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NDTV.com provides the latest information from and in-depth coverage of India and the world. Find breaking news, India news, top stories, elections, politics, business, cricket, movies, lifestyle, health, live TV, videos, photos and more.Robert Lewandowski hit a brace to help a devastating Barcelona rout Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in a one-sided Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday. Hansi Flick’s Barca are a step away from reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 2019 and extended their unbeaten run to 23 matches. The five-time winners took the lead against last year’s runners-up through red-hot winger Raphinha before Lewandowski reached 40 goals for the season with his double. Teenager Lamine Yamal was an unstoppable force throughout and deftly prodded home Barcelona’s fourth as Dortmund collapsed. Barca, who last lifted the trophy in 2015 are aiming to seal a final four clash against Inter Milan or Bayern Munich when they visit Germany next Tuesday.

“I think we played very well but we have one more game to go… we always want to play our football and we want to play it there and we will win,” Lewandowski told Movistar.

Flick warned his team that the job was not done yet.

“You never know what will happen, football is a crazy sport, we have to play like today,” he said.

The coach selected his typical side, with only one decision to make — he opted for Fermin Lopez over Gavi in attacking midfield to support the dynamic forward trio.

La Liga leaders Barcelona seized control from the start, opening the scoring after 25 minutes.

Lopez whipped a free-kick to the back post, with Inigo Martinez nodding the ball towards Pau Cubarsi, who turned it towards goal.

The young defender’s effort beat Gregor Kobel and was heading over the line before the tournament’s top scorer Raphinha slid in to make sure, claiming his 12th goal.

The Brazilian winger faced a nervous wait while VAR worked to confirm his strike was onside.

“I was worried on the first goal if I was offside, it’s good that it was valid,” said Raphinha.

“I touched the ball before the line and I apologised to Cubarsi, he told me not to worry, he would count it as an assist.”

Serhou Guirassy spurned a couple of big chances for the visitors to level before the break.

With Dortmund’s first slick attacking move of the game, the forward, who has 10 goals in the competition, was played in but snatched badly at a bouncing ball with just Wojciech Szczesny to beat.

Unsurprisingly Niko Kovac’s Dortmund came to regret Guirassy’s misses, with Lewandowski netting his 10th of the tournament early in the second half.

Yamal clipped a cross to Raphinha, who looped a header over to Lewandowski at the far post to nod home from virtually under the crossbar three minutes after the interval.

Lopez struck the post and lashed inches over as Barcelona searched for a third to kill the tie off. It arrived after 66 minutes, with Lopez teeing up Lewandowski to drill home at the near post.

This was the former Dortmund striker’s 29th goal in 28 matches against his old club, and his 99th in a Barcelona shirt since joining in 2022.

“I am very happy, 99 goals for the club,” added Lewandowski.

“In my head I always have not just winning, but helping the team with my qualities, goals.

“I think strikers always have to think about goals.”

Yamal, who had toyed with Dortmund’s defence all night, deservedly got on the scoresheet as the visitors left themselves wide open and Raphinha sent the youngster through on goal.

The only worry for Barca was Yamal asking to be replaced in the final stages, although he was smiling as he was afforded an ovation.

“He’s fine, he had played too many minutes (lately),” explained Flick.

Barca are aiming for a potential quadruple this season and on this evidence, they will take some stopping.

Dortmund were left licking their wounds.

“We weren’t cohesive enough, and what’s more, we made simple mistakes — at this level they are punished harshly,” Dortmund’s Emre Can told DAZN.

“I think we can do better, even if (the Barca attackers) are so good, I know that.”

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

]]>Virat Kohli is one of the most followed celebrities across social media platforms. He has 271 million followers on Instagram, while in X he has 67.7 million followers. He is among the top athletes in the world, when it comes to brand endorsements. On Wednesday, Kohli removed promotional post in his Instagram account to the reels section. While no reason was given, the act got the internet intrigued. Kohli had retired from T20 Internationals in the middle of last year after helping India win their second T20 World Cup in the Americas, having played 125 matches to score 4,188 runs with one century and 38 fifties at an average of 48.69 and strike rate of 137.04.

Virat Kohli’s Instagram feed is now ad-free. pic.twitter.com/efjLhdmB2s

— Prathamesh Avachare (@onlyprathamesh) April 8, 2025

Virat Kohli’s Instagram feed is now ad-free. pic.twitter.com/efjLhdmB2s

— Prathamesh Avachare (@onlyprathamesh) April 8, 2025

Go & Check #ViratKohli Instagram.
All the Ads have been removed… Finally. pic.twitter.com/7mDkaCVm5h

— Arabh /- (@arabhroy_) April 8, 2025

Virat kohli has deleted 191 ad posts from his instagram account in the last 30 Days pic.twitter.com/t9IkrOnlfw

— (@marco_VK_) April 9, 2025

Virat Kohli on Monday became the first Indian to complete 13,000 runs in T20 cricket during the Indian Premier League contest between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians here.
Kohli reached the landmark with his second half-century this IPL season to become only the fifth batter overall to have scored 13,000 runs in the shortest format of the game.

The right-handed modern day great achieved the feat in a little over 400 matches in his career.

He is the third-highest run scorer in T20Is after Rohit Sharma (4,231 runs) and Pakistan’s Babar Azam (4,223).

Rohit is the second in the list among highest run-scorers in overall T20 cricket with 11,851 runs in 451 matches.

