With 288 runs at a strike rate of 225, Nicholas Pooran is the top run-getter in IPL 2025, while Mohammed Siraj has been brilliant in Powerplay overs with 10 wickets in five games.
Mumbai Indians have the upper hand given their current form despite having lost to CSK in their IPL season-opener in Chepauk.
Successful in keeping opponents and vitriol at bay so far, India will have to rise above traditional bugbear New Zealand and a rigmarole of emotions surrounding stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to reclaim the Champions Trophy after 12 years in Dubai on Sunday.
India ended an 11-year-long ICC Trophy drought, beating South Africa by seven runs to claim the ICC T20 World Cup title for the second time on June 29 last year, in Barbados.
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.
The birth anniversary of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, whose political influence has surged with the passage of time, on Monday was marked by bitter trading of charges between the ruling BJP and opposition parties as they fought for his legacy.
Krunal Pandya recorded his first fifty in IPL since 2016, helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru pull off a six-wicket win over Delhi Capitals.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, reeling from three consecutive defeats, will face a resurgent Gujarat Titans in their fifth IPL encounter on Sunday.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has highlighted Suryakumar Yadav's batting woes in ODIs, saying he needs clarity of mind and should find his own way of rotating the strike in the middle overs.
Pandya's inclusion obviously adds firepower to batting and he can also open the bowling if necessary.
National Democratic Alliance nominee Om Birla was elected as Lok Sabha speaker on Wednesday after a motion moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was adopted through voice vote, capping intense debate on the issue with the opposition in a rare move proposing its own candidate.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the Asia Cup Super 4s match against Pakistan?
K L Rahul is set to be included in India's 15-member provisional World Cup squad, which will be announced by Tuesday.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday alleged a 'well-planned' conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party for the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal, where a team of Congress MPs led by Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit on December 4 amid restrictions imposed by the district administration.
The squad also features Karun Nair, who returns to the national set up after a long gap of eight years.
Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna's excellent spell with the ball and Sai Sudharsan's fluent fifty inspired Gujarat Titans to a convincing 36-run victory against Mumbai Indians.
In a major organisational revamp, the Congress on Friday appointed former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel as general secretary in-charge of Punjab and Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain as general secretary for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
'The Congress is trying to reinvent itself -- the caste census demand, OBC emphasis, the anti-corporate thrust, especially on Adani etc -- all this is not standard Congress strategy.'
The Congress announced on Thursday that it would not field candidates in the nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh where bypolls are being held and would support Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) nominees.
Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi, suspended from the Maharashtra assembly over his remarks praising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, will be '100 per cent' put in jail, Chief Minister Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in the legislative council.
Gujarat Titans (GT) defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) by three wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in a dramatic Indian Premier League match at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Tuesday.
When the country has been at war, the Opposition has buried its differences with the government, points out Aditi Phadnis.
Among other developments, middle order batter Shreyas Iyer will miss the next three Tests due to injury.
For the home side, it has been a season of mixed returns so far. After early defeats to Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians, KKR roared back to form in their last outing -- a commanding win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Swara Bhasker's wedding reception in Delhi did not have the regular Bollywood faces.
Young Lucknow Super Giants batter Ayush Badoni credited skipper KL Rahul and coach Justin Langer for keeping faith in him despite his disappointing run early in the ongoing IPL season, saying their support helped him perform against the Delhi Capitals, albeit in a losing cause.
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.
Posters with pictures of Rahul and the convicted muscle man have been put up by Yuva Shakti -- an organization owing personal allegiance to Yadav -- in state capital Patna and Madhepura, a Yadav stronghold. Interestingly, Pappu Yadav is not a member of the Congress party.
Only in the event of the RSS managing to force Modi into accepting a consensual candidate, will the party not continue to 'being' the 'next Congress', observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 29.
Virat Kohli etched his name in history once again during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy final played between India and New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for their first Champions Trophy match against Bangladesh on Thursday?
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra raised concerns over middle-order batter KL Rahul's omission from the squad against Afghanistan.
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.
'As a captain and a player, he never played for a draw, he always wanted to win.'
If you are rich and if you have money, you can buy the Indian examination system, Rahul claimed.
India's premier pace bowler and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the fourth Test match against England.
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.
Karnataka ended the Ranji Trophy season with a draw against Haryana in their Elite Group C match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
