The Kolkata Knight Riders lost their second game of the season in a row after a loss against SRH by 65 runs. The visitors put on a huge target of 226 runs at the end of their 20 overs, largely thanks to a solid start from their opening duo.Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma started off with a bang, scoring at over the strike rate of 200. Klassen top-scored for SRH with 52 runs in 35 balls. Meanwhile, Blessing Muzarabani was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4 wickets, including 2 in the final over. Angkrish Raghuvanshi scored 52 runs off 29 balls for KKR, while vice captain Rinku Singh scored 35 off 25 deliveries.Speaking after the defeat, Ajinkya Rahane said that his team could not capitalise on a good start. He further added that KKR needed a partnership to get them going, but that could not happen."I thought the second innings, I felt the ball was slightly stopping. The slower balls were gripping a lot more than the first innings. And that's what we, I don't know, we thought the wicket will get better but the ball was little stopping. But again, see, no excuses. We got the good start. I thought first six overs we were 78. We lost that one extra wicket. Green is run out. But apart from that, we were going really well. As I said, middle overs were the crucial time for us. We needed that partnership from the set batters." Rahane said. The KKR captain further added that he is positive despite two defeats in two matches and is looking forward to the rest of the season. "I think guys are doing really well. Just one off day with the bat. Last game we did really well. Just needed those small partnerships. I think if the batters can have that positive mindset and this extra awareness while batting, I think we'll be fine." Rahane added. Ishan Kishan happy with SRH's victory away at Kolkata Winning captain Ishan Kishan was delighted with SRH's victory. The skipper was happy with the way his team bounced back after the opening day defeat at the hands of defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Kishan praised the start given to his team by Head and Abhishek Sharma, which set up the foundation for SRH's win. "Head and Abhishek made our game easy. It was a complete team effort. Our plan was to take wickets. Harsh just bowled that ball and we were lucky to get that wicket. Harsh has been doing well for his domestic team as well. I would like to talk about Shivang, he bowled exceptionally well. He was bowling with big heart. He did the job for us." Kishan said.
02 April,2026 11:29 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Sunrisers Hyderabad registered their first win of the season as they defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. SRH put on a huge target of 226 runs at the end of their 20 overs, largely thanks to a solid start from their opening duo.Batting first, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head gave the visitors a blistering start. Sharma scored 48 runs off 21 balls, while Head scored 46 runs in 21 balls. After both the openers were dismissed, Heinrich Klassen stabilised the innings, scoring 52 runs of 35 balls.The South African, along with Nitish Kumar Reddy, ended SRH's innings with a bang, taking their team to 226 runs at the end of their innings. For KKR, Blessing Muzarabani was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4 wickets, including 2 in the final over. KKR start strong but falter in the end After a strong start to the innings, Kolkata Knight Riders faltered in the last few overs of the powerplay and scored 74 runs for the loss of 3 wickets, chasing Sunrisers Hyderabad's total of 226 runs. Kolkata Knight Riders' opener Finn Allen started his innings with a bang, scoring 25 runs in the first over. The Kiwi star hit his first six balls for boundaries as he raced to 28 runs in 6 balls before being caught and bowled by Harsh Dubey. The run flow slowed down after Allen's departure, and captain Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed soon as Jaydev Unadkat picked up his maiden wicket of the season. Cameron Green and Angkrish Raghuvanshi were both run out, hurting KKR's chances of a successful run chase.Rinku Singh looked in fine touch as he tried to guide KKR to a victory. The KKR vice captain scored a fighting 35 runs in 24 balls, but it was too little too late. The hosts fell short of the target by 65 runs and have now lost both of their opening two matches of the season.SRH became the second team, after Delhi Capitals last night, to win an away game this season. SRH will face LSG next, while KKR will go against PBKS at the Eden Gardens.
