Shreyas Iyer would be aiming to revive his start-stop international career, while Ishan Kishan would aim to clear the popular perception about his allegedly 'misplaced priorities'.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Virat Kohli washed away 18 years of hurt and disappointment, conquering Punjab Kings by six runs to lift their maiden Indian Premier League title.
The fringe and aspiring bunch will look to own the elevated Duleep Trophy stage as the red-ball competition returns to its traditional zonal format and marks the start of India's domestic cricket season.
This squad is by far one of the most compact in Punjab's IPL history and with the tactical genius of Ricky Ponting at the helm, it will be a folly to write them off at any time of the competition.
As many as four world-class match-winners are expected to bid adieu to the game one by one in the next couple of years and Gautam Gambhir is in an unenviable position as head coach.
The KKR think-tank might not be unduly worried as their campaign is still at a nascent stage, but they would like to see the first-choice pacer and spinner finding their range at the earliest.
While the pace department needs some urgent solutions, the spin has a slightly different landscape.
In an interview to PTI ahead of the IPL play-offs, Ponting covered all areas that got the franchise much-needed success. Excerpts from the interaction.
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.
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.
Shashwat Rawat led India A's dramatic recovery with an unbeaten 122 to steer them to 224 for seven on day one of the Duleep Trophy tie against India C in Anantapur on Thursday.
Punjab Kings will look to renew their bid for a play-off berth with another commanding performance in Jaipur on Sunday against Rajasthan Royals, who have failed to rise above mediocrity despite possessing the resources this season.
It was a match where the bowlers and fielders didn't have much of a role to play.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have very little time to pick up the pieces after a debilitating loss as they eye a much-improved display from their batting unit in a return Indian Premier League match against in-form Punjab Kings in Mullanpur, Punjab, on Sunday.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's bid for a maiden home victory this IPL season will depend on their batters' ability to handle the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Glenn Maxwell when they face the Punjab Kings on Friday.
Images from the IPL 2025 match between Gujarat Titans vs Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Tuesday.
Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill, both in strong form after their Champions Trophy triumph with India, look to lead their respective teams, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans, to IPL glory in the 2025 season.
New 'Captain Cool' in Town: Shreyas Iyer could be the leader India needs
Kohli effected a superb direct hit at the bowler's end to end Shahrukh's stay in the middle.
A resurgent Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look for their fourth consecutive victory when they face an unpredictable Punjab Kings as the two sides fight for survival in the Indian Premier League, in Dharamsala on Thursday.
Rajasthan Royals face a tough challenge against a marauding Punjab Kings batting lineup, led by in-form Shreyas Iyer.
Baba Indrajith helped himself to a fine hundred while another senior campaigner Vijay Shankar scored a half-century as Tamil Nadu cruised into the semi-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Out of favour India batter Hanuma Vihari will be leading the South Zone squad in the upcoming Duleep Trophy tournament.
India have used 12 out of their 15 players in the first three games and it would be interesting to see if one among the two uncapped pacers Yash Dayal or Vysakh Vijaykumar gets a debut cap in case the pitch warrants an extra specialist speedster.
The victory took India A to the top of the points table with a total of 12 points from three matches, crowing them as the eventual winners.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh voiced his concerns regarding Royal Challengers Bengaluru's bowling unit, which conceded the highest total in the history of the Indian Premier League against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Some of the best fielding moments from the Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders match on Friday, March 29, 2024.
Sanju Samson will look to continue his domination of the bowlers but India need more stability in the top order
Skipper Shreyas Iyer led from the front on his debut for Punjab Kings with a scintillating knock, while Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler fought bravely for Gujarat Titans.
Hooda's spectacular 128-ball knock featured 19 fours and five sixes, guiding Rajasthan to chase down the target of 283
India captain Rohit Sharma including mainstays Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have placed in the highest category of BCCI central contracts.
RCB's bowlers, who are often criticised for not stepping up, bailed them out against Delhi Capitals.
PHOTOS of the IPL 2023 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Capitals played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Kolkata Knight Riders bounced back from a four-match losing streak as they outclassed Royal Challengers Bangalore by 21 runs.
'...there is every possibility that Shreyas will travel for the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka. The last ODI that India played was in South Africa and he scored a half-century (52). He had 500 plus runs (530) in the World Cup and averages just around 50. Can you drop him?'
Three matches might be too small a sample size to form an opinion but going by the lack of variety that's been on show in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's bowling attack, they might just be staring at a long, tiring IPL season this year.
All about IPL 2025 which kicks off on March 22, Saturday.
KKR relieved to finally get back to winning ways with a 21-run victory against RCB.
Both Jaiswal and du Plessis, the leading run-getters in IPL 2023 so far, are in scintillating form. While du Plessis is leading the scoring charts with 576 runs from 11 innings, including six half centuries and a best of 84, Jaiswal is a close second with 575 runs from 12 matches, which includes four fifties and a 124-run knock.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's fairytale resurgent run will be up against the might of five-time champions Chennai Super Kings and the weather gods when the two sides clash in an epic do-or-die match to decide the fourth and final team for the IPL play-offs, in Bengaluru on Saturday.