Overall, Kohli had scored 12,983 runs before the IPL clash on Monday with nine centuries and 98 fifties at an average of 38.93 and strike rate of over 132.

The IPL season-opening contest between RCB and Kolkata Knight Riders on March 23 was Kohli’s 400th game in the shortest format.

Chris Gayle leads the list of highest run-scorers in T20 cricket with 14,562 in 463 matches, followed by Alex Hales at the second spot with 13,610 runs, Shoaib Malik at third with 13,557 runs in 555 matches and Kieron Pollard at the fourth position with 13,537 runs in 695 matches.

With PTI inputs 

]]>MS Dhoni, albeit for a short duration, gave the fans a glimpse of his old self during Chennai Super Kings’ IPL 2025 match against Punjab Kings on Tuesday. With his team chasing 220, MS Dhoni came out to bat at No. 5, his highest spot in this IPL. He hit 27 off just 12 balls with the help of three sixes and one four. CSK, reeling with a string of losses, needed to win the match to put their campaign back on track. CSK lost the match ultimately by 18 runs. It meant that CSK lost their fourth match on the trot.  

When MS Dhoni came on to bat, former CSK and MI star Ambati Rayudu‘s over-the-top comment met with an epic response from Navjot Singh Sidhuy    

“When MS Dhoni comes in to bat, whatever may be the required run-rate, it looks achievable. But now, it seems like Punjab Kings have got a wondow of an opportunity, which they will make into a wondow. He is running down the stairs; the intent is clearly visible through the run,” Navjot Singh Sidhu said on his arrival during commentary.

Ambati Rayudu went over the top in his description of MS Dhoni’s entry. “It seems MS Dhoni is coming out with a sword in his hand, not bat. The sword will be wielded tonight, and it will be Dhoni’s sword that will be wielded.”

“Guru, you’re saying like he is not coming to play cricket but to fight a war,” Sidhu said.

“You can look at his walk. In the last game, he entered calmly, but tonight, even in the warm-up, he removed the black thing he usually wears on his knee. Tonight, we will see a fearless Dhoni,” he added.

Dhoni Cricket khelne aye hain Guru ? Yudh ladne nahin ? …. #IPL pic.twitter.com/MUmn6ivgyN

— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) April 9, 2025

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Ambati Rayudu has become a constant talking point on social media. Just a day after his heated debate with former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar, Rayudu clashed on Live TV with Navjot Singh Sidhu. The incident took place during the Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK) clash in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday. It all happened when Rayudu accused Sidhu of changing his team by calling him a ‘girgit’ (chameleon) but received a stern reply.

Siddhu owned both rayadu and dhoni pic.twitter.com/JLsf8iOOrZ

— Tezas (@Tezas_14) April 8, 2025

In a video that has gone viral on social media, Sidhu responded to Rayudu’s accusation of changing teams by saying: “Is sansar me girgit ki tarah koi hai to tumhare aradhyadev hai (if there’s someone in this world who is like chameleon, it is your idol)”.

]]>India opened their account in the Billie Jean King Cup with a 2-1 win over Thailand in the group stage in Pune on Wednesday. Shrivalli Bhamidipaty set the tone for the hosts with an emphatic win, before the experienced duo of Ankita Raina and Prarthana Thombare helped India get off the mark in the tournament held at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Complex. Bhamidipaty picked up where she left off on day one, delivering another commanding performance against Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee.

Playing only her second game in Indian colours, she brushed aside her opponent in an hour and 15 minutes, displaying an array of strokes to win 6-2, 6-4, giving India a 1-0 lead in the tie against Thailand.

The second game of the day saw Sahaja Yamalapalli take on Mananchaya Sawangkaew, in what proved to be a nail-biting contest. The two players went toe-to-toe, putting some exceptional tennis on display.

Mananchaya won the first set 6-3, before Sahaja showed immense grit and determination to take the second set 7-6 (7-3).

Trailing 0-1 in the final set, the young Indian unfortunately had to retire hurt, bringing curtains on a thrilling match that lasted two hours and 23 minutes.

The experienced Indian duo of Ankita and Thombare then got the better of Peangtarn Plipuech and Patcharin Cheapchandej in the doubles game.

The Indians bagged the first set before faltering in the second. However, they dished out a superb performance in the tie-break, sealing a victory in the super tie-break, with a scoreline of 7-6, 3-6, 10-3 in an hour and 55 minutes.

India had lost to New Zealand 1-2 on Tuesday. India will take on the Hong Kong in their third match on Thursday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

]]>Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu made a winning start to the Badminton Asia Championships with a straight-game win over Ester Nurumi Wardoyo of Indonesia in the women’s singles while Lakshya Sen made an early exit from the men’s singles draw in Ningbo, China on Wednesday. The 29-year-old world number 17 Sindhu won 21-15 21-19 in 44 minutes against 19-year-old Wardoyo, ranked 36th. Sindhu will be up against world number four and third seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the pre-quarterfinals on Thursday.

Meanwhile, 2021 World Championships bronze medallist Sen dished out a lackluster performance against Lee Chia Hao of Chinese Taipei, a finalist at the All England Championships, to lose 18-21 10-21 in the first round.

Earlier in the day, HS Prannoy also made an early exit as he lost to Zu Guang Lu of China in the men’s singles opening round.

