IPL 2025: 3 key-reasons why Hardik Pandya should continue as the captains of Mumbai Indians

Aryan Malik
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IPL 2025: 3 key-reasons why Hardik Pandya should continue as the captains of Mumbai Indians

Indian Cricket Team’s Premier Fast Bowling All-Rounder Hardik Pandya made his highly-anticipated return to five-time winners Mumbai Indians in the 2024 Edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), rejoining the franchise that had been his home between 2015-2021 before leaving MI in favour of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022 and he even led the franchise to their maiden trophy-triumph in the same year as well.

His comeback to Mumbai as the skipper brought along big-expectations, considering the success he had as the captain of GT. However, the 2024 edition of the cash-rich T20 league proved to be a challenging one for both MI and Pandya. The team struggled to win matches on a consistent basis and finished at the bottom of the overall standings and along with these issues, the internal-structure of the franchise appeared to be unsteady.

Hardik Pandya’s lacklustre performance for MI in the 2024 Edition of the Indian Premier League

In the recently concluded 2024 season of the IPL, junior Pandya’s contribution with the bat was below par, as he managed to score a total of 216 runs in 14 encounters, with a best score of 46 runs next to his name and an embarrassing average of 18.00. His strike-rate of 143.05 suggests that he wasn’t able to make any significant contributions, with 0 fifties next to his name.

In terms of fielding, the 31-year-old took just 4 catches, indicating his minor influence on the game. Pandya dismissed 11 batters with the ball, averaging 35.18, but his economy rate of 10.75 prompted questions about his consistency. Though he struggled to live up to expectations during the season, his best bowling stats of 3-31 demonstrated glimpses of his potential.

A captaincy change on the cards for Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2025?

The franchise’s struggle to perform well in the previous season of the competition sparked discussions about whether the team-management of the Mumbai Indians should think of handing over the leadership duties to someone else.

According to some rumours, the Mumbai based team may consider handing over the captaincy reins back to former skipper Rohit Sharma, the most successful captain in the history of the tournament or potentially try a new-approach by appointing Indian Cricket Team’s newly appointed T20i skipper Suryakumar Yadav as the new captain of Mumbai Indians, who is known for his explosive-batting and captaincy potential.

Elite seamer Jasprit Bumrah, who is well-known for keeping his head cool under-pressure, is another name being discussed for the leadership post of the five-time champions.

3 important-Reasons why Hardik Pandya should continue as the skipper of the Mumbai Indians

  1. Regular All-Round Contributions in the Past Seasons

Junior Pandya’s performance as an all-rounder has proven to be a vital-asset, contributing with both ball and bat. In IPL 2022, the GT skipper managed to score 487 runs at a really good average of 44.27 and a decent strike-rate of 131.27.

His ability to deliver with the bat, especially when his side needed him to perform, played an important role in Gujarat Titans’ success in their debut season. Hardik also scored four fifties, showcasing his versatility as an anchor and aggressor according to the demands of the situation.

In the following season of the tournament, his batting-form continued to remain good, as he amassed 346 runs at a decent average of 31.45 and a better strike-rate of 136.75, proving his dominance and versatility in the middle-order. His match-winning contributions with the bat proved to be vital as he played a crucial role in finishing off matches for the Titans.

In terms of bowling, he played an important role in leading Gujarat’s bowling-unit, dismissing eight batters in 2022 but in IPL 2023, he picked up just three scalps which was not a typical Hardik Pandya performance. He maintained a consistent economy rate of nine in both the seasons of the tournament and his disciplined bowling-displays in crunch-situations allowed the Gujarat Titans to get crucial breakthroughs and keep the scoring rate of the opposition teams in check.

The 31-year-old’s ability to perform in both roles as a skipper and a dependable all-rounder, is a perfect fit for the leadership role. The Mumbai Indians would gain a lot from his consistency and ability to change games with the bat and the ball.

