Delhi Capitals assistant coach Matthew Mott has praised Axar Patel for his inclusive and collaborative leadership style, saying the new skipper ensures everyone feels involved and heard within the team environment. Despite limited captaincy experience prior to the IPL – having led Gujarat just 23 times and DC once last year – Axar has made an unbeaten start to his full-time leadership stint, guiding DC to three straight wins and the top of the table. “He’s been outstanding,” Mott said ahead of DC’s clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. “I didn’t know him much before this tournament, but he’s got a…
Author: Raghav Mutdeyja
Jitesh Sharma has attributed his T20 resurgence to Royal Challengers Bengaluru mentor Dinesh Karthik, who has been working closely with him to evolve into a complete 360-degree batter. “It’s been a fantastic journey so far, especially because of the hard work I put in with him during the off-season,” Jitesh said. “Most of the shots I’m playing now are replicas of what DK used to play. He’s helping build a new version of me, someone who can play all around the wicket. I’m thoroughly enjoying this new role.” One of the biggest breakthroughs for Jitesh has been the confidence to…
Heinrich Klaasen’s international future appears uncertain after he was left out of Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) 18-player central contracts list for the upcoming season. Klaasen, who stepped away from Test cricket in January 2024, had a white-ball-only contract last year but is reportedly leaning toward focusing on his T20 franchise commitments. CSA confirmed ongoing discussions about Klaasen’s status, stating that “a final decision will be made in due course.” Meanwhile, David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen have opted for hybrid contracts, allowing them to feature in selected bilateral series and ICC events while maintaining flexibility to play in overseas…
Match Preview Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are slowly but surely finding their rhythm in IPL 2025. With Mitchell Marsh firing three fifties in four games and Nicholas Pooran leading the run-scoring charts, their batting unit looks formidable. When Pooran failed against Mumbai Indians, the likes of Aiden Markram, Ayush Badoni, and David Miller rose to the occasion. LSG’s Indian pace attack has also stepped up, with young Digvesh Rathi emerging as an early favourite for the Emerging Player award. However, they now face a tricky challenge: tackling Kolkata Knight Riders’ spin-heavy attack at a sun-drenched Eden Gardens. The slow surface…
Overview Chennai Super Kings (CSK) find themselves staring down a familiar hole. A sluggish start to IPL 2025 has raised alarms, much like in 2020 and 2022 when early losses led to bottom-half finishes. With just one win so far this season, CSK need an urgent turnaround to avoid history repeating itself. The problems are plenty: lack of home advantage, underperforming Indian signings like Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda, and an overreliance on overseas stars. Even Ruturaj Gaikwad, their skipper and former Orange Cap winner, has been batting out of position, further limiting their top-order firepower. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings (PBKS)…
No timeline provided for South African pacer’s return Gujarat Titans (GT) fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has returned to South Africa to address a personal matter, the franchise confirmed. While GT acknowledged his departure, they did not specify when he is expected to rejoin the squad. Rabada featured in GT’s first two games of IPL 2025, taking 1 for 41 in their loss to Punjab Kings and 1 for 42 in their victory over Mumbai Indians. However, he was absent from GT’s third game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, with his omission cited as being…
Akash Deep fit and set for his first game of the season Since their IPL debut in 2022, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have had the upper hand against Mumbai Indians (MI), boasting a dominant 5-1 head-to-head record. However, as they host MI in Lucknow, LSG have several concerns to address. LSG’s Struggles with the Bat While Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh have played impactful innings, the rest of LSG’s batting order has yet to fire. Captain Rishabh Pant has managed only 17 runs across three innings, while Ayush Badoni, a key retention for the franchise, has contributed just 51 runs.…
Mumbai Indians (MI) batting coach Kieron Pollard has expressed full confidence in Rohit Sharma, insisting that the star batter will soon return to form and silence any doubts. So far in IPL 2025, MI have struggled on the road, losing to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT), but secured their first win at home against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Their batting faltered on slow surfaces in Chennai and Ahmedabad, but a return to the Wankhede saw them dismiss KKR for just 116. Now, MI are back on the road for their upcoming clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)…
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Akash Deep has confirmed he is fully fit and prepared to return to action after spending the past three months recovering from a back injury. The fast bowler, who featured in two Tests during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year, sustained the injury ahead of the fifth Test in Sydney. He finally rejoined the LSG squad on April 2, just two days before their clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Lucknow. “I believe the first match is always crucial,” Akash said on the eve of the game. “I’ve played one practice match, but in cricket, when…
Orange Cap Leaderboard Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) Nicholas Pooran remains the leading run-scorer of IPL 2025, having amassed 189 runs at an impressive average of 63 and a blistering strike rate of 219.76. His latest knock of 44 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) followed explosive innings of 75 off 30 balls against Delhi Capitals (DC) and 70 off 26 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer has climbed to the No. 2 spot after his unbeaten 52 against LSG. Earlier, he smashed a match-winning 97* off 42 balls against Gujarat Titans (GT) and followed it up with another half-century, playing…