Cricket

MS Dhoni's future with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the upcoming IPL 2025 has become a topic of intense speculation. The new IPL retention rules have designated Dhoni as an 'uncapped player,' significantly increasing his chances of being retained. However, the franchise and Dhoni himself have yet to confirm his status.CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan recently disclosed a message from Dhoni regarding his retention. He emphasized that CSK is eager to retain Dhoni, but the veteran cricketer has not yet confirmed his decision. Dhoni has indicated that he will inform the franchise before October 31, the deadline for IPL retentions."We also want Dhoni to play in the CSK team. But Dhoni has not confirmed it to us yet. Dhoni said, 'I will tell you before October 31.' We hope that he will play," Viswanathan stated.The IPL Governing Council's reinstatement of the old rule allowing franchises to register retired or inactive players as 'uncapped' has prompted a re-evaluation of retention strategies. Many believe that this change was specifically implemented to accommodate MS Dhoni, enabling CSK to retain him for a modest INR 4 crore.Despite CSK's claims that they have not yet discussed the matter with Dhoni, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif is convinced that the IPL rules were modified solely to ensure Dhoni's continued participation."You will get the chance to see MS Dhoni again. He is fit, batting at a strike rate of 200, keeping well, and that is why I believe the rules will keep changing till he wants to play. If he wants to play in the IPL, he will play. He is such a big player, such a big match-winner, and has been a leader for CSK," Kaif said.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has made strategic decisions regarding player retentions ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction. The franchise has reportedly identified Heinrich Klaasen as their primary retention, followed by Pat Cummins and Abhishek Sharma.Klaasen, a South African wicketkeeper-batter, is set to receive INR 23 crore as the top-earning player. Cummins, the Australian all-rounder and former SRH captain, will receive INR 18 crore, while Sharma, the Indian all-rounder, will get INR 14 crore.Despite being SRH's highest-paid player last year, Cummins has reportedly taken a selfless approach by agreeing to Klaasen's higher salary. This decision reflects Cummins' commitment to team success over personal gain.The IPL allows franchises to retain up to six players, but SRH is opting for just three retentions. This strategy will give them a significant advantage in the auction, as they will have a larger purse to acquire new talent.Cummins' leadership and collaboration with coach Daniel Vettori have been instrumental in SRH's recent success. Under their guidance, young players like Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy have flourished.SRH is expected to finalize the retentions of Travis Head and Reddy soon. The franchise will have one Right-to-Match (RTM) card available at the auction, which can be used to retain an uncapped Indian player.Pat Cummins will continue as SRH captain in 2025, leading the team's charge for another successful season.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 retention list is highly anticipated, especially considering the upcoming mega auction. Among the most intriguing questions is whether Rohit Sharma will remain with the Mumbai Indians (MI), a team he has led to five IPL titles.According to a report by the Indian Express, MI is likely to retain Rohit along with three other star cricketers: Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav. This move would ensure the continuity of MI's core leadership group.Rohit Sharma, currently leading the Indian cricket team in the first Test against New Zealand, has been the subject of much speculation regarding his IPL future. Last year, he was replaced as MI captain by Hardik Pandya, sparking rumors of a rift within the team. However, the report suggests that MI remains committed to Rohit's leadership.In a recent incident, a fan approached Rohit Sharma during the Test match and asked him which IPL team he would be playing for. The fan's plea for Rohit to join the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) went viral on social media. Rohit responded with a smile but did not provide a direct answer.Meanwhile, MI has appointed Paras Mhambrey as their bowling coach. Mhambrey, who previously served as India's bowling coach, will work alongside current bowling coach Lasith Malinga under head coach Mahela Jayawardene. This appointment strengthens MI's coaching staff and signals their commitment to improving their bowling performance.