  1. Robust Legacy for the Mumbai Indians and an extensive experience in the IPL

Before plying his trade for the Gujarat Titans, Hardik had established a distinguished career with MI, participating in their supremacy from 2015 to 2021. Pandya was a vital component of MI’s core during this time, helping them lift four IPL titles. He frequently finished games for the franchise with his fiery hitting down the order throughout those six-seasons, amassing 1476 runs at an excellent strike-rate of 153.95. One of the league’s most deadly lower-order batters, he could clear boundaries whenever he wanted.

With the ball, the elite all-rounder managed to pick up 42 wickets for the five-time winners, frequently stepping up in crucial-situations, whether they were in the middle overs or the death-overs. His track record of winning matches and his experience with the Mumbai Indians franchise indicate that he can easily step up in the MI-system as a skipper with ease. He has a winning mentality and an understanding of the Mumbai Indians culture which can be matched by very few players.

His recent leadership-glory with the Titans has improved his captaincy skills, game-awareness and player-management skills, making his case of continuing as the skipper of MI even stronger.

His familiarity with the setup of the Mumbai based team combined with his high captaincy experience, will allow him to guide MI back to their glory days with a brand-new perspective and aggressive-captaincy style.

1 . Proven Captaincy skills with the experience of leading India and winning multiple IPL titles

Junior Pandya has a proven track-record of captaincy and his excellent leadership and tactical-skills were evident during his time with the Gujarat Titans. In the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League, the 31-year-old led the new franchise to their maiden IPL title glory in their debut-season in the cash-rich T20 league, an achievement which conveyed a significant message about his skills to lead a team under significant-pressure.

Under his leadership, the 2022 winners secured victories in 10 games out of 14 and also dominated the playoff encounters. In the following season, Hardik’s captaincy took the Titans to the finals once again, which cemented his legacy as one of the most-successful captains in the IPl in recent-years.

His calm and cool nature on the field, coupled with his elite understanding of the game, helped Gujarat win 10 matches out of 14 once again but they finished as the runners-up, losing to MS Dhoni-led CSK in the final.

He has led the Indian Cricket Team in the past as well, captaining the Men in Blue in 16 20-20 International Matches and out of these 16 games, he has won 10 games as a captain and has registered five defeats.

These stats just go on to show how capable Hardik Pandya is as a skipper and despite having a difficult season with MI as their skipper, the team-management should give him a long rope and should not replace him as the captain of the Mumbai Indians.

Also Read: IPL 2025: Players Mumbai Indians might retain for IPL 2025

PCB set to drop Fakhar Zaman from ODI Squad vs Australia following his support towards Babar Azam – Report

Aryan Malik
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PCB set to drop Fakhar Zaman from ODI Squad vs Australia following his support towards Babar Azam – Report

Fakhar Zaman: Pakistan’s explosive batsman Fakhar Zaman continues to get scrutinised and his recent-actions could potentially lead to him getting dropped from Pakistan’s One Day International squad for the upcoming limited-overs tour of Australia.

Earlier this month, the Southpaw wrote a supportive tweet for Babar Azam on his X handle after the former Pakistani skipper was dropped from the Playing XI for the 2nd Test-Match versus England.

In what proved to be a viral-tweet, Zaman criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and questioned the decision-making of the Cricket Governing Body. However, the PCB later sent the 34-year-old a show-cause notice to clarify his actions, indicating that the board was not pleased with his public criticism.

More issues for Fakhar Zaman prior to the Australia tour

In addition to Fakhar Zaman’s issues with the PCB over the freshly issued show-cause notice, the fiery Pakistani batsman also appears to be dealing with knee related issues. The 34-year-old recently wasn’t able to pass his fitness-test upon returning from the recently concluded 2024 season of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

According to a news report of Cricket Pakistan, the left handed batter was asked to complete a two-kilometre run in eight minutes but he was unable to finish the task.

While multiple news reports suggest that Zaman is dealing with his knee-related problems, he recently participated in Pakistan Television Team’s Cup Grade – l (one-day) match, thus putting further strain on his knee and increasing the risk of damage.