Prannoy, who hasn’t been at his best since suffering a bout of Chikungunya, lost to his Chinese opponent 16-21 21-12 11-21 in a round of 32 match.

Kiran George, however, made it to the pre-quarterfinals with a 21-16, 21-8 win over Dmitriy Panarin of Kazakhstan in 35 minutes.

In women’s singles, Aakarshi Kashyap, Anupama Upadhyaya, Malvika Bansod lost their respective matches to crash out of the tournament.

While Aakarshi lost to world number three Han Yue of China 13-21 7-21 in 31 minutes, Anupama was beaten by world number 13 and eighth seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 13-21 14-21.

Bansod was beaten by Gao Fang Jie of China 14-21 8-21.

In women’s doubles, Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra suffered defeat to Chinese Taipei’s Shuo Yun Sung and Chien Hui Yu 11-21 13-21.

In men’s doubles, the unheralded duo of Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi beat Sri Lankan pair of Madhuka Dulanjana and Lahiru Weerasinghe 21-3, 21-12 in a round of 32 contest.

However, the Indian duo of Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K lost to Chinese Taipei pair of Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin 19-21 12-21.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

]]>Sai Sudharsan’s classy fifty combined with a collective bowling effort powered Gujarat Titans to a commanding 58-run win over Rajasthan Royals in their IPL clash in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. Sudharsan lit up the evening with a dazzling 53-ball 82, while explosive cameos from Jos Buttler (36), Shahrukh Khan (36), and Rahul Tewatia (24) propelled GT to a formidable 217/6. The bowlers then kept chipping away, striking at regular intervals to keep Rajasthan on the back foot despite fighting knocks from Shimron Hetmyer (52) and skipper Sanju Samson (41). The visitors were eventually bowled out for 159 in 19.1 overs.

Sudharsan was in sublime touch, effortlessly finding gaps and punishing anything loose. His fluent knock, laced with eight boundaries and three sixes, formed the bedrock of GT’s imposing total.

Defending 217, pacers Mohammed Siraj (1/30) and Arshad Khan (1/19) struck early to give GT the perfect start.

Arshad drew first blood, removing the dangerous Yashasvi Jaiswal (6) who slashed at a wide one and picked out Rashid Khan at deep third.

List of batters with most runs –

In the very next over, Nitish Rana (1) attempted an upper-cut off Siraj but met the same fate, guiding it straight to the fielder at deep third man.

But Samson and Riyan Parag (26) launched a fiery counterattack. Parag smoked three no-look sixes, while Samson dispatched anything loose to the boundary with casual ease, taking RR to 57/2 in the powerplay.

The momentum swung again as Impact Sub Kulwant Khejroliya (1/29) had Parag caught by Buttler, before Rashid Khan removed Dhruv Jurel (5) to leave Rajasthan tottering at 68/4.

Samson and Hetmyer added 48 runs to keep hopes alive, but Prasidh Krishna (3/24) dealt the killer blow.

He first dismissed Samson as the wicketkeeper tried to steer one behind square but only managed to skew it high towards Sai Kishore, who held on calmly at the edge of the circle.

Krishna then returned to snare Hetmyer.

List of bowlers with most wickets –

Earlier, after leaking plenty of runs initially in the IPL, Jofra Archer (1/30) is well and truly back to his best.

With the new ball in hand, he cranked it up to 152.3 kph in his first over, then returned in his second to clean up Shubman Gill (2) with a steaming 147.7 kph inswinger that beat the inside edge and crashed into Gill’s off stump.

Archer then greeted Buttler with a sharp bouncer, but the former England captain responded a couple of balls later with a crisp four to the deep-cover boundary.

With Sudharsan taking charge, Buttler joined the party with back-to-back boundaries off Fazalhaq Farooqi (0/38) in the seventh over.

In the next over, he sliced Maheesh Theekshana (2/54) through the off side for a four, before lofting him straight down the ground for another boundary.

But Theekshana had the last laugh, trapping Buttler leg-before, ending an 80-run partnership.

Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson immediately turned back to Archer in a bid to stem the flow of runs, and the Barbados-born pacer repaid the faith with a tight over that went for just six.

But Shahrukh exploded into action in the very next over, slamming consecutive boundaries before muscling one over deep extra cover to inject some much needed momentum into the GT innings.

The boundaries kept coming as Shahrukh went after Theekshana in the 14th over that yielded 16 runs.

Royals responded by striking twice in quick succession, removing Shahrukh and Sherfane Rutherford (7) to pull things back.

Sudharsan was handed a life on 81 but couldn’t make much of the reprieve, as Tushar Deshpande induced a thin edge to send him back in the dugout.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

]]>Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals Highlights, IPL 2025: Gujarat Titans continued their winning streak in IPL 2025 with a 58-run win over Rajasthan Royals in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. Getting an invitation to bat first, GT posted 217 for 6 in 20 overs, thanks to Sai Sudharsan’s 82 off 53 balls. Jos Buttler and Shahrukh Khan too scored crucial 36 each. Maheesh Theekshana and Tushar Deshpande picked two wickets apiece but both of them leaked over 50 runs in their respective spells. Jofra Archer, on the other hand, was really impressive with figures of 1 for 30 in four overs. In the chase, RR got off to a poor start but Sanju Samson’s 41 off 28 kept them going. Shimron Hetmyer scored 52 off 32 towards the end but failed to get any support from the other end. This happened to be GT’s fourth win on the trot while RR’s two-match winning run ended with the defeat. (Scorecard)

Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2025 Highlights –

]]>Riyan Parag was at the centre of a tricky dismissal during the Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals IPL 2025 match in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. The incident happened in the seventh over bowled by GT’s left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya. Riyan Parag was given caught behind but the RR batter went for DRS. The decision to go for a DRS looked surprising as it appeared to be a straight out. Replays showed there was a spike as the ball passed the bat, however, at the same time the bat hit the ground too. Parag even looked displeased and had a word with the umpire too. 

