As Mumbai Indians gear up for their first away game of IPL-19 against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday afternoon, head coach Mahela Jayawardene has shed light on star opener Rohit Sharma’s impressive work ethic in the build-up to the tournament, which bodes well for the five-time champions in the matches to come. Going into the match, which will be DC’s first at home, the two teams meet with one win each under their belt. MI beat Kolkata Knight Riders in their first game at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, while DC beat Lucknow Super Giants away on Wednesday. Mahela Jayawardene. Pic/Atul Kamble Rohit was a key figure in MI’s six-wicket win over KKR as he blasted 78 off 38 balls at a strike-rate of 205.26 to help chase the 221-run target with ease. Jayawardene expressed his satisfaction with the fitness and form of Rohit, who returned to competitive cricket after a gap of three months. “Credit to him [Rohit], he had a plan and vision. A few of the guys who are in our set-up were involved in this training that he wanted to do. Also, to get to a fitness level that he was comfortable with, he knew what he needed to do. Even though Rohit hasn’t played competitive cricket, he did quite a bit of skill work off-season whenever he had the time. “Then he joined us on our first day of the camp, and we had a chat on how we wanted to start. We did a lot of simulations, we had quite a few practice matches. So, he was part of all that. I knew when I watched him batting in the nets that he was in pretty good nick. His hand speed was pretty good. For someone who has played the game for such a long time, it’s in the veins, muscle memory, and how he wanted to go about. He will react much better in the middle. It was a good start for him in the first game, and hopefully, he can continue that,” Jayawardene said. Acknowledging DC’s strength while playing at home, Jayawardene said it would be a good match. “They are a very good team. Every team at home is a challenge and that’s how we look at it. First game for them here as well, so that’s probably a slight advantage for us,” he said. MI are bolstered by the arrival of New Zealand’s T20 skipper left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner. The team fielded 20-year-old Afghan off-spinner AM Ghazanfar against KKR, who gave 51 runs in 4 overs and went wicket-less. 2No. of matches MI won against DC in 2025 4No. of losses for DC in five matches at Delhi in 2025 21-16Mumbai Indians’s win-loss record against Delhi Capitals across 37 matches 37No. of matches Rohit Sharma has played against DC — his highest against any IPL side 1057No. of runs scored by Rohit Sharma against DC — his second most against any team after KKR (1161)
04 April,2026 09:38 AM IST | New Delhi | Neeru BhatiaFormer India and Chennai Super Kings star Suresh Raina received a heartfelt message from wife Priyanka on the occasion of their 11th anniversary. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Priyanka Chaudhary Raina (@priyankacraina) Priyanka Instagrammed a series of pictures of the couple on their wedding day, captioning the post: “Happy 11th my love. In a world that keeps changing, you’ve been my constant. Thank you for being my home always. Grateful for every moment, every memory, every us. Here’s to what’s been and what’s still to come.” The post received over three-lakh ‘likes’.
