Sports

Ange Postecoglou’s bid to end Tottenham’s long trophy drought is delicately poised after a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League quarter-final first leg on Thursday. Postecoglou’s troubled side trailed to Hugo Ekitike’s early goal in north London, but Pedro Porro hauled them level before half-time. Tottenham laid seige to the Frankfurt goal in the second half but couldn’t find a winner after hitting the woodwork twice. The result means under-fire Tottenham boss Postecoglou must mastermind a memorable victory in the second leg in Germany on April 17 to keep alive his hopes of winning the club’s first trophy since the 2008 League Cup.

“It was disappointing to concede the way we did. The biggest blow we had was conceding so early. That kind of played into their hands,” Postecoglou said.

“But even before that, I thought we were well in control of the game. I thought it would bring fruit in the second half and it did in every aspect but goals. I can’t ask any more of the lads.”

The winner of the tie will face Bodo/Glimt or Lazio in the semi-finals in May, with the Norwegian club taking a 2-0 lead into the second leg against the Italians.

“On any other night we go away with a comfortable victory. We have to go there. If we repeat that performance we give ourselves a chance,” Postecoglou said.

“I don’t expect the second game to be to open, it’ll be cagey affair and it’ll come down to moments.”

Postecoglou brashly claimed earlier this season that he always wins a trophy in his second campaign, a statement that has made him a hostage to fortune throughout Tottenham’s turbulent run.

The Australian has endured such intense criticism lately that he joked on Wednesday that he would still be “gone” at the end of the season  even if he did win the Europa League because his approval rating is so low with Tottenham supporters.

Against a backdrop of constant fan protests against chairman Daniel Levy, Tottenham are languishing in 14th place in the Premier League, leaving them in danger of their worst finish since 1993-94, when they came 15th.

Frankfurt sit third in the Bundesliga table and are hoping to return to the Europa League final after winning the tournament in 2022.

Postecoglou relief

Befitting their respective league positions, Frankfurt started with more confidence and purpose.

Ekitike had scored 19 goals and provided eight assists in 40 appearances prior to Thursday’s game, making him Frankfurt’s danger-man and a transfer target for several English clubs.

But Tottenham failed to heed the warning as the 22-year-old struck in stunning style after just six minutes.

James Maddison conceded possession and Frankfurt launched a blistering break that climaxed with Ekitike accelerating past Porro to curl a fine finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Tottenham’s stirring response was a welcome boost for Postecoglou as Son Heung-min’s pin-point cross reached Dominic Solanke for a header that was clutched by Frankfurt keeper Kaua Santos.

If Ekitike’s opener was an eye-catching moment, Porro’s 26th minute leveller was even more artistic.

Maddison danced through the Frankfurt defence and cut his pass back to Porro, who produced a sublime back-heeled flick that flashed past Santos from six yards.

Postecoglou had his head in his hands when Tottenham’s young midfielder Lucas Bergvall lashed a fierce drive against the crossbar from 25 yards.

That was the start of a sustained spell of second-half pressure from Tottenham.

Santos made a superb save to claw Son’s curler over before Rodrigo Bentancur’s header from the resulting set-piece cannoned off the bar.

Maddison’s close-range strike forced Santos to make another good save before Micky van de Ven’s header was brilliantly palmed over by the Frankfurt keeper as the first leg ended on a knife edge.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Gujarat Titans COO Colonel Arvinder Singh.

In football, home advantage counts for a lot. The hosts are aware of the pitch, the stadium, and enjoy local support which plays a big part in swaying the referees and creating hostile environments for the visitors.
In cricket, especially franchise cricket such as the Indian Premier League (IPL), that isn’t necessarily the case. The teams can’t dictate the make-up of the surface but the other tangibles remain the same: fans, understanding the conditions and the dimensions of the stadium. These are all aspects that the home teams are expected to know more than the visiting sides.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were one of the teams that made the most of home conditions in their title run. They, alongside Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), won five home matches last season. Last year, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) reeled off six straight wins to qualify for the playoffs, three of them came at home.