Riyan Parag was clearly not out. pic.twitter.com/DtOCTIlUWH

— r1shab (@rishabgargalt) April 9, 2025

DRAMA IN AHMEDABAD!

Riyan Parag is not happy with the DRS decision for being caught behind & he makes his way back! What is your take here?

Watch the LIVE action https://t.co/Bu2uqHSFdi #IPLonJioStar #GTvRR | LIVE NOW on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi &… pic.twitter.com/iy9BedHrtz

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 9, 2025

Was the snickometer sound from the bat hitting the ground or the ball hitting the bat? How does the third umpire decide? Riyan Parag clearly thinks its from the bat hitting the ground.
We need to find another way of settling this issue, not the first time this has happened!

— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) April 9, 2025

Riyan Parag was definitely NOT OUT!
The ball’s shadow can be seen clearly on the bat and the snicko showed a spike before the ball reached the bat, i.e. the bat did hit the ground and hence the spike.
Rajasthan Royals robbed! Ridiculous umpiring! pic.twitter.com/TSVIJ2q1N3

— Harsh Goyal (@go86964584) April 9, 2025

Earlier, Opener Sai Sudarshan’s valiant knock of 82 runs stomed hosts Gujarat Titans to a total of 217/6 in their 20 overs against Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Rajastan-based franchise skipper Sanju Samson won the toss and opted to bowl first in the match against the hosts, the Gujarat Titans.

Batters Shubman Gill and Sai Sudarshan came out in the middle to open the innings for the Gujarat side, but they didn’t have the start they wanted as Gill was sent back to the pavilion after scoring just two runs in the third over of the innings.

The Gujarat side touched the 50-run mark in the sixth over. The 50th run came through a wide, which was bowled by right-arm seamer Sandeep Sharma.

Following skipper’s departure, right-hand batter Jos Buttler came in the middle to bat along with Sudarshan. Both players built a marvellous partnership of 80 runs from 47 balls before Buttler (36 runs off 25 balls) was sent back to the dressing room in the 10th over by spinner Maheesh Theekshana.

Shahrukh Khan came to bat next, following the wicketkeeper-batter’s dismissal. The Shubman Gill-led side touched the 100-run mark in the 11th over as Sudarshan took a double on the last ball of the over, which was bowled by speedster Jofra Archer.

Shahrukh and Sudarshan built a magnificent partnership of 62 runs in just 34 balls before the former was dismissed in the 16th over at the score of 154 by Theekshana.

In the end, Rahul Tewatia (24* runs off 12 balls) and Rahid Khan (12 runs from 4 balls) scored some crucial runs for the side, which took the Gujarat side to 217 runs with the loss of six wickets in their 20 overs.

For the Rajasthan Royals, two wickets each were snapped by Tushar Deshpande (2/53) & Maheesh Theekshana (2/54) and one wicket each was grabbed by Jofra Archer (1/30) and Sandeep Sharma (1/41) in their respective spells of four overs each.

]]>Former India players Wasim Jaffer and Piyush Chawla questioned Punjab Kings’ move of bringing Yuzvendra Chahal too late into the attack during the side’s IPL 2025 match vs Chennai Super Kings at Mullanpur on Tuesday. CSK were chasing a target of 220 in the game and Chahal was surprisingly introduced in the 17th over. The leg-spinner, who is the highest wicket-taker in the history of IPL with the tally of 206, got only one over during the entire CSK innings.

Chahal was kept off the attack as it seemed PBKS didn’t want to use the leg-spinner against the left-handed batters of CSK. Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, two left-handed batters, started the innings for the five-time champions. Ruturaj Gaikwad, a right-handed batter, came after Rachin’s departure, but his innings could last for just one off three balls. Gaikwad’s wicket saw Shivam Dube, another left-handed batter, coming to the crease. Dube got out in the 16th over and only after that Chahal was brought in to bowl as next came right-handed batter MS Dhoni.

“Vipraj Nigam got Shivam Dube out in the previous game. So you are saying Yuzvendra Chahal is not a better bowler than Vipraj? I mean it’s in the hindsight, but if he gets him out when he comes to bowl to Shivam Dube at the start, he breaks open the game,” Jaffer said on ESPN Cricinfo.

Notably, leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam of Delhi Capitals had dismissed Dube in CSK’s game before the latter team faced PBKS.

“I did not like it to be honest. People talk a lot about match-ups. But, he is somebody who is the highest wicket-taker in this league. He got the majority of his wickets on the most difficult ground. Two left-handers at the crease it is okay, he can bowl the wrong’un as well. If Dube takes him for one or two sixes, but you get his wicket at that time, then that pushes CSK more on the backfoot,” Chawla said.

]]>Recently, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and India star batter Virat Kohli was seen flaunting his T20 World Cup-winning championship title ring. He even did the John Cena celebration. in a fun video ahead of clash with Mumbai Indians (MI) on Monday at Wankhede Stadium. Now, WWE superstar John Cena has respoended to the act. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Cena posted a photo of Virat Kohli and wrote: “Oh, John Cena”.  

In a video posted by RCB’s official X handle, with John Cena’s self-performed WWE entrance them ‘My Time is Now’ playing, Virat was seen proudly flaunting his T20 WC 2024 ring and performing Cena’s iconic gesture by waving his hand in front of his face.

“His Time is Forever”

Virat Kohli is THE vibe!

: John Cena (My Time is Now) pic.twitter.com/69uXWrPtcE

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) April 6, 2025

During the T20 World Cup last year, Virat could not perform in group stages, but made up for a disappointing tournament with a match-winning 76 in the final against South Africa at Barbados, ending the tournament with 151 runs in eight matches at an average of 18.87 and strike rate of over 112. He is India’s second-highest and overall third-highest run-getter in T20Is, with 4,188 runs in 125 matches at an average of 48.69 and strike rate of over 137, with a century and 38 fifties and best score of 122*.

In the ongoing IPL 2025, Virat has scored 97 runs in three matches at an average of 48.50, a strike rate of over 134 with a half-century to his name.

Coming to Cena, the wrestler-turned-actor is on his professional wrestling retirement run and will be taking on Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship, which will be a record 17th world title win if he secures a win at Wrestlemania 41 at Nevada on April 20.

]]>Jofra Archer is breathing fire in IPL 2025. After few quiet games for Rajasthan Royals, the England speedster is coming into his own. He took one wicket against Chennai Super Kings and then picked  three-wicket haul against Punjab Kings. Against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, Archer’s victim was GT captain Shubman Gill. On the first ball of the third over, Archer came up with a 147.7 kmph screamer, to which Gill committed forward as the ball swung in to rattle the off-stump. Gill was roasted by social media users due to his repeated dismissal by Archer.

UNPLAYABLE! #JofraArcher is breathing fire with the new ball as #ShubmanGill falls prey to a peach of a delivery

Watch the LIVE action https://t.co/Bu2uqHSFdi #IPLonJioStar #GTvRR | LIVE NOW on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi & JioHotstar! pic.twitter.com/TH9VDBFK80

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 9, 2025

Shubman Gill vs Jofra Archer in IPL.

Innings – 5
Runs – 10
Balls faced – 15
Dismissals – 3
Average – 3.3
Strike rate – 66.6

Aukaat against quality bowlers pic.twitter.com/uUVlnkA5wB

— N (@Vk_is_goat) April 9, 2025

Shubman Gill dismissed for 2 in 3 balls #GTvsRR pic.twitter.com/3hdeINc9sL

— HEEBA KHAN (@HeebaKhan86) April 9, 2025

Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson won the toss and elected to bowl first against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 23rd encounter of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday. Sri Lankan star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga misses out.

This clash is the fifth match for both sides in the 18th edition of the cash-rich league. Currently, the RR are placed at the seventh spot of the IPL 2025 points table with four points whereas the Gujarat-based franchise is on second with six points from their four matches so far in the ongoing tournament.

“We would like to bowl here first because of the conditions. There is going to be dew here. Each and every game in the IPL is important. We are grateful for the last two games and take the momentum forward. It is great to be back. It is a very new team, new guys in the squad, we retained six guys but it is still a new team, we took time to gel together and know our roles. The wicket looks really good and will stay true. Hasaranga misses out due to personal reasons Farooqi comes in,” Sanju Samson said after the toss.

Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill informed at the time of the toss that they didn’t have any changes in the team.

Gill said, “I would have bowled first as well. Looking at the past few matches, dew has come in during the second innings but we have batted first here. We are taking it one game at a time and not keeping track on how many games we have won. If the top 3 or 4 are doing the job then I am happy with that. We have had a really good home run and hopefully nothing changes for us, support from the fans has always been tremendous. No changes for us.”

Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande.

]]>Rajasthan Royals will be without the services of leg-spin all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga as captain Sanju Samson won the toss and elected to bowl first against Gujarat Titans in Match 23 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.Gujarat Titans (GT) are in second place in the points table, while Rajasthan Royals (RR) are in seventh position. A win for RR in Ahmedabad will take them to join a large six-point bandwagon. After winning the toss, Samson said Hasaranga was out due to personal reasons, with left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi replacing him in the playing eleven.

RR will also have Tushar Deshpande back after missing last game against Punjab Kings due to a niggle. Bowling first here because of the conditions. There is going to be dew here. Each and every game in the IPL is important.”

“We are grateful for the (wins in) last two games and take the momentum forward. It is great to be back. It is a very new team, with new guys in the squad; we retained six guys. But it is a new team, and we took time to gel together. The wicket looks really good,” he said.

GT skipper Shubman Gill said his playing eleven is unchanged and that he was looking to bowl first as well. “Looking at the past few matches, dew has come in during the second innings, but we have batted first here. We are taking it one game at a time and not keeping track of how many games we have won.”

“If the top 3 or 4 are doing the job, then I am happy with that. We have had a really good home run, and hopefully, nothing changes for us. Support from the fans has always been tremendous,” he said.

Wednesday’s match will be played on pitch number seven in the stadium, which is a red-soil surface, which means bowlers will get ample pace and bounce. One square boundary is at 60 metres, as compared to the other one standing at 71 metres, while the straight boundary is 73 metres.

