Report
Shreyas Iyer's IPL best leads PBKS to winning start
Arya and Shashank also impressed as PBKS posted their highest-ever total on their way to a 11-run win
Alagappan Muthu
25-Mar-2025
Punjab Kings 243 for 5 (Iyer 97*, Arya 47, Shashank 44*, Sai Kishore 3-30) beat Gujarat Titans 232 for 5 (Sudharsan 74, Buttler 54, Rutherford 46, Gill 33, Arshdeep 2-36) by 11 runs
New (or returning) players have hogged the limelight this first week of IPL 2025 and it was no different in Ahmedabad where last season's title-winning captain announced himself in grand style. Shreyas Iyer led Punjab Kings' batting line-up to their second-highest total of all time, and then victory over Gujarat Titans by 11 runs.
Iyer walks the talk
Ashutosh stuns LSG as DC complete one-wicket heist
DC's new recruit joined forces with debutant Vipraj Nigam to turn what seemed a certain defeat into a pulsating last-over win
Ashish Pant
24-Mar-2025
Delhi Capitals 211 for 9 (Ashutosh 66*, Nigam 39, Stubbs 34, Rathi 2-31, Siddharth 2-39, Bishnoi 2-53) beat Lucknow Super Giants 209 for 8 (Pooran 75, Marsh 72, Starc 3-42, Kuldeep 2-20) by one wicket
Ashutosh Sharma was going nowhere. He was on 20 off 20 balls. The required rate was over 12. Then he flicked a switch and decided to make Delhi Capitals' opening game of IPL 2025, against Lucknow Super Giants in Visakhapatnam, all about him.
With 62 needed off 30, with four wickets in hand, Ashutosh went bang, bang and then some more as he smashed 46 off his next 11 balls to lead DC to an epic one-wicket win with just three balls to spare. Arms raised he was engulfed by his team-mates as a bewildered Rishabh Pant, DC's ex-captain now leading LSG, looked on.
Full postNoor, Ravindra, Gaikwad get CSK off to winning start
Debutant Vignesh Puthur picked up three wickets for MI, but CSK closed out a comfortable win in the end
Sidharth Monga
23-Mar-2025
Chennai Super Kings 158 for 6 (Ravindra 65*, Gaikwad 53, Puthur 3-32) beat Mumbai Indians 155 for 9 (Tilak 31, Noor 4-18, Khaleel, 3-29) by four wickets
Chennai Super King's bowling acquisitions during the off-season paid immediate dividends as their four new bowlers took nine wickets between them to restrict Mumbai Indians to 155 for 9, a total that they chased down with ease but not without a hiccup against debutant left-arm wristspinner Vignesh Puthur, who is yet to represent his state side in senior cricket.
However, it was the other left-arm wristspinner, younger than Puthur but a veteran by experience, who made the telling impact. Noor Ahmad registered his best IPL figures and the best figures for a CSK spinner against MI, 4 for 18, to capitalise on the inroads made by Khaleel Ahmed, whose CSK debut was not too shabby either: wickets of the openers and analysis of 4-0-29-3.
Full postKishan's 106* ensures SRH ease to win in 286 plays 242
SRH threatened to breach 300 in their first game of the season, with Travishek and Klaasen also landing blows
Deivarayan Muthu
23-Mar-2025
Sunrisers Hyderabad 286 for 6 (Kishan 106*, Head 67, Deshpande 3-44) beat Rajasthan Royals 242 for 6 (Jurel 70, Samson 66, Simarjeet 2-46) by 44 runs
In IPL 2024, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) took batting to dizzying heights. With Ishan Kishan's addition to an already power-packed line-up, everyone wondered if they might be the first team to hit 300 in the IPL. In their opening fixture of IPL 2025, they seriously threatened to get there, thanks to Kishan's 45-ball hundred on franchise debut and Travishek's opening salvo. They eventually fell 14 short of 300, and just two short of breaking the IPL record they had set last season, but it was another emphatic statement of their high intent and power.
Kishan is an upgrade over their previous No. 3 Rahul Tripathi. He seamlessly slotted into SRH's line-up, clattering an unbeaten 106 off 47 balls, his first IPL ton. After Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma had helped SRH take 94 in the first six overs, the fifth-highest powerplay total, Kishan launched from there.
Full postAllen, Duffy lead rout of Pakistan to seal series win for New Zealand
Duffy starred with four wickets while Foulkes took three to skittle Pakistan for 105 in 221 chase
Srinidhi Ramanujam
23-Mar-2025
New Zealand 220 for 6 (Allen 50, Bracewell 46*, Seifert 44, Rauf 3-27) beat Pakistan 105 all out (Samad 44, Duffy 4-20, Foulkes 3-25) by 115 runs
New Zealand's fast bowlers crushed Pakistan in swinging conditions at Mount Maunganui and set up a massive 115-run win to help the home side clinch the series 3-1 with a match to spare. After chasing down 205 in Auckland to keep the series alive, Pakistan were all out in 16.2 on Sunday with New Zealand's four-seam attack accounting for nine of the ten wickets. Jacob Duffy made early inroads, picking up three wickets inside the powerplay to dent Pakistan and they never recovered from the top-order collapse.
Earlier, Finn Allen top-scored with a 20-ball fifty and cameos from Tim Seifert and Michael Bracewell powered New Zealand to 220 for 6. New Zealand made the intent clear from the beginning as they raced to 79 for 1 in the powerplay. Even though there was a slowdown in the middle overs, New Zealand managed to post their second straight 200-plus total in the series, which proved too much for the visitors.
Full postMooney, Sutherland and King star as Australia seal series emphatically
Mooney made 70 off 42, Sutherland made 23 not out and took 4 for 8, while King took 3 for 27 as Australia smashed New Zealand by 82 runs
Alex Malcolm
23-Mar-2025
Australia 204 for 3 (Mooney 70, Voll 36, Litchfield 32, A Kerr, 1-27) beat New Zealand 122 (A Kerr 40, Sutherland 4-8, King 3-27, Brown 2-23) by 82 runs
Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland and Alana King starred in another dominant Australia performance to crush New Zealand by 82 runs in Mount Maunganui and close out their first women's T20I series win in New Zealand with one game remaining.
Mooney scored 70 off 42, her fourth 70-plus score in her last five T20Is, to earn Player-of-the-Match honours again and underpin Australia's mammoth total of 204 for 3, where all five of Australia's batters on show reached 23 or more. Only Phoebe Litchfield struck at under 153. Georgia Voll's blistering 36 off 20 set the tone for Mooney to follow before Litchfield, Ellyse Perry and Sutherland all produced valuable cameos.
Full postKrunal, Kohli and Salt thrash KKR on opening night of IPL 2025
KKR lost their way after Rahane and Narine's 103-run partnership for the second wicket
Sidharth Monga
22-Mar-2025
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 177 for 3 (Kohli 59*, Salt 56, Patidar 34, Narine 1-27) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 174 for 8 (Rahane 56, Narine 44, Raghuvanshi 30, Krunal 3-29, Hazlewood 2-22) by seven wickets
The first IPL after the latest mega auction brings with it much anticipation of new alliances and loyalties. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be thrilled that their latest acquisitions played an impactful role in their emphatic start to IPL 2025 against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Josh Hazlewood used the spongy bounce at Eden Gardens to scuttle KKR's powerplay and death-overs plans with analysis of 4-0-22-1; Krunal Pandya ended Ajinkya Rahane's high-intent fifty in a spell of 4-0-29-3; Suyash Sharma salvaged an ordinary night with the massive wicket of Andre Russell; Phil Salt killed the chase with 56 off 31, an identical score to Rahane's. A regular fixture at RCB, Virat Kohli then sealed the game with 59 off 36 with 22 balls to spare in the chase of 175.
Full postNawaz slams maiden ton as Pakistan chase 205 in 16 overs
Nawaz scored Pakistan's quickest T20I century as they completed the fastest 200-plus chase to keep the series alive
Srinidhi Ramanujam
21-Mar-2025
Pakistan 207 for 1 (Nawaz 105*, Agha 51*, Haris 41) beat New Zealand 204 (Chapman 94, Bracewell 31, Rauf 3-29) by nine wickets
Pakistan's high-risk, high-reward tactics finally bore fruit after two failed attempts as the Salman Agha-led side stormed to a nine-wicket victory against New Zealand in an enthralling battle that saw 411 runs being amassed at Eden Park. Hasan Nawaz's maiden T20I century outplayed Mark Chapman's 94 as Pakistan chased down 205 in just 16 overs and kept the five-match series alive at 1-2.
Pakistan backed their new openers Nawaz and Mohammed Haris in the post Mohammed Rizwan-Babar Azam era and they repaid the faith by putting up a 74-run opening stand off just 35 balls to lay the perfect foundation for the chase. Salman capitalised on the flying start to score 51 not out and was involved in an unbroken 133-run second-wicket stand. Nawaz, who was coming off two successive ducks, blazed away the fastest hundred by a Pakistan batter in T20Is, off just 44 balls, in a sensational chase.
Full postMooney, Voll, bowlers dismantle New Zealand despite Gardner's injury
Mooney smashed an unbeaten 75 off 42 in her 200th international, Voll made 51 as Australia mowed down New Zealand's target after Kerr's unbeaten 51
Alex Malcolm
21-Mar-2025
Australia 138 for 2 (Mooney 75*, Voll 50) beat New Zealand 137 for 2 (A Kerr 51*, Devine 39*, Brown 1-22) by eight wickets
Australia sent a statement to the current world champions New Zealand as to why they are still ranked No.1 with stunning twin half-centuries from Beth Mooney and Georgia Voll and a frugal bowling performance setting up a dominant eight-wicket win with 36 balls to spare in the opening T20I in Auckland.
The only dampener on the victory was a significant right index finger injury to star allrounder Ashleigh Gardner who was sent for scans after copping a blow trying to take a return catch while bowling.
Full postSiddle bows out of first-class cricket in style as WA go down in dramatic finish
WA fell short of a fourth-straight Shield final despite Cooper Connolly's late heroics
Tristan Lavalette
18-Mar-2025
Victoria 197 & 370 for 9 dec (Kellaway 165*, Macdonald 60, Rocchiccioli 3-110) beat Western Australia 186 & 347 (Cartwright 79, Connolly 56, Siddle 4-67, Sutherland 4-79) by 34 runs
Finishing his first-class career in style, quick Peter Siddle snuffed out Cooper Connolly's late heroics and also claimed the final wicket as Victoria ended Western Australia's dreams of a historic fourth straight Sheffield Shield title in dramatic fashion at the WACA.
Victoria's eventual 34-run victory was essentially sealed when Campbell Kellaway, who scored the match's only century, took an absolute blinder of a one-handed catch at fine leg to dismiss Cameron Gannon in the shadows.
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