This season, plenty has been made of lack of home advantage. KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Lucknow Super Giants mentor Zaheer Khan and CSK coach Stephen Fleming have been the loudest voices against curators not preparing surfaces suitable for the home teams. PBKS assistant bowling coach Trevor Gonsalves argued, “there is no home advantage in the IPL.”
When probed about the franchise vs curator debate, Gujarat Titans COO Colonel Arvinder Singh told TimesofIndia.com, “Look, the rules and regulations on this are very clear and not just from this season. They’ve been clear right from the very beginning.”
“The rules of the game are very clear and they are common for everybody. No franchise has any right to say, ‘I want this kind of a pitch’. That’s not something that the rules allow you to do.”

“The home advantage has to stem from the fact that that is your home. You are supposed to know those conditions better than anybody else who’s coming because that is where you play most of your games, where you practice. So from that perspective, if you’re looking at a home advantage, well, why not? You deserve all the home advantage that you can take.
“To say that I need home advantage because I want this kind of a pitch. Sorry, I don’t think that cuts any ice with anybody,” he added.
The IPL Playing Conditions back Singh’s argument. As per ‘The Match’ definitions, section 1.11 reads, “Ground Authority is the entity responsible for the selection and preparation of the pitch and other functions relating to the hosting and management of the match, including any agents acting on their behalf (including but not limited to the curator or other ground staff).”
For the record, the 2022 champions have made a promising start at their home venue in Narendra Modi Stadium, winning two of three played so far.

Zoom out even further and GT have been stellar with the season 24 matches through. They’ve posted four wins out of five played, pocketed eight points, and sit top of the pile as things stand.
With former IPL champions such as five-time winners CSK and MI struggling alongside SRH, KKR and RR, GT are the only former champions who haven’t lost the plot in the 18th season.
“I think it’s still early days. By God’s grace, yes we have done well thus far, but there’s still a long way to go. It’s a long drawn tournament. So we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves and start thinking of the playoffs already. There’s a long way to go and we need to win more games,” said Col. Singh.
“It’s not easy to get to the top four and be there consistently. Some teams continue the same momentum throughout and some teams start early, but are not able to sustain that momentum. And then you suddenly find somebody coming through, like what happened with RCB last year.
“So it’s too early to discount anything and say that any former champion or even those who have not been champions are out of the race this early in the tournament,” he added.
‘Gill going to hold us in good stead’
In his opening season as GT captain last year, Shubman Gill had a challenging start. Having taken over from Hardik Pandya, GT finished eighth in IPL 2024. The decision to appoint Gill as captain raised eyebrows, especially considering the fact that he had led his state side Punjab in only two matches. To make matters worse for the top-order batter, runs dried up too.
Early days in IPL 2025 but the team has looked promising with Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna all making an impact.

Col. Singh feels vindicated with his, and the management’s, choice of backing Gill when not many held that enthusiasm.
“It is his coming of age now as a leader more than a captain. You can see it in his body language, the control, whether it’s the strategy that he’s adopting, whether he’s reacting to situations on ground. It’s amazing to see how young Shubman has developed into a leader of the pack and still being able to be one of the finest players as far as GT is concerned,” said the franchise COO of Gill who has scored 148 runs in five innings this season at a strike rate of 146.53.
“So it is amazing to see his growth. We have always said that at GT we like to do things from a longer-term perspective and not look at short-term solutions. So last time we were criticised a little bit to say that, you know, it’s too early for him (to captain) and there were other options available. But you’re always looking at it from a longer-term perspective, you know, and I think we can happily say that that decision was a good decision and it’s going to hold us in good stead over a number of years going forward,” he explained further.
Way forward
With an eye always on the long-term picture, GT plan on recalibrating after the season ends to devise a growth strategy, such as a potential Women’s Premier League (WPL) team.
Ahmedabad-based Torrent Group, a healthcare major, had acquired a majority 67 per cent stake in GT before the season began. While the specifics of the deal were not made official, the figure is expected to highlight the growth of the franchises and IPL by extension.
As per reports, CVC had bought GT in 2021 for Rs 5,625 crore. For the majority acquisition, Torrent Group is believed to have spent Rs 5025 crore which takes GT’s valuation at Rs 7500 crore.

