Former India coach Sanjay Bangar says that Board on Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should have a say in pitches at the venues in Indian Premier League (IPL). The statement comes after KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane and LSG mentor Zaheer Khan calling the respective curators out for the pitches after losing their home games.
"The thing is, the franchise pays a particular fee to the venue," Bangar said. "They do not own the ground, they do not pay the curators. I think there would be a time and place [in the future] where the franchise may have their own grounds, may have their own groundstaff, and then they can [make pitches to] order. At the moment, they're just living on rent, so to say. So when you live on rent, you can't totally make a lot of changes," said Bangar on ESPNCricinfo.
Also Read: <a class="gh-archive-page-post-title-link" href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-after-playing-unenjoyable-cricket-past-few-months-embarrassed-buttler-back-with-a-bang-8921296" aria-label="IPL 2025 | After playing 'unenjoyable cricket' past few months 'embarrassed' Buttler back with a bang">IPL 2025 | After playing 'unenjoyable cricket' past few months 'embarrassed' Buttler back with a bang</a>
"I think still BCCI would like to have a little bit of control over it, and maintain the characteristics of a particular surface," Bangar added. "If you totally give it to the hands of the franchise, you do not really want the game to be too lopsided as well, so I'm of the opinion [of having] a little bit of uniformity wherein not having too much of a say for the home side, still there is enough variety in terms of the vast nature of our country wherein cricket is played all across the nation, in itself has variations in terms of red soil, black soil and all of that. I'm of the opinion that a little bit of direction or guideline is always better."
The hue and cry about pitches is becoming louder with each passing day with BBCI asking for better communication regarding the same.
&ldquo;The pitches have been good so far. Hence, they may be asking for pitches that have more help for bowlers. But there needs to be better communication between the franchise and the curators. It can&rsquo;t happen within a week of the IPL season,&rdquo; a BCCI source said as quoted by TOI.

The hue and cry about pitches is becoming louder with each passing day with BCCI asking for better communication regarding the same. Cricket Sports

Former India coach Sanjay Bangar says that Board on Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should have a say in pitches at the venues in Indian Premier League (IPL). The statement comes after KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane and LSG mentor Zaheer Khan calling the respective curators out for the pitches after losing their home games. "The thing is, the franchise pays a particular fee to the venue," Bangar said. "They do not own the ground, they do not pay the curators. I think there would be a time and place [in the future] where the franchise may have their own grounds, may have their own groundstaff, and then they can [make pitches to] order. At the moment, they're just living on rent, so to say. So when you live on rent, you can't totally make a lot of changes," said Bangar on ESPNCricinfo. Also Read: IPL 2025 | After playing 'unenjoyable cricket' past few months 'embarrassed' Buttler back with a bang "I think still BCCI would like to have a little bit of control over it, and maintain the characteristics of a particular surface," Bangar added. "If you totally give it to the hands of the franchise, you do not really want the game to be too lopsided as well, so I'm of the opinion [of having] a little bit of uniformity wherein not having too much of a say for the home side, still there is enough variety in terms of the vast nature of our country wherein cricket is played all across the nation, in itself has variations in terms of red soil, black soil and all of that. I'm of the opinion that a little bit of direction or guideline is always better." The hue and cry about pitches is becoming louder with each passing day with BBCI asking for better communication regarding the same. “The pitches have been good so far. Hence, they may be asking for pitches that have more help for bowlers. But there needs to be better communication between the franchise and the curators. It can’t happen within a week of the IPL season,” a BCCI source said as quoted by TOI.

IPL 2025 | 'They do not pay the curators,' Ex-India coach against franchises asking for tailor-made pitches at home

Jos Buttler has had a difficult last couple of years or so - he let go of England ODI and T20I captaincy after the team failed to have good results in 2023 ODI World Cup, 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy. His own form with the bat was becoming more of a burden than a relief for the team.
In Indian Premier League (IPL), Buttler was traded from Rajasthan Royals to Gujarat Titans and lost his position as opener as well. &nbsp;But during the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Wednesday (Apr 2), Buttler was back and with a bang.
Also Read: <a class="gh-archive-page-post-title-link" href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/rcb-vs-gt-indias-forgotten-hero-bhuvneshwar-kumar-enters-elite-list-with-ipl-2025-comeback-8920477" aria-label="IPL 2025: India&rsquo;s forgotten hero Bhuvneshwar Kumar enters elite list in RCB loss">IPL 2025: India&rsquo;s forgotten hero Bhuvneshwar Kumar enters elite list in RCB loss</a>
The batter, however, had dropped a catch in the field and was rather embarrassed by it. Buttler although made up and more with the bat as he smashed unbeaten 39-ball 73 and took his team home with eight wickets and 13 balls remaining.
"I was pretty embarrassed, especially with [dropping] Salty. He's a dangerous player. So the only thing I can think of, I was trying to throw it up to earlier, a bit like Herschelle Gibbs style [who dropped Steve Waugh during the 1999 World Cup] but I didn't even... I barely got a glove on it, it hit me in the chest. But due to that embarrassment, I was pretty determined to try and score some runs," Buttler said after the match.
Buttler also acknowledged that the last few months haven't been good so he was trying to play with some freedom and intent.&nbsp;
"I was trying to play with lots of freedom, lots of intent," he said. "I had a few months of pretty unenjoyable cricket, so trying to make sure I'm out there giving my best, and obviously a new team, new franchise, and excited to be here."
Gujarat Titans are now fourth on the points table with four points after two wins and a loss in three games.

The batter, however, had dropped a catch in the field and was rather embarrassed by it. Buttler although made up and more with the bat as he smashed unbeaten 39-ball 73. Cricket Sports

Jos Buttler has had a difficult last couple of years or so - he let go of England ODI and T20I captaincy after the team failed to have good results in 2023 ODI World Cup, 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy. His own form with the bat was becoming more of a burden than a relief for the team. In Indian Premier League (IPL), Buttler was traded from Rajasthan Royals to Gujarat Titans and lost his position as opener as well. But during the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Wednesday (Apr 2), Buttler was back and with a bang. Also Read: IPL 2025: India’s forgotten hero Bhuvneshwar Kumar enters elite list in RCB loss The batter, however, had dropped a catch in the field and was rather embarrassed by it. Buttler although made up and more with the bat as he smashed unbeaten 39-ball 73 and took his team home with eight wickets and 13 balls remaining. "I was pretty embarrassed, especially with [dropping] Salty. He's a dangerous player. So the only thing I can think of, I was trying to throw it up to earlier, a bit like Herschelle Gibbs style [who dropped Steve Waugh during the 1999 World Cup] but I didn't even... I barely got a glove on it, it hit me in the chest. But due to that embarrassment, I was pretty determined to try and score some runs," Buttler said after the match. Buttler also acknowledged that the last few months haven't been good so he was trying to play with some freedom and intent. "I was trying to play with lots of freedom, lots of intent," he said. "I had a few months of pretty unenjoyable cricket, so trying to make sure I'm out there giving my best, and obviously a new team, new franchise, and excited to be here." Gujarat Titans are now fourth on the points table with four points after two wins and a loss in three games.

IPL 2025 | After playing 'unenjoyable cricket' past few months 'embarrassed' Buttler back with a bang

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be facing each other on Thursday (Apr 3) with an aim to snap their losing streak and get back to the winnings ways. The match is being played in Eden Gardens in Kolkata where the pitch has become somewhat a point of contention after skipper Ajinkya Rahane's demand for a slow one.
<h2>IPL 2025: KKR vs SRH Today Match Prediction</h2>
SRH top order needs to fire for them to have any chance at success with their brute-force batting style. Not much will be left to be done if SRH's top three batters score and if not, then Heinrich Klaasen should be exercising restraint and take game deep instead of trying to hit a six.
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SRH have Aniket Verma in the middle to help them out only if others continue to bat around him and not try to match him for each stroke.
As for KKR, their top order also needs to fire up and soon. They have good middle order which has looked a bit brittle but they'd hope for the batters like Rinku Singh and Andre Russell to come to party soon.
<h2>IPL 2025: KKR vs SRH Today Match Toss Prediction</h2>
KKR have won the toss 39 times and have batted second 25 of those times including only once since 2014 - clearly they'd chase if they win the toss.&nbsp;
The other teams also show the same trait - out of 50 times the visiting teams have won the toss, they have batted first only 14 times and just thrice since 2016.
After winning the toss, KKR have won 25 games and lost only 14 games and the visiting teams have somewhat of a 50-50 record at Eden Gardens - winning 23 times after winning the toss and losing 27 times.
KKR are really playing at a fortress and SRH would need something special to beat them.
<h2>IPL 2025: KKR vs SRH Today Match Pitch Report</h2>
After a bit of a controversy around the pitch, two strips have been prepared for the contest and there finally could be some spin on display as teams rally to get home advantage.
<h2>IPL 2025: KKR vs SRH Today Match Possible Playing XI</h2>
KKR: Narine, de Kock, Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana
SRH: Abhishek, Head, Kishan, Nitish Reddy, Aniket Verma, Klaasen, Cummins, Harshal, Shami, Zampa, Simarjeet Singh

After winning the toss, KKR have won 25 games and lost only 14 games and the visiting teams have somewhat of a 50-50 record at Eden Gardens - winning 23 times after winning the toss and losing 27 times. Cricket Sports

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be facing each other on Thursday (Apr 3) with an aim to snap their losing streak and get back to the winnings ways. The match is being played in Eden Gardens in Kolkata where the pitch has become somewhat a point of contention after skipper Ajinkya Rahane's demand for a slow one. IPL 2025: KKR vs SRH Today Match Prediction SRH top order needs to fire for them to have any chance at success with their brute-force batting style. Not much will be left to be done if SRH's top three batters score and if not, then Heinrich Klaasen should be exercising restraint and take game deep instead of trying to hit a six. Also Read: IPL 2025: India’s forgotten hero Bhuvneshwar Kumar enters elite list in RCB loss SRH have Aniket Verma in the middle to help them out only if others continue to bat around him and not try to match him for each stroke. As for KKR, their top order also needs to fire up and soon. They have good middle order which has looked a bit brittle but they'd hope for the batters like Rinku Singh and Andre Russell to come to party soon. IPL 2025: KKR vs SRH Today Match Toss Prediction KKR have won the toss 39 times and have batted second 25 of those times including only once since 2014 - clearly they'd chase if they win the toss. The other teams also show the same trait - out of 50 times the visiting teams have won the toss, they have batted first only 14 times and just thrice since 2016. After winning the toss, KKR have won 25 games and lost only 14 games and the visiting teams have somewhat of a 50-50 record at Eden Gardens - winning 23 times after winning the toss and losing 27 times. KKR are really playing at a fortress and SRH would need something special to beat them. IPL 2025: KKR vs SRH Today Match Pitch Report After a bit of a controversy around the pitch, two strips have been prepared for the contest and there finally could be some spin on display as teams rally to get home advantage. IPL 2025: KKR vs SRH Today Match Possible Playing XI KKR: Narine, de Kock, Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana SRH: Abhishek, Head, Kishan, Nitish Reddy, Aniket Verma, Klaasen, Cummins, Harshal, Shami, Zampa, Simarjeet Singh

IPL 2025 | KKR vs SRH Today Match - Prediction, Toss, Pitch Report and Playing XI

For the longest time since his international debut, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/bhuvneshwar-kumar" rel="dofollow">Bhuvneshwar Kumar</a> was India&rsquo;s frontline seamer across formats, producing wonders. His new ball spells helped India taste enormous success everywhere, let alone in favourable conditions. However, his effect dipped with time, with Team India replacing him with seam-bowl bowlers. In IPL, he represented <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/sunrisers-hyderabad-srh" rel="dofollow">SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH)</a> for several seasons before the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) picked him at the auction late last year. His second game for his new franchise saw him enter the record books.
Bhuvneshwar was on the bench for the first game but returned to the playing XI for the remaining two. Though the RCB lost the match by eight wickets, failing to defend 170, Bhuvneshwar picked one of the two fallen GT wickets and entered the record books with that.
Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/pitch-controversy-bcci-draws-line-after-teams-complain-of-lack-of-home-advantage-in-ipl-2025-kkr-lsg-csk-dc-8919787" rel="dofollow">Pitch Controversy: BCCI draws line after teams complain of &lsquo;lack of home advantage&rsquo; in IPL 2025</a>
Following a decent start to the chase, Gujarat lost its captain, Shubman Gill, to Bhuvneshwar on run-a-ball 14 and with that, Bhuvi, as fans often call him, became the joint-highest wicket-taker among pacers in the Indian Premier League (IPL).&nbsp;
His impressive spell of 1/23 in four overs saw him equal former West Indies and IPL great Dwayne Bravo for most wickets (183) among the quicks. He, however, is third on the overall list of most wicket-takers (in IPL), with the Indian leg-spin duo of Piyush Chawla (192) and Yuzvendra Chahal (206 and counting) leading it.
<h2>Bowlers with the Most Wickets in IPL -</h2>
<ul>
<li>Yuzvendra Chahal &ndash; 206</li>
<li>Piyush Chawla &ndash; 192</li>
<li>Dwayne Bravo &ndash; 183</li>
<li>Bhuvneshwar Kumar &ndash; 183</li>
<li>Ravichandran Ashwin &ndash; 183</li>
<li>Sunil Narine &ndash; 183</li>
</ul>
<h3>Gujarat end RCB&rsquo;s winning run</h3>
RCB got off to a flyer this season, winning their two contested matches, including one against rivals and former winners, Chennai Super Kings. Though RCB won the two away games, they lost their first home game this season.
For the visitors, the Indian quick <a href="Siraj%20credits%20GT%20coach%20Nehra%20for%20finding%20form%20on%20emotional%20return%20to%20Bengaluru%20in%20IPL%202025" rel="dofollow">Mohammed Siraj picked up three wickets for 19 runs</a>, and spinner Sai Kishore returned with two to his. While chasing, the two batters in form, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler, grew in confidence with match-winning knocks, with Sai scoring a well-made 49 and Buttler remaining unbeaten on 73.
(With inputs from agencies)

Cricket, Sports: The RCB lost the match by 8 wickets, failing to defend 170. Bhuvneshwar picked one of the two fallen GT wickets and entered the record books with that.

For the longest time since his international debut, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was India’s frontline seamer across formats, producing wonders. His new ball spells helped India taste enormous success everywhere, let alone in favourable conditions. However, his effect dipped with time, with Team India replacing him with seam-bowl bowlers. In IPL, he represented SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) for several seasons before the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) picked him at the auction late last year. His second game for his new franchise saw him enter the record books. Bhuvneshwar was on the bench for the first game but returned to the playing XI for the remaining two. Though the RCB lost the match by eight wickets, failing to defend 170, Bhuvneshwar picked one of the two fallen GT wickets and entered the record books with that. Also read | Pitch Controversy: BCCI draws line after teams complain of ‘lack of home advantage’ in IPL 2025 Following a decent start to the chase, Gujarat lost its captain, Shubman Gill, to Bhuvneshwar on run-a-ball 14 and with that, Bhuvi, as fans often call him, became the joint-highest wicket-taker among pacers in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His impressive spell of 1/23 in four overs saw him equal former West Indies and IPL great Dwayne Bravo for most wickets (183) among the quicks. He, however, is third on the overall list of most wicket-takers (in IPL), with the Indian leg-spin duo of Piyush Chawla (192) and Yuzvendra Chahal (206 and counting) leading it. Bowlers with the Most Wickets in IPL - Yuzvendra Chahal – 206 Piyush Chawla – 192 Dwayne Bravo – 183 Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 183 Ravichandran Ashwin – 183 Sunil Narine – 183 Gujarat end RCB’s winning run RCB got off to a flyer this season, winning their two contested matches, including one against rivals and former winners, Chennai Super Kings. Though RCB won the two away games, they lost their first home game this season. For the visitors, the Indian quick Mohammed Siraj picked up three wickets for 19 runs, and spinner Sai Kishore returned with two to his. While chasing, the two batters in form, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler, grew in confidence with match-winning knocks, with Sai scoring a well-made 49 and Buttler remaining unbeaten on 73. (With inputs from agencies)

IPL 2025: India’s forgotten hero Bhuvneshwar Kumar enters elite list in RCB loss

There&rsquo;s plenty of chat about how the pitches prepared this season are not helping teams enjoy the home advantage in IPL 2025. After the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane first complained of how the Eden Gardens pitch for the tournament opener was not to the team&rsquo;s liking, assisting seamers more, others jumped onto it, with CSK, LSG and even DC putting their complaints forward. The BCCI has answered them all.
The drama surrounding the KKR pitch curator controversy took an ugly turn after Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee U-turned on denying any requests from the franchise, days after <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-eden-gardens-curator-breaks-silence-on-kkrs-pitch-request-controversy-8906855" rel="dofollow">admitting to preparing the pitch (for the RCB clash) his way</a>, engaging everyone. It came to a point where renowned broadcasters <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-harsha-bhogle-simon-doull-unhappy-with-kkr-pitch-curator-for-disrespecting-ajinkya-rahane-8895205" rel="dofollow">Harsha Bhogle and Simon Doull openly criticised Sujan for not working in tandem with KKR&rsquo;s directives</a>.
Meanwhile, following Lucknow Super Giants &lsquo; home game against Punjab Kings earlier, the team mentor Zaheer Khan didn&rsquo;t mince his words in accepting that the pitch prepared for the clash that ended with the touring team winning by eight wickets failed to support LSG&rsquo;s bowling strengths, and never looked like being prepared by LSG curators.
&ldquo;What was a little disappointing for me here, considering it&rsquo;s a home game, and you know, in IPL, you&rsquo;ve seen how teams have looked at taking a little bit of home advantage, you know,&rdquo; Zaheer said after his team lost in a one-sided contest against PBKS. &ldquo;From that point of view, you&rsquo;ve seen the curator is not really thinking that it&rsquo;s a home game. I think maybe it looked like, you know, it was (the) Punjab curator out here.&rdquo;
Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/mohammed-siraj-credits-gt-coach-ashish-nehra-for-finding-form-on-emotional-return-to-bengaluru-in-ipl-2025-rcb-8919462" rel="dofollow">Siraj credits GT coach Nehra for finding form on emotional return to Bengaluru in IPL 2025</a>
Besides KKR and LSG, Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming also expressed his reservations over Chepauk&rsquo;s wicket for the RCB tie (which CSK lost), with a Times of India (TOI) report suggesting that Delhi Capitals were also unhappy with how the pitch in Vizag (their second home venue) behaved in their first two matches.
<h2>No team, no player has any say in pitch preparation</h2>
Meanwhile, the BCCI has instructed the Delhi management that the board&rsquo;s designated curator has the ultimate authority, and neither the franchise nor the players have any say in pitch preparation.
Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-buttler-serves-it-hot-as-gujarat-hand-royal-challengers-bengaluru-eight-wicket-loss-8918831" rel="dofollow">IPL 2025: Buttler serves it hot as Gujarat hand Royal Challengers Bengaluru eight-wicket loss</a>
&ldquo;The pitches have been good so far. Hence, they may be asking for pitches that have more help for bowlers. But there needs to be better communication between the franchise and the curators. It can&rsquo;t happen within a week of the IPL season,&rdquo; a BCCI source said as quoted by TOI.&nbsp;
&ldquo;As far as Lucknow is considered, the square needs to be re-laid to alter the basic nature of the pitch, which is intrinsically slow in nature. According to BCCI guidelines, it needs to have a good grass cover to sustain itself through the tournament. The same goes for all other venues,&rdquo; the source said while speaking of concerns around the Lucknow pitch.&nbsp;
(With inputs from agencies)

Cricket, Sports: Reports also suggest that Delhi Capitals were also unhappy with how the pitch in Vizag (their second home venue) behaved in their first two matches.

