The never-ending speculation surrounding Mahendra Singh Dhoni's retirement, Virat Kohli's 16-year-itch, the second chance that life has offered Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma's bleeding heart will make for intriguing sub-plots in the annual carnival called the Indian Premier League starting on Friday.
UP Warriorz, facing elimination in the Women's Premier League, will aim to spoil Royal Challengers Bangalore's playoff hopes in a crucial encounter on Saturday.
IPL 2022 saw many top players failing to justify their huge price tags with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Kieron Pollard and Ravindra Jadeja failing to inspire their teams.
Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal. Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Umesh Yadav and Umran Malik. Sam Curran, Harry Brook, Jofra Archer and Kagiso Rabada.
Four cities, including, Delhi, Mohali, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad have been issued ticket advisories with fans being banned from carrying protest banners.
If it were not for Hooda's and Rahul's fighting 50s, LSG would not have had 169 to defend.
Let's delve into the world of IPL 2024 and meet the captains who are ready to leave their mark on cricket's biggest stage.
Fingers crossed, Arjun could make his debut against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede stadium on Sunday, which, as it happens, is his pater's 49th birthday.
Dhawan has scored bulk of the runs, amassing 233 in four innings with 99 not out being the highest as PBKS managed two wins and two losses under his captaincy so far.
Pooran in touch with Pant, says recovery phase could be depressing and frustrating
Punjab Kings would be sweating over skipper Shikhar Dhawan's injury at a time when they need all their firepower against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
It remains to be seen who will partner Rahul at the all-important opening slot.
Kolkata Knight Riders wrist spinner Varun Chakravarthy on Friday said team owner Shah Rukh Khan has made a "huge impact" with his motivational speeches when the chips were down in the ongoing IPL.
In impressive form throughout the season, Lucknow Super Giants will look to bounce back from the reverse they suffered in their previous match and beat Rajasthan Royals in the IPL fixture at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday and confirm a berth in the play-offs.
It is expected that most franchises will keep 15 core players and release the rest for them to enter the auction with at least 10 crore, if not more.
LSG do not have to fret so much about the mathematical scenarios as a win would be enough for them to seal their back-to-back playoff berth.
The Delhi youngster had had his fair share of struggles while transforming from a frail 15-year-old to a frighteningly quick fast bowler.
History is on Hardik Pandya's side, which has won all three games against the Royals so far, and that would certainly play on the minds of the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan outfit at the Narendra Modi stadium.
590 cricketers -- including 370 Indian players and 220 overseas players -- will go under the hammer during the two-day mega auction.
Rajasthan seamers did well to keep LSG down to under 200 before Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel guided the team home.
Images from the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Is it about how to end the wrestlers' stand-off?
From hitting massive sixes, to scoring tons of runs, to producing breakthroughs, charismatic all-rounder Sunil Narine has been KKRs' go-to man for more than a decade in the IPL, and co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was effusive in his praise for the all-rounder, calling him the "Superman" and the real energy behind the team's success.
RR could not have asked for a better start to the season, registering four consecutive wins from as many games.
Kolkata-based Sanjiv Goenka is famously remembered as someone who dropped Mahendra Singh Dhoni as IPL captain.
RCB skipper Faf du Plessis couldn't stop gushing about Patidar
RCB and LSG will be looking horns in a high-octane clash in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar fetched a winning bid of Rs 10.75 crore from Royal Challengers Bengaluru on a largely predictable second day of the mega auction, in Jeddah on Monday.
Mayank Yadav (3/27) stole the limelight with his searing pace
Having won their first trophy in 2002 under Mohammad Kaif, Indian teams have have since gone on to win the U-19 World Cup in 2008, 2012, 2018 and 2022.
Deepak Chahar, who was in fine rhythm and got two early wickets, was seen hobbling up in his run-up for the last delivery of his second over and limping off the field.
The key to Kolkata Knight Riders success this season lies in their players' newfound ability to support each other through highs and lows, something that was "missing" over the past two years, feels the team's vice-captain Nitish Rana.
'The concept of an MP IPL team is the brainchild of Kamal Nath.' 'If the Congress government comes to power in the state, he will assemble an IPL team for MP with the assistance of his business contacts.'
Despite a surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla is confident that IPL 2021 will go ahead 'without any problem'.
There were many memorable performances in the league stages.
The inaugural edition of the CSA T20 League is scheduled to be played in January-February 2023 and all the six franchises in the tournament have been acquired by current IPL team owners.
Tait backs frustrated Warner to find attacking gear in IPL
Rajasthan Royals' star-studded batting will face the serious challenge of decoding Sunil Narine's mystery at Eden Gardens when they take on two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in a top-of-the-table IPL clash in Kolkata on Tuesday.
Mayank is only two games old in the IPL but his name is already being discussed widely as a potential selection in India's squad for the T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean
Unlike the IPL, the wickets in the United States and the West Indies could be slow and could assist spinners. That could be why India went in for experience in their batting ahead of strike rates, points out Harish Kotian.
