featured as an Impact Player, due to his hip injury. Being asked to bat first, Kohli-Faf stitched an impressive 137-run opening stand as the duo continued their rich forms. Towards the end, RCB only managed 37 runs in the last four overs as they posted 174 for 4. In reply, Shikhar Dhawan-less Punjab only managed 150 all-out in 18.2 overs to lose by 24 runs. Kohli slammed a 47-ball 59 whereas Faf top-scored with a solid 56-ball 84 before Mohammed Siraj returned with 4-0-21-4. Seeing RCB's batting, where they struggled for a late flourish, former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar said, as quoted by India Today, "The start promised so much, but the score wasn’t what we expected. But the fact is that it’s an afternoon game. The pitch will become slower. That gives RCB hope. But, yes, they could have added maybe 25 runs more, considering the start that they had." Also Read: IPL 2023: All-round RCB beat PBKS by 24 runs to return to winning ways, move up in points table On Kohli slowing down after a fine start, Manjrekar opined, "It’s the same scenario with Virat Kohli that we have been seeing for a while. When the bowlers take the pace off, he struggles to get a move on. We saw that in the last IPL too. Once he gets into his 40s, he tends to slow down a little bit, I don’t know what the reason for that is." "But, Faf du Plessis, how unselfish he was! He had an opportunity to get a hundred as well. But he was looking to hit a six every ball. He could have also maybe hang around and get a hundred. But he was looking to belt every ball for a six as he had a target in mind. That's the kind of batting that you really want to see," the ex-cricketer added. Kohli-Faf added 59 runs in the powerplays but the former slowed down once the field restrictions were lifted. He failed to accelerate freely in the middle overs, which has been an issue for him for quite some time. Kohli slammed 43 off 26 deliveries against pacers, smashing a six and three fours but faced as many as nine dot balls to only manage 16 off 21 balls against the Punjab spinners. RCB will hope for Kohli to sort out his middle-overs issue and dominate pace and spin equally as the tournament progresses ahead.

IPL 2023: 'Once he gets into his 40s, he slows down' - Manjrekar on Virat Kohli's batting after RCB beat PBKS

Match 28 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition will see the winless Delhi Capitals (DC) host the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Zealand on Thursday evening (April 20). The David Warner-led Delhi franchise have looked a pale shadow of themselves after five straight defeats and, hence, will be eager to get off the mark as the competition has already got intense between all other nine teams. Thus, DC will not like to be left behind and will aim to open their account versus KKR.&nbsp;

Talking about KKR, the Nitish Rana-led franchise have had a topsy-turvy ride. After five games, they have won two and lost three and, thus, need to pull up their socks. For them to become more consistent, they need the likes of Sunil Narine and Andre Russell -- two of their most experienced players -- to come good and deliver more often than not. They also need to fix their opening combination as the league stage is now nearing its halfway mark.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-match-27th-punjab-kings-vs-royal-challengers-bangalore-match-preview-and-result-prediction-584240">IPL 2023, Match 27th: Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Match preview and result prediction</a>

Match preview and result prediction of DC vs KKR:&nbsp;Match 28 is expected to go down to the wire as it will feature two sides who have not looked at their very best so far. The two games at the venue in this season has seen the surface have something for the bowlers, being a bit sticky, but it becomes better for batting as the game goes on. Expect another 170-180-plus affair with chasing team to start as favourites. In head-to-head, DC have won 14 whereas KKR have emerged victorious on 16 occasions in 31 face-offs overall.&nbsp;Expect the tide to turn in DC's favour this evening.&nbsp;

<p ng-bind-html="comm[ts].comm" ng-class="get_comm_class(comm[ts]) " ng-hide="comm[ts].geo != null &amp;&amp; comm[ts].geo.length &gt; 0 &amp;&amp; comm[ts].geo.indexOf($root.$GEO.country) == -1" ng-if="comm[ts].evt != 'Plugin:news' &amp;&amp; comm[ts].evt != 'Plugin:video' &amp;&amp; comm[ts].evt != 'Plugin:comments'">Squads:

<p ng-bind-html="comm[ts].comm" ng-class="get_comm_class(comm[ts]) " ng-hide="comm[ts].geo != null &amp;&amp; comm[ts].geo.length &gt; 0 &amp;&amp; comm[ts].geo.indexOf($root.$GEO.country) == -1" ng-if="comm[ts].evt != 'Plugin:news' &amp;&amp; comm[ts].evt != 'Plugin:video' &amp;&amp; comm[ts].evt != 'Plugin:comments'">Delhi Capitals: David Warner(c), Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Yash Dhull, Manish Pandey, Abishek Porel(w), Axar Patel, Aman Hakim Khan, Lalit Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Kuldeep Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman, Mukesh Kumar, Sarfaraz Khan, Chetan Sakariya, Praveen Dubey, Rilee Rossouw, Rovman Powell, Khaleel Ahmed, Ishant Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Philip Salt, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ripal Patel, Vicky Ostwal

<p ng-bind-html="comm[ts].comm" ng-class="get_comm_class(comm[ts]) " ng-hide="comm[ts].geo != null &amp;&amp; comm[ts].geo.length &gt; 0 &amp;&amp; comm[ts].geo.indexOf($root.$GEO.country) == -1" ng-if="comm[ts].evt != 'Plugin:news' &amp;&amp; comm[ts].evt != 'Plugin:video' &amp;&amp; comm[ts].evt != 'Plugin:comments'">Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), N Jagadeesan, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana(c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakaravarthy, Suyash Sharma, Mandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, David Wiese, Tim Southee, Jason Roy, Litton Das, Kulwant Khejroliya, Harshit Rana, Aarya Desai

Match 28 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition will see the winless Delhi Capitals (DC) host the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Zealand on Thursday evening (April 20).

Match 28 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition will see the winless Delhi Capitals (DC) host the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Zealand on Thursday evening (April 20). The David Warner-led Delhi franchise have looked a pale shadow of themselves after five straight defeats and, hence, will be eager to get off the mark as the competition has already got intense between all other nine teams. Thus, DC will not like to be left behind and will aim to open their account versus KKR. Talking about KKR, the Nitish Rana-led franchise have had a topsy-turvy ride. After five games, they have won two and lost three and, thus, need to pull up their socks. For them to become more consistent, they need the likes of Sunil Narine and Andre Russell -- two of their most experienced players -- to come good and deliver more often than not. They also need to fix their opening combination as the league stage is now nearing its halfway mark. Also read: IPL 2023, Match 27th: Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Match preview and result prediction Match preview and result prediction of DC vs KKR: Match 28 is expected to go down to the wire as it will feature two sides who have not looked at their very best so far. The two games at the venue in this season has seen the surface have something for the bowlers, being a bit sticky, but it becomes better for batting as the game goes on. Expect another 170-180-plus affair with chasing team to start as favourites. In head-to-head, DC have won 14 whereas KKR have emerged victorious on 16 occasions in 31 face-offs overall. Expect the tide to turn in DC's favour this evening. Squads: Delhi Capitals: David Warner(c), Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Yash Dhull, Manish Pandey, Abishek Porel(w), Axar Patel, Aman Hakim Khan, Lalit Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Kuldeep Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman, Mukesh Kumar, Sarfaraz Khan, Chetan Sakariya, Praveen Dubey, Rilee Rossouw, Rovman Powell, Khaleel Ahmed, Ishant Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Philip Salt, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ripal Patel, Vicky Ostwal Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), N Jagadeesan, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana(c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakaravarthy, Suyash Sharma, Mandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, David Wiese, Tim Southee, Jason Roy, Litton Das, Kulwant Khejroliya, Harshit Rana, Aarya Desai

IPL 2023: Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match preview and result prediction

Match 27 of the IPL 2023 edition saw the three-time runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)&nbsp;beat hosts Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 24 runs at the IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali on Thursday (April 20). While the match went down to the wire, RCB dominated the majority of the proceedings to emerge on top. With this triumph, RCB now occupy the fifth&nbsp;spot in the points table.

Being asked to bat first, Virat Kohli-led RCB came out all guns blazing. Kohli was the stand-in skipper as Faf du Plessis, the regular captain, played as an Impact Player due to his hip injury. The pair stitched a 137-run opening stand with Kohli slamming a 47-ball 59 whereas Faf continued his rich form and returned with an impressive 54-ball 86.&nbsp;

RCB managed only 37 runs in the last four overs as Punjab bowlers staged a comeback, with Harpreet Brar taking two successive wickets. The visitors, however, ended with a competitive score of&nbsp;174-4.&nbsp;

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-another-milestone-for-king-kohli-virat-slams-600-fours-during-rcbs-away-tie-vs-pbks-584434">IPL 2023: ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR KING KOHLI! Virat slams 600 fours during RCB's away tie vs PBKS</a>

In reply, PBKS were on the back foot from the word go. They lost Atharva Taide, Matthew Short and Liam Livingstone for cheap as Md Siraj struck twice. With regular skipper Shikhar Dhawan out of the playing XI due to injury concerns, Punjab once again failed to get going at the top.

Prabhsimran Singh (46) looked good and took on the RCB bowlers amid the regular fall of wickets. He lost captain Curran, with a superb throw from Hasaranga, and the chase was pretty much done and dusted there itself. Despite the regular fall of wickets, Punjab kept scoring at a good rate and got a partnership going between Jitesh Sharma, who hit some big shots, and Brar to stay alive.

Nonetheless, Siraj broke the partnership in his last over, bowling the 18th, to take RCB closer to the finish line (ending with 4-0-21-4).&nbsp;Eventually, Harshal Patel dismissed Jitesh (41) as PBKS managed 150 all-out in 18.2 overs to lose by 24 runs.