There’s plenty of chat about how the pitches prepared this season are not helping teams enjoy the home advantage in IPL 2025. After the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane first complained of how the Eden Gardens pitch for the tournament opener was not to the team’s liking, assisting seamers more, others jumped onto it, with CSK, LSG and even DC putting their complaints forward. The BCCI has answered them all. The drama surrounding the KKR pitch curator controversy took an ugly turn after Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee U-turned on denying any requests from the franchise, days after admitting to preparing the pitch (for the RCB clash) his way, engaging everyone. It came to a point where renowned broadcasters Harsha Bhogle and Simon Doull openly criticised Sujan for not working in tandem with KKR’s directives. Meanwhile, following Lucknow Super Giants ‘ home game against Punjab Kings earlier, the team mentor Zaheer Khan didn’t mince his words in accepting that the pitch prepared for the clash that ended with the touring team winning by eight wickets failed to support LSG’s bowling strengths, and never looked like being prepared by LSG curators. “What was a little disappointing for me here, considering it’s a home game, and you know, in IPL, you’ve seen how teams have looked at taking a little bit of home advantage, you know,” Zaheer said after his team lost in a one-sided contest against PBKS. “From that point of view, you’ve seen the curator is not really thinking that it’s a home game. I think maybe it looked like, you know, it was (the) Punjab curator out here.” Also read | Siraj credits GT coach Nehra for finding form on emotional return to Bengaluru in IPL 2025 Besides KKR and LSG, Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming also expressed his reservations over Chepauk’s wicket for the RCB tie (which CSK lost), with a Times of India (TOI) report suggesting that Delhi Capitals were also unhappy with how the pitch in Vizag (their second home venue) behaved in their first two matches. No team, no player has any say in pitch preparation Meanwhile, the BCCI has instructed the Delhi management that the board’s designated curator has the ultimate authority, and neither the franchise nor the players have any say in pitch preparation. Also read | IPL 2025: Buttler serves it hot as Gujarat hand Royal Challengers Bengaluru eight-wicket loss “The pitches have been good so far. Hence, they may be asking for pitches that have more help for bowlers. But there needs to be better communication between the franchise and the curators. It can’t happen within a week of the IPL season,” a BCCI source said as quoted by TOI. “As far as Lucknow is considered, the square needs to be re-laid to alter the basic nature of the pitch, which is intrinsically slow in nature. According to BCCI guidelines, it needs to have a good grass cover to sustain itself through the tournament. The same goes for all other venues,” the source said while speaking of concerns around the Lucknow pitch. (With inputs from agencies)

Pitch Controversy: BCCI draws line after teams complain of ‘lack of home advantage’ in IPL 2025

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/mohammed-siraj" rel="dofollow">Mohammed Siraj</a> was effective with the new ball, impressed with his line and length and produced a match-winning spell for his new IPL franchise, Gujarat Titans (GT), on his emotional return to Bengaluru this season. The right-arm seamer picked three wickets for 19 runs against his former team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), for whom he played for seven seasons before. His spell was instrumental in helping <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-buttler-serves-it-hot-as-gujarat-hand-royal-challengers-bengaluru-eight-wicket-loss-8918831" rel="dofollow">GT beat RCB by eight wickets on Wednesday night</a>.
The BCCI selectors dropped Siraj from Team India&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/champions-trophy-2025" rel="dofollow">Champions Trophy 2025</a> squad, citing his lack of effectiveness with the new ball. Instead of putting himself under any pressure, Siraj worked on his game in the meantime. Upon joining former India seamer Ashish Nehra and experienced seamer Ishant Sharma (at GT), he improved it, and the results are there for everyone to see.
Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-rr-skipper-sanju-samson-back-at-helm-again-gets-nca-clearance-for-wicket-keeping-duties-8918163" rel="dofollow">IPL 2025: RR skipper Sanju Samson back at helm again, gets NCA clearance for wicket-keeping duties</a>
&ldquo;I had been playing consistently, but during the break, I corrected my mistakes and worked on my fitness,&rdquo; Siraj explained after his Player of the Match performance. &ldquo;Once I was picked up by Gujarat Titans, I spoke to Ashish Bhai. He (Nehra) tells me to go enjoy your bowling, and Ishu (Ishant) Bhai tells me what line and length to bowl. My mindset is to have a belief, and then the pitch does not matter.&rdquo;
Meanwhile, Siraj bowled tight lines up front against the upbeat RCB openers. Although Phil Salt smacked him for a monstrous 105m six, Siraj dismissed him next ball (clean bowled) on 14. However, before that, he dismissed left-hander Devdutt Padikkal bowled and later accounted for RCB&rsquo;s highest scorer Liam Livingstone (54), caught behind on 54. The Indian quick also did his famous Cristiano Ronaldo&rsquo;s &lsquo;sui&rsquo; celebration, explaining his love affair behind it.
"I was a bit emotional. I was here for seven years; changed jersey from red to blue. There was some nervousness and some emotion, but the moment I got the ball in my hand, it was full-on," Siraj said.&nbsp;
When asked about his celebration style, Siraj replied, "I am Ronaldo's fan and, hence, the celebration."
<h2>Buttler saves the day for Gujarat</h2>
England great Jos Buttler top-scored for Gujarat, helping them complete the chase and win their second game in IPL 2025. Following Shubman Gill&rsquo;s dismissal inside the Powerplay, Buttler joined opener Sai Sudharsan in the middle, with the pair making light work of the RCB bowlers.&nbsp;
While Sai got out shy of yet another fifty-plus score in this tournament, Buttler remained unbeaten on 73 off 39 balls, hitting six sixes and five fours, continuing his incredible form with the bat.&nbsp;
(With inputs from agencies)

Cricket, Sports: Siraj picked three wickets for 19 runs against his former team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), for whom he played for seven seasons before.

Mohammed Siraj was effective with the new ball, impressed with his line and length and produced a match-winning spell for his new IPL franchise, Gujarat Titans (GT), on his emotional return to Bengaluru this season. The right-arm seamer picked three wickets for 19 runs against his former team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), for whom he played for seven seasons before. His spell was instrumental in helping GT beat RCB by eight wickets on Wednesday night. The BCCI selectors dropped Siraj from Team India’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad, citing his lack of effectiveness with the new ball. Instead of putting himself under any pressure, Siraj worked on his game in the meantime. Upon joining former India seamer Ashish Nehra and experienced seamer Ishant Sharma (at GT), he improved it, and the results are there for everyone to see. Also read | IPL 2025: RR skipper Sanju Samson back at helm again, gets NCA clearance for wicket-keeping duties “I had been playing consistently, but during the break, I corrected my mistakes and worked on my fitness,” Siraj explained after his Player of the Match performance. “Once I was picked up by Gujarat Titans, I spoke to Ashish Bhai. He (Nehra) tells me to go enjoy your bowling, and Ishu (Ishant) Bhai tells me what line and length to bowl. My mindset is to have a belief, and then the pitch does not matter.” Meanwhile, Siraj bowled tight lines up front against the upbeat RCB openers. Although Phil Salt smacked him for a monstrous 105m six, Siraj dismissed him next ball (clean bowled) on 14. However, before that, he dismissed left-hander Devdutt Padikkal bowled and later accounted for RCB’s highest scorer Liam Livingstone (54), caught behind on 54. The Indian quick also did his famous Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘sui’ celebration, explaining his love affair behind it. "I was a bit emotional. I was here for seven years; changed jersey from red to blue. There was some nervousness and some emotion, but the moment I got the ball in my hand, it was full-on," Siraj said. When asked about his celebration style, Siraj replied, "I am Ronaldo's fan and, hence, the celebration." Buttler saves the day for Gujarat England great Jos Buttler top-scored for Gujarat, helping them complete the chase and win their second game in IPL 2025. Following Shubman Gill’s dismissal inside the Powerplay, Buttler joined opener Sai Sudharsan in the middle, with the pair making light work of the RCB bowlers. While Sai got out shy of yet another fifty-plus score in this tournament, Buttler remained unbeaten on 73 off 39 balls, hitting six sixes and five fours, continuing his incredible form with the bat. (With inputs from agencies)

Siraj credits GT coach Nehra for finding form on emotional return to Bengaluru in IPL 2025

Gujarat Titans pacer Kagiso Rabada says that head coach Ashish Nehra 'doesn't give serious advice but very simple one' as the bowlers get hammered on a daily basis in the the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Rabada made the comments during an interaction with news outlet Times of India where he also spoke about batting friendly pitches in the tournament.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a belter. He&rsquo;s such a rad person. Yeah, nothing really serious, gives very simple advice. Not rocket science. Just a good man, and he knows his cricket,&rdquo; Rabada said about Nehra.
Also Read: <a class="gh-archive-page-post-title-link" href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-uncapped-spinner-digvesh-rathi-only-lsg-bowler-to-take-wickets-vs-pbks-punished-by-bcci-8917731" aria-label="IPL 2025 | Uncapped spinner Digvesh Rathi, only LSG bowler to take wickets vs PBKS, punished by BCCI - Read Why">IPL 2025 | Uncapped spinner Digvesh Rathi, only LSG bowler to take wickets vs PBKS, punished by BCCI - Read Why</a>
IPL has already seen some of the big scores with SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) scoring 286 in only the second match of the tournament. It is the second highest score in IPL history.
&ldquo;If wickets become too flat, then you might as well not call it cricket. You could just call it batting. &lsquo;Let&rsquo;s go play a game of batting, guys.&rsquo; It can&rsquo;t get too flat. What&rsquo;s the point? It becomes way too generic. I don&rsquo;t mind higher-scoring games. You need those in cricket. But if conditions are too flat too often, then what&rsquo;s the fun in that? There&rsquo;s no point,&rdquo; Rabada said.
In the first five matches of the season, the average first innings score was 213/7 at a run-rate of 10.65 with the highest being 286/6 by SRH. Out of five matches, three teams have managed to breach the 200+ score in the first innings - 286 by SRH vs Rajasthan Royals, 208 by Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals and 244 by PBKS vs GT.&nbsp;
Out of these three, two time the team batting first have won while the team batting second have won the remaining two games where the chase was less than 200.
If the trend continues, the season is poised to have many more runs fests in the coming games - more than 70 of them.

IPL has already seen some of the big scores with SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) scoring 286 in only the second match of the tournament. It is the second highest score in IPL history. Cricket Sports

Gujarat Titans pacer Kagiso Rabada says that head coach Ashish Nehra 'doesn't give serious advice but very simple one' as the bowlers get hammered on a daily basis in the the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Rabada made the comments during an interaction with news outlet Times of India where he also spoke about batting friendly pitches in the tournament. “He’s a belter. He’s such a rad person. Yeah, nothing really serious, gives very simple advice. Not rocket science. Just a good man, and he knows his cricket,” Rabada said about Nehra. Also Read: IPL 2025 | Uncapped spinner Digvesh Rathi, only LSG bowler to take wickets vs PBKS, punished by BCCI - Read Why IPL has already seen some of the big scores with SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) scoring 286 in only the second match of the tournament. It is the second highest score in IPL history. “If wickets become too flat, then you might as well not call it cricket. You could just call it batting. ‘Let’s go play a game of batting, guys.’ It can’t get too flat. What’s the point? It becomes way too generic. I don’t mind higher-scoring games. You need those in cricket. But if conditions are too flat too often, then what’s the fun in that? There’s no point,” Rabada said. In the first five matches of the season, the average first innings score was 213/7 at a run-rate of 10.65 with the highest being 286/6 by SRH. Out of five matches, three teams have managed to breach the 200+ score in the first innings - 286 by SRH vs Rajasthan Royals, 208 by Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals and 244 by PBKS vs GT. Out of these three, two time the team batting first have won while the team batting second have won the remaining two games where the chase was less than 200. If the trend continues, the season is poised to have many more runs fests in the coming games - more than 70 of them.

IPL 2025 | GT pacer Kagiso Rabada says coach Nehra doesn't give 'serious advice' as high scores become normal

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had nothing going on for them in their match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) as they lost their first home game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season by eight wickets and 22 balls remaining. The two wickets they took while defending a modest 172 belonged to Digvesh Rathi - a rookie spinner playing only his third IPL game ever.
<h2>Who is Digvesh Rathi?</h2>
Rathi caught the attention during the Delhi Premier League last year before the mega auction while playing under his LSG teammate Ayush Badoni. He picked 14 wickets in the tournament and was subsequently recommended to the franchise as an option to look into the auction.
Also Read: <a class="gh-archive-page-post-title-link" href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-rohit-after-worst-ipl-start-since-2020-says-his-immediate-goal-is-8916892" aria-label="IPL 2025 | Rohit, after worst IPL start since 2020, says his immediate goal is...">IPL 2025 | Rohit, after worst IPL start since 2020, says his immediate goal is...</a>
Come IPL mega auction, 25-year-old Rathi was picked up for INR 30 lakh ($35,000) from the uncapped players' pool and has been giving rich dividends on the investment made so far.
The leggie has picked up five wickets in three games already and that too at an economy 8.41 which is good enough given how the runs have been scored in this season.
Before the IPL, Rathi played just two T20s at the domestic level in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and had three wickets to his name.
<h2>BCCI punishes Rathi for breach of Code of Conduct</h2>
Rathi, however, got a bit carried away with his first wicket of the night when he dismissed his Delhi teammate Priyansh Arya. The spinner went to him and pretend writing his name in notebook during the celebration - a move Virat Kohli had done against West Indies pacer Kesrick Williams in a T20I in 2019. Have a look at the video below:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DigveshRathi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DigveshRathi</a> provides the breakthrough as <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PriyanshArya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PriyanshArya</a> heads back! P.S: Don't miss the celebration at the end! 👀✍🏻 Watch LIVE action of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LSGvPBKS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LSGvPBKS</a> ➡ <a href="https://t.co/GLxHRDQajv">https://t.co/GLxHRDQajv</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPLOnJiostar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IPLOnJiostar</a> | LIVE NOW on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi &amp; JioHotstar! | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianPossibleLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndianPossibleLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/TAhHDtXX8n">pic.twitter.com/TAhHDtXX8n</a>
&mdash; Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/StarSportsIndia/status/1907104870999728486?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></blockquote>

<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"Digvesh Singh, Bowler, Lucknow Super Giants has been fined 25 per cent of his match fees and has also accumulated One Demerit Point for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team&rsquo;s match against Punjab Kings at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Tuesday. Digvesh Singh admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 and accepted the Match Referee&rsquo;s sanction," read a release by IPL on the matter.&nbsp;

In IPL mega auction, 25-year-old Delhi-based Rathi was picked up for INR 30 lakh ($35,000) from the uncapped players' pool by Lucknow Super Giants. Cricket Sports

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had nothing going on for them in their match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) as they lost their first home game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season by eight wickets and 22 balls remaining. The two wickets they took while defending a modest 172 belonged to Digvesh Rathi - a rookie spinner playing only his third IPL game ever. Who is Digvesh Rathi? Rathi caught the attention during the Delhi Premier League last year before the mega auction while playing under his LSG teammate Ayush Badoni. He picked 14 wickets in the tournament and was subsequently recommended to the franchise as an option to look into the auction. Also Read: IPL 2025 | Rohit, after worst IPL start since 2020, says his immediate goal is... Come IPL mega auction, 25-year-old Rathi was picked up for INR 30 lakh ($35,000) from the uncapped players' pool and has been giving rich dividends on the investment made so far. The leggie has picked up five wickets in three games already and that too at an economy 8.41 which is good enough given how the runs have been scored in this season. Before the IPL, Rathi played just two T20s at the domestic level in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and had three wickets to his name. BCCI punishes Rathi for breach of Code of Conduct Rathi, however, got a bit carried away with his first wicket of the night when he dismissed his Delhi teammate Priyansh Arya. The spinner went to him and pretend writing his name in notebook during the celebration - a move Virat Kohli had done against West Indies pacer Kesrick Williams in a T20I in 2019. Have a look at the video below: #DigveshRathi provides the breakthrough as #PriyanshArya heads back! P.S: Don't miss the celebration at the end! 👀✍🏻 Watch LIVE action of #LSGvPBKS ➡ https://t.co/GLxHRDQajv#IPLOnJiostar | LIVE NOW on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi & JioHotstar! | #IndianPossibleLeague pic.twitter.com/TAhHDtXX8n — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 1, 2025 "Digvesh Singh, Bowler, Lucknow Super Giants has been fined 25 per cent of his match fees and has also accumulated One Demerit Point for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team’s match against Punjab Kings at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Tuesday. Digvesh Singh admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 and accepted the Match Referee’s sanction," read a release by IPL on the matter.