Playing XIs:

Gujarat Titans: B. Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (capt), Jos Buttler (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R. Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Ishant Sharma

Impact Substitutes: Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, and Arshad Khan

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (capt & wk), Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Sandeep Sharma, and Tushar Deshpande

Impact Substitutes: Kunal Singh Rathore, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, and Akash Madhwal

]]>Axar Patel‘s captaincy style puts the players at ease instantly and has also played a massive role in Delhi Capitals blazing start to this IPL season, reckons the team’s assistant coach Matthew Mott. The Capitals have won three games on the bounce and currently sits on the pole position in the points table. “He’s just got a great balance on cricket and life. He’ll just summarise the group and make sure the players are included. They’ve got a smile on their face. He doesn’t come across as being the only voice (in the team),” Mott said in the pre-match press conference here on Wednesday.

Mott said Axar uses the experience of other senior players in the squad like KL Rahul and Faf Du Plessis, a former Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper, to good effect.

“He’s not taking it all on himself. He leverages a lot of the other senior players in the group. We mentioned KL, Faf as well. He’s got a lot of experience to draw on, particularly Faf. We had a productive meeting around that,” he said.

Mott also rated Axar as a level-headed person who realises the “fickle” nature of cricket.

“He’s played enough cricket to know that it can be a pretty fickle game at times. You’re well aware that when you’re winning, it’s all rosy.

“I like to think that he’s got that character where if we do have a bad day, he’ll be just as positive,” Mott added.

However, the former white-ball coach of England hoped Axar will utilise himself a tad more as a bowler.

The left-arm spinner has bowled just eight overs across the last three matches without taking any wickets.

“We were probably a little surprised that he didn’t bowl more. He felt like the other bowlers were doing well. Someone like Vipraj (Nigam) has come in and been a sensation for us.

“He probably took some overs where Axel might have bowled. Given his experience and time, I felt he had control of the game. I think in the matches coming forward, you’ll see him bowl a lot more,” he noted.

Mott, the Australian women’s World Cup-winning coach, patted Rahul for showing the flexibility to bat anywhere in the order.

“I thought KL in the last game was amazing to come in at short notice and play an innings like that to really set us up for the win. We’ve got a number of guys who can go in and open.

“I think what separates KL from a lot of people in the group is his ability to bat anywhere. He’s a class player,” he said.

Hinting that Rahul will have continued presence in the DC top-order, Mott said the hit-or-miss style of other opener Jake Fraser-McGurk demands an experienced batter at the other end.

“The role that Jake plays in every side he’s in, it’s high risk, but when he has his days out, it’s what is the goal. But he’s got full autonomy from all of our leadership.

“He’s going to be a player who busts matches open. We’re prepared with the depth that we’ve got to play like that,” he explained.

Faf to be assessed

Mott said veteran batter Du Plessis’ availability for the match against RCB is dependant on his fitness assessment during the nets.

The South African missed the match against Chennai Super Kings with an unspecified injury which later Mott said could be a groin niggle.

“The beauty of the schedule so far is that he’s now had a good break. He’ll get assessed by the physios with a view to playing. He certainly looks like he’s moving around a lot better from the naked eye,” he added.

]]>Paris Olympian Vijayveer Sidhu fetched India its fourth gold medal at the ISSF World Cup after he emerged victorious in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol event in Buenos Aires. Vijayveer shot 29 in a thrilling but low-scoring final to get the better of experienced Italian Riccardo Mazzatti, who was left one short after the eight series of five rapid-fire shots each. Chinese teenager Yang Yuhao won bronze. “I have played so many past finals with Gurpreet sir, Anish and others previously in the nationals, trials etc. and have performed well,” Vijayveer said after the final on Tuesday.

“So today I told myself that I had to do what I do there. Which is that I have to feel that I own the place like I do in Delhi. Just do the same things, but more importantly feel the same way.

“I just wanted to control what I can control and it worked. I am happy that this gold was a barrier and now it has been broken down and this will help future Indian athletes also in this event,” he added.

In blustery conditions, Mazzetti took an early lead, hitting 14 out of the first 20 targets with Sidhu trailing by one at that first elimination stage, which saw Seminikhin bowing out first.

The Indian had had a tough first series, scoring only one hit, but had responded with three solid fours, and then, a perfect five for his fifth series took him to the top and past Mazzetti by two.

The Italian came back with a five himself and tied with the Indian after the sixth series as both confirmed their medals. Meanwhile, the battle for bronze was between Yang and Chiryukin, which the former won via shoot-off.

Both Sidhu and Mazzetti could not be separated after the seventh series as well, as both scored four hits, relegating the 19-year-old Yang to bronze, despite him finishing with a perfect five.

With all to play for in the eighth, Mazzetti fired a three, but it was Sidhu’s day and his riposte was a four and a first individual ISSF World Cup gold.

Earlier on Tuesday Suruchi Inder Singh had won a gold in the women’s 10m air pistol event.

India now has a haul of six medals, including four gold.

]]>Top Indian shuttler HS Prannoy made an early exit from the Badminton Asia Championships as he lost to Zu Guang Lu of China in the men’s singles opening round in Ningbo, China, on Wednesday. Prannoy, who hasn’t been at his best since suffering a bout of Chikengunya, lost to his Chinese opponent 16-21 21-12 11-21 in a round of 32 match that lasted one hour and eight minutes. Kiran George, however, made it to the pre-quarterfinals with a 21-16, 21-8 win over Dmitriy Panarin of Kazakhstan in 35 minutes.