Delhi Capitals, the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, has appointed former India cricketers Hemang Badani and Venugopal Rao as head coach and director of cricket, respectively. The announcement was made on Thursday ahead of the 2025 IPL season.Badani, 47, brings a wealth of coaching experience to the role. He has served as fielding coach with Sunrisers Hyderabad and batting coach with the same team in successive seasons. He also led the Jaffna Kings to two consecutive titles in the Lankan Premier League and was a batting coach for the title-winning Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the inaugural SA20. Most recently, he was the head coach of the Dubai Capitals, who reached this year's ILT20 final."It's my absolute honor to be joining Delhi Capitals, and I'm deeply grateful to our owners for trusting me with the job," Badani said. "With the mega auction around the corner, my job, in collaboration with the rest of our coaching staff, is cut out. I can't wait to get started."Rao, who has played 16 ODIs for India, was part of the Deccan Chargers squad that won the IPL in 2009. He also played in three IPL seasons for erstwhile Delhi Daredevils and has been associated with the Dubai Capitals, serving as a mentor in the inaugural season and later as director of cricket."My association with the franchise has been a long-standing one, and I am thankful for the trust our owners have placed in me by offering me this role," Rao said. "I look forward to this new challenge ahead of a new IPL cycle."The Capitals were runners-up in the 2021 edition but have struggled to reach the top four in the subsequent three seasons."We are delighted to welcome Hemang and Venu to Delhi Capitals. Both have been an integral part of our team for a long time, and we're excited to have them on board in a different role," said Kiran Kumar Grandhi, chairman & co-owner of Delhi Capitals. "With their proven track record as coaches, we're confident that their expertise will be invaluable in helping us achieve our objectives and drive success for Delhi Capitals."

Punjab Kings, under the guidance of newly appointed head coach Ricky Ponting, have decided to retain the majority of their support staff for the upcoming IPL 2025 season. The only anticipated addition is fast bowling coach James Hopes, who previously worked with Ponting at Delhi Capitals.Ponting, who signed a four-year contract, aims to transform the team's fortunes. Punjab has yet to win an IPL title, with their only final appearance coming in 2014. They have struggled in recent years, failing to finish in the top five for the past seven seasons and placing ninth out of 10 teams in 2023.Despite the team's struggles, Ponting has retained spin bowling coach Sunil Joshi, batting and fielding coach Brad Haddin, and Trevor Gonsalves, who were all part of Trevor Bayliss' coaching staff. Bayliss and Sanjay Bangar, the former head coach and head of cricket development, respectively, have departed."Brad Haddin and Sunil have been retained. James Hopes is likely to be the fast bowling coach," an IPL source revealed.Ponting has yet to determine the number of players to retain ahead of the mega auction, with the deadline set for October 31. However, lead pacer Arshdeep Singh, who has been with the team for six seasons, is expected to be retained. Uncapped player Shashank Singh, who impressed last season, could also be retained."Ricky and his team will decide on the player retention soon," the source added.Punjab, who were led by Shikhar Dhawan for the past two seasons, will be looking to appoint a new captain, likely through the auction process.

