Gaikwad constructed a handy partnership 90 for the second wicket with Aarya Desai as West gradually entered a stabilised phase.
Virat Kohli's nearly two-decade long agonising wait to lay his hands on an IPL trophy with Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be up against Shreyas Iyer's resolve to make first-time winners out of the tenacious Punjab Kings.
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 batters never really looked like they were going hard enough for the target and seemed more focused on mitigating the damage to their net run rate.
A rampant Mumbai Indians will present a stern test of character for the rattled Punjab Kings in a virtual semi-final when the two teams face-off in Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Delhi Capitals' bowling unit will have to punch above its weight against an in-form Lucknow Super Giants, who will start as overwhelming favourites in an Indian Premier League match in Lucknow on Friday.
Punjab Kings produced a disciplined bowling performance to outsmart Chennai Super Kings and return to winning ways at Mullanpur, Chandigarh, on Tuesday, April 8 2025.
Needing 10 off 2, Jadeja was the man who could take CSK into the play-offs. But Dayal bowled two dots on the trot to knock CSK out of the tournament.
With Mahendra Singh Dhoni being the same player and no one to "bell the cat", CSK are in unusual mess with a mis-firing top-order where the skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has had to give up his opening slot.
K L Rahul's diving catch was one of the highlights of LSG's fine showing against CSK.
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.
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.
Delhi Capitals will be desperate to arrest their slump and stay in contention for a play-off berth when they take on high-flying Punjab Kings in a crucial IPL match in Dharamsala on Thursday.
Inconsistent SRH take on LSG in push for play-offs spot
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.
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.
SRH's ultra-aggressive approach with the bat has backfired spectacularly as they have suffered four defeats in a row -- leaving them languishing at the bottom of the points table.
The last time the two teams faced off in Lucknow last week, KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock put up a record opening partnership
Opener Musheer Khan (112) and veteran Siddhesh Lad (100 not out) hit centuries to rally Mumbai to 289/5 on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match against Himachal Pradesh.
IMAGES from the Ranji Trophy final played between Mumbai and Vidarbha at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
From India's young players to the overseas stars of both teams, they couldn't resist getting some words of wisdom from the legendary cricketer.
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.
A round-up of Sunday's action in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy group stage matches.
New pace sensation Mayank Yadav will be closely followed by all and sundry after his match-winning performances as Lucknow Super Giants eye a hat-trick of wins when they take on an inconsistent Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League match in Lucknow on Sunday.
There has been a lot of speculations about K L Rahul's future as LSG skipper after his 'public reprimand' by team owner Sanjiv Goenka.
LSG, Punjab Super Kings will be aiming to bounce back after losing their previous match.
The focus will be on K L Rahul's form and fitness when he returns after a quadriceps injury lay-off to lead Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL 2024 opener against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Sunday.
Stars celebrate Gudi Padwa, Ugadi and Chaitra Navratri on Sunday, and share pretty pictures on social media.
Mumbai were bowled out for 181 in their second innings, setting J&K 243 runs to win the season-opening match.
Powell, Boult or Bishnoi? Vote for the best catch of the match...
Rajasthan Royals face a tough challenge against a marauding Punjab Kings batting lineup, led by in-form Shreyas Iyer.
Tushar Deshpande and Shardul Thakur starred with the ball to put Mumbai on top following a meek display from Tamil Nadu on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy semi-final.
Vidarbha took a commanding lead in the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Mumbai, reducing the defending champions to 83/3 in their second innings.
Cheteshwar Pujara looked rock-solid while Suryakumar Yadav played his natural attacking game as their contrasting half-centuries put West Zone in complete control.
Dhoni smashed his way to a superb 28 from nine balls, helping CSK to 176/6 with 63 runs coming from the last four overs.
Abhishek Sharma blasted his way to a superb century as Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down a record total to outclass Punjab Kings in a high-scoring IPL 2025 match.
Rahul's decision to bowl after winning the toss backfired quickly as Sunil Narine went all guns blazing against the LSG bowling unit.
Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel struck unbeaten half-centuries to power Rajasthan Royals to an emphatic seven-wicket victory against Lucknow Super Giants.
Sunil Narine has proved to be unstoppable, blazing his way to 461 runs in 11 games at a strike rate of 183, with a century and three fifties.
July has so many interesting films to choose from!