02 April,2026 11:12 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAfter a strong start to the innings, Kolkata Knight Riders falter in the last few overs to score 74 runs for the loss of 3 wickets at the end of the powerplay, chasing Sunrisers Hyderabad's total of 226 runs. Kolkata Knight Riders' opener Finn Allen started his innings with a bang, scoring 25 runs in the first over. The Kiwi star hit his first six balls for boundaries as he raced to 28 runs in 6 balls before being caught and bowled by Harsh Dubey. The run flow slowed down after Allen's departure, and captain Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed soon as Jaydev Unadkat picked up his maiden wicket of the season. Cameron Green was run out in the last ball of the fifth over as KKR lost their third wicket.KKR will hope that their deep batting line-up with the likes of Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh and Sunil Narine. The Kolkata-based franchise lost its opening match of the season against the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede and will aim to bounce back from that disappointment in front of its home crowd. Earlier, the Sunrisers Hyderabad put on 226 runs in their 20 overs. SRH got off to a flying start as openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head found their groove in the powerplay. Head scored a quickfire 46 off 21 balls, while Abhishek Sharma scored 48 runs off 21 balls.After both the openers were dismissed, Heinrich Klassen stabbled the innings, scoring 52 runs of 35 balls. The South African, along with Nitish Kumar Reddy, ended SRH's innings with a bang, taking their team to 226 runs at the end of their innings.For KKR, Blessing Muzarabani was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4 wickets, including 2 in the final over. Confirmed Playing XI for both teams: Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani.Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (C) (WK), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, David Payne.
02 April,2026 10:10 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the IPL 2026 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have reached the score of 123 runs for the loss of four wickets after the completion of 10 overs. Having put to bat first, the explosive duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma opened the innings for SRH. Facing 21 deliveries, Head has smashed 46 runs, hitting six boundaries and three maximums, before being caught by Cameron Green in Kartik Tyagi's. On the other hand, Abhishek fell just two runs short of a half-century, scoring 48 off 21 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes. After the first wicket, skipper Ishan Kishan entered the ground, but departed after scoring only 14 runs in nine balls, including three boundaries. Aniket Verma also failed to make an impact, scoring just one run off four deliveries. Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy are unbeaten at the crease. Kolkata's Blessing Muzarabani managed to pick up two wickets by conceding 20 runs in two overs. Kartik Tyagi and Anukul Roy bagged one wicket each. Vaibhav Arora, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakaravarthy are yet to claim a wicket. Earlier, after winning the toss, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane said, "We are going to bowl first. There is always room for improvement but there were a lot of positives. We generally don't see so much of grass, rain around and that's why we wanted to bowl first. Not sure with the dew as there's a breeze going around. It should be good for 40 overs. He (Cam Green) is doing everything he needs to do. He should bowl soon. Going with the same team". On the other hand, SRH's skipper Kishan said, "We would have bowled first. But batting first, we have to see the ball and play accordingly. We have to come up with the best game for us. You have to go out and do the basics right. Only one point I would say is execution, we need to calm even if we are not in a very good situation. We will look to keep it simple in this game. I don't know yet, but he should be ready soon, he makes a big difference, with the bat as well. We have one change - Shivang comes in, keeping the wicket-taking options open, he has bowled well in the nets and we are giving him an opportunity". IPL 2026, Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Confirmed Playing XI Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani. Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (C) (WK), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, David Payne.
