Dinesh Karthik, who retired from all forms of cricket in June, has rejoined Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as batting coach and mentor for the upcoming IPL season. Karthik, a veteran of 257 IPL matches, will bring his experience and expertise to the RCB squad.
Indian batsman Sai Sudharsan will rejoin Surrey County Cricket Club for the ongoing County Championship. He previously played for the club last season, contributing to their championship win. Sudharsan’s impressive IPL performance and recent international debut make him a valuable asset to the team.
Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma, and Nitish Reddy, who shone in the recent IPL season, have been rewarded with maiden India call-ups for the upcoming white-ball tour of Zimbabwe. The tour will see the youngsters join a squad featuring other IPL performers like Tushar Deshpande, Harshit Rana, Avesh Khan, and Rinku Singh, among others. This tour provides a platform for these promising players to showcase their skills on the international stage.
A stand-up comedian faced a silent response from an audience in Bangalore after making a joke about the city’s unwavering support for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) cricket team. While the comedian received no laughter, netizens praised her for her resilience and encouraged her to keep trying.
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been discharged from Ahmedabad’s KD Hospital after suffering from heat stroke and dehydration on Tuesday. The actor was in the city for two days to attend the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoff match between his team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Ahmedabad has been experiencing high temperatures, with the mercury rising to 45.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. KKR entered the IPL final after defeating SRH in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday and will play the final in Chennai on Sunday.
Social media platform Reddit has been buzzing with speculations about a possible split between cricketer Hardik Pandya and his wife, Natasa Stankovic. The couple married in May 2020 and welcomed their first child, Agastya, in July 2020. A Reddit user sparked the rumors by questioning whether the couple had separated and pointed out that neither of them have posted about each other recently. The user also mentioned that Natasa had removed ‘Pandya’ from her Instagram username and deleted some of her previous posts with Hardik. Several users speculated that Natasa may be keeping a low profile due to the trolling that Hardik has faced since becoming captain of the Mumbai Indians in the ongoing IPL season. Others suggested that Hardik is trying to protect Natasa from the negativity surrounding his team’s performance. However, some users also raised concerns about the possibility of infidelity on Hardik’s part.
Venkatesh Iyer, a senior member of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team, has praised co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, comparing him to Gautam Gambhir in terms of his leadership and support for the players. Iyer, who played a key role in KKR’s victory in Qualifier 1 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, said that Khan is like an elder brother to the team, providing guidance and motivation during tough times. This aligns with Gambhir’s previous comments about Khan’s positive influence on the team, further highlighting the Bollywood superstar’s dedication to the franchise.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu recently posted a cryptic message on Instagram, which fans interpreted as a display of support for RCB’s Virat Kohli. She posted a note titled, ‘I wanna see you win’, which received over 500,000 likes and 3,000 comments. On a previous chat show, Samantha expressed her admiration for Kohli’s dedication and grit. She is set to star in Raj & DK’s upcoming web series ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’ alongside Varun Dhawan.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has defended the decision of English players to skip the latter stages of the Indian Premier League (IPL), arguing that national team commitments should take precedence. This comes after the players involved, including Jos Buttler, Will Jacks, and Phil Salt, returned home to prepare for an upcoming T20I series against Pakistan ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Swapnil Singh, a veteran spin-bowling all-rounder, has come a long way since his humble beginnings. After starting his career with Baroda, he earned his first IPL contract with Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). However, his IPL journey has been filled with ups and downs, including a disappointing stint with Mumbai Indians and being released by Lucknow Super Giants last year. Despite contemplating retirement, Swapnil’s fortunes turned when he was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the IPL auction. Since joining RCB, Swapnil has been an integral part of the team’s winning streak, taking six wickets in as many games and contributing with the bat as well. He credits RCB head coach Andy Flower for keeping faith in him and providing him with the opportunity to prove his worth.
