A dead rubber in focus in our Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Rajasthan Royals (RR) best prediction for IPL 2025.
It’s match number 62 of the TATA IPL 2025, and we have a dead rubber contest between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. Both teams are already eliminated from the IPL 2025 Playoffs race, and with two more matches left for both teams, all they have is play for pride, and try our different combinations for next year, IPL 2026.
If we talk about Chennai Super Kings, it has been a forgettable tournament for them so far. The team backed experience as always, but this time the experience backfired as almost all their new batters were out of form, and the ones who played weren’t able to adapt to the newer demands of T20 cricket and that’s having an intent to score. However, as a silver lining, CSK’s bowlers did pretty well with the likes of Khaleel and Noor among wickets.
Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, just couldn’t find a good support from their bowlers. Their batting was good, but luck wasn’t by their side as they lost a few close encounters. But bowling was disappointing as not a single bowler stood out with his performance. Archer and Sandeep were good, but only in parts. Whereas others like Tushar, Theekshana, and Hasaranga have been disappointing.
Tournament: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025
Match Details: Match 62 – CSK vs RR
Where: Delhi
When: May 20, 2025, 7:30 pm IST
Rajasthan Royals have two matches left, and one of that is at their home Turf. However, this particular match shall be played at a neutral venue, Delhi. The pitch in Delhi has mostly been batting friendly so far in the competition. While RR have a strong batting lineup, CSK have lifted their batting with the help of youngsters. So, expect another high-scoring contest.
IPL 2025 Official Squad List for Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Batters
WKs
All-rounders
Bowlers
Best Impact Player: Anshul Kamboj
If we talk about CSK’s best playing 11, the team will mostly be without the likes of Sam Curran, Nathan Ellis, Jamie Overton, and Rachin Ravindra. These four players have refused to comeback for the remainder of the tournament, and so CSK are now left with only 4 Overseas players, Devon Conway, Dewald Brevis, Noor Ahmad, and Matheesha Pathirana. Basis CSK’s last game, expect them to continue with the same playing 11.
IPL 2025 Official Squad List for Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Batters
Wicket-keepers
All-rounders
Bowlers
Best Impact Player: Shubham Dubey
Rajasthan Royals suffered two major blows before the India vs Pakistan war hard started. Two of their existing players, Nitish Rana and Sandeep Sharma were ruled out of the tournament due to injury. In addition, post the war, Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger have refused to return. So, with these many changes, expect Rajasthan Royals to have a revamped playing 11.
The RR team will however be happy with the return of their primary Captain Sanju Samson. With Sanju Samson returning, it will be interesting to see what opening combination does the team adopt. We should mostly see Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal opening the innings with Sanju Samson at 3. Also, with Jofra Archer not there, expect RR to play Kwena Maphaka.
Batters: Ayush Mhatre, Vaibhav Suryavanshi & Dewald Brevis
Wks: Sanju Samson & Devon Conway
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Wanindu Hasaranga & Riyan Parag
Bowlers: Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana & Maheesh Theekshana
CVC Choice: Yashasvi Jaiswal & Ravindra Jadeja
Rajasthan Royals run into the high-flying Mumbai Indians team in our RR vs MI match 50 best playing 11 for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
It’s the golden match number 50 in the TATA IPL 2025 as we have the back-in-form Rajasthan Royals taking on the high-flying Mumbai Indians in their den. While RR are currently in 8th position with 6 points, MI are currently 2nd with 12 points. Even though both teams are currently on opposite ends of the points table, the match will be a competitive affair as both teams are in blistering form.
The Rajasthan Royals team is coming off a memorable win in the last encounter against table-toppers Gujarat Titans. Gujarat Titans did score over 200 runs against Rajasthan Royals, but the 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s fastest century by an Indian made that chase a cakewalk. The RR team chased the target in just 16 overs, and got back to form. However, there are still obvious issues in the bowling department for the RR team that needs to be addressed.
The Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, are flying high with 5 wins in a row. After starting slowly as they usually do, the MI team is back on track, and is looking invincible at the moment. Almost all their batters are in form, and such is the situation in the team that players like Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya are hardly getting an opportunity to bat. Having said that, MI are currently facing trouble in their bowling department, which needs some correction.
Tournament: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025
Match Details: Match 50 – RR vs MI
Where: Jaipur
When: May 1, 2025, 7:30 pm IST
Considering the current scenario of both teams, a win for MI should take them one step closer to the playoffs. Given that PBKS is currently on odd points, 14 may not be enough this time for the qualification. So, 16 should be a decent number. Meanwhile, for the RR team, all they can do is play their best cricket, and hope for things to go their way for the final qualification. 14 points is the maximum RR will reach, and that may just not be enough as shared the PBKS reason above.
IPL 2025 Official Squad List for Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Batters
Wicket-keepers
All-rounders
Bowlers
Best Impact Player: Shubham Dubey
The Rajasthan Royals team made a good change in their last match as they dropped Tushar Deshpande for Yudhvir Charak, and Fazalhaq for Maheesh Theekshana. While Theekshana returned with a good performance, Yudhvir had a bad match. The team may persist with Theekshana for sure, but may want to try Akash Madhwal in place for Yudhvir Charak. That is the only change we can expect in the RR team.
IPL 2025 Official Squad List for Mumbai Indians (MI)
Batters
WKs
All-rounders
Bowlers
Best Impact Player: Vignesh Puthur
Talking about Mumbai Indians’ playing 11, the team will persist with Corbin Bosch for now given his impressive outing in his debut match. However, in place of Karn Sharma, MI may bring in Vignesh Puthur as the impact player. Karn suffered an injury in his last match, so resting him will be an ideal decision. Meanwhile, here’s the best dream 11 prediction for RR vs MI match 50 of IPL 2025.
Top Dream 11 Prediction for RR vs MI Match 50 of IPL 2025
Batters: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Tilak Varma, Rohit Sharma & Suryakumar Yadav
Wks: Ryan Rickelton
All-rounders: Riyan Parag, Will Jacks & Hardik Pandya
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah & Jofra Archer
CVC Choice: Suryakumar Yadav & Yashasvi Jaiswal
So, that’s about the best playing 11 for the RR vs MI match 50 of IPL 2025.
Rajasthan Royals face a must-win encounter in our RR vs GT match 47 best playing 11 for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
It’s match number 47 of the TATA IPL 2025, and we have two contrasting teams taking on each other. On one hand, we have the Rajasthan Royals team, who are currently lying in the bottom of the points table with 2 wins from 9 games. Whereas on the other hand, we have the Gujarat Titans team, who are currently at the top of the points table with 6 wins from 8 games. While RR are facing a must-win scenario, Gujarat Titans with a win will be looking to inch closer to the Playoffs.
Talking about the Rajasthan Royals team, nothing has worked for them this season so far. Be it their batting, bowling, or fielding, RR has failed in every direction possible. However, amidst the redlines in the team, the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, and Jofra Archer has been a silver lining for them. All three have performed above their weights so far, but the lack of contribution from the other players has majorly hurt them.
But all is not lost for Rajasthan Royals as yet. The team may be strangling in 9th position with 2 wins from 9 games, if they win all 5 matches from here, the team will be in contention for the Playoffs. 5 wins from here will take them to 14 points, and that means, they could still be in contention, but mathematically. Whatever the case, RR should either play for pride, irrespective of where they end up from here.
The Gujarat Titans team on the other hand, has had a stunning IPL so far. The team has won 6 wins from 8 games, and they would like to continue their winning momentum. It is not like Gujarat Titans have a perfect team this season. But rarely have they been tested on their weakness so far. The team has one of the weakest middle-order in the competition, but their top-order is the best in the tournament, and given that this top-order has rarely failed, their middle-order is rarely tested.