It is in keeping with the growth story of the IPL, which has grown faster than Gold and the Sensex since its inception in 2008.
“When we started out in 2008, nobody knew how it was going to pan out. It took more than a couple of years for IPL to kind of realise its potential,” said Col. Singh who has been part of Kings XI Punjab, Gujarat Lions and Gujarat Titans during his various IPL stints.
“It was only after the fourth or fifth year, where it was a gradual growth all along. But after the fourth year, we realised that it is the quality of cricket that is going to define the longevity of the league. It is the quality of the cricket that happens on the ground, the quality of players and the type of cricket that is showcased therein which is going to draw in eyeballs.
“At that point we realised it is something that, as Indians, we can be proud of. Today you see what it has grown into. In terms of growth, it is more than 10x (from) where it started off.
“IPL has seen its ups and downs over the number of years. But if you look at a sporting property in 17 years where nothing like this had ever happened in our country. From what it was and what it is today, I think it is something that all of us can be pretty proud of,” he concluded.

The Pakistan Super League management, in a bid to minimise direct airtime clash with the Indian Premier League, has scheduled its matches one hour after the IPL matches commence. Salman Naseer, the PSL CEO, said in a podcast that PSL matches will begin from 8:00 pm, one hour after the IPL games commence at 7 PST. The PSL will begin in Rawalpindi on Friday. This is the first time since the two leagues were launched that they are clashing in the same window.

Naseer said they had no option but to schedule the PSL in the April-May window because of the packed calendar earlier this year.

“It is not an ideal situation but we are confident that the PSL has its own fan base and will attract the usual eyeballs,” Naseer said.

“The PSL has always produced quality competitive cricket and this year also we should see the same and cricket fans anywhere, at the end of the day, just want to see competitive, entertaining matches,” he said.

He said that since the PSL was in its 10th year, a number of new things have been added to make the broadcast quality top notch.

Naseer added that one advantage of having the PSL in the same window as the IPL was that the franchises had been able to sign some reputed overseas stars, who went unsold in the IPL auction.

He also said that the PSL had got queries from interested parties on buying two new teams that would be added to the tournament by next year.

Asked about the rocky relationship between some of the franchise owners and the PSL management, some of whom had publicly lashed out at the PCB for its handling of the league, Naseer said it was not appropriate for anyone to wash dirty linen in public.

“Look we would think that all franchises have benefited from their association with the PSL over the years. But we also feel that instead of going public it would be best if they spoke and communicated to us directly on any issues they might have.” Naseer said all franchise owners now would be given revised fees for the next 10 years and all had the right to accept the PCB offer or decide otherwise.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s captain Rajat Patidar in action during the match against Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League 2025, at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar was not amused with the way his batters threw away their wickets in a heap when thing were cruise control, saying this was “not acceptable” following a six-wicket home loss to the Delhi Capitals on Thursday (April 11, 2025).

Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam bowled with purpose while KL Rahul struck an unbeaten 93 as the DC juggernaut continued to roll menacingly, inflicting a morale-shattering defeat on RCB with 13 balls to spare.

“We have not batted well. Batters are in a good frame of mind, they have shown nice intent. 60 for one, and then 90 for four, that is not acceptable,” said Patidar post match.

RCB’s Phil Salt had pummelled the DC bowlers in powerplay overs, guiding the home side to 61/1 in only the fourth over before they slumped to 91/4 after which they lost momentum to score a below-par 163/7.

“We thought it would be a nice batting track. We were lacking in assessing the conditions and the situation,” said Patidar, adding that Tim David (37) did his bit by accelerating the run-scoring.

But it came too late in the day.

“The way David accelerated at the end, it was really amazing. The powerplay, the way the (RCB) fast bowlers bowled, it was really special (reducing DC to 30/3),” he added.

Player of the Match KL Rahul said watching the ball keenly behind the stumps helped him when he came in to bat.

“It was a slightly tricky wicket but what helped me was being behind the stumps for 20 overs, watching how the wicket played. The ball sat in the wicket but it was consistent throughout, it was one-paced.

“I knew what my shots are, wanted to get off to a good start, and then assess it accordingly. It depends on the conditions and the ground and the dimensions. On a wicket like this, I knew what my pockets were. If I wanted to hit a big six, I knew what pockets to target, and ‘keeping gave me a feeler for where other batters were dismissed and where they hit the sixes,” added Rahul.

Rahul added that having played a lot of cricket in his formative years at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium helped him immensely.

