South Africa Test captain Temba Bavuma has suffered a recurrence of an elbow injury and has been ruled out of the domestic first-class final, just over two months before the World Test Championship (WTC) final in June. Bavuma was expected to join the Lions squad on Tuesday ahead of their clash against the Titans in Johannesburg, but he never made the trip from Cape Town. The Lions were only informed late on Wednesday that he would not be available due to the injury. The setback affects Bavuma’s left elbow — the same one he has injured in the past. At…
Author: Raghav Mutdeyja
Punjab Kings (PBKS) allrounder Glenn Maxwell has been fined 25% of his match fee and received one demerit point for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during PBKS’ home fixture against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Tuesday. Although the IPL has not revealed specific details of the incident, a statement confirmed that Maxwell admitted to a Level 1 offence under Article 2.2 — “abuse of fixtures and fittings during the match” — and accepted the match referee’s sanction. Maxwell, who came in to bat at No. 6 after PBKS chose to bat first, was dismissed by R Ashwin, caught and…
As Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) gear up for their second home game of IPL 2025 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, they do so with growing confidence despite the challenge of facing the unbeaten Delhi Capitals (DC). Both teams have three wins under their belt, but DC remain the only side yet to taste defeat. RCB’s solid start to the season mirrors their strong early runs in previous editions – they’ve won at least three of their first four games in three of the past five seasons. Yet, only in 2022 did they come close to a top-two finish, falling short…
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…
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.…