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India Today
04-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Feeling like 27: Andre Russell proves age just a number with 25-ball 57 for KKR vs RR
Andre Russell proved that age is just a number, smashing his first fifty of the IPL 2025 season in a crunch game for Kolkata Knight Riders against Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens on Sunday, 4 May. Russell thrilled the Kolkata crowd with an unbeaten 57 off just 25 balls, propelling the Knight Riders to 206 in their 20 37, had been going through a lean patch in IPL 2025, having scored just 72 runs in KKR's first 10 matches. Questions were raised about his place in the side and KKR's decision to retain him at this stage of his career, but the big-hitting West Indies star silenced his critics in style. | IPL 2025, KKR vs RR Updates |advertisementRussell did not lose patience despite struggling to get going against the spinners after walking in as early as the 13th over, batting at No. 5. The big-hitter was going cautiously at 2 off 9 deliveries before launching into Aakash Madhwal in the 16th over. Rajasthan Royals missed a trick by not handing their best bowler, Jofra Archer, an over while Russell was still searching for rhythm. When Archer was finally introduced in the 17th over, Russell was in the mood to go big, dispatching the England fast bowler for a six and a boundary. He then climbed into Maheesh Theekshana, smashing the Sri Lankan spinner for three consecutive sixes in the 18th did not get much of the strike in the final over but was happy to see Rinku Singh dealing in boundaries and pushing the total beyond think age is just a number - still feeling like 27, happy with the performance tonight," Russell out for your heads, it's raining sixes! #AndreRussell steps up when it matters as he brings up a crucial fifty right on cue for #KKR in this crunch #Race2Playoffs clash!Watch the LIVE action #KKRvRR | LIVE NOW on Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 4, 2025"I was worried when I looked at the scoreboard - I was 2 off 8 deliveries. I never worry about dot balls, but I realised the wicket was gripping. I didn't want to take risks against Theekshana at the start, so when he came back to bowl, I took him on," he experience was on full display as the senior campaigner did not allow the slow start to cause panic. In the end, KKR benefited from the decision to send Russell higher up the order, as he sent some good deliveries into the also made a subtle request to the team management, saying he is more than just a finisher and that spending more time in the middle actually helps him get his eye in and go big."I never worry about dot balls, but I realised the wicket was gripping. I didn't want to take risks against Theekshana at the start, so when he came back to bowl, I took him on. Spinners were on; my strong point is to get after the spinners as much as possible. They were bowling in good areas - Hasaranga was also bowling well - so I didn't want to take them on early. The wicket was a bit slow, it was gripping. I enjoy this role - the more overs I have, the more impact I can make," he lost Sunil Narine early, but they got a solid knock of 35 off 25 from Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Captain Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi then stitched together a 42-run partnership to set up a strong platform for Russell to go updated on IPL 2025 with India Today! Get match schedules, team squads, live score, and the latest IPL points table for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Plus, keep track of the top contenders for the IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap. Don't miss a moment!Must Watch IN THIS STORY#IPL 2025
United News of India
01-05-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
MI post 217/2 as top order fires before Surya-Hardik explode
Jaipur, May 1 (UNI) A vintage half-century from Rohit Sharma and an explosive knock by Ryan Rickelton laid the foundation before a ferocious unbeaten stand between Suryakumar Yadav and skipper Hardik Pandya propelled Mumbai Indians to a commanding 217 for 2 against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2025 clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Thursday. Put in to bat after RR skipper Riyan Parag won the toss, the Mumbai openers put up a clinical display, adding 116 for the first wicket. Rickelton, in just his second match this season, was the aggressor early on, peppering the off-side with precision and clearing the ropes with ease. His 61 off 38 balls featured 7 fours and 3 sixes, including a muscular pull off Jofra Archer and a clean loft over mid-on off Jofra again. He brought up his fifty with a towering six over deep mid-wicket off Kumar Kartikeya. Rohit, at the other end, was all class and composure. The former MI opener mixed elegance with innovation in his 53 off 36 balls, striking 9 boundaries. He unleashed pickup pulls, deft sweeps and lofted drives to keep the scoreboard ticking. A paddled four off Kartikeya and a sliced boundary off Theekshana Maheesh typified his ability to find gaps at will. Their 100-run stand came up in the 11th over, but both fell in quick succession — Rickelton bowled by Theekshana and Rohit holing out to Yashasvi Jaiswal off Parag. At 123/2 in 12.4 overs, Rajasthan had a glimmer of hope. But that was swiftly extinguished by the arrival of Suryakumar and Hardik, who turned the final phase into a boundary carnival. The duo hammered an unbeaten 94 off just 42 balls, with both batsmen finishing on identical scores of 48 not out off 23 balls each. Suryakumar, with his trademark improvisation, lit up the evening. He swept Theekshana for six over fine leg, upper-cut Fazalhaq Farooqi over third man, and even fell to the ground while lap-scooping Archer to the fence. His 4 fours and 3 sixes came at a breathtaking strike rate of 208.70. Hardik matched him stroke for stroke. The MI captain tore into Farooqi with 21 runs in the 18th over, smashing a six over long-off and carving two more fours through the off-side. He followed it up with a sliced loft over long-off and a clever flick behind square. One fierce drive even struck Theekshana's finger before racing to the boundary, underlining Hardik's brute force. Akash Madhwal, despite bowling three tidy overs, was taken for a six off the final ball by Suryakumar as Mumbai finished with a flourish. Rajasthan bowling attack lacked penetration, with only Theekshana (4-0-47-1) and part-timer Parag (2-0-12-1) among the wickets. Farooqi's figures of 4-0-54-0 underlined MI's dominance in the death overs. Mumbai scored 65 in the powerplay and 94 in the final 7 overs, highlighting their clinical acceleration through the innings. With 217 on the board, they have given themselves the best chance to pick up crucial points in the race to the playoffs. UNI BDN SSP
Gulf Today
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Sudharsan and Krishna lead Gujarat to top of IPL table with 58-run victory over Rajasthan
Opener Sai Sudharsan struck his third half-century of this season to guide Gujarat Titans to the top of the IPL table with a 58-run thrashing of Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday. The left-handed Sudharsan smashed 82 off 53 balls as Gujarat posted 217-6 after being invited to bat first at their home at the world's biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad. Pace bowler Prasidh Krishna then stood out with figures of 3-24 to help bowl out Rajasthan for 159 in 19.2 overs after Shimron Hetmyer top-scored with 52. Gujarat registered their fourth successive victory in five matches to lead the 10-team table. Inaugural champions Rajasthan slipped to their third defeat. Gujarat, who won the IPL in their debut season in 2022, had a disappointing start when Rajasthan's England import bowler Jofra Archer bowled skipper Shubman Gill with a 147 kph (91.34 mph) delivery that rattled the off stump. But Sudharsan put on key stands, including a 80-run second-wicket partnership with England's Jos Buttler, who hit 36, to lay the foundations for the mammoth total. Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana broke through as he trapped Buttler lbw, a decision denied by the on-field umpire but Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson successfully reviewed the call. Theekshana struck another blow to cut short big-hitter Shahrukh Khan's knock on 36 when he got the burly batter stumped out. West Indies left-hander Sherfane Rutherford began with a six off Theekshana but survived just three balls for his seven when Sandeep Sharma got him out. Sudharsan kept up the attack until his departure in the 19th over off Tushar Deshpande who struck another blow six balls later to send back Rashid Khan for 12. Sudharsan has amassed 273 runs in five matches and is second behind leading batter Lucknow Super Giants' Nicholas Pooran, who has 288 runs. Left-hander Rahul Tewatia made Gujarat finish strong in his unbeaten 24-run blitz that got 16 runs from the 20th over off Sandeep. Rajasthan lost regular wickets in their chase after opener Yashasvi Jaiswal got out in the second over to left-arm medium-pace bowler Arshad Khan. Jaiswal made six. Samson kept up the flow of runs but found little support from the other end as Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel got out with Rajasthan in trouble at 68-4 in the eighth over. Samson and Hetmyer attempted to rebuild as they put together 48 runs but Krishna got the captain caught at short thirdman for 41. Rashid soon got his second wicket with his leg spin and Krishna struck twice, including getting Hetmyer out after his 50, as the chase fizzled out. Gujarat left-arm spinner Sai Kishore wrapped up the win with his two wickets. DC take on high-flying RCB: Delhi Capitals will aim to continue their winning start in the tournament when they visit the M Chinnaswamy Stadium to take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday. The hosts have so far won three of their opening four games, but their only loss came at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, an eight-wicket defeat to Gujarat Titans in their first home game of the season so far. RCB come into the game on the back of their first win at the Wankhede Stadium in 10 years when they defeated the Mumbai Indians by 12 runs. It was once again Virat Kohli who led the side with an aggressive 67-run innings, which also saw him become the first Indian to score 13,000 runs in T20s, helped him set the tone while skipper Rajat Patidar's 64 and Jitesh Sharma's unbeaten 40 helped set a massive target. In the bowling department, Aussie quick Josh Hazlewood and Indian spinner Krunal Pandya lead the way for the Bengaluru side with eight and seven wickets respectively to their names. Delhi Capitals on the other hand are yet to create any doubt regarding their capabilities of making a deep run in the tournament having won all games. After the slender one-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants in their opening game, Delhi have registered dominant victories over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Indo-Asian News Service
Int'l Cricket Council
19-02-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