“This is my ground, my home, (I) know this (ground) better than anyone else. Something I have always done with my preparation is that I always try to adapt to different wickets (even in practice). I experiment in practice, get out a couple of times but it gives me a fair idea of the areas I can target — where I can take singles, where I can hit sixes.”

DC skipper Axar Patel said four wins in four matches had given the team a huge boost in morale.

“Everyone is playing with confidence, it feels nice (to have won four out of four). We talk about match-ups and what is happening off the surface. I felt they like to face pacers, so tried to hold them back.

“Then the ball was spinning and bouncing, so thought of bowling spin in the powerplay,” he said.

He lauded Rahul’s efforts saying the charismatic ‘keeper-batter had played a mature innings.

“It becomes a very easy job for me. I have been in that situation, being used as a floater in pressure situations. It is not easy (changing positions). Having a player like him is a very good thing. I played a bad shot today to get out, but he played a mature innings and finished it off. He has been carrying his Champions Trophy form.”

“Shot,” the unmistakable voice to one’s immediate right thundered. We were in the press box at the Adelaide Oval last December, on day two of India’s pink-ball Test against Australia, who were flying high on another masterclass from the irrepressible Travis Head. The second new ball was just eight deliveries young when the left-hander picked a fullish ball on his pads and deposited it over square-leg for six.

Mohammed Siraj of India takes the wicket of Travis Head of Australia.
| Photo Credit:
GETTY IMAGES

Greg Chappell, the former Australian captain, the former India coach and one of the shrewdest analysts ever, couldn’t but appreciate the quality of the stroke, even if the ball was crying out for punishment. The chastened bowler whirled around, came charging back in and, in striving for a yorker, ended up bowling a full toss that, somehow, snuck through Head’s defences and rattled timber. “Whoa,” Chappell piped up, as Mohammed Siraj, one of the two principal protagonists, sent the local lad on his way with a mouthful of volleys to which Head responded in kind.

Chappell didn’t quite say it, but he would have loved a Siraj under his command – either as captain or as coach. The Hyderabadi is all heart and no little skill, not unlike Virat Kohli, of whom Chappell is an unabashed admirer. His verbals didn’t endear him to the Australians, who installed him as national villain for the next fortnight until Kohli snatched that unenviable label away with his shoulder-charge in Melbourne of debutant Sam Konstas.

Catalyst

The Head sendoff was, inadvertently, a catalyst for a trying phase in the 31-year-old Siraj’s career. He had taken five wickets in the previous Test in Perth where, against all odds, India pulled off a massive victory to open up a 1-0 lead, backing it up with four sticks in the first innings in Adelaide. He would go on to take 11 more wickets in the next three matches to finish the series with 20 scalps, second best among Indians behind the peerless Jasprit Bumrah. Siraj bowled his heart out, sending down unflagging long spells without getting his due. Such was Bumrah’s incandescence that he shaded everyone else – his colleagues, for sure, but also his opponents, who boasted a fabulous attack that comprised Mitchell Starc, skipper Pat Cummins, the admirable Scott Boland and off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Siraj knew he had the respect of his mates; for him, that was enough. It was enough that they recognised the effort he put in in Australia’s second innings in the final Test in Sydney when India were without Bumrah. By then, the right-arm paceman had bowled 145.1 overs in the series but he knew his team needed one big effort from him with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the line. Leading 2-1, Australia’s target on a dodgy surface was 162 – not as modest as it appeared, though their task was made plenty easy in Bumrah’s absence. India’s obsession with batting depth meant they had only two frontline quicks once the skipper for the Test was rendered hors de combat – Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, who was playing his first Test match in 12 months.

Mohammed Siraj.
| Photo Credit:
KVS GIRI

Uncomplainingly, tirelessly, with single-minded focus and grim determination though he knew in his heart of hearts that he was fighting a losing battle, Siraj stormed in, using the scrambled seam and the upright one as his ally. He had made a poor start to India’s defence of their middling target, bowling a ball so down leg to Konstas that the sprawling Rishabh Pant had no chance of stopping it. One could sense his desperation to make an early impact, an early inroad. It was a classic example of trying too hard, a much-abused cliché but perfectly justified in this instance.

