Sports
IPL 2025: Suryakumar to lead MI in first game against CSK, confirms Hardik

Mumbai, March 19: India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav will be captaining Mumbai Indians in their first IPL 2025 game against Chennai Super Kings on March 23, confirmed regular captain Hardik Pandya.
Pandya will be unavailable for MI’s season opener due to a one-match ban he received after the side recorded a slow over-rate in their IPL 2024 final league game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), which was also his third offence of the season.
Suryakumar had captained MI in one IPL match, way back in 2023. “Suryakumar Yadav leads India as well. He will lead Mumbai Indians in the first match of IPL 2025. I am lucky that I have three captains playing with me – Rohit, Surya and Bumrah. They always place an arm around my shoulder and are there when I need any help,” said Pandya in the pre-season press conference, which he attended alongside head coach Mahela Jayawardene on Wednesday.
Talking about the MI-CSK clash, Jayawardene said, “It’s a challenge for both teams. I have always enjoyed the battle, looking forward to it. There is a little more adrenaline for the team as well.”
MI are also without their fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who is recuperating from a back injury suffered during the Sydney Test in March. Jayawardene said Bumrah is still undergoing rehab at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. “He is still at the NCA and is being monitored on a day-to-day basis. He is recovering and is in good spirits; hopefully, he can join the team sooner.”
MI finished at the bottom of the points table last year, and Pandya stated the side is aiming to do their things right in every aspect in IPL 2025. “Just play good cricket. Being with each other at the same point in time. Doing the processes right. Go and execute. With this group, considering the talent, we will look ahead to enjoy the games.”
“This year is a fresh year. A lot of things have changed; a lot of love and joy have been added. There will always be passion and new challenges that I love. The crucial part for me is to help the team to add value to the team. I am here!” added Pandya.
Both Pandya and Jayawardene signed off by saying getting Deepak Chahar and Trent Boult on board was extremely important for the five-time champions. “Getting Trent Boult was very important to us. Deepak Chahar too. We wanted an experienced bowling lineup so that when the pressure comes we have players who have felt it before,” said Pandya.
“Last season, threw us some challenges. But it’s been a big auction with that we have a fresh canvas. With our core team and the new group of guys, including the returning Trent Boult. We want to put the puzzle together and have a good start!” added Jayawardene.
National News
‘Only time will tell, don’t write off champion players’: Shastri, Ponting on 2027 WC prospects of Rohit, Kohli

New Delhi, Oct 21: India legend Ravi Shastri and Australian great Ricky Ponting have shared their thoughts on whether they think the Indian batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain on track to feature at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2027 and said “only time will tell” whether the duo will still be around.
Rohit and Kohli, who have retired from Tests and T20Is within the last 18 months, and the 50-over cricket remains the only format they feature. The veteran duo played their first international fixture since the ICC Champions Trophy at the start of March when they contributed modest returns with the bat against Australia in Perth on Sunday.
When you come back from a long layoff, you are obviously going to be rusty,” Shastri said on The ICC Review.
“It’s not easy for any overseas team to land in Australia, say, two days prior to a game in Perth and adjust to those conditions straight away, especially when you have that extra bounce and against quality fast bowlers.
“But I think only time will tell. They’ll go to Adelaide, they have some time off to get into the nets, get their minds sorted and get back into action,”
“So I’m in no hurry to judge, but it’s when you come back at that age, after some time, it’s about how much you’re enjoying the sport and how much hunger is there and passion is left in you to play the game.
“So if you tick the boxes in two out of those three, especially the enjoyment part of it, then you can give them both time because they’ve got class, they’ve got experience and a little bit of time will sort things out. But I’d rather wait than jump and judge immediately,” he said.
Ponting echoed the sentiments of Shastri and believes Kohli in particular will be targeting some short-term goals during the Australian tour that will help him decide whether to keep playing on.
“The one thing I don’t like hearing from anyone is that ‘I’ve achieved everything in the game’ because I think you still have to have some really short-term goals and not just be hanging on to try and get through to the 2027 World Cup,” Ponting said.
“Virat’s always been a highly motivated person. And I’d like to think that he’s probably sat down and even just given himself some goals and things that he can achieve in this series here in Australia and not be just waiting and killing time for that next World Cup to come around.
“What we know with both of those guys, at their absolute best, yes, of course they’re in India’s best team. But can they find their best between now and when that World Cup rocks around?
“And that’s only an answer that, like Ravi said, that we’ll find out in a short period of time. They will get some really good batting wickets coming up over the next few weeks here in Australia. There’s not many places that are better to go and bat in a one-day game than Adelaide Oval, which is coming up in a couple of days,” he said.
Ponting thinks it will only be a matter of time before Rohit and Kohli are among the runs again and that could come as soon as the next ODI against Australia in Adelaide.
“Finding your rhythm and tempo is the biggest thing. When you’ve had a break, just getting back used to the rhythm and the tempo of the 50-over game again, it takes a little bit of time for anybody,” Ponting said.
“I’d expect to see both those guys bounce back into it pretty quickly. As I said, Adelaide is a great place to bat and a great place to play cricket. But it won’t be easy for the fact that they are facing some of the best white-ball bowlers that have ever played the game. So, the challenge is definitely there.
“But I say it all the time, you don’t write off champion players ever. And these two guys have been two of the best, and while I’m on record saying I think Virat’s the best 50-over player I’ve ever seen, you don’t write them off.
“They’ll find a way to contribute and win games for their team, and if they do that, then they’ll most likely be in that World Cup team in 2027,” he added.
National News
Virat Kohli Asks Shubman Gill & Shreyas Iyer To Lead The Line Ahead Of National Anthem In Perth

