Mumbai Indians batting coach, Keiron Pollard, has thrown his weight behind Rohit Sharma, who has had a difficult start to IPL 2025. Rohit has returned scores of 0 [vs CSK], 8 [vs GT] and 13 [vs KKR] in the three matches this season and his lack of runs is at odds with his form during the Champions Trophy and England ODIs before that. While it was a peach from Mohammed Siraj that got the better of him in Ahmedabad, his wickets against Khaleel Ahmed in Chennai and Andre Russell in Mumbai were soft dismissals, when he was caught inside the ring. That said, away-moving deliveries have created constant problems for him. "There are times when you have a couple of low scores but, you know, he's earned the right as an individual to now enjoy his cricket and not be pressurized in certain situations," Pollard said about Rohit on the eve of the LSG-MI match in Lucknow. "So let's not judge on a couple low scores. In cricket, you know, we fail more than we succeed and I'm sure we'll be singing out his praises when he comes out and gives us that big score and then we'll be on to the next hot topic. "Personally, I've played alongside Rohit since under-19 cricket and he has forged his name and etched his name in history, in the record books, in different situations, different formats of the game. He's a legendary name in his own right and as an individual as well." Rohit retired from T20Is after leading India to the T20 World Cup title but finds himself behind the eight ball in a format that's evolved very quickly in the last couple of years. Not to forget, there's stiff competition from younger players who have grown up on power-hitting and IPL cricket. Pollard spoke about the reality of "generational changes" in the MI side but also reckoned that there's still room for the established players who have proved themselves over the years. "Well, there's a place for everyone," Pollard said. "You know, when you look at it, at some point in time, the superstars we speak about were young talents as well. At one point in time. So why would we say there's no space for them? "We just need to continue to be careful in the way that we portray things. There's a cycle in everything that you do. There are generational changes and you know, we just need to accept. We have opportunity now, we have young guys coming in at different times and doing well, and we tend to now put a lot of expectations on their shoulders and straight away, start to think about the senior guys, who have nurtured them as well, should be out of reckoning. "So I think in everything that we do, there should be a balance. And you know, it's all well and good that you know every single year of the IPL, you get to unearth, you know, young talent. And now that thing is healthy for Indian cricket." The likes of Vignesh Puthur, Ashwani Kumar and Satyanarayana Raju have already put in impressive spells for MI this season, and Pollard spoke highly of MI's scouting system. "I have a fair idea of how we as a franchise sort of do it," Pollard said. "And I think over the years we have been, you know, successful in unearthing cricketers each and every time there's an IPL year or even during the year, a different juncture. So, you know, for us, as I said, there's a method to the madness and again, we continue to see young talent emerge and hopefully they can keep emerging and they can do well for a long time."

A member of the South African travelling party sleeping in his Delhi hotel room late one night during a men's Test series in India in November and December 2015 was awoken by an alarming rasping noise. Had some sort of insect crept in? Had an appliance gone on the fritz? Were tree branches being blown against the window? None of the above. It took several anxious minutes before he realised what the source was: his own breathing. But not like he had ever heard it. An unnatural dry, laboured, scraping sound seemed to fill the dark room. He discovered the reason why in the lobby the next morning. Some of the air pollution that makes Delhi one of the most dangerous places on earth in which to draw breath in November and December every year had seeped into the hotel. The visible part of it lurked malevolently just below the ceiling. Even so, the South African persisted with his plan of going for a run. India Gate was nearby, which seemed the perfect option. He ventured in that direction, but despite his phone telling him the 42-metre tall monument was 200 metres away he could see nothing but sludgy, soupy air all around. India Gate was indeed where the map said it was, and he was lucky enough to witness the changing of the guard. But he had to get to within 50 metres of the mighty stone arch to be able to take in the scene properly. All the while, he could taste sooty sourness. South Africa will be back in Delhi in November to play a Test. And the air will likely be filthy again. Because factories never stop belching smoke, because there are too many gassy cars and trucks worldwide transforming our roads into traffic sewers, because Diwali and its frenzy of fireworks will not be long past, because that's the time of year farmers clear their fields by burning the stubble that remains after the harvest, because there isn't much wind in Delhi in November and December to blow all that stuff somewhere else. Dane Vilas was South Africa's wicketkeeper in that 2015 Delhi Test. He spent 16 hours behind the stumps and a minute short of an hour-and-a-half at the crease. Was the state of air on his mind? "I don't remember," Vilas told Cricbuzz on Thursday. "There might have been a few concerns about it, but Delhi is a great city and it's a great stadium. But it was such a hectic tour for us. There were a lot of things going on with the pitches and other things. "I don't know if we discussed whether the air would be an issue, so I wasn't really focused on that. I was just trying to worry about the spinning ball when I was keeping and not getting my shin blown off by [Ravindra] Jadeja when I was batting. I was looking down rather than up." But Vilas does remember that "when you go there, breathing is tough. When you come in to land you can see the pollution. It takes you by surprise, especially coming from a place like South Africa, where we're very lucky with the air quality." The Delhi Test was the last of the four South Africa played in that series. By then the visitors had been outplayed on a sharply turning pitch in Mohali, denied the chance to bounce back in Bangalore, where the only grassy surface of the series spent four days under cover because