04 April,2026 09:25 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentSunrisers Hyderabad vice-captain Abhishek Sharma has been fined 25 per cent of his match fees and has also accumulated one demerit point for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team's IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders here. He admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.3 and accepted the match referee's sanction. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the match referee's decision is final and binding. He scored 48 runs off 21 deliveries to get SRH to a flier in the powerplay. SRH registered their first win of IPL 2026, with a thumping 65-run win, with Abhishek played his part with the bat, hitting four fours and as many sixes. But he was sanctioned for showing dissent on TV umpire Nitin Menon decision after Varun Chakaravarthy took a diving catch off Blessing Muzarabani the ninth over but there seemed to be no conclusive evidence that the catch was taken cleanly. But Menon deemed the catch to be legal which the batter disagreed and expressed his disappointment while walking off. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 April,2026 09:17 AM IST | Kolkata | PTIAfter a not-so-happy start to IPL-19 in a rain-hit match against Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans are now facing another storm in the form of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Rajasthan Royals’s teenage prodigy, who tormented the Ahmedabad-based team last season in Jaipur. The Bihar prodigy had played an unbeaten hurricane knock of 101 in 38 balls last year. This season, he has started with a half-century — 52 off 17 balls — at a strike rate of 305.88. Sooryavanshi heads a strong RR batting line-up that has four aggressive southpaws among the top six and can easily neutralise the leg-spin magic of Rashid Khan, a key bowler for the hosts. Shubman Gill RR assistant coach Vikram Rathour reckoned Sooryavanshi is a special player. “Vaibhav is a very, very special player. He is working hard on his cricket, so looking forward to how he carries on this season. It’s going to be an important season for him as well, we understand that. But as I said, I think his mind is in the right space,” said Rathour at the match-eve press conference on Friday. While the Sooryavanshi storm could spoil GT’s plans, the home team also has some weather worry to deal with. “We were quite unfortunate that it kept raining right through the 20 overs,” GT assistant coach Ashish Kapoor said about their rain-affected match against Punjab in New Chandigarh on Tuesday. The Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium square was covered on Friday when clouds gathered over the Motera venue on the Western side of the city. Rain had already soaked the eastern side before threatening to pour on the other side. It looks like the Gujarat Titans will have to overcome dual storms today —Sooryavanshi and rain. 29No. of sixes smashed by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the IPL; more than fours scored (22)
04 April,2026 09:15 AM IST | Mumbai | Sunil K VaidyaFormer Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan believes Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane 'messed up' by giving Varun Chakravarthy an over inside the power-play against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday in Kolkata. Chakravarthy conceded 25 runs while bowling the fifth over of the innings. He did not bowl his full quota of four overs, as he gave away 31 runs and bowled just one dot in his 12 deliveries. Pathan emphasised the crucial role of a captain in boosting a bowler's confidence, arguing that leadership involves supporting bowlers when they have momentum, and criticised Rahane's decision to use Chakravarthy in the powerplay. "You are giving him the tough job as a captain. So, this is where Ajinkya Rahane did really well in the second half, but first half, literally messed it up with Varun Chakravarthy by bowling him in the powerplay," Pathan said as per ESPNcricinfo. "Captain plays a big role in getting your confidence up as a bowler. If he doesn't support you in a moment where you think you can do better and you have got the momentum, this is where the leadership comes in. And this is why he should not have bowled in the power play. You are losing on a bowler, you know, who can be your trump card, who can be your match-winner, who has been your match-winner," he added. In KKR's IPL 2026 opener against the Mumbai Indians, Chakravarthy bowled the fifth over and conceded 15 runs in that. He finished with none for 48 from his four. Chakravarthy, in his last six games before the one against SRH, at the World Cup and then against MI, conceded 273 runs in 23 overs, leaving him with an economy of 11.86, the worst for any bowler across a six-match streak (for a minimum of 20 overs) in men's T20S. KKR have now faced two defeats in their first two games (only the second time in KKR's history), had such a poor start to a season. KKR got a 65-run hammering from SRH on Thursday. The three-time IPL champions will aim to bounce back quickly with games coming thick and fast at home. Punjab Kings visit them on April 6, and Lucknow Super Giants come on April 9. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 April,2026 09:11 AM IST | Kolkata | ANIWith no points after two matches and a dangerously dipping net run-rate, questions have begun to swirl around KKR’s early campaign in IPL 2026. One in particular has irked Ajinkya Rahane, and the skipper didn’t mince words at the post-match press conference on Thursday. “I think people who are talking about me are not watching the game or, [maybe], they have an agenda against me. They don’t like the amount of success I’ve got. They are jealous of me,” Rahane, 37, retorted after KKR’s 65-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad here, when his attention was drawn to the continued criticism of his strike-rate as an opener. He added that his strike-rate has been among the best in the last few years. “People who are talking… [probably] didn’t expect Ajinkya Rahane to improve his game this much. I back myself rather than think about whoever is talking about me.” Varun Chakravarthy, one half of KKR’s ‘mystery spin’ duo, conceded 25 runs in his first over and was given only one more. This came after he had conceded 48 in four overs vs Mumbai Indians at Wankhede on Sunday. “Varun, unfortunately, is going through a difficult phase, but he is working really hard and it is still early days in the tournament,” Rahane said. “What is important is to back our players.” Chasing 227, the Knights were bowled out for 161 in 16 overs. When the writing is on the wall, is it not better to try and get close to the opponent’s total so that the net run-rate is taken care of? “We definitely think about that. When the target gets out of reach, we have a plan to play out those (remaining) overs. The communication was clear, and they [tailenders] did try, but I thought the SRH bowlers were spot on.” 148.08Rahane’s strike-rate since rejoining KKR last season; he has scored 465 runs off 314 balls in 15 matches 103.91Rahane’s strike-rate in the 2022 IPL season in seven matches for KKR — his lowest ever (minimum three games) 125.33Ajinkya Rahane’s overall strike-rate in the IPL. He has scored 5107 runs off 4075 balls in 200 matches
04 April,2026 09:07 AM IST | Kolkata | Arup ChatterjeeFaf du Plessis: MI, RCB, PBKS, DC/CSK. Irfan Pathan: MI, DC, PBKS, RR Aakash Chopra: MI, DC, RCB, PBKS Cheteshwar Pujara: GT, CSK, MI, KKR Mohammad Kaif: PBKS, MI, DC RCB Piyush Chawla: MI, PBKS, KKR, RCB Saba Karim: RCB, MI, DC, CSK Lakshmipathy Balaji: CSK, MI, RCB, SRH
04 April,2026 09:02 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentAfter beating Lucknow Super Giants by six wickets, Delhi Capitals (DC) will begin their home leg of this IPL by taking on five-time champions Mumbai Indians on Saturday afternoon at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here. DC left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been a steady performer in the IPL since 2025, picking up 17 wickets in 14 innings at an economy rate of 7.1 and a strike rate of 19. Against a formidable MI batting line-up, however, Kuldeep’s returns have been modest — 10 wickets in 12 innings coming at a higher economy rate of 8.8 and a strike rate of 25. Kuldeep admitted that the Hardik Pandya-led MI are a hard nut to crack. “They [MI] are a strong team with a very solid batting line-up. They performed well in the first match, too. With players like Rohit bhai, Surya, Hardik, and Tilak, they have a lot of experience and quality. Indian players have consistently done well for MI over the years,” Kuldeep told reporters on match eve. He added that DC’s target is to win at least five out of their seven home games. “If we play good cricket, we can definitely aim to win five out of seven games at home. We didn’t discuss much about home records from last season. This time, we expect to perform well across all seven matches at home,” added Kuldeep. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 April,2026 08:58 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesPunjab Kings chased down CSK's total of 209 runs with 5 wickets in hand and 8 balls to spare. The Shreyas Iyer-led side won their second game of the season and continued their strong start in the tournament.Punjab Kings began their run chase with a strong start, scoring 43 runs in the first three overs. However, the scoring rate dropped since then as CSK crawled their way back into the game. PBKS openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh attacked from the off, taking full advantage of the field restrictions in the powerplay. Priyansh Arya was eventually dismissed for 39 of 11 deliveries by Matt Henry. The Kiwi star hit the perfect length and knocked back the off stump to give CSK a much-needed breakthrough.Prabhsimran Singh was run out due to a mix-up in the middle, and soon after, Connolly was dismissed, leaving PBKS in a difficult situation. However, captain Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wandhera put on a partnership to guide PBKS home. Shreyas Iyer scored 50 off just 29 balls before being caught. After Iyer's dismissal, Nehal Wandhera was dismissed on the next ball, giving CSK a way back in the game. However, the damage was already done. Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis guided PBKS to victory and their second consecutive win of the season.Shreyas Iyer starred once again in PBKS’ run chase in Chennai, reprising last season’s heroics when he scored an unbeaten 72 to guide his side home.For CSK, Matt Henry and Anshul Kamboj took 2 wickets each, but it was too late. CSK scored 209 in the first innings Batting first, CSK scored 209 runs at the end of their first innings against PBKS. Ayush Mhatre was CSK's star with the bat, scoring 73 off 43 balls. Late in the innings, Shivam Dube gave the hosts a strong finish to put CSK in a commanding position. Vijaykumar Vyshak starred with the ball for PBKS, taking two wickets, in what was an otherwise poor performance from the bowlers. Arshdeep Singh was wicketless in his four overs as CSK batters dominated on a tricky wicket.