However, there could be that one or two matches where the top-order might fail. But when will these matches occur is something which no one knows. But the GT team will still need to prepared for such situations, and the likes of Washington Sudar, Shahrukh Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, and Rahul Tewatia will need to prepare themselves for such situations. That will be the real test of the team this season. Other than this, the team looks all set to qualify for the Playoffs.
Key Match Details
Tournament: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025
Match Details: Match 47 – RR vs GT
Where: Jaipur
When: April 28, 2025, 7:30 pm IST
IPL 2025 Official Squad List for Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Batters
Wicket-keepers
All-rounders
Bowlers
Best Impact Player: Shubham Dubey
The Rajasthan Royals team was once again without their Captain and leader Sanju Samson for the important clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. It is not clear whether Sanju has recovered, but given the match is just 2 days away, it looks unlikely that Sanju must have recovered. So, in Sanju’s absence, Vaibhav Suryavanshi should continue to be the second opener for the team.
The team may also think of dropping Tushar Deshpande, and bringing in Akash Madhwal. Tushar has had a disappointing IPL so far, and in even in the previous match, he gave runs in plenty. So, after persisting with the pacer for almost 9 matches, it feels RR may move on from the pacer. Moreover, Akash is a good bowler, and has also done well for MI in the previous seasons. Other than this, all RR need right now is an improved performance from their players to be able to be more competitive.
IPL 2025 Official Squad List for Gujarat Titans (GT)
Batters
Wicket-keepers
All-rounders
Bowlers
The Gujarat Titans team has seldom made many changes to their playing 11, and it feels like they will continue with the same playing 11 that played in the last game. The only debatable option will be to bring in Arshad Khan for Ishant Sharma to give more batting depth. But given GT’s stable batting performance so far, that move looks unlikely. So, expect GT to continue with the same winning combination as we saw in the last match.
Impact Player: Ishant Sharma (Impact Substitute)
Top Dream 11 Prediction for RR vs GT Match 47 of IPL 2025
Batters: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan & Nitish Rana
Wks: Dhruv Jurel & Jos Buttler
All-rounders: Riyan Parag & Wanindu Hasaranga
Bowlers: Prasidh Krishna, Rashid Khan & Jofra Archer
CVC Choice: Sai Sudharsan & Yashasvi Jaiswal
So, that’s about the best playing 11 for the RR vs GT match 47 of IPL 2025.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru searching for first win at home in our RCB vs RR match 42 best playing 11 for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
It’s the match number 42 in the TATA IPL 2025, and it’s the clash of the Royals as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on the Rajasthan Royals in their den, Bengaluru. Both teams have had a contrasting performance so far in the tournament. While RCB are sitting comfortably at the top with 5 wins from 8 games, RR are sitting at the bottom of the points table with just 2 wins from 8 games.
The Rajasthan Royals have now lost 4 games in a row, and unless they find a win in this match, their campaign might be in jeopardy. As if this was not enough, the RR team is also facing a big issue with regard to Sanju Samson’s fitness. Their Captain, Sanju is once again facing an injury concern, and is expected to miss the Royals clash. With Sanju not there, the youngest teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi should continue to open, and Riyan Parag should continue to lead the side.
Meanwhile, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team have seen some really good performance in the tournament so far – especially from their bowlers. Rarely we see the RCB bowling lineup overpowering the batting lineup, but the 2025 edition of IPL 2025 has finally seen it. However, RCB are facing a big headache with regard to their performance at home. They are yet to win a match at home, but a clash against RR might just make things slightly easy for them.
Contrasting Teams – RCB vs RR
This will be a great clash to witness as on one hand, we have the depleted RR team, who are without their primary Captain, Sanju Samson, and are looking to get back to winning ways. They won’t find a better opportunity than running into the RCB team, who are yet to win a match at home. The RCB team will also be happy to clash with low-on-confidence RR team at home; thus giving them an opportunity to win their first match at home.