Match 27 of the IPL 2023 edition saw the three-time runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) beat hosts Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 24 runs at the IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali on Thursday (April 20).

Match 27 of the IPL 2023 edition saw the three-time runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) beat hosts Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 24 runs at the IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali on Thursday (April 20). While the match went down to the wire, RCB dominated the majority of the proceedings to emerge on top. With this triumph, RCB now occupy the fifth spot in the points table. Being asked to bat first, Virat Kohli-led RCB came out all guns blazing. Kohli was the stand-in skipper as Faf du Plessis, the regular captain, played as an Impact Player due to his hip injury. The pair stitched a 137-run opening stand with Kohli slamming a 47-ball 59 whereas Faf continued his rich form and returned with an impressive 54-ball 86. RCB managed only 37 runs in the last four overs as Punjab bowlers staged a comeback, with Harpreet Brar taking two successive wickets. The visitors, however, ended with a competitive score of 174-4. Also Read: IPL 2023: ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR KING KOHLI! Virat slams 600 fours during RCB's away tie vs PBKS In reply, PBKS were on the back foot from the word go. They lost Atharva Taide, Matthew Short and Liam Livingstone for cheap as Md Siraj struck twice. With regular skipper Shikhar Dhawan out of the playing XI due to injury concerns, Punjab once again failed to get going at the top. Prabhsimran Singh (46) looked good and took on the RCB bowlers amid the regular fall of wickets. He lost captain Curran, with a superb throw from Hasaranga, and the chase was pretty much done and dusted there itself. Despite the regular fall of wickets, Punjab kept scoring at a good rate and got a partnership going between Jitesh Sharma, who hit some big shots, and Brar to stay alive. Nonetheless, Siraj broke the partnership in his last over, bowling the 18th, to take RCB closer to the finish line (ending with 4-0-21-4). Eventually, Harshal Patel dismissed Jitesh (41) as PBKS managed 150 all-out in 18.2 overs to lose by 24 runs.

IPL 2023: All-round RCB beat PBKS by 24 runs to return to winning ways, move up in points table

Virat Kohli, on Thursday (April 20), achieved another historic feat during Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) face-off versus Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali. Leading the side, with a not-fully-fit Faf du Plessis playing only as an Impact Player, Kohli stitched an impressive 137-run opening stand and slammed a 47-ball 59. During his knock, he smashed 5 fours and a six and reached a big milestone.&nbsp;

Kohli now has 600 fours (603*) in the IPL. Thus, the 34-year-old has added another historic feat in his glittering IPL career.&nbsp;

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Another day, another milestone 😉 
 
6⃣0⃣0⃣ fours now in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TATAIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TATAIPL</a> for <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> 🫡 
 
Follow the match ▶️ <a href="https://t.co/CQekZNsh7b">https://t.co/CQekZNsh7b</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TATAIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TATAIPL</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PBKSvRCB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PBKSvRCB</a> <a href="https://t.co/HzFwFdGmeA">pic.twitter.com/HzFwFdGmeA</a>
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Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-arjun-tendulkars-alignment-isnt-good-wont-be-able-to-generate-pace-claims-former-pak-captain-584323">IPL 2023: Arjun Tendulkar's alignment isn't good, won't be able to generate pace, claims former Pak captain</a>

In the list of most fours in IPL, Shikhar Dhawan is on top (730) followed by Delhi Capitals' (DC) captain David Warner (608). Kohli is the leading run-getter in the IPL, with 6,903 runs along with five centuries and 48 fifties.&nbsp;

At the coin toss, PBKS' stand-in captain Sam Curran opted to bowl first. Kohli stated, "Faf potentially can't be fielding today, so he'll be playing as a impact player, switching with Vyshak. We got to do what we wanted, we would have batted first, the pitch could get slow, some scruff marks will help the bowlers going deep into the game. Taking one game at a time, focussing on our own game, make the most of crunch situations, we haven't done that so far in the tournament. No other changes for us."

RCB have posted 174 for 4 and will be desperate to return to winning ways with a disciplined bowling performance versus hosts Punjab.

Virat Kohli, on Thursday (April 20), achieved another historic feat during Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) face-off versus Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali.

Virat Kohli, on Thursday (April 20), achieved another historic feat during Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) face-off versus Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali. Leading the side, with a not-fully-fit Faf du Plessis playing only as an Impact Player, Kohli stitched an impressive 137-run opening stand and slammed a 47-ball 59. During his knock, he smashed 5 fours and a six and reached a big milestone. Kohli now has 600 fours (603*) in the IPL. Thus, the 34-year-old has added another historic feat in his glittering IPL career. Another day, another milestone 😉 6⃣0⃣0⃣ fours now in #TATAIPL for @imVkohli 🫡 Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/CQekZNsh7b#TATAIPL | #PBKSvRCB pic.twitter.com/HzFwFdGmeA — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 20, 2023 × Also Read: IPL 2023: Arjun Tendulkar's alignment isn't good, won't be able to generate pace, claims former Pak captain In the list of most fours in IPL, Shikhar Dhawan is on top (730) followed by Delhi Capitals' (DC) captain David Warner (608). Kohli is the leading run-getter in the IPL, with 6,903 runs along with five centuries and 48 fifties. At the coin toss, PBKS' stand-in captain Sam Curran opted to bowl first. Kohli stated, "Faf potentially can't be fielding today, so he'll be playing as a impact player, switching with Vyshak. We got to do what we wanted, we would have batted first, the pitch could get slow, some scruff marks will help the bowlers going deep into the game. Taking one game at a time, focussing on our own game, make the most of crunch situations, we haven't done that so far in the tournament. No other changes for us." RCB have posted 174 for 4 and will be desperate to return to winning ways with a disciplined bowling performance versus hosts Punjab.

IPL 2023: ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR KING KOHLI! Virat slams 600 fours during RCB's away tie vs PBKS

KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by ten runs in match 26 of IPL 2023 on Wednesday (April 19). Put into bat, LSG were slow in their approach, on a tricky two-paced wicket, to post 154 for 7 but restricted the home side for 144 for 6 to emerge on top at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur. While Rahul rotated his bowlers nicely and was praised for his captaincy, by former cricketers Shaun Pollock and Murali Karthik, he was slammed for his rusty 32-ball 39.

Opening the innings, Rahul and Kyle Mayers took some time to get going. While Mayers managed a 42-ball 51, Rahul was also unimpressive as he returned with 39 (32). Thus, former India pacer RP Singh opined on Rahul's sluggish knock and said 'he never used to play like this'.

Singh said on JioCinema, "KL Rahul never used to play like this, he used to always have a good strike rate, take the attack to the opposition and play good shots, but here he seemed to be stuck and under pressure."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-arjun-tendulkars-alignment-isnt-good-wont-be-able-to-generate-pace-claims-former-pak-captain-584323">IPL 2023: Arjun Tendulkar's alignment isn't good, won't be able to generate pace, claims former Pak captain</a>

He added, "I might be wrong, but he is probably thinking that his form might return after playing a big innings. His form is not bad, he is still playing his shots, but he is not being able to find those gaps in his shots, he should take those calculative risks which he is not taking."

At the post-match presentation, Rahul said, "We game in here yesterday and saw 180 would be a par score, but the first over from Boult, me and Kyle had a chat and realised this isn't a 180 wicket. The ball was keeping a bit low, so we gave ourselves time in the powerplay. Maybe if we played a bit better, we might have got 170 as well." However, he was also slammed by former India head coach Ravi Shastri for his defensive approach.&nbsp;

"Absolutely (needs to get the strike up). All that talk about 160, I don't buy it. When you have two chances, if you convert that 39 to 60 or 70, 160 becomes 175. You need someone in the top 3 to carry on and play that long innings," Shastri told Star Sports.

LSG are in the second spot in the points table, with eight points from six games, and will host defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) at the&nbsp;Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Saturday afternoon (April 22).

KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by ten runs in match 26 of IPL 2023 on Wednesday (April 19). Put into bat, LSG were slow in their approach, on a tricky two-paced wicket, to post 154 for 7 but restricted the home side for 144 for 6 to emerge on top at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur.

KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by ten runs in match 26 of IPL 2023 on Wednesday (April 19). Put into bat, LSG were slow in their approach, on a tricky two-paced wicket, to post 154 for 7 but restricted the home side for 144 for 6 to emerge on top at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur. While Rahul rotated his bowlers nicely and was praised for his captaincy, by former cricketers Shaun Pollock and Murali Karthik, he was slammed for his rusty 32-ball 39. Opening the innings, Rahul and Kyle Mayers took some time to get going. While Mayers managed a 42-ball 51, Rahul was also unimpressive as he returned with 39 (32). Thus, former India pacer RP Singh opined on Rahul's sluggish knock and said 'he never used to play like this'. Singh said on JioCinema, "KL Rahul never used to play like this, he used to always have a good strike rate, take the attack to the opposition and play good shots, but here he seemed to be stuck and under pressure." Also read: IPL 2023: Arjun Tendulkar's alignment isn't good, won't be able to generate pace, claims former Pak captain He added, "I might be wrong, but he is probably thinking that his form might return after playing a big innings. His form is not bad, he is still playing his shots, but he is not being able to find those gaps in his shots, he should take those calculative risks which he is not taking." At the post-match presentation, Rahul said, "We game in here yesterday and saw 180 would be a par score, but the first over from Boult, me and Kyle had a chat and realised this isn't a 180 wicket. The ball was keeping a bit low, so we gave ourselves time in the powerplay. Maybe if we played a bit better, we might have got 170 as well." However, he was also slammed by former India head coach Ravi Shastri for his defensive approach. "Absolutely (needs to get the strike up). All that talk about 160, I don't buy it. When you have two chances, if you convert that 39 to 60 or 70, 160 becomes 175. You need someone in the top 3 to carry on and play that long innings," Shastri told Star Sports. LSG are in the second spot in the points table, with eight points from six games, and will host defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Saturday afternoon (April 22).