Fakhar Zaman apparently made some direct comments on PCB’s stringent new rules of issuing No Objection Certificates (NOC) to players for participation in international T20 leagues during a connection camp not too long ago.

While supporters and Cricket Experts consider the 34-year-old as a potential replacement of Babar as the skipper of Pakistan in the limited-overs formats, as of now, even the spot of Zaman in the white-ball squads of the Green Shirts is not a guarantee and he might end up getting dropped for the upcoming Australian tour.

The Shaheens will be travelling to Australia in November of this year to participate in a three match One-Day International Series and a three-match T20 International series as well.

Also Read: ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings Latest Updated After IND vs NZ 1st Test

For more information, visit the official website of Pakistan Cricket and ICC

Top player retentions for Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL mega-auction

Subhomoy Datta
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Top player retentions for Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL mega-auction

The Rajasthan Royals are often known to be the first-ever winners of the IPL; however, since then they have never made it to the finals, until the first time in 2022, when they lost to the Gujarat Titans in the finals.

The Rajasthan Royals had some exemplary seasons in the recent past since they made it to the knockouts twice in the last three seasons. All these great IPL achievements came under the guidance of Kumara Sangakkara.

The Royals brought in the likes of World Cup-winning Indian coach Rahul Dravid as their mentor for the season, while they also brought in Vikram Rathour as their batting coach. With the IPL retention slabs paced quite high and all of the Indian players in the side being capped, Rajasthan would have a tough job to retain a set of players.

Rahul Dravid to Rajasthan Royals
Rahul Dravid has returned to the Rajasthan Royals camp for IPL 2025 (Image Credit: NDTV Sports)

Top players who might be retained ahead of the IPL mega-auction

Trent Boult

Boult RR
Trent Boult for Rajasthan Royals (Image Credit: ESPNcricinfo)

The Kiwi pacer has been a veteran across different T20 global franchises, while he has also been a wonderman in the IPL. After Boult was included in the Royals’ side, he has been the most successful bowler with the new ball. Boult has mastered the art of picking up a wicket in the first over of the powerplay. Often seen completing a major portion of his spell in the powerplay, he is a maestro in himself.

Boult can be the third retained player in the RR camp, as deducting a sum of INR 11 crore doesn’t seem very unlikely for the veteran pacer from the Kiwi Islands.

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Jaiswal RR
Yashasvi Jaiswal – The rising face of Rajasthan Royals (Image Credit: India Today)

The young Indian batting sensation, Jaiswal, has been their star batter since he batted stunningly alongside Jos Buttler, as the duo have scored the most runs for the Rajasthan Royals.

Young Jaiswal is a very promising talent and is undoubtedly a scope for the future on the Royals side. With Dravid recognizing such a unique talent, he can be the future of IPL and a major target for all teams; hence, even retaining him for a whopping amount seems quite likely.

Sanju Samson

Samson RR
Sanju Samson as RR skipper (Image Credit: ANI News)

The India domestic batter, or most correctly said to be an IPL veteran, Sanju Samson, is most likely to be retained by the Royals. Since the days he came into the Royals side from the Daredevils side, he has been stunning in the IPL.

Next to be coined the skipper to the side, Sanju Samson has led from the front as he has repeatedly produced runs as well as results for his side. Samson will be an asset to the team, whatever price they have to bear for the star cricketer.

ALSO READ: Rishabh Pant likely to step down as Delhi Capitals skipper; this Indian player to emerge as their new captain for IPL 2025

Also, the likes of Jos Buttler, last season’s highest scorer Riyan Parag, and veteran spinners Ravi Ashwin and Yuzi Chahal are a part of the Royals side; however, they might not look to retain these players, with some of them being retained using the RTM card if their bids suit the budget of the franchise.

ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings Latest Updated After IND vs NZ 1st Test

Rahul Chaube
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ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings Latest Updated After IND vs NZ 1st Test

ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings: New Zealand have just come up with a historic win against India in India after 36 long years and became the first team in the last few years to defeat India in India. The International Cricket Council have released the latest ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings after IND vs NZ 1st Test and here we are with the latest updates.

