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KKR vs SRH Live Score, IPL 2025: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 clash between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Eden Gardens on Thursday is a high-pressure encounter, with both teams struggling for form. KKR, currently last on the points table, and SRH, placed at No. 8, are eager to break their losing streak and climb the rankings.

The Eden Gardens pitch has been a major talking point, especially after KKR’s seven-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The home team’s bowling attack was exposed as Phil Salt and Virat Kohli effortlessly chased down 175, putting pressure on KKR’s spin trio of Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Moeen Ali. While KKR requested a turning wicket, pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee denied their request, though CAB president Snehasish Ganguly is now reviewing the surface.

KKR’s squad decisions are also under scrutiny. Former players like Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Phil Salt, and Mitchell Starc have excelled elsewhere, with Starc’s recent 5/35 against SRH highlighting KKR’s lack of a strike bowler. Anrich Nortje’s unavailability and Venkatesh Iyer’s poor form further weaken KKR’s chances.

On the other hand, SRH’s aggressive batting strategy has backfired since their record-breaking 286/6 in the season opener. They have failed to cross 200 runs in the last two games, suffering collapses against Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals. However, their pace attack, led by Pat Cummins and Mohammed Shami, could prove decisive at Eden Gardens, where Shami’s local experience might be crucial.

Both teams face must-win pressure, making this a high-stakes showdown.

Teams:

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins(c), Wiaan Mulder, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, Zeeshan Ansari, Adam Zampa, Sachin Baby, Eshan Malinga, Simarjeet Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Rahul Chahar, Atharva Taide

Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakaravarthy, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia, Moeen Ali, Rovman Powell, Mayank Markande, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Chetan Sakariya

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 has already seen a lot of controversy surrounding the pitches with some of the franchises expressing their disappointing with the playing surfaces. Both Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants expressed their grievances over the ‘absence of home advantage’. KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane sparked controversy when he expressed his wish to see a more ‘spin-friendly’ pitch at Eden Gardens. LSG mentor Zaheer Khan was also not happy with the pitch after his side’s loss against Punjab Kings and said that the curator did not prepare it to their liking.

While there was no official communication from BCCI till now, a report by Times Of India quoted a BCCI source who asked the franchises to communicate their ‘needs’ to the pitch curators.

“The pitches have been good so far. Hence, they may be asking for pitches that have more help for bowlers. But there needs to be better communication between the franchise and the curators. It can’t happen within a week of the IPL season,” The Times of India quoted a BCCI source said.

“As far as Lucknow is considered, the square needs to be relaid to alter the basic nature of the pitch, which is intrinsically slow in nature. According to BCCI guidelines, it needs to have a good grass cover to sustain itself through the tournament. Same goes for all other venues,” the source added.

 Meanwhile, ahead of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Eden Gardens, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President Snehasish Ganguly expressed that everything is ready for the defending champions’ clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) which was postponed from April 6 to 8 due to lack of security owing to Ram Navami festivities.

SRH and KKR, the two trailblazers of last year’s edition with plenty of high scores, power-packed knocks, and sky-high run rates, will be aiming to get their campaigns back on track with a crucial match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday. Both teams have secured just one win in three matches so far, and their explosive batting lineups, in particular, have not performed as per expectations.

Coming to the LSG clash scheduled for April 8, the match was moved to this date from April 6 owing to the deployment of security for Ram Navami festivities on that day, the official website of IPL said in a press release.

(With ANI inputs)

The Indian Racing Carnival, sponsored by Mr. Zavaray S. Poonawalla and the Horse Power Sports League (HPSL), will be held under floodlights with a card of seven races each on April 5 and 6 at the Mahalaxmi course, starting at 4.45 p.m.

In 2023, Ram Shroff had proposed the idea of replicating the Indian Turf Invitation weekend in Mumbai as the Indian Racing Carnival and it has proved to be a remarkable success. Now in its third year, the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) has spared no effort in making this grand event even more spectacular.

Trainer Adhirajsingh Jodha’s duo is set to dominate the weekend’s feature races. His six-year-old gelding Dyf, who displayed his remarkable consistency by running second behind Redefined in the Invitation Cup at Chennai, should make amends in the C.N. Wadia Gold Cup.

On the other hand, Time And Tide, winner of two races including the Sprinters’ Cup, is poised for a hat-trick in the Zavaray S. Poonawalla Sprinters’ Challenge.

The Maharaja Sir Harisinghji Trophy to be run on Sunday wears an open look.

Spain players celebrate with the FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy in 2023. Image for representation
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

The United States and the United Kingdom looked set on Thursday (April 3, 2025) to be picked by FIFA next year as hosts of Women’s World Cups expanded to 48 teams from 32.