In terms of pitch, Bengaluru pitch has so far disappointed a lot with most matches featuring 160-170 kind of totals. This isn’t the typical Bengaluru outcome that we usually notice. Bengaluru pitches are known for pacy and hard wickets that assists the batters the most. However, we can seen two-paced wicket this time with ball stopping slightly as it reached the batter. So, it will once again be interesting to see what kind of pitch is on offer at this venue.
Key Match Details
Tournament: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025
Match Details: Match 42 – RCB vs RR
Where: Bengaluru
When: April 24, 2025, 7:30 pm IST
IPL 2025 Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Official Squad List
Batters
Wicket-keepers
All-rounders
Bowlers
The RCB team made a tough decision in the last match of leaving out Liam Livingstone, and giving Romario Shephard a game. The move did help the RCB team as the registered a comprehensive victory over Punjab Kings. So, in a likely scenario, expect RCB to stick to the same playing 11 with Padikkal at 3, and Romario Shephard playing as an all-rounder in the lower-order.
IPL 2025 RCB vs RR Best Playing 11 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Best Impact Player: Suyash Sharma
IPL 2025 Official Squad List for Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Batters
Wicket-keepers
All-rounders
Bowlers
IPL 2025 RCB vs RR Best Playing 11 for Rajasthan Royals
Best Impact Player: Shubham Dubey
The RR team in their last match saw a solid performance from Vaibhav Suryavanshi in his debut match. The boy hit first ball of his IPL career for a six, thus showcasing his fearless approach. With Sanju Samson expected to miss this match, expect RR to continue with Vaibhav as an opener. Apart from this point, RR should continue with the same playing 11 as they did in their last game.
Top Dream 11 Prediction for RCB vs RR Match 42 of IPL 2025
Batters: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal & Nitish Rana
Wks: Phil Salt & Jitesh Sharma
All-rounders: Riyan Parag
Bowlers: Josh Hazlewood & Jofra Archer
CVC Choice: Virat Kohli & Riyan Parag
So, that’s about the best playing 11 for the RCB vs RR match 42 of IPL 2025.
Shubman Gill to lead his second season in our strongest possible playing 11 for Gujarat Titans (GT) team for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
Team India’s newly announced Vice-Captain in ODIs will be taking charge as the Gujarat Titans for the second year. The first year as the Captain wasn’t the most memorable one for Shubman Gill as GT failed to qualify for the Playoffs for the first time since their debut in 2022. The team won the 2022 championship before finishing as Runner-up in 2023. However, the 2024 campaign under Shubman Gill didn’t go well as they finished 8th in the points table.
But fortunately for Shubman Gill, the IPL 2025 Mega Auctions saw Gujarat Titans many new potential members in their side. Ahead of the Mega Auction, GT had retained a solid core of Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, and Shahrukh Khan. With 5 solid players already in the side, GT added some more quality players in the form of Jos Butter, Kagiso Rabada, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Sira, etc.
Under Shubman Gill, Gujarat Titans will be looking for a fresh start. Gill, as we know is also projected as the Captain of the Indian team in the near future, so it will be a great opportunity for him to not only lead his IPL team to glory but also to have a confirmation of his leadership abilities to the Indian team. But as we wait for the result of his Captaincy performance, let’s in the meantime look at the strongest possible playing 11 for Gujarat Titans (GT) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
Total Players: 25 // Captain: Shubman Gill // Coach: Ashish Nehra // Home Ground: Ahmedabad
Batters
Wicket-keepers
All-rounders
Bowlers
If we analyse the squad for Gujarat Titans, the team has a total of 25 players in their squad including 7 Overseas players. Having retained 5 players, GT added 3 more players from their existing IPL 2024 squad. Even as their star player, Hardik Pandya is missing from the squad, it still looks potent on paper. But the playing 11 combination will be interesting for Gujarat Titans given they once again look bowling heavy team.