IND vs NZ: Ravindra and Young led New Zealand to an iconic Test victory after 36 years; Match Summary, Updated WTC Standings and many more
Kiwis script iconic history after Test victory in India after 36-years (Image: India Today)

How often do we hear that India lost a home match? It happened quite a long time ago, and New Zealand have done it after so many years. Also, New Zealand defeated India in a home test 36 years ago, and they outclassed India.

The India vs New Zealand 1st Test started with Day 1 being washed away by rain. India won the toss and opted to bat first. New Zealand wrapped up Indian innings for just 46 runs and that became the lowest total of Indian team in India.

New Zealand didn’t let go of the advantage and scored over 400 runs in their first Innings. India then batted the way they are known to bat and recovered the deficit but the second new ball wrote the story of their second collapse in the same test. India managed to get a lead of 106 and New Zealand covered it with just losing two wickets.

Along with New Zealand, Pakistan won a home test after 1300+ days defeating England.

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Pakistani players celebrate the dismissal of England’s Jamie Smith | Image: Getty Images

In the latest Rankings update, India is ranked second with a rating of 121. Australia is at the top of the table with a 124 rating in 30 matches.

England is ranked third with 108 ratings and South Africa follows them with 104 ratings. New Zealand are ranked sixth with 89 ratings in 25 matches played and Pakistan are ranked 8th with 76 rating points.

Let’s take a look at the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings updated after IND vs NZ 1st Test:

ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings

PosTeamMatchesPtsRating
01AUSTRALIA303715124
02INDIA293498121
03ENGLAND384111108
04SOUTH AFRICA212179104
05SRI LANKA25227191
06NEW ZEALAND25222089
07WEST INDIES26199277
08PAKISTAN20152876
09BANGLADESH23149165
10IRELAND513126
11Zimbabwe3114
12Afghanistan300
ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings

READ: IND vs NZ: After First Test loss, skipper Rohit’s bold claim to Shubman Gill and Akash Deep back at the nets; Every possible update ahead of India’s second Test against New Zealand

IND vs NZ: After First Test loss, skipper Rohit’s bold claim to Shubman Gill and Akash Deep back at the nets; Every possible update ahead of India’s second Test against New Zealand

Subhomoy Datta
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IND vs NZ: After First Test loss, skipper Rohit’s bold claim to Shubman Gill and Akash Deep back at the nets; Every possible update ahead of India’s second Test against New Zealand

IND vs NZ: India lost the opening Test against New Zealand at Bangalore, as there was a huge set of records being dismantled during the fixture at Chinnaswamy. India lost the match which broke their unbeaten home test record at home since they lost the last test against England last year at Hyderabad.

Also, New Zealand went on to secure their third victory against the Indian team in away tests, while this also marked New Zealand’s first test victory in India breaking the jinx of 36 long years, with the last test win back in 1988.

After the loss in the first Chinnaswamy test, in the post-match interview, Rohit Sharma went on to make a bold claim that portrayed his confidence as the skipper of the Team who is placed on the top of the WTC table.

Rohit Sharma said the team would look to make a return in the series just like they made the comeback after losing the first test against England a year ago.

The bounce back is not child’s play, and it seems evident from the Indian dressing room, with the likes of Shubman Gill and Akash Deep gearing up for a probable return in the second Test at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium.


The in-form batter Shubman Gill came back from a stunning hundred in the final Bangladesh series, but could not feature in the first test as he was ruled out due to an injury to his neck. His replacement Sarfaraz Khan dominated in the first test with a 150.

Gill was recently seen practising at the Chinnaswamy outdoors after the first test ended early on Day 5. Gill seems recovered and might be looking forward to making his comeback into the red-ball side. Alongside the veteran star, India’s new red-ball pace sensation Akash Deep is seen in the nets.

