Monday, November 25
The Indian cricket team plans more net practice instead of playing a warm-up match against India 'A' during their Australian tour. Led by head coach Gautam Gambhir, the team aims to prepare on WACA's bouncy pitch, resembling Perth Stadium. India will defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in a five-Test series, beginning November 22.
RCB's Director of Cricket Mo Bobat explained the decision to retain Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal for IPL 2025. Notably, they have released captain Faf du Plessis, all-rounders Glenn Maxwell and Will Jacks, and fast bowler Mohammed Siraj. Bobat explained the reasoning behind not retaining seamer Mohammed Siraj.
India A experienced a tough start in their tour against Australia A as they were reduced to 86 for 8. Jordan Buckingham and Brendan Doggett dominated with the ball, removing key players including Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Devdutt Padikkal. Doggett claimed a five-wicket haul, causing early damage and hindering India's batting efforts.
Nicholas Pooran is set to become one of the highest-paid retained players in IPL history, with Lucknow Super Giants agreeing to pay him over Rs 20 crore. The franchise plans to focus heavily on retentions, prioritizing Pooran, Mayank Yadav, and Ravi Bishnoi, aiming to spend around Rs 50 crore in total.
In a notable development, Heinrich Klaasen surpassed Virat Kohli by securing the top retention price of Rs 23 crore for IPL 2025. Sunrisers Hyderabad emphasized Klaasen's significant impact, while Kohli and Nicholas Pooran were retained for Rs 21 crore each by RCB and LSG respectively on Thursday. This highlights the franchises' confidence in their key players.
India faces a potential whitewash at home against New Zealand in the third and final Test in Mumbai, risking their World Test Championship hopes. After losses and batting failures in Bengaluru and Pune, key batsmen like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma must deliver runs. Former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali stresses the importance of a win for morale before the crucial series in Australia.
