A seemingly invincible India will be eager to sharpen their game against spin and give a run to second-line players ahead of the semi-final when they take on New Zealand in their last group match of the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday.
If Punjab goes for a flat deck, there is no guarantee that the bowling unit can defend anything in the 220 range, especially when KKR have the likes of Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, and Venkatesh Iyer in their ranks.
After a much-needed two-day respite, Team India returned to the training grounds with renewed vigour, setting their sights on a pivotal showdown against New Zealand on Sunday.
India's young guns are fearless and mentally hardened by the IPL exposure. But true mettle will be tested when adversity strikes -- and this time, there will be no Kohli to stir up the crowd, no Rohit to deliver a captaincy masterstroke, and no Ashwin to conjure wickets out of nowhere.
With Mahendra Singh Dhoni being the same player and no one to "bell the cat", CSK are in unusual mess with a mis-firing top-order where the skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has had to give up his opening slot.
They were suspended for misbehaviour and shouting slogans in the House.
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.
Fresh from their morale-boosting win over LSG, and bolstered by the return of India wicketkeeper-batter K L Rahul, Delhi Capitals will look to build on the momentum when they take on formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL match in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
Sanjay Dutt visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar with Uri Director Aditya Dhar, who's directing Dutt in his next. Accompanying them was a special guest.
Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant is looking to make his mark and secure a win in his team's first home game of the season.
Her husband, Squadron Leader Kuldeep Singh, died in a helicopter crash in the Nilgiris in which India's first CDS General Bipin Rawat was killed.
In the note, Gaurav held his wife Priya and her family responsible for his death, stating he had suffered injustice and was taking his life due to their harassment, Singh claimed.
SRH's ultra-aggressive approach with the bat has backfired spectacularly as they have suffered four defeats in a row -- leaving them languishing at the bottom of the points table.
Rajasthan Royals face a tough challenge against a marauding Punjab Kings batting lineup, led by in-form Shreyas Iyer.
The Delhi Assembly elections saw BJP's Karnail Singh emerge as the richest winner with assets worth Rs 259 crore, Umang Bajaj at 31 as the youngest winner, Tilak Ram Gupta as the oldest contestant at 73, and AAP's Amanatullah Khan the candidate with the highest, 19, criminal cases. Several winning candidates have pending criminal cases, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI against Pakistan on Sunday?
Shaken by the abrupt suspension of their previous match due to the India-Pakistan conflict, a struggling Delhi Capitals will look to regroup and address bowling concerns when they face table-toppers Gujarat Titans in a reverse-leg IPL clash in Delhi on Sunday to keep their play-off hopes alive.
Narine stars as KKR keep playoff hopes alive with 14-run win over DC
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 39.
Within the last year or so, Kuldeep Yadav has managed to change his status to become India's No 1 spinner for the World Cup.
"Now he played after nearly two years again and has been dropped again. Would love to know the rationale," said Harbhajan, one of the four Indian bowlers to have taken 400-plus wickets.
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.
World Championships medallists Deepak Punia and Antim Panghal were among 30 Indian wrestlers selected for the Senior Asian Championships to be held in Amman, Jordan from March 25-30.
Even shadow Purple Cup winner Prasidh couldn't escape Vaibhav's onslaught on Monday night!
District Judge Dharmesh Sharma adjourned hearing in the case till Friday.
'Prime Minister Modi should sit with Trump and find a solution to this issue.'
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 55.
With the series already in the bag, India will be eager to perfect their freshly-baked T20 template as a team and hope that skipper Rohit Sharma's bat finally fires when they face Afghanistan in the third and last match of the rubber in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 29.
'Rinku supported Zeeshan a lot during UP T20 league. A leg-spinner needs a lot of confidence from his captain. He was brought into bowl at crucial junctures and that helped him catch attention of scouts.'
Gautam Gambhir broke into a rare smile, trading shayari with Navjot Singh Sidhu, and even (almost) breaking into a dance.
Shubman Gill, who has been India's stand out batter in the tournament, was the only one who did not turn up for practice.
It is understood that Yashasvi Jaiswal has a bright chance of making it to the ODI squad. His inclusion would ensure a left-handed batter in the top four.
According to officials, Naik Kuldeep Singh of Punjab was on guard duty when he was hit by a bullet in the head at Sunjawan Military Station on the outskirts of Jammu and was evacuated to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries.
Asked about his plan for David Warner, he said, "I was planning for him. I have seen the Delhi wicket; it was holding and keeping low. So I was trying to give him a single or two (and contain boundaries), mixing the pace and variation." "It has been very good. I have been working very hard since the domestic season. I have been working very hard with Adrian (Le Roux - KKR Trainer) and also on my bowling with Brad Hogg and some of the senior players. And if you can perform like this, you feel good," the 21-year old Chinaman spinner added. "They keep telling me about how to plan for various batsmen. During net sessions, they also keep telling me how to bowl to an attacking batsman or a defensive batsman. So that really helped me a lot," he said.
K L Rahul stroked a fluent half-century as a dominant Delhi Capitals outclassed Chennai Super Kings by 25 runs.
All about IPL 2025 which kicks off on March 22, Saturday.
Anil Chaudhary, a veteran umpire, believes that Indian umpires are struggling due to overemphasis on theoretical knowledge and lack of practical experience.
India is facing form concerns and selection dilemmas as they enter the final phase of their Champions Trophy preparations.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances