Latest news with #DelhiRanjiTrophy
India Today
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Virat Kohli spotted in London with greying beard, sparking speculation among fans
Time waits for none, they say. A recent photo of Virat Kohli in London with a fan has gone viral on social media. The Indian cricketer can be seen posing for the snap, dressed in a sweatshirt and a black cap. The striking element of the image, however, was Kohli's beard-salt and pepper in appearance, with noticeably more white strands than section of fans found him almost unrecognisable, sparking speculation that the 36-year-old superstar might be approaching retirement from international cricket. An overreaction, perhaps? Maybe not-especially considering it was Kohli himself who once made a playful connection between his greying beard and his eventual Test speaking at a fundraiser event hosted by former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh in London in July, Kohli opened up about his decision. "I just coloured my beard two days ago. You know it's time when you're colouring your beard every four days-it's time to relax," he had a few fans turned nostalgic, expressing how difficult it was to watch their childhood idol age."White beard, dimming fire, and tired eyes. Yes, that's Virat Kohli in his latest pic from London. The King has begun to lay down his sword We've probably reached the ending we never wanted to see!" wrote one fan."People expected Kohli to come back in whites, but bro's beard is turning white," another retired from T20Is after India's T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados last year. While his exit from the shortest format was widely anticipated, few expected him to step away from Test cricket during the middle of the IPL 2025 former India spinner and current Delhi Ranji Trophy coach Sarandeep Singh revealed that Kohli had discussed plans for the England tour with him during a one-off appearance for Delhi in the premier domestic tournament back in endured a tough Test series in Australia in 2024-25, managing just 190 runs in five matches despite starting the series with a century in Perth. Questions were raised about his place in the side after India lost the series 1-3. However, he gave fans reason to hope when he turned out for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy fixture against Railways earlier this of now, Virat Kohli is expected to continue playing one-day internationals and the Indian Premier League. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru stalwart is reportedly aiming to bow out of international cricket after the ODI World Cup in India's ODI captain Rohit Sharma finds himself in a similar situation, hoping to end his illustrious career on a high at the 2027 World two superstars, who last featured for India in January, are expected to return to action during the ODI series in Australia in October-November. They were initially expected to be part of the white-ball series against Bangladesh in August, but their comebacks have been delayed following the series' postponement.- Ends
NDTV
07-07-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Virender Sehwag's Son Receives Massive Bid In DPL Auction, Virat Kohli's Nephew Sold For...
A call to the next generation was made in the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025 auction, as the son of legendary India opener Virender Sehwag and the nephew of star India batter Virat Kohli were bought. Sehwag's older son, Aaryavir, was bought for a handsome fee of Rs 8 lakh by Central Delhi Kings. At the age of 18, Sehwag's son is part of the Delhi under 19-cricket team. On the other hand, Kohli's nephew, incidentally also named Aryaveer, was picked up for Rs 1 lakh by DPL 2024 runners-up South Delhi Superstarz. Aaryavir Sehwag, also a powerful opener like his father, drew in a bidding war from multiple teams, with Central Delhi Kings ultimately getting him. On the other hand, Kohli's nephew Aryaveer, a leg-spinner, was picked up by South Delhi Superstarz, who will be led by Delhi Ranji Trophy captain and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) star Ayush Badoni. Meanwhile, it was pacer Simarjeet Singh who became the costliest player of the DPL 2025 auction. Central Delhi Kings did not hesitate to splash big on the fast bowler, signing him for Rs 39 lakh. Shortly behind Simarjeet, it was mystery spinner Digvesh Singh who got the second-highest bid. Digvesh was purchased for Rs 38 lakh by South Delhi Superstarz. Purani Dilli 6, the semi-finalist of the 2024 edition of the Delhi Premier League (DPL), had officially announced the retention of star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant for the upcoming season, retaining him as their marquee player ahead of the auction. Purani Dilli 6 had a decent campaign in DPL 2024, showcasing solid performances throughout the league stage. However, their journey was cut short in unfortunate circumstances as the semi-final clash was called off due to rain. With Pant continuing to anchor the squad, the team is expected to build a more competitive unit heading into the 2025 season. Expressing his excitement, Pant said, "The DPL serves as an excellent platform for young talent to showcase their skills and much credit is due to Rohan Jaitley and the DDCA for successfully organising this league. Many players from across the country have emerged and developed through the opportunities provided by the DPL, such as Digvesh Rathi and Priyansh Arya, among others." "Purani Dilli 6 truly feels like home, fueled by the vibrant energy of the Delhi fans and an unparalleled hunger to win. Following a promising season last year, our determination to succeed has only intensified, and we are optimistic about returning even stronger this year," Pant added.
