Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have begun their pre-season preparations with a week-long domestic players' training stint in Mumbai, ahead of their main camp in Kolkata starting March 12 at Eden Gardens. The Mumbai camp, running from February 21-28, features nine domestic players, including Venkatesh Iyer, who was re-signed by KKR for a staggering Rs 23.75 crore after being released, making him the third most expensive player in the IPL auction.
Priyank Panchal smashed an unbeaten 99 off 69 balls as West Zone coasted to a comfortable nine-wicket victory
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
Beginning with the Eden T20I, the two teams will fight it out in a full white ball series, comprising five T20Is and three ODIs, which will serve as a crucial warm-up for the Champions Trophy, slated to begin on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.
Shah Rukh Khan's dance duet with Virat Kohli stole the show at the IPL opening ceremony in Kolkata on Saturday.
Australia ODIs in sight, Rohit starts training with former India assistant coach Nayar
Shreyas Iyer had led KKR to their first IPL title in a decade last year. However, on Saturday, he returns as captain of a rejuvenated Punjab Kings chasing a play-off spot.
The national selection committee is unlikely to blood any rookie IPL performer during the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Americas but a couple of tried-and-tested faces might have to brace up for disappointment when the squad is finalised by the end of this month.
A beaming father Chandrapal, said that the son told his mom that he was confident of stopping the legendary MSD on his tracks.
The likes of Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel would all like to get some decent hit out there in the middle ahead of Sunday's clash against Pakistan.
The BCCI press conference scheduled at 1.30pm in Mumbai is 'expected to be delayed owing to weather disruptions'.
The Delhi Capitals will be looking to improve their batting performance in the middle overs when they face a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League match on Tuesday.
After retiring from international hockey in 2012, Abbas kept a low profile. He took up his first coaching role as an assistant coach for penalty corners with the Malaysia national team in October 2024.
Harshit Rana has been part of India's white-ball squads since his impressive 2024 IPL season with the Kolkata-based franchise, where he claimed 19 wickets at an average of 20.15 over 13 matches.
Chawla lauded Hardik's sharp tactical awareness, which played a pivotal role in MI's emphatic 8-wicket triumph, helping them bounce back after two consecutive defeats.
Aiden Markram held on to three crucial catches, while Miller had the big fish.
A struggling Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be aiming to break their losing streak when they face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday. CSK are currently ninth in the standings with one win and four losses, while KKR are in sixth position with two wins and three defeats. The home team will be hoping to turn around their fortunes at Chepauk, which has not been as advantageous this season as it has been in the past. CSK will need to adapt to the changed conditions and rely on their spinners to perform well at a venue where they have traditionally dominated. Meanwhile, KKR will be looking to bounce back from a narrow loss to the Lucknow Super Giants and secure a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Narine stars as KKR keep playoff hopes alive with 14-run win over DC
IMAGES from the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane admitted that his batters lacked 'game awareness' in their defeat to Punjab Kings.
Shami last played for India in the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad after which he was sidelined because of an ankle injury which needed surgery.
Mhatre's maiden ton, Dube blitz fire Mumbai to seven-wicket win over Vidarbha
Ahead of the mini-auction, scheduled to be held in Doha on December 26, the 10 franchises have released their list of retained and released players.
His performance in Pune was a powerful response to his recent struggles in the Ranji Trophy, where he had been dismissed for ducks in both innings during Mumbai's loss to Jammu and Kashmir.
It could also open the door for in-form Andhra all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored a historic maiden Test century during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
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.
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.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav will depend heavily on his spin troika as India gear up for yet another demolition act of Pakistan in what promises to be an intense and tense Super 4 face-off of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
Since he took over, head coach Gautam Gambhir has stressed on multi-skilled players across formats, especially those who can add batting depth.
The Eden Gardens crowd responded with a thunderous roar, a testament to Kohli's legendary status and unwavering dedication
IMAGES from the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday
Against Bangladesh, Samson wasn't even considered good enough to come inside the top seven of the line-up and that begs a question as to what is he doing in the team if he isn't good enough to come ahead of Axar Patel.
'Jaiswal has an avg of 36 & a strike rate of 164 in T20Is and he got dropped for Gill who has avg of 30 and a strike rate of 139.' 'There is no place for merit anymore.'
Karnataka, Maharashtra register innings wins to go 1-2 in Group B of Ranji Tropphy.
'This squad has shown it can go on a run. But it's going to take a lot of determination and belief to do that.'
Shreyas merits Asia Cup spot based on IPL performance, reckons Aakash Chopra.
Parag smashed England veteran Moeen Ali for five consecutive sixes in the 13th over -- he dispatched the first six over deep square leg to bring up his half ton.
'As much as we may want, unka number itni aasani se nahi aayega (It's not going to be easy for Rahul)'
Samoa batter Darius Visser blasted six sixes to break the record for most runs from one over in a men's T20 International, against Vanuatu.
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.
