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Ponting noted in his post-match interaction that Kohli's teary-eyed expression during the final over revealed how deeply personal and longed-for the moment was
RCB defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in the IPL final in Ahmedabad on Tuesday to end their long wait in the 18th edition of the tournament
Updated On: Jun 04 2025 | 11:10 AM ISTGT's Sai Sudharsan claimed the Orange Cap with 759 runs in 15 matches. He was followed by Mumbai Indians' Suryakumar Yadav, along with Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill.
Updated On: Jun 04 2025 | 12:26 AM ISTWhile there are only two teams in contention now, the tougher prediction lies in identifying who among the many batting superstars will clinch the Orange Cap.
Updated On: Jun 04 2025 | 12:08 AM ISTRajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag on Thursday said the void left by Sanju Samson's departure to Chennai Super Kings cannot be filled as finding a replacement for the T20 World Cup hero is as impossible as replacing stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the Indian team. Sanju, who led the Royals from 2021 to 2025, was traded to Chennai Super Kings in a pre-season move, with Ravindra Jadeja coming in as part of the deal. "If you talk about Sanju bhaiya, we never think about replacing the kind of player he is," Parag told reporters in a pre-season press conference here. "We can perhaps look for someone with a similar skill-set or have someone bat in his position...It's like there is no replacement for Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma... In the same way, there is no replacement for Sanju bhaiya because he is such a good player," Parag said, referring to the two superstars who only play the ODI format now. Having represented the franchise for 11 years across two stints, Sanju was
Ashutosh Sharma doesn't feel the pressure of performing on a grand stage like the IPL and remains focussed on finishing more games for Delhi Capitals in 2026 than the last season. In his first season for DC, Impact Player Ashutosh began the tournament with a bang, smashing 31-ball 66 not out to pull off a thrilling win over LSG. However, he and his team and were not able to ride the initial momentum created in the tournament, failing to make the play-offs. Speaking to PTI, Ashutosh spoke about his preparation for his third season in the IPL beginning on March 28. "The preparation is going very well. We have attended 3-4 pre-season camps. My role would be similar to last year, finishing games for the team at number 6 or 7. I want to win as many games as possible," said Ashutosh, who rose to prominence with his exploits for Punjab Kings in 2024. The 27-year-old from Madhya Pradesh who plays domestic cricket for Railways surprisingly doesn't feel the pressure when he is playing in fr
Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag on Thursday said Indian batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should be allowed to enjoy his game without taking any additional pressure in and out of the field. Parag indicated that Sooryavanshi will pair up with India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in the IPL beginning March 28 and said the 14-year-old should be given his space and time to continue developing in his game without any outside pressure. "As a captain my message to him would be to not do a lot of press conferences or follow a lot of media," Parag told reporters here during a pre-season press conference. "Let him just enjoy, which I will request you (media) as well. Do not reach out to his manager or anyone; just let him be. He's a 15-16 (14) year-old kid, let him play cricket. He's playing really well and he's going to make the country proud." Parag said Sooryavanshi will be given the licence to go all-out from the beginning and his senior partner Jaiswal is well equipped to soak the ...
Former India captain and coach Anil Kumble believes flamboyant opener Abhishek Sharma needs to strike the right balance between aggression and longevity at the crease, much like the explosive Virender Sehwag did during his career. The 25-year-old Abhishek has been one of the most explosive batters at the top of the order in recent times, often giving his teams flying starts with his high-risk, high-reward approach. However, his inability to convert brisk starts into substantial scores more often than not has come to the fore. "I would relate him to someone like Virender Sehwag, because he would look to smash every ball. When he moved from Test cricket to one-day cricket and then to T20 cricket, he realised that he had to pace his innings slightly differently. "But Sehwag would still go at a 140150 strike-rate. So, that's something Abhishek Sharma needs to start thinking about, saying, 'I've been scoring at 200 strike-rate, expectations are on me, should I now go at a strike rate of
Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings suffered a big blow ahead of the upcoming IPL season with Australian pacer Nathan Ellis ruled out due to a hamstring injury, a franchise official confirmed on Thursday. The 31-year-old was expected to spearhead their pace attack, especially in the absence of Sri Lankan Matheesha Pathirana, who has been snapped up by Kolkata Knight Riders. "Yes, he is out. We have not yet decided on the replacement," a CSK official told PTI. Ellis, who has taken 19 wickets from 17 IPL matches, was bought by CSK for Rs 2-crore at the 2025 mega auction after four seasons with Punjab Kings and was retained ahead of the 2026 season. The CSK are yet to announce a replacement. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side will begin their campaign against Rajasthan Royals on March 30 in Guwahati.