What other choice did he have? He was the leader of the pack, playing his 36th Test. He had to carry with him a partner in only his third game. It was on their shoulders that India’s slender hopes lay. So Siraj and Prasidh ran in, looking for wickets. Runs came freely as they inevitably would when the quest is for wickets. Prasidh threatened briefly with the wickets of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith in the space of seven deliveries, this after Siraj had picked up his 100th Test stick by accounting for Konstas. But with each passing ball, this pair was bushed. Prasidh at least was match-fresh, even if he had bowled a lot in the nets. Siraj, spent and running almost on empty, plugged away manfully in a marathon 11-over burst.

Australia cantered home, by six wickets, to round off a 3-1 triumph while within the Indian dressing room, amid the gloom of surrendering the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2017, there was praise for Siraj (and Prasidh). In defeat, he had been gallant, putting team above self like he had towards the end of 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. On tour with the jumbo-sized squad on their multi-format showdown against Australia marked by quarantines and isolation and social distancing, Siraj lost his father. If he returned to Hyderabad to be with his family, he wouldn’t be able to fly back out to Australia. Heeding then head coach Ravi Shastri’s exhortations and his mother’s words, Siraj opted to stay on with the team, even though he was forced to spend long, depressing evenings all by himself because squad members were prevented from visiting each other. It was a huge examination of the young man’s character; he came through with flying colours, making his debut in Melbourne in the second Test, then picking up a maiden five-for in the historic win at the Gabba.

But Siraj’s reward for heart and bottle this time around was the axe. He was left out of the 50-over squad for the three ODIs at home against England, and therefore subsequently for the Champions Trophy, ostensibly because of his diminishing efficiency as the ball got older. It was another terrible, terribly unexpected setback for a man who has reasonable familiarity with terrible, terribly unexpected setbacks. Siraj could allow the grass to grow under his feet, or…

By this time, Siraj was bracing for life with a new IPL franchise. After a promising first season with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2017 when he took 10 wickets in six outings, Siraj moved to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (then Bangalore) in 2017, where he spent seven long, successful seasons. He stacked up 83 wickets in 87 matches but ahead of the mega auction last November, RCB let him go, like they had let Yuzvendra Chahal, their ace leggie, move on a couple of years previously. Siraj found a new home — at Gujarat Titans, champions on debut in 2022 and runners-up the following year. He would have the opportunity to work under the restless, energetic, wise and older-brotherly Ashish Nehra, he would have the chance to further his development as a white-ball bowler, as a T20 bowler.

Oh, and he would have the added motivation of an early crack at his former franchise, the one that had unceremoniously dumped him. Surely, revenge was on the cards?

It surely was. In front of a raucous crowd at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium that, until last season, was firmly behind him, Siraj decided to show the fans and his opponents exactly what they had passed up. He was hostile, he was accurate, probing, relentless. Devdutt Padikkal and Phil Salt packed off in a magnificent first spell of 3-0-15-2, top-scorer Liam Livingstone accounted for in his next. Final figures of three for 19, the Player of the Match honours as RCB slumped to their first defeat of the season.

It was a terrific riposte from the man whose stint with the Titans had begun with a forgettable spell of none for 54 in a 11-run loss to Punjab Kings at their Ahmedabad home. The process of atonement had taken shape at the same venue four days later when he cleaned up Rohit Sharma (with a beauty) and Ryan Rickelton in his opening spell to set up a comfortable 36-run victory. Player of the Match against RCB was an extension of the redemption song, though this must have been particularly sweet because of where, and against whom, that success had come.

But he was only just warming up. Within four nights of having wrecked RCB, he was back in the city of his birth, gearing up for battle against his original franchise. Siraj is a poster boy in Hyderabad, a shining example of how far bloody-minded determination, allied with excellent skills, can take one.

Against inarguably the most dreaded batting line-up of the IPL — never mind the recent meltdowns — he plotted a magnificent coup. Old nemesis Travis Head was dismissed in the first over, the dangerous Abhishek Sharma in the fifth. For the third game in a row, Siraj had picked up two wickets in his first spell. For the second outing in succession, he was the Player of the Match — four for 17 was largely responsible for SRH, last year’s finalists, limping to 152 for eight. From the dizzying heights of 286 for six just two weeks previously, against Rajasthan Royals.