02 April,2026 09:04 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn preparation for the Billie Jean King Cup Group 1-Asia/Oceania round-robin, the Indian women's tennis team has begun a five-day training camp at the DLTA Stadium in New Delhi. The team's main goal is to qualify for the prestigious World Group for the third time.According to an announcement, Ankita Raina, Sahaja Yarnalapalli, Vaishnavi Adkar, Shrivalli Bhamidipati, Rutuja Bhoosale, and Vaidehee Chaudhari make up the Indian squad. The five-day camp will take place from April 1 to April 5. #WATCH | Delhi: On Billie Jean King Cup, Tennis Player Sahaja Yamalapalli, says, "... I’m really excited to be part of this. We have a strong team again this year, and I’m looking forward to getting started. Playing at home is always special — last year we were in Pune and… pic.twitter.com/KkGVWwmIYZ — ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2026 Speaking before the event, Sahaja Yamalapalli said that she was excited to be a part of the team and hoped to start off the tournament well."I’m really excited to be part of this. We have a strong team again this year, and I’m looking forward to getting started. Playing at home is always special — last year we were in Pune and Bangalore, and now Delhi is hosting the Billie Jean King Cup. The energy and support from the crowd will be crazy." Sahaja Yamalapalli said. #WATCH | Delhi: On Billie Jean King Cup, Tennis Player Rutuja Bhonsale, says, "... Everyone’s super excited — this is one of the few weeks in the year when all the girls come together, making it a special time for me too. The camp helps us to get used to the conditions for the… pic.twitter.com/CqoYbq6DHd — ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2026 Meanwhile, Rutuja Bhonsale too was eager to play in front of the home crowd. She was also excited to work together with fellow professionals after playing individually throughout the year."Everyone’s super excited — this is one of the few weeks in the year when all the girls come together, making it a special time for me too. The camp helps us to get used to the conditions for the girls to come together because we play individually throughout the year." Bhonsale said. The Indian team will look to continue their good form at the Billie Jean King Cup After winning 2-1 over Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, and the Republic of Korea in the Billie Jean King Cup Asia & Oceania Group I Qualifiers last year, India will look to gain momentum competing. India will be striving for a top-two result to maintain its World Group aspirations, while New Zealand, Indonesia, and Mongolia are also competing this year.As the squad prepares for the qualifications, performance and making a significant move to make it back to the World Group for the third time remain the team's top priorities. India will try to turn impressive previous results into a historic campaign with momentum and favourable home circumstances.(With ANI Input)
02 April,2026 09:01 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the IPL 2026 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane has won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. KKR suffered a loss in their opening match against the Mumbai Indians (MI). Rahane and his men will be eager to register their first victory in the ongoing tournament. On the other hand, the Sunrisers, under the leadership of Kishan, also suffered a defeat in the tournament's opening match. It will be interesting to see if Kishan manages to impress the management by securing a victory tonight in Kolkata. After winning the toss, KKR captain Rahane said, "We are going to bowl first. There is always room for improvement but there were a lot of positives. We generally don't see so much of grass, rain around and that's why we wanted to bowl first. Not sure with the dew as there's a breeze going around. It should be good for 40 overs. He (Cam Green) is doing everything he needs to do. He should bowl soon. Going with the same team". On the other hand, SRH's skipper Ishan Kishan said, "We would have bowled first. But batting first, we have to see the ball and play accordingly. We have to come up with the best game for us. You have to go out and do the basics right. Only one point I would say is execution, we need to calm even if we are not in a very good situation. We will look to keep it simple in this game. I don't know yet, but he should be ready soon, he makes a big difference, with the bat as well. We have one change - Shivang comes in, keeping the wicket-taking options open, he has bowled well in the nets and we are giving him an opportunity". IPL 2026, Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Confirmed Playing XI Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani. Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (C) (WK), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, David Payne.
