South Africa captain Aiden Markram didn't turn away from lavishing praise on India's Sanju Samson for his sheer class on display during the opening T20I in Durban.
Ishan Kishan, who was dropped from India's central contracts last year, hit a blistering century on his Sunrisers Hyderabad debut in the IPL, marking his return to form in style.
Rajasthan Royals opened their account in IPL 2025 with a six-run win over five-time champions Chennai Super Kings at the Barsapara cricket stadium, Guwahati on Sunday, March 30, 2025.
Sanju Samson was to play the T20 World Cup final.
Then, Skipper Rohit Sharma changed his mind.
In typical Rohit style, he then spent 10 minutes explaining to Sanju why he was being excluded from the playing eleven.
Even shadow Purple Cup winner Prasidh couldn't escape Vaibhav's onslaught on Monday night!
Sanju Samson urged his players to pull their socks up after crushing defeat
Rise of Suryavanshi: Facing 600 balls-a-day from age of 10 to playing 150km throwdowns
Following their comfortable win over Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson lauded the home team's attacking mentality.
Prasidh Krishna has emerged as a key weapon for Gujarat Titans -- especially in the middle overs, where his extra pace and bounce have rattled batters.
His knock -- 67 off 45 balls with 3 fours and 5 sixes -- was a cocktail of composure and controlled aggression. It was also his 10th IPL half-century, a milestone that arrived just when the spotlight had begun to shift off him.
Josh Hazlewood scalped four wickets in a brilliant spell as Royal Challengers Bengaluru staged a stunning comeback to edge Rajasthan Royals by 11 runs.
'Found a ponnada in the appropriate India colours to honour him with!'
Jwala Singh, the formative coach of Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, believes the upcoming IPL season will be crucial for his ward's bid to reclaim a spot in the Indian T20 World Cup squad next year. Singh emphasized the IPL's role as a platform for players to make a mark, stating that "IPL performances are taken into account, and you get noticed." He is confident Jaiswal will end the IPL season as the highest run-scorer, urging him to "take to the field with the mindset of being the best."
Sanju Samson laments 'one-hit' defeat
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 39.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 29.
Samson is the first player in the IPL to score a century in his first match as captain.
Avesh Khan held his nerve in the death overs, bowling yorker after yorker to perfection, to help Lucknow Super Giants pull off a thrilling two-run win over Rajasthan Royals.
The Rajasthan Royals entered the IPL 2025 auction with a strategic approach, carefully balancing retention and acquisition.
India opener Abhishek Sharma suffered an ankle injury during a catching drill at the nets in Chennai on Friday.
Shami last played for India in the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad after which he was sidelined because of an ankle injury which needed surgery.
At the launch of his app powered by Single.id, MSD said he wants to enjoy his last few years of cricket, like he did when he was a child.
'He is so talented. He does well in one or two matches and then he does not do anything.'
Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer slammed blistering half-centuries as Rajasthan Royals outclassed Gujarat Titans by three wickets.
India's 297/6 is the highest total by a ICC full member team in T20 Internationals and the second highest overall after Nepal's 314/3 against Mongolia in the Asian Games last year.
Samson will make way for regular keeper-batter Rishabh Pant when the Asia Cup begins in the UAE.
India lead the three-match series 1-0 following their narrow two-run win in the opener in Mumbai on Tuesday.
SRH had barely utilised him the previous season. He played just two matches in the 2024 season for SRH, claiming just one wicket before he was released.
Suryakumar Yadav to announce the winner, and Yadav playfully approached Samson with a handshake before unexpectedly declaring Tilak Varma the winner.
Virat Kohli, the maestro of the chase, orchestrated a dominant nine-wicket victory for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Sunday.
'We wanted the sixth bowler to come in, so Sanju Samson missed out'
Chasing 152 could have been tricky but KKR Opener Quinton de Kock got stuck in and guided the team to victory.
Tilak Varma smashed an unbeaten half-century to steer India to a thrilling two-wicket victory against England in Chennai on Saturday.
Kerala's Sanju Samson, 27, was part of the ODI series against Zimbabwe which India won 3-0. He has represented India in seven ODIs and 16 T20Is so far.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the Asia Cup match against Pakistan?
Images from the IPL 2025 match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff's first Most Valuable Player Index for IPL 2025.
Samson found the boundaries at ease almost every over. There was the well-timed drive through the covers, smashes to the boundary over the infield and shots on the on side.
'Hardik is also a part of leading group. When we sit, we decide what we want to do in the game going forward and also on the field. He is always around. It's like we have a lot of captains on the ground.'
Sanju Samson made an unbeaten 86 in a losing cause in Lucknow.
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