IPL 2025 | Uncapped spinner Digvesh Rathi, only LSG bowler to take wickets vs PBKS, punished by BCCI - Read Why

RCB vs GT Match details: Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to make three wins out of three as they take on 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Gujarat Titans on Wednesday (April 2). Having started on a losing note, Shubman Gill and Co were back to winning ways after they beat Mumbai Indians on Saturday.&nbsp;
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">RCB vs GT Match Preview</h2>
Having won their opening matches of the IPL 2025 season, RCB will be high on confidence. Gujarat on the other hand have won one and lost the other as they look for a solid start to the season.
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">RCB vs GT Head-to-Head Records</h2>
RCB and GT have faced each other in 5 matches in IPL. Out of these 5 games, Bengaluru have won three whereas Gujarat have come out victorious on two instances.&nbsp;
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">RCB vs GT Dream11 Prediction MyPlaying 11</h2>
Wicketkeepers: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler
Batters: Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudhasan
All-Rounder: Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya&nbsp;
Bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">3 Top Captain Or Vice-Captain Choices<o:p></o:p></h2>
1. Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill has done well for Gujarat Titans in the last few seasons and 426 runs in 12 matches last season. He will be a good captaincy pick.
2. Virat Kohli&nbsp;
Virat Kohli is the leading run-getter in this history of IPL with more than 8000 runs. He will be a good captaincy pick for this match.
3. Josh Hazlewood
The Australian pacer has been the main bowler for RCB in IPL 2025 so far. With five wickets in 2 matches, Josh Hazlewood has the form and rhythm and could be a very important pick in the game.&nbsp;
ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-updated-points-table-indian-premier-league-rankings-standings-net-run-rate-8888780" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">'Updated IPL 2025 Points Table': Check points table, match results, NRR with wins, loss and other key details</a>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">RCB vs GT Fantasy Cricket Tips<o:p></o:p></h2>
Considering Virat Kohli's brilliant form at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, he could be a good choice in the Dream11 side.&nbsp;
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans Team Analysis<o:p></o:p></h2>
RCB:&nbsp;Royal Challengers Bengaluru have had the perfect start to the season as they have won both their matches and are the table toppers. They beat Chennai Super Kings in the previous match by 50 runs. They will be playing at home and looking to make it a fortress.
GT: On the other hand, Gujarat Titans will be led by Shubman Gill, and they suffered a defeat in the opening match against Punjab Kings by 11 runs. They bounced back in style to beat Mumbai Indians in the last game.&nbsp;
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">M.Chinnaswamy Stadium Pitch Report<o:p></o:p></h2>
The pitch at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium is renowned for its batting-friendly conditions, where a quick outfield and short boundaries create the perfect setting for high-scoring encounters.
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Suggested playing 11 No. 2 for RCB vs GT Dream11 Fantasy Cricket<o:p></o:p></h2>
Wicketkeeper: Jos Buttler
Batters: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan
All-Rounders: Liam Livingstone
Bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj, R Sai Kishore, Suyash Sharma
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Match Prediction: Who Will Win RCB vs GT?</h2>
Considering RCB's great form, we predict Rajat Patidar's side to win the match against Gujarat Titans and make it three wins in three.&nbsp;
Disclaimer: The fantasy tips and facts expressed within this article are the author's personal opinions and WION does not promote or endorse any sort of betting activity. They do not reflect the views of WION. It is not a reflection of the actual points you might earn. WION does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

Sports, Cricket:  Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to make three wins out of three as they take on 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Gujarat Titans.

RCB vs GT Match details: Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to make three wins out of three as they take on 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Gujarat Titans on Wednesday (April 2). Having started on a losing note, Shubman Gill and Co were back to winning ways after they beat Mumbai Indians on Saturday. RCB vs GT Match Preview Having won their opening matches of the IPL 2025 season, RCB will be high on confidence. Gujarat on the other hand have won one and lost the other as they look for a solid start to the season. RCB vs GT Head-to-Head Records RCB and GT have faced each other in 5 matches in IPL. Out of these 5 games, Bengaluru have won three whereas Gujarat have come out victorious on two instances. RCB vs GT Dream11 Prediction MyPlaying 11 Wicketkeepers: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler Batters: Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudhasan All-Rounder: Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya Bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan 3 Top Captain Or Vice-Captain Choices 1. Shubman Gill Shubman Gill has done well for Gujarat Titans in the last few seasons and 426 runs in 12 matches last season. He will be a good captaincy pick. 2. Virat Kohli Virat Kohli is the leading run-getter in this history of IPL with more than 8000 runs. He will be a good captaincy pick for this match. 3. Josh Hazlewood The Australian pacer has been the main bowler for RCB in IPL 2025 so far. With five wickets in 2 matches, Josh Hazlewood has the form and rhythm and could be a very important pick in the game. ALSO READ | 'Updated IPL 2025 Points Table': Check points table, match results, NRR with wins, loss and other key details RCB vs GT Fantasy Cricket Tips Considering Virat Kohli's brilliant form at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, he could be a good choice in the Dream11 side. Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans Team Analysis RCB: Royal Challengers Bengaluru have had the perfect start to the season as they have won both their matches and are the table toppers. They beat Chennai Super Kings in the previous match by 50 runs. They will be playing at home and looking to make it a fortress. GT: On the other hand, Gujarat Titans will be led by Shubman Gill, and they suffered a defeat in the opening match against Punjab Kings by 11 runs. They bounced back in style to beat Mumbai Indians in the last game. M.Chinnaswamy Stadium Pitch Report The pitch at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium is renowned for its batting-friendly conditions, where a quick outfield and short boundaries create the perfect setting for high-scoring encounters. Suggested playing 11 No. 2 for RCB vs GT Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Wicketkeeper: Jos Buttler Batters: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan All-Rounders: Liam Livingstone Bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj, R Sai Kishore, Suyash Sharma Match Prediction: Who Will Win RCB vs GT? Considering RCB's great form, we predict Rajat Patidar's side to win the match against Gujarat Titans and make it three wins in three. Disclaimer: The fantasy tips and facts expressed within this article are the author's personal opinions and WION does not promote or endorse any sort of betting activity. They do not reflect the views of WION. It is not a reflection of the actual points you might earn. WION does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

RCB vs GT Dream11 Prediction: Check Team, captain and vice-captain picks for Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans

As Rohit Sharma has slumped to his worst Indian Premier League (IPL) starts since 2020, he has set bringing back the trophy to Mumbai as his immediate goal. Rohit, who has scored 0, 8 and 13 runs in three games in IPL 2025 for Mumbai Indians, says that a lot of things have changed from past when he was the MI skipper.
Notably, MI have won five IPL titles - 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020 - all under Rohit's captaincy but the team now is led by Hardik Pandya.&nbsp;
Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-mentor-zaheer-calls-out-curator-after-lsg-lose-home-game-but-fault-lies-in-their-batting-8915977">IPL 2025 | Mentor Zaheer calls out curator after LSG lose home game but fault lies in their batting</a>
"Since I started, things have obviously changed. I used to bat in the middle-order; now, I open the innings. I was the captain; now, I'm not. Some of my teammates from our championship-winning seasons are now in coaching roles. So, roles have changed, a lot has changed, but mindset remains the same. What I want to do for this team has not changed, and that is to go out there and win games and trophies. That is what Mumbai Indians is known for. Over the years, we have won trophies and turned games around from situations no one believed in. That is what MI and Mumbai are all about," Rohit said while talking on official broadcaster JioHotstar.
"Guys like Trent Boult, who have been here before, bring a lot of experience and understand MI's culture. Then we have Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand captain, who adds both experience and class. Players like Will Jacks and Reece Topley bring variety, while Ryan Rickelton is an exciting young prospect. Each of these players adds something different to the team, and when you bring that together as a collective unit, it makes a big impact. We also have several young Indian players with great potential, and I am looking forward to playing alongside them. My immediate goal is to win the TATA IPL trophy and bring the glory back to Mumbai Indians," he added.
In general, Rohit is going through a lean patch since the Tests matches against Bangladesh at home last year. He failed in New Zealand Tests after that and also the nightmarish Australia tour where he eventually dropped himself from the side.
In the Champions Trophy, he scored one fifty and that was in all important final but he was scratchy in rest of the tournament.&nbsp;
If Rohit doesn't find his groove quickly, the question of whether he should continue to play as a fixed member of Playing XI is bound to be asked sooner than later.

Rohit, who has scored 0, 8 and 13 runs in three games in IPL 2025 for Mumbai Indians, says that a lot of things have changed from past when he was the MI skipper. Cricket Sports

As Rohit Sharma has slumped to his worst Indian Premier League (IPL) starts since 2020, he has set bringing back the trophy to Mumbai as his immediate goal. Rohit, who has scored 0, 8 and 13 runs in three games in IPL 2025 for Mumbai Indians, says that a lot of things have changed from past when he was the MI skipper. Notably, MI have won five IPL titles - 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020 - all under Rohit's captaincy but the team now is led by Hardik Pandya. Also Read: IPL 2025 | Mentor Zaheer calls out curator after LSG lose home game but fault lies in their batting "Since I started, things have obviously changed. I used to bat in the middle-order; now, I open the innings. I was the captain; now, I'm not. Some of my teammates from our championship-winning seasons are now in coaching roles. So, roles have changed, a lot has changed, but mindset remains the same. What I want to do for this team has not changed, and that is to go out there and win games and trophies. That is what Mumbai Indians is known for. Over the years, we have won trophies and turned games around from situations no one believed in. That is what MI and Mumbai are all about," Rohit said while talking on official broadcaster JioHotstar. "Guys like Trent Boult, who have been here before, bring a lot of experience and understand MI's culture. Then we have Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand captain, who adds both experience and class. Players like Will Jacks and Reece Topley bring variety, while Ryan Rickelton is an exciting young prospect. Each of these players adds something different to the team, and when you bring that together as a collective unit, it makes a big impact. We also have several young Indian players with great potential, and I am looking forward to playing alongside them. My immediate goal is to win the TATA IPL trophy and bring the glory back to Mumbai Indians," he added. In general, Rohit is going through a lean patch since the Tests matches against Bangladesh at home last year. He failed in New Zealand Tests after that and also the nightmarish Australia tour where he eventually dropped himself from the side. In the Champions Trophy, he scored one fifty and that was in all important final but he was scratchy in rest of the tournament. If Rohit doesn't find his groove quickly, the question of whether he should continue to play as a fixed member of Playing XI is bound to be asked sooner than later.

IPL 2025 | Rohit, after worst IPL start since 2020, says his immediate goal is...

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have started the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season really well with two wins in two games. They did so even before playing a single game at home - the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru which is known for high-scoring fests.
As RCB gear up to face Gujarat Titans (GT) on Wednesday (Apr 2) in their first home game, they'd bank on home advantage where they won three back-to-back games last season to make a run to playoffs last season.
<h2>IPL RCB vs GT Today Match Prediction</h2>
RCB has been an all-round team so far in two games played with good opening pair of Phil Salt and Virat Kohli followed by Devdutt Padikkal and skipper Rajat Patidar - all of them have contributed so far in two games. After that the batting is a bit thin with Liam Livingstone going boom or bust but then Tim David at the lower order has been good so far with Krunal Pandya still to come.
In bowling, Hazlewood has been great so far and so is spinner Suyash Sharma. Pandya and Livingstone performing have also made life easier for RCB with Bhuvi Kumar &nbsp;and Yash Dayal doing the job as well. All in all, RCB look pretty covered for any situation.
GT, on the other hand, have lost one and won one in two games. They have good batters in top order but no David Miller and misfiring Rahul Tewatia as well as Shahrukh Khan has left them in a soup. The pacer, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishan have enough experience of playing in Chinnaswamy and Rashid Khan is excellent every place he plays.
<h2>IPL RCB vs GT Today Match - Pitch Report</h2>
The teams have not experienced dew in last two days but still the team which wins the toss has preferred to bat second and chase down the total at one of the smaller grounds in the country. The outfield, shorter boundaries and pitch with no real demons should make it a good contest with average runs nearing to 190-195 mark while batting first.
<h2>IPL RCB vs GT Today Match - Toss Prediction</h2>
RCB has won the toss 42 times and batted first only five of those time since 2008. The visiting teams too have preferred to chase - since 2008, 58 times visiting team has won the toss and batted second 50 of those times.
<h2>IPL RCB vs GT Today Match - Playing XI</h2>
RCB: Salt, Kohli, Padikkal, Patidar, Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, and Suyash Sharma (impact)
GT: Gill, Sudharsan, Buttler, Shahrukh, Rutherford, Tewatia, Rashid, Rabada, Sai Kishore, Siraj, Prasidh, Ishant Sharma (impact)

As RCB gear up to face GT on Wednesday (Apr 2) in their first home game, they'd bank on home advantage where they won three back-to-back games last season to make a run to playoff. Cricket Sports

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have started the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season really well with two wins in two games. They did so even before playing a single game at home - the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru which is known for high-scoring fests. As RCB gear up to face Gujarat Titans (GT) on Wednesday (Apr 2) in their first home game, they'd bank on home advantage where they won three back-to-back games last season to make a run to playoffs last season. IPL RCB vs GT Today Match Prediction RCB has been an all-round team so far in two games played with good opening pair of Phil Salt and Virat Kohli followed by Devdutt Padikkal and skipper Rajat Patidar - all of them have contributed so far in two games. After that the batting is a bit thin with Liam Livingstone going boom or bust but then Tim David at the lower order has been good so far with Krunal Pandya still to come. In bowling, Hazlewood has been great so far and so is spinner Suyash Sharma. Pandya and Livingstone performing have also made life easier for RCB with Bhuvi Kumar and Yash Dayal doing the job as well. All in all, RCB look pretty covered for any situation. GT, on the other hand, have lost one and won one in two games. They have good batters in top order but no David Miller and misfiring Rahul Tewatia as well as Shahrukh Khan has left them in a soup. The pacer, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishan have enough experience of playing in Chinnaswamy and Rashid Khan is excellent every place he plays. IPL RCB vs GT Today Match - Pitch Report The teams have not experienced dew in last two days but still the team which wins the toss has preferred to bat second and chase down the total at one of the smaller grounds in the country. The outfield, shorter boundaries and pitch with no real demons should make it a good contest with average runs nearing to 190-195 mark while batting first. IPL RCB vs GT Today Match - Toss Prediction RCB has won the toss 42 times and batted first only five of those time since 2008. The visiting teams too have preferred to chase - since 2008, 58 times visiting team has won the toss and batted second 50 of those times. IPL RCB vs GT Today Match - Playing XI RCB: Salt, Kohli, Padikkal, Patidar, Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, and Suyash Sharma (impact) GT: Gill, Sudharsan, Buttler, Shahrukh, Rutherford, Tewatia, Rashid, Rabada, Sai Kishore, Siraj, Prasidh, Ishant Sharma (impact)

IPL 2025: RCB vs GT Today: Match Prediction, Toss, Pitch Report, Playing XI

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor Zaheer Khan has been left disappointed by pitch dished out at their home ground by the curator. The disappointment came after LSG lost their first game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season by eight wickets and 22 balls left against Punjab Kings. Zaheer, however, hoped that they'll be able to figure it out.
"What was a little disappointing for me here&hellip;" Zaheer said at press conference after the loss on Tuesday (Apr 1). "Considering it's a home game and in IPL you've seen how teams have looked at taking a little bit of home advantage, from that point of view you've seen the curator is not really thinking that it's a home game. I think maybe it looked like, you know, it was Punjab curator out here.
Also Read: <a class="gh-archive-page-post-title-link" href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-srh-vs-hca-3900-complimentary-passes-issue-settled-franchise-to-stay-put-8915132" aria-label="IPL 2025 | SRH vs HCA: 3,900 complimentary passes issue settled, franchise to stay put">IPL 2025 | SRH vs HCA: 3,900 complimentary passes issue settled, franchise to stay put</a>
This is not the first time home advantage and pitch curator not helping has been talked about out loud this season. Earlier, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane had also voiced same concerns regarding the pitch at Eden Garden in Kolkata.
LSG, however, have more to worry about than getting the pitch right and first of those worries is skipper Rishabh Pant's form. The wicketkeeper-batter, bought for INR 27 crore (&gt;$3 million approx) has not been able to get going in the tournament so far.
In the three matches played, Pant has scores of 0, 15 and 2 - and this poor batting has been a big factor in LSG's two losses in three games.
Their batting has been relying on Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran so far. In the match against PBKS, Marsh got out on a duck and Pooran scored 44 off 30 balls - around 30 runs less than what he had scored in the last two games. Pant said after the match that's how much they were short while setting the target.
But it is not only Pant who has been out form, Aiden Markram at the top has scored 15, 1 and 28 runs in three games; David Miller hasn't been able to finish well, managing 27 not out, 13 not out and 19 in three games; Ayush Badoni has managed 4, 6 and 41 runs in those games.
So it is more about batting than pitch for LSG at the moment and they need to figure it out soon.

This is not the first time home advantage and pitch curator not helping has been talked about out loud this season. Earlier, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane had also voiced same concerns. Cricket Sports

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor Zaheer Khan has been left disappointed by pitch dished out at their home ground by the curator. The disappointment came after LSG lost their first game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season by eight wickets and 22 balls left against Punjab Kings. Zaheer, however, hoped that they'll be able to figure it out. "What was a little disappointing for me here…" Zaheer said at press conference after the loss on Tuesday (Apr 1). "Considering it's a home game and in IPL you've seen how teams have looked at taking a little bit of home advantage, from that point of view you've seen the curator is not really thinking that it's a home game. I think maybe it looked like, you know, it was Punjab curator out here. Also Read: IPL 2025 | SRH vs HCA: 3,900 complimentary passes issue settled, franchise to stay put This is not the first time home advantage and pitch curator not helping has been talked about out loud this season. Earlier, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane had also voiced same concerns regarding the pitch at Eden Garden in Kolkata. LSG, however, have more to worry about than getting the pitch right and first of those worries is skipper Rishabh Pant's form. The wicketkeeper-batter, bought for INR 27 crore (>$3 million approx) has not been able to get going in the tournament so far. In the three matches played, Pant has scores of 0, 15 and 2 - and this poor batting has been a big factor in LSG's two losses in three games. Their batting has been relying on Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran so far. In the match against PBKS, Marsh got out on a duck and Pooran scored 44 off 30 balls - around 30 runs less than what he had scored in the last two games. Pant said after the match that's how much they were short while setting the target. But it is not only Pant who has been out form, Aiden Markram at the top has scored 15, 1 and 28 runs in three games; David Miller hasn't been able to finish well, managing 27 not out, 13 not out and 19 in three games; Ayush Badoni has managed 4, 6 and 41 runs in those games. So it is more about batting than pitch for LSG at the moment and they need to figure it out soon.