IPL 2023: KL Rahul seems to be under pressure, never used to play like this, says former India pacer

Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians (MI) won their third game in a row when they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 14 runs, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, in match 25 of IPL 2023 on Tuesday (April 18). Asked to bat first, MI rode on Cameron Green's 64 and&nbsp;Tilak Verma's 37 to post 192-5. In return, SRH got bundled out for 178 in 19.5 overs to lose by 14 runs.

There were several big moments in the high-scoring game. However, Arjun Tendulkar ended the match on a high by picking his maiden IPL wicket. Bowling the last over, with 20 to defend, Arjun conceded only five runs and removed Bhuvneshwar Kumar -- who was the&nbsp;first bowler to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar for a duck in Ranji Trophy, at the same ground in Hyderabad&nbsp;-- and opened his wicket coloumn in IPL.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-sachin-posts-cheeky-tweet-on-son-arjun-tendulkar-taking-maiden-wicket-in-mi-vs-srh-tie-583930">IPL 2023: Sachin posts CHEEKY tweet on son Arjun Tendulkar taking maiden wicket in MI vs SRH tie</a>

Here's the video of Arjun's last over vs SRH where he got his first IPL scalp -

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A special moment for young Arjun Tendulkar, who gets his first wicket in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TATAIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TATAIPL</a> and it is his captain Rohit Sharma, who takes the catch of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. 
 
Arjun takes the final wicket and <a href="https://twitter.com/mipaltan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mipaltan</a> win by 14 runs. <a href="https://t.co/1jAa2kBm0Z">pic.twitter.com/1jAa2kBm0Z</a>
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1648386251387727877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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At the post-match presentation, Rohit said, "Arjun has been a part of this team for three years. He understands what he wants to do. He is quite confident as well. He is clear in his plans. He is trying to swing the new ball and bowl yorkers at the death."

MI occupy the sixth position in the points table with three wins and two defeats after five games.&nbsp;

Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians (MI) won their third game in a row when they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 14 runs, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, in match 25 of IPL 2023 on Tuesday (April 18).

Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians (MI) won their third game in a row when they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 14 runs, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, in match 25 of IPL 2023 on Tuesday (April 18). Asked to bat first, MI rode on Cameron Green's 64 and Tilak Verma's 37 to post 192-5. In return, SRH got bundled out for 178 in 19.5 overs to lose by 14 runs. There were several big moments in the high-scoring game. However, Arjun Tendulkar ended the match on a high by picking his maiden IPL wicket. Bowling the last over, with 20 to defend, Arjun conceded only five runs and removed Bhuvneshwar Kumar -- who was the first bowler to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar for a duck in Ranji Trophy, at the same ground in Hyderabad -- and opened his wicket coloumn in IPL. Also Read: IPL 2023: Sachin posts CHEEKY tweet on son Arjun Tendulkar taking maiden wicket in MI vs SRH tie Here's the video of Arjun's last over vs SRH where he got his first IPL scalp - A special moment for young Arjun Tendulkar, who gets his first wicket in #TATAIPL and it is his captain Rohit Sharma, who takes the catch of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Arjun takes the final wicket and @mipaltan win by 14 runs. pic.twitter.com/1jAa2kBm0Z — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 18, 2023 × At the post-match presentation, Rohit said, "Arjun has been a part of this team for three years. He understands what he wants to do. He is quite confident as well. He is clear in his plans. He is trying to swing the new ball and bowl yorkers at the death." MI occupy the sixth position in the points table with three wins and two defeats after five games.

IPL 2023: Arjun Tendulkar takes his maiden wicket in MI's last-over win over SRH - Watch

The IPL 2023 edition is on a roll, churning out thrilling contests with each passing day. Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), two of the most successful franchises in IPL history, are slowly coming to their own after a slow start and have three wins each after five encounters.&nbsp;

Recently, Little Master Sunil Gavaskar -- who is part of the commentary panel of IPL 2023 -- revealed he would have loved to play for MI, his home franchise. If not MI, Gavaskar stated that he would have loved to play for CSK, the four-time champions, for two reasons -- majorly to play under&nbsp;MS Dhoni.

Gavaskar in a Q&amp;A session on Star Sports, Gavaskar was asked which team he would like to represent in the IPL.&nbsp;While his first choice was MI, he named CSK as his second preference due to the Dhoni factor.

"If not Mumbai Indians then I would like to play for Chennai Super Kings. Chennai Super Kings for two reasons, firstly, the Chennai owners are passionate about cricket, they have done so much for the sport. Srinivasan sir has done a lot for cricket. And the second big reason would be to sit in the dressing room with MS Dhoni and see how he captains the team. Is he as calm and composed in the dressing room as he is on the field? Does he lose his cool when someone has dropped a catch or somebody didn’t back up a fielder? That’s what I would like to know," Gavaskar said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/it-might-put-pressure-virender-sehwag-on-ashish-nehras-on-field-tactics-in-gt-rr-ipl-2023-tie-584053">'It might put pressure': Virender Sehwag on Ashish Nehra's on-field tactics in GT-RR IPL 2023 tie</a>

On being asked&nbsp;who he would like to see play in the cash-rich league from his era, Gavaskar mentione,&nbsp;"Look, a batsman I would like to see would be Sandeep Patil, there is only one all-rounder who I would choose – Kapil Dev, for the bowler, I would like to see BS Chandrashekhar play in the T20 format, because his bowling action was not suited only for test cricket, but one day cricket and T20 cricket would also be easy for him."

At present, CSK occupy the third position whereas Rohit Sharma's MI are in the sixth spot.

The IPL 2023 edition is on a roll, churning out thrilling contests with each passing day. Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), two of the most successful franchises in IPL history, are slowly coming to their own after a slow start and have three wins each after five encounters.

The IPL 2023 edition is on a roll, churning out thrilling contests with each passing day. Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), two of the most successful franchises in IPL history, are slowly coming to their own after a slow start and have three wins each after five encounters. Recently, Little Master Sunil Gavaskar -- who is part of the commentary panel of IPL 2023 -- revealed he would have loved to play for MI, his home franchise. If not MI, Gavaskar stated that he would have loved to play for CSK, the four-time champions, for two reasons -- majorly to play under MS Dhoni. Gavaskar in a Q&A session on Star Sports, Gavaskar was asked which team he would like to represent in the IPL. While his first choice was MI, he named CSK as his second preference due to the Dhoni factor. "If not Mumbai Indians then I would like to play for Chennai Super Kings. Chennai Super Kings for two reasons, firstly, the Chennai owners are passionate about cricket, they have done so much for the sport. Srinivasan sir has done a lot for cricket. And the second big reason would be to sit in the dressing room with MS Dhoni and see how he captains the team. Is he as calm and composed in the dressing room as he is on the field? Does he lose his cool when someone has dropped a catch or somebody didn’t back up a fielder? That’s what I would like to know," Gavaskar said. Also read: 'It might put pressure': Virender Sehwag on Ashish Nehra's on-field tactics in GT-RR IPL 2023 tie On being asked who he would like to see play in the cash-rich league from his era, Gavaskar mentione, "Look, a batsman I would like to see would be Sandeep Patil, there is only one all-rounder who I would choose – Kapil Dev, for the bowler, I would like to see BS Chandrashekhar play in the T20 format, because his bowling action was not suited only for test cricket, but one day cricket and T20 cricket would also be easy for him." At present, CSK occupy the third position whereas Rohit Sharma's MI are in the sixth spot.

IPL 2023: If not MI, Sunil Gavaskar reveals he would have loved to play for MS Dhoni's CSK - Here's why

Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT) hosted last year's runners-up Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 23 of IPL 2023 at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday (April 16). Asked to bat first, defending champions GT rode on contributions from Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya, David Miller and Abhinav Manohar to post a competitive 177 for 7.

In reply, Sanju Samson's RR were in a spot of bother and reduced to 55 for 4 before the captain's counterattacking 32-ball 60 and Shimron Hetymer's 26-ball 56*, along with timely hits from Dhruv Jurel and R Ashwin, took their side to a thrilling three-wicket win in the final over. During the end overs, GT's head coach Ashish Nehra was seen constantly talking to David Miller, stationed at the deep. Despite Nehra's valiant efforts, his suggestions didn't work as GT bowlers lost the plot in the end to lose the clash.

After the game, Nehra's former India teammate Virender Sehwag opined on the former's on-field tactics and said on Cricbuzz, "We know Ashish Nehra from childhood and so I feel he was just dealing with his anxiety by talking to the fielders on the boundary. But what that might do is sometimes it might put pressure on the players. He said something to Shami too when he was on the boundary, and then even Shami ended up getting hit for runs in his last over."

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/no-chance-i-will-virat-kohli-recalls-how-he-turned-down-another-franchises-offer-and-remained-at-rcb-584017">'No chance, I will...': Virat Kohli recalls how he turned down another franchise's offer and remained at RCB</a>

Captain Hardik said in the post-match presentation, "To be honest no (didn't expect the loss after the powerplay), but that's the beauty about this game. The game is never over till it's over, another lesson for us. A lot of matches left, we still need to play a lot of group cricket even if we had won today."