“Anyone who gets an opportunity will have to try and make an impact. It’s always nice to have players waiting. It was unfortunate that Shubman missed the game but Sarfaraz took this chance,” Rohit was quoted from the press conference (RevSportz).

Akash Deep might be uncertain about the test return after the management decided to drop him to feature an extra spinner. While the Pune track is often spinner-friendly, the likely return of Akash Deep might be under doubt, his only probable return might be if Siraj is rested from the side.

Sundar welcome back in red ball cricket
Washington Sundar has been called up for the Second and Third Test against New Zealand (Image Credit: Cricadium)

Amid all Washington Sundar has returned to the test squad for the upcoming First Test, as India looks to increase quality in their spin bank alongside helping better batting options.

Though Sarfaraz has largely been lauded by the Indian coach Gambhir as well for his performance hence even if Gill makes a comeback, KL Rahul’s position in the squad might be threatened.

However, the most interesting video on the internet that has raised eyebrows, marks Mohammad Shami bowling in the nets to assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.

ALSO READ: IND vs NZ: Ravindra and Young led New Zealand to an iconic Test victory after 36 years; Match Summary, Updated WTC Standings and many more


IND vs NZ: Ravindra and Young led New Zealand to an iconic Test victory after 36 years; Match Summary, Updated WTC Standings and many more

Subhomoy Datta
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IND vs NZ: Ravindra and Young led New Zealand to an iconic Test victory after 36 years; Match Summary, Updated WTC Standings and many more

IND vs NZ: Not one of the finest days in Indian cricket, as India finally ended their winning streak on home soil with a Test match defeat against New Zealand in the first test at Chinnaswamy.

The iconic Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru marked the 36-year-long wait of the Kiwis to mark a win in Test match cricket in India. The newly announced Kiwi skipper Tom Latham has marked New Zealand’s iconic victory and also helped them to fancy their chances into the WTC.

A Brief Summary of the IND vs NZ First Test

After India’s initial batting collapse in the first innings, where they were all-out for the second-lowest test score for India in their history, 46-all-out. New Zealand, on the other hand, bounced back as Devon Conway and later Rachin Ravindra, the hometown boy from Bangalore, alongside Tim Southee, put on a stern 402.

Rachin Ravindra NZ 1
Rachin Ravindra hundred on Test debut in India (Image Credit: News18)

With the decent start handed to the Indian team with the likes of opener Rohit Sharma and also the veteran Indian batter Virat Kohli, who played a vital knock at the track often said to be his second home.

After Indian batters with the likes of Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant gave their best to pull off India to a very respectable total, the lower order failed to capitalize as India could not extend their lead further than 106 runs.

After receiving praise for his maiden Test hundred at the Chinnaswamy before lunch, Sarfaraz Khan scored a perfect 150. Rishabh Pant, who was amazed at playing some stunning cricket, also missed his hundred by a whisker, as he was dismissed for 99. India raised a total of 462, as India could post a target of 107 to the Kiwis.

Sarfaraz Pant redifine the Indian innings
Sarfaraz and Pant look to crawl back into the India inning (Image Credit: Sportstar – The Hindu)

While bad light prevented further play on Day 4, New Zealand batters came in to chase down a target of 107 on the final day. After a rain-delayed morning, skipper Latham alongside Conway came in to bat.

Jasprit Bumrah first dismissed the likes of New Zealand skipper Tom Latham for a duck, while later in the final over of his spell he struck against Conway with a delivery that enchanted a gospel for the Indian team.

What effect might New Zealand’s win have on India’s chances for the WTC final qualification?

Will Young and Rachin Ravindra help NZ win first Test
Young and Ravindra help NZ break the 36-year-long jinx in Tests in India (Image Credit: ESPNcricinfo)

India is currently at the top of the WTC points table, as they are the most assured team that would be confident enough to enter the WTC finals for the third time in the history of the tournament.

However, for India, who seem to be a very confident side in the WTC, the team needs to win at least 5 of their 8 games. Hence, even a loss in the first test would not be what would cost them big time; this would in no way jeopardize India’s chances for the WTC final at Lord’s.