IPL 2025 | Mentor Zaheer calls out curator after LSG lose home game but fault lies in their batting

LSG vs PBKS Match details: Lucknow Super Giants will be poised to win their second match in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) as they take on Punjab Kings on Tuesday (Apr 1). The contest in Lucknow will be LSG's first at home while PBKS will be in action after a week having last played on Mar 25.
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">LSG vs PBKS Match Preview</h2>
Both teams have players with a point to prove, as Rishabh Pant and Ravi Bishnoi will look to make the most of their chances. Ahead of the clash between LSG and PBKS, here are all the key details of the IPL 2025 contest, including match time and venue.&nbsp;
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">LSG vs PBKS Head-to-Head Records</h2>
LSG and PBKS have faced each other in 4 matches in IPL. Out of these 4 games, Lucknow have won three whereas Punjab have come out victorious on one instance.&nbsp;
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">LSG vs PBKS Dream11 Prediction MyPlaying 11</h2>
Wicketkeepers: Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant
Batters: Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Shashank Singh&nbsp;
All-Rounder: Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis&nbsp;
Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Shardul Thakur, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Ravi Bishnoi&nbsp;
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">3 Top Captain Or Vice-Captain Choices<o:p></o:p></h2>
1. Nicholas Pooran
The West Indies power hitter and LSG dashing batter has been making bold headlines with his blistering performance. The left-handed batter has racked up an incredible 145 runs in the last two matches. One can look to have him as a captaincy pick considering his red-hot form.
2. Shreyas Iyer&nbsp;
Punjab Kings skipper made unbeaten 97 runs in the opening clash vs GT. The stylish right-handed batter is relishing playing at number three and aims to continue in the same vein. One must have him as a captaincy pick considering his red-hot form.
3. Shardul Thakur
Team India right-arm seamer has picked up six wickets in the last two matches. He will be expected to dominate in this clash.
ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-updated-points-table-indian-premier-league-rankings-standings-net-run-rate-8888780" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">'Updated IPL 2025 Points Table': Check points table, match results, NRR with wins, loss and other key details</a>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">LSG vs PBKS Fantasy Cricket Tips<o:p></o:p></h2>
As Rishabh Pant struggles for form, we would suggest to drop him while Shardul Thakur remains a good value for money pick.
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings Team Analysis<o:p></o:p></h2>
LSG: Now in third place in the standings, the Lucknow Super Giants have played two matches in which they have won one. But their bowling has been crucial with the breakthroughs, and their batting lineup has shown great effectiveness as well.
PBKS: Punjab Kings, currently at number five, have played only one game so far, winning it. The bowling attack has come good when needed, and their top-order batting lineup has shown strength.
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Ekana Cricket Stadium Pitch Report<o:p></o:p></h2>
The pitch at Ekana Stadium generally supports fast bowlers. In the IPL, teams usually prefer chasing, and this trend is expected to persist. A total above 180 runs is considered competitive on this surface, and the dew is not anticipated to have much impact on the game.
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Suggested playing 11 No. 2 for LSG vs PBKS Dream11 Fantasy Cricket<o:p></o:p></h2>
Wicketkeeper: Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant
Batters: David Miller, Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Shreyas Iyer
All-Rounders: Mitchell Marsh, Priyansh Arya, Shashank Singh
Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Shardul Thakur
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Match Prediction: Who Will Win LSG vs PBKS?</h2>
We expect a tight contest in the IPL 2025 on Tuesday, however, counting on home advantage we predict Lucknow Super Giants to beat Punjab Kings.&nbsp;
Disclaimer: The fantasy tips and facts expressed within this article are the author's personal opinions and WION does not promote or endorse any sort of betting activity. They do not reflect the views of WION. It is not a reflection of the actual points you might earn. WION does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

LSG vs PBKS Dream11 prediction: LSG-PBKS have faced each other in 4 matches in IPL. Out of these games, Lucknow have won 3 whereas Punjab have come out victorious once.

LSG vs PBKS Match details: Lucknow Super Giants will be poised to win their second match in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) as they take on Punjab Kings on Tuesday (Apr 1). The contest in Lucknow will be LSG's first at home while PBKS will be in action after a week having last played on Mar 25. LSG vs PBKS Match Preview Both teams have players with a point to prove, as Rishabh Pant and Ravi Bishnoi will look to make the most of their chances. Ahead of the clash between LSG and PBKS, here are all the key details of the IPL 2025 contest, including match time and venue. LSG vs PBKS Head-to-Head Records LSG and PBKS have faced each other in 4 matches in IPL. Out of these 4 games, Lucknow have won three whereas Punjab have come out victorious on one instance. LSG vs PBKS Dream11 Prediction MyPlaying 11 Wicketkeepers: Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant Batters: Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Shashank Singh All-Rounder: Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Shardul Thakur, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Ravi Bishnoi 3 Top Captain Or Vice-Captain Choices 1. Nicholas Pooran The West Indies power hitter and LSG dashing batter has been making bold headlines with his blistering performance. The left-handed batter has racked up an incredible 145 runs in the last two matches. One can look to have him as a captaincy pick considering his red-hot form. 2. Shreyas Iyer Punjab Kings skipper made unbeaten 97 runs in the opening clash vs GT. The stylish right-handed batter is relishing playing at number three and aims to continue in the same vein. One must have him as a captaincy pick considering his red-hot form. 3. Shardul Thakur Team India right-arm seamer has picked up six wickets in the last two matches. He will be expected to dominate in this clash. ALSO READ | 'Updated IPL 2025 Points Table': Check points table, match results, NRR with wins, loss and other key details LSG vs PBKS Fantasy Cricket Tips As Rishabh Pant struggles for form, we would suggest to drop him while Shardul Thakur remains a good value for money pick. Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings Team Analysis LSG: Now in third place in the standings, the Lucknow Super Giants have played two matches in which they have won one. But their bowling has been crucial with the breakthroughs, and their batting lineup has shown great effectiveness as well. PBKS: Punjab Kings, currently at number five, have played only one game so far, winning it. The bowling attack has come good when needed, and their top-order batting lineup has shown strength. Ekana Cricket Stadium Pitch Report The pitch at Ekana Stadium generally supports fast bowlers. In the IPL, teams usually prefer chasing, and this trend is expected to persist. A total above 180 runs is considered competitive on this surface, and the dew is not anticipated to have much impact on the game. Suggested playing 11 No. 2 for LSG vs PBKS Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Wicketkeeper: Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant Batters: David Miller, Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Shreyas Iyer All-Rounders: Mitchell Marsh, Priyansh Arya, Shashank Singh Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Shardul Thakur Match Prediction: Who Will Win LSG vs PBKS? We expect a tight contest in the IPL 2025 on Tuesday, however, counting on home advantage we predict Lucknow Super Giants to beat Punjab Kings. Disclaimer: The fantasy tips and facts expressed within this article are the author's personal opinions and WION does not promote or endorse any sort of betting activity. They do not reflect the views of WION. It is not a reflection of the actual points you might earn. WION does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

LSG vs PBKS Dream11 Prediction: Check Team, captain and vice-captain picks for Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings

Left-arm pacer <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/arshdeep-singh">Arshdeep Singh</a>, who has transformed into a death-overs specialist since making his mark, credits his success to constructive self-criticism, relentless improvement, and an unwavering mindset that echoes the legendary 'Mamba Mentality'.
The 26-year-old, representing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/punjab-kings">Punjab Kings</a> (PBKS) in the IPL 2025, played a crucial role in his team's hard-fought 11-run win over Gujarat Titans, picking the vital wickets of Sai Sudharsan and Sherfane Rutherford.
Speaking about his evolution as a cricketer, Arshdeep told JioHotstar, "The key is to improve by 1% to 1.5% after every game, every day&mdash;whether the performance was good or bad. I've always believed that the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. Like Kobe Bryant, who constantly refined his game and never settled, I engage in constructive self-criticism and strive to enhance my skill set, even if it's just by half a percent."
Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-sky-is-a-joke-mis-rickelton-stunned-by-suryakumars-trademark-shot-8913620">IPL 2025: 'SKY is a joke...' MI's Rickelton stunned by Suryakumar's trademark shot</a>
With Punjab Kings now under the leadership of stylish batter <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/shreyas-iyer">Shreyas Iyer</a>, Arshdeep is optimistic about breaking the franchise&rsquo;s title drought.
<h2>'Shreyas always backs his players'</h2>
Reflecting on Iyer&rsquo;s leadership, he said, "I have played under Iyer&rsquo;s captaincy in the Duleep Trophy, and I really enjoyed it. He always backs his players and gives them the freedom to express themselves. What I admire most is that his approach remains the same&mdash;he doesn&rsquo;t impose rigid instructions but encourages us to trust our skills and play selflessly. He assures full backing to the players, and as a team, we will give everything to win the title."
Arshdeep, who has bagged 78 wickets in the IPL from 66 matches and 99 wickets from 63 T20 Internationals for India, thrives under pressure, much like Kobe Bryant did in crunch moments on the basketball court.
"I enjoy stepping up when the team is under pressure&mdash;whether it's stopping runs or taking wickets. When they hand me the ball in crucial moments, it&rsquo;s a sign of trust, and I take that as a challenge. Pressure is a privilege, and I embrace it. The mentality is all about pushing limits, staying focused, and never letting setbacks define you. Success doesn&rsquo;t come overnight, but I ensure that failures don&rsquo;t shake my belief. Every time I get another opportunity, I give my all to help the team win."
With this mindset, Arshdeep Singh continues to forge his path as one of the most dependable bowlers in high-pressure situations, embodying the grit, resilience, and relentless pursuit of excellence that defines champions.
(With inputs from agencies)

Cricket, Sports: The 26-year-old, representing PBKS in IPL 2025, played a crucial role in his team's hard-fought 11-run win over Gujarat Titans in their opening match

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who has transformed into a death-overs specialist since making his mark, credits his success to constructive self-criticism, relentless improvement, and an unwavering mindset that echoes the legendary 'Mamba Mentality'. The 26-year-old, representing Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2025, played a crucial role in his team's hard-fought 11-run win over Gujarat Titans, picking the vital wickets of Sai Sudharsan and Sherfane Rutherford. Speaking about his evolution as a cricketer, Arshdeep told JioHotstar, "The key is to improve by 1% to 1.5% after every game, every day—whether the performance was good or bad. I've always believed that the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. Like Kobe Bryant, who constantly refined his game and never settled, I engage in constructive self-criticism and strive to enhance my skill set, even if it's just by half a percent." Also Read: IPL 2025: 'SKY is a joke...' MI's Rickelton stunned by Suryakumar's trademark shot With Punjab Kings now under the leadership of stylish batter Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep is optimistic about breaking the franchise’s title drought. 'Shreyas always backs his players' Reflecting on Iyer’s leadership, he said, "I have played under Iyer’s captaincy in the Duleep Trophy, and I really enjoyed it. He always backs his players and gives them the freedom to express themselves. What I admire most is that his approach remains the same—he doesn’t impose rigid instructions but encourages us to trust our skills and play selflessly. He assures full backing to the players, and as a team, we will give everything to win the title." Arshdeep, who has bagged 78 wickets in the IPL from 66 matches and 99 wickets from 63 T20 Internationals for India, thrives under pressure, much like Kobe Bryant did in crunch moments on the basketball court. "I enjoy stepping up when the team is under pressure—whether it's stopping runs or taking wickets. When they hand me the ball in crucial moments, it’s a sign of trust, and I take that as a challenge. Pressure is a privilege, and I embrace it. The mentality is all about pushing limits, staying focused, and never letting setbacks define you. Success doesn’t come overnight, but I ensure that failures don’t shake my belief. Every time I get another opportunity, I give my all to help the team win." With this mindset, Arshdeep Singh continues to forge his path as one of the most dependable bowlers in high-pressure situations, embodying the grit, resilience, and relentless pursuit of excellence that defines champions. (With inputs from agencies)

IPL 2025: Mamba mentality? PBKS pacer Arshdeep says 'key is to improve by 1-1.5% after every game'

RCB vs GT IPL 2025 Live Streaming: Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to make three wins out of three as they take on 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Gujarat Titans on Wednesday (April 2). Having started on a losing note, Shubman Gill and Co were back to winning ways after they beat Mumbai Indians on Saturday. Ahead of the clash between RCB and GT, here are all the key details of the IPL 2025 contest, including match time and venue.&nbsp;
Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-updated-points-table-indian-premier-league-rankings-standings-net-run-rate-8888780" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">'Updated IPL 2025 Points Table': Check points table, match results, NRCB with wins, loss and other key details</a> 
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans Live Streaming Details</h2>
Here&rsquo;s everything you need to know about the live-streaming details for the RCB vs GT IPL match:
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">When is the RCB vs GT IPL match? Date</h2>
The RCB vs GT IPL match will be played on Wednesday (April 2).
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Where is the RCB vs GT IPL match being played? &nbsp;</h2>
The match will be hosted at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">What time will the RCB vs GT IPL match start?&nbsp;</h2>
The RCB vs GT IPL match will commence at 7:30 PM IST with the toss taking place at 7:00 PM IST.
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Where can I watch the RCB vs GT IPL match in India on TV?</h2>
The live telecast of the RCB vs GT IPL match will be available on Star Sports Network (Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 1 HD).
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">How can I watch the RCB vs GT IPL match online? &nbsp;</h2>
The RCB vs GT IPL match will be available for live streaming on JioHotstar App and website in India.
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Royal Challengers Bengaluru Probable Playing XI</h2>
Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Impact Sub: Lungi Ngidi
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Gujarat Titans Probable Playing XI</h2>
Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma
Impact Sub: Washington Sundar

Sports, Cricket, IPL: Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to make three wins out of three as they take on 2022 IPL champions Gujarat Titans on Wednesday (April 2).

RCB vs GT IPL 2025 Live Streaming: Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to make three wins out of three as they take on 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Gujarat Titans on Wednesday (April 2). Having started on a losing note, Shubman Gill and Co were back to winning ways after they beat Mumbai Indians on Saturday. Ahead of the clash between RCB and GT, here are all the key details of the IPL 2025 contest, including match time and venue. Also read: 'Updated IPL 2025 Points Table': Check points table, match results, NRCB with wins, loss and other key details Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans Live Streaming Details Here’s everything you need to know about the live-streaming details for the RCB vs GT IPL match: When is the RCB vs GT IPL match? Date The RCB vs GT IPL match will be played on Wednesday (April 2). Where is the RCB vs GT IPL match being played? The match will be hosted at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. What time will the RCB vs GT IPL match start? The RCB vs GT IPL match will commence at 7:30 PM IST with the toss taking place at 7:00 PM IST. Where can I watch the RCB vs GT IPL match in India on TV? The live telecast of the RCB vs GT IPL match will be available on Star Sports Network (Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 1 HD). How can I watch the RCB vs GT IPL match online? The RCB vs GT IPL match will be available for live streaming on JioHotstar App and website in India. Royal Challengers Bengaluru Probable Playing XI Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal Impact Sub: Lungi Ngidi Gujarat Titans Probable Playing XI Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma Impact Sub: Washington Sundar

RCB vs GT Live Streaming: How to Watch on Smart TV, Mobile App, and Match Details with Probable Playing XIs

LSG vs PBKS IPL 2025 Live Streaming: Lucknow Super Giants will be poised to win their second match in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) as they take on Punjab Kings on Tuesday (Apr 1). The contest in Lucknow will be LSG's first at home while PBKS will be in action after a week having last played on Mar 25. Ahead of the clash between LSG and PBKS, here are all the key details of the IPL 2025 contest, including match time and venue.&nbsp;
Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-updated-points-table-indian-premier-league-rankings-standings-net-run-rate-8888780" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">'Updated IPL 2025 Points Table': Check points table, match results, NLSG with wins, loss and other key details</a> 
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings Live Streaming Details</h2>
Here&rsquo;s everything you need to know about the live-streaming details for the LSG vs PBKS IPL match:
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">When is the LSG vs PBKS IPL match? Date</h2>
The LSG vs PBKS IPL match will be played on Tuesday (April 1).
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Where is the LSG vs PBKS IPL match being played? &nbsp;</h2>
The match will be hosted at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">What time will the LSG vs PBKS IPL match start?&nbsp;</h2>
The LSG vs PBKS IPL match will commence at 7:30 PM IST with the toss taking place at 7:00 PM IST.
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Where can I watch the LSG vs PBKS IPL match in India on TV?</h2>
The live telecast of the LSG vs PBKS IPL match will be available on Star Sports Network (Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 1 HD).
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">How can I watch the LSG vs PBKS IPL match online? &nbsp;</h2>
The LSG vs PBKS IPL match will be available for live streaming on JioHotstar App and website in India.
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Lucknow Super Giants Probable Playing XI</h2>
Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c &amp; wk), David Miller, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav
Impact Sub: Mitchell Marsh
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Punjab Kings Probable Playing XI</h2>
Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Suryansh Shedge, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Sub: Nehal Wadhera

Sports, Cricket, IPL: Lucknow Super Giants will be poised to win their second match in the IPL 2025 as they take on Punjab Kings on Tuesday (Apr 1).

