Chennai Super Kings will lean on their formidable spin strength under favourable conditions at the Chepauk as well as recent record against Mumbai Indians sans Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, when the two sides face each other in their Indian Premier League campaign opener in Chennai on Sunday.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy Group A match played between India and New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, in Dubai on Sunday
England skipper Ben Stokes' direct hit to dismiss Ravindra Jadeja wasn't just the turning point of the first Test but could also be one that decides the course of the series as India's No 1 all-rounder across formats was seen struggling with a hamstring niggle.
IMAGES from the ICC Champions Trophy match played between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Rawalpindi on Monday.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji check out who could be the Most Valuable Player of IPL 2025 before the final.
Led by Josh Hazlewood, RCB produced a dominant bowling performance to crush Chennai Super Kings by 50 runs.
All the 10 teams are involved in a lot of back and forth with their overseas recruits over their arrival plans in India a day after the IPL announced the revised schedule following necessary security clearances from the government.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has picked India as the favourites in Sunday's Champions Trophy summit clash against New Zealand, but hastened to add that the advantage will be miniscule, given that the Black Caps are a formidable side.
Chennai Super Kings might feel more 'at home' against an equally clueless Rajasthan Royals on a slow turner expected to be on offer in their next IPL game in Guwahati.
'We were 20 or 25 under to what we were looking for.'
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff's three best performing players in all the 17 IPLs (2008-2024).
Rachin Ravindra was thrilled after being bought by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Rs 1.80 crore
Together, Harshit Rana's early strikes, Sunil Narine's clinical dismantling, and Varun Chakravarthy's suffocating spell reduced CSK to just 103 for 9-their lowest-ever total at home.
Here are the batters who brought the crowds to their feet at Chepauk on Sunday night...
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 68.
'Lately, I have been batting a lot in the nets and facing the quick bowlers, especially with the new ball, and that's given me immense confidence.'
A major fire broke out at the Enforcement Directorate's office building in south Mumbai in the early hours of Sunday. The fire started on the fourth floor of the five-storey building and raged for hours before being brought under control. Authorities believe a short circuit caused the fire, resulting in damage to furniture, cupboards, and electric installations. While there were no casualties, several documents and equipment inside the office are feared to have been damaged.
The Supreme Court of India has directed its registry to call for a report from IIT Kharagpur and Kota, Rajasthan, after the suicides of a student and a NEET aspirant came to light. The court is seeking to ascertain whether FIRs were registered in both cases, highlighting the disturbing pattern of student suicides in educational institutions. The court has also previously ordered the formation of a national task force to address mental health concerns and prevent suicides in higher educational institutions.
Ravindra Jadeja and Mahendra Singh Dhoni infused life in the match. However, with Dhoni run out during the final moments of the match, India fell short of the target and was bundled out for 221 in 49.3 overs.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 55.
Successful in keeping opponents and vitriol at bay so far, India will have to rise above traditional bugbear New Zealand and a rigmarole of emotions surrounding stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to reclaim the Champions Trophy after 12 years in Dubai on Sunday.
Ahead of the 18th season of Indian Premier League, here all the stats and numbers from the annual cricket extravaganza.
It was a memorable night for the number 6 batter who hit 4 off 33 balls and watched from the other end as Ravindra Jadeja hit the winning runs.
Pakistani fans forget that Dubai was once Pakistan's home ground where they played all their international matches until Imran Khan became the country's prime minister.
With Mahendra Singh Dhoni being the same player and no one to "bell the cat", CSK are in unusual mess with a mis-firing top-order where the skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has had to give up his opening slot.
In 16 matches (15 innings) against CSK, he has amassed 630 runs at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 142.85, including six fifties.
About playing India in the final group game on Sunday in Dubai, he said, 'It will be a different challenge on a different surface. Might be slower.'
If CSK fails to win Friday's match against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai, it could turn to be a historic new low for them. It could be the first time that CSK have lost three matches in a row at home.
K L Rahul stroked a fluent half-century as a dominant Delhi Capitals outclassed Chennai Super Kings by 25 runs.
Spectators at the M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai couldn't contain their joy as their beloved Thala was back in the CSK yellow once more.
Cheteshwar Pujara elieves that a shift in playing philosophy is the need of the hour for CSK even if it means scoring at a quicker clip.
Jadeja had a fine spell of 1/30 in 10 overs, with an economy of 3.00, taking a crucial wicket of Tom Latham in the CT final on Sunday.
ICC ODI Player of the Year Afghanistan's Azamatullah Omarzai would be able to join Punjab Kings only on March 20.
Kane Williamson is too long in the tooth to get dragged into the debate over India getting to play the Champions Trophy final in Dubai.
Despite Dhoni's brief fireworks, his inability to deliver a decisive finish raised critical questions about CSK's batting strategy.
Wanindu Hasaranga, who grabbed four prized wickets, was the pick of the bowlers for Rajasthan Royals.
Shreyas Iyer was India's highest run-getter in the ICC Champions Trophy with 243 runs in five matches at an average of 48.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Romario Shepherd says he sensed confusion in Khaleel Ahmed's thinking, which helped him execute his range-hitting plans effectively against the Chennai Super Kings pacer in the death overs.
A video clip that has gone viral on social media shows CSK Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and pacer Khaleel Ahmed in a curious mid-match exchange.
CSK need to get better at talent identification, admits batting coach Hussey