But on the contrary, this would surely affect their morale as India has had an unbeaten streak at home in Test match cricket, which is now broken after New Zealand created history by winning their first-ever test match in India after 36 years.

However, since the final 5-matches, of which now India would have to manage a minimum of 3 wins, are to be held in Australia, the first loss against New Zealand at home would add to the concerns of the Men in Blue. A clean sweep in the home series would have strengthened their chances into the WTC. India disputed the loss and remained positioned at the top.

While New Zealand now has advanced to 4 WTC wins and a PCT of 44.44, the Indian PCT has dropped to below 70, now placed at 68.06.

ALSO READ: IND vs NZ: What happens to India’s qualification scenario for the WTC final if India loses the first test against New Zealand?

UPDATED WTC 2023-25 Points Table:

SL.NOTEAMPLAYEDWON LOSTDRAWDEDPOINTSPCT
1.India1283129868.06
2.Australia12831109062.50
3.Sri Lanka954006055.56
4.New Zealand945004844.44
5.England18981199343.06
6.South Africa623102838.89
7.Bangladesh835033334.38
8.Pakistan 936082825.93
9.West Indies916202018.52
(Source: ICC)


Women’s T20 World Cup Final 2024: Full Squads, Probable Playing11s, and Pitch Report of Dubai International Cricket Stadium

Rahul Chaube
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Women’s T20 World Cup Final 2024: Full Squads, Probable Playing11s, and Pitch Report of Dubai International Cricket Stadium

Women’s T20 World Cup Final 2024: We are just a few hours away from the historic Women’s T20 World Cup Final 2024 where both the finalists have never won a single T20I cup. Here we are with the Full squads, Probable Playing11s, and Pitch Report of Dubai International Cricket Stadium for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Final 2024.

South Africa are in their second final in a row and this time they don’t have the mighty Australia in the opposite corner. In the last final, South Africa lost to Australia but they took equal revenge by eliminating Australia in the semifinals this year.

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Chole Tryon embraces Anneke Bosch | Image: Getty Images / ICC

South Africa were not the favorites to reach the final but they broke the delusion by first defeating West Indies by 10 wickets in the tournament and now they are in the finals. They will have their heads up and confident for the match tonight.

New Zealand, on the other hand, entered the tournament with a 10-match losing streak and everyone sidelined them in the top four teams. With a meticulously crafted year-long strategy, Sophie Devine and her team delivered a shocking blow to one of the tournament favorites in their opener.

Women T20 World Cup: Clash of the Titans! The world is set to see a new face as Champions of the Women's T20 World Cup as South Africa Women and New Zealand Women emerge as finalists
NZ-W (Image: Getty Images)

This victory virtually secured their spot in the knockout stage, where they later exacted revenge on the team that had previously denied them a semifinal berth and they are high on the confidence for the final today.

Women’s T20 World Cup Final 2024 Qualified Teams

NEW ZEALAND
SOUTH AFRICA

Women’s T20 World Cup Final 2024 Squads

New Zealand Women Squad: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine(c), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze(w), Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson, Fran Jonas, Molly Penfold, Jess Kerr, Hannah Rowe, Leigh Kasperek

South Africa Women Squad: Laura Wolvaardt(c), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Chloe Tryon, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta(w), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka, Tumi Sekhukhune, Ayanda Hlubi, Seshnie Naidu, Mieke de Ridder

Women’s T20 World Cup Final 2024 Probable Playing11s

New Zealand Women Playing11: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (C), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wk), Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson, Fran Jonas

South Africa Women Playing11: Laura Wolvaardt (C), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Sune Luus, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka

Dubai International Cricket Stadium Pitch Report

In Dubai, chasing teams have emerged victorious in 7 out of 11 matches, with four of those wins coming in the last five games played, all of which were night matches. Both West Indies and South Africa successfully chased targets in their recent games to secure spots in the semifinals and final, respectively.

The surface is expected to be fresh but still, it didn’t seem to be a high-scoring final. Expect a low-scoring but thrilling contest between two quality teams in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.

