Last year's runner-up Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) suffered a heartbreaking exit from the IPL 2025 play-off race after rain washed out their must-win game against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Hyderabad on Monday.
Karun Nair slammed his fourth century of the Ranji Trophy season to help Vidarbha tighten their grip over Kerala, in the final, in Nagpur on Saturday.
Shubman Gill has struggled for consistency in Test cricket, averaging 35.05 for a tally of 1893 runs in 32 Tests, with five centuries and seven fifties.
His potential absence from the England tour signals a major transition in India's leadership and batting order.
A full-strength Punjab Kings will fancy their chances of securing their first top-two finish in 11 years, when they face Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
MI will hope Jasprit Bumrah returns to his menacing best, which is essential for them to stop an explosive Sunrisers Hyderabad batting unit in its tracks.
Gill, Rahul, Pant and the irrepressible Yashasvi Jaiswal will now have a chance to script the next glorious chapter in Indian cricket.
Danish Malewar's gritty 79 and opener Dhruv Shorey's attractive 74 helped Vidarbha reach 308 for 5 against defending champions Mumbai on the first day of their Ranji Trophy semi-final.
Varun Chakravarthy, who has quickly become one of India's most consistent bowlers in T20Is, further cemented his reputation with a brilliant 3-23 in the first T20I in Kolkata.
While MI's win will assure them of a place in the play-offs, Delhi Capitals need to win both their remaining games to advance.
It's now or never for DC. If they don't find their mojo soon, they could be left watching the playoffs from the sidelines.
The retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin has opened the door for other spin all-rounders to step up, and Vidyut is confident that Washington Sundar could be the one to watch.
There were no demons in the pitch, but 37-year-old Karn varied his pace brilliantly and allowed the balls to slightly grip off the surface and the DC batters fell into his trap, perishing while attempting risky shots.
With their respective leaders switching camps and squads undergoing major overhauls, both Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants, under new captains, will be eager to make a strong start to their IPL campaign when they face off in Visakhapatnam on Monday.
The Akshay Wadkar-led side are coming off a massive 221-run victory over Rajasthan in their previous contest.
The joy of watching Buttler is in him using his batting acumen to the fullest. He's got the big shots but he knows when to pull them out, his presence of mind and craftiness in pacing his innings is another of his plus points.
Delhi Capitals have never won the IPL despite featuring top talent over the years. Under Axar Patel's leadership, they will hope IPL 2025 finally ends their title drought.
Vidarbha head coach Usman Ghani lauded the young players for their performances in the team's third Ranji Trophy triumph.
Vidarbha took a commanding 297-run lead against Tamil Nadu on Day 4 of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final on Monday.
Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel would like to quickly forget the underwhelming performances of his side in home conditions and get their stuttering campaign back on track when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad, who are teetering on the edge of elimination, in the IPL match in Hyderabad on Monday.
'These surfaces in particular have been a little bit different. It has been tricky, it has not been easy for the batters.'
Delhi Capitals committed harakiri in what seemed like an easy run chase against Mumbai Indians to slump to their first defeat in IPL 2025 at the Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi on Sunday, April 13, 2025.
Delhi Capitals pulled off a thrilling win via the Super Over against Rajasthan Royals, courtesy a Mitchell Starc masterpiece.
Aditya Sarwate's unbeaten 66 anchored Kerala's strong reply as the visitors reached 131/3 at stumps on Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy final, after restricting hosts Vidarbha to 379.
Malewar made the most of his recent form having notched up scores of 75 and 79 in the knockout games.
Not only is Prasidh Krishna picking wickets with quiet consistency, he is also frugal with conceding runs.
Narine stars as KKR keep playoff hopes alive with 14-run win over DC
Former winners Vidarbha will rely on their red-hot form to stake claim for a title they last won over five years ago, while first-time finalists Kerala will be driven by grit when the two contrasting teams clash in the summit showdown for the 90th Ranji Trophy, starting in Nagpur on Wednesday.
It is widely believed that the Indian team management was unhappy with Karun's inclusion in the Test set-up.
But the hosts will be a confident group as star batter Virat Kohli made a return to run-making ways after an all too brief blip.
'Never understood how he was dropped after a triple century.'
'...whether he is a top player or not, it doesn't matter.' 'If I go by a player's name I won't be able to bowl at my best.' 'For me he is just a batter, and my only focus is where I need to land the ball.'
Karnataka won their fifth Vijay Hazare Trophy title, defeating Vidarbha by 36 runs in a high-scoring final. Smaran Ravichandran's stylish century (101 off 92) and Abhinav Manohar's blistering 79 off 42 propelled Karnataka to a commanding total of 348 for 6. Dhruv Shorey's third consecutive century (110) went in vain for Vidarbha, who were all out for 312 in 48.2 overs despite Harsh Dubey's explosive 63 off 30 balls.
Vidarbha, who have remained unbeaten in the premier domestic competition this season, qualified for the summit clash after a commanding 80-run win over defending champions Mumbai.
Aditya Thakare's impressive four-wicket haul left Tamil Nadu struggling at 159 for six after the second day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match against Vidarbha.
Punjab's Abhishek Sharma hammered a 96-ball 170 against Saurashtra, while Jharkhand's Utkarsh Singh's 91 fired his team to a big win against Odisha
The upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals (DC) in Chennai promises a captivating battle between wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Noor Ahmad. Both bowlers are known for their artistry and ability to control the middle overs.
The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) has announced a cash reward of Rs 3 crore for its Ranji Trophy winning side, apart from separate cash incentives for the support staff and some of its players. The VCA also felicitated Akshay Wakhare on his retirement. Vidarbha forced a draw against Kerala in the summit clash and clinched the title on the basis of their first innings lead of 37 runs at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha.
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.
Karun will be tested by Kings XI Punjab before the flight to Dubai.
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