Their respective intentions to bid for the 2031 and 2035 editions are alone in the contests after a first deadline to enter the race passed. The first formal bid documents must be signed by the end of April.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino told European football officials the governing body received one expression of interest to host the 2031 event — from the U.S. with the possibility of other countries in the CONCACAF region joining the project. That long-promised bid would likely include Mexico.

FIFA has just one “valid bid” to host the 2035 event, from the British member federations centered on England, Infantino said at UEFA’s annual meeting in Belgrade, Serbia.

“We are honored to be the sole bidder for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035,” English FA CEO Mark Bullingham said. “Hosting the first FIFA World Cup since 1966 with our home nations partners will be very special. The hard work starts now, to put together the best possible bid by the end of the year.”

The U.K.’s interest was quickly supported last month by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer when FIFA said it was formally seeking bids from member federations. FIFA excluded Europe from the 2031 contest, clearing the way for a long-expected U.S. win.

Spain bid ruled out

Spanish football officials said last week they hoped to bid, possibly with Portugal and Morocco in a repeat of the co-hosting plan for the men’s 2030 World Cup.

Wins and winnings: On FIFA Women’s World Cup and Spain’s maiden win 

Infantino’s comments to the annual meeting of UEFA seemed to rule out a Spain bid being allowed.

“So the path is there for the Women’s World Cup to be taking place in ’31 and ’35 in some great countries,” the FIFA president said, “to boost even more the women’s football movement.”

FIFA is scheduled to confirm Women’s World Cup hosts next year. The 2027 edition with 32 teams is being hosted by Brazil.

World Cup returns to U.S.

The Women’s World Cup would return to the U.S. for the first time since the 2003 edition. The U.S. also hosted in 1999.

England hosted the Women’s European Championship in 2022 — which the home team won — and the men’s Euro 2028 will be co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Olympics plan

In a further boost for women’s football, Infantino detailed FIFA’s plan to have more women’s teams than men’s playing at the next Olympics.

There were just 12 teams in the women’s tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics and 16 in the men’s tournament.

Though the International Olympic Committee strongly supports gender equality at the games, adding four more women’s teams — and about 70 extra players, plus team officials — would push the limit of agreed athlete quotas for organizers in Los Angeles.

Infantino said on Thursday that FIFA’s new proposal is to flip the numbers to have 16 women’s teams and 12 in the men’s tournaments.

The final decision is for the IOC, which has an executive board meeting next Wednesday.

Akash Deep is scheduled to join the Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) team and is expected to be ready for the match against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday. Akash suffered a back injury during the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia and has not played any games since December 2024, as per a report by ESPNcricinfo. He is yet to make his debut for LSG and last participated in T20s during the 2024 IPL, when he played in one match for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against MI at the Wankhede Stadium. In total, he has appeared in eight matches for RCB since 2022 and has taken seven wickets.

Akash’s arrival will enhance LSG’s bowling lineup, which has been affected by injuries. Mayank Yadav’s recovery from a lumbar stress injury was complicated by a toe injury, and Mohsin Khan has been ruled out of IPL 2025 due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sustained last December.

LSG currently has Shardul Thakur and Avesh Khan in its fast-bowling squad and included Prince Yadav in the first two matches. LSG has secured just one victory in its initial three matches in IPL 2025. Akash has taken 49 wickets in 42 T20 matches and was acquired by LSG in the mega-auction preceding this season for Rs 8 crore.

Opener and wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh and skipper Shreyas Iyer’s fifty stormed the Punjab Kings’ side to register victory over Lucknow Super Giants by eight wickets at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday.

With this win, the PBKS side moved to second place in the points table of the 18th edition of the cash-rich league, whereas the Rishabh Pant-led side slipped to sixth position following the loss. LSG will next play the Mumbai Indians on Friday, April 4, in the 16th match of the ongoing IPL at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Lucknow Super Giants squad: Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Manimaran Siddharth, Himmat Singh, Akash Maharaj Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Matthew Breetzke, Aryan Juyal, RS Hangargekar, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Akash Deep, Mayank Yadav, Shamar Joseph, Arshin Kulkarni.

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

NEW DELHI: Pakistan cricketer Saud Shakeel took a subtle dig at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) during a recent interview, making a sarcastic remark about the board’s instability in appointing a permanent head coach.
Shakeel humorously stated, “If I become the PCB Chairman, the first thing I will do is bring in a permanent coach for three years.”
His comment comes amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding Pakistan’s coaching staff.
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Over the past few years, Morne Morkel, Gary Kirsten, and Jason Gillespie have all stepped down from coaching roles due to alleged power struggles within the PCB.
The frequent changes have led to growing criticism of the board’s management.
Meanwhile, on the field, Pakistan faced another disappointing result as New Zealand secured an 84-run victory in Hamilton, sealing the series win 2-0.
The Kiwis, now aiming for a 3-0 whitewash, will play the final ODI in Mount Maunganui on Saturday.
Batting first, New Zealand posted a challenging total of 292/8, with Mitchell Hay leading the charge with an unbeaten 99 off 78 balls.
Rhys Mariu (18) and Nick Kelly (31) provided a quick start before Pakistan struck back with key wickets.