Before a ball was bowled in the first ODI match at Perth on Sunday, Virat Kohli made a meaningful gesture by asking captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer to lead the team and stand first in the line. Kohli, who was returning to ODIs for the first time since lifting the Champions Trophy on March 9 in Dubai, appeared in high spirits throughout the pre-match build-up. He was seen chatting animatedly with teammates, sharing laughs, and setting a lighthearted tone in the dressing room.
The series opener had been highly anticipated, with fans eager to see India’s two stalwarts, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both having retired from T20Is and Tests, reunite in blue after months on the sidelines. Though the return did not yield the results many hoped for. Kohli was dismissed for a duck, caught brilliantly at point by Australia’s spin-bowling all-rounder Cooper Connolly off Mitchell Starc’s bowling. Starc thus became only the second bowler, after James Anderson, to dismiss Kohli for a duck twice across all formats.
Earlier in the innings, Rohit Sharma’s comeback was also brief. Playing his 500th international match for India, Rohit was sent back for eight runs after edging a Josh Hazlewood delivery to second slip, where debutant Matthew Renshaw held on to a sharp catch. The match which was marred by rain interruptions, saw over being reduced. In 26 overs, India managed 136/9.
Australia’s target was reduced to 131 runs which they chased down with 7 wickets to spare. Skipper Mitchell Marsh top scored with unbeaten 46 runs. India will now shift focus to the second ODI at Adelaide Oval on Thursday, aiming to bounce back and level the series after a tough start in Perth.
National News
Rohit, Virat & Australia – audition for 2027 or a farewell tour?

New Delhi, Oct 17: As India gears up for the high-voltage ODI series against Australia, the spotlight inevitably falls on two modern greats — Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
The duo, who have defined an era of Indian cricket, were seen training intensely in Perth, looking as sharp and motivated as ever. But amid the excitement, a cloud of uncertainty looms large – is this the last dance for India’s iconic pair?
Both Rohit and Virat have served Indian cricket with unmatched consistency and leadership. Yet, with a generational shift underway and the rise of new stars under young skipper Shubman Gill, speculation about the veterans’ future refuses to die down.
Some believe the management might be using this series as a litmus test – giving them one last shot before gradually transitioning to younger legs. Others argue that form and fitness should be the only yardsticks, and if the two perform in Australia, they deserve to stay in contention till the 2027 ODI World Cup.
What’s certain is that the series means more than just runs and wickets. For fans, it’s a chance to relive the magic of Rohit’s effortless stroke play and Kohli’s fierce determination – traits that have brought India countless memorable victories.
For the team, it’s about striking the perfect balance between experience and youth as Gill begins his journey as India’s new leader Down Under.
Whether this tour marks a new beginning or the closing chapter of a golden era, one thing is undeniable – the cricketing world will be glued to Rohit and Virat once again, hoping their bats do the talking, just as they have for over a decade.
The opening clash between India and Australia will take place at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday, October 19.
India’s ODI squad for the Australia tour includes Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
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