02 April,2026 07:30 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentYuvraj Singh, a former India all-rounder who won the World Cup, stated on Thursday that cricket players should start playing golf at a young age to manage the stress of their main job.After retiring, Yuvraj became an enthusiastic golfer and was chosen as the second Indian Golf Premier League's brand ambassador."They (cricketers) should play golf along with cricket. I should have played golf earlier, which would have helped me in cricket. Golf actually helps you unwind, take stress out of you," Yuvraj said at the unveiling event of the IGPL. "For example, all foreign cricketers, Australians, Kiwis, English, South Africans, all have been playing golf since they were young kids."Yuvraj said golf is considered an elite sport, but it's a game that is accessible to all through public courses."We see golf as an elite sport, but we want every kid in India to try golf. We are trying to take golf to schools. What I feel is that every child should try every sport. I know cricket is our biggest game, but golf is also an exciting game, which everyone should try. As someone who has represented India, I want to help in other sports as well," he added.Speaking about the IGPL, Yuvraj believed that it would help golf grow in India. The former Indian star added that it will also encourage the Indians kids to pick up the sport at an early age."The league (IGPL) will make this game exciting, make noise about the sport. More kids will pick up the sport, watch it on TV and will get encouraged to play. It will create money in the sport, and help in securing the future of kids, and it is our responsibility." Yuvraj said. IGPL announce squad for ten franchises Ten franchises and fifteen events will be held throughout the year in this year's IGPL, including five international competitions in Mauritius, the Congo, South Africa, and two in Morocco.The IGPL has also been integrated with the professional tour.Thursday's event was also attended by tennis great Leander Paes, who is a co-owner of the Kolkata franchise in the league, and IGPL CEO Uttam Singh Mundy. (With PTI Input)
02 April,2026 06:58 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the IPL 2026 match against Delhi Capitals (DC), Lucknow Super Giants (SLG) suffered a loss by six wickets at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground in Lucknow. Batting first in the match, LSG was bowled out for 141 runs. Later, in the second essay of the game, while defending the target of 142 runs, Lucknow's star pacer Mohammed Shami dismissed DC's KL Rahul on the very first ball. The pacer also returned with the figures of one wicket for 28 runs in four overs. Speaking about his performance, former Team India cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara said that the ongoing edition is important for Shami. "This season of the IPL is very important for Mohammed Shami and the way he started off the tournament with this performance against DC shows he means business. Yes, his figures read 1 for 28, but it was Shami who played a crucial role in helping his side get off to a strong start in the powerplay. He first got rid of KL Rahul on the very first ball of the run chase and full credit to Shami," he said. The former cricketer then explained how the pacer employed his technique to get rid of Rahul early in the match. "He knew that Rahul loves to play the inside out shot, so he bowled a wide delivery. Rahul played the inside out shot but it went straight into the hands of the deep point fielder. Then, he restricted the run flow by bowling tight lines and did not allow the batters to score runs," said Pujara. Considering all his performances in domestic cricket, Pujara stated that this is just the beginning of Shami's redemption arc. "Shami has been playing domestic cricket across all formats in the last one year and the performances have been good. He is translating his domestic form into the IPL. This performance against Delhi is just the beginning of Mohammed Shami's road to redemption," he said. On the back of one loss, LSG will gear up to face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 5 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. IPL 2026, Lucknow Super Giants: Full Squad Mitchell Marsh, Mohammed Shami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anrich Nortje, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Aiden Markram, Avesh Khan, Wanindu Hasaranga, Himmar Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), Josh Inglis (WK), M Siddharth, Moshin Khan, Ayush Badoni, Arjun Tendulkar, Akash Singh, Abdul Samad, Arshin Kulkarni, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuvanshi, Mayank Yadav, M Choudhary (WK), Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi. (With PTI Inputs)
02 April,2026 06:21 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIt’s been 15 years since India ended its 28-year drought to win the ODI World Cup. That famous night in Mumbai, capped by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's six at a jubilant Wankhede still lives fresh in the minds of Indian cricket fans. Fifteen years on, it remains the greatest Saturday in Indian sporting history.April 2, 2011, remains the ultimate 'Where were you?' moment in Indian sporting history. Thousands flooded Mumbai's streets to celebrate what was then seen as the definitive moment in Indian cricket history. The deafening silence after legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was caught behind early on in the innings was replaced by the explosion of firecrackers in the celebratory Mumbai air just three hours later. Since then, the Indian team has close to ODI World Cup glory but has not been able to take the final step. A semi-final defeat in Australia in 2015 was followed by yet another semi-final loss against New Zealand in 2019. On both occasions, the 'Men in Blue' were in a strong position to book a place in the final, but failed to capitalise on the situation.However, the closest India came to World Cup glory was in 2023 in front of their home fans. After winning 10 games in a row, the Indian juggernaut was halted in the final by Australia. What looked like a certain World Cup triumph ended in tears as India missed an opportunity to replicate their 1983 and 2011 World Cup wins in Ahmedabad.The wait for an ODI World Cup win continues, with the 'Men in Blue' set to get their next chance in South Africa in 2027 —16 years after the iconic night in Mumbai. India dominate white-ball cricket but continue to chase ODI World Cup Since the 2011 triumph, Team India has been one of the best white-ball teams in the world. The ODI World Cup win in Mumbai was followed by the Champions Trophy triumph in 2013. Then, after years of 'so close yet so far' moments, Rohit Sharma led India to a win at the T20 World Cup in 2024, which was followed by another Champions Trophy win in 2025.Suryakumar Yadav then led the Indian team to the T20 World Cup win in India in 2026, making it three ICC trophy wins in three years. However, the one that means the most is still missing from Team India's trophy cabinet since 2011.
