The fast and the furious delivered for the Rajasthan Royals. Among the protagonists in executing the unenviable task of denying the Gujarat Titans 15 runs in the last two overs was Mumbaikar Tushar Deshpande and Jofra Archer. Deshpande, in particular, more than justified his skipper Riyan Parag’s faith in him by firing in four yorkers to defend 11 runs off the last six balls as RR pulled off a six-run win over GT at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium on Saturday night. Deshpande was not even in the starting XI for RR in their opener against Chennai Super Kings. The RR skipper hadn’t pencilled in the Mumbai bowler for the last over. However, he was advised by their batting hero of the day, Dhruv Jurel (75, 42 balls, 5x4, 5x6), to give Archer the 19th over and the final over to Deshpande. GT had done well to fight back thanks to a 45-run eighth-wicket partnership between Rashid Khan (24, 16 balls, 3x4) and Kagiso Rabada (23, 16 balls, 1x4, 2x6). Chasing 211 for victory, GT were given a good start by Sai Sudharsan (73, 44 balls, 9x4, 3x6) and his new opening partner Kumar Kushagra (18), who had replaced injured Shubman Gill. However, their middle order — Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan — imploded. GT’s bowlers had an off day as well, as bowling coach Matthew Hayden put it. “I felt like a lot of our bowlers were just a little bit off their rhythm and their line in particular. Rabada’s figures were a bit more expensive than perhaps what he bowled today [Saturday]. Siraj had an off day too, he was a little bit too short. Rashid actually could have had a couple of more wickets and so too with Rabada,” Hayden said. How Tushar Deshpande restricted GT to just four runs in the last over 19.1: Deshpande starts with a full toss which goes well outside off as Rabada swings and misses. Umpire signals a wide — 1 run (wide) 19.1: A yorker taken on the full by Rabada, who sits deep in his crease and squeezes it out towards sweeper cover — 1 run 19.2: Another yorker on middle and off-stump. Rashid Khan opens his bat face and digs it out towards deep third for a single — 1 run 19.3: In the blockhole outside off and Rabada can only hit it back to the bowler, who gets his right hand to it but cannot quite prevent the single as the ball rolls away — 1 run 19.4: Yorker again on off-stump. Rashid moves across to scoop it, but misses as the ball goes between his legs to the ’keeper — No run 19.5: A length delivery outside off. Rashid throws the kitchen sink at it, but slices it wide to deep extra cover, where Jofra Archer completes the catch — Wicket 19.6: Finishes in style with a low full toss at the stumps. Ashok Sharma swings hard, but only gets an inside-edge onto the pads as the ball rolls down the pitch — No run
06 April,2026 10:11 AM IST | Ahmedabad | Sunil K VaidyaIndia women’s cricket team spinner Sneh Rana delighted her 4.5 lakh Instagram followers with her latest pictures, donning a colourful ethnic two-piece dress featuring intricate silver embroidery work. Rana captioned the post: “Some subtle elegance…” Fans were quick to praise her look. One Instagram user commented: “Rana ji as rani ji,” another called her, “Queen of Uttarakhand.” A third replied: “Fantabulous.” 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
06 April,2026 10:01 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesFormer India pacer and ex-Mumbai Ranji captain Raju Kulkarni has lavished praise on Rajasthan Royals’s Mumbai-based pacer Tushar Deshpande for his sharp death bowling in RR’s six-run win over Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Saturday. “Tushar stuck to the basics while bowling that last match-winning over. He bowled fast, straight and up. He was targeting the stumps and executed it beautifully. Those yorkers were very difficult to hit. What I liked was the way he kept his temperament and handled the pressure calmly,” Kulkarni told mid-day on Sunday. Kulkarni, 63, played three Tests and 10 ODIs and was known as the fiery pacer in his playing days. “Tushar kept his cool in front of such a big crowd, so it was a tremendous performance. I was reminded of [ex-Pakistan pacer] Wasim Akram, who used to bowl like this in the death overs,” said Kulkarni. Deshpande, 30, nicknamed the Kalyan Express, has featured in two T20Is so far, and Kulkarni reckoned Deshpande can stage a comeback to the national side. “After our [2023-24] Ranji Trophy triumph [beat Vidarbha in the final] he was affected by injury, but now he has got back his speed and he seems extremely confident. He needs to continue bowling with the same attitude. I’m sure consistent performances will also help him make an India comeback,” Kulkarni signed off.