GT will now face the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the&nbsp;Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Saturday afternoon (April 22).&nbsp;

Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT) hosted last year's runners-up Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 23 of IPL 2023 at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday (April 16).

Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT) hosted last year's runners-up Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 23 of IPL 2023 at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday (April 16). Asked to bat first, defending champions GT rode on contributions from Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya, David Miller and Abhinav Manohar to post a competitive 177 for 7. In reply, Sanju Samson's RR were in a spot of bother and reduced to 55 for 4 before the captain's counterattacking 32-ball 60 and Shimron Hetymer's 26-ball 56*, along with timely hits from Dhruv Jurel and R Ashwin, took their side to a thrilling three-wicket win in the final over. During the end overs, GT's head coach Ashish Nehra was seen constantly talking to David Miller, stationed at the deep. Despite Nehra's valiant efforts, his suggestions didn't work as GT bowlers lost the plot in the end to lose the clash. After the game, Nehra's former India teammate Virender Sehwag opined on the former's on-field tactics and said on Cricbuzz, "We know Ashish Nehra from childhood and so I feel he was just dealing with his anxiety by talking to the fielders on the boundary. But what that might do is sometimes it might put pressure on the players. He said something to Shami too when he was on the boundary, and then even Shami ended up getting hit for runs in his last over." Also Read: 'No chance, I will...': Virat Kohli recalls how he turned down another franchise's offer and remained at RCB Captain Hardik said in the post-match presentation, "To be honest no (didn't expect the loss after the powerplay), but that's the beauty about this game. The game is never over till it's over, another lesson for us. A lot of matches left, we still need to play a lot of group cricket even if we had won today." GT will now face the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Saturday afternoon (April 22).

'It might put pressure': Virender Sehwag on Ashish Nehra's on-field tactics in GT-RR IPL 2023 tie

Delhi Capitals (DC) continued their losing streak as they lost their fifth game in a row in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition as they went down to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday (April 15). Opting to bowl first, David Warner-led DC restricted RCB for 174 for 6 with Mitchell Marsh (2 for 18) and Kuldeep Yadav (2 for 23) being the top performer with the ball. In reply, DC only managed 151 for 9 to remain winless in the tournament after five games and are languishing at the bottom.

After the game, many expected DC's head coach Ricky Ponting -- former Australian captain -- to give a earful to his players. However, Ponting chose to look at the brighter side of things and gave a special mention to Indian wrist spinner Kuldeep for his sparkling performance. In DC's previous game, the 28-year-old had been expensive and returned with figures of 2-0-23-0, however, he turned the tables emphatically versus RCB to end with 4-0-23-2.&nbsp;

'Don't you ever say sorry to me or anyone for what happens on the cricket field'

Thus, Ponting told Kuldeep while addressing the team in the dressing room, "Good, really good bowling performance. They challenged us early; they got off to a flier. Our attitude and commitment came back, we dragged it back. Kuldeep, where are you mate? Disappointed last game, weren't you? You actually said sorry to me at the end of the game. " He added, with DC's Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly in attendance, "So mate, don't you ever say sorry to me or anyone for what happens on the cricket field. What I want you to do is bounce back strong and today with 2/23 off four, it was an outstanding spell of bowling. Well done."

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/they-know-how-to-get-out-of-tough-situations-sunil-gavaskar-on-csk-lauds-ms-dhonis-captaincy-583257">'They know how to get out of tough situations': Sunil Gavaskar on CSK, lauds MS Dhoni's captaincy</a>

Kuldeep has so far accounted for four scalps in five games. Further, Ponting went on to laud Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel and Mitchell Marsh before mentioning where DC can improve as a unit.&nbsp;

He opined, "Lalit, I thought you did a good job with the ball as well buddy. Two sixes in that one over otherwise the reason we bought you in today was to bowl those hard overs in the Powerplay, just outside it, and you did a great job as well. Axar you were also great. 1/25 off three and our golden boy Mitchell Marsh, who picks up 2/18 of his couple overs as well. So well done."

Punter added, "Fielding was good. But it was good without being great. Whenever we take the field next time, I want to take the fielding from being good to great. I want you to go about your own preparations, look at your own vision, work on your own game plan and play it your way. One thing I said about the game, I know you keep on working hard. Keep doing all the right things, then eventually it's going to change. That's the only way we will be able to go forward boys – simple, altogether, as a group, work hard together for each other to turn things around."

Problems remain aplenty for DC after five straight defeats. They will now face the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi on Thursday (April 20).

Delhi Capitals (DC) continued their losing streak as they lost their fifth game in a row in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition as they went down to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday (April 15).

Delhi Capitals (DC) continued their losing streak as they lost their fifth game in a row in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition as they went down to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday (April 15). Opting to bowl first, David Warner-led DC restricted RCB for 174 for 6 with Mitchell Marsh (2 for 18) and Kuldeep Yadav (2 for 23) being the top performer with the ball. In reply, DC only managed 151 for 9 to remain winless in the tournament after five games and are languishing at the bottom. After the game, many expected DC's head coach Ricky Ponting -- former Australian captain -- to give a earful to his players. However, Ponting chose to look at the brighter side of things and gave a special mention to Indian wrist spinner Kuldeep for his sparkling performance. In DC's previous game, the 28-year-old had been expensive and returned with figures of 2-0-23-0, however, he turned the tables emphatically versus RCB to end with 4-0-23-2. 'Don't you ever say sorry to me or anyone for what happens on the cricket field' Thus, Ponting told Kuldeep while addressing the team in the dressing room, "Good, really good bowling performance. They challenged us early; they got off to a flier. Our attitude and commitment came back, we dragged it back. Kuldeep, where are you mate? Disappointed last game, weren't you? You actually said sorry to me at the end of the game. " He added, with DC's Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly in attendance, "So mate, don't you ever say sorry to me or anyone for what happens on the cricket field. What I want you to do is bounce back strong and today with 2/23 off four, it was an outstanding spell of bowling. Well done." Also Read: 'They know how to get out of tough situations': Sunil Gavaskar on CSK, lauds MS Dhoni's captaincy Kuldeep has so far accounted for four scalps in five games. Further, Ponting went on to laud Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel and Mitchell Marsh before mentioning where DC can improve as a unit. He opined, "Lalit, I thought you did a good job with the ball as well buddy. Two sixes in that one over otherwise the reason we bought you in today was to bowl those hard overs in the Powerplay, just outside it, and you did a great job as well. Axar you were also great. 1/25 off three and our golden boy Mitchell Marsh, who picks up 2/18 of his couple overs as well. So well done." Punter added, "Fielding was good. But it was good without being great. Whenever we take the field next time, I want to take the fielding from being good to great. I want you to go about your own preparations, look at your own vision, work on your own game plan and play it your way. One thing I said about the game, I know you keep on working hard. Keep doing all the right things, then eventually it's going to change. That's the only way we will be able to go forward boys – simple, altogether, as a group, work hard together for each other to turn things around." Problems remain aplenty for DC after five straight defeats. They will now face the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi on Thursday (April 20).

IPL 2023: 'Don't you ever...:' - DC coach Ricky Ponting to Kuldeep Yadav after loss vs RCB

Virat Kohli remains the only player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history to have played for a single franchise since the tournament's inception in 2008. Kohli has been part of the three-time runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and continues to be a big name in the franchise.

Kohli has had a stellar run in the RCB franchise. In the initial years, he was part of the dressing room which featured yesteryear greats such as Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor, Kevin Pietersen, etc. and then formed a lethan trio with Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers. He led the franchise to the final in IPL 2016 and captained them for several years before resigning after 2021 season. Recently, the 34-year-old Kohli revealed how he was interested to join another franchise during IPL's early years but they didn't show much interest and when they came back to him, he rejected their offer for RCB's relentless backing.

Speaking to Robin Uthappa -- a former RCB player -- during an interview for JioCinema, Kohli said, “It's been amazing. Why I value this partnership and journey with RCB so much, is because in the first 3 years of the IPL, they backed me a lot. Even when the retentions happened, they said, 'we want to retain you'. My only feedback to Ray Jennings at the time was 'I want to bat in top-order. I bat at 3 for India, and I want to bat at 3'. And they said, 'okay, you will bat at 3'. They showed faith in me at the time when I needed it. I was growing in my international career as well,” Kohli told Robin Uthappa during an interview for&nbsp;JioCinema.

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-arjun-tendulkar-takes-his-maiden-wicket-in-mis-last-over-win-over-srh-watch-583969">IPL 2023: Arjun Tendulkar takes his maiden wicket in MI's last-over win over SRH - Watch</a>

Kohli further added, "That is of more value for me. I won't take names but another franchise who I spoke to at the time... they were not even keen enough to listen to me. I was playing lower down the order at the time (5-6). I was like, ‘if I could get the opportunity to bat in the top of the order somewhere else...’ The same franchise, because I had played for India and performed in 2011, before the retention, came to me and said, 'can you please come to the auction?' I said, ‘no chance. I will always be with the franchise that backs me’."

Kohli is a legend of IPL. He is the leading run-getter with 6,844 runs with five centuries at an average of 36.59 and a strike rate of 129.67. RCB are not off to a great start in IPL 2023, having won only two out of their first five games and currently occupy the eighth position in the overall standings.

Virat Kohli remains the only player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history to have played for a single franchise since the tournament's inception in 2008. Kohli has been part of the three-time runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and continues to be a big name in the franchise.

