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.
Cheteshwar Pujara elieves that a shift in playing philosophy is the need of the hour for CSK even if it means scoring at a quicker clip.
RCB head coach Andy Flower expressed his confidence in newly appointed captain Rajat Patidar, highlighting the presence of experienced players like Virat Kohli and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as a major advantage for him.
Virat Kohli remains the biggest draw as he returns to his 'home ground' at the back of five half-centuries in nine games. Four of them have come away from the Chinnaswamy Stadium and despite being in the opposition camp, the Delhi crowd will be hoping the Indian superstar extends his prolific run in the tournament.
RCB head coach Andy Flower confirmed England batter Phil Salt will partner Virat Kohli at the top of the order for his side in the next IPL.
RCB have bolstered their bowling attack with the acquisition of Australian seamer Josh Hazlewood for Rs 12.50 crore
The outings of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Prasidh Krishna will be the primary focal points of India A's four-day match against their Australian counterparts
Kohli has constructed a mini hot streak, making four fifties in his last five innings and pushing for Orange Cap with 443 runs.
The unexpected 10-day break has left both the RCB and the KKR with different goals to achieve and common challenges to hurdle over.
It was a day to remember for RCB wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma, who had his gloves full-and delivered with aplomb.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Mullanpur on Sunday
After six consecutive defeats, Royal Challengers won five matches on the bounce to remain in contention for a play-offs berth.
Rohit and the team management will also have to keep some of the young talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel wrapped in cotton wool after experiencing some early success in top-flight cricket.
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.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will aim to turn their fortunes around at home when they face a struggling Rajasthan Royals on Thursday in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Images from the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Maxwell revealed he received a call from RCB's Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, and head coach Andy Flower, informing him of the decision.
Varun Chakravarthy had a second coming in international cricket with 17 wickets in his last seven T20Is and 12 of them in South Africa in batting-friendly conditions.
Gill exhibited some solid defence and handled his bat with comfort as he faced pace and spin.
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.
The pacer, who was on the road to recovery from an ankle injury, has suffered a flare-up in his right knee, potentially delaying his return to competitive cricket.
The mega auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season is expected to be held in Riyadh at the end of this month, according to sources.
RCB squandered a golden opportunity to seal a top-two finish on the IPL points table.
A match defined by mistakes - 11 dropped catches, several misfields, and one team punished more heavily than the other.
Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has expressed his faith in the senior players despite the team's poor performance in the IPL. Despite losing four out of their five matches, Jayawardene has ruled out making major changes to the playing eleven, citing the experience and skill of the players. He believes that the team is playing good cricket and needs to be more ruthless, particularly in the powerplay. Jayawardene also defended Rohit Sharma's struggles against left-arm pace, highlighting his experience and the need to credit the bowlers. He acknowledged that MI is not playing its best cricket and emphasized the need for consistency. Jayawardene also expressed satisfaction with Tilak Varma's performance, highlighting his ability and potential.
Kishan, who was dropped from the BCCI central contracts earlier this year due to concerns that he was "prioritising" the cash-rich Indian Premier League over domestic cricket, made his return to the India A setup.
A spirited performance from their bowlers saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru outclass Chennai Super Kings by 27 runs to qualify for the play-offs.
RCB's success so far in IPL 2025 hasn't just rested on Kohli and Hazlewood.
But the hosts will be a confident group as star batter Virat Kohli made a return to run-making ways after an all too brief blip.
In selectors' radar, Kumar Kushagra gets maiden India A call-up against England Lions
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals in Bengaluru on Thursday.
The Uttar Pradesh left hander has played 44 first-class matches, scoring 3109 runs at an average of 57.57.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Lucknow Super Giants by six wickets and secured place in IPL Qualifier 1.
Struggling Mumbai Indians will be hoping their batters get their act together and shoulder responsibility when they take on an inspired Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League match in Mumbai on Monday.
He amassed 395 runs in IPL 2024 and this breakout season earned him a lucrative Rs 11 crore (Rs 110 million) contract, making him one of three players RCB retained alongside Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal.
The national selectors on Sunday retained the Indian team, which hammered Bangladesh by 280 runs in the opening Test here, for the second and final match in Kanpur.
'You need a 400-run season from Rohit Sharma. 15s and 20s converted into 40s and 60s.'
Devdutt Padikkal, the young Indian batter, spoke about the challenges of constantly shifting teams in the IPL, saying it delayed his growth as a cricketer.
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow, on Friday.
Rinku Singh picked for second round as top stars leave for Test series against Bangladesh. Mayank Agarwal has been named as India A captain in Gill's place.
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