of rain, and hammered on a nasty in Nagpur, which the ICC rated poor. Another hiding followed at what was then called the Kotla. The theory that the Indians couldn't stomach a third series loss - South Africa had won both of the white-ball rubbers - and so retaliated by preparing pitches seriously skewed in their favour soon took hold. That and the idea that the BCCI wanted to protect Virat Kohli in his first home series as Test captain. How much of that is true isn't known, but we do know the South Africans presented a surface that offered outrageously inconsistent bounce for a Test against India at the Wanderers in January 2018. If it was a revenge plot, it backfired: India won the match and proved to themselves that they could prevail in even the most foreign conditions. That pitch was also deemed poor. Mohammed Moosajee was South Africa's manager as well as their doctor in 2015, and he had his work cut out keeping players healthy in Delhi, as he told Cricbuzz: "The challenge is guys who have underlying comorbidities like asthma or hay fever. Those are the ones you have to watch carefully. Their conditions tend to flare up when the pollution levels are very high. "We had a number of players who had allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma. They didn't need medication every day of their lives, but when the pollen count was very high or the pollution count was a bit high, they would react. They needed to take antihistamines, and use nasal spray and asthma pumps. We were proactive in managing it. If a player's symptoms started at night they would call me. We didn't wait for the morning to treat them." Like Vilas, Russell Domingo, South Africa's coach in 2015, doesn't recall much about Delhi's air during the Test. That wasn't the case, he told Cricbuzz, when he returned to India's capital as Bangladesh's coach for a T20I in November 2018: "It was horrific, very challenging. Some guys got sick. They were nauseous." Should the BCCI have put this year's Test somewhere else? "That time of year is tricky, particularly in Delhi," Domingo said. "I don't know what the best way to do it is, but it's not a great place to be playing then because of the smog." Of course, India's players would also be affected. So this is not a case of the BCCI bullying visiting teams. Instead, it could be about political hot air. The Delhi and District Cricket Association have long been a powerful entity in India's administrative pecking order, and they need to be accommodated. There could be something similar in the fact that the second match of South Africa's series will be played in Guwahati, a north-eastern city and the capital of the state of Assam. Guwahati's population of 1.2-million is almost 29 times smaller than Delhi's. It has never hosted a Test. Why now? Maybe because Devajit Saikia replaced Jay Shah as BCCI secretary when Shah became ICC chair in December last year. That means Saikia represents the BCCI on the ICC's board. Saikia, an advocate, was born in Guwahati and is a former secretary of the Assam Cricket Association. He kept wicket for Assam in four Ranji Trophy matches in November and December 1990. Happily for him, none of them was in Delhi.

After Venkatesh Iyer smashed his way back to form in the death overs, KKR bowlers put on a clinical display to comprehensively defeat their opponents from last season's final. Varun CV and Vaibhav Arora led the way with three wickets each as SRH folded for 120 in the 17th over. With this 80-run drubbing - the biggest defeat margin for SRH, they have lost three games on the trot and their Net Run Rate has taken a severe beating. SRH were inferior in all the phases but the difference perhaps, lies in their woeful start that saw three of their top-four falling. That left them playing catch-up with a big asking rate, which then led to more wickets. KKR also lost a couple of early wickets but found a way to push back with a third-wicket stand. No such luck for the visitors. 2EZxwAoPqRb Sunil Narine welcomed Pat Cummins with a six over long on but the SRH captain took out Quinton de Kock with a plan - bowled short inviting the left-hander to pull him with Zeeshan Ansari stationed at deep square leg for a catch. Mohammed Shami then dismissed Narine with a full ball outside the off-stump, getting him to nick one behind to Heinrich Klaasen. Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi then salvaged what remained of the PowerPlay, sending short balls over the square leg and fine leg fence. Zeeshan Ansari bowled two tight overs before Raghuvanshi took him on in his third, but the leg spinner closed that over out with the wicket of Rahane. Raghuvanshi was nearly taken out right after, only for Nitish Reddy to drop a catch at deep square leg off Simarjeet in the 12th over. Raghuvanshi brought up his half-century but the drop didn't cost SRH too much as Harshal made up for it with an exceptional take, running in from deep backward point. That gave SRH's ambidextrous spinner Kamindu Mendis his first IPL wicket. Venkatesh Iyer then hit his first six of the season heading into the death overs. After Venkatesh and Rinku Singh took 12 off Shami, the latter got stuck into Harshal in the 17th over, hitting him for three successive fours. They swung for the fences and connected repeatedly, hitting 17 off Simarjeet next. Venkatesh then took the carnage to the next level against Cummins, getting his second successive half-century (off 25 balls) against SRH - the last one coming in the final of 2024. He started the 20th over with 6, 4 but fell on the third, courtesy a sharp catch right at the long-on fence by Aniket Verma. KKR finished exactly on 200, with Andre Russell missing a short ball on the final delivery and getting run out by Klaasen. Travis Head was consumed by the two-pacedness of the surface as he miscued a big hit that Harshit Rana caught to dismiss him on the second ball of the chase. Harshit then had Abhishek Sharma caught at slip with a slower one in just the second over. Vaibhav Arora soon removed Ishan to leave SRH down to 9 for 3. The wickets column should've ticked along to four and give Arora a double-wicket maiden but Andre Russell dropped a catch at mid-on to give Mendis a reprieve. Nitish Reddy picked up the pieces and tried to push back a little, taking 15 off Arora in the fifth over. Varun CV however, closed out an exceptional PowerPlay for KKR with a four-run over. SRH's downward slide continued. Nitish found the mid-on fielder with his attempted hit to fall to Russell in the seventh over. On the other side