06 April,2026 09:52 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureSouth Africa fast bowling great Dale Steyn is impressed by Tushar Deshpande’s performance this IPL season, saying the Rajasthan Royals seamer’s composure and execution in the final over against Gujarat Titans must attract the national selectors’ attention. Steyn told broadcaster Star Sports, “The final over bowled by Tushar Deshpande was exceptional. He executed his yorkers perfectly under pressure, did not give any chances to a player like Rashid Khan to find the boundary. To ensure your plans are executed perfectly without feeling pressure is a rare skill. “Deshpande bowled in a fearless manner and this bowling performance will ensure that the Indian selectors don’t take their eyes off him this IPL season,” Steyn added. 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
06 April,2026 09:49 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesDevdutt Padikkal and Tim David hit strong fifties as Royal Challengers Bengaluru rode on a superlative top-order show to post the highest total of this IPL season, a mammoth 250-3 against Chennai Super Kings here on Sunday. Sent in to bat, Padikkal slammed a 29-ball 50, while opener Philip Salt made 30-ball 46 to provide the platform. At the time of going to press, CSK were 84-5 in seven overs. Skipper Rajat Patidar (48 off 19 balls) and David (70 off 25 balls) then hit some lusty blows, smashing 99 runs in 36 balls to take RCB to a mammoth total. 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
06 April,2026 09:46 AM IST | Bengaluru | AgenciesThree-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will look to get out of the hole they find themselves in during these early days of IPL-19. Having lost both matches, the last by a margin that has seriously impacted their net run-rate, Ajinkya Rahane & Co are in desperate need of a win. Under the circumstances, this is not a good time to run into a team like Punjab Kings. The Kings, whom the Knights meet at Eden Gardens on Monday, arrive on the back of two emphatic victories, including Friday’s smooth chase of 210 in Chennai. With all bases covered and clarity of purpose, they present an ominous prospect for opposing teams. Tim Southee In Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, Punjab have the daunting first chapter of a deep and powerful batting line-up, where the likes of skipper Shreyas Iyer, Cooper Connolly, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, and Marcus Stoinis can each make a serious impact. Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett and Vijaykumar Vyshak bring variety and bite to the pace attack, while Yuzvendra Chahal oozes guile and experience. Punjab, runners-up last season, have retained 21 players, the most by any team ahead of IPL-2026. “Why would we change things after such a successful season?” asked Trevor Gonsalves, Punjab’s assistant bowling coach. “It’s the same team that played last year, so they gel better and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.” KKR, in contrast, are “still looking for the right combination”. Bowling coach Tim Southee said changes in team composition were not on their mind. “There’s no need to panic,” he said, while conceding the Knights need to find their feet quickly. Cameron Green is not fit to bowl yet, though he rolled his arm over at the nets on Saturday. Rain ruined prospects of outdoor practice for both teams, though a few did avail of the indoor facilities. Among them was Varun Chakravarthy, whose lack of form is a major worry in the KKR camp.