After five matches this season, Siraj has 10 wickets — before RCB’s clash against Delhi Capitals on Thursday, only Noor Ahmad (11) had more wickets — but what’s remarkable is his economy.

Despite bowling at least two, sometimes three, overs in the PowerPlay and then coming back at the death, Siraj is going at only 7.70 runs per over, well below his IPL economy of 8.60 and an overall T20 economy of 8.19 in 146 matches. Slowly, he is making a case for himself all over again. Despite cutting his teeth in international cricket in the 20-over format in November 2017, he has played only 16 T20Is. He played his part in the US leg of the victorious T20 World Cup campaign in 2024. Who’s to say that he won’t again, at home again next year, too?

The craftiness of spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam echoed in the assiduous unbeaten 93 of KL Rahul as Delhi Capitals overcame a top-order meltdown to score a six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL match in Bengaluru on Thursday. Once the Royal Challengers were restricted to 163 for seven, the Capitals just needed to bat with common sense but it was a rare commodity in their frontline batters on the night. But player of the match KL Rahul, whose knock came off 53 balls with seven fours and six sixes, added 111 runs for the fourth wicket with an equally level-headed Tristan Stubbs (38 not out) to score their fourth victory on the bounce. DC made 169 for four.

Rahul’s innings was a prime example of risk management as he started at a slower tempo before shifting the gears seamlessly.

The way Rahul, who was dropped on five by Rajat Patidar off Yash Dayal, dealt with leg-spinner Suyansh Sharma and pacer Josh Hazlewood underlined his intelligent approach.

He was prudent against Suyansh, waiting for his chances to score runs on a sluggish track and carted him for a lone six – a sweep over mid-wicket.

But once Hazlewood returned for his second spell, Rahul used the extra pace to good effect to manufacture big shots such as a scorching six over the bowlers’ head.

List of batters with most runs –

Stubbs too joined his partners with a couple of lovely straight hits off Bhuvneshwar to the fence as DC strolled home.

However, they had a horror start to the chase as Faf du Plessis, who came back for this match after missing the game against Chennai Super Kings with a niggle, skied Dayal for Rajat Patidar to complete a fine catch.

The mode of dismissal echoed twice soon as Jake-Fraser McGurk and Abhishek Porel walked back to the shed in the same manner.

The visitors were in a quagmire at 30 for three well inside the Power Play, which they eventually finished at 39 for three.

List of bowlers with most wickets –

Rahul and captain Axar Patel (15) added 28 runs for the fourth wicket, and the DC innings seemed to have gotten back on the track.

But Axar’s attempt to find the boundary over covers off Suyansh could not progress beyond the running-in Tim David.

However, that was the last of the blips in the DC innings as Rahul marked their triumph with a six off Dayal which he celebrated with a sword-on-the-ground celebration.

Earlier, the wizardry of Kuldeep and Nigam helped the Capitals stage a stirring comeback to restrict RCB to a below-par 163 for seven.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep (2/17) and leg-spinner Nigam (2/18) adjusted their lengths beautifully to halt RCB after the Capitals chose to bowl first.

But Delhi’s decision to field looked utterly obtuse as Royal Challengers went off the blocks like a galloping horse, going past the 50-run mark in just three overs.

Central to that charge was opener Phil Salt’s turbo-charged innings of 37 off 17 balls.

The England batter hammered Mitchell Starc for a sequence of 6, 4, 4, 4, 6 to collect 24 runs in the third over.

However, Salt got run out in a yes-no situation involving Virat Kohli (22, 14b). Kohli and Salt added 61 runs off 24 balls for the opening stand.

But the introduction of Nigam proved a course-altering point.

Nigam gave away just two runs in the fifth over, and pacer Mohit Sharma followed that up with another tidy few balls.

Pressurised by a series of dot balls, Devdutt Padikkal (1) went for a release shot off Mohit, but it lacked any kinetic energy as Axar completed an easy catch.

Kohli, who began to unshackle himself with a six off Nigam over long-on, soon fell to the same bowler while trying to clobber a delivery wide on the off-stump.

Thereafter, the home side lost the wickets of Jitesh 4) and Liam Livingstone (3) in quick succession as they slipped to 102 for five in the 13th over, a far cry from the start they had.