Virat Kohli remains the only player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history to have played for a single franchise since the tournament's inception in 2008. Kohli has been part of the three-time runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and continues to be a big name in the franchise. Kohli has had a stellar run in the RCB franchise. In the initial years, he was part of the dressing room which featured yesteryear greats such as Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor, Kevin Pietersen, etc. and then formed a lethan trio with Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers. He led the franchise to the final in IPL 2016 and captained them for several years before resigning after 2021 season. Recently, the 34-year-old Kohli revealed how he was interested to join another franchise during IPL's early years but they didn't show much interest and when they came back to him, he rejected their offer for RCB's relentless backing. Speaking to Robin Uthappa -- a former RCB player -- during an interview for JioCinema, Kohli said, “It's been amazing. Why I value this partnership and journey with RCB so much, is because in the first 3 years of the IPL, they backed me a lot. Even when the retentions happened, they said, 'we want to retain you'. My only feedback to Ray Jennings at the time was 'I want to bat in top-order. I bat at 3 for India, and I want to bat at 3'. And they said, 'okay, you will bat at 3'. They showed faith in me at the time when I needed it. I was growing in my international career as well,” Kohli told Robin Uthappa during an interview for JioCinema. Also Read: IPL 2023: Arjun Tendulkar takes his maiden wicket in MI's last-over win over SRH - Watch Kohli further added, "That is of more value for me. I won't take names but another franchise who I spoke to at the time... they were not even keen enough to listen to me. I was playing lower down the order at the time (5-6). I was like, ‘if I could get the opportunity to bat in the top of the order somewhere else...’ The same franchise, because I had played for India and performed in 2011, before the retention, came to me and said, 'can you please come to the auction?' I said, ‘no chance. I will always be with the franchise that backs me’." Kohli is a legend of IPL. He is the leading run-getter with 6,844 runs with five centuries at an average of 36.59 and a strike rate of 129.67. RCB are not off to a great start in IPL 2023, having won only two out of their first five games and currently occupy the eighth position in the overall standings.

'No chance, I will...': Virat Kohli recalls how he turned down another franchise's offer and remained at RCB

Could a Saudi premier league outbid the IPL? Could it steal IPL's limelight and its stars. Reports say Saudi Arabia is already in talks with the BCCI. What for? Listen in to Molly Gambhir.

Gravitas | IPL: Could the Indian Premier League become the Saudi Premier League?

Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) occupy the seventh spot in IPL 2023 points table after their narrow loss over Chennai Super Kings (CSK), at home, on Monday evening (April 17). Bowling first, RCB was in for a leather hunt as they conceded 226/6 and while they were on course to chase down the target, they lost by eight runs after being restricted to 218 for 8.

RCB are expected to make a strong comeback in the season and will rely on their captain Faf du Plessis. Du Plessis has hit the ground running in IPL 2023 and is the current Orange Cap holder (259 runs) after his splendid 33-ball 62 versus CSK. Ever since the former South African captain joined the RCB camp, he has been one of their top performers and is expected to revamp his side's campaign in this year's IPL season.

In IPL 2022, Du Plessis represented the RCB franchise for the first time -- after they bought him for INR 70 million (INR 7 crore) -- and he didn't disappoint; leading the side to the playoffs and also ending as RCB's highest run-scorer. Recently, RCB's Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson explained why the veteran cricketer was chosen as the RCB captain ahead of IPL 2022.

Speaking on the RCB podcast, Hesson said, "I guess it’s really difficult coming into a group when the previous captain (Virat Kohli)&nbsp;is still there. So we needed somebody that could come in, would have respect within the group instantly because if he comes in a lot of people can be intimidated by the ex-captain being near and potentially aren’t confident enough to make your own decisions."

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-shouldnt-go-to-a-stage-where-ms-dhoni-virender-sehwags-stern-warning-to-csk-after-rcb-win-583717">IPL 2023: 'Shouldn't go to a stage where MS Dhoni...: Virender Sehwag's STERN WARNING to CSK after RCB win</a>

The New Zealander further opined, “So we wanted somebody who had captained at an international level before ideally, somebody that had respect from amongst the Indian players and the international players. That was really important that it wasn’t just somebody that would take a year to be in. We felt that at RCB we needed someone to hit the ground running."

He added, "We wanted a player who we knew could plug and play from a performance point of view. So somebody that had a really good record in the IPL in recent years and Faf clearly had that. And also would work well with the coach and the coaching group because we wanted that inclusive style. Somebody that we had a lot of good senior players Virat, Maxi (Glenn Maxwell) DK (Dinesh Karthik) that we were looking to either bring in or retain. So we needed to use those skills rather than just be an authoritarian-style captain. We want someone who will actually come and work with that group. And Faf ticked all those boxes."

Du Plessis succeeded Kohli as the RCB captain after the latter resigned from the top post following the end of IPL 2021.&nbsp;

Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) occupy the seventh spot in IPL 2023 points table after their narrow loss over Chennai Super Kings (CSK), at home, on Monday evening (April 17).

Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) occupy the seventh spot in IPL 2023 points table after their narrow loss over Chennai Super Kings (CSK), at home, on Monday evening (April 17). Bowling first, RCB was in for a leather hunt as they conceded 226/6 and while they were on course to chase down the target, they lost by eight runs after being restricted to 218 for 8. RCB are expected to make a strong comeback in the season and will rely on their captain Faf du Plessis. Du Plessis has hit the ground running in IPL 2023 and is the current Orange Cap holder (259 runs) after his splendid 33-ball 62 versus CSK. Ever since the former South African captain joined the RCB camp, he has been one of their top performers and is expected to revamp his side's campaign in this year's IPL season. In IPL 2022, Du Plessis represented the RCB franchise for the first time -- after they bought him for INR 70 million (INR 7 crore) -- and he didn't disappoint; leading the side to the playoffs and also ending as RCB's highest run-scorer. Recently, RCB's Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson explained why the veteran cricketer was chosen as the RCB captain ahead of IPL 2022. Speaking on the RCB podcast, Hesson said, "I guess it’s really difficult coming into a group when the previous captain (Virat Kohli) is still there. So we needed somebody that could come in, would have respect within the group instantly because if he comes in a lot of people can be intimidated by the ex-captain being near and potentially aren’t confident enough to make your own decisions." Also Read: IPL 2023: 'Shouldn't go to a stage where MS Dhoni...: Virender Sehwag's STERN WARNING to CSK after RCB win The New Zealander further opined, “So we wanted somebody who had captained at an international level before ideally, somebody that had respect from amongst the Indian players and the international players. That was really important that it wasn’t just somebody that would take a year to be in. We felt that at RCB we needed someone to hit the ground running." He added, "We wanted a player who we knew could plug and play from a performance point of view. So somebody that had a really good record in the IPL in recent years and Faf clearly had that. And also would work well with the coach and the coaching group because we wanted that inclusive style. Somebody that we had a lot of good senior players Virat, Maxi (Glenn Maxwell) DK (Dinesh Karthik) that we were looking to either bring in or retain. So we needed to use those skills rather than just be an authoritarian-style captain. We want someone who will actually come and work with that group. And Faf ticked all those boxes." Du Plessis succeeded Kohli as the RCB captain after the latter resigned from the top post following the end of IPL 2021.

IPL 2023: REVEALED! Mike Hesson explains why Faf du Plessis was made RCB captain after Virat Kohli

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by eight runs in match 24 of the IPL 2023 edition on Monday evening (April 18). Being asked to bat first, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, MS Dhoni &amp; Co. rode on&nbsp;Devon Conway's 83 (45), Ajinkya Rahane's 20-ball 37 and Shivam Dube's 27-ball 52 to post a mammoth 226 for 6 in 20 overs. In response, RCB managed 218/8 -- with electrifying fifties from Glenn Maxwell (36-ball 76) and Faf du Plessis (33-ball 62) with some tidy overs towards the end to win by a whisker.

At the post-match presentation, Dhoni reviewed CSK's death-bowling performance and said, "&nbsp;It is a difficult one for the youngsters, specially at this time of the year with the dew around. But they are working hard. Bravo is one of the specialists. Under him, the bowlers will gain confidence. It's a team game. The coach, the bowling coach and the senior players guide them."

Virender Sehwag, India's former cricketer, spoke at length on CSK's bowling performance. The Yellow Army bowlers had leaked runs left, right and centre in the first half of RCB's run-chase. After ten overs, RCB was well-placed 121 for 2. They somehow pulled things back with regular wickets towards the end overs and leaked only 37 runs in the last four overs (with 46 required from 24 balls). Nonetheless, they once again conceded plenty of extras -- which has been their Achilles heels this season -- in the high-scorer (11; including six wides).

Sehwag said on Cricbuzz, "Dhoni was not looking happy because he has mentioned it before that he wants the bowlers to reduce the number of no-balls and wides. CSK had bowled two-three years of extra and against RCB, they bowled another extra over. It shouldn't go to a stage where Dhoni gets banned and CSK has to take the field without their captain."

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-updated-points-table-latest-standings-after-csk-vs-rcb-match-orange-cap-and-purple-cap-holders-583598">IPL 2023 updated points table: Latest standings after CSK vs RCB match, orange cap and purple cap holders</a>

He added, "With the kind of knee injury he has, it appears he might play only a handful of matches more anyway. He is constantly pushing himself but if his bowlers are bowling so many wides and no-balls, then Dhoni will have to take rest."