06 April,2026 09:42 AM IST | Kolkata | Arup ChatterjeeSkipper Rishabh Pant upped his game when it mattered, while pacer Mohammed Shami posed probing questions not only to Sunrisers Hyderabad batters, but also to the national selection committee with an opening spell for ages to headline Lucknow Super Giants’s thrilling five-wicket victory in an IPL match here on Sunday. In a spell that oozed skill and class in equal measure, Shami bowled an astounding 18 dot balls to finish with 2-9 in four overs which largely became responsible as SRH were restricted to 156-9. LSG rode on Aiden Markram’s 27-ball-45 and Pant’s 50-ball-68 not out to surpass the target with one ball to spare. The chase got tricky towards the end with nine needed off the final over, but Pant smote Jaydev Unadkat for two straight boundaries — second a forehand tennis like slap before another lofted boundary over mid-off to finish the game in style. Mohd Shami celebrates the wicket of SRH opener Abhishek Sharma Amid criticism around his T20 batting approach, Pant asserted that recognition from within the dressing room matters far more than outside chatter. “I know I’m preparing well. I want to let my bat do the talking. My colleagues and management see how hard I work, that’s what matters. I just don’t want to talk about that,” Pant said. Earlier, it was Shami, the 35-year-old artist, who set up the match in the Powerplay itself. His scalps were the crack opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, dismissed off successive deliveries across two overs. He was ably supported by Prince Yadav (2-34). SRH’s Heinrich Klaasen (62 off 41 balls) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (56 off 33 balls) added 116 runs for the fifth wicket. 35-4Runs scored by SRH after the first 10 overs — the lowest total by any team against LSG 116No of runs put on by Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar for the fifth wicket — SRH’s highest partnership for the fifth or lower wicket in the IPL 22No of 50-plus scores for Rishabh Pant in the IPL — the fourth-highest among wicketkeepers Brief scoresSRH 156-9 in 20 overs (H Klaasen 62, N Reddy 56; M Shami 2-9, P Yadav 2-34; A Khan 2-36) lost to LSG 160-5 in 19.5 overs (R Pant 68*, A Markram 45; H Dubey 2-18) by five wickets
06 April,2026 09:40 AM IST | Hyderabad | PTIThe Royal Challengers Bengaluru thrashed CSK by 43 runs to get a statement win in the IPL 2026. This was the defending champions' second straight win of the season. This was also RCB's fourth consecutive win against CSK.Having put into bat first, RCB scored a mammoth 250 runs at the end of their 20 overs. Tim David was the star of the show, smashing 70 runs of 25 balls against a helpless CSK bowling attack. Devdutt Padikkal scored 50 as well to set the hosts running.Chasing 250, CSK got off to a poor start, losing 3 wickets in the first 3 overs. However, Sarfaraz Khan scored a fighting 50 but to no avail, as CSK suffered their third loss of the season.Speaking after the match, Ruturaj Gaikwad admitted that CSK's top order should have contributed more. "Great fight by Sarfaraz, Prashant Veer, Jamie Overton, even to some extent Shivam Dube. So I think, maybe I could have, contributed more top of the order. You never know, we would have chased it down. We would have had, as you rightly said, if you had taken the early chance of Virat Kohli, I think that was, I mean, maybe he would have had momentum to ourselves. But I think, we still had the game in our hands till the 13th, 14th over, and that's when the momentum really shifted." Gaikwad said.Speaking on Tim David's innings, Gaikwad admitted that the no-ball call when CSK got David out was a game-changer. "Well, you're right, KP. I think, Anshul almost got a wicket of him. Unfortunate to be illegal delivery, but yeah, after that, he just smacked all over the park and, as you rightly said, hats off to him." he added. Rajat Patidar reacts after a brilliant win against CSK RCB captain Rajat Patidar couldn't hide his delight after RCB's fourth consecutive win over CSK. Patidar praised his team for their brilliant team effort and hailed the mindset of his team."It feels great, but at the same time, if you play good cricket and give a lot of satisfaction to the team. I think initially the ball was stopping a bit. The way Phil and Virat bhai played innings, I think that was super. And after that, the way the team changed the way, I think I enjoyed a lot of sixes from the dugouts and from the non-striker end. Yes, I think my mindset was pretty clear. As long as I'm there, I always try to put pressure on the bowler. And at the same time, I'm lucky that the team was there." Patidar said.
05 April,2026 11:50 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentChennai Super Kings are struggling at 106 for the loss of 6 wickets after 10 overs. CSK are chasing a massive total of 251 against the RCB in Bengaluru.CSK needed a fast start with the bat in the powerplay to stand any chance of scoring 250 runs. However, the visitors lost skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad early in the innings, and soon Sanju Samson was dismissed too.Ayush Mhatre, the young star of the team, was dismissed for just 1, as CSK were reeling at 30 runs for the loss of 3 wickets after the third over.Sarfaraz Khan played a blinder to give the visitors hope before being dismissed by Krunal Pandya. Khan scored 50 runs in just 25 balls to give CSK a lifeline back into the game. However, with wickets falling around, the visitors have a mammoth task of scoring at over 13 runs per over in the last 10 overs.For RCB, Jacob Duffy starred with the ball, giving the hosts early wickets yet again. The Kiwi star took two early wickets, of both CSK openers, to help RCB gain momentum in the second innings.Krunal Pandya was brilliant with the ball too, getting 2 wickets in his opening over. The left-arm pacer used his variety to put RCB in a promising position going into the final few overs of the match. RCB pile on 250 runs in their first innings Earlier, Royal Challengers Bengaluru started off with a bang, scoring 91 runs in the first 10 overs against the Chennai Super Kings. Tim David and Devdutt Padikkal Patidar scored half-centuries for RCB to propel RCB to a massive 250 at the end of 20 overs Padikkal scored 50 runs in 29 balls. Rajat Paditar looked in fine touch as he dominated the CSK spinners. The RCB skipper scored 48 runs in 19 balls to propel RCB to 250 runs at the end of 20 overs. While Tim David smashed 70 runs in 25 balls.For CSK, Jamie Overton, Shivam Dube and Anshul Kamboj chipped in with one wicket each, but it was a tough day out for the 'Men in Yellow'.