However, David (37 not out, 20b) played a few beefy shots as RCB added 36 runs in the last two overs to go past the 160-run mark. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Virat Kohli‘s long-time association with sports apparel giant Puma has ended, according to several reports. “Sports brand PUMA India confirms the end of its longtime partnership with cricketer and brand ambassador Virat Kohli. PUMA wishes Virat the best for his future endeavours and said it was a wonderful association with him spanning over several years, many outstanding campaigns, and path-breaking product collaborations. As a sports brand, PUMA will continue to actively invest in the next generation of athletes and aggressively build the future of the sporting ecosystem in India,” a Puma spokesperson reportedly said. 

According to a report in livemint.com, Kohli is going to join sports athleisure firm Agilitas. According to the report, “Agilitas was founded in 2023 by former Puma India and South-East Asia managing director Abhishek Ganguly. The company makes and retails sportswear goods in India and abroad. Last year, Agilitas acquired long-term licence rights for Italian sports brand Lotto in India, Australia, and South Africa.”

The report further claimed: “Virat Kohli is reportedly in talks to invest in Agilitas after concluding his eight-year contract with Puma. The announcement is expected soon, coinciding with the IPL, as Kohli aims to create a global sportswear identity.”

Virat Kohli has emphasised how the IPL’s format and dynamic structure have influenced his T20 game.

While speaking on Jio Hotstar, Kohli highlighted the unique mental and competitive challenges of the IPL and emphasised its dynamic nature compared to shorter bilateral series.

He described how the constantly changing points table created different kinds of pressure, whether it was maintaining a lead, bouncing back from a slump, or battling for a playoff spot. This dynamic environment pushed players to adapt and evolve their T20 skills, ultimately driving them to improve constantly.

“IPL challenges you in a very unique way because of how the tournament is structured. It’s not like a short bilateral series; it spans several weeks, and your position on the points table keeps shifting. That constantly changing scenario brings different kinds of pressure. When you are at the top, there’s the pressure to maintain that lead. If you’re near the bottom, you need extra motivation to bounce back. And if you’re somewhere in the middle, where you need to win, say, three out of five games, even a single loss can suddenly add a lot of pressure. This dynamic nature of the tournament pushes you mentally and competitively in various ways other formats don’t. It’s also driven me to improve and evolve my T20 skill set constantly,” Virat Kohli said while speaking on ’18 Calling 18′ on JioHotstar.

With ANI inputs 

Former Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed is undoubtedly one of the best players of the country. Making his debut in 2007 in an ODI match against India, Sarfaraz went on to score 2315 runs in ODIs, 3031 runs in Tests, and 818 runs in T20Is. Under his captaincy, Pakistan also clinched the 2017 Champions Trophy title after defeating India in the summit clash. However, Sarfaraz last played for Pakistan in December 2023 in a Test match against Australia and has apparently fallen out of the scheme of things.

Ahead of the 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League, Sarfaraz also joined Quetta Gladiators as the team director. Recently, he also opened up on the speculations about his international retirement.

“I haven’t announced my retirement yet. When someone has played cricket all their life, it obviously hurts to stay away from the game. There comes a time when every player has to step away from cricket, but I try to make the most of whatever matches I get,” said Sarfaraz in an interview with Cricket Pakistan.

Keeping his hopes of a comeback alive, the 37-year-old batter stated that he would be giving his 100 per cent if he still get’s a chance.

“I still keep some hope alive that maybe I’ll get another chance. I never said that I have to play for Pakistan – of course, it’s every player’s dream to represent their country. I just want to perform well in whatever cricket I play and give my 100 percent,” said Sarfaraz.

“When I feel the moment has arrived, I’ll say it myself – yes, my cricket is over now,” he added.

The 37-year-old has represented Pakistan in 54 Tests, 117 ODIs and 61 T20Is, amassing 6,164 runs across the three formats, including six centuries and 32 fifties.

It was under his leadership, that Pakistan lifted their maiden ICC Champions Trophy in 2017 by overwhelming arch-rival India with a stunning 180-run victory in a blockbuster final.

With Sarfaraz at the helm, Pakistan stood victorious in 11 consecutive T20I series, the most by any captain from the country.

Since then, he has slowly found himself on the sidelines, bidding his time for a possible breakthrough. He made his last Test appearance in 2023 in Australia.