NDTV
27-06-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
" Rehne Do, Jab Zaroorat Padegi...": 18-Year-Old Rishabh Pant's Reply To Non-Selection
Rishabh Pant has established himself as one of Team India's best players in Test cricket. The 27-year-old became the first Asian wicket-keeper batter, and the first Indian batter, to score centuries in both innings of a Test match in England, doing so in the recently-concluded first Test between India and England. However, Pant's rise to stardom has been far from rosy. Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja has narrated an incident from 2015, when Pant was 18 years old, giving us an insight into his mentality after he had been dropped from Delhi's Ranji Trophy squad. Pant did not find a spot in Delhi's Ranji Trophy team at the start of the 2015/16 season, ahead of which Ajay Jadeja had quit as the head coach of the side. Jadeja revealed that he had insisted Pant to attend Delhi's training session despite missing out on their Ranji Trophy squad. However, Pant's clear-cut reply took him by surprise. "I will never forget our first meeting. I was the coach of Delhi for a few days before quitting (in 2015). The selectors and captain kept arguing over the players they wanted to have in the team. Pant wasn't picked," Jadeja narrated. "I still told him (Pant) to attend the practice session for the Ranji Trophy, telling him that it doesn't matter that you've not been selected, there will be a chance in future. "Bhaiya rehne do na, jab zaroorat padegi, ghar se bulayenge (Let it be. When they'll need me, they'll pick me up from home)," was Pant's stunning reply, Jadeja recalled. Pant eventually did make his way into the Delhi Ranji Trophy team that season, entering the playing XI for their fourth match against Bengal. He went on to slam a half-century on debut. Pant enjoys a first-class average of over 50 for Delhi, and has even hit a triple hundred in domestic cricket.
Mint
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Sourav Ganguly breaks silence on Virat Kohli's sudden Test retirement: ‘I am surprised'
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has reacted to the sudden Test retirement of Virat Kohli and called him a fantastic cricketer. Kohli had bid adieu to the longest format of the cricket on 12 May, leaving the whole cricketing world in shock. Speaking to the reporters on Saturday (as quoted by PTI), Ganguly said, "Retirement is a personal decision. It is his decision to retire. It has been a fantastic career and Virat Kohli has been a fantastic cricketer, and so has been Rohit Sharma... His decision has surprised me." Asked if he was surprised by the retirement call made by Kohli, given the batter was at his peak form, Ganguly said, 'I am surprised' Just days earlier, Delhi Ranji Trophy coach Sarandeep Singh had also expressed shock at Kohli's sudden retirement decision. Sarandeep Singh revealed he did not expect Kohli to make such a move, especially after his active participation in Delhi's Ranji matches earlier this year. 'When I heard the news this morning about Virat Kohli announcing his retirement, this was a big surprise for me,' the Delhi coach said while talking to JioHotstar. "I asked him if he would play a couple of County Cricket matches before the England tour. He said, 'No Paaji, I am looking to play India A matches. Two India A matches where I will prepare for the Test series.' He had a settled plan. Suddenly, seeing him end his red-ball career is surprising. He doesn't have any fitness issues, no form issues," Sarandeep added. Kohli ended his Test career with 210 innings from 123 matches for India where he scored 9,230 runs and became the fourth highest run-getter for the Indian team. He has smashed 30 hundreds and 31 fifties in the format and has the highest score of 254*.
Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Will Virat Kohli play for English county Middlesex?
The report points out how while Kohli announced his retirement from Tests, he didn't mention anything about retiring from first-class cricket. Alan Coleman, director of cricket at Middlesex, is quoted as saying: 'Virat Kohli is the most iconic player of his generation, so of course we are interested in having that conversation.' It notes that Kohli could play either 'county championship or one-day cup'. Middlesex have used the lure of Lord's cricket ground, their home arena, to attract big-name players in the past. South Africa's AB de Villiers turned up for the T20 Blast in 2019, and they have signed up New Zealand's Kane Williamson for the second half of this season to play for the team London Spirit. The Guardian reports that both those deals came with collaboration with MCC and has a line about how they handle the payments. 'Officials there (MCC) have indicated they would be happy to similarly split the cost of any deal for Kohli'. Their hope seems to be that Kohli will love to play at Lord's again, popularly called as the 'home of cricket' and will take the plunge. If Kohli does indeed play red-ball cricket in England, there is a possibility he might play against Lancashire's Jimmy Anderson at the end of the season. When he retired, former selector Sarandeep Singh was quoted by JioStar on how Kohli had told him his wish to play the England series. ''This morning when I heard this news that Virat Kohli has announced his retirement. This was a big surprise for me,' explained Singh. 'And as far as we were talking about the Delhi Ranji Trophy, the way he was playing the matches, 4-5 days before that, we started talking to him about the matches he wants to play. He showed his involvement. The way he started his preparation for the red ball, he was talking about how the Australia tour would have been, but he was preparing for the England tour, how we would win the Test match series. But suddenly, now we see that the person who was ready to go to England will not be going to England. That announcement that has been made today, I think everyone is shocked,' Singh had said. Former Australian captain Aaron Finch too had spoken on the issue on JioStar ahead of the IPL game between RCB and KKR. 'I think it caught everybody by surprise. I think we all thought that England was one huge push for him to try and make that a really memorable series, particularly after the disappointment of Australia at home.'