At one point, New Zealand were struggling at 132/5, but Lahore-born Muhammad Abbas (41) and Hay put together a crucial 77-run stand to stabilise the innings. Sufiyan Muqeem (2/33) and Mohammad Wasim (2/78) were Pakistan’s best bowlers.
Chasing 293, Pakistan’s top order crumbled under pressure. Abdullah Shafique (1), Babar Azam (1), and Imam-ul-Haq (0) all fell cheaply, leaving Pakistan at a disastrous 9/3 in 5.3 overs.
Despite some resistance from Faheem Ashraf (73 off 80) and Naseem Shah (51 off 44), Pakistan couldn’t recover from the early collapse and were eventually bowled out.
Ben Sears (5/59) and Jacob Duffy (3/35) were the standout bowlers for New Zealand.
With the series already decided, Pakistan will now fight to avoid a humiliating whitewash in the final ODI.

During the India vs Pakistan, Champions Trophy 2025 game that was held in February this year, a send-off from Abrar Ahmed to Shubman Gill had gone viral on social media. Spinner Abrar dismissed the India opener and followed it up with an eye-catching send-off. While the action saw the spinner being subjected to trolling on social media back then, talks of it vanished as the tournament progressed. However, a video has emerged on social media in which a fan could be seen funnily confronting Abrar for that act. The clip is from Pakistan’s ongoing tour to New Zealand.

Watch it here:

pic.twitter.com/k946A1guUy

— urooj Jawed(@cricketfan95989) April 2, 2025

Pakistan went on to lose the Champions Trpohy game against India by 6 wickets at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. After the defeat, Abrar had come under a lot of fire with Pakistan legend Wasim Akram also slamming him for his gesture to Gill’s wicket.

Speaking about the send-off, the spinner later said that it was his style and he found nothing wrong with it.

“That’s my style and I see nothing wrong with it. No official told me that I did anything wrong but if it hurt anyone, I am sorry for that. It was not my intention to hurt anyone,” the spinner told Telecom Asia Sport..

Abrar also revealed that he teased Virat Kohli during the match and asked him to hit the spinner for a six. Virat was the top performer for India as he slammed a brilliant century while Abrar produced an impressive show (1 for 28 in 10 overs).

He explained his admiration for the star India batter and said that he was excited with the prospect of bowling to Kohli and took the opportunity to tease him.

“My childhood dream of bowling to Kohli has come true in Dubai,” he said, adding, “It was a great challenge and I took the liberty of teasing him, asking him to hit me a six, but he never got angry. Kohli is a great batter, we all know that. But he is a great human being too.”

The spinner also revealed that Kohli praised him for his bowling after the game.

“He said, ‘well bowled’ after the match, and that made my day.

“I have grown up idolizing Kohli and used to tell Under-19 players that one day I will bowl to him”. “Kohli’s fitness is outstanding. The way he runs between the wicket is eye-catching and that’s what makes him a unique cricketer.”

Mohammed Siraj returned to form for Gujarat Titans with a match-winning spell against his former team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday and was hailed for his effort and attitude by former players.
His spell of 3 for 19 restricted RCB to 169 for 8 and earned the right-arm pacer the ‘Player of the Match’ award. Gujarat chased down the target with 13 balls to spare, thanks to former England white-ball captain Jos Buttler’s unbeaten knock of 73 off 39 balls.
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The 31-year-old Siraj took the wickets of Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone. He now has five wickets in three matches so far this season.
After being left out of India’s Champions Trophy squad, Siraj appeared determined to prove his worth to both national selectors and RCB management at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where he played the IPL for seven seasons.
Following his release by RCB after the 2024 edition, Siraj was acquired by Gujarat for Rs 12.25 crore at the mega auction last November.
“It was emotional because I played for seven years here,” Siraj said of returning to Bengaluru. “There was some nervousness and some emotion but the moment I got the ball in my hand, it was full on.”
Gujarat secured their second consecutive victory, while Bengaluru suffered their first loss of the current season.
“Somewhere I feel he is hurt that he wasn’t part of the Champions Trophy squad, and I saw that fire,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz. “That’s what we expect from a young fast bowler: ‘Yeah, you didn’t pick me? Now I will show you’.”
Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said he could feel the fire in Siraj’s body language.
“He bowled with real fire in his belly, led the attack with aggression, and bowled with some excellent pace,” Williamson told JioStar.
“(Siraj) was deservedly named ‘Player of the Match’,” Williamson added. “While Jos Buttler was outstanding and back to his best in the second innings, Siraj set the tone early on, making a significant impact.”

File photo of Lewis Hamilton.© AFP