Kings XI Punjab once again showed their batting might as the table-toppers chased down another 200-plus run target to comfortably beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in an IPL match in Uppal on Wednesday.
He was included as a replacement for Murali Vijay, who was ruled out of the tournament with injury.
Still non-committal about Zaheer Khan's first appearance for Delhi Daredevils, Yuvraj Singh hinted at the left-arm pacer's inclusion in the playing eleven during the team's last home encounter against Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League in New Delhi, on Friday.
Their pride bruised following disastrous campaigns, Kings XI Punjab and Rising Pune Supergiants will look for a graceful exit from the ninth edition of the IPL when they square off against each other for one last time in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. Supergiants are coming into the contest after a victory over Delhi Daredevils at the same venue, their home ground, while Punjab have lost their last two outings -- against RCB and table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad. Punjab's fourth and last win this season had come at this very ground, when they had got the better of Mumbai Indians.
Virender Sehwag was at his vintage best as he smashed a power-packed 122 to guide Kings XI Punjab to a convincing 24-run victory over Chennai Super Kings and a place in the final of the Indian Premier League on Friday night.
Shreyas Iyer's exclusion for the upcoming Asia Cup sparked outrage among the fans and experts, after his stellar showing with the bat in IPL 2025.
Mithun Manhas: Street-Smart cricketer, who was always at the right place at right time
'What hurt me was when I met his daughter and I was talking to her with a lot of love and she said, "I don't want to talk to you. You hit my father".'
Assessing Sai Sudharsan's temperament and Nitish Kumar Reddy's utility in home conditions would be topmost on India's checklist when the high-on-confidence hosts take on a floundering West Indies
Taking aim at senior players like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, among others, he said that if their aim was to prolong their send-offs till after the Ashes, it was a wrong mindset.
'If you consider Parag for captaincy, how do you expect Samson to stay?'
Arshdeep Singh, the India seamer, reveals he has felt a sense of "seniority" since joining Punjab Kings, attributing it to the responsibility entrusted upon him.
The report also indicated that Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are unlikely to get a call-up to the T20I squad as the team management might not upset the team's core combination.
'As much as we may want, unka number itni aasani se nahi aayega (It's not going to be easy for Rahul)'
'Sanju was playing because Shubman and Yashasvi were not available at that point (and) so was Abhishek. (But) Abhishek's performances clearly make it hard to leave him out. Plus, his bowling (left arm spin) is handy.'
Such has been the problem of plenty for selectors in the T20 format that they are finding it difficult to even accommodate Yashasvi Jaiswal -- a proven performer in T20 cricket.
Punjab Kings' (PBKS) head coach Ricky Ponting on Tuesday said his team's thrilling 16-run win over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) could be a "season-defining" victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill, both in strong form after their Champions Trophy triumph with India, look to lead their respective teams, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans, to IPL glory in the 2025 season.
Punjab Kings on Wednesday issued a clarification that they had picked the right cricketer during the IPL auction in Dubai, contrary to reports that they had bid for a 'wrong' player because of confusion in the name.
Images from Sunday's IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings, in Mohali.
'...it should not delude itself into thinking that India's security or its great-power ambitions will be advanced by those partnerships.'
'Instead, what India should focus on is on riding out the next three-and-a-half years of Trump's presidency with minimal damage to itself.'
'Kamboj, Bumrah, Siraj -- that's a serious bowling attack.'
Chahal is now the first player in IPL history to take a hat-trick against CSK.
Images from Friday's IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals, in Abu Dhabi.
'A stage that seems big -- but it's (the) one that's familiar -- so we banked on him being comfortable with his surroundings and he certainly looked all that. It was an impressive debut.'
Varun Chakravarthy, a key player for both the Indian team and the Kolkata Knight Riders, emphasizes the importance of consistency and reveals he is working on new variations to his spin bowling.
Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant has been fined Rs 30 lakh for maintaining a slow over rate during his team's defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their last IPL match in Lucknow on Tuesday.
Flamboyant West Indies opener Chris Gayle has attain fitness after recovering from a back injury which kept him away from the last game against Delhi Capitals, said Kings XI Punjab batsman Mayank Agarwal on Saturday.
Yuzvendra Chahal led a stunning comeback for Punjab Kings with 4/28 as they defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 16 runs in their low-scoring Indian Premier League thriller on Tuesday.
India wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha retires from all forms of cricket
Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali sees shades of Virat Kohli in Shubman Gill's aggressive on-field demeanour, but feels the India batter's approach during the Lord's Test may have triggered a stronger response from the hosts.
'This was one of those days when I was lucky that I did not know that I would be playing, and it turned out to be lucky for me.'
Punjab Kings playing different cricket this season: Prabhsimran Singh
One of the most stylish batters, Rahul admitted that in his younger days he often tried to be something he was not.
'When it comes to our batting department, we want to express ourselves. That's what we did in the last few games. We want to move ahead with it.'
Images from Sunday's IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals in Sharjah.
Images from Monday's IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals, in Jaipur.
Images from Monday's match between Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Mohali.
After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first against Chennai Super Kings in Chennai on Wednesday, PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer hinted that Glenn Maxwell is ruled out for the remainder of the IPL 2025 season due to a finger injury.
Images from Monday's IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab, in Hyderabad.
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