Yuzvendra Chahal has quit alcohol to become a fitter cricketer, allowing him to give his "150 per cent" for his franchise Punjab Kings in the IPL beginning on March 28. Punjab Kings finished as runners-up in the previous edition. It was their first final appearance since 2014. Speaking on South African great AB de Villiers' YouTube channel, Chahal revealed that he has not had alcohol in more than six months besides sharing his struggles with injuries last season. "After the KKR [Kolkata Knight Riders] game, my hip got fractured and later in the tournament my knuckle got fractured. So in the semi-final [Qualifiers] and final, I was not able to bowl my proper legspin and all," said Chahal. "But this year I [wanted] to take care of my body first and I have one good news for you, I stopped alcohol. It's been more than six months. "Now, I'm 35, I want to be more active and give my 150 per cent for my team. As a senior bowler and senior player, people will see me [and think] 'this guy,
Kolkata Knight Riders received a timely boost on Thursday when Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed that their star recruit Matheesha Pathirana is "fit and ready to join the IPL", easing concerns over the franchise's depleted pace resources ahead of the new season. Amid speculation over the slinger's availability, Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Bandula Dissanayake told PTI that the pacer has completed his rehabilitation and has been granted the necessary clearance. "As far as I know, he's fit and we have given him NOC to participate in the IPL, that's all I know at this point of time," Dissanayake said. "He has completed rehab and he is fit. But the franchise will be tasked to assess his readiness. At the moment we don't know anything about that. As far as we know he is fit and ready to join IPL." However, there is still no confirmation on when Pathirana will link up with the squad which will leave for Mumbai on March 25 to for their opening match against Mumbai Indians on March 29. They next
New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson will miss the first seven league games for his IPL franchise Punjab Kings to spend time at home following the birth of his first child. Ferguson had taken a paternity league midway into the T20 World Cup before rejoining New Zealand for the Super 8 stage. The pacer could only play four games for Punjab Kings last season due to a hamstring injury. Last season, the team reached its first final since 2014. "He is not available for the first seven games," an IPL source told PTI. Ahead of the third T20 against South Africa in Auckland, Ferguson spoke about the time off from the IPL. "Just had a wee son, trying to spend as much time as I can at home and help the wife out. I'll have a few weeks off after this, before sort of heading to the later stages of the IPL and away for the winter," he said.
Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting has approved the late arrival Marco Jansen for the IPL considering that the South African all-rounder was among the last batch of players who departed late from India following the T20 World Cup due to logistical issues. South Africa and West Indies players were stuck in India for more than a week after concluding their World Cup campaigns. Some of them, including West Indies head coach Daren Sammy and Proteas batter David Miller, also vented out their frustration over the delay in their departure from India due to restricted operations of major airports like Dubai and Abu Dhabi amid the West Asia conflict. Jansen, a key member of the PBKS unit, will join the squad on March 26. Ponting and majority of foreign players are set to link up with the team on March 21. Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai will join the team on March 23 from Kabul. His country is currently involved in a conflict with Pakistan. In their first year with PBKS, the .
Three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders have on their radar former Chennai Super Kings pace duo Simarjeet Singh and KM Asif, along with veteran Sandeep Warrier, to fill the void left by the injured Harshit Rana in the upcoming Indian Premier League. KKR's pace resources have been hit hard by Rana's ligament strain in the right knee, sustained during India's T20 World Cup warm-up against South Africa. The pacer has undergone surgery and is currently in rehabilitation with no fixed timeline for his return. Keeping Rana's absence in mind, the KKR think tank is exploring other options. Simarjeet, who has played for CSK (2022, 2024) and Sunrisers Hyderabad, has 11 wickets from 14 IPL games. A tall quick capable of hitting 140kph-plus and delivering sharp yorkers, he impressed with nine wickets in 10 matches for CSK in 2022 but struggled last season for SRH, managing two wickets in four games. Asif and Warrier were called up for trials during KKR's first training session at Eden Gard