RCB were in red-hot form before the league's 10-day pause due to the India-Pakistan military conflict, winning four matches on the trot. But the break appears to have disrupted their momentum.
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.
Shreyas Iyer's inspiring leadership faces its toughest test yet when Punjab Kings host an equally upbeat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League in Mullanpur on Thursday.
His confidence boosted after a two-wicket haul against the United Arab Emirates in the Asia Cup, India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar says he is now working on a slower delivery to further polish his skills.
David Warner's power-packed performance complemented by excellent death bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar enabled Sunrisers Hyderabad record an emphatic 10-wicket victory over Gujarat Lions, in a lopsided Indian Premier League encounter, in Rajkot, on Thursday.
The standout performers for DC with the ball were Kuldeep Yadav (2-17 in 4 overs) and Vipraj Nigam (2-18 in 4 overs).
The unexpected 10-day break has left both the RCB and the KKR with different goals to achieve and common challenges to hurdle over.
Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar's devastating five-wicket haul after a late batting blitzkrieg put India firmly in command as they reduced a hapless New Zealand to 128 for 7 on the rain-hit second day of the second cricket Test, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming and Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid have praised the composure of young batsmen Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the IPL.
Defending 12 in the final over, Bhuvneshwar trapped Rovman Powell in front of the wicket in the last ball to stop Rajasthan Royal's run chase at 200 for 7 and pull off a heist in the end.
It was a brilliant performance by the Sunrisers bowlers at the end, with Punjab managing just 29 runs from the last five overs.
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.
'If you speak to anybody about Dhoni, they will all tell you about how helpful he is.'
Along with his ability to adapt, the high release point makes Hazlewood a tricky customer to deal with on any kind of surface, as it allows him to find that disconcerting extra bounce.
India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar credited the Indian Premier League for his transformation as a death bowler.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings at the Chinnaswamy stadium, in Bengaluru on Friday
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.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Pune Warriors and Rajasthan Royals in Pune, on Thursday.
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.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar didn't mince words when he categorically said that 'things could have been different' had Aiden Markram's catch been taken or a couple of close run-outs been effected in the team's five-wicket defeat against South Africa on Sunday.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya is one of the notable promotions to Grade A, which is worth Rs 5 crore, while rookies Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj got their maiden central contracts, worth Rs 1 crore, in Grade C.
Hardik suffered an acute lower back injury five months ago and underwent a surgery in London, following which he has been rehabilitating at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Hardik Pandya hit four towering sixes and ran swiftly between the wickets at the DY Patil T20 Cup as chief selector MSK Prasad closely monitored his fitness.
Arshdeep Singh credits his success in the T20 World Cup to senior pace bowling partner Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who he said has been creating relentless pressure in the Powerplay overs which has made it easier for him to get wickets.
Gujarat Titans produced an excellent all-round show to beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by eight wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Indian medium-pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar feels that the bowlers need to adopt a 'patient' approach on a lifeless Trent Bridge wicket if the visitors want to bowl England out twice and win the first cricket Test in Nottingham.
India's World Cup-bound bowlers could pick and choose matches during the second phase of Indian Premier League as part of the workload management programme, senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar said on Thursday.
India will be hoping to put up an improved bowling show with their front line pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah back in action for the third ODI
The likes of Devdutt Padikkal, Chetan Sakaria, Nitish Rana, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Varun Chakravarthy earned their maiden India call-up after they impressed in the IPL earlier this year, which was suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Mullanpur on Sunday
India medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Monday blamed the pitch in Southampton for the bowling attack's poor showing in the ongoing third Test as England declared at 569/7 in their first innings.
Top India batsman Virat Kohli has maintained his second position in the latest ICC batsmen rankings while medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has moved up a place to be seventh in the bowlers' standings.
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.
Virat Kohli made handsome gains after he produced a dominant batting display (276 runs in five matches) in the Asia Cup T20 in the UAE, including a first international century in almost three years.
In a display of raw power and audacious stroke play, Rajasthan Royals' 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi tore into the Gujarat Titans bowling attack with a scintillating knock during which multiple records fell by the wayside in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar felt that his bowlers grabbing three crucial wickets during the Powerplay overs of Chennai Super Kings' chase was the game-changing moment in their 50-run win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the M A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday.
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.
Aiden Markram stroked a half-century to steer Sunrisers Hyderabad to a comfortable six-wicket victory against Chennai Super Kings.
India and Pakistan are placed in Group 2 along with New Zealand and Afghanistan.
'As a captain and a player, he never played for a draw, he always wanted to win.'
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.
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