02 April,2026 06:18 PM IST | Mumbai | Atharva UpasaniIn the ongoing IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have begun their campaign with a scintillating victory by six wickets against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The Challengers will now gear up to lock horns with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on April 5 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Ahead of the match, batting coach Dinesh Karthik spoke about his role with the Bengaluru-based franchise. "In our team, we have players at very different stages of their careers. All of them are eager to learn, and my role is to understand what each individual needs, while ultimately preparing them for match situations. Where they bat and the challenges they face are very different," he said. The batting coach then explained how he needs to understand the roles of players batting at different positions. "For example, someone like Phil Salt will often deal with the new ball swinging, whereas for someone like Romario Shepherd, swing is rarely a factor at that stage. So, it’s about helping them understand those scenarios, what positions to get into, what to look for and then observing and giving them feedback accordingly. Coaching is as much about understanding the person as it is about the skill," said Karthik. RCB, under the leadership of Rajat Patidar, will look to continue on their winning momentum, whereas CSK, on the back of a defeat, will be eager to register their first victory in the tournament. IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings: Full Squads Royal Challengers Bengaluru's squad: Virat Kohli, Josh Hazlewood, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Krunal Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Phil Salt (WK), Rajat Patidar (C), Nuwan Thushara, Romario Shepherd, Tim David, Devdutt Padikkal, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Salam, Jordan Cox, Jacob Bethell, Vicky Ostwal, Mangesh Yadav, Suyash Sharma, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhinandan Singh, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal. Chennai Super Kings's squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), MS Dhoni (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel, Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar.
02 April,2026 04:48 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentSouth Africa's batsman Rassie van der Dussen has announced his retirement from international cricket. Cricket South Africa did not renew his contract for the 2026-27 season. The right-handed batsman was also not a part of the national mix for the previous seven months. Confirming his decision to step away from the game at an international level, he shared a post on his official social media handle. "It is with a proud heart and a profound sense of gratitude that I announce my retirement from international cricket. To wear the Proteas jersey is a feat that demands a level of resilience and dedication that both tests and rewards you in the most incredible way. To have played for my Country has been the greatest honour of my life. This journey has been paved with years of sacrifice, but the privilege of representing South Africa was worth every moment," read his post. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rassie van der Dussen (@rassie72) He made his T20I debut on October 9, 2018, and went on to represent South Africa across all three formats. Having donned the South African colours in 71 ODI matches, he scored 2657 runs, including six tons and 17 half-centuries. His best score in the format is 134 runs. He also made his appearance on 57 occasions in the shortest format of the game, and smashed 1406 runs, with the help of 10 half-centuries. His top score in the format is an unbeaten 94 runs. Earlier, he also earned selection for South Africa's 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup squad and retained his place even when legendary batsman AB de Villiers, who had previously retired, made himself available for the tournament In the traditional format of the game, van der Dussen represented South Africa in 18 matches and managed to score 905 runs. He also has six half-centuries, and his best score in the format is 98 runs. He also stepped into leadership roles, captaining South Africa in a T20I series against the West Indies in May 2024 and again during a tri-series in Zimbabwe in July 2025. (With ANI Inputs)
02 April,2026 04:25 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
-1775147772995_d.png "Finn Allen (Pic: AFP)")
-1775136339794_d.png "Yuvraj Singh (Pic: PTI)")