LSG vs PBKS IPL 2025 Live Streaming: Lucknow Super Giants will be poised to win their second match in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) as they take on Punjab Kings on Tuesday (Apr 1). The contest in Lucknow will be LSG's first at home while PBKS will be in action after a week having last played on Mar 25. Ahead of the clash between LSG and PBKS, here are all the key details of the IPL 2025 contest, including match time and venue. Also read: 'Updated IPL 2025 Points Table': Check points table, match results, NLSG with wins, loss and other key details Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings Live Streaming Details Here’s everything you need to know about the live-streaming details for the LSG vs PBKS IPL match: When is the LSG vs PBKS IPL match? Date The LSG vs PBKS IPL match will be played on Tuesday (April 1). Where is the LSG vs PBKS IPL match being played? The match will be hosted at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. What time will the LSG vs PBKS IPL match start? The LSG vs PBKS IPL match will commence at 7:30 PM IST with the toss taking place at 7:00 PM IST. Where can I watch the LSG vs PBKS IPL match in India on TV? The live telecast of the LSG vs PBKS IPL match will be available on Star Sports Network (Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 1 HD). How can I watch the LSG vs PBKS IPL match online? The LSG vs PBKS IPL match will be available for live streaming on JioHotstar App and website in India. Lucknow Super Giants Probable Playing XI Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), David Miller, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav Impact Sub: Mitchell Marsh Punjab Kings Probable Playing XI Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Suryansh Shedge, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal Impact Sub: Nehal Wadhera

LSG vs PBKS Live Streaming: How to Watch on Smart TV, Mobile App, and Match Details with Probable Playing XIs

Rohit Sharma will be 38 in about a month. He has played in Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2008 and is one of the most successful captains as well as a player with six titles (five as captain) to his name. But is he getting old to play the fastest format? Is he no more quick enough on the field? Has the time come for him to hang his boots in T20s altogether?
The Indian skipper retired from the T20Is last year after guiding the team to T20 World Cup glory in June 2024 and the IPL 2025 is the first time he played in the shortest format. The batter, who scored 0 and 8 in his first two games for Mumbai Indians, was used as an impact sub in the third match of the season for the franchise.
Also Read: <a class="gh-archive-page-post-title-link" href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ashwani-kumar-born-place-ipl-price-next-to-shoaib-akhtar-mi-sensation-ashwani-kumar-becomes-first-indian-bowler-to-achieve-this-feat-on-ipl-debut-8912544" aria-label="'Next to Shoaib Akhtar': MI sensation Ashwani Kumar becomes first Indian bowler to achieve THIS feat on IPL debut">'Next to Shoaib Akhtar': MI sensation Ashwani Kumar becomes first Indian bowler to achieve THIS feat on IPL debut</a>
Against KKR, Rohit did not come to field but batted as an impact sub - he scored only 13 runs before being dismissed and was rendered to his worst start in the IPL history since 2020 after the first three matches.
<h2>Rohit Sharma in first three games of IPL since 2020:</h2>
IPL 2020: 12, 80 and 8 IPL 2021: 19, 43 and 32 IPL 2022: 41, 10 and 3 IPL 2023: 1, 21 and 65 IPL 2024: 43, 26 and 0 IPL 2025: 0, 8 and 13
Clearly, 2025 is the worst for Rohit Sharma in terms of runs in the first three games at least as he has never gotten these many matches to get going.
In general, Rohit is going through a lean patch since the Tests matches against Bangladesh at home last year. He failed in New Zealand Tests after that and also the nightmarish Australia tour where he eventually dropped himself from the side.
In the Champions Trophy, he scored one fifty and that was in all important final but he was scratchy in rest of the tournament.&nbsp;
If Rohit doesn't find his groove quickly, the question of whether he should continue to play as a fixed member of Playing XI is bound to be asked sooner than later.

Against KKR, Rohit batted as an impact sub and he scored only 13 runs before being out and was rendered to his worst start in the IPL history since 2020 after the first three matches. Cricket Sports

Rohit Sharma will be 38 in about a month. He has played in Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2008 and is one of the most successful captains as well as a player with six titles (five as captain) to his name. But is he getting old to play the fastest format? Is he no more quick enough on the field? Has the time come for him to hang his boots in T20s altogether? The Indian skipper retired from the T20Is last year after guiding the team to T20 World Cup glory in June 2024 and the IPL 2025 is the first time he played in the shortest format. The batter, who scored 0 and 8 in his first two games for Mumbai Indians, was used as an impact sub in the third match of the season for the franchise. Also Read: 'Next to Shoaib Akhtar': MI sensation Ashwani Kumar becomes first Indian bowler to achieve THIS feat on IPL debut Against KKR, Rohit did not come to field but batted as an impact sub - he scored only 13 runs before being dismissed and was rendered to his worst start in the IPL history since 2020 after the first three matches. Rohit Sharma in first three games of IPL since 2020: IPL 2020: 12, 80 and 8 IPL 2021: 19, 43 and 32 IPL 2022: 41, 10 and 3 IPL 2023: 1, 21 and 65 IPL 2024: 43, 26 and 0 IPL 2025: 0, 8 and 13 Clearly, 2025 is the worst for Rohit Sharma in terms of runs in the first three games at least as he has never gotten these many matches to get going. In general, Rohit is going through a lean patch since the Tests matches against Bangladesh at home last year. He failed in New Zealand Tests after that and also the nightmarish Australia tour where he eventually dropped himself from the side. In the Champions Trophy, he scored one fifty and that was in all important final but he was scratchy in rest of the tournament. If Rohit doesn't find his groove quickly, the question of whether he should continue to play as a fixed member of Playing XI is bound to be asked sooner than later.

IPL 2025: Time is ticking for soon to be 38 Rohit Sharma after his worst IPL start since 2020

Mumbai Indians pacer Ashwani Kumar did nothing wrong on his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Mar 31. He also created history by registering the best figures by an Indian bowler on IPL debut. He equalled great Shoaib Akhtar and West Indies' Kevon Cooper with his four-wicket haul - the first Indian to do so on IPL debut.
Ashwani struck with his ball in the cash-rich league, dismissing KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane and then accounting for the wickets of Rinku Singh, Andre Russell and Manish Pandey as well. He finished for 4/24 in three overs - the best ever for an Indian on IPL debut.
Also Read: <a class="gh-archive-page-post-title-link" href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-hes-not-the-captain-former-eng-skipper-on-whether-mi-will-drop-rohit-amid-poor-form-8912039" aria-label="IPL 2025: 'He's not the captain,' former ENG skipper on whether MI will drop Rohit amid poor form">IPL 2025: 'He's not the captain,' former ENG skipper on whether MI will drop Rohit amid poor form</a>
Before him, there are only three more bowlers who have performed better on IPL debut, they are Alzarri Joseph from West Indies, Andrew Tye from Australia and Shoaib Akhtar from Pakistan.
Joseph, playing for MI vs SRH in 2019, took 6/12 - the best ever for any bowler on IPL debut. Aussie Tye picked up 5/17 for now defunct Gujarat Lions vs Pune Supergiant in 2017.
Akhtar, meanwhile, took 4/11 in three overs in the only season Pakistan players were allowed to play - in inaugural 2008 season while playing for KKR.
<h2>Who is Ashwani Kumar?</h2>
Ashwani belongs to Punjab state's Jhanjeri village in Mohali district and was first spotted by Mumbai Indians squad during the domestic Sher-e-Punjab T20 trophy. He gained the reputation as the bowler who could bowl the difficult slog overs. His performance impressed MI scouts enough to pick him in the mega auction. Ashwani was bought for INR 30 lakh ($35,000) from the uncapped players' pool.
As for Ashwani's domestic record, the bowler has played two first class games, four List A games and four T20s as well. In those matches, he has taken three wickets in FA, three wickets in List A and two wickets in T20s, respectively.

MI pacer Ashwani is from Jhanjeri village in Punjab's Mohali and was bough for INR 30 lakh ($35,000) at the IPL mega auction last year. Cricket Sports

Mumbai Indians pacer Ashwani Kumar did nothing wrong on his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Mar 31. He also created history by registering the best figures by an Indian bowler on IPL debut. He equalled great Shoaib Akhtar and West Indies' Kevon Cooper with his four-wicket haul - the first Indian to do so on IPL debut. Ashwani struck with his ball in the cash-rich league, dismissing KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane and then accounting for the wickets of Rinku Singh, Andre Russell and Manish Pandey as well. He finished for 4/24 in three overs - the best ever for an Indian on IPL debut. Also Read: IPL 2025: 'He's not the captain,' former ENG skipper on whether MI will drop Rohit amid poor form Before him, there are only three more bowlers who have performed better on IPL debut, they are Alzarri Joseph from West Indies, Andrew Tye from Australia and Shoaib Akhtar from Pakistan. Joseph, playing for MI vs SRH in 2019, took 6/12 - the best ever for any bowler on IPL debut. Aussie Tye picked up 5/17 for now defunct Gujarat Lions vs Pune Supergiant in 2017. Akhtar, meanwhile, took 4/11 in three overs in the only season Pakistan players were allowed to play - in inaugural 2008 season while playing for KKR. Who is Ashwani Kumar? Ashwani belongs to Punjab state's Jhanjeri village in Mohali district and was first spotted by Mumbai Indians squad during the domestic Sher-e-Punjab T20 trophy. He gained the reputation as the bowler who could bowl the difficult slog overs. His performance impressed MI scouts enough to pick him in the mega auction. Ashwani was bought for INR 30 lakh ($35,000) from the uncapped players' pool. As for Ashwani's domestic record, the bowler has played two first class games, four List A games and four T20s as well. In those matches, he has taken three wickets in FA, three wickets in List A and two wickets in T20s, respectively.

'Next to Shoaib Akhtar': MI sensation Ashwani Kumar becomes first Indian bowler to achieve THIS feat on IPL debut

A new-look Punjab Kings is set to play their second Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) who have blown hot and cold in two matches played so far. While the match is being played in Lucknow, it is advantage PBKS given their form, better bowling attack and of course the confidence they exuded in the first match.
<h2>IPL 2025: PBKS vs LSG Match Prediction Today</h2>
Lucknow's batting has revolved around Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran in the two matches they have played. Their bowling has become a bit better after addition of Avesh Khan in the last match and rookie Prince Yadav finding his groove as well.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-hes-not-the-captain-former-eng-skipper-on-whether-mi-will-drop-rohit-amid-poor-form-8912039">IPL 2025: 'He's not the captain,' former ENG skipper on whether MI will drop Rohit amid poor form</a>
The cause of concern is skipper Rishabh Pant's batting - who has not looked great in the two match and has scored only 15 and 0 in the two matches.
PBKS, on the other hand, posted 244 in their first match thanks to skipper Shreyas Iyer's brilliant 97. The skipper was ably supported by Priyansh Arya at the top and Shashank Singh in the slog overs. In middle overs, they have Glenn Maxwell and Azamatullah Omarzai as well.
As for bowling, Arshdeep Singh has been phenomenal over the years for them and he will find it helpful at the grassy Lucknow pitch. Yuzvendra Chahal is their lead spinner with Vijaykumar Vyshak playing his part to perfection as well.
The team winning the toss should bowl first given the dew expectation and the average winning score should be around 185-190 run mark.
<h2>PBKS vs LSG Match Today: Pitch Report</h2>
Lucknow is one of the few grounds in IPL which supports bowlers. While there could be dew in the second innings, the team who wins the toss would definitely like to bowl first and then chase the score helped by the dew.
<h2>PBKS vs LSG Match Today: Predicted Playing XI</h2>
PBKS: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer, Glenn Maxwell, Azamatullah Omarzai, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak
LSG: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant, Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur,&nbsp; Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Avesh Khan&nbsp;

IPL 2025 LSG vs PBKS Match Prediction: The team winning the toss should bowl first given the dew expectation and the average winning score should be around 185-190 run mark. Cricket Sports

A new-look Punjab Kings is set to play their second Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) who have blown hot and cold in two matches played so far. While the match is being played in Lucknow, it is advantage PBKS given their form, better bowling attack and of course the confidence they exuded in the first match. IPL 2025: PBKS vs LSG Match Prediction Today Lucknow's batting has revolved around Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran in the two matches they have played. Their bowling has become a bit better after addition of Avesh Khan in the last match and rookie Prince Yadav finding his groove as well. Also Read: IPL 2025: 'He's not the captain,' former ENG skipper on whether MI will drop Rohit amid poor form The cause of concern is skipper Rishabh Pant's batting - who has not looked great in the two match and has scored only 15 and 0 in the two matches. PBKS, on the other hand, posted 244 in their first match thanks to skipper Shreyas Iyer's brilliant 97. The skipper was ably supported by Priyansh Arya at the top and Shashank Singh in the slog overs. In middle overs, they have Glenn Maxwell and Azamatullah Omarzai as well. As for bowling, Arshdeep Singh has been phenomenal over the years for them and he will find it helpful at the grassy Lucknow pitch. Yuzvendra Chahal is their lead spinner with Vijaykumar Vyshak playing his part to perfection as well. The team winning the toss should bowl first given the dew expectation and the average winning score should be around 185-190 run mark. PBKS vs LSG Match Today: Pitch Report Lucknow is one of the few grounds in IPL which supports bowlers. While there could be dew in the second innings, the team who wins the toss would definitely like to bowl first and then chase the score helped by the dew. PBKS vs LSG Match Today: Predicted Playing XI PBKS: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer, Glenn Maxwell, Azamatullah Omarzai, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak LSG: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant, Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Avesh Khan

IPL 2025: LSG vs PBKS Match Prediction, Playing XI, Pitch Report

Mumbai Indians batter and India skipper Rohit Sharma once again failed to make any impact with the bat as he got out on 13 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Mar 31 at Wankhede in IPL 2025. MI, however, won the game to snap their two-game losing streak but Rohit's form in the three games has everyone got talking. The former MI skipper has managed scores of 0, 8 and 13 in his last three games - not up to the mark for a batter of Rohit's calibre.
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan, meanwhile, says that any other player would lose his place with those numbers as a batter.
Also Read: <a class="gh-archive-page-post-title-link" href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-who-is-ashwani-kumar-mumbai-indians-left-arm-pacer-who-dismissed-rahane-on-first-ball-during-debut-vs-kkr-8910953" aria-label="IPL 2025: Who is Ashwani Kumar - Mumbai Indians' newest left-arm pacer who dismissed Rahane on first ball during debut vs KKR">IPL 2025: Who is Ashwani Kumar - Mumbai Indians' newest left-arm pacer who dismissed Rahane on first ball during debut vs KKR</a>
"You look at his numbers, you've got to remember, we're judging Rohit just as a batter now, because he's not the captain. Now, I think you can get away with average numbers, and they're average numbers. If your name's not Rohit Sharma, you're probably losing your place in the side at some stage with those numbers. They're not good enough for a player like Rohit Sharma," Vaughan said while talking to cricket news website Cricbuzz.
Vaughan, however, acknowledged that Rohit isn't going to be dropped from the side but instead backed to provide starts to Mumbai Indians which is required for franchise to get going in the season.
"I'm not saying that they'll get rid of him. I'm not going to drop him. Come on, get us off to a start. Get your flow back, get your rhythm back, get your mojo back. Because for Mumbai to go and put right what they've not done right in the first two games, it does require that senior core to produce," said Vaughan.
All of Rohit's dismissal have come very soft and unlike of him - in the first game he played a ball from left-hand Khaleel Ahmed of CSK directly into the hands of midwicket player.
In the next match against GT, Rohit was bowled through the gates by Mohammed Siraj before lobbing the ball to mid-off in the game vs KKR.

The former MI skipper has managed scores of 0, 8 and 13 in his last three games - not up to the mark for a batter of Rohit's calibre. Cricket Sports

Mumbai Indians batter and India skipper Rohit Sharma once again failed to make any impact with the bat as he got out on 13 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Mar 31 at Wankhede in IPL 2025. MI, however, won the game to snap their two-game losing streak but Rohit's form in the three games has everyone got talking. The former MI skipper has managed scores of 0, 8 and 13 in his last three games - not up to the mark for a batter of Rohit's calibre. Former England skipper Michael Vaughan, meanwhile, says that any other player would lose his place with those numbers as a batter. Also Read: IPL 2025: Who is Ashwani Kumar - Mumbai Indians' newest left-arm pacer who dismissed Rahane on first ball during debut vs KKR "You look at his numbers, you've got to remember, we're judging Rohit just as a batter now, because he's not the captain. Now, I think you can get away with average numbers, and they're average numbers. If your name's not Rohit Sharma, you're probably losing your place in the side at some stage with those numbers. They're not good enough for a player like Rohit Sharma," Vaughan said while talking to cricket news website Cricbuzz. Vaughan, however, acknowledged that Rohit isn't going to be dropped from the side but instead backed to provide starts to Mumbai Indians which is required for franchise to get going in the season. "I'm not saying that they'll get rid of him. I'm not going to drop him. Come on, get us off to a start. Get your flow back, get your rhythm back, get your mojo back. Because for Mumbai to go and put right what they've not done right in the first two games, it does require that senior core to produce," said Vaughan. All of Rohit's dismissal have come very soft and unlike of him - in the first game he played a ball from left-hand Khaleel Ahmed of CSK directly into the hands of midwicket player. In the next match against GT, Rohit was bowled through the gates by Mohammed Siraj before lobbing the ball to mid-off in the game vs KKR.

IPL 2025: 'He's not the captain,' former ENG skipper on whether MI will drop Rohit amid poor form

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/hardik-pandya" rel="dofollow">Hardik Pandya</a> credits <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/mumbai-indians" rel="dofollow">Mumbai Indians</a> scouts for unearthing a talent like Ashwani Kumar, who made history with his four-wicket haul against <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/kolkata-knight-riders" rel="dofollow">Kolkata Knight Riders</a> on his IPL debut. Having lost two matches already, MI needed a heroic effort from someone to put them on the winning track, with that coming by an uncapped seamer, who picked his maiden IPL wicket on the first ball of his spell, which helped Mumbai open account this edition with an eight-wicket win over KKR.
Over the years, Mumbai Indians scouts have unearthed the best of young talents, giving them chances and making the most out of them.&nbsp;
Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/mi-vs-kkr-ashwani-kumar-picks-four-on-debut-rickelton-his-maiden-fifty-as-mumbai-indians-open-account-in-ipl-2025-8911216" rel="dofollow">MI vs KKR: Ashwani Kumar's four-for on debut helps Mumbai Indians open account in IPL 2025</a>
Even in their first game (against CSK) this season, MI played uncapped spinner Vignesh Puthur, who picked three wickets on his debut, though MI lost that game by four wickets. On Monday, they introduced Ashwani to world cricket, with the left-arm quick making the right noises.
Ashwani&rsquo;s four-wicket haul helped MI dismiss KKR on a paltry 116, with their batters completing the run chase with over seven overs and eight wickets remaining.&nbsp;
Addressing the media after MI&rsquo;s first win this season, captain Pandya sounded elated with the team effort, acknowledging everyone for coming on the day.
&ldquo;Very satisfying,&rdquo; Pandya said of MI&rsquo;s win over KKR.
&ldquo;To win, especially at home and the way we did it as a group - everyone chipped in, cannot be happier. It is always a challenge of picking one guy here or there.
&ldquo;Our team is sorted with the players we are backing and the players we have. We thought Ashwani can come in (on this pitch) and bowl the way he bowled. It is all scouts - they picked him. They have gone to all the places and picked these young kids. We played a practice game, he had that zip, that late swing, something off the wicket, a different action, and he was a leftie,&rdquo; Pandya lauded Ashwani.&nbsp;
<h2>Russell&rsquo;s wicket impressed Pandya</h2>
Ashwani bowled well, with all of his wicket-taking deliveries deserving the highest praise; however, what stood out was his one that clean-bowled Russell.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet publive-iframes-block publive-Twitter-block" contenteditable="false" width="600" height="400" id="PL_blockquote_block-m8xdg09b-ewzbpsaz-2lg0yxh4">
Debut straight out of a storybook 📖 The perfect first chapter for Ashwani Kumar 👌👌 Updates ▶ <a href="https://t.co/iEwchzDRNM">https://t.co/iEwchzDRNM</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TATAIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TATAIPL</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIvKKR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MIvKKR</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/mipaltan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mipaltan</a> <a href="https://t.co/npaynbIViX">pic.twitter.com/npaynbIViX</a>
&mdash; IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1906726739490803951?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
&ldquo;We just backed him, and the way he took that wicket of Russell was a very crucial wicket, and how he started with the catch of de Kock, it was terrific to see (a fast bowler jumping up to take it). When it goes my way, it looks good. But the kind of team we have, we have a lot of young and experienced players combined, and I do not have to worry much. Early start, but a great sign for everyone to chip in and kick off the tournament for us,&rdquo; Pandya said.&nbsp;
(With inputs from agencies)

Cricket, Sports: Mumbai Indians left-arm seamer Ashwani Kumar became the first Indian and the sixth player overall to pick a four-wicket haul on his IPL debut.