READ: Pakistan vs England: PCB likely to prepare a spin-friendly surface for the 3rd Test Match

SOURCE: ICC OFFICIAL

Pakistan vs England: PCB likely to prepare a spin-friendly surface for the 3rd Test-Match

Aryan Malik
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Pakistan vs England: PCB likely to prepare a spin-friendly surface for the 3rd Test-Match

Pakistan vs England: In what proves to be an interesting development, Pakistan’s Cricket Governing-Body, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have planned to prepare are spin-friendly surface for the forthcoming 3rd Test-Match versus England in the city of Rawalpindi. The move is a part of a larger plan to help Pakistan’s spinners perform better and boost the success of the national squad.

A team of national-selectors, including former pacer Aqib Javed, will be visiting the Cricket Stadium of Rawalpindi to meet well-known pitch-curator Tony Hemming. Their motive is to ensure that the the track of Rawalpindi is prepared to provide assistance to the spin bowling duo of Nauman Ali & Sajid Khan, similar to the conditions that proved advantageous for the Green Shirts in the second Test-Match.

Although seam bowlers are thought to benefit more from the surface at the Cricket Stadium of Rawalpindi, the Pakistan Cricket Board is eager to change this belief and take full use of the available home conditions.

Another significant development is that the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Mohsin Naqvi, has given the Men’s National Cricket Team’s selection committee, consisting of five members, total authority to choose the best starting eleven for the third and final Test match of the series.

The ultimate call will be made by the selectors, who will likely confer with captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie for Test cricket.

Pakistan secure comfortable victory in the 2nd Test-Match versus England, level the series 1-1


The Shan Masood-led outfit finally ended their really long losing-streak at home, having previously won a Test-Match at home in 2021. The new-faces of the Green Shirts helped their team secure a win after their squad underwent some tough changes following their embarrassing defeat in the opening Test-Match of the series versus England.

29-year-old Kamran Ghulam, who replaced experienced campaigner Babar Azam at the number four spot in the batting-unit, led Pakistan’s batting effort with a 224-ball 118 run inning on his debut, which helped them reach the score of 366 runs on the same worn-out Multan surface as the previous game. The visitors were reduced to 225-6 on day two by Off-break bowler Sajid Khan, who was making his comeback, after England had taken a commanding lead at 211-2 on the second day. Among his victims were Joe Root (34) and Harry Brook (9) in particular.

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Noman Ali and Sajid Khan took 20 wickets to help Pakistan win the 2nd Test-Match versus England | Image: Getty Images

The home team grabbed a commanding 75-run lead as Sajid claimed seven wickets. England had to chase 297 to win on a worn-out and dangerous surface after Pakistan scored 221 in the first innings.
The fourth innings saw England bowled out for 144 runs, giving Pakistan a 152-run victory. Noman Ali, a left-arm spinner, concluded with astounding statistics of 8-46. Throughout the innings, he and Sajid Khan bowled without alteration for 33.3 overs.

Also Read: PAK vs ENG: Updated WTC Points-Table following Pakistan’s win in the 2nd test-match, Pakistan rise to the 8th spot

For more information, visit the official websites of ICC and Pakistan Cricket

3 players Mumbai Indians can target in mega auctions for IPL 2025

Subhomoy Datta
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3 players Mumbai Indians can target in mega auctions for IPL 2025

The Mumbai Teams are among the best-credited franchises in the history of the IPL. The Mumbai Indians are the joint most successful franchise in the competition alongside Chennai Super Kings with 5-IPL trophies.

However, unlike their closest rivals, CSK, the Mumbai Indians are not the team with many playoffs, as Mumbai has the highest conversion rate. They have won all of their final appearances except one, which they lost to the Chennai Super Kings.

However, last time around, the Mumbai Indians faced sheer humiliation as they ended their IPL 2024 campaign as the last team on the points table. This was in turn a humiliation for the new skipper, Hardik Pandya, who was brought into the side owing to the huge amount of money used to draft him from the Gujarat Titans.