Starting with openers, GT will see a solid opening pair in the form of Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler. While Shubman Gill has been opening for GT for 3 years now with his opening partner mostly being Wriddhiman Saha, having Jos Buttler as the opening partner is a big upgrade for him, and his team. Buttler and Gill can complement each other pretty well, and both have been the superstars of the game. With a solid opening combination, the top 3 looks quite settled for GT with Sai Sudharsan at number 3 position.
While Gujarat Titans have a solid top 3, the middle-order and lower-order is a major weakness in their side. The team should mostly see the retained Shahrukh Khan at number 4, an unproven player SHerfane Rutherford at number 5, and the likes of Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, and Washington Sundar at number 8. While there is batting depth, none of these five batters are reliable, and thus their form going into the tournament will be very crucial.
Coming to the bowling lineup, GT will once again rely on their strong bowling lineup, and they already have 5 solid bowlers with support from all-rounders. Rashid Khan should lead the spin bowling duties for GT. Whereas Kagiso Rabada should lead the pace bowling duties for GT. With these two bowlers in charge, they will have good support from Mohammed Siraj, Praisdh Krishna, and Washington Sundar among the primary bowlers. Apart from these five, GT can also use part-timers like Rahul Tewatia and Mahipal Lomror, if needed.
So, that’s about the strongest playing 11 for Gujarat Titans (GT) for IPL 2025. Overall, GT will rely heavily on their top-order and bowlers to have a good tournament. The team has major weaknesses in the form of middle-order and lower-order batters, and they would like to overcome this by using their strengths. While the competition is tough, it also looks difficult for GT to qualify for Playoffs, unless Ashish Nehra spins his magic once again.
Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal, the openers in our best predicted playing 11 for Rajasthan Royals (RR) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
New year, and a new beginning for the IPL 2008 champions, Rajasthan Royals. It’s been 17 years since the RR team last won an IPL trophy. They did win the trophy in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, but since then, have only been able to play the IPL final once in 2022. Sanju Samson has been the leader of the pack for RR for a few years now, and given his strong leadership, he should lead the side for another few years.
Rajasthan Royals believed in retaining a strong core for IPL 2025, and they were able to retain all 6 players. Given a solid though process, RR believed in retaining a strong core, and they retained the likes of Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, and Sandeep Sharma. Not only these, RR also bought some of their existing players like Shubham Dubey and Kunal Rathore.
Apart from these solid buys, Rajasthan Royals bought the likes of Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theeshana, and Fazalhaq Farooqi among star Overseas players. So, with so many star players in the side, let’s analyze the complete squad list for Rajasthan Royals, and find out the best playing 11 for RR for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
Total Players: 20 // Captain: Sanju Samson // Coach: Rahul Dravid // Home Ground: Jaipur
Batters
Wicket-keepers
All-rounders
Bowlers
Starting with openers, we should see a new opening combination in the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson. Ever since Rajasthan Royals decided to part ways with Jos Buttler, it looked pretty clear that they were looking at a new opening combination, and that is Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson. The fact that these two are also the first-choice opening partners in T20Is for Team India, it adds to the cherry for Rajasthan Royals.
Coming to middle-order, we should see an all-Indian middle-order for Rajasthan Royals with Nitish Rana expected to play at 3, Riyan Parag at 4, and Dhruv Jurel at 5. While Dhruv and Riyan were already a part of the RR setup before, Nitish Rana is a quality addition to the side. However, he is technically replacing Jos Buttler, so he has big shoes to fill. But overall, this is a strong middle-order for Rajasthan Royals.
Coming to finishers, RR may face a big risk in this area. Shimron Hetmyer is the only designated finisher in the squad, who will bat at 6. But below 6, RR will have to rely on Wanindu Hasarana, and mostly Shubham Dubey as an impact player, if required. The lack of all-rounders or quality finishers means, RR would need their top 5 to have a good tournament. If not, there is a big risk that RR will have good totals on the board.
Given the lack of quality all-rounders, RR may not have the batting depth as they need. However, a good advantage of this is also that RR will now have at least 5 quality specialist bowlers. This is a good situation to be in. RR does have a quality bowling lineup. The pace bowling should be led by Jofra Archer with support from Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma. Whereas spin bowling is RR’s strength with two quality spinners, Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theeshana.