05 April,2026 11:35 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentRoyal Challengers Bengaluru thrash CSK by 43 runs to win their second consecutive game of the season. The defending champions have now won their last four matches against CSK.Chasing 250 for the win, CSK needed a fast start to their innings. However, the visitors lost skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad early in the innings, and soon Sanju Samson was dismissed too.Ayush Mhatre, the young star of the team, was dismissed for just 1, as CSK were reeling at 30 runs for the loss of 3 wickets after the third over.Sarfaraz Khan played a blinder to give the visitors hope before being dismissed by Krunal Pandya. Khan scored 50 runs in just 25 balls to give CSK a lifeline back into the game. However, with wickets falling around, the visitors could not build a partnership to take them over the line.For RCB, Jacob Duffy starred with the ball, giving the hosts early wickets yet again. The Kiwi star took two early wickets, of both CSK openers, to help RCB gain momentum in the second innings.Krunal Pandya was brilliant with the ball too, getting 2 wickets in his opening over. The left-arm pacer used his variety to put RCB in a promising position going into the final few overs of the match. RCB smashed 250 runs in the first innings against CSK Earlier, Royal Challengers Bengaluru started off with a bang, scoring 91 runs in the first 10 overs against the Chennai Super Kings. Tim David and Devdutt Padikkal Patidar scored half-centuries for RCB to propel RCB to a massive 250 at the end of 20 overs Padikkal scored 50 runs in 29 balls. Rajat Paditar looked in fine touch as he dominated the CSK spinners. The RCB skipper scored 48 runs in 19 balls to propel RCB to 250 runs at the end of 20 overs. While Tim David smashed 70 runs in 25 balls.RCB scored 140 runs in the final 10 overs as CSK bowlers were taken to the cleaners. RCB will face Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati next, while CSK will take on the Delhi Capitals.
05 April,2026 11:34 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentRoyal Challengers Bengaluru started off with a bang, scoring 91 runs in the first 10 overs against the Chennai Super Kings. CSK won the toss and chose to field in Bengaluru.RCB openers Virat Kohli and Phil Salt started off well, attacking the CSK bowlers in the powerplay. Kohli was initially dropped by Shivam Dube at mid-on. However, Dube made amends next time as he caught Kohli on long-on off Anshul Kamboj's bowling. The Indian star batter was dismissed for 28 runs off 18 deliveries.After Kohli's departure, Salt took charge of run scoring, targeting the CSK pacers. The English opener scored 45 runs at the end of 10 overs, as RCB found themselves in a promising position at 91 runs for the loss of 1 wicket midway through the innings. For CSK, Anshul Kamboj starred with the big wicket of Virat Kohli. Apart from that, the onus will be on Noor Ahmed and Jamie Overton to put a stop to RCB's free-scoring run-rate. For RCB, the hosts will target a big score with Rajat Patidar, Tim David and Jitesh Sharma still in the dug-out. The home team will be confident coming into the game, having chased down over 200 runs in their last match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.CSK have lost both of their opening two matches in the IPL so far. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side will hope that Ayush Mhatre can continue his good form and Sanju Samson can contribute with the bat in the run chase. Out of the last seven encounters between the two sides, RCB have won 4, while CSK have won 3. The Bengaluru-based franchise has won the last 3 games in a row against their bitter rivals, coming into today's contest. Confirmed playing XI for RCB and CSK: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob DuffyChennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed
05 April,2026 08:25 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
-1775413040335_d.png "Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rajat Patidar (Pic: PTI)")
-1775400389975_d.png "Phil Salt (Pic: PTI)")