Dhoni-led CSK have won three out of their five fixtures in IPL 2023. They occupy the third spot in the points table. While their batting has looked very good, their bowlers need to be more disciplined whereas their fielding has also been ordinary so far.&nbsp;

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by eight runs in match 24 of the IPL 2023 edition on Monday evening (April 18). Being asked to bat first, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, MS Dhoni & Co.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by eight runs in match 24 of the IPL 2023 edition on Monday evening (April 18). Being asked to bat first, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, MS Dhoni & Co. rode on Devon Conway's 83 (45), Ajinkya Rahane's 20-ball 37 and Shivam Dube's 27-ball 52 to post a mammoth 226 for 6 in 20 overs. In response, RCB managed 218/8 -- with electrifying fifties from Glenn Maxwell (36-ball 76) and Faf du Plessis (33-ball 62) with some tidy overs towards the end to win by a whisker. At the post-match presentation, Dhoni reviewed CSK's death-bowling performance and said, " It is a difficult one for the youngsters, specially at this time of the year with the dew around. But they are working hard. Bravo is one of the specialists. Under him, the bowlers will gain confidence. It's a team game. The coach, the bowling coach and the senior players guide them." Virender Sehwag, India's former cricketer, spoke at length on CSK's bowling performance. The Yellow Army bowlers had leaked runs left, right and centre in the first half of RCB's run-chase. After ten overs, RCB was well-placed 121 for 2. They somehow pulled things back with regular wickets towards the end overs and leaked only 37 runs in the last four overs (with 46 required from 24 balls). Nonetheless, they once again conceded plenty of extras -- which has been their Achilles heels this season -- in the high-scorer (11; including six wides). Sehwag said on Cricbuzz, "Dhoni was not looking happy because he has mentioned it before that he wants the bowlers to reduce the number of no-balls and wides. CSK had bowled two-three years of extra and against RCB, they bowled another extra over. It shouldn't go to a stage where Dhoni gets banned and CSK has to take the field without their captain." Also Read: IPL 2023 updated points table: Latest standings after CSK vs RCB match, orange cap and purple cap holders He added, "With the kind of knee injury he has, it appears he might play only a handful of matches more anyway. He is constantly pushing himself but if his bowlers are bowling so many wides and no-balls, then Dhoni will have to take rest." Dhoni-led CSK have won three out of their five fixtures in IPL 2023. They occupy the third spot in the points table. While their batting has looked very good, their bowlers need to be more disciplined whereas their fielding has also been ordinary so far.

IPL 2023: 'Shouldn't go to a stage where MS Dhoni...: Virender Sehwag's STERN WARNING to CSK after RCB win

Recently, Simon Doull -- former New Zealand cricketer-turned-commentator -- made heads turn with his alleged controversial statement on Pakistan. In a recent statement that went viral, it was believed that the New Zealander, who is popular for his commentary stints worldwide, opened up on his experience in Pakistan and said 'living in Pakistan is like being in a jail'.&nbsp;

While Doull's alleged statement spread like wildfire on social media platforms, he recently opened up on the claims and slammed the fake remark. The fake quote was attributed to Geo News which stated, "Living in Pakistan is like living in jail. I was not allowed to go out as Babar Azam fans were waiting for me. And I stayed in Pakistan without food for many days. Even I was mentally tortured, but by the grace of God, I somehow escaped from Pakistan."

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/throwback-when-ms-dhoni-apologised-to-indian-fans-after-team-india-bowed-out-of-2009-t20-wc-583631">THROWBACK: When MS Dhoni apologised to Indian fans after Team India bowed out of 2009 T20 WC</a>

Doull took to his official Instagram handle to clarify that he never any such statement and slammed the 'sad people'. Here's the post -

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Doull clarified, "It’s sad when so-called news channels publish false stories that are made up from fake social media accounts. Please note: Absolutely None of this is true. I loved my time in Pakistan and also love my time in India. Stop the hatred and vitriol towards one another, please. And stop publishing this for your own agenda you sad people."

Doull is currently part of the commentary panel of IPL 2023. He has also worked in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and never shies away from expressing his views. In the recent past, he has blasted the likes of Virat Kohli and Babar Azam for playing for their milestones and on their dwindling strike rates in T20s.&nbsp;

Recently, Simon Doull -- former New Zealand cricketer-turned-commentator -- made heads turn with his alleged controversial statement on Pakistan. In a recent statement that went viral, it was believed that the New Zealander, who is popular for his commentary stints worldwide, opened up on his experience in Pakistan and said 'living in Pakistan is like being in a jail'.

Recently, Simon Doull -- former New Zealand cricketer-turned-commentator -- made heads turn with his alleged controversial statement on Pakistan. In a recent statement that went viral, it was believed that the New Zealander, who is popular for his commentary stints worldwide, opened up on his experience in Pakistan and said 'living in Pakistan is like being in a jail'. While Doull's alleged statement spread like wildfire on social media platforms, he recently opened up on the claims and slammed the fake remark. The fake quote was attributed to Geo News which stated, "Living in Pakistan is like living in jail. I was not allowed to go out as Babar Azam fans were waiting for me. And I stayed in Pakistan without food for many days. Even I was mentally tortured, but by the grace of God, I somehow escaped from Pakistan." Also Read: THROWBACK: When MS Dhoni apologised to Indian fans after Team India bowed out of 2009 T20 WC Doull took to his official Instagram handle to clarify that he never any such statement and slammed the 'sad people'. Here's the post - View this post on Instagram A post shared by Simon Doull (@sdoull) × Doull clarified, "It’s sad when so-called news channels publish false stories that are made up from fake social media accounts. Please note: Absolutely None of this is true. I loved my time in Pakistan and also love my time in India. Stop the hatred and vitriol towards one another, please. And stop publishing this for your own agenda you sad people." Doull is currently part of the commentary panel of IPL 2023. He has also worked in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and never shies away from expressing his views. In the recent past, he has blasted the likes of Virat Kohli and Babar Azam for playing for their milestones and on their dwindling strike rates in T20s.

FACT-CHECK: Truth behind Simon Doull's 'living in Pakistan is like being in jail' remark

On Saturday (April 15), the Virat Kohli-starrer Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) hosted the winless Delhi Capitals (DC) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. After RCB posted 174 for 6, they managed to restrict the David Warner-led Delhi franchise to 151 for 9 to win by 23 runs. After the contest, players and support staff from both camps were involved in the customary handshake when former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who is DC's Director of Cricket, didn't shake hands with Kohli. Now, as per reports, Kohli has unfollowed Ganguly on Instagram.

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As per <a href="https://t.co/JlMcJsNE2F">https://t.co/JlMcJsNE2F</a>, Kohli used to follow 276 accounts on Instagram, including Sourav Ganguly. <a href="https://t.co/debeOz9OfO">pic.twitter.com/debeOz9OfO</a>
— Akash Kharade (@cricaakash) <a href="https://twitter.com/cricaakash/status/1647599718158180355?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Kohli, who has 246 million followers on Instagram, is following as many as 276 accounts on the social media platform. However, Ganguly isn't part of those 276 handles. After the RCB-DC game in Bengaluru, here's how both the famed cricketers didn't shake hands and avoided each other:

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Saurav Ganguly ignored Virat Kohli and Walk off where you can see Kohli turned back to see Dada 
 
Once again Dada showed Virat Kohli his place 👏 <a href="https://t.co/AphU0U3IMO">pic.twitter.com/AphU0U3IMO</a>
— R e t i r e d (@Sense_detected_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sense_detected_/status/1647242820800090115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-tension-rises-in-the-middle-as-virat-kohli-refuses-to-shake-hands-with-sourav-ganguly-watch-video-582826">IPL 2023: Tension rises in the middle as Virat Kohli refuses to shake hands with Sourav Ganguly - WATCH VIDEO</a>

The tension between Kohli and Ganguly came into the picture after the former stepped down as India's T20I captain in late 2021. Soon after, the BCCI selectors sacked Kohli as the ODI captain. Later on, in early 2022, the superstar cricketer decided to give up captaincy altogether by resigning as the Test skipper during India's tour of South Africa.

Back then, Ganguly was serving as the BCCI President and many believe he didn't want Kohli to continue as the Indian captain in any format after his resignation from T20Is.&nbsp;The duo's contrasting revelations post Kohli's T20I captaincy resignation also added to the drama and tension.&nbsp;

On Saturday (April 15), the Virat Kohli-starrer Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) hosted the winless Delhi Capitals (DC) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.

On Saturday (April 15), the Virat Kohli-starrer Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) hosted the winless Delhi Capitals (DC) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. After RCB posted 174 for 6, they managed to restrict the David Warner-led Delhi franchise to 151 for 9 to win by 23 runs. After the contest, players and support staff from both camps were involved in the customary handshake when former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who is DC's Director of Cricket, didn't shake hands with Kohli. Now, as per reports, Kohli has unfollowed Ganguly on Instagram. As per https://t.co/JlMcJsNE2F, Kohli used to follow 276 accounts on Instagram, including Sourav Ganguly. pic.twitter.com/debeOz9OfO — Akash Kharade (@cricaakash) April 16, 2023 × Kohli, who has 246 million followers on Instagram, is following as many as 276 accounts on the social media platform. However, Ganguly isn't part of those 276 handles. After the RCB-DC game in Bengaluru, here's how both the famed cricketers didn't shake hands and avoided each other: Saurav Ganguly ignored Virat Kohli and Walk off where you can see Kohli turned back to see Dada Once again Dada showed Virat Kohli his place 👏 pic.twitter.com/AphU0U3IMO — R e t i r e d (@Sense_detected_) April 15, 2023 × Also Read: IPL 2023: Tension rises in the middle as Virat Kohli refuses to shake hands with Sourav Ganguly - WATCH VIDEO The tension between Kohli and Ganguly came into the picture after the former stepped down as India's T20I captain in late 2021. Soon after, the BCCI selectors sacked Kohli as the ODI captain. Later on, in early 2022, the superstar cricketer decided to give up captaincy altogether by resigning as the Test skipper during India's tour of South Africa. Back then, Ganguly was serving as the BCCI President and many believe he didn't want Kohli to continue as the Indian captain in any format after his resignation from T20Is. The duo's contrasting revelations post Kohli's T20I captaincy resignation also added to the drama and tension.