After a dismaying campaign in the IPL 2024, Mark Boucher, who was brought in as their head coach in 2023, went on to fade his role in the side. Boucher has now been dropped, and Mahela Jayawardene has again been brought back into the side as their head coach.

Jayawardene was their most successful coach, leading them to three IPL titles. The Mumbai Indians have also hinted towards retaining the likes of veteran batter Rohit Sharma alongside the Indian legendary trio of Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah.

Three possible players who might be targets for MI in the mega-auction

MI target Players in auction min
Most Likely Players Mumbai Indians might target for IPL mega-auction (Image Credit: X.com)

3. Liam Livingstone: The English all-rounder who currently sits at the top of the ICC’s rankings for men’s T20I all-rounders, seems to be on the auction list of every possible franchise in the IPL if the Punjab Kings look to release him.

Playing for the Punjab Kings, he pushed himself to rescue the Kings several times they needed. The overseas batter can be a good recruit for the Mumbai Indians since they do not have a heavy back of foreign players. Livingstone can play the role of a big-hitting all-rounder down the order and can add his spin to his quality for the Mumbai Indians.

2. Tristan Stubbs: The South African batter who started off his career in the Indian Premier League as he was first picked up by the Mumbai Indians, though his weak performances found him released after the very first season. He was then picked by the Delhi Capitals in order to set the tone of their middle order in the absence of Harry Brook.

Stubbs since the last IPL has been in the form of his life playing for the Capitals and several other franchise-level teams while also for South Africa internationally. Leaving out Ishan Kishan, he can also be a wicketkeeping choice for the Mumbai Indians.

1. Yuzvendra Chahal: The Mumbai Indians have been a very convincing team, but since Harbhajan Singh, they have never had the likes of an expert spinner on their side. With some speculations suggesting the probable release of IPL’s highest wicket-taking spinner Yuzi Chahal from the Royals side, Mumbai can go all ends to rope in the great leggie. Chahal inclusion in the Mumbai Indians side will add a sense of completeness to their side.

ALSO READ: IND vs NZ: What happens to India’s qualification scenario for the WTC final if India loses the first test against New Zealand?

IND vs NZ: What happens to India’s qualification scenario for the WTC final if India loses the first test against New Zealand?

Subhomoy Datta
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IND vs NZ: What happens to India’s qualification scenario for the WTC final if India loses the first test against New Zealand?

IND vs NZ: India, who started their long schedule of 10-test matches with a win against Bangladesh in their home series, next saw New Zealand visiting the Indian subcontinent for the same.

India has not had the finest of starts to the series, as they faced sheer humiliation in having succumbed to a low score of 46, which is the second-lowest ever WTC total score in the history of the game, and both of them have been part of the Indian team’s tally of runs.

The Kiwis batted on the same track as they put on a far better score when first Devon Conway on Day 2 and later Rachin Ravindra the centurion alongside Tim Southee, who batted down the order for a quickfire fifty, led the Blackcaps to a huge 400+ total.

Rachin Ravindra NZ
Rachin Ravindra scores a hundred in debut test in India (Image Credit: News18)


The Indian batters pulled in a better match in the second inning, as skipper Sharma gave the start with a quickfire fifty, followed by Kohli and Sarfaraz’s master partnership to end the day with a respectable 231/3.

However, for India, who are supposed to win at least 5 of their next 8 test matches, nothing would concern them if India loses the first Test against New Zealand. This loss, if it takes place, will not jeopardize India’s WTC chances.

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However, this would be a concern for sure—that India would have been in a better position if they could have clean-swept the New Zealand team under home conditions. With two days left in the test, we still await the match, with India trailing by 125 runs.


With the threat of rain still over the Bengaluru ground, the overcast conditions might prevail again as the match could go in favour of the visiting team, who are very adapted to such conditions. India would still be in the hope of strengthening their scope in the remaining two tests before they enter the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is supposed to begin in Australia next month.

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