of the timeout after 9 overs, Kamindu hit one straight to the midwicket fielder to fall to Narine for a 20-ball 27. Varun CV was also hard to put away, as Aniket Verma learnt, perishing with a big hit. Rahane bowled five straight overs of spin till the 12th, with SRH managing to score just 33 for the loss of two wickets. Klaasen broke the rut in the 14th against Narine, by clubbing him for two big sixes, and escaped with a life after a slight under edge didn't get picked up by the umpire and Rahane chose not to review. Arora returned to ensure that wasn't a big slip for KKR as he bounced out the South African to leave SRH down to 112/7. Varun CV dismissed Cummins and Simarjeet Singh off back-to-back deliveries and finished his excellent spell at 3-22. Russell completed the big win in the 17th over with the wicket of Harshal. : Kolkata Knight Riders 200/6 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 60, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 50, Ajinkya Rahane 38; Mohammed Shami 1-29) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 120 in 16.4 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 33; Varun Chakaravarthy 3-22, Vaibhav Arora 3-29) by 80 runs Sunrisers head home to face Gujarat Titans on Sunday (April 6). Kolkata Knight Riders have a longer break to savour this victory before hosting Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday (April 8).

One question, for different reasons, lit up the faces of both the captains - Ajinkya Rahane and Pat Cummins - at the toss. 'What's your assessment of the pitch?' Cummins smiled, hesitated a bit and said, "Looks like a good surface," before taking shelter with the defense of "but I'm terrible at reading it." Rahane repeated the smile-and-hestitate pattern but couldn't stop himself from admitting. "Looks good, I'm really happy with the pitch... It will suit our spinners. At home, you should get what you want." The bitter standoff between the pitch curator of Eden Gardens and Kolkata Knight Riders had come to an end, and the home team was offered a pitch which wasn't watered for the last five days. The dry surface was meant to aid their strength, the spin attack. However, on Thursday evening, even before KKR's spinners could come into operation, the fate of the contest had already tilted in KKR's favour massively. On a slowish surface, after piling on 200, their pacers - Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora - had reduced Sunrisers Hyderabad to 9 for 3 within three overs. It was SRH's worst start ever since they have taken to their boom-or-bust approach. Despite some fightback by the middle order, they couldn't quite come to a point where they seriously threatened KKR's total. At best, at the end of the 14th over, with 94 runs needed and Heinrich Klaasen getting a move on, there was hope of a miracle. That too fizzled out soon and they were eventually bundled out for 120. A team that quite confidently gestured that they would hunt down the total of 300 this season, and closed in on it in the first game itself, has bust more often than boomed in the last three games. Three massive defeats have firmly relegated SRH to the bottom of the table. While it has come at the back of underpar performances with both bat and ball, bowling coach James Franklin has claimed that there is still not enough reason to alter from the batting plans as yet. "You don't want to take away from the natural intent of our top order and the way that they bat, because as we've witnessed quite a lot over the last year, it's breathtaking when it's going well and just the last couple of games it hasn't quite worked. They see the ball, they hit the ball, they know their own game plans and the way that they want to bat and it's probably a combination of things not quite working for them at the moment "I think everyone was very much of the opinion that we're just taking off from where we left last year in the style that we batted. Whilst it probably hasn't worked in the last two games - because even in the second game we got close to 200 - that can just sometimes be the nature of the game that we play and the way that particularly our batters want to play the game. We want them to play the game. "So yes, whilst it hasn't been our best stuff these last two games, we've got every confidence within our group and within the individuals within our group to go out and play that attacking brand that I think we know and we've shown from an SRH point of view over this last year or so." The recent failure of the batters though has exposed a much-longer existing concern in their other department - bowling. Their rare top-order failure on Thursday aside, the situation they found themselves so early in the run chase also had to do with how they operated in the death overs, conceding 78 runs in the last five overs. It didn't just shift the momentum, but pushed KKR to a total which had gone beyond SRH's means even if they were to stage a fightback from that point in the run-chase. On a surface where the ball was stopping a bit and gripping, where shot-making was difficult, as admitted by Venkatesh Iyer, the SRH pacers failed to take advantage of the conditions. They bowled too full too often, and became predictable with their variations. Venkatesh took full toll of their mercies and had the luxury to throw his bat around at a stage when KKR still had Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh and Moeen Ali to follow. It was a combination of failed assessment as well as execution by the SRH bowlers, according to SRH's bowling coach James Franklin. "I mean, 65 [66] off that last four overs probably reflects that we didn't get it quite right," Franklin admitted. "At the halfway stage I think KKR were 84 for two. If we'd got the back ten overs right we probably could have held them to 170, 180. "We didn't get it quite right, the execution wasn't quite there and you know, sometimes as a coach you sit there and think okay, well could we have done things a little bit better, could we have technically been a little bit braver with some aspects of it and those are conversations that we'll obviously have in the coming days before we go again on Sunday. "It's reflections I guess between myself and the individuals that were out there and we'll obviously look to come back better with particularly that death execution. But I think up until that point, that first three quarters of our bowling innings was pretty good stuff. Again, you could look at a lot of things and wish you could have time again. That's the nature of