04 April,2026 01:41 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentPunjab Kings chased down CSK's total of 209 runs with 5 wickets in hand and 6 balls to spare. The Shreyas Iyer-led side won their second game of the season and continued their strong start in the tournament. Shreyas Iyer scored 50 off just 28 balls to guide his team home. The skipper continued his excellent form in Chennai after scoring an unbeaten 72 against CSK last year.Batting first, CSK scored 209 runs at the end of their first innings against PBKS. Ayush Mhatre was CSK's star with the bat, scoring 73 off 43 balls. However, the total wasn't enough to give Chennai its first win of the season.After the defeat, Gaikwad said that he was happy with CSK's score of 209. He further heaped praise on Ayush Mhatre and Shivam Dube for their positive contributions in the innings."I felt it was a really good score, to be honest. The wicket was, yes, better for pace bowlers, but I felt it was slightly gripping for spinners, not coming on to the bat nicely. Slowball was gripping as well. So I think, you know, for this ground, especially with, you know, big boundaries, I felt it was a really good score. Ayush batted brilliantly. You know, having him gain that confidence going forward in the season is important, and Shivam definitely batted really well. So yeah, batting-wise, we had good confidence," Gaikwad said."You know, bowling, yes, definitely a lot to improve (on his batting). I'm feeling good. You know, it is just about adapting to a role, whatever is needed for the team. Today I felt it was best to stick around a little longer since the wicket was gripping. So I thought, you know, the set batter Ayush was going really well. So I thought, just hang in there a bit, and then after that you can cash in. But unfortunately got out at the wrong time." Shreyas Iyer delighted with PBKS' performance in Chennai A delighted Shreyas Iyer said that he was pleased with his team's batting performance. The PBKS captain further heaped praise on his openers for their fiery start to the run chase."Priyansh and Prab doing the job at the start and then setting the bench for us going inside. And I personally feel that the way they've been batting over the years now, it's phenomenal to see them giving us that start, and it stabilises the rhythm for us. Yes, absolutely. I'm glad that everyone is getting to bat in the first two games themselves. It is important that we remain calm, and also the overrate is something that we should look up to right now," Iyer said.
04 April,2026 01:29 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentPunjab Kings started their run chase with a bang, scoring 43 runs in the first three overs. However, the scoring rate dropped thereafter as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) crawled their way back into the game. PBKS openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh attacked from the off, taking full advantage of the field restrictions in the powerplay. Priyansh Arya was eventually dismissed for 39 of 11 deliveries by Matt Henry. The Kiwi star hit the perfect length and knocked back the off stump to give CSK a much-needed breakthrough.Prabhsimran Singh started off well, scoring quickly; however, the PBKS innings lost momentum after the loss of Arya. Singh was joined by Cooper Connolly at the crease, who was the hero of PBKS's last match. The Aussie star would hope to continue his good form and guide his team to yet another victory.Batting first, CSK scored 209 runs at the end of their first innings against PBKS. Ayush Mhatre was CSK's star with the bat, scoring 73 off 43 balls. Late in the innings, Shivam Dube gave the hosts a strong finish to put CSK in a commanding position.Vijaykumar Vyshak starred with the ball for PBKS, taking two wickets, in what was an otherwise poor performance from the bowlers. Arshdeep Singh was wicketless in his four overs as CSK batters dominated on a tricky wicket. With Shashank Singh, Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wadhera still to come. Marcus Stoinis and Marco Jansen could be handy with the bat lower down the order, too. PBKS will hope to reach CSK's total and register a second win of the season. PBKS will hope that captain Shreyas Iyer can repeat his heroics of last season against Chennai and take his team to victory. The Indian star scored an unbeaten 72 in Chennai against CSK last year. Playing XI for both teams: CSK: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel AhmedPBKS: Prabhsimran Singh(w), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
03 April,2026 10:44 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
-1775240823176_d.png "Ruturaj Gaikwad (Pic: PTI)")