(With ANI Inputs)

Punjab Kings defeated Chennai Super Kings by 18 runs in their IPL 2025 match on Tuesday in Mullanpur. Opting to bat, PBKS posted a whopping total of 219/6 in 20 overs and then went on to restrict CSK at 201/5. It was the third victory in four games for the Shreyas Iyer-led side and the biggest credit for the win goes to young opener Priyansh Arya, who broke several records with his century. The 24-year-old batter stood tall against CSK bowlers and effortlessly hammered 103 off just 42 balls.

Arya opened the proceedings, alongside Prabhsimran Singh, who departed for duck in the second over. Later, the wickets kept on falling but Priyansh remained firm and fearlessly played his shots to reach the triple figures.

The opener began the innings with a monstrous six on the first delivery of Khaleel Ahmed. On the second delivery, he was almost trapped and gave a catch to Khaleel but the pacer missed the opportunity and Priyansh stayed alive to hit a ton.

While talking about his mindset after surviving the close call, Priyansh stated that he remained confident to hit some more boundaries.

“My confidence did not shake even a bit. It rather motivated me to do better and attack all the balls that were coming in slot. Dropping of a catch is nothing new. It can happen with anyone. We also dropped some catches, so it’s part of the game,” Priyansh told NDTV during a media interaction.

The match between CSK and PBKS was a fielding disaster as a total of eight catches were dropped from both the sides.

Before that century against CSK, Arya came into the game on the back of being castled by Jofra Archer‘s scorching pace on the first ball of PBKS’ chase, as they eventually fell short by 50 runs to Rajasthan Royals. He revealed continuous talking with head coach Ricky Ponting and captain Shreyas Iyer gave him positive vibes before stepping out to attack CSK bowlers.

“My mindset was positive, because when I got out on the first ball (against RR), I didn’t think of anything much. I thought that I will play with a positive attitude as much as possible. If I get the ball, I will hit it. Whenever I talk to Ricky sir, he is always positive. He said that there is no problem, it was the first ball and anyone can get out.”

“He told me that if I get the same ball in the next match (against CSK), I should hit it out of the ground, and I was very confident after hearing that. I was thinking that if I get the first ball, I will hit it, as per my instinct and not defend. Shreyas bhaiya told me to play on my instinct, as it would be better for me, and that helped me a lot.

PBKS will now be taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad for their next IPL 2025 match on Saturday in Hyderabad.

Rajasthan Royals are having a terrible time in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). So far, the Sanju Samson-led side has lost three matches out of five as the players crave for consistency. In their recent match against Gujarat Titans, RR lost by 58 runs after they failed to chase down the target of 218. Speaking about the team’s sudden downfall, former India batter Robin Uthappa slammed RR and stated the team management failed to make a strong squad at the mega auctions.

Ahead of the mega auctions, RR released the likes of Jos Buttler, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, among others. Uthappa stated that letting go of Buttler proved to be expensive for the 2008 champions.

“And I think that’s where RR got it wrong in the in the auctions didn’t they. I think the fact that they let the likes of Jos Butler go, Ashwin go, Yuzi Chahal go, they just left too many holes. Like today, if Shimron Hetmyer gets injured, they don’t have a replacement for him, which makes us ask that question that how does that actually work for them,” said Uthappa on Star Sports.

Former Australia star Shane Watson, who was also a part of the discussion, stated that the bond between Samson and Buttler had a positive impact on the team.

“The connection that Sanju has as a leader with Jos Butler really does have a huge influence in and around the group as well. So there are other factors around not just your cricket performance on the field that add so much value, which is why it just continues to blow me away that the Rajasthan Royals didn’t retain him,” said Watson.

Meanwhile, RR skipper Sanju Samson was fined Rs 24 lakh after his team maintained a slow over-rate during the IPL 2025 encounter against Gujarat Titans on Wednesday.

It was a bad day for RR as they were completely outplayed by GT and the Samson-led side slumped to a 58-run defeat. Samson was fined for breaching the IPL code of conduct and this was the second time that RR maintained a slow over-rate during this year’s competition.

Earlier, following the match against Chennai Super Kings, stand-in captain Riyan Parag was fined Rs 12 lakh.