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IPL 2022: Rajasthan understood the true potential of Ashwin’s abilities, says Harbhajan

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Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh reckons Rajasthan Royals realised the true potential of Ravichandran Ashwin’s all-round abilities and have made use of it to the fullest in IPL 2022.

In his debut season for Rajasthan in IPL, Ashwin has delivered with the ball, picking 11 wickets, as well as excelling in the batting order as a surprise floater, as seen from him smashing an unbeaten 40 off 23 balls to lead his side to a win over Chennai Super Kings to qualify for the playoffs.

“Rajasthan Royals should be credited for showing faith in Ashwin’s all-round abilities and this is the best franchise to have ever made full use of R. Ashwin. No franchise has ever utilised Ashwin’s batting talent before but this team has promoted him up in the batting order and he’s won them a match with the bat.

“They have understood the true potential of R. Ashwin and full credit to Ashwin for reposing the faith of the franchise as well,” said Harbhajan on ‘Cricket Live’ show on Star Sports.

At the same time, Harbhajan believes Rajasthan’s batting mainstay and leading run-getter of the tournament, Jos Buttler, had peaked early in the tournament, which is why runs have dried up from the swashbuckling England batter as he got out for single-digit scores in last three matches.

Harbhajan opined that Buttler should go back to his basics in order to regain his form and come back strongly in the Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

“Jos Buttler will have to adjust to the pitches in Kolkata. The pitches in Maharashtra have slowed down as the tournament reached its business end but the Eden Gardens track will be fresh, so not just Buttler, every batter will have to make that necessary adjustment.

“Coming to Buttler, I feel that he seems to have peaked very early and that is a reason why runs are not flowing through his bat in the latter part of the tournament. He’s a great player and he’ll have to go back to his basics to regain his form.”

Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann has backed Rajasthan to book their direct ticket to the final and has even predicted for the re-match of Qualifier 1 to happen in the final.

“Rajasthan Royals will win that first game (Qualifier 1) against Gujarat Titans. I honestly think first and second i.e. Gujarat and Rajasthan are the two best sides in this season and they could end up facing each other in that final.”

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IPL 2025: KL Rahul rejoins Delhi Capitals squad ahead of SRH clash

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New Delhi, March 29: India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul joined the Delhi Capitals squad in Visakhapatnam on Saturday ahead of their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2025 season on Sunday.

Rahul missed the DC’s season opener against Lucknow Super Giants last week due to the birth of his first child with actor wife Athiya Shetty. The couple welcomed a baby girl on March 24.

Taking to X, Delhi Capitals shared the video of Rahul’s arrival and wrote, “You’re loved. You’re ours. You’re home. Welcome to Dilli, KLR.”

In another post, the franchise shared a picture of Rahul in DC’s training jersey and captioned the post, “Let the games begin.”

Rahul is expected to make his Delhi debut in Visakhapatnam on Sunday against Sunrisers Hyderabad after being acquired by the franchise for Rs 14 crore in last year’s mega auction.

The Axar Patel-led side started the tournament on a winning note with a thrilling one-wicket win over Rahul’s former franchise Lucknow. Ashutosh Sharma smashed a 31-ball 66 not out to snatch victory from Lucknow’s jaw with a blistering knock studded with five sixes and as many fours.

After the match, Delhi players congratulated Rahul on becoming the new father by doing a ‘Mother’s Lap Baby Swing’ action.

On his move to Delhi, Rahul termed it both exciting and nerve-wracking for him after last year’s auction.

“This is a new experience for me – joining my fourth or fifth IPL franchise. It’s both exciting and nerve-wracking. Every new team brings uncertainties – how the players will gel, how the management operates, and how the fans will react. But looking at our squad and how the management has built this team, we seem to have most areas covered,” said Rahul.

“There’s a great mix of seasoned players and young talent. I am eager to play alongside some incredibly skilled youngsters and learn from them as well. With players like Mitchell Starc, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav -many of whom I’ve played with before – we have a solid squad. I can’t wait for the IPL to begin.”

In 132 IPL matches, Rahul has amassed 4,683 runs at an average of 45.47. He has also scored four centuries and 37 fifties in the tournament so far after making his debut in 2013.

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IPL 2025: Dhoni should have batted ahead of Ashwin, says Watson

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New Delhi, March 29: Former Australia opener Shane Watson feels that MS Dhoni should have batted ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin in Chennai Super Kings’ 197 chase against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Chepauk on Friday

Despite Dhoni’s late 16-ball 30 not out cameo CSK suffered a heavy 50-run defeat – their second straight loss in the season after losing to Mumbai Indians in their season opener.

Dhoni came to bat at No.9 after Ashwin even when Chennai were reeling at 80/6 after 13 overs. The situation was not ideal for Dhoni to inflict a turnaround but he smashed three fours and two sixes in his short stay at the crease.

However, the move to send Dhoni in the fag end of the innings was not welcomed by many including former players, commentators and fans.

“This is exactly what CSK fans come to see – 30 off 16 deliveries from Dhoni. I would have absolutely loved to see him come up the order. In my opinion, he should have batted ahead of Ashwin. Given the game situation, Dhoni could have played like this for another 15 balls. Over the last couple of years, he has consistently shown that he’s still batting beautifully. I truly believe he should be promoted up the order so we can see the full extent of his skills,” Watson said on JioHotstar.

“From a wicket-keeping perspective, he’s still as sharp as ever—whipping the bails off in an instant. That tells me his game is in great shape, and he’s as well-prepared as he possibly can be. If CSK had sent him in earlier, they would have had a better chance of crossing the line. Of course, the crowd absolutely loved what he did tonight, but if he had come in sooner, CSK might have had a stronger shot at victory.”

Watson was also fazed by CSK’s decision to send Rahul Tripathi to open the batting with Rachin Ravindra while also questioning the batting order of Sam Curran.

“It was disappointing to see certain decisions, like Rahul Tripathi opening the batting. Ruturaj Gaikwad is a quality opener, yet he had to come in later. Even one of the shots Ruturaj played – where he gave himself room against Hazlewood – was uncharacteristic. Normally, he stands still and reacts, but this showed he was under pressure. Deepak Hooda, at the moment, just isn’t up to it; he played each ball as if he was trying to survive. Batting Sam Curran at No. 5 was also questionable—I see him as more of a No. 7 batter,” he said.

“Right now, CSK hasn’t got their combinations right, and they need to make a few adjustments. If they persist with this batting line-up, they risk being exposed,” Watson added.

For RCB, it was their first win against CSK at Chepauk since the inaugural edition of the IPL. Skipper Rajat Patidar’s half-century and cameo knocks from Phil Salt (32), Virat Kohli (31) and Devdutt Padikkal (27) helped them to post 196/7 in 20 overs which their bowlers successfully defended.

With the win, RCB climbed to the top of the standings with two consecutive victories and will next take on Gujarat Titans on April 2.

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IPL 2025: When and where to watch GT vs MI, head-to-head record

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Ahmedabad, March 29: Former champions Gujarat Titans (GT) will face off against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) match 9 at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday.

Both teams started their IPL 2025 campaign with a defeat and will be determined to bounce back in this crucial encounter.

Shubman Gill’s side fell short against Punjab Kings in their last outing, despite valiant knocks from Sai Sudharsan (74 off 41) and Jos Buttler (54 off 33) while chasing 244. Their bowlers, including Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada, struggled to contain PBKS’ onslaught led by Shreyas Iyer (97 off 42).

Meanwhile, MI had a tough start, managing just 155/9 against Chennai Super Kings. Though their bowlers fought hard, CSK secured victory with five balls to spare. However, MI will be bolstered by the return of skipper Hardik Pandya, who will face his former team for the first time since leading them to the 2022 title.

Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians have faced each other five times in the IPL, with Gujarat holding a slight advantage, having won three matches compared to Mumbai’s two victories. Their rivalry began on May 6, 2022, and has since produced thrilling encounters. The most recent clash took place on March 24, 2024, where Gujarat emerged victorious.

When will the GT vs MI match take place?

The match will take place on Saturday. The match will begin at 7:30 PM IST, with the toss scheduled for 7 PM IST.

Where will the GT vs MI match take place?

The match will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.

Where will the live broadcast for GT vs MI match be available?

The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network.

Where will live streaming for GT vs MI match be available?

The match will be streamed live on the JioHotstar app.

Squads:

Gujarat Titans squad: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Glenn Phillips, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Nishant Sindhu, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Gerald Coetzee, Jayant Yadav, Arshad Khan, Karim Janat, Sherfane Rutherford, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mohammed Siraj

Mumbai Indians squad: Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Bevon Jacobs, Ryan Rickelton, Robin Minz, Krishnan Shrijith, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Arjun Tendulkar, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, Lizaad Williams, Karn Sharma, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Satyanarayana Raju, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

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