Kohli unfollows Ganguly on Instagram after latter refuses to shake hands post RCB-DC tie in IPL 2023: Reports

Delhi Capitals are having a nightmare of a season with five losses in as many matches. This despite their skipper David Warner being one of the top run scorers across the league, having amassed 228 runs in five matches.

The major problems for Delhi have been at the top-order where Prithvi Shaw's 34 runs in five matches have put undue pressure on his peers, resulting in either slow run-rate or wickets. With no hope of DC getting better anytime soon as well, a report in media agency Press Trust of India (PTI) has claimed that the DC owners are mulling to trim the coaching staff.

Currently, DC's coaching staff includes six names with Ricky Ponting being the head coach. Other names in the list are James Hopes (assistant coach), Ajit Agarkar (assistant coach), Shane Watson (assistant coach), Pravin Amre (assistant coach) and Biju George (assistant coach). Apart from them, former India skipper Sourav Ganguly serves as the franchise Director of Cricket.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-why-is-he-playing-yusuf-pathan-on-nitish-ranas-selection-strategy-after-kkrs-loss-vs-mi-583224">'Why is he playing...': Yusuf Pathan on Nitish Rana's selection strategy after KKR's loss vs MI</a>

A source, according to the report, told PTI that poor results are going to have its repercussions, although no changes would be done mid-season.

"Obviously, nothing will happen mid season but the poor result for two successive season will have it's share of repercussions when JSW and GMR, the two co-owners sit back and take stock of the season," the source aware of the developments informed PTI.

"So you will certainly not have this jumbo coaching staff next season for sure. There will be a few heads that might roll," the source added further.

In their opening match of the season, Delhi Capitals conceded 193 against Lucknow and manage just 143 while chasing. In the next match DC could manage only 162 in their 20 overs which Gujarat Titans chased with six wickets in hand.

Bowling first in their third match against Rajasthan Royals, DC bowlers were taken to cleaners for 199 in 20 overs but the batsmen could only score 142 in reply. Playing against Mumbai Indians, DC folded for 172 and Mumbai chased the target in exact 20 overs with six wickets in hand.

Coming into the match against RCB, DC's batting faltered once more as they scored just 151 in 20 overs while chasing 175.

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Delhi Capitals are having a nightmare of a season with five losses in as many matches. This despite their skipper David Warner being one of the top run scorers across the league, having amassed 228 runs in five matches.

Delhi Capitals are having a nightmare of a season with five losses in as many matches. This despite their skipper David Warner being one of the top run scorers across the league, having amassed 228 runs in five matches. The major problems for Delhi have been at the top-order where Prithvi Shaw's 34 runs in five matches have put undue pressure on his peers, resulting in either slow run-rate or wickets. With no hope of DC getting better anytime soon as well, a report in media agency Press Trust of India (PTI) has claimed that the DC owners are mulling to trim the coaching staff. Currently, DC's coaching staff includes six names with Ricky Ponting being the head coach. Other names in the list are James Hopes (assistant coach), Ajit Agarkar (assistant coach), Shane Watson (assistant coach), Pravin Amre (assistant coach) and Biju George (assistant coach). Apart from them, former India skipper Sourav Ganguly serves as the franchise Director of Cricket. Also Read: 'Why is he playing...': Yusuf Pathan on Nitish Rana's selection strategy after KKR's loss vs MI A source, according to the report, told PTI that poor results are going to have its repercussions, although no changes would be done mid-season. "Obviously, nothing will happen mid season but the poor result for two successive season will have it's share of repercussions when JSW and GMR, the two co-owners sit back and take stock of the season," the source aware of the developments informed PTI. "So you will certainly not have this jumbo coaching staff next season for sure. There will be a few heads that might roll," the source added further. In their opening match of the season, Delhi Capitals conceded 193 against Lucknow and manage just 143 while chasing. In the next match DC could manage only 162 in their 20 overs which Gujarat Titans chased with six wickets in hand. Bowling first in their third match against Rajasthan Royals, DC bowlers were taken to cleaners for 199 in 20 overs but the batsmen could only score 142 in reply. Playing against Mumbai Indians, DC folded for 172 and Mumbai chased the target in exact 20 overs with six wickets in hand. Coming into the match against RCB, DC's batting faltered once more as they scored just 151 in 20 overs while chasing 175. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

IPL 2023: DC coaching staff might face axe after current season, claims report

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been inconsistent so far in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition. After five games, they have won and lost two each and occupy the sixth position in the points table. Ahead of their away game, versus the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, Little Master Sunil Gavaskar lavished huge praise on CSK and lauded MS Dhoni's captaincy.

Gavaskar heaped praise on Dhoni on how he manages to get CSK out of tough situations. In IPL 2023, Dhoni has faced only 27 balls but scored 58 runs at a whopping strike rate of&nbsp;214.81. He almost won his side the game versus Rajasthan Royals (RR), in Chennai, as they fell short by three runs despite needing 54 off the last 18 balls.

"Chennai Super Kings know how to get out of tough situations. This has been possible only under MS Dhoni's captaincy," Gavaskar said on Star Sports' Cricket Live Show.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/sachin-tendulkar-message-arjun-tendulkar-ipl-2023-mi-debut-583227">IPL 2023: PROUD FATHER! Sachin shares heartfelt tweet for son Arjun Tendulkar on IPL debut for MI</a>

During CSK's home game versus the Royals, Dhoni also led in his 200th game for the Yellow Army. In this regard, Gavaskar hailed Dhoni's longevity and said there will never be a captain like him in the future. "Captaining 200 matches is very difficult. Captaining so many matches is a burden and it could have affected his performance as well. But Mahi is different. He is a different captain. There hasn't been a captain like him and there will never be one like him in the future," Gavaskar pointed out.

CSK will face the Faf du Plessis-led RCB on Monday evening (April 17) and aim to add two more points in their tally and move up in the overall standings in this year's IPL season.

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been inconsistent so far in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition. After five games, they have won and lost two each and occupy the sixth position in the points table.

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been inconsistent so far in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition. After five games, they have won and lost two each and occupy the sixth position in the points table. Ahead of their away game, versus the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, Little Master Sunil Gavaskar lavished huge praise on CSK and lauded MS Dhoni's captaincy. Gavaskar heaped praise on Dhoni on how he manages to get CSK out of tough situations. In IPL 2023, Dhoni has faced only 27 balls but scored 58 runs at a whopping strike rate of 214.81. He almost won his side the game versus Rajasthan Royals (RR), in Chennai, as they fell short by three runs despite needing 54 off the last 18 balls. "Chennai Super Kings know how to get out of tough situations. This has been possible only under MS Dhoni's captaincy," Gavaskar said on Star Sports' Cricket Live Show. Also read: IPL 2023: PROUD FATHER! Sachin shares heartfelt tweet for son Arjun Tendulkar on IPL debut for MI During CSK's home game versus the Royals, Dhoni also led in his 200th game for the Yellow Army. In this regard, Gavaskar hailed Dhoni's longevity and said there will never be a captain like him in the future. "Captaining 200 matches is very difficult. Captaining so many matches is a burden and it could have affected his performance as well. But Mahi is different. He is a different captain. There hasn't been a captain like him and there will never be one like him in the future," Gavaskar pointed out. CSK will face the Faf du Plessis-led RCB on Monday evening (April 17) and aim to add two more points in their tally and move up in the overall standings in this year's IPL season.

'They know how to get out of tough situations': Sunil Gavaskar on CSK, lauds MS Dhoni's captaincy

On Sunday (April 16), Mumbai Indians (MI) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by five wickets in match 22 of the IPL 2023 edition at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. During the game, regular captain Rohit Sharma was down with a stomach bug and became the first captain to take part as an Impact Player. In his absence, Suryakumar Yadav got his first-ever chance to lead in the IPL whereas Arjun Tendulkar made his much-awaited debut in the showpiece event.

Arjun. son of legendary cricketer Sachin, was part of MI's clash versus KKR and the left-arm bowling all-rounder returned with 2-0-17-0. After MI's convincing win over KKR, Sachin shared a heartfelt tweet for his son on his IPL debut. Here's what he wrote, "Arjun, today you have taken another important step in your journey as a cricketer. As your father, someone who loves you and is passionate about the game, I know you will continue to give the game the respect it deserves and the game will love you back.&nbsp;

You have worked very hard to reach here, and I am sure you will continue to do so. This is the start of a beautiful journey. All the best!" Here's the tweet -

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Arjun, today you have taken another important step in your journey as a cricketer. As your father, someone who loves you and is passionate about the game, I know you will continue to give the game the respect it deserves and the game will love you back. (1/2) <a href="https://t.co/a0SVVW7EhT">pic.twitter.com/a0SVVW7EhT</a>
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) <a href="https://twitter.com/sachin_rt/status/1647633498520559617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2023</a></blockquote>
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You have worked very hard to reach here, and I am sure you will continue to do so. This is the start of a beautiful journey. All the best! 👍💙 (2/2)
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) <a href="https://twitter.com/sachin_rt/status/1647633502157021185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/kohli-unfollows-ganguly-on-instagram-after-latter-refuses-to-shake-hands-post-rcb-dc-tie-in-ipl-2023-reports-583218">Kohli unfollows Ganguly on Instagram after latter refuses to shake hands post RCB-DC tie in IPL 2023: Reports</a>

Talking about the MI-KKR clash, MI opted to bowl first. Despite Venkatesh Iyer's 104, KKR only managed 185 for 6 in 20 overs with Hrithik Shoukeen (2 for 34) being MI's top performer with the ball. In reply, Ishan Kishan's 25-ball 53 set the foundation for the five-time winners before contributions from SKY (25-ball 43), Tilak Verma (25-ball 30) and Tim David's 13-ball 24* propelled the home side to an easy win with 14 balls to spare.

