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IPL 2025: Axar Patel likely to be appointed as new Delhi Capitals skipper, say sources

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New Delhi, March 11: After playing a pivotal role in India’s 2025 Champions Trophy triumph with his all-round skills, Axar Patel is now likely to be appointed as the new Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper for the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The all-rounder had stepped in to be DC’s captain in IPL 2024 when his predecessor Rishabh Pant was not allowed to play in a crucial game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) due to an over-rate offence.

“Yes, Axar Patel is likely to be named as Delhi Capitals skipper for IPL 2025. The franchise had asked for KL Rahul to be the team’s captain, but he very much wishes to contribute for the side as a player in the upcoming tournament,” sources told media on Tuesday.

Axar has been with DC since 2019, and was retained for a whopping Rs 18 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. In his IPL career of 150 games, Axar has scored 1653 runs at a strike rate of 130.88 while picking 123 wickets with his left-arm spin bowling at an economy rate of 7.28.

Axar had been India’s vice-captain during their 4-1 T20I series win over England at home this year, but his possible elevation as DC’s captain for IPL 2025 is going to be a major test of his leadership skills, especially with the franchise still looking for their first-ever championship win.

Rahul was also a leadership contender after being roped in by the franchise for Rs 14 crore at the mega auction last year. The wicketkeeper-batter had previously led Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for two seasons each in the IPL, with the latter entering the playoffs in 2022 and 2023 season under his leadership.

But as per the sources, he will now feature for DC minus the leadership role. DC’s opening match of IPL 2025 will be against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on March 24. The side is scheduled to have a short three-day training camp in New Delhi this week, before leaving for Visakhapatnam on March 17.

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Asian Games: ‘Past is past, focus on next match,’ Suruchi/Kamaljeet reveal coach’s message before triumph

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Nagoya (Japan), Sep 25: India’s Suruchi Inder Singh and Kamal jeet revealed how coach Samaresh Jung helped them put the disappointment of missing out on the individual 10m air pistol final behind them as they combined to win the mixed team gold with an Asian record at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Friday.

The Indian duo delivered a stunning performance in the 10m air pistol mixed team final, scoring 484.6 to set a new Asian record and claim gold. South Korea’s Choo Gaeun and Hong Suhyeon won silver with 478.0, while Iran’s Rostamyan Haniyeh and Golkhandan Vahid took bronze with 415.8.

The result came after both Suruchi and Kamaljeet failed to qualify for the individual 10m air pistol final, but Jung urged them to treat it as the past and focus on the opportunity ahead.

“The coach told me before the match that yesterday’s match was already over. What’s the point of thinking about it now? Focus on the next day. It’s not like you only have to win the gold. Everyone is here to play. You just have faith in yourself and follow your technique. You will get the gold,” Kamaljeet replied to an media query during a media interaction.

Suruchi said the coach’s message was simple: dwelling on the past would only affect their next opportunity.

“He said the setback is past. If we think about it, we will ruin our future. That match is over. If we think about it and ruin the next, we won’t get a medal,” Suruchi said.

The duo also rewrote the Asian record on the way to the gold. Suruchi said neither shooter was thinking about the record during the final as they remained focused on their own screens and technique.

“Nothing happens during the match. During the match, we don’t look at the screen. We don’t look at the scoreboard or anything else. We don’t look at anyone else’s screen. We focus on what comes on our screen,” she said in a media interaction.

“There was no such thing as coming behind the record or coming on the record. There was no such thing. After the match, it was on the scoreboard that I scored a new record. So, it was a good thing that I scored a new record,” she added.

Earlier in qualification, the Indian pair had broken the Asian Games Qualification Record with a score of 587 (29 inner 10s), surpassing the previous mark of 577 set by fellow Indians Sarabjot Singh and Divya Subbaraju at Hangzhou 2023. Their qualification score also equalled the Asian record of 587 set by Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker in 2021.

For Kamaljeet, the gold medal was also a tribute to his family, particularly his father, whose support helped him continue shooting through difficult financial circumstances. “His role is the most important in my life. If he didn’t support me, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Kamaljeet said.

“I don’t have a good family situation. I had an accident and had to spend four to five lakh. It was on loan. He didn’t tell me where the money would come from. He supported me and told me to focus on my shooting,” he added. “My family is my biggest support. They supported me. That’s how I got my medal. Otherwise, I would have quit shooting four years ago.”

Suruchi also credited her parents, particularly her father, who served in the army and introduced her to shooting. “My father’s role is very important. He served in the army. Then he started helping with my shooting. My younger brother also shoots. He was always with me. He helped me a lot. He never left me alone. He was always with me. My parents supported me a lot,” Suruchi said.

The families of both shooters were quick to celebrate the achievement after the final. “We talked to them at home first. We had a few interviews after the match. When we got free from there, we talked to them at home first. My family was very happy. They were enjoying it,” Kamaljeet said.

The gold added another major medal to India’s shooting campaign at the Asian Games and gave Suruchi and Kamaljeet a memorable response to their individual disappointment, with their 484.6 score ensuring they returned to the podium in record-breaking fashion.

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UCL matchweek 1 records: Yamal surpasses Mbappe, Bayern touch 900-goal mark

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Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal impressed again as bigwigs kicked off their Champions League 2026-27 campaign with wins.

Yamal scored and provided two assists as Barcelona defeated Feyenoord 5-1 in their UCL opener. Paris Saint-Germain hold the top spot in the 36-team table after matchweek 1 in Europe’s top-flight, while Bayern brushed aside Bodo/Glimt 5-0. Returning to the UCL after a two-year absence, Manchester United handed debutants Sabah a 4-0 drubbing in their opener. Here, take a look at some of the top stats from matchweek 1.

Yamal breaks Mbappe’s record for most goal contributions as a teenager in Champions League history after a goal and two assists. The 19-year-old now has 23 goal contributions in the UCL (12 goals and 11 assists) after contributing to three goals in the UCL opener. Mbappe had 20 contributions as a teenager.

Meanwhile, FC Bayern Munich have become just the second club to register 900 goals in the UCL, becoming just the second team after Real Madrid (1139) to reach the mark. They beat Bodo/Glimt 5-0 to now tally 904 goals in the competition.

Harry Kane’s goal-scoring run continues as the England internarional netted once in the 5-0 win. He has now scored goals in eight consecutive UCL games, making him just the fourth player with eight or more straight games with goals. Only Cristiano Ronaldo (twice), Robert Lewandowski (twice) and Ruud van Nistelrooy have achieved the mark.

Azerbaijan club Sabah made their debut in the Champions League and lost to United 4-0. However, they have set a unique record as they have become the first-ever team to name a starting XI of players of 11 different nationalities in their first game at the UCL.

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde scored in Madrid’s 2-1 win over Inter Milan in their UCL opener. Although Real were not that impressive, Mbappe scored and has now become the joint fifth-highest goal-scorer in UCL history, levelling Raul Gonzalez. He is now behind only Ronaldo (140), Lionel Messi (129), Lewandowski (109) and Karim Benzema (90).

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Pandya included as Padikkal and Gaikwad to captain India A against Australia A

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New Delhi, Sep 9: Left-handed batter Devdutt Padikkal and senior opener Ruturaj Gaikwad have been named captains of the India A multi-day and one-day squads, respectively, for the upcoming home series against Australia A, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Wednesday.

Seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who has been out of action since IPL 2026 due to injuries to his quad and leg, has been included in the 50-over games, though his selection is subject to fitness. India A will play two four-day matches, followed by a three-match one-day series. All five fixtures will be hosted in Puducherry, beginning on September 22.

Padikkal, who was the player of the series in India’s 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka, amassing 328 runs at number three, will lead a 15-member multi-day side featuring prominent domestic performers. Left-handed top-order batter Sai Sudharsan, who missed the Test series against Sri Lanka due to a right toe injury, has been named as his vice-captain.

The squad includes top-order options Aman Mokhade, Ayush Pandey, Yash Rathod, and Shaik Rasheed, alongside wicketkeeping options Kumar Kushagra, who hit a century in the ongoing Duleep Trophy final against South Zone, and N Jagadeesan.

The spin department for the red-ball leg will be led by Mumbai all-rounders Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian, while the fast-bowling unit features Anshul Kamboj, Tushar Deshpande, Praful Hinge, Nachiket Bhute, and Vijaykumar Vyshak, whose inclusion remains subject to fitness clearance.

For the limited-overs series, Gaikwad takes over captaincy, with Padikkal serving as his deputy. The 50-over squad boasts significant international experience, highlighted by the inclusion of Pandya, provided he passes the fitness assessment at the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru.

The one-day batting unit features explosive batters Priyansh Arya, two-time IPL-winning captain and India batter Rajat Patidar, and versatile Punjab batter Naman Dhir, who has set the stage on fire in the ongoing Sher-e-Punjab T20 league.

Prabhsimran Singh joins Kushagra as a wicket-keeping option for the one-day series, while all-round support will be provided by Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Arshin Kulkarni, and Arshad Khan. The pace-bowling attack for the one-day games features Gurjapneet Singh and Yash Thakur, who made his T20I debut on the tour of Zimbabwe in July.

The series gets underway with the first red-ball game, to be held in Puducherry from September 22 to 25, followed by the second match from September 29 to October 2. The action then shifts to the white-ball format, with the three one-day matches scheduled for October 6, October 9, and October 11.

India A Multi-day squad: Devdutt Padikkal (captain), Sai Sudharsan (vice-captain), Aman Mokhade, Ayush Pandey, Yash Rathod, Shaik Rasheed, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Anshul Kamboj, Praful Hinge, N Jagadeesan (wk), Nachiket Bhute, and Vijaykumar Vyshak (subject to fitness).

India A One-Day squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Devdutt Padikkal (vice-captain), Priyansh Arya, Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Arshin Kulkarni, Arshad Khan, Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya (subject to fitness), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Gurjapneet Singh, and Yash Thakur.

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