the game." It isn't a new concern though for SRH, or a rare blip amidst their otherwise fine performances. For a while now, the cracks in SRH's bowling were being papered over with the success of its explosive batters. Last season they had the second worst economy rate (after Delhi Capitals) and the worst average among all bowling groups in the competition. This season, with 19 wickets from four matches, they currently have the worst economy rate (10.83) and their average of 41.15 is only exceeded by the Rajasthan Royals (46.69). In some ways, it could be attributed to the nature of their surface at home. Similarly, the nature of their batting also pushes the opposing teams to adopt a similar approach in reciprocation out of force. And on surfaces where bowlers get limited assistance, SRH's bowlers too are bound to suffer the treatment that their batters offer to the opposition bowlers. But if they do wish to continue with the ultra-aggressive approach with the bat despite their recent failures that Franklin stated, then the bowlers will continue to be at the receiving end of the opponent's onslaught. And they will soon need to figure out a way to be able to lift their games, if not win them on their own, on days like Thursday when the batting could suffer a collapse in their high-risk, high-reward methods. Despite the recent dejections, Franklin is hopeful that the team will be able to turn it around in the coming days. "There's obviously some frustration within the group, but we're still [in] very early days in this IPL, and we've got a lot of quality players within our group that can certainly turn it around. So yeah, just a frustrating day," he summed up.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad boasted of a formidable batting outfit ahead of the IPL auctions in November last year, and that was further bolstered with Ishan Kishan's addition at the top, making for a fiery top-five on paper. Three left-handers at the top? Kishan batting out of position? Would it augur well for the 2024 runners-up? All those questions were seemingly put to rest in a daunting 286/6 in their season opener against the Rajasthan Royals, the left-hander himself setting it up with a blazing 106*. However, three single-digit scores have followed thereafter, and with Abhishek Sharma too, yet to create an impact, it has further magnified SRH's over-reliance on their top-order. To put things into perspective, SRH's top-three average 48 and strike at 207.30 in wins since IPL 2024; the corresponding numbers in defeats are 14.46 and 131.51 respectively. As for Kishan, a recurring theme in his mode of dismissals has been playing away from his body to the balls swinging or seaming away. He might've middled the one that swung away from good length and was undone by a spectacular catch by Ajinkya Rahane , but that's been a ploy used successfully against him in the past. He smashed 79 off 33 against pace during his 106* against RR, but there's a catch. There were 24 deliveries with no movement, against which he scored 54; while the other nine were slower ones that fetched him 25. The nine balls he faced in the powerplay were all against spin, and 20 runs off those were good enough to get him going. Hence, he was helped by the fact that there was no movement for pacers in the air or off the pitch by the time he came out to bat. The true bounce of the Hyderabad surface allowed him to unleash his stroke-play. aNZnYG6ove Kishan has been dismissed five times to the ball seaming or swinging away in the IPL since 2024, the most for anyone. He's scored 29 off 32 off them, with all dismissals coming to balls pitched on a good length. In T20Is, he has scored 26 off 48 off such deliveries, while being dismissed four times with a false-shot percentage of 52. It's a line of attack that can work well against the dynamic duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma too, provided there's enough help for seamers with the new ball. Both were dismissed to the balls moving away in last year's final against Kolkata Knight Riders, and Vaibhav Arora did a repeat to Head on Thursday. Head, in fact, has been dismissed five times to such deliveries in T20s since 2024 (three within the first two overs of an innings), the other notable dismissal coming against Naveen-ul-Haq in Afghanistan's famous win at , as was the case a year earlier. With all three being left-handers, there's a lesser chance for bowlers to err in lines, but it's still a tough plan to execute against the trio that has collectively struck at 182.58 in four matches so far.

Quinton de Kock and Azmatullah Omerzai are set to headline the new recruits at MI New York this year in their starry international roster. The 32-year-old de Kock, who is now a T20 globetrotter after retiring from the international game last year, will unite with the MI franchise after 4 years. The left-hander previously played a pivotal role in MI's IPL championship run in 2019 and 2020. Having finished at the bottom of the table at last year's MLC season, MINY will look for some inspiration from de Kock at the top of the order to kick-start their campaign. De Kock will be joined by countryman George Linde who has been rewarded with yet another T20 gig with the franchise after his exploits saw MI Cape Town lifting their first-ever SA20 silverware. Linde will have an opportunity to team up with his MI Cape Town team-mate Omarzai, whose stocks in the world game have been on the rise having also been recently named the ODI player of the year. Naveen-ul-Haq is also set to switch allegiances from the Texas Super Kings to MINY, and will add to the Afghan flavor in the upcoming season. MINY have retained their core in the form of long-term loyalists Keiron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult and Rashid Khan. The quartet will yet again form the fulcrum of the MINY unit, like the two previous seasons, for the domestic talent to revolve around. MINY chose to let go of Tim David, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada and their wonderkid Dewald Brevis after the franchise's underwhelming returns last year. To complement the shake-ups in their international contingent, MINY has revamped their domestic talent as well. The franchise roped in Indian domestic powerhouse Agni Chopra, Tejinder Dhillon, Sharad Lumba and Kunwarjeet Singh to add to their batting firepower. MLC kicks off on June 12 this year with the first set of games set to be played in California at the iconic Coliseum Stadium in what would be MLC's first foray into the West Coast.

Bangladesh young wicketkeeper batter Mahidul Islam Ankon believes that he is better prepared now to take up the challenge after learning his lesson on debut Test against South Africa. Mahidul earned a in October last year for the Chattogram Test against South Africa by replacing wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali in the squad for the second Test after the latter was ruled out with a concussion. Bangladesh was missing first choice wicketkeeper Litton Das due to illness that paved way for the youngster. Mahidul was called from the middle of a National Cricket League match, country's traditional first-class tournament, as he had to leave immediately for Chattogram to join the national team before he could step into the field to represent Dhaka Division against Chattogram Division at BKSP 4. On the following day, he debuted against South Africa and would perhaps want to forget it quickly as he went on to make several blunders behind the wickets to go with paltry contributions of 0 and 29 in front of it. Mahidul's name is again up for discussion ahead of the Test series against Zimbabwe after of the series to take part in the forthcoming Pakistan Super League. Mahidul feels he's learnt his lessons and now understands better what needs to be done to handle the challenges of international cricket. "I don't want to give any excuse because at that point I was involved in the game and probably in my mind I was carrying the NCL (game). But now I feel that I could get another chance, so I am accordingly preparing myself mentally as well," Mahidul told Cricbuzz. "Probably I was nervous and to hide that nervousness I tried to be excited (behind the wickets). I think it is important to enjoy the game. "The first Test is now in the past, but what I feel is that in the first innings I was out early on while in the second innings though I got a start I could not translate that into a big score. All those are my lessons. "What I feel is that at the end it is a game of bat and ball but what is important is to cope up with that situation and environment. I am feeling well and working on my shortcomings so that I can perform better and preparing to the best of my ability. I feel I am getting enough time to prepare myself this time, and hopefully if I get the chance I feel I can perform well for the team." Mahidul insisted that he will be more relaxed in the national dressing room as he will share it with his mentor Mohammad Salahuddin, who is currently working as the senior assistant coach of Bangladesh team. "I think having him around is always good considering he knows me very well and can always relieve the tension whenever I am over-thinking about anything - I am saying it on the basis of my experience of playing under him in different domestic tournaments," he concluded.

April 4 A long-standing cold war with the venue curator ended and it also brought about a return to winning ways at home for the on Thursday (April 3). Finally, they were given the choice of pitch and KKR duly opted for a very dry pitch that aided spin. They still got to 200 on the back of Venkatesh Iyer's blitz, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and cameos from Rinku Singh-Ajinkya Rahane. It was always well above par for SRH on this pitch and they lost their famed top-3 in just 13 deliveries as the game crashed early. One of the highlights of the 2024 IPL season was the intent shown by SRH's batters who redefined the fast-scoring norms in the tournament. However, another pattern that has emerged since is the franchise's inability to stick around on tricky surfaces where their gung ho approach just doesn't work. The other problem with their batting struggles is that it exposes the . Pat Cummins' men need to find an answer before it gets too late this season. Since his Mumbai Indians days, the one constant with Ishan Kishan's game has been his . While it's true that most batters have this weakness in some form or the other, the problems magnify for Kishan. No batter has gotten out more often to the moving ball than the southpaw since IPL 2024. It's been a topsy-turvy start to the season for LSG. They lost a thrilling opening game, one they should have probably won but bounced back to hammer SRH in Hyderabad. However, this has been followed by another crushing defeat to Punjab. Rishabh Pant's form is also a concern and LSG will hope it all turns around quickly. Will LSG get a pitch at Ekana that they want? They were vocal about this after the PBKS game where they felt the surface didn't help them Another home game beckons, this time against an MI side that has also had it's struggles but are fresh off a clinical home win themselves. Check out the here.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi has been elected as the new chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Naqvi succeeds Shammi Silva, the head of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). The change of the ACC leadership was confirmed through the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the members of the continental body, held virtually on Thursday afternoon. Naqvi will hold the position for two years. "In accordance with the decision of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), Pakistan has officially taken over the presidency from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Effective immediately, Pakistan will lead the Council in its mission to promote and expand cricket across the Asian continent. With Pakistan at the helm, the ACC is poised to further strengthen and expand cricket's presence across Asia, fostering growth and unity within the sport," a media release stated. The biggest test for Naqvi will be holding the Asia Cup, scheduled for September. Originally allotted to India, the Asia Cup will be held in a neutral country, considering the India-Pakistan diplomatic dynamics which is stopping the team from one country travelling to the other. This decision was taken a couple of months ago at the time of selling the media rights for the Asia Cup. Now Naqvi will have to decide which will be the neutral country that will host the six-team Asia Cup. UAE is the favourite but Sri Lanka is also in the fray. "I am deeply honoured to assume the presidency of the Asian Cricket Council," said Naqvi. "Asia remains the heartbeat of world cricket, and I am committed to working with all member boards to accelerate the game's growth and global influence. Together, we will unlock new opportunities, foster greater collaboration, and take Asian cricket to unprecedented heights. I also extend my sincere thanks to the outgoing ACC President for his leadership and contributions to the ACC during his tenure." He assumes charge with immediate effect. "It has been a privilege to serve as President of the ACC. The steadfast commitment of our member boards working together has been pivotal in elevating ACC's stature across the region. I extend my gratitude to my predecessor, Mr. Jay Shah, Chairman of the ICC, under whose leadership the ACC reached significant milestones - including securing the highest-ever value for the ACC Asia Cup commercial rights, introducing a new pathway events structure, and paving the way for the continued development of cricket in Asia. As I step down, I have full confidence that under Mr. Naqvi's capable leadership, the ACC will continue its remarkable journey and thrive," Silva said.

A new squad under a new captain. 40,000 odd in attendance. First home game of the season. The way Lucknow Super Giants tanked against Punjab Kings would have hurt. And it was evident in their newly-appointed mentor Zaheer Khan's short but, where he expressed disappointment at not only the loss but also the playing surface, going as far as saying that it felt like it was prepared by a "Punjab curator". Oops. That Lucknow, with its slow surfaces and large boundaries, isn't a routine venue for 200+ scores has been established over the years. In fact, there's only ever been one total above 200 since it started hosting IPL matches. The disappointment, it's understood, stemmed less from the pitch itself and more from how it was interpreted in the leadup to the match. Perhaps expecting the red-soil pitch to behave a bit differently, LSG played only two pacers and four spin options as opposed to PBKS, who bowled as many as 13 overs of pace and to good effect. Learning things the hard way, LSG are expected to revisit their playing combination for this match against Mumbai Indians, especially on a black-soil pitch that didn't have much in it for the spinners last season. Fit-again Akash Deep's return to the squad will be a huge bonus and the pacer, who fronted the press on match eve, sounded confident about his match fitness. MI, having finally gotten on the board, would have travelled to Lucknow with a huge sigh of relief but sterner tests await them in Uttar Pradesh's capital. It would take some adjusting to the pitch, which will not have the intrinsic pace and bounce like Wankhede. Playing away from home anyway has been an issue for them lately, with 13 losses in 18 away games since the start of IPL 2023. Match 16, on Friday, 4 April 2025, at 7:30 PM local Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow A black-soil pitch, with one of the sides even shorter than the last match. Five of the last six IPL matches here have been won by the chasing side, but no dew is expected on match day. The scores at this venue have shot up since the square was relaid ahead of the 2023 World Cup, but they are nowhere near what most other IPL venues promise since the Impact Rule rule kicked in. Part of that is to do with the large ground dimensions, which has meant that it's been harder to hit your way out of trouble after an early stutter. Negotiating the powerplay, which LSG in their last match, will be crucial again. LSG 5 - 1 MI. The last time the teams met in Lucknow, LSG chased MI's 144 for 7 in the last over. Akash Deep has joined the squad while Mayank Yadav continues to recover at BCCI's newly-built Centre of Excellence (COE). Akash sounded optimistic about Mayank joining the squad "soon". Avesh Khan has been effective against Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, but if he doesn't cut it with the new ball, Ravi Bishnoi comes in with great numbers against two key MI batters too. The leggie has dismissed both Rohit Sharma [in six innings] and Suryakumar [in seven innings] three times each. 32je2oodx9A Probable XII: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (WK/C), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav/Akash Deep No reported injuries in the camp. Bowling spin to Rishabh Pant first up is a good option. The LSG captain has only 17 runs at a strike-rate of 65.38 in three outings this year so far. And his numbers against spin are even dire: 6 runs, 13 balls, 2 dismissals Probable XII: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton(w), Will Jacks/Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Vignesh Puthur/Satyanarayana Raju jvZ8mWldPyd "I feel the first match is very important for me. I have played one practice match but after a two to three-month gap, you don't get the confidence until you play the match" - , LSG pacer "It's about adaptability around whatever is presented on that particular day. As a former player and now part of coaching management, you want to be able to prepare for any eventuality and you try to control things that you can control. The nature of the surfaces is something that we can't control as a management and as a playing group, so whatever is presented, that's how you get to be called world-class and legends, that you are able to adapt to anything that is in front of you" - , MI batting coach

went Siraj. It had been an eventful over - the fifth of the first innings. He could have had Phil Salt run out all by himself but missed by a whisker. He then saw the ball being smashed out of the ground, forcing for it to be changed. Siraj wasn't happy with the replacement ball that came in and the umpires had to coax the Gujarat Titans players to get going as they mulled around complaining. They had good reason to feel a little peeved for the ball that had gone out of the ground then had otherwise worked magically for the Titans in the PowerPlay, and particularly so for Siraj. He had seen one skid past Devdutt Padikkal, rapped Rajat Patidar on the pad and was increasingly finding his rhythm until that six and the ball change. Although a little peeved, Siraj had his eyes on the ball with a full 144kph ball that beat Salt and sent the stumps clattering. went Siraj, and silenced the RCB crowd that had once cheered their hearts out for this very gimmick when he was donning their colours. He had given them enough reason to. Particularly in Powerplays on an unforgiving ground for bowlers, Siraj had held his own as the numbers below tell. 14 matches, 12 wickets at 16.25, SR: 15.5, ER: 6.29 17 matches, 7 wickets at 43.28, SR: 30, ER: 8.65 After being left out of their retentions, RCB had also chosen not to exercise a Right to Match card when Siraj was picked up for INR 12.25 crore by the Titans. And so Siraj admitted to being a little emotional on returning to play against the team he had been part of for seven seasons previously. "I thought, you know, he bowled an outstanding spell there with the new ball. His lines were really tight, his lengths were good, and he threatened the stumps a lot. So good on him," said head coach Andy Flower with a wide smile after the game. It could not be anything but bittersweet. For RCB, had done all their auction picks in a bid to get a bowling attack that could be well suited for the conditions. The dynamics of previous auctions had swung in such a way that they now couldn't hold on to two of the highest wicket-takers at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. So Flower was now left to just admiring it from the other side and wishing Siraj well even after the damage he had inflicted on his team inside the powerplay. But with the batting depth that they had acquired, RCB were still able to 'scrap' their way through the middle overs until another spell short-circuited their plans. KN72bKqaZ4 4-0-22-2 is the kind of spell that most coaches would give an arm for from a spinner at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. On the same night where Rashid Khan had his second-most expensive spell-ever in the IPL, his inexperienced partner R Sai Kishore continued the dream run he's had in IPL 2025. Thanks to the damage done earlier by the pacers, Sai Kishore started bowling at a time when RCB's best spin-hitter in Rajat Patidar was already out of his way. But a 52-run stand between Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma was just starting to help RCB get back on track. Sai Kishore had already beaten the former in the air only to see a regulation catch being put down. But the smart left-arm spinner continued working on his angles and lengths, getting one to turn and another to dart through. One such switch from around the wicket to over then paid immediate dividends as Jitesh, much like Livingstone earlier, was beaten in the air only for Rahul Tewatia to latch on this time. Sai Kishore would go on to defeat Krunal Pandya with a variation of the carrom ball that he unleashed for the first time in the IPL before bowling another tight over at the back-end against a rampaging Livingstone and Tim David. Sai Sudharsan, his fellow Titans and Tamil Nadu teammate took it upon himself to put the spell into context. "I feel in this game, it [Sai Kishore's] was the most important spell because the wicket was very difficult against the fast bowlers. So, as batters, as any batters, even me, we would try and maximise the most out of from the spinners. So, I feel he was smart enough and used the right speeds in this wicket and right angles to Tim David and Liam Livingstone when he bowled there. I feel he used the speed really well in the angles and that's why I think he had a great game." Sai Kishore, the Tamil Nadu captain, by most accounts has a reputation of being down-to-earth to a fault and as someone with varied interests off the field. Sudharsan adds that he is also the kind that thinks about the game and his craft extensively. "I feel off the field, I can tell you the amount of effort he puts, the amount of preparation he does in terms of tactical advantages. I feel that is making him a bit ahead than other bowlers is what my feeling is because he understands the game, he understands the situation and uses his speeds, uses his angles. So, that is one of the most best strengths, I would say. And I think that is why he is bowling the way he is." There wasn't going to be a from the relatively measured Sai, but together they scored the Titans' trickiest goals of the night.

Rashid Khan doesn't often get outbowled. Let alone by a fellow spinner, that too by someone who is much younger in terms of experience on the big stage. Sai Kishore finished his four-over spell, conceding just 22 runs along with the wickets of Jitesh Sharma and Krunal Pandya. Meanwhile, Rashid bowled a wicketless spell for 54 runs. Liam Livingstone, against whom Rashid had figures of 3/27 off 22 balls in IPL previously, took him down for 39 runs off 17 balls - the second highest a batter has ever scored off him in a T20 innings. While Rashid tried to bowl faster and missed his lengths, Sai Kishore hit the good length spot frequently, and varied the pace and trajectory to outfox batters. All 24 deliveries from Rashid were north of 90 kph with an average speed of 94.68 kph while Sai Kishore varied it from 83.70 to 97.90 with his average speed reading 88.88 kph. Against Jitesh, he went over the wicket angle and slowed the ball down to 89.4 kph after his previous two balls to the batter clocked 90+ kph. This helped him to get the ball to drift and turn, which took it further away from Jitesh's hitting arc and the batter duly miscued a slog. The left-arm spinner then foxed Krunal Pandya with a carrom ball that drifted in and turned away from the southpaw. Sai Kishore stayed in the spinners' good to back-of-length zone (4-7m) for 68% of his balls while the same for Rashid read 42%. Today's spell was a microcosm of the larger malaise that has affected Rashid in recent times. Rashid came to IPL 2024 having played just five T20s since the previous edition of the tournament due to a long-standing shoulder injury. In 15 games across the last two editions, he has picked up just 11 wickets and is conceding at 8.92 per over, a far cry from the elite standards he set for himself. While the Impact Sub rule has made batters go harder, one key reason from a personal front behind Rashid's decline in fortunes has been him missing the lengths more often, especially on the fuller side. According to data logs, Rashid has bowled 22.80% of his balls in the full length zone in IPL since 2024 and conceded at 15.57/over - almost double of his economy rate of 7.92 for good lengths or shorter. In each of his four most expensive IPL spells in terms of economy rate (2+ overs), he erred on the fuller side and leaked runs like he did at Chinnaswamy today. In the IPL between 2019 and 2022, the share of balls in the full length zone stayed under 20% during each of the four seasons. Even when he erred, it used to be on the shorter side, so a combination of his low trajectory and air speed made it tough for the batters to get under. This is the first major dip in form for Rashid Khan across his career spanning a decade and 450+ T20s and it will be fascinating to see how he responds to the adversity.

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana is confident regarding pacer Marufa Akhter's availability for the upcoming World Cup qualifier. Bangladesh will depart for Pakistan on April 3 for the qualifier tournament which is set to begin on April 9. Marufa has had a long layoff due to a shoulder injury and she even missed the recently concluded Women's Dhaka Premier League, the 50-over tournament in Bangladesh for women, as part of her rehabilitation. "She (Marufa) wasn't allowed to play in the Premier League so that she would remain fresh for the qualifiers. Fast bowlers require careful management, and since she is still young, we don't want to overburden her," Sultana said regarding Marufa, who began to bowl full tilt from March 26. "Despite missing the league, she never complained. Instead, she put in extra effort in training. She has already resumed normal bowling in practice, and we hope to have her available from the start in Pakistan," added Sultana. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh captain remained confident of her team's chances in the qualifier. The tournament involves six teams, with the top two teams to qualify for the Women's World Cup to be held in India later this year. "Look, the meaning of 'qualifier' is that we are going to qualify - that's the biggest thing. Last time, we also had to go through this process to play in the ODI World Cup. This time, it's the same challenge for us. There were opportunities we couldn't fully capitalise on before, but if we perform better in the qualifiers, it will be a huge boost for the team. Everyone expects us to secure our place in the ODI World Cup. "Our team is heavily reliant on spin, and on subcontinent pitches, accurate bowling often results in wickets. But on better batting surfaces, taking wickets requires more effort," she explained. "We've been working on maintaining economical spells rather than just focusing on wickets. Restricting teams to a manageable score will be crucial, so adjusting our bowling lengths has been a major part of our preparation."

The Indian team will play a closed-door warm-up game against India A at Beckenham, a cricket ground under the jurisdiction of Kent County Cricket Club, during their England tour. They are expected to use this venue - a suburban outpost near London - for their preparations for the five-Test series. Cricbuzz understands that discussions took place regarding the possibility of broadcasting the intra-squad match - essentially an India vs. India A game. However, the proposal apparently did not find approval from the concerned authorities, as the Indian team preferred to keep the match off camera - behind closed doors. Sources have indicated that the intra-squad match is the only practice game scheduled ahead of the first Test at Headingley in Leeds, starting on June 20. As of now, no matches against local county teams have been planned. The Beckenham ground, located in the southeastern part of London (or the Greater London area), is said to have good standard facilities. The practice game is set to take place around June 13, with the Indian team expected to arrive in England in the second week of June. Some players might choose to travel earlier after completing their IPL commitments, as seen in previous years, but there is no confirmed information on this as yet. Ahead of the five-Test series, the India A team will travel to England and will play two four-day games against England Lions apart from the one against India A. The first will be at Canterbury, the main ground of Kent county from May 30 to June 2. And the second game will be from June 6 to 9 at the Northamptonshire Cricket County Club (NCCC) ground. The Indian team is expected to be selected some time in May. And there will be a debate whether Rohit Sharma will lead the side or not. There have been conflicting indications on this. As Cricbuzz had previously reported, a lot will depend on how Rohit's IPL season pans out. After the first Test in Leeds from June 20, the Indian team will travel to Birmingham for the second Test at Edgbaston from July 2-6. The third Test will be at Lord's from July 10-14. The fourth and final Tests are in Old Trafford, Manchester, (from July 23-27) and at the Oval in London (from July 31-August 4).

India are set to face West Indies and South Africa in their upcoming 2025 home season. The hosts will play West Indies for only two Tests while they shall face the South Africans in all three formats spanning through the months of October to December. The home season will commence with the first Test against the West Indies in Ahmedabad on October 2 while the final Test of the series will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata from October 10. The West Indies last toured the Indian subcontinent for a Test series back in 2018 when they lost 2-0. South Africa's visit to India starts in the Test format as well, carrying on from the West Indies tour, with the first of the two Tests to be played in New Delhi November 14 while the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati is set to host it's maiden Test match from November 22. The two teams shall then play three ODIs, all three to be played in the Eastern part of the country, in Ranchi, Raipur and Vizag respectively. The month-long tour will round up with five T20Is in Cuttack, Mullanpur, Dharamsala, Lucknow and Ahmedabad with the upcoming T20 World Cup to be played in March 2026 across India and Sri Lanka in mind. XzNakLnoV7 ZWmnXjrmrZA