So, that’s about the best playing 11 for Rajasthan Royals (RR) for IPL 2025. Overall, Rajasthan Royals have a solid 6 in the batting department, and a good bowling lineup to rely on. The overall playing 11 is still strong, however, the only issue with RR is the lack of quality finishers, and all-rounders. Without All-rounders, RR may not get the desired batting or bowling depth, and they will have to rely on specialists.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill rested in our India vs Bangladesh 2024 strongest possible T20 Series playing 11 for the Indian Team.
Just as the entire Indian cricket fans have glued their eyes on two things, the Indian Premier League‘s retention rules for IPL 2025 and the India vs Bangladesh Test series, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has silently launched the official squad and 15 players list for Team India for the T20 series vs Bangladesh. The 3-match T20 series follows the Test series, and will commence from October 6th, and conclude on October 12th.
It has been an interesting T20 squad selection for the Indian team as a lot of key players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, etc. are missing, and the entire first-choice players who are a part of the Test squad like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, etc. are also missing from the squad. Importantly, Suryakumar Yadav continues to remain as the leader of the team, but there is no official Vice-captain announced in the squad.
Amidst the Test season for the Indian team, the 3-match T20 series holds very little significance given the focus for the Indian team will be on the WTC Final and the Champions Trophy 2025. However, it does present a good opportunity to a lot of young players, who want to make a mark at the International arena. But the actual XI selection will be interesting for the team. So, as we wait for the matches to begin, let’s in the meantime look at the playing 11 that Team India can adopt for the T20 series vs Bangladesh.
If we can observe the squad, Team India have selected a 15-member squad. There are only two frontline batters in the squad, and those are Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav. Needless to say, both these players will be included in the final playing 11 alongside Sanju Samson, who shall be the first-choice wicket-keeper in the side. So, in all, India will have as many as 8 bowling options in the playing 11.
If we talk about the openers, India are without Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Ruturaj Gaikwad. With these three not there, India will have to play one make-shift opener alongside Abhishek Sharma. From the given options, only Sanju Samson has the capability to play as an opener. With Sanju as the opener, the middle-order frees up, and India get an opportunity to play a lot of all-rounders in the side.
For the middle-order, India will see Captain Suryakumar Yadav at 3, Riyan Parag at 4, and a shuffle between Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Rinku Singh for the number 5 position. In addition to this, India will also have Washington Sundar at 8; thus giving India as many as 8 batting options. India will mostly use Shivam Dube as a floater depending on the match situation. If India lose 3 quick wickets, then Dube may be used to tackle the spinners. Whereas for finishing, India will use Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh.
The main debate for the bowling lineup will be to select one between Harshit Rana and Mayank Yadav. It will be an interesting call as to whom does Team India select as their second pacer alongside Arshdeep Singh. Well, technically it will be great if both play, but for that to happen, India will have to leave out Sundar, and lose batting depth. This won’t be a wise call, and to select one between the two, Mayank will get the opportunity ahead of Rana purely because Mayank brings much more to the table.
So, that’s about the strongest playing 11 that Team India re going to adopt for the T20 series vs Bangladesh. Overall, India will leave out Nitish Reddy, Jitesh Sharma, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakravarthy for the 1st T20I. However, India can also leave out Shivam Dube, and instead play an extra bowler in the form of Harshit Rana or Varun Chakravarthy depending on the pitch conditions. Meanwhile, here are the T20 series fixtures.
Suryakumar Yadav to lead in our best predicted squad and players list for India vs Bangladesh 2024 T20 series.
As Team India prepare for the Test Series vs Bangladesh, the selectors and the Indian team management are already planning for the next series, which is the T20 series vs Bangladesh. After a 2-match Test series, India will be locking horns with Bangladesh for a 3-match T20 series starting October 6, 2024. But unlike the Test series, a completely new squad is expected to play the T20 series.
