Bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur will also be aiming to continue his dream run for Mumbai so far.
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.
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.
The unexpected 10-day break has left both the RCB and the KKR with different goals to achieve and common challenges to hurdle over.
Magnificent fifties by openers Virat Kohli and Phil Salt guided RCB to a comfortable seven-wicket win over defending champions KKR.
'I have always played wherever the team wanted me to play. Team thinking has always come first.'
Bumrah, rested for the second Test against England, made a classy appearance alongside wife Sanjana Ganesan.
In a rare act, West Zone skipper Ajinkya Rahane ordered his teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal to leave the field for disciplinary reasons.
After dismissing KKR Skipper Ajinkya Rahane, he came up with the move popularised by Telugu star Allu Arjun in the blockbuster movie Pushpa.
'5 months. 2 countries. 8 cities later, back to spending some quality time with my favourites, in my favourite city.'
Ajinkya Rahane, Sachin Tendulkar and Suryakumar Yadav stepped out to cast their votes on Monday.
'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 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.
The JioStar expert also analysed KKR's buys at the auction, saying that getting NZ all-rounder Rachin Ravindra at base price was smart and there is "serious batting power" in the squad.
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.
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.
Rahane mentioned how Kuldeep Yadav maintained his composure despite not getting any chances in the playing XI.
Images from Day 5 of the second and final Test between India and South Africa, at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, on Wednesday.
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.
Kolkata Knight Riders will have little motivation left when they take on also ousted Sunrisers Hyderabad in an inconsequential IPL game in New Delhi on Sunday.
'The Goal is clear, to make another comeback to Team India. There is a belief in me that I will make a comeback.'
A clinical Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) thrashed a completely disoriented Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by eight wickets in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Chennai on Friday.
Sachin Tendulkar has extended his greetings to new captain Ajinkya Rahane, hoping the youngster will do a good job during the upcoming Zimbabwe tour.
The Delhi Capitals will be looking to improve their batting performance in the middle overs when they face a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League match on Tuesday.
Images from Day 4 in the second Test between England and India, at Lord's, on Sunday.
Delhi Capitals's new recruit Ajinkya Rahane looked sharp and timed the ball quite well during Delhi's nets session in Dubai on Wednesday.
Reddy's all-round show not enough for Andhra Pradesh.
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.
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.
India opted to bring in Rajat Patidar as Kohli's replacement.
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.
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.
Jammu and Kashmir pacer Umar Nazir Mir, a fan of Rohit Sharma, said he couldn't celebrate dismissing the India captain in the Ranji Trophy clash against Mumbai, despite it being a "prized wicket". Nazir picked up 4/41 on the opening day, dismissing Rohit, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube and Hardik Tamore, using the moisture on a fresh wicket to great effect.
Defending champions Mumbai's Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Haryana has been shifted from Lahli to Kolkata by the BCCI due to potential fog concerns in the northern region. The match will be held at the Eden Gardens from February 8 to 12.
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.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday
Rahane stands at crossroads in his comeback Test
Saurashtra registered their narrowest T20 victory in terms of runs, edging Karnataka by one run in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 Elite Group D match.
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.