Two new players claim No.1 ranking ahead of Champions Trophy
A pair of international stars have risen to the top and claimed the No.1 spot on the latest ICC Men's Player Rankings ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. India right-hander Shubman Gill overtakes former Pakistan captain Babar Azam to become the top ranked ODI batter in the world, while Sri Lanka spinner Maheesh Theekshana climbs atop the Men's ODI Bowling Rankings - taking the premier position for the first time by surpassing Afghanistan tweaker Rashid Khan. WATCH: Pakistan v India | Match Highlights | 2017 Champions Trophy Final Pakistan v India | Match Highlights | 2017 Champions Trophy Final It's a major shake-up at the top of the rankings just prior to the start of the Champions Trophy and leaves an interesting sub-plot to what will transpire over the coming weeks during the eight-team tournament in Pakistan and Dubai. This is the second time Gill has held the No.1 ranking in ODI cricket, with the India batter having also gone past Babar to claim top spot midway through the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in 2023. WATCH: Gill unleashes in Bengaluru | CWC23 Shubman Gill hit four sixes during his fifty. Gill has been in excellent form of late, with his century against England in Ahmedabad during the third ODI of the recently concluded series enough to catapult the 25-year-old to the top of the rankings. Men's ODI Batter Rankings Babar drops to second place and 23 rating points behind the new No.1, while India skipper Rohit Sharma remains in the third spot and 45 rating points behind his fellow Indian opener. WATCH: India v England | Match Highlights | 2013 Champions Trophy Final India v England | Match Highlights | 2013 Champions Trophy Final New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell (up two places to fifth) and Sri Lanka dasher Charith Asalanka (up eight spots to eighth) also make ground inside the top 10, while Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan climbs six places to 15th with a new career-high rating. New Zealand duo Devon Conway (up five rungs to 35th) and Glenn Phillips (up six places to 41st) also make good ground on the list for ODI batters this week, with in-form Pakistan right-hander Salman Agha jumping 24 spots to 48th on the back of good displays in the recent Tri-Nation series. WATCH: The Champions Trophy arrives in Pakistan DP World ensures the Champions Trophy arrives in Pakistan Things are just as tight in the latest Men's ODI Bowling Rankings, with Theekshana gaining top spot from Rashid on the back of an excellent series on home soil against Australia. Men's ODI Bowler Rankings While Sri Lanka won't be featuring at the Champions Trophy, Theekshana earned the top spot following his exploits against the Aussies that included an excellent four-wicket haul in the opening match of that series in Colombo. WATCH: Theekshana in action at the T20 World Cup Meanwhile, Afghan spin wizard Rashid drops to second and will be keen to regain the No.1 spot as he trails his Sri Lankan counterpart by just 11 rating points, while a trio of spinners in India's squad Kuldeep Yadav (up one place to fourth), South Africa's Keshav Maharaj (re-enters the rankings in sixth) and New Zealand's Mitchell Santner (up four rungs to seventh) are all inside the top 10 after making ground this week. Afghanistan veteran Mohammad Nabi maintains a lead at the top of the rankings for ODI all-rounders, with Santner gaining one place inside the top 10 to move up to sixth overall. Men's ODI All-Rounder Rankings ICC Champions Trophy, 2025 News Men's Rankings Shubman Gill 09/08/1999 Maheesh Theekshana 08/01/2000
BBC News
12-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Australia's Champions Trophy build-up begins with SL defeat
First one-day international, Colombo Sri Lanka 214 (46 overs): Asalanka 127; Abbott 3-61Australia 165 (33.5 overs): Carey 41; Theekshana 4-40Sri Lanka won by 49 runs Scorecard Australia's difficult build-up to the Champions Trophy was hit further by a 49-run defeat by Sri Lanka in Starc became the latest player to withdraw from the tournament earlier on Wednesday and the 50-over world champions were then bowled out for 165 in the first of two dismissed Sri Lanka for 215 despite a century from Charith Asalanka, Australia lost opener Matt Short for a duck lbw to the second ball of the Jake Fraser-McGurk and Cooper Connolly followed for two and three respectively and Steve Smith, Australia's captain for the Champions Trophy in the absence of injured skipper Pat Cummins, followed for tourists rebuilt to 83-4 but Marnus Labuschagne fell lbw to spinner Maheesh Theekshana for 15 and Alex Carey was caught in the next over for were bowled out in 33.5 overs with Theekshana taking 4-40 for Sri Lanka, who failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy. Sean Abbott and Spencer Johnson were among those added to the 15-strong Champions Trophy squad, with Starc's withdrawal following injuries to Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh, plus Marcus Stoinis' absence further weakens Australia's pace attack for the Champions Trophy, with Cummins and Josh Hazlewood already ruled took 3-61 and Johnson 2-44 in Sri Lanka's 215 all out, as Asalanka dragged the hosts to a decent score with 127 from 126 came in at 30-3 and soon witnessed his side slip to 55-5 but his 14 fours and six sixes boosted the score. All-rounder Dunith Wellalage was the next highest scorer with Champions Trophy campaign begins against England on 22 February. Their second and final ODI against Sri Lanka is on Friday.