In women’s singles, Aakarshi Kashyap and Anupama Upadhyaya lost their respective matches to crash out of the tournament.

While Aakarshi lost to world number three Han Yue of China 13-21 7-21 in 31 minutes, Anupama was beaten by world number 13 and eighth seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 13-21 14-21 in 36 minutes.

In women’s doubles, Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra suffered defeat to Chinese Taipei’s Shuo Yun Sung and Chien Hui Yu 11-21 13-21 in 35 minutes.

In men’s doubles, the unheralded duo of Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi beat Sri Lankan pair of Madhuka Dulanjana and Lahiru Weerasinghe 21-3, 21-12 in just 19 minutes in round of 32.

However, the Indian duo of Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K lost to Chinese Taipei pair of Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin 19-21 12-21.

Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu will play in their respective men’s and women’s singles matches later in the day.

]]>After an injury-marred 2024, a fully fit Neeraj Chopra is set to begin his 2025 athletics season at the Doha Diamond League, with his focus not just on distance but also on maintaining consistency, according to Olympics.com. For his season opener, the reigning javelin throw world champion and Paris 2024 Olympics silver medallist returns to a familiar venue in the Qatari capital, where he has launched his last two seasons.

The Indian star won the 2023 edition with a throw of 88.67m and secured second place in 2024 with an effort of 88.36m, finishing behind Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist.

“Last year taught me a lot but I was proud to be on the podium for India once again at the Olympic Games. I’m now fully fit and really enjoying the hard work that Jan Zelezny and I are putting in,” Chopra said, referring to his coach, as quoted from Olympics.com.

Last season, Neeraj grappled with a groin issue before clinching silver at the Paris Olympics, where Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem claimed gold with an Olympic record. He also finished second in the Diamond League Final, competing with a fracture in his non-throwing left hand.

“I know the fans expect big things from me when I compete (in Doha) – and with good conditions and a great atmosphere that’s definitely possible – but I pride myself on my consistency, which I believe is one of my greatest strengths. For me, that’s more important than just chasing a number,” he said.

Across six events in 2024, Chopra made the podium each time winning twice and finishing runner-up on four occasions.

Following the Doha Diamond League, Neeraj is set to headline the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Haryana on May 24. Dubbed the NC Classic, the one-day meet is recognised as a World Athletics ‘A’ category event.

]]>Virat Kohli showed great signs of entering a purple patch in the IPL 2025 as he scored a 42-ball 67 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Mumbai Indians recently. In the first match of the IPL 2025, Kohli scored 59* followed by 31 against Chennai Super kings and 7 against Gujarat Titans. Kohli, whose jersey number is 18, is playing his 18th IPL. In fact, he is the only player to have played in all editions of the IPL for just one team. 

In a Virat Kohli special on Jio Hotstar, ’18 Calling 18, the star mentioned a sledging incident involving his long-time India and Delhi teammate Ishant Sharma. Recalling a match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata chasing 223, Kohli said he was intimidated with the way Ishant was bowling. 

“The interesting thing, which I’ve never spoken about, is that Ishant and I played all our cricket together, so I have faced him a lot. But in that game, I felt he was bowling at a different level, and that was the pressure. That is what environment means. Had I faced him in the nets, I wouldn’t have been intimidated, but that day, I felt like I couldn’t hit any of his deliveries, and that was because of the atmosphere and the pressure,” he said.

The RCB star added that Ishant, who was major hit at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series then in Australia, was sledging him. The then youngster had dismissed Ricky Ponting in Perth and was an India star. However, Kohli’s answer was ready. 

“We were staying in different hotels, so there was no conversation about the game. But yes, he was sledging a lot. I mean, seriously…he just came back from Australia, had that new hairstyle, so he had that star attitude. I said, ‘side mein aa mein tereko batata hu‘. But all fun and games,” he said.

RCB ultimately lost the match.

Kohli has said that shedding ego and adapting to the demands of match situations has been at the heart of his successful journey in the shortest format of the game.

Kohli, who recently became the first Indian to breach the 13,000-run mark in T20 cricket, shared insights into his approach and growth over the years.

“It’s never about ego. It was never about trying to overshadow anyone,” said the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star to JioHotstar. “It’s always been about understanding the game situation — and that’s something I’ve always taken pride in. I want to play according to what the situation demands.”

The 36-year-old stalwart remains the highest run-scorer in Indian Premier League (IPL) history with 8168 runs from 256 matches, including eight centuries — the most by any player in the tournament. Kohli emphasized that his ability to step up or step back depending on his teammates’ momentum was crucial in his evolution.

“If I was in rhythm, in the flow of the game, I naturally took the initiative. If someone else was better placed to take the lead, they would do it,” he added.

Kohli traced the turning point of his IPL journey back to 2010 and 2011, when he began getting consistent opportunities at the top of the order. “In my first three years with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, I didn’t get many opportunities to bat in the top order. I was usually sent lower down. So, I wasn’t really able to crack the IPL in a big way. But from 2010 onwards, I started performing more consistently, and by 2011, I was regularly batting at number three. That’s when my IPL journey really began to take shape,” he recalled.