Hardik Pandya credits Mumbai Indians scouts for unearthing a talent like Ashwani Kumar, who made history with his four-wicket haul against Kolkata Knight Riders on his IPL debut. Having lost two matches already, MI needed a heroic effort from someone to put them on the winning track, with that coming by an uncapped seamer, who picked his maiden IPL wicket on the first ball of his spell, which helped Mumbai open account this edition with an eight-wicket win over KKR. Over the years, Mumbai Indians scouts have unearthed the best of young talents, giving them chances and making the most out of them. Also read | MI vs KKR: Ashwani Kumar's four-for on debut helps Mumbai Indians open account in IPL 2025 Even in their first game (against CSK) this season, MI played uncapped spinner Vignesh Puthur, who picked three wickets on his debut, though MI lost that game by four wickets. On Monday, they introduced Ashwani to world cricket, with the left-arm quick making the right noises. Ashwani’s four-wicket haul helped MI dismiss KKR on a paltry 116, with their batters completing the run chase with over seven overs and eight wickets remaining. Addressing the media after MI’s first win this season, captain Pandya sounded elated with the team effort, acknowledging everyone for coming on the day. “Very satisfying,” Pandya said of MI’s win over KKR. “To win, especially at home and the way we did it as a group - everyone chipped in, cannot be happier. It is always a challenge of picking one guy here or there. “Our team is sorted with the players we are backing and the players we have. We thought Ashwani can come in (on this pitch) and bowl the way he bowled. It is all scouts - they picked him. They have gone to all the places and picked these young kids. We played a practice game, he had that zip, that late swing, something off the wicket, a different action, and he was a leftie,” Pandya lauded Ashwani. Russell’s wicket impressed Pandya Ashwani bowled well, with all of his wicket-taking deliveries deserving the highest praise; however, what stood out was his one that clean-bowled Russell. Debut straight out of a storybook 📖 The perfect first chapter for Ashwani Kumar 👌👌 Updates ▶ https://t.co/iEwchzDRNM#TATAIPL | #MIvKKR | @mipaltan pic.twitter.com/npaynbIViX — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 31, 2025 “We just backed him, and the way he took that wicket of Russell was a very crucial wicket, and how he started with the catch of de Kock, it was terrific to see (a fast bowler jumping up to take it). When it goes my way, it looks good. But the kind of team we have, we have a lot of young and experienced players combined, and I do not have to worry much. Early start, but a great sign for everyone to chip in and kick off the tournament for us,” Pandya said. (With inputs from agencies)

IPL 2025: Captain Pandya lauds Mumbai Indians scouts for unearthing Ashwani Kumar after win over KKR

Former five-time winners <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/mumbai-indians-mi" rel="dofollow">Mumbai Indians (MI)</a> have finally opened their account in the ongoing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/ipl-2025" rel="dofollow">IPL 2025</a> with a thumping eight-wicket win over <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/kolkata-knight-riders" rel="dofollow">Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)</a> on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium. New faces helped the hosts taste success for the first time in this edition, with seamer Ashwani Kumar picking a match-winning four-for on his IPL debut, and overseas opener Ryan Rickelton scored his maiden fifty for the franchise.
Mumbai won the toss and elected to bowl first, a fantastic call by captain Hardik Pandya. MI new-ball pacers picked four wickets inside the Powerplay, including one by the debutant Ashwani Kumar, who picked a wicket on his first ball in the IPL. KKR&rsquo;s top order struggled against the moving ball, with Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar causing trouble up front.&nbsp;
Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh tried saving the sinking ship, failing to hold on for long, as Ashwani returned to tear into KKR&rsquo;s lower order, including removing three dangerous batters in Rinku, Manish Pandey and all-rounder Andre Russell.&nbsp;
Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-who-is-ashwani-kumar-mumbai-indians-left-arm-pacer-who-dismissed-rahane-on-first-ball-during-debut-vs-kkr-8910953" rel="dofollow">IPL 2025: Who is Ashwani Kumar - Mumbai Indians' newest left-arm pacer who dismissed Rahane on first ball during debut vs KKR</a>
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Debut straight out of a storybook 📖 The perfect first chapter for Ashwani Kumar 👌👌 Updates ▶ <a href="https://t.co/iEwchzDRNM">https://t.co/iEwchzDRNM</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TATAIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TATAIPL</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIvKKR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MIvKKR</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/mipaltan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mipaltan</a> <a href="https://t.co/npaynbIViX">pic.twitter.com/npaynbIViX</a>
&mdash; IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1906726739490803951?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
Mitchell Santner and MI&rsquo;s rookie spinner Vignesh Puthur picked the remaining two wickets to wrap up KKR&rsquo;s innings on a mere 116 inside 17 overs.&nbsp;
"I was feeling really good. There was a little pressure earlier, but thanks to the atmosphere of the team, I didn't feel any pressure," Ashwani, 23, said during the mid-innings.&nbsp;
<h2>Rickelton, the hero with the bat</h2>
Although Rohit Sharma&rsquo;s dismal run with the bat continued as he got out early inside the Powerplay on 13, his opening partner, Ryan Rickelton, repaid his team&rsquo;s faith with a match-winning unbeaten 62 off 41 balls, including five sixes and four fours.
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The clarity in both these shots 😇 Ryan Rickelton with no half measures in the chase 💪<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MI</a> lose Rohit Sharma and are 55/1 after 6 overs. Updates ▶ <a href="https://t.co/iEwchzEpDk">https://t.co/iEwchzEpDk</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TATAIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TATAIPL</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIvKKR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MIvKKR</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/mipaltan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mipaltan</a> <a href="https://t.co/3keQ745xn2">pic.twitter.com/3keQ745xn2</a>
&mdash; IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1906743650773790793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
The left-handed opener finally came good for the franchise after moderate outings in his previous two matches.&nbsp;
His 46-run stand with Rohit had Mumbai going; however, Will Jacks providing support at the other end following Rohit&rsquo;s departure allowed Ryan to free his arms and take on KKR&rsquo;s bowling attack. His two sixes to veteran spinner Sunil Narine was the highlight.&nbsp;
Ace T20 batter Suryakumar Yadav put on the final touches, hitting an unbeaten 27 off nine balls, including two sixes and three fours; Mumbai completed the chase with over seven overs and eight wickets remaining. &nbsp;
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𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘆𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 😎 Trademark way to get off the mark ✅<a href="https://twitter.com/mipaltan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mipaltan</a> cruising in the chase 🛳️ Updates ▶ <a href="https://t.co/iEwchzEpDk">https://t.co/iEwchzEpDk</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TATAIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TATAIPL</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIvKKR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MIvKKR</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/surya_14kumar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@surya_14kumar</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ag46xegPOW">pic.twitter.com/Ag46xegPOW</a>
&mdash; IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1906751215112954250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>

Cricket, Sports: Playing his first IPL game, Ashwani picked his maiden wicket on the first ball of his spell, later picking three more to complete 4/24 in 3 overs.

Former five-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI) have finally opened their account in the ongoing IPL 2025 with a thumping eight-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium. New faces helped the hosts taste success for the first time in this edition, with seamer Ashwani Kumar picking a match-winning four-for on his IPL debut, and overseas opener Ryan Rickelton scored his maiden fifty for the franchise. Mumbai won the toss and elected to bowl first, a fantastic call by captain Hardik Pandya. MI new-ball pacers picked four wickets inside the Powerplay, including one by the debutant Ashwani Kumar, who picked a wicket on his first ball in the IPL. KKR’s top order struggled against the moving ball, with Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar causing trouble up front. Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh tried saving the sinking ship, failing to hold on for long, as Ashwani returned to tear into KKR’s lower order, including removing three dangerous batters in Rinku, Manish Pandey and all-rounder Andre Russell. Also read | IPL 2025: Who is Ashwani Kumar - Mumbai Indians' newest left-arm pacer who dismissed Rahane on first ball during debut vs KKR Debut straight out of a storybook 📖 The perfect first chapter for Ashwani Kumar 👌👌 Updates ▶ https://t.co/iEwchzDRNM#TATAIPL | #MIvKKR | @mipaltan pic.twitter.com/npaynbIViX — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 31, 2025 Mitchell Santner and MI’s rookie spinner Vignesh Puthur picked the remaining two wickets to wrap up KKR’s innings on a mere 116 inside 17 overs. "I was feeling really good. There was a little pressure earlier, but thanks to the atmosphere of the team, I didn't feel any pressure," Ashwani, 23, said during the mid-innings. Rickelton, the hero with the bat Although Rohit Sharma’s dismal run with the bat continued as he got out early inside the Powerplay on 13, his opening partner, Ryan Rickelton, repaid his team’s faith with a match-winning unbeaten 62 off 41 balls, including five sixes and four fours. The clarity in both these shots 😇 Ryan Rickelton with no half measures in the chase 💪#MI lose Rohit Sharma and are 55/1 after 6 overs. Updates ▶ https://t.co/iEwchzEpDk#TATAIPL | #MIvKKR | @mipaltan pic.twitter.com/3keQ745xn2 — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 31, 2025 The left-handed opener finally came good for the franchise after moderate outings in his previous two matches. His 46-run stand with Rohit had Mumbai going; however, Will Jacks providing support at the other end following Rohit’s departure allowed Ryan to free his arms and take on KKR’s bowling attack. His two sixes to veteran spinner Sunil Narine was the highlight. Ace T20 batter Suryakumar Yadav put on the final touches, hitting an unbeaten 27 off nine balls, including two sixes and three fours; Mumbai completed the chase with over seven overs and eight wickets remaining. 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘆𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 😎 Trademark way to get off the mark ✅@mipaltan cruising in the chase 🛳️ Updates ▶ https://t.co/iEwchzEpDk#TATAIPL | #MIvKKR | @surya_14kumar pic.twitter.com/Ag46xegPOW — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 31, 2025

MI vs KKR: Ashwani Kumar's four-for on debut helps Mumbai Indians open account in IPL 2025

Mumbai Indians are always known to unearth hidden cricketing talents across the country with the most famous being Hardik Pandya who know captains the side in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In their first match of the IPL 2025 season, the unlashed Vignesh Puthur - an unorthodox left-arm spinner from Kerala who impressed on the debut.
Also Read: <a class="gh-archive-page-post-title-link" href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-locked-box-given-to-lsg-owner-srh-call-out-hyderabad-cricket-association-chief-for-blackmail-coercion-8910692" aria-label="IPL 2025: 'Locked box given to LSG owner': SRH call out Hyderabad Cricket Association chief for blackmail, coercion">IPL 2025: 'Locked box given to LSG owner': SRH call out Hyderabad Cricket Association chief for blackmail, coercion</a>
During their first home game of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday (Mar 31), they unleashed left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar. The pacer impressed right away and dismissed KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane on the very first ball of his IPL career.
<h2>Who Is Ashwani Kumar?</h2>
Ashwani belongs to Punjab state and was first spotted by Mumbai Indians squad during the domestic Sher-e-Punjab T20 trophy. He gained the reputation as the bowler who could bowl the difficult slog overs. His performance impressed MI scouts enough to pick him in the mega auction. Ashwani was bought for INR 30 lakh ($35,000) from the uncapped players' pool.
As for Ashwani's domestic record, the bowler has played two first class games, four List A games and four T20s as well. In those matches, he has taken three wickets in FA, three wickets in List A and two wickets in T20s, respectively.
In the match against KKR, Ashwani, after dismissing Rahane, clean bowled Manish Pandey on a peach of a inswinging delivery which hit the top of batter's leg stump and dislodged the bail.
The pacer eventually finished with 4/24 in three wickets - accounting for wickets of Rinku Singh and Andre Russell as well. Thanks to his spell, Mumbai Indians bowled out KKR for 116 inside 20 overs.
Apart from Ashwani, Deepak Chahar picked up two wickets while Trent Boult, Pandya, Puthur and Mitchell Santner picked one each.

Ashwani Kumar belongs to Punjab state and was first spotted by Mumbai Indians squad during the domestic Sher-e-Punjab T20 trophy. Cricket Sports

Mumbai Indians are always known to unearth hidden cricketing talents across the country with the most famous being Hardik Pandya who know captains the side in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In their first match of the IPL 2025 season, the unlashed Vignesh Puthur - an unorthodox left-arm spinner from Kerala who impressed on the debut. Also Read: IPL 2025: 'Locked box given to LSG owner': SRH call out Hyderabad Cricket Association chief for blackmail, coercion During their first home game of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday (Mar 31), they unleashed left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar. The pacer impressed right away and dismissed KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane on the very first ball of his IPL career. Who Is Ashwani Kumar? Ashwani belongs to Punjab state and was first spotted by Mumbai Indians squad during the domestic Sher-e-Punjab T20 trophy. He gained the reputation as the bowler who could bowl the difficult slog overs. His performance impressed MI scouts enough to pick him in the mega auction. Ashwani was bought for INR 30 lakh ($35,000) from the uncapped players' pool. As for Ashwani's domestic record, the bowler has played two first class games, four List A games and four T20s as well. In those matches, he has taken three wickets in FA, three wickets in List A and two wickets in T20s, respectively. In the match against KKR, Ashwani, after dismissing Rahane, clean bowled Manish Pandey on a peach of a inswinging delivery which hit the top of batter's leg stump and dislodged the bail. The pacer eventually finished with 4/24 in three wickets - accounting for wickets of Rinku Singh and Andre Russell as well. Thanks to his spell, Mumbai Indians bowled out KKR for 116 inside 20 overs. Apart from Ashwani, Deepak Chahar picked up two wickets while Trent Boult, Pandya, Puthur and Mitchell Santner picked one each.

IPL 2025: Who is Ashwani Kumar - Mumbai Indians' newest left-arm pacer who dismissed Rahane on first ball during debut vs KKR

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) has written to Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) apex council over threats made by association president Jagan Mohan Rao for extra tickets. In a letter sent to HCA apex council, SRH said that Rao even locked out F3 box reserved for Sanjiv Goenka during SRH's match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on March 27.
"It is the HCA President Mr. Jagan Mohan Rao who is resorting to threats, coercion and blackmail. Even before the IPL started, Rao threatened our staff with coercion, who in return out of fear wrote an email to him, placing on record the threat he made," reads SRH's letter to HCA apex council as reported by cricket news website Cricbuzz.
Also Read: <a class="gh-archive-page-post-title-link" href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-has-md-dhoni-become-white-elephant-of-chennai-super-kings-8910241" aria-label="IPL 2025: Has Dhoni become white elephant of Chennai Super Kings?">IPL 2025: Has Dhoni become white elephant of Chennai Super Kings?</a>
"Without waiting for a resolution, the HCA president Mr. Jagan Mohan Rao locked the F3 box just few hours before the start of the game, knowing very well that this box was given to the owner of Lucknow SuperGiants, Mr. Goenka. This was done just to blackmail us and put coercive pressure on us to give additional 20 complimentary tickets before the game," it added.
The franchise has now asked for a meeting regarding the same at the earliest. They also called out Rao for taking credit on renovation of stadium despite the franchise doing all the work. Notably, SRH pays INR 1 crore ($117,076) for each game they play on the ground in the season.
"It was always our intention to resolve these issues amicably, but when Mr. Jagan Mohan Rao went to the extent of locking the F3 box and blackmailing for complimentary tickets, we had no choice but to escalate this matter. We thank the other office bearers of the HCA for cooperating with us and hope we can have a meeting scheduled immediately so we can solve this in person." mentioned the letter.

The franchise has now asked for a meeting regarding the same at the earliest. They also called out Rao for taking credit on renovation of stadium despite the franchise doing all the work. Cricket Sports

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) has written to Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) apex council over threats made by association president Jagan Mohan Rao for extra tickets. In a letter sent to HCA apex council, SRH said that Rao even locked out F3 box reserved for Sanjiv Goenka during SRH's match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on March 27. "It is the HCA President Mr. Jagan Mohan Rao who is resorting to threats, coercion and blackmail. Even before the IPL started, Rao threatened our staff with coercion, who in return out of fear wrote an email to him, placing on record the threat he made," reads SRH's letter to HCA apex council as reported by cricket news website Cricbuzz. Also Read: IPL 2025: Has Dhoni become white elephant of Chennai Super Kings? "Without waiting for a resolution, the HCA president Mr. Jagan Mohan Rao locked the F3 box just few hours before the start of the game, knowing very well that this box was given to the owner of Lucknow SuperGiants, Mr. Goenka. This was done just to blackmail us and put coercive pressure on us to give additional 20 complimentary tickets before the game," it added. The franchise has now asked for a meeting regarding the same at the earliest. They also called out Rao for taking credit on renovation of stadium despite the franchise doing all the work. Notably, SRH pays INR 1 crore ($117,076) for each game they play on the ground in the season. "It was always our intention to resolve these issues amicably, but when Mr. Jagan Mohan Rao went to the extent of locking the F3 box and blackmailing for complimentary tickets, we had no choice but to escalate this matter. We thank the other office bearers of the HCA for cooperating with us and hope we can have a meeting scheduled immediately so we can solve this in person." mentioned the letter.