On Sunday (April 16), Mumbai Indians (MI) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by five wickets in match 22 of the IPL 2023 edition at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

On Sunday (April 16), Mumbai Indians (MI) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by five wickets in match 22 of the IPL 2023 edition at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. During the game, regular captain Rohit Sharma was down with a stomach bug and became the first captain to take part as an Impact Player. In his absence, Suryakumar Yadav got his first-ever chance to lead in the IPL whereas Arjun Tendulkar made his much-awaited debut in the showpiece event. Arjun. son of legendary cricketer Sachin, was part of MI's clash versus KKR and the left-arm bowling all-rounder returned with 2-0-17-0. After MI's convincing win over KKR, Sachin shared a heartfelt tweet for his son on his IPL debut. Here's what he wrote, "Arjun, today you have taken another important step in your journey as a cricketer. As your father, someone who loves you and is passionate about the game, I know you will continue to give the game the respect it deserves and the game will love you back. You have worked very hard to reach here, and I am sure you will continue to do so. This is the start of a beautiful journey. All the best!" Here's the tweet - Arjun, today you have taken another important step in your journey as a cricketer. As your father, someone who loves you and is passionate about the game, I know you will continue to give the game the respect it deserves and the game will love you back. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/a0SVVW7EhT — Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 16, 2023 × You have worked very hard to reach here, and I am sure you will continue to do so. This is the start of a beautiful journey. All the best! 👍💙 (2/2) — Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 16, 2023 × Also Read: Kohli unfollows Ganguly on Instagram after latter refuses to shake hands post RCB-DC tie in IPL 2023: Reports Talking about the MI-KKR clash, MI opted to bowl first. Despite Venkatesh Iyer's 104, KKR only managed 185 for 6 in 20 overs with Hrithik Shoukeen (2 for 34) being MI's top performer with the ball. In reply, Ishan Kishan's 25-ball 53 set the foundation for the five-time winners before contributions from SKY (25-ball 43), Tilak Verma (25-ball 30) and Tim David's 13-ball 24* propelled the home side to an easy win with 14 balls to spare.

IPL 2023: PROUD FATHER! Sachin shares heartfelt tweet for son Arjun Tendulkar on IPL debut for MI

A lot has happened on the cricket field over the years that could be termed crazy, but none come as close to this caught & bowled dismissal by Trent Boult. In the repeat of the last season’s final between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals in Ahmedabad on Sunday evening, left-arm seamer picked GT opener Wriddhiman Saha in the first over as he top-edged one only for three fielders to collide into each other and Trent Boult to catch it eventually.

A lot has happened on the cricket field over the years that could be termed crazy, but none come as close to this caught & bowled dismissal by Trent Boult. In the repeat of the last season’s final between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals in Ahmedabad on Sunday evening, left-arm seamer picked GT opener Wriddhiman Saha in the first over as he top-edged one only for three fielders to collide into each other and Trent Boult to catch it eventually. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE – 3⃣ players converge for the catch 😎 4⃣th player takes it 👏 🎥 Safe to say that was one eventful way to scalp the first wicket from @rajasthanroyals! Follow the match 👉 https://t.co/nvoo5Sl96y #TATAIPL | #GTvRR pic.twitter.com/MwfpztoIZf — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 16, 2023 × For those sitting inside the stadium, and those who witnessed it live on TV, this moment was one for the memory. Meanwhile, earlier in this tournament, CSK’s Ravindra Jadeja affected a stunning caught & bowled dismissal to remove Mumbai Indians’ Cameron Green. The ball was hit so hard that it looked like tearing everything coming its way, but not Jadeja’s hand, which made that catch look so easy. ALSO READ: IPL 2023: Venkatesh Iyer's record-breaking 104 goes in vain as Mumbai beat Kolkata by 5 wickets at Wankhede Coming to the match, Rajasthan won the toss and elected to bowl first. The decision paid dividends as they removed Saha early on. Sai Sudharsan, who has had a dream start this season, hit a few fours. Accompanying him was Gujarat’s star batter Shubman Gill, who also looked in superb touch. The pair stitched a 27-run stand before a confusion in the middle saw Sai falling short of his ground on 20. Captain Hardik Pandya joined hands with Gill as both looked at ease going about their business. Following a 5-sun-stand between two, Yuzvendra Chahal provided Rajasthan with a big breakthrough as he removed Gujarat's captain on 28 from 19 balls. South Africa's David Miller came in next. MI beat KKR by five wickets Earlier in the day, the former five-time champions Mumbai Indians beat Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets at the Wankhede Stadium.

IPL 2023: WATCH - 3 players collide in the middle as Trent Boult grabs the CRAZIEST caught & bowled ever

Sikandar Raza, stand-in captain Sam Curran and Shahrukh Khan helped Punjab Kings upset Lucknow Super Giants by two wickets on Saturday night. LSG captain KL Rahul won some brownie points by hitting 74 in the first innings, he still couldn’t help his team defend the mediocre total against PBKS in the end.

Electing to bowl first after winning the toss, Shikhar Dhawan-less Punjab Kings leaked runs early on, with in-form batter Kyle Mayers taking the attack to the opposition. KL Rahul, who had a lean patch leading up to this game, timed a few shots for boundaries. Though two quick wickets pulled them back, Rahul and Krunal stitched a 48-run stand to keep them up and moving.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2023-tension-rises-in-the-middle-as-virat-kohli-refuses-to-shake-hands-with-sourav-ganguly-watch-video-582826">IPL 2023: Tension rises in the middle as Virat Kohli refuses to shake hands with Sourav Ganguly - WATCH VIDEO</a>

South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada then picked two big wickets in successive deliveries before Sam Curran further dent their hopes with three scalps during the fag end of the innings.

In an unlikely affair, captains from both teams starred for their side, with KL Rahul hitting a 56-ball 74, while stand-in PBKS skipper Curran returning with figures of three for 31 in four overs.

Punjab missed the experienced campaigner in Dhawan as they lost two wickets to debutant Yudhvir Singh inside the Powerplay. Matthew Short, who replaced the injured Jonny Bairstow in the squad for this season, fared well, hitting 34 but got out to Krishnappa Gowtham soon after.

Harpreet Singh Bhatia also contributed with a gritty 22, but he too departed in the 11th over. Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, who in the lead up to IPL 2023 had a purple patch going for him, finally clicked with bat in hand.&nbsp;

The right-handed batter smashed each bowler especially Krunal Pandya, and scored his maiden IPL fifty. He got out to Ravi Bishnoi, but Shahrukh Khan ensured he was finishing the job, and with some smoky blows in the end, he did accomplish the win for his team by two wickets.

Sikandar Raza, stand-in captain Sam Curran and Shahrukh Khan helped Punjab Kings upset Lucknow Super Giants by two wickets on Saturday night. LSG captain KL Rahul won some brownie points by hitting 74 in the first innings, he still couldn’t help his team defend the mediocre total against PBKS in the end.

Sikandar Raza, stand-in captain Sam Curran and Shahrukh Khan helped Punjab Kings upset Lucknow Super Giants by two wickets on Saturday night. LSG captain KL Rahul won some brownie points by hitting 74 in the first innings, he still couldn’t help his team defend the mediocre total against PBKS in the end. Electing to bowl first after winning the toss, Shikhar Dhawan-less Punjab Kings leaked runs early on, with in-form batter Kyle Mayers taking the attack to the opposition. KL Rahul, who had a lean patch leading up to this game, timed a few shots for boundaries. Though two quick wickets pulled them back, Rahul and Krunal stitched a 48-run stand to keep them up and moving. ALSO READ: IPL 2023: Tension rises in the middle as Virat Kohli refuses to shake hands with Sourav Ganguly - WATCH VIDEO South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada then picked two big wickets in successive deliveries before Sam Curran further dent their hopes with three scalps during the fag end of the innings. In an unlikely affair, captains from both teams starred for their side, with KL Rahul hitting a 56-ball 74, while stand-in PBKS skipper Curran returning with figures of three for 31 in four overs. Punjab missed the experienced campaigner in Dhawan as they lost two wickets to debutant Yudhvir Singh inside the Powerplay. Matthew Short, who replaced the injured Jonny Bairstow in the squad for this season, fared well, hitting 34 but got out to Krishnappa Gowtham soon after. Harpreet Singh Bhatia also contributed with a gritty 22, but he too departed in the 11th over. Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, who in the lead up to IPL 2023 had a purple patch going for him, finally clicked with bat in hand. The right-handed batter smashed each bowler especially Krunal Pandya, and scored his maiden IPL fifty. He got out to Ravi Bishnoi, but Shahrukh Khan ensured he was finishing the job, and with some smoky blows in the end, he did accomplish the win for his team by two wickets.

IPL 2023: Overseas all-rounders, Shahrukh Khan come together for PBKS to upset LSG by two wickets

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