Rishabh Pant to Step Down as Delhi Capitals Captain in IPL 2025In a significant development, star Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant will relinquish his captaincy role for the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. According to reliable sources, the franchise is considering appointing all-rounder Axar Patel as the new skipper or exploring options at the IPL auction.Pant, who led the Capitals in IPL 2024 after returning from a severe car accident, will remain the franchise's top retention. However, the team's leadership believes that he would perform better without the burden of captaincy.The Delhi Capitals last reached the IPL playoffs in 2021 and finished as runners-up in 2020 under Shreyas Iyer's leadership. In IPL 2024, Pant led the team to a sixth-place finish with six wins and six losses.One potential candidate for the captaincy role is Iyer, who recently led the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title. Pant recently met with Delhi Capitals co-owners Parth Jindal and Kiran Kumar Grandhi to discuss his future with the franchise.Despite being India's match-winner in Test cricket, Pant's performance in white-ball formats has been inconsistent. In 76 T20Is, he has scored 1,209 runs with only three half-centuries, averaging 23.25 and striking at 127.26.In the IPL, Pant has amassed 3284 runs in 111 matches for the Delhi Capitals, including 18 fifties and one century. However, he was overlooked for Dinesh Karthik in India's XI during the 2022 T20 World Cup.The Delhi Capitals recently appointed Hemang Badani as head coach and Venugopal Rao as director of cricket for the next two seasons.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Retain Klaasen, Cummins, and Sharma Ahead of IPL 2025Sunrisers Hyderabad has made its first three retentions ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, with South African power-hitter Heinrich Klaasen topping the list. According to ESPNcricinfo, Klaasen will receive INR 23 crore as the franchise's highest-paid retained player.Australian allrounder Pat Cummins, who captained Sunrisers in 2024, has been retained for INR 18 crore, while Indian allrounder Abhishek Sharma has been retained for INR 14 crore.Klaasen had a stellar IPL 2024 season, amassing 479 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 171.07. He was Sunrisers' second-highest scorer behind Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. Sharma, who had the highest strike rate among the top-ten run-scorers last season, scored 484 runs in 16 innings with a strike rate of 204.21.Cummins led Sunrisers to the IPL 2024 final, where they narrowly lost to Kolkata Knight Riders. His leadership and all-round abilities were crucial to the team's success.Sunrisers are also expected to retain Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy soon. The IPL has set October 31 as the deadline for retentions ahead of the mega auction.The retentions of Klaasen, Cummins, and Sharma signal Sunrisers' intent to build a strong team for IPL 2025. Klaasen's power-hitting and Sharma's all-round abilities will provide the team with a solid foundation, while Cummins' leadership and experience will be invaluable.

Former India seamer Paras Mhambrey has been appointed as Mumbai Indians' bowling coach ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Mhambrey, who previously served as MI's assistant coach, will work alongside current bowling coach Lasith Malinga under newly appointed head coach Mahela Jayawardene.Mhambrey brings a wealth of experience to the role, having served as India's bowling coach from 2021 to August 2023 under Rahul Dravid. During his tenure, India won the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. He was also part of the MI setup when the team won the IPL in 2013 and the Champions League T20 in 2011 and 2013.In addition to his international and IPL experience, Mhambrey has also coached in Indian domestic cricket. He oversaw the India A team and helped Bengal reach successive Ranji Trophy finals in 2005-06 and 2006-07.As a player, Mhambrey represented India in two Tests and three ODIs between 1996 and 1998. He played for Mumbai in domestic cricket, taking 284 wickets in 91 first-class games and 111 wickets in 83 List A games.Mhambrey's appointment is part of a wider coaching staff overhaul at MI. On Sunday, the franchise announced the return of former Sri Lanka captain Jayawardene as their head coach. The coaching staff's first task will be to finalize Mumbai's retentions ahead of the October 31 deadline.MI finished at the bottom of the table in IPL 2024 with just four wins in 14 games under new captain Hardik Pandya. The team will be hoping that the new coaching staff can help them return to their former glory in the upcoming season.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction is set to take place outside India, with Singapore emerging as a potential venue. The auction, scheduled for late November, was previously held in Dubai but may be moved to Saudi Arabia or Singapore due to cost concerns.Meanwhile, five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians have reappointed Mahela Jayawardene as their head coach. Jayawardene previously held the position from 2017 to 2022, leading the team to three championships. He returns after a brief stint as the franchise's Global Head of Cricket.Jayawardene's first task will be to finalize Mumbai Indians' strategy for the IPL 2025 mega auction. Teams are allowed to retain six players from their existing squad, either five capped (Indian or overseas) and a maximum of two uncapped.The IPL 2025 auction is expected to be a major event, with several top players set to go under the hammer. The auction will also be crucial for Mumbai Indians, who have struggled in recent seasons. Jayawardene's return is seen as a positive step for the franchise, as he has a proven track record of success in the IPL.