Suryakumar Yadav will be back to lead the team in the T20 series. This will be Suryakumar Yadav’s second series as a Captain after having a stunning start against Sri Lanka where the team whitewashed Sri Lanka 3-0. While the Sri Lanka series was played away from home, the Bangladesh T20 series shall be played in India, thus making it the first home series for Suryakumar Yadav as the Captain.
As we know, the T20 series is nicely sandwiched between the Bangladesh and New Zealand Test series. Thus, most of the regular senior players from the Test Series will be rested for the Bangladesh T20 series. So, what insights do we have in terms of the T20 squad? Well, let’s find the best predicted squad and players list for India vs Bangladesh 2024 T20 series.
If we look at the T20 squad that played against Sri Lanka, the team had four batters in the form of Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. With Gill playing all three formats at the moment, it is highly likely that India rest him for the Bangladesh T20 series. In his absence, India are most-likely to select Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been impressive so far in the T20I outings. The other three batters, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, and Yashasvi Jaiswal should continue as usual.
For the wicket-keepers, we should see a big change with India mostly resting Rishabh Pant, and Sanju Samson getting dropped from the squad. Pant may be rested to keep him fresh for the New Zealand Tests. Whereas Sanju could be out of the squad seeing his back-to-back ducks in his last t20 T20Is. In their place, India will mostly select Dhurv Jurel and Ishan Kishan. While Dhruv will play a role of a finisher, Kishan may see himself as a backup opener, at the number 4 position.
Coming to all-rounders, India should continue with the same five players that played against Sri Lanka. So, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, and Washington Sundar should be the five all-rounders in line for the Bangladesh series. As you know, India had played all these players together in the match, which gave them almost 7 bowling options. Overall, Washington Sundar was impressive in the last T20 series with some good all-round show.
Finally, for the bowling, India will mostly rest Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav. These three bowlers will play an active interest in the Test series vs Bangladesh. Thus, they deserve a good rest to stay afresh for the Test series vs New Zealand. In place of them, India should play Khaleel Amed, Harshit Rana, and Ravi Bishnoi. Harshit may be a lucky entrant in the attack after impressing in the IPL and recent domestic tournaments.
So, that’s about the best predicted squad and players list for Team India for the T20 series vs Bangladesh. Overall, expect India to select a 15-member squad with Suryakumar Yadav at the helm. The team should see a lot of senior players being rested to keep them afresh for the Test series v New Zealand. There should be some new faces in the team like Dhurv Jurel and Harshit Rana, who will be itching to give their best in the series.
Sanju Samson in charge again as we look at the champion squad and players list that Rajasthan Royals (RR) can assemble for IPL 2025.
The Rajasthan Royals – the team that started the glorious IPL tournament on a winning note under the leadership of legendary Shane Warne have been trophyless ever since then. It’s been more than 17 years, but RR are yet to get their hands on their second trophy. But with IPL 2025 approaching, can they change their destiny, and defy the odds to win their second IPL trophy?
Well, RR did have a chance in 2024 as well, but sadly for them, they lost in the Playoffs. But with IPL 2025 Mega Auction, RR have the chance to correct the mistakes they made in 2024, and hire the desired squad one more time. It’s no hidden fact that RR had a few gaps which were one of the reasons why they didn’t do too well in the tournament. However, with the retentions and Auction, RR can finally correct those mistakes.
Overall, if Rajasthan Royals were given an option, they could retain almost 17 players from the current squad. But that won’t be possible in the retained squad as not more than 6 members will be allowed to get retained. But RR can certainly target those players in the Mega Auction. So, as we wait for the official list ot get announced, let’s in the meantime find the champion squad that RR would like to build for IPL 2025.
If we start with the confirmed retained players that RR would retain at any cost, we are looking at 6 names. Among the first-choice options, RR will look to retain Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Riyan Parag. These four will be first-choice retentions irrespective of the rule that BCCI come with. After these four players, if RR would want any more players to get retained, it will be Yuzvendra Chahal and Trent Boult.
