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Suresh Raina drops ‘breaking news' on CSK return in IPL 2026 with ‘fastest 50' teaser on live TV

Suresh Raina drops ‘breaking news' on CSK return in IPL 2026 with ‘fastest 50' teaser on live TV

Hindustan Times25-05-2025

India legend Suresh Raina, on Sunday, dropped a massive update on a potential change in the Chennai Super Kings dressing room for the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he hinted at his return to the tournament after five years. The update was shared on live TV during Chennai's final league game, against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Raina was part of the commentary panel alongside former India cricketers Sanjay Bangar and Aakash Chopra. The trio discussed what went wrong for the MS Dhoni-led side this season, as the five-time champions finished bottom of the table for the first time in an IPL edition.
Raina then disclosed that Chennai are currently in talks to hire a new batting coach for the next season of the IPL. In a bid to get more information out of Raina, who has been part of the CSK set-up for 12 years, before he bid adieu in 2021, Aakash asked if the new batting coach's initials start with 'S'.
In reply, Raina, who scored 5528 runs in IPL, teased Chennai fans, saying, "He has made the fastest fifty," before breaking into laughter.
Aakash then said: "Chalo ho gaya bhai, you heard it first here!" (It's confirmed, you heard it here first!) For the unversed, Raina had scored a 16-ball fifty in 2014 against Punjab Kings, and is ranked second on the list of fastest half-centuries in IPL history.
Former Australia cricketer Mike Hussey is currently the batting coach of the Chennai side, having been in the role since 2018.
Opener Devon Conway and Dewald Brevis hit contrasting half-centuries to help bottom-placed Chennai end their IPL campaign with a crushing 83-run win over the Titans. The New Zealand international smashed 52, while the South Africa batter scored a fiery 23-ball 57 as Chennai posted a colossal 231-run target after opting to bat first in Ahmedabad.
The bowlers then combined to dismiss Gujarat, who have already qualified for the playoffs, for 147 in 18.3 overs.
For the 2022 champions, the loss dampened their chances of finishing in the top two. They have 18 points after a full set of 14 league matches and are still on top of the table despite the net run rate taking a nose dive after the result on Sunday. To maintain their position inside the top two, the Shubman Gill-led side needs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (17 points) to go down to Lucknow Super Kings in their final league match.

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A moment to cherish for an extraordinary leader of men
A moment to cherish for an extraordinary leader of men

The Hindu

time29 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

A moment to cherish for an extraordinary leader of men

Nearly a month before his 44th birthday (July 7), Mahendra Singh Dhoni received an early gift. On Monday in London, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, a little less than six years after his last international outing. There was no fairytale exit for the former captain, whose final game for the country ended in unshed tears and bitter disappointment following the semifinal elimination by New Zealand in the 50-over World Cup in Manchester on July 10, 2019. But Dhoni's propensity for detached attachment means he would have put that heartbreak behind him not long after the loss and geared up for the next phase of his life. Unorthodox, unconventional and effective 🙌 A cricketer beyond numbers and statistics 👏 MS Dhoni is inducted in the ICC Hall of Fame 🥇 More ➡️ — ICC (@ICC) June 9, 2025 In a world where people measure the currency of their popularity by the number of followers on social media – of whom he has millions – and a constant desire, whether by choice or otherwise, to keep staying in the public eye, Dhoni is a spectacular exception. He is still an enigma to his vast legion of supporters, assiduously refusing to court attention, surfacing in the lead-up to a fresh season of the Indian Premier League and then retreating to relative obscurity, inasmuch as someone of his stature can become obscure, for months on end, happy in his own world of parents, wife, daughter, bikes, dogs… This isn't a calculated, well-planned formula to ensure that the fans keep wanting more of him, to see more of him. That's how he is wired. That's how he always has been. 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Out of respect for his skipper and to ensure that tongues didn't wag about (non-existent) differences were they to travel separately to pay their respects, Test captain Virat Kohli waited patiently and accompanied Dhoni in a later flight while some of the senior management staff flew out early in the morning. Dhoni evokes such emotions, without making an effort to do so. His presence in the Hall of Fame should come as no surprise. After all, he is his country's most successful captain, rising from the hinterlands to establish himself as the ultimate poster boy of Indian cricket even when the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan, among others, were going strong. Every year for the last five seasons, towards the end of Chennai Super Kings' IPL campaign, speculation reaches fever pitch over Dhoni's imminent retirement. 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More than a decade and a half later, Dilip Vengsarkar's selection panel identified Dhoni as the man best suited to take India into the future, appointing him captain for the T20 World Cup in 2007 after the triumvirate of Dravid (then the Test and ODI leader), Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly decided to give the tournament a miss. That squad of 15 included Sehwag, who had already led India, as well as Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj. Dhoni's ascension took many by surprise and didn't go down well with many others, including some picked to play under him. But the wisdom of the Vengsarkar-led panel's move became evident when, out of the blue, he masterminded a wonderful charge to the title that would inexorably change the landscape of Indian cricket. When Dravid stepped down from the captaincy, Dhoni was made the full-fledged white-ball skipper and was the captain-in-waiting when it came to the five-day version, benefiting immensely from the one-year apprenticeship under the champion that Kumble is. Dhoni's captaincy career that ran between 2007 and the end of 2016 (he didn't receive the Test captaincy until December 2008 and gave it up in December 2014, when he abruptly retired from the longer format) was a bountiful phase for Indian cricket. 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The legend of Dhoni the Finisher grew with time, his insistence on taking the game 'deep' and invariably getting the job done lending a surreal, otherworldly aura to the bruiser. He shed his flowing locks on being entrusted with greater responsibility, perhaps his subtle well of telling himself – he hasn't really bothered too much about sending messages to the world – that it was time for the boy to become a man. He oversaw some of India's bleakest Test campaigns, marked by successive whitewashes in four-Test overseas series in England (2011) and Australia (2011-12, where he missed the first Test). But he had enough credit points and the confidence of the men who ran Indian cricket to not just survive these misadventures but also come out stronger. One only has to consider the sea of yellow at every IPL venue for the last several years, no matter where Chennai Super Kings are playing, to grasp the true extent of the love, regard, respect and admiration India's cricket followers have for the one immortalised as 'Thala' in the Tamil Nadu capital. His sense of timing was never more apparent than in 2018 when he spearheaded CSK's fairytale title charge as they returned to the IPL after a two-year suspension. That period perhaps was the only time Dhoni allowed his emotions to overwhelm him in public space. Otherwise, he has been inscrutable and equanimous in the face of victory and defeat, in light of dizzying heights and terrible depths, both of which he has encountered in ample measure. India's 11th entrant into the hallowed Hall of Fame is in excellent company. He made all the right noises to 'celebrate' his induction, including saying it was something he would 'cherish forever'. He will, yes, just as Indian cricket too will cherish him forever. A regular Joe with the same fears and apprehensions and doubts and insecurities as anyone else, but an extraordinary performer who has found the fortitude and the wherewithal to overcome the odds and set himself up as an inspiration for millions, especially those from one-time cricketing outposts who could dare to dream that their dreams would come to fruition. Take a bow, MS.