IPL 2025: 'Locked box given to LSG owner': SRH call out Hyderabad Cricket Association chief for blackmail, coercion

Ace India seamer <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/jasprit-bumrah" rel="dofollow">Jasprit Bumrah</a> has endured enough injuries and pain in his glorious career; as things stand, he is preparing to return to competitive cricket after suffering a back spasm during the BGT Down Under in January 2025. Shane Bond, the former New Zealand pacer who worked with Bumrah at <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/mumbai-indians" rel="dofollow">Mumbai Indians</a> in the IPL, reflected on his back issue, saying India over bowled him against Australia, and should they not learn from past mistakes, Bumrah&rsquo;s career is the price they will pay for it.
Back issues have troubled Bumrah since he emerged (on the cricket scene), cutting on his regular appearances for Team India across formats. Bumrah&rsquo;s risky action, coupled with his excessive workload, has kept him away from on-field cricket for a prolonged period, so much so that when he suffered the same injury back in 2023, he missed a major chunk of the year recovering from it and another quarter to get back to bowling full throttles.
Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-riyan-parag-throws-phone-attitude-to-ground-staff-fans-slam-rr-captain-for-rude-behaviour-watch-8910359" rel="dofollow">IPL 2025: Riyan Parag throws phone, attitude to ground staff, fans slam RR captain for &lsquo;rude behaviour&rsquo; &ndash; WATCH</a>
Although India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in his absence, they&rsquo;d need him for the away England Tests later this year; however, Bond sent warning signs for the skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir to utilise his services properly to avoid him suffering a stress fracture in his back, which is on the borderline.
&ldquo;I don't think so,&rdquo; Bond said on whether Bumrah should change his bowling action to preserve his career.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He had the [2023] surgery, but he played all that [Australia] Test series, performed unbelievably. At the end of the day, he just bowled too much over a one-month period. And it hasn't cracked, he hasn't got a fracture, he is on the borderline of a fracture,&rdquo; Bond said in a chat with ESPNcricinfo.&nbsp;
&ldquo;But what India would have learned is, if you then look at a five-Test match series in England and they do the same thing, they are probably going to get the same result. So you can't do that. You need a squad of bowlers where you can sort of pick and choose.&nbsp;Because if you lose him, you have got T20 World Cups, you've got 50-overs World Cups, and he's an important member across all formats, IPL, all that sort of stuff,&rdquo; Bond continued.
<h2>Too many overs broke Bumrah&rsquo;s back</h2>
Bumrah captained India in two Tests on its last tour Down Under, winning one (in Perth) and leaving the field midway in his second (at the final Test in Sydney). Though he was the standout bowler, picking 32 wickets from five Tests &ndash; the most by an Indian bowler on Australian soil, Bumrah paid the price for sending down a sheer volume of overs (151.2) that eventually broke his back.
"In Australia, it was just the sheer volume of overs that got him in the end - in those five Test matches, his performance was ridiculous, and they leaned on him a lot, and I think he might've bowled 50 overs in a Test match. You are not going to avoid an injury, you are just trying to avoid the really bad ones, and I'm hoping Bumrah can avoid another one of these," Bond said.
Meanwhile, Bumrah would re-link with the Mumbai Indians squad sometime in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/ipl-2025" rel="dofollow">IPL 2025</a>.&nbsp;
(With inputs from agencies)

Cricket, Sports: Currently, Jasprit Bumrah is preparing to return to competitive cricket after suffering a back spasm during the BGT Down Under in January 2025.

Ace India seamer Jasprit Bumrah has endured enough injuries and pain in his glorious career; as things stand, he is preparing to return to competitive cricket after suffering a back spasm during the BGT Down Under in January 2025. Shane Bond, the former New Zealand pacer who worked with Bumrah at Mumbai Indians in the IPL, reflected on his back issue, saying India over bowled him against Australia, and should they not learn from past mistakes, Bumrah’s career is the price they will pay for it. Back issues have troubled Bumrah since he emerged (on the cricket scene), cutting on his regular appearances for Team India across formats. Bumrah’s risky action, coupled with his excessive workload, has kept him away from on-field cricket for a prolonged period, so much so that when he suffered the same injury back in 2023, he missed a major chunk of the year recovering from it and another quarter to get back to bowling full throttles. Also read | IPL 2025: Riyan Parag throws phone, attitude to ground staff, fans slam RR captain for ‘rude behaviour’ – WATCH Although India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in his absence, they’d need him for the away England Tests later this year; however, Bond sent warning signs for the skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir to utilise his services properly to avoid him suffering a stress fracture in his back, which is on the borderline. “I don't think so,” Bond said on whether Bumrah should change his bowling action to preserve his career. “He had the [2023] surgery, but he played all that [Australia] Test series, performed unbelievably. At the end of the day, he just bowled too much over a one-month period. And it hasn't cracked, he hasn't got a fracture, he is on the borderline of a fracture,” Bond said in a chat with ESPNcricinfo. “But what India would have learned is, if you then look at a five-Test match series in England and they do the same thing, they are probably going to get the same result. So you can't do that. You need a squad of bowlers where you can sort of pick and choose. Because if you lose him, you have got T20 World Cups, you've got 50-overs World Cups, and he's an important member across all formats, IPL, all that sort of stuff,” Bond continued. Too many overs broke Bumrah’s back Bumrah captained India in two Tests on its last tour Down Under, winning one (in Perth) and leaving the field midway in his second (at the final Test in Sydney). Though he was the standout bowler, picking 32 wickets from five Tests – the most by an Indian bowler on Australian soil, Bumrah paid the price for sending down a sheer volume of overs (151.2) that eventually broke his back. "In Australia, it was just the sheer volume of overs that got him in the end - in those five Test matches, his performance was ridiculous, and they leaned on him a lot, and I think he might've bowled 50 overs in a Test match. You are not going to avoid an injury, you are just trying to avoid the really bad ones, and I'm hoping Bumrah can avoid another one of these," Bond said. Meanwhile, Bumrah would re-link with the Mumbai Indians squad sometime in IPL 2025. (With inputs from agencies)

Bumrah’s future is the price Team India will pay should they not learn from past mistakes, says Shane Bond

Cricket is a great leveller, and though it puts one on the pedestal, rewarding their success, it can bring anyone down, as it did to plenty over the years. IPL franchise <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/rajasthan-royals" rel="dofollow">Rajasthan Royals</a>&rsquo; stand-in captain <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/riyan-parag-bowling" rel="dofollow">Riyan Parag</a> must learn this before it gets too late.
After guiding <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-ms-dhoni-fails-in-run-chase-as-rajasthan-royals-pile-misery-on-struggling-csk-8908015" rel="dofollow">RR to a six-run win over Chennai Super Kings</a> in Guwahati on Sunday evening, local hero Parag took photos with the ground staff, with that incident leaving a poor taste among them and the fans after he threw their phone back instead of returning politely.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet publive-iframes-block publive-Twitter-block" contenteditable="false" width="600" height="400" id="PL_blockquote_block-m8x174fv-wvz5ocxj-yy4prl0t">
Attitude 🗿 Performance 🤡 <a href="https://t.co/tNBZgSpRMA">pic.twitter.com/tNBZgSpRMA</a>
&mdash; Sonu (@heyysonu_) <a href="https://twitter.com/heyysonu_/status/1906574034843644110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
With regular captain Sanju Samson playing as an Impact Sub for the first three games due to a finger injury, Parag captained the team in his absence, winning one and losing the remaining two matches. Rajasthan lost to Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata (KKR) but beat the former five-time winners CSK in their last game at their second home venue in Guwahati.
After the game, the fans in attendance and even the ground staff looked forward to greeting their local hero, Parag, who even obliged their request to click selfies.&nbsp;
However, instead of just returning, he threw the phone in attitude, leading to a social media meltdown, with countless fans bashing him for his rude and unprofessional behaviour.
<h2>Here&rsquo;s what the fans wrote &ndash;</h2>
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He will learn. This video will give him good life lessons. :-)
&mdash; Himanshu Verma (@hv2008) <a href="https://twitter.com/hv2008/status/1906608489579069742?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Bohot attitude hai
&mdash; Amit Srivastav (@khansmeme) <a href="https://twitter.com/khansmeme/status/1906578640592089246?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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🤦
&mdash; Wellu (@Wellutwt) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wellutwt/status/1906579281079116150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Riyan Parag is the same cricketer who said last year that he does not want to watch the T20 world Cup because he is not in the playing squad. With such an attitude, he can find a way out pretty easily one day. He needs to correct himself quickly.
&mdash; "Cricket ++" feat. Raj (@cricplusplus) <a href="https://twitter.com/cricplusplus/status/1906628742753210674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
<h3>Parag&rsquo;s IPL classic catch</h3>
Parag impressed as a batter and leader, playing his last game in front of his home city this season. Though his 28-ball 37 in the first innings was crucial in laying a platform for his side&rsquo;s moderate 182/9, how he led from the front and his magnificent catching won everyone&rsquo;s hearts.
When CSK needed over 50 runs in four overs with Ravindra Jadeja and batting great MS Dhoni at the crease, Parag&rsquo;s bowling changes did the job for the home side, as they finally opened their account this season.&nbsp;
Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/herschelle-gibbs-explains-whats-restricting-ms-dhoni-from-playing-like-his-old-self-in-ipl-2025-csk-rr-guwahati-stephen-fleming-8909902" rel="dofollow">Gibbs explains what&rsquo;s restricting MS Dhoni from playing like his old self in IPL 2025</a>
Even earlier during the chase, Parag picked a one-handed blinder to dismiss CSK all-rounder Shivam Dube, breaking the opposition&rsquo;s momentum. His over-the-top celebration reflected what that meant to him as Parag guided his IPL franchise home in this third match as captain.
<h3>Watch -&nbsp;</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet publive-iframes-block publive-Twitter-block" contenteditable="false" width="600" height="400" id="PL_blockquote_block-m8x16ni1-s61fb1qz-ipa3ovg1">
Captain Riyan Parag replies with a fantastic catch 🤯<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSK?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CSK</a> lose Shivam Dube in the chase Updates ▶️ <a href="https://t.co/V2QijpWpGO">https://t.co/V2QijpWpGO</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TATAIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TATAIPL</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RRvCSK?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RRvCSK</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/rajasthanroyals?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rajasthanroyals</a> <a href="https://t.co/fPG0OhNcyg">pic.twitter.com/fPG0OhNcyg</a>
&mdash; IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1906392603215720466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
(With inputs from agencies)

Cricket, Sports: After the game, the fans in attendance and even the ground staff looked forward to greeting Parag, who even obliged their request to click selfies.

Cricket is a great leveller, and though it puts one on the pedestal, rewarding their success, it can bring anyone down, as it did to plenty over the years. IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals’ stand-in captain Riyan Parag must learn this before it gets too late. After guiding RR to a six-run win over Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati on Sunday evening, local hero Parag took photos with the ground staff, with that incident leaving a poor taste among them and the fans after he threw their phone back instead of returning politely. Attitude 🗿 Performance 🤡 pic.twitter.com/tNBZgSpRMA — Sonu (@heyysonu_) March 31, 2025 With regular captain Sanju Samson playing as an Impact Sub for the first three games due to a finger injury, Parag captained the team in his absence, winning one and losing the remaining two matches. Rajasthan lost to Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata (KKR) but beat the former five-time winners CSK in their last game at their second home venue in Guwahati. After the game, the fans in attendance and even the ground staff looked forward to greeting their local hero, Parag, who even obliged their request to click selfies. However, instead of just returning, he threw the phone in attitude, leading to a social media meltdown, with countless fans bashing him for his rude and unprofessional behaviour. Here’s what the fans wrote – He will learn. This video will give him good life lessons. :-) — Himanshu Verma (@hv2008) March 31, 2025 Bohot attitude hai — Amit Srivastav (@khansmeme) March 31, 2025 🤦 — Wellu (@Wellutwt) March 31, 2025 Riyan Parag is the same cricketer who said last year that he does not want to watch the T20 world Cup because he is not in the playing squad. With such an attitude, he can find a way out pretty easily one day. He needs to correct himself quickly. — "Cricket ++" feat. Raj (@cricplusplus) March 31, 2025 Parag’s IPL classic catch Parag impressed as a batter and leader, playing his last game in front of his home city this season. Though his 28-ball 37 in the first innings was crucial in laying a platform for his side’s moderate 182/9, how he led from the front and his magnificent catching won everyone’s hearts. When CSK needed over 50 runs in four overs with Ravindra Jadeja and batting great MS Dhoni at the crease, Parag’s bowling changes did the job for the home side, as they finally opened their account this season. Also read | Gibbs explains what’s restricting MS Dhoni from playing like his old self in IPL 2025 Even earlier during the chase, Parag picked a one-handed blinder to dismiss CSK all-rounder Shivam Dube, breaking the opposition’s momentum. His over-the-top celebration reflected what that meant to him as Parag guided his IPL franchise home in this third match as captain. Watch - Captain Riyan Parag replies with a fantastic catch 🤯#CSK lose Shivam Dube in the chase Updates ▶️ https://t.co/V2QijpWpGO#TATAIPL | #RRvCSK | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/fPG0OhNcyg — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 30, 2025 (With inputs from agencies)

IPL 2025: Riyan Parag throws phone, attitude at ground staff, fans slam RR captain for ‘rude behaviour’ – WATCH

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni has been the point of discussion in the three matches played so far this season. Dhoni, who has been with CSK since inception in 2008, is now 43 years old and his batting number this season, nine, hasn't gone down well with many former cricketers.
CSK coach Stephen Fleming has also said that Dhoni can't bat full 10 overs after being in field - which raises the question why is Dhoni still being asked to bat? Has he become white elephant in the team - who can't be swapped with a impact player for more runs down the order?
<h2>Dhoni's numbers in IPL since 2024</h2>
Dhoni batted 11 times in 14 matches last season and 10 of those times he came at number 7 or lower. Overall, Dhoni scored 161 runs off 73 balls faced at a healthy strike rate of 220 and an average of 53.
Also Read: <a class="gh-archive-page-post-title-link" href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2025-doesnt-make-sense-says-india-batter-on-srh-hard-hitting-batting-style-after-two-consecutive-losses-8909239" aria-label="IPL 2025: 'Doesn't make sense', says India batter on SRH's hard-hitting batting style after two consecutive losses">IPL 2025: 'Doesn't make sense', says India batter on SRH's hard-hitting batting style after two consecutive losses</a>
The talisman wicketkeeper-batter also hit 13 sixes - of roughly one six balls, showing he isn't going to waste any balls. The thing to note is out of 10 times he batted at number 7 or lower last season - CSK only won four matches and in those four matches, Dhoni did not score a single run in the only innings he batted.
As for other six games which CSK lost when Dhoni batted at number 7 or lower, he batted five times and scored 80 runs while only being dismissed twice. His scores in those innings were 37 not out, 1 not out, 28 not out, 14 and 0 as he failed to take the team home each time.
In 2025, Dhoni came at number 8 against Mumbai Indians in the first game, faced two balls but didn't score a run but CSK won without that. In the next game against RR, Dhoni scored 30 not out at number 9 but target was too much even for him to chase down in the last four overs as CSK lost by 50 runs.
In the last match, Dhoni scored 16 off 11 but was dismissed on the first ball of the last over in the chase with CSK needing 20 runs. As a result, the Super Kings failed to reach the target again.
Dhoni clearly isn't at his best with the bat and CSK will sooner or later would have to make a decision to replace him in the batting line-up.

CSK coach Stephen Fleming has also said that Dhoni can't bat full 10 overs after being in field - which raises the question why is Dhoni still being asked to bat? Cricket Sports

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni has been the point of discussion in the three matches played so far this season. Dhoni, who has been with CSK since inception in 2008, is now 43 years old and his batting number this season, nine, hasn't gone down well with many former cricketers. CSK coach Stephen Fleming has also said that Dhoni can't bat full 10 overs after being in field - which raises the question why is Dhoni still being asked to bat? Has he become white elephant in the team - who can't be swapped with a impact player for more runs down the order? Dhoni's numbers in IPL since 2024 Dhoni batted 11 times in 14 matches last season and 10 of those times he came at number 7 or lower. Overall, Dhoni scored 161 runs off 73 balls faced at a healthy strike rate of 220 and an average of 53. Also Read: IPL 2025: 'Doesn't make sense', says India batter on SRH's hard-hitting batting style after two consecutive losses The talisman wicketkeeper-batter also hit 13 sixes - of roughly one six balls, showing he isn't going to waste any balls. The thing to note is out of 10 times he batted at number 7 or lower last season - CSK only won four matches and in those four matches, Dhoni did not score a single run in the only innings he batted. As for other six games which CSK lost when Dhoni batted at number 7 or lower, he batted five times and scored 80 runs while only being dismissed twice. His scores in those innings were 37 not out, 1 not out, 28 not out, 14 and 0 as he failed to take the team home each time. In 2025, Dhoni came at number 8 against Mumbai Indians in the first game, faced two balls but didn't score a run but CSK won without that. In the next game against RR, Dhoni scored 30 not out at number 9 but target was too much even for him to chase down in the last four overs as CSK lost by 50 runs. In the last match, Dhoni scored 16 off 11 but was dismissed on the first ball of the last over in the chase with CSK needing 20 runs. As a result, the Super Kings failed to reach the target again. Dhoni clearly isn't at his best with the bat and CSK will sooner or later would have to make a decision to replace him in the batting line-up.

IPL 2025: Has Dhoni become white elephant of Chennai Super Kings?