These six players form the core of Rajasthan Royals, and even if Boult and Chahal aren’t allowed to get retained, RR will buy them in the Auction without worrying about the cost. The six also bring unique attributes to the table. With Buttler and Samson as wicket-keeper batters, Jaiswal is a solid batter, Riyan is a good all-rounder, Chahal is a good spinner, and Boult is a fantastic pacer.
Beyond these six names, RR will have a few more solid players on their radar. RR may not be able to retain these players, and would want to buy them in the Auction. From the current squad, the likes of Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Sandeep Sharma, and Prasidh Krishan will be on their radar. These are quality players, and with all of them being Indians, RR, who have invested in them, will want them again in the squad at a calculative price.
Beyond these players, from the current squad, the likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Tanush Kotian, Shubham Dubey, Kunal Rathore, and Nandre Burger will also be on RR’s radar. However, for these players, RR may not spend much, and they will try to get them at as low a cost as possible. Moreover, there should not be much issue in getting these players too given their utility isn’t that strong.
If we talk about the players that Rajasthan Royals would like to release, there are 7 names from the current squad. With 17 players in contention from RR to get them back in IPL 2025, the likes of Rovman Powell, Donavan Ferreira, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Keshav Maharaj, Adam Zampa, Navdeep Saini, and Abid Mushtaq are someone whom RR may not want them back in the squad.
Now, with 17 names already in contention from the existing squad, RR will look to add 8 new names from the Auction. If we analyze the current 17-member squad, the team needs to focus on all-rounders as there are literally part-time all-rounders present. To solve this issue, RR need a solid Indian and Overseas all-rounder. From the crop that may be available in the Auction, Deepak Hooda (Local Rajasthan player) and Romario Shephard as Pace all-rounder can solve this issue.
Other than these two, RR can also look to add Mahipal Lomror as the backup to Deepak Hooda, and Sikandar Raza as the backup to Romario Shephard. At a time, RR will have to play two of these to get an additional bowling and a batting option. While there could be other players available in the Auction, these four may be the best options looking at the overall squad, and the additional purse they would like to spend.
In addition, RR will look to add a backup or a better player than Shimron Hetmyer. While RR had Rovman Powell for IPL 2024, he wasn’t impressive with his performances. So, a player like Glenn Phillips, who was also not utilized in SRH could be of great value for them. The team also needs a backup for Chahal, and a spinner like Tabraiz Shamsi can actually solve that problem.
Batters:
Wicket-keepers:
All-rounders:
Bowlers:
So, that’s about the champion squad and players list that RR can build for IPL 2025. From the current squad, if we were to build an ideal playing 11, it will have Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal as openers, Sanju Samson at 3, Riyan Parag at 4, Deepak Hooda at 5, Dhruv Jurel at 6, Sikandar Raza at 7, Ravichandran Ashwin at 8, Trent Boult at 9, Nandre Burger at 10, Yuzvendra Chahal at 11, and Avesh Khan as the impact player. It will be a great champion squad for RR to help them win their second title.
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill expected to open as we look at the best playing 11 for Team India that will help them win the 1st ODI vs Sri Lanka.
After a thrilling India vs Sri Lanka T20 series which India won 3-0, the excitement now moves to the ODI series. Team India lock horns with Sri Lanka in a 3-match ODI series starting August 2, 2:30 pm. The series is significantly more important than the T20 series as it will act as a prelude to the Champions Trophy 2025, which will be played in February next year.
Given the importance, India are also leaving no stone unturned in terms of their preparation. Right from the squad selection to net practice, Team India are taking productive steps in their preparation for the Champions Trophy 2025. The biggest thing that we will see in the Sri Lanka ODI series is the return of India’s biggest players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Both Virat and Rohit had retired from the T20 Internationals, and will now be only focused on Test and ODI formats.
In the initial plan, both Rohit and Virat were supposed to take a rest for the ODI series with youngsters getting the