The unexpected 10-day break has left both the RCB and the KKR with different goals to achieve and common challenges to hurdle over.
Sunrisers Hyderabad's seasoned seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Sunday praised his younger pace colleague Umran Malik, saying watching him bowl fast 'is a joy'.
Pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar was promoted to Grade A, but Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir, who have lost favour with the selectors, were dropped from the list of BCCI's contracted players for 2014-15.
India suffered another injury blow ahead of the third and final Test against New Zealand, starting in Kolkata on Saturday, after pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was ruled out with injury.
Virat Kohli's nearly two-decade long agonising wait to lay his hands on an IPL trophy with Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be up against Shreyas Iyer's resolve to make first-time winners out of the tenacious Punjab Kings.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been an integral part of SunRisers Hyderabad in IPL in the last few years. This year the T20 league has been suspended indefinitely due to the pandemic and it is likely that it could be held overseas later this year.
Virat and Krunal inspired Bengaluru to the top of the table by stitching up an impeccable 119-run stand to safely guide the Royal Challengers through the turbulent phase.
He also got clobbered along the way but was always in contention for wickets and weaved his magic particularly at the backend of the innings.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya returned to the Indian squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa after a six-month injury lay-off along with fit-again senior opener Shikhar Dhawan and seasoned seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. This was the first selection meeting under new chairman Sunil Joshi. However, vice-captain Rohit Sharma is yet to fully recuperate from his calf muscle injury and is expected to return to action during the Indian Premier League later this month.
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson will miss Tuesday's IPL match against Chennai Super Kings, owing to personal reasons.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday
Delhi's young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant got his maiden Test call-up as he was picked up as the additional glovesman along with Dinesh Karthik after Wriddhiman Saha was ruled out with injury for the upcoming five-match Test series against England.
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.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Josh Hazlewood says the lack of a strong powerplay segment added to RCB's woes in the IPL match against Punjab Kings in Bengaluru on Friday.
An out of sorts Rohit Sharma will strive to keep himself relevant going forward in the Indian Premier League when he is challenged by Delhi Capitals' effective troika of spinners in Mumbai Indians' next match in Delhi on Sunday.
The appointment of Mo Bobat and Andy Flower and Dinesh Karthik into the coaching staff changed the template, and it reflected in RCB's approach in the auction room in 2024.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar single-handedly took Central Zone to the Duleep Trophy final with a cracking century against North Zone in the semi-final of the Duleep Trophy in Hyderabad.
India's top bowler in the ongoing Test series against England with 11 wickets to his credit, pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar says his good form with the bat has been a major factor in helping him perform well with the ball.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has become a vital cog in the wheel for whichever team he plays, and the India and Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer says experience and superior fitness have made him an improved bowler.
Virat Kohli opened up on his batting methodology, saying his focus remains on analysing the conditions and rotating the strike.
The Indian pacers' focus as of now has been on bowling multiple long spells, which they will need to bowl in the series starting with first Test at Newlands from January 5.
RCB head coach Andy Flower confirmed England batter Phil Salt will partner Virat Kohli at the top of the order for his side in the next IPL.
Man of the match Abhishek Sharma cut a cake at the team hotel as SRH enjoyed a Super Sunday in Hyderabad.
Former champions Rajasthan Royals (RR), who suffered a heart-wrenching 11-run defeat at the hands of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Thursday, are virtually eliminated from the playoff contention in IPL 2025.
The Chennai-born cricketer has 185 wickets in 217 matches at an average of 29.92, conceding runs at an economy of 7.18.
Working hard on his form and fitness to prepare for the hectic international schedule, pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar said he is not worried about losing pace and focussed on improving his line and length.
'Great start for RCB and it really is looking good. We are not going into the space of, 'Is this the year (RCB will win the IPL)?'
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Former India speedster Ajit Agarkar hailed the balance of India's bowling attack and said one of the positives for the team is that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah rarely has a bad day in office.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings at the Chinnaswamy stadium, in Bengaluru on Friday
Sunrisers Hyderabad's fielding was an absolute masterclass, suffocating the life out of the Lucknow SuperGiants innings.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ahmedabad, on Thursday.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin are fit for their second World Cup match.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was literally a forgotten man a couple of days ago. He got to bowl just nine out of the 141.5 overs that were bowled in Australia's first innings. But his three-wicket burst in the second innings has left Australia in a mess and put India firmly in the driver's seat to push for a victory.
A memorable T20 debut performance in his bag, young India seamer Barinder Sran says receiving tips on the art of swing bowling from veteran Ashish Nehra and Bhuvneshwar Kumar helped him. Sran (4/10) returned the best figures by an Indian debutant in T20 Internationals to help the visitors restrict Zimbabwe to a paltry 99 for nine and then register a 10-wicket victory in the second match in Harare on Monday.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar shone with a five-wicket haul as Uttar Pradesh produced a dominating show to thrash Baroda by 10 wickets and claim their second outright victory in this season's Ranji Trophy to move to the top of the Group B's points table.
The young left-arm pacer held his nerve in a tense finish to bowl RCB to a narrow two-run victory in a high-scoring game.
India and Pakistan are placed in Group 2 along with New Zealand and Afghanistan.
Complimenting Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his ability to stop run flow during slog overs, former Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan on Monday hailed the Indian paceman as the one of the best bowlers in the history of Indian Premier League.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Mullanpur on Sunday
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