CSK veteran and IPL great MS Dhoni faced wrath for his failed attempt at helping his team complete a run chase in IPL 2025. Unlike in the previous game, (where) he came out to bat at number nine (at a time) when his team had already lost the game (against RCB at home); against RR, Dhoni walked in a bit earlier, but even that failed to change the outcome as they lost by six runs. Former South Africa batter Herschelle Gibbs had his say on Dhoni&rsquo;s stance in the team after CSK's second straight loss this edition.
Addressing the media after Chennai&rsquo;s second loss, head coach Stephen Fleming encountered a sea of questions surrounding MS Dhoni&rsquo;s batting at the death, saying the 43-year-old veteran is now a pale shadow of himself and that he cannot bat for ten overs straight like he used to do before.&nbsp;
Citing Dhoni&rsquo;s prolonged knee issues and how it restricts his flow as a batter, Fleming said Dhoni balances out by trying to play to the conditions, granting more opportunities for other batters to get the job done.
Also read | IPL 2025: MS Dhoni&rsquo;s heartwarming gesture towards Rahul Dravid after match wins the internet-WATCH
"Yeah, it's a time thing," Fleming said of Dhoni&rsquo;s batting and his position in the XI. "MS judges it. His body is&hellip; his knees aren't what they used to be. And he's moving okay, but there's still an attrition aspect to it. He can't bat ten overs running full stick. So he will gauge on the day what he can give us. If the game's in the balance like today, he will go a little bit earlier, and he backs other players when other opportunities are up. So he's balancing that."
Against Rajasthan Royals, Dhoni walked into bat in the 16th over when Chennai needed beyond 50 runs to win. Alongside his longtime India and CSK batting partner Ravindra Jadeja, Dhoni tried seeking singles earlier; although he was successful in hitting a boundary and a six, with both coming too late when the asking rate was above 20, Dhoni failed to make it count in the last over as he got out on the second ball (off Sandeep Sharma), caught in the deep.
<h2>What did Gibbs say?</h2>
MS Dhoni announced his international retirement in August 2020, and thanks to an IPL rule that allows a retired Indian cricketer to play as an uncapped player under one condition that his last international game must be at least five years before the auction date, which was the case with Dhoni.&nbsp;As a result, CSK retained him for the minimum base price of INR 4 crore in December last year.&nbsp;
However, besides the IPL, Dhoni doesn&rsquo;t play any cricket, with Gibbs, replying to an ESPNcricinfo post on X, saying these are the repercussions a team will face for expecting too much from a batter who doesn&rsquo;t play any cricket across the year outside of IPL.
"Expecting too much from a man that doesn&rsquo;t play any other cricket," Gibbs posted on X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet publive-iframes-block publive-Twitter-block" contenteditable="false" width="600" height="400" id="PL_blockquote_block-m8wx6onv-lhn2ucxf-6yzot7rl">
Expecting too much from a man that doesn&rsquo;t play any other cricket https://t.co/EUwuN7lE5d
&mdash; Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) March 31, 2025</blockquote>
(With inputs from agencies)

Cricket, Sports: Addressing the media after CSK's second loss this season, head coach Fleming said MS Dhoni cannot bat for ten overs straight like he used to do before.

CSK veteran and IPL great MS Dhoni faced wrath for his failed attempt at helping his team complete a run chase in IPL 2025. Unlike in the previous game, (where) he came out to bat at number nine (at a time) when his team had already lost the game (against RCB at home); against RR, Dhoni walked in a bit earlier, but even that failed to change the outcome as they lost by six runs. Former South Africa batter Herschelle Gibbs had his say on Dhoni’s stance in the team after CSK's second straight loss this edition. Addressing the media after Chennai’s second loss, head coach Stephen Fleming encountered a sea of questions surrounding MS Dhoni’s batting at the death, saying the 43-year-old veteran is now a pale shadow of himself and that he cannot bat for ten overs straight like he used to do before. Citing Dhoni’s prolonged knee issues and how it restricts his flow as a batter, Fleming said Dhoni balances out by trying to play to the conditions, granting more opportunities for other batters to get the job done. Also read | IPL 2025: MS Dhoni’s heartwarming gesture towards Rahul Dravid after match wins the internet-WATCH "Yeah, it's a time thing," Fleming said of Dhoni’s batting and his position in the XI. "MS judges it. His body is… his knees aren't what they used to be. And he's moving okay, but there's still an attrition aspect to it. He can't bat ten overs running full stick. So he will gauge on the day what he can give us. If the game's in the balance like today, he will go a little bit earlier, and he backs other players when other opportunities are up. So he's balancing that." Against Rajasthan Royals, Dhoni walked into bat in the 16th over when Chennai needed beyond 50 runs to win. Alongside his longtime India and CSK batting partner Ravindra Jadeja, Dhoni tried seeking singles earlier; although he was successful in hitting a boundary and a six, with both coming too late when the asking rate was above 20, Dhoni failed to make it count in the last over as he got out on the second ball (off Sandeep Sharma), caught in the deep. What did Gibbs say? MS Dhoni announced his international retirement in August 2020, and thanks to an IPL rule that allows a retired Indian cricketer to play as an uncapped player under one condition that his last international game must be at least five years before the auction date, which was the case with Dhoni. As a result, CSK retained him for the minimum base price of INR 4 crore in December last year. However, besides the IPL, Dhoni doesn’t play any cricket, with Gibbs, replying to an ESPNcricinfo post on X, saying these are the repercussions a team will face for expecting too much from a batter who doesn’t play any cricket across the year outside of IPL. "Expecting too much from a man that doesn’t play any other cricket," Gibbs posted on X. Expecting too much from a man that doesn’t play any other cricket https://t.co/EUwuN7lE5d — Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) March 31, 2025 (With inputs from agencies)

Gibbs explains what’s restricting MS Dhoni from playing like his old self in IPL 2025

After 10 days of cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Mumbai Indians remain the only team to open their account. MI have lost both their matches so far in the league as they face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday (Mar 31) at Wankhede stadium.
KKR, who are the defending champions, have 50-50 record in the two games played so far and would be hoping to build on the momentum against a struggling Mumbai Indians side.
<h2>MI vs KKR, Today match prediction:</h2>
Last season, Mumbai won the toss five times at Wankhede but managed to win only two games as they chased in all of those games. They scored 32 runs on an average for each wicket with a highest of 199.&nbsp;
Also Read: <a class="gh-archive-page-post-title-link" href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2025-doesnt-make-sense-says-india-batter-on-srh-hard-hitting-batting-style-after-two-consecutive-losses-8909239" aria-label="IPL 2025: 'Doesn't make sense', says India batter on SRH's hard-hitting batting style after two consecutive losses">IPL 2025: 'Doesn't make sense', says India batter on SRH's hard-hitting batting style after two consecutive losses</a>
A year before that, in 2023, they had the best averages runs per wicket in a season at Wankhede - 46 - as they won three out of four games after winning the toss and electing to bowl.
So it seems safe to say that they'll be choosing to bowl first at their home ground if they win the toss and back themselves to chase the target.
Wankhede also has shorter boundaries and a high-scoring fest is pretty much on the cards but Mumbai would be hoping for their batters to join the part soon as asked by their skipper Hardik Pandya after the last loss.
KKR, on the other hand, snapped their losing streak at Wankhede last season when they won the match by 24 runs. Before the win last season, KKR had not won a game at Wankhede since 2016.
KKR have poor record in both batting and fielding first at Wankhede - they have lost eight out of 10 games while batting first but managed slightly better with fielding first - losing four and winning three matches.
If won the loss, they'd hopefully go with batting second while MI might do that same as they have won 24 games while batting first and 27 while batting second.

MI vs KKR, Today match prediction: MI have lost both their matches so far in the league as they face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday (Mar 31) at Wankhede stadium. Cricket Sports

After 10 days of cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Mumbai Indians remain the only team to open their account. MI have lost both their matches so far in the league as they face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday (Mar 31) at Wankhede stadium. KKR, who are the defending champions, have 50-50 record in the two games played so far and would be hoping to build on the momentum against a struggling Mumbai Indians side. MI vs KKR, Today match prediction: Last season, Mumbai won the toss five times at Wankhede but managed to win only two games as they chased in all of those games. They scored 32 runs on an average for each wicket with a highest of 199. Also Read: IPL 2025: 'Doesn't make sense', says India batter on SRH's hard-hitting batting style after two consecutive losses A year before that, in 2023, they had the best averages runs per wicket in a season at Wankhede - 46 - as they won three out of four games after winning the toss and electing to bowl. So it seems safe to say that they'll be choosing to bowl first at their home ground if they win the toss and back themselves to chase the target. Wankhede also has shorter boundaries and a high-scoring fest is pretty much on the cards but Mumbai would be hoping for their batters to join the part soon as asked by their skipper Hardik Pandya after the last loss. KKR, on the other hand, snapped their losing streak at Wankhede last season when they won the match by 24 runs. Before the win last season, KKR had not won a game at Wankhede since 2016. KKR have poor record in both batting and fielding first at Wankhede - they have lost eight out of 10 games while batting first but managed slightly better with fielding first - losing four and winning three matches. If won the loss, they'd hopefully go with batting second while MI might do that same as they have won 24 games while batting first and 27 while batting second.

IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match Prediction

Abhishek Porel put on a solid display against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday (March 30), showcasing his growing confidence and composure at the crease. The young wicketkeeper-batter has been steadily making his mark for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/delhi-capitals">Delhi Capitals</a>, proving that he belongs at this level. With his fearless strokeplay and improved game awareness, Porel is shaping into a key player for the franchise.
In an exclusive interview with WION, Porel reflected on his journey, the learnings from the past year, and his aspirations for the ongoing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/indian-premier-league">Indian Premier League</a> 2025 season. The Bengal cricketer shared insights into his game, training regimen, and the invaluable support he's received from DC.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-after-hardik-now-rr-captain-riyan-parag-penalised-for-slow-over-rate-against-csk-8909307">IPL 2025: After Hardik, now RR captain Riyan Parag penalised for slow over rate against CSK</a>
Over the past year, Porel has been focusing on both his game and mental resilience. He acknowledges the rapid evolution of cricket and is determined to stay ahead. Reflecting on his preparation, he said, "Over the last 12 months, I have focused more on my game and mental strength. Cricket is evolving rapidly, and I want to ensure that I keep up with its pace. The level has already gone very high. I began with the domestic season, which is crucial for us. During the off-season, I worked at the NCAA and with my state team. Overall, it was a successful domestic season, and now my mission is to perform better than last year&rsquo;s IPL and help my team lift the trophy."
When it comes to improving his game, he takes a very methodical approach. He evaluates his strengths and weaknesses to make targeted improvements, particularly in his hitting ability. "To be honest, I evaluate my game and identify areas of improvement. My hitting ability has improved compared to two years ago&mdash;I have gained strength and worked closely with my trainer. However, I don't specifically train for power-hitting. I focus on understanding my strengths and refining my game accordingly, " he explained.
<h2 data-start="784" data-end="969">'I worked on improving my strike rate against spin'</h2>
Playing for Delhi Capitals (DC) has had a profound impact on his career. He expresses deep gratitude for the franchise, emphasising how their unwavering support has given him confidence and allowed him to grow as a player. "I am extremely grateful to DC for the opportunity they have given me. It has been a life-changing experience. They have backed me wholeheartedly and encouraged me to play freely. As a young player, when a franchise tells you to express yourself without fear, it has a significant mental impact. That trust has helped me grow as a cricketer," he shares.
Looking back at his previous IPL season, he acknowledges a specific area that needed improvement&mdash;his strike rate against spin. After identifying this weakness, he made it a priority to work on it.&nbsp;"Last year, I scored 360 runs, but my strike rate against spinners was low. After the IPL, I worked specifically on improving my strike rate against spin, particularly in the middle overs. Small improvements like these will help me become a better player in the long run."
When asked about his training routine, he highlights the importance of timing the ball well. Rather than brute power, his focus is on making clean contact with the bat,&nbsp;"My primary focus during practice is to time the ball well. I aim for the bat to make clean contact with the ball, hitting the middle of the bat consistently. That is crucial for me."
Beyond cricketing skills, he values the mentorship and guidance he has received from senior players. He shares a special bond with veteran wicketkeeper <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/wriddhiman-saha">Wriddhiman Saha</a>, who has been a constant source of support and advice since his Ranji Trophy debut. Talking about his bond with Saha, Porel said, "I have shared a great bond with Wriddhiman Saha for the last three to four years. After my Ranji Trophy debut, I stayed in constant touch with him. Whenever I face any challenges, I call him, and he always shares valuable insights. He is very approachable and has helped me immensely," he signed off.

Cricket, Sports: Abhishek Porel put on a solid display against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday (March 30), showcasing his confidence and composure at the crease

Abhishek Porel put on a solid display against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday (March 30), showcasing his growing confidence and composure at the crease. The young wicketkeeper-batter has been steadily making his mark for Delhi Capitals, proving that he belongs at this level. With his fearless strokeplay and improved game awareness, Porel is shaping into a key player for the franchise. In an exclusive interview with WION, Porel reflected on his journey, the learnings from the past year, and his aspirations for the ongoing Indian Premier League 2025 season. The Bengal cricketer shared insights into his game, training regimen, and the invaluable support he's received from DC. Also Read: IPL 2025: After Hardik, now RR captain Riyan Parag penalised for slow over rate against CSK Over the past year, Porel has been focusing on both his game and mental resilience. He acknowledges the rapid evolution of cricket and is determined to stay ahead. Reflecting on his preparation, he said, "Over the last 12 months, I have focused more on my game and mental strength. Cricket is evolving rapidly, and I want to ensure that I keep up with its pace. The level has already gone very high. I began with the domestic season, which is crucial for us. During the off-season, I worked at the NCAA and with my state team. Overall, it was a successful domestic season, and now my mission is to perform better than last year’s IPL and help my team lift the trophy." When it comes to improving his game, he takes a very methodical approach. He evaluates his strengths and weaknesses to make targeted improvements, particularly in his hitting ability. "To be honest, I evaluate my game and identify areas of improvement. My hitting ability has improved compared to two years ago—I have gained strength and worked closely with my trainer. However, I don't specifically train for power-hitting. I focus on understanding my strengths and refining my game accordingly, " he explained. 'I worked on improving my strike rate against spin' Playing for Delhi Capitals (DC) has had a profound impact on his career. He expresses deep gratitude for the franchise, emphasising how their unwavering support has given him confidence and allowed him to grow as a player. "I am extremely grateful to DC for the opportunity they have given me. It has been a life-changing experience. They have backed me wholeheartedly and encouraged me to play freely. As a young player, when a franchise tells you to express yourself without fear, it has a significant mental impact. That trust has helped me grow as a cricketer," he shares. Looking back at his previous IPL season, he acknowledges a specific area that needed improvement—his strike rate against spin. After identifying this weakness, he made it a priority to work on it. "Last year, I scored 360 runs, but my strike rate against spinners was low. After the IPL, I worked specifically on improving my strike rate against spin, particularly in the middle overs. Small improvements like these will help me become a better player in the long run." When asked about his training routine, he highlights the importance of timing the ball well. Rather than brute power, his focus is on making clean contact with the bat, "My primary focus during practice is to time the ball well. I aim for the bat to make clean contact with the ball, hitting the middle of the bat consistently. That is crucial for me." Beyond cricketing skills, he values the mentorship and guidance he has received from senior players. He shares a special bond with veteran wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, who has been a constant source of support and advice since his Ranji Trophy debut. Talking about his bond with Saha, Porel said, "I have shared a great bond with Wriddhiman Saha for the last three to four years. After my Ranji Trophy debut, I stayed in constant touch with him. Whenever I face any challenges, I call him, and he always shares valuable insights. He is very approachable and has helped me immensely," he signed off.

Exclusive | IPL 2025: 'I have focused more on my game and mental strength', says Delhi Capitals' Abhishek Porel

SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) have lost two of three games because they have decided to not let of their approach of going 'bang, bang' from ball one. In their first match of the season, SRH did post 286 but they have failed in the last two matches. The point which has been raised is why they are going hard at bowlers despite losing wickets and not consolidating the innings.
Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara, while talking on ESPNCricinfo, says that consistency is the key and has to be shown over time.
"If you are just winning two out of 10, then it doesn't make sense. You need to win more number of games. You need to show that consistency again and again. Last season we saw that they played brilliantly throughout the league phase but what if one game goes wrong for you in the knockouts, then you're not able you are not able to have a plan."
Also Read: <a class="gh-archive-page-post-title-link" href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2025-ms-dhonis-heartwarming-gesture-towards-rahul-dravid-after-match-wins-the-internet-watch-8909075" aria-label="IPL 2025: MS Dhoni&rsquo;s heartwarming gesture towards Rahul Dravid after match wins the internet-WATCH">IPL 2025: MS Dhoni&rsquo;s heartwarming gesture towards Rahul Dravid after match wins the internet-WATCH</a>
Former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop also said that Heinrich Klaasen should bat a little deeper. The comments come after his cheap dismissal in the last match while trying to hit boundaries despite his partner Aniket Verma going good.
"I look at Klaasen's dismissal, I think even Heinrich should know his power and if he was to stay and bat a little bit deeper, he will score at a huge tempo. It's still early in the season, but they [SRH] have got to start understanding that if Aniket gets going, we can spend some time there with him as deep as we bat and just soak it up just a little bit more," Bishop said.
Last year, SRH's approach opened the flood gates of scoring in the IPL and now most teams score a total near to or above 200 by following the same template but smartly.

Last year, SRH's approach opened the flood gates of scoring in the IPL and now most teams score a total near to or above 200 by following the same template but smartly. Sports Cricket

SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) have lost two of three games because they have decided to not let of their approach of going 'bang, bang' from ball one. In their first match of the season, SRH did post 286 but they have failed in the last two matches. The point which has been raised is why they are going hard at bowlers despite losing wickets and not consolidating the innings. Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara, while talking on ESPNCricinfo, says that consistency is the key and has to be shown over time. "If you are just winning two out of 10, then it doesn't make sense. You need to win more number of games. You need to show that consistency again and again. Last season we saw that they played brilliantly throughout the league phase but what if one game goes wrong for you in the knockouts, then you're not able you are not able to have a plan." Also Read: IPL 2025: MS Dhoni’s heartwarming gesture towards Rahul Dravid after match wins the internet-WATCH Former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop also said that Heinrich Klaasen should bat a little deeper. The comments come after his cheap dismissal in the last match while trying to hit boundaries despite his partner Aniket Verma going good. "I look at Klaasen's dismissal, I think even Heinrich should know his power and if he was to stay and bat a little bit deeper, he will score at a huge tempo. It's still early in the season, but they [SRH] have got to start understanding that if Aniket gets going, we can spend some time there with him as deep as we bat and just soak it up just a little bit more," Bishop said. Last year, SRH's approach opened the flood gates of scoring in the IPL and now most teams score a total near to or above 200 by following the same template but smartly.

IPL 2025: 'Doesn't make sense', says India batter on SRH's hard-hitting batting style after two consecutive losses

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