In a rare act, West Zone skipper Ajinkya Rahane ordered his teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal to leave the field for disciplinary reasons.
Sanju Samson's century, Punjab Kings' record 265 chase, Rinku Singh's Super Over heroics and standout knocks from KL Rahul, Abhishek Sharma and Virat Kohli headline an action-packed Week 4 of IPL 2026.
'5 months. 2 countries. 8 cities later, back to spending some quality time with my favourites, in my favourite city.'
'Rahane hasn't lost the game as captain, he was really brave yesterday to give India a little sniff. I thought the runs were always too much for them, but he gave them a sniff.'
Ajinkya Rahane's dismissal proved crucial as Rajasthan never really got back the momentum.
The Rahane-led side outclassed the depending champions Mumbai Indians by seven wickets on Sunday, courtesy a whirlwind unbeaten 94 by opener Jos Buttler who stuck his fifth consecutive fifty in the tournament.
Ajinkya Rahane will not be bogged down by the pressure of captaincy if he leads India in the last three Tests against Australia in Virat Kohli's absence, said batting great Sunil Gavaskar.
Kumble felt that Green would be most effective at the top of the order rather than in a finisher's role.
A recap of the action of the third week of IPL 2026.
Mumbai were steady at 113 for two at one stage but Rekhade, playing only his second First-Class match, ripped open the Ranji champions' batting line-up, first with an innocuous delivery which claimed the prized scalp of Ajinkya Rahane in the 41st over.
With a power-packed batting line-up, match-winning spinners and a solid pace attack, champions KKR are once again the team to beat.
Rahane returns to lead Royals for the game against Delhi Capitals on Saturday after Smith replaced him as captain in the middle of the season following the team's disappointing run which saw them lose six out of their first eight games.
Bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur will also be aiming to continue his dream run for Mumbai so far.
Rahane mentioned how Kuldeep Yadav maintained his composure despite not getting any chances in the playing XI.
Shardul Thakur bowled 8 full tosses, conceded 9 runs and took 2 wickets. It's early days and Thakur's season has seen him enjoy mixed fortunes, His figures of 2 for 52 were lucky breakthroughs but he is a great wicket-taking option.
He also highlighted the team's focus on playing good cricket and improving in areas like fielding.
Magnificent fifties by openers Virat Kohli and Phil Salt guided RCB to a comfortable seven-wicket win over defending champions KKR.
Shreyas Iyer had led KKR to their first IPL title in a decade last year. However, on Saturday, he returns as captain of a rejuvenated Punjab Kings chasing a play-off spot.
'I have always played wherever the team wanted me to play. Team thinking has always come first.'
Sachin Tendulkar has extended his greetings to new captain Ajinkya Rahane, hoping the youngster will do a good job during the upcoming Zimbabwe tour.
Ajinkya Rahane, Sachin Tendulkar and Suryakumar Yadav stepped out to cast their votes on Monday.
Delhi Capitals's new recruit Ajinkya Rahane looked sharp and timed the ball quite well during Delhi's nets session in Dubai on Wednesday.
The unexpected 10-day break has left both the RCB and the KKR with different goals to achieve and common challenges to hurdle over.
Images from Day 4 in the second Test between England and India, at Lord's, on Sunday.
India's injury woes continued as batting mainstay Ajinkya Rahane was ruled out of the remaining two Tests against England due to injury. He will be replaced by Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey. Apparently, Rahane sustained a finger injury on his right index finger during India's training session at the Wankhede stadium on Wednesday.
Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi praised vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane for his attacking unbeaten half-century which helped the visitors make a strong reply with the bat during Day 2 of the second Test against Australia.
Despite being locked in their hotel rooms, the Indian players are keen not to let their guard down as they prepare for the Test series against England.
Smith, who is back in action after serving a one-year ban for his role in the ball-tampering scandal, has been made the leader of the team once again. The announcement was made ahead of Royals' clash against Mumbai Indians in Jaipur.
A recap of the action of the second week of IPL 2026.
After dismissing KKR Skipper Ajinkya Rahane, he came up with the move popularised by Telugu star Allu Arjun in the blockbuster movie Pushpa.
Bumrah, rested for the second Test against England, made a classy appearance alongside wife Sanjana Ganesan.
Ajinkya Rahane is back among the runs with 532 runs in five Ranji Trophy matches for Mumbai this season, with a top score of 204 and an average of 76.
After his sterling show in Australia, Rahane hasn't had the best outing with the bat this series with mostly single digit scores apart from one half-century in the second Test in Chennai.
India opted to bring in Rajat Patidar as Kohli's replacement.
Rahane stands at crossroads in his comeback Test
This was Mumbai's second SMAT title after winning it for the first time in 2022, while MP's wait for a maiden trophy prolonged to another season.
For most IPL teams, the 2026 mini auction will be all about strategic buys and role-specific additions, while for a couple of others, it is going to be a captain-centric affair.
Chants of 'aala re aala Ajinkya aala' headlined a red carpet welcome for Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane's place in the India Test squad has come into question following a string of low scores in England but batting coach Vikram Rathour said they are not overly worried about the vice captain's form slump.
Ajinkya Rahane's assured approach in the middle has been the hallmark of his comeback and the Indian team will need him to maintain form when it tours South Africa later this year.
