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…
Author: Raghav Mutdeyja
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…
Former India pacer Varun Aaron believes Punjab Kings (PBKS) are showing “real confidence” this season, thanks to a strong system established by head coach Ricky Ponting and captain Shreyas Iyer. He also highlighted the significant contributions of Indian players in PBKS’ two wins so far. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show, Aaron praised the clear vision set by Ponting and Iyer, both of whom have led IPL-winning teams in the past. “The whole campaign started with Ricky Ponting making it clear that this is his team and he would approach things his way, without any external interference,” Aaron said. “When…
Fast bowler Akash Deep is set to link up with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) squad on Wednesday and is expected to be available for their upcoming match against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday. Akash has been out of action since December 2024 due to a lower back injury sustained during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. He is yet to make his debut for LSG, having last played T20 cricket in IPL 2024, where he featured in a single match for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against MI at the Wankhede Stadium. Since his IPL debut in 2022, he has played…
India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has decided to switch teams for the upcoming domestic season, moving from Mumbai to Goa. The move came as a surprise to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), which promptly issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) after receiving Jaiswal’s transfer request. Goa Cricket Association (GCA) secretary Shambu Desai confirmed that it was GCA that initiated contact with Jaiswal. “We are building a strong squad for Goa and wanted to bring in top talent, which is why we approached him recently,” Desai told ESPNcricinfo. Jaiswal, 23, has been a key player for Mumbai since his Under-19 days. Since making…
Sanju Samson has been given the green light by the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to resume wicketkeeping duties for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2025. After recovering from finger surgery last month, Samson will also reclaim the captaincy from Riyan Parag, who led RR in their first three matches this season. During Samson’s absence, he played solely as a batter while Parag took over as skipper and Dhruv Jurel kept wickets. RR lost their first two matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) before securing a victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Guwahati on March…
Hardik Pandya is set to make his IPL 2025 debut in a highly anticipated clash as Mumbai Indians (MI) take on Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad — a venue packed with history and emotion for the MI skipper. Last season, Hardik faced a hostile reception from fans at this very ground after switching from GT, a franchise he led to the 2022 IPL title and back-to-back finals, to MI. Now, he returns not only as MI’s leader but as a two-time ICC title winner with India, bringing added experience and stability to an MI side…