With ANI inputs

]]>Punjab Kings star spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on Wednesday posted a photo with RJ Mahvash on his Instagram story. Later, Mahvash, a very popular radio jockey, posted the same photo on her Instagram along with some other photos of her friends, with the caption: “One for supporting your people through thick and thin and standing behind them like a rock! We are all here for you @yuzi_chahal23.” Commenting on that photo, Indian cricket team star spinner Chahal wrote: “You guys are my spine! Thank you for making me stand tall always.” 

After the news of his divorce with Dhanashree Verma stole the spotlight, Chahal was spotted watching the ICC Champions Trophy final with internet celebrity RJ Mahvash. The moment triggered rumours of the two dating each other. In the match between Punjab Kings, the Indian Premier League franchise that Chahal plays for, and Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday, Mahvash was spotted in the stands, cheering for the leg-spinner’s team. The visuals, hence, further intensified the rumours.

In a recent interview, however, RJ Mahvash had confirmed her relationship status as single.

“I am very much single, and I don’t understand the concept of marriage in today’s time,” Mahvash stated during a podcast while also confirming that she doesn’t believe in casual dating. “I am someone who would date only when I have to marry. I don’t go on casual dates because I will only date someone I want to get married to. I am that person, like in the film Dhoom, who sees his wife and kids behind the bike.”

She even made a big revelation about her past, claiming to have been engaged at the age of 19. However, the engagement was broken a couple of years later.

“I was engaged at the age of 19, and I called it off at the age of 21. Growing up in a small town like Aligarh, our only conditioning was that we needed to find a good husband and get married. That used to be our goal,” she added.

]]>The Rishabh Pant-led Lucknow Super Giants registered a slender four-win over Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Sunday to register their third win in five matches. Despite scoring 238/3 in 20 overs, LSG survived a scare after some terrific batting from Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh. Ultimately, Pant’s side won by four runs. However, fans were intrigued when Pant received medical attendance at the start of the 13th over. KKR had reached 149/2 in 12 overs with Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer in full flow. Pant looked liked having an issue on his back.

Coincidentally, immediately after the medical break, KKR lost Rahane, Ramandeep Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell in successive overs. A section of social media users compared the incident to Pant’s medical time-out during the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa when Heinrich Klaasen was in full flow. 

Did Rishabh Pant Use Fake Injury Tactics Of T20 World Cup 2024 Final vs KKR In IPL 2025?#RishabhPant #IPL2025 #DCvsKKR #FakeInjuryDebate #CricketControversy pic.twitter.com/OOKCpuFiNe

— cricketwebs (@cricketwebs_com) April 8, 2025

Rishabh Pant is so good at the art of slowing the game down with an injury !! We’ve seen that before #KKRvsLSG #KKRvLSG pic.twitter.com/4fEPM14CuX

— Cricketism (@MidnightMusinng) April 8, 2025

KKR lost today’s match because of an unsportive mischief of Rishabh Pant. KKR was going strong untill Pant’s pretension of injury lying down on the ground. Then batters lost stance. Once Rohit Sharma said the same tactics was adopted by Pant against a foreign country.

— Sahadev Mohanty (@SahadevMohanty) April 8, 2025

Rishabh Pant’s masterclass #KKRvsLSG pic.twitter.com/5hzCkA5hzR

— Utsav (@utsav__45) April 8, 2025

Speaking about his ;medical timeout’ during the T20 World Cup final, Pant made an interesting admission. “I actually thinking what to do because the momentum had suddenly shifted (in South Africa’s favour), they had scored plenty of runs in 2-3 overs, so I was thinking when will that moment come when we will the World Cup final,” he told Star Sports.

“I was asking the physio to take time. When Rohit bhai asked if my knee is fine I said, ‘Bhaiya, mast acting kar raha tha’ (I was acting all this while). Sometimes you have to do these types of things in matches. I’m not saying it works every time, but it does work sometimes and if it works at that kind of a moment, then nothing like it.”

]]>Rohit Sharma‘s return to the Mumbai Indians team for the high-profile match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) didn’t produce the expected results, with the Hitman failing to notch up a big score yet again. Rohit could only score 17 runs before being dismissed by a scorching delivery from Yash Dayal in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match on Monday. Seeing Rohit depart for a low score again, commentators Ian Bishop and Ravi Shastri expressed their frustration, suggesting it’s time that Rohit delivers a big campaign.

“They need more from Rohit Sharma, not just little starts of 12-15 runs at the start,” said Ian Bishop on commentary as Mumbai Indians took on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Wankhede.

With Mumbai Indians struggling to register wins, Ravi Shastri echoed Bishop’s sentiments, saying it is high time that Rohit starts converting those starts to big totals.

“Ideally, you want consistency. Teams that go a long way usually have the top-order firing. You need a 400-run season from Rohit Sharma. 15s and 20s converted into 40s and 60s.”

Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene was also asked about Rohit’s form in the post-match press conference. The Sri Lanka great refused to give up on the former MI skipper despite admitting that the team has the problem of scoring quick runs in the powerplay on a consistent basis.

“If you’re telling me every two innings to look at someone’s performance, it’s a bit unfair. My memory of his last innings was the Champions Trophy-winning knock. So we have to give and back the experienced guys, and them coming to the party,” Jayawardene had said at the pre-match press conference.

“We’ve always, as Mumbai, backed the core group to deliver for us, so we’re going to do that. It was unfortunate that he got hit in the nets, and hopefully, he’ll be 100%, and that’s how we will continue to back the guys to get the results for us,” he added.

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