RCB owner issues statement after sale rumours emerge following maiden IPL title win
RCB owner issues statement after sale rumours emerge following maiden IPL title win

First Post

timean hour ago

  • First Post

RCB owner issues statement after sale rumours emerge following maiden IPL title win

After RCB's maiden IPL title win in 2025, media reports speculated a possible sale of the franchise. The reports emerged following the deadly stampede in Bengaluru that killed 11 fans during victory celebrations. Current owner Diageo India has now issued a statement, clarifying their stance on the matter. read more After Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lifted their first-ever IPL title this year, media reports emerged stating that the team might be up for sale. RCB defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 6 runs in the IPL 2025 final to end their 18-year-long drought. Immediately after this, news started doing the rounds of a possible sale of the franchise. RCB's historic IPL 2025 win sparks sale speculation However, the current owner of RCB, Diageo India, has denied all rumours. The company has clearly said that it is not looking to sell the RCB franchise. According to Cricbuzz, Diageo made this statement in a letter to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Tuesday, 10 June. This clarification came after the BSE reached out to Diageo regarding the rumours. 'The company would like to clarify that the aforesaid media reports are speculative in nature and it is not pursuing any such discussion. This is for your information and records,' Mital Sanghvi, the company secretary, was quoted as saying to BSE. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tragic incident in Bengaluru adds to the speculation The speculation started when Bloomberg published a report earlier this morning suggesting that Diageo was looking for options to sell the RCB team. The report came just days after RCB's IPL 2025 victory on 3 June and a tragic stampede incident in Bengaluru on 4 June, where 11 people lost their lives during the celebrations. There were reports that since the news of the potential sale emerged, Diageo's stocks have risen in value. Meanwhile, there are speculations that RCB's owner is exploring options to sell the franchise because of the recent incident that may have caused some reputational damage to the company. Some reports also claimed that Diageo was looking at a valuation of $2 billion for the IPL team. 'I will not be surprised if it is sold for a higher price,' IPL founder Lalit Modi was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. As per Modi, the valuation being quoted in the media is not far off. RCB's IPL victory may have increased the brand value of the franchise. The Gujarat Titans team was recently sold for nearly $1 billion to Torrent Group.

Australia take bait on 'opener' Marnus Labuschagne as Pat Cummins reveals Playing XI for WTC final vs South Africa
Australia take bait on 'opener' Marnus Labuschagne as Pat Cummins reveals Playing XI for WTC final vs South Africa

Hindustan Times

time2 hours ago

  • Hindustan Times

Australia take bait on 'opener' Marnus Labuschagne as Pat Cummins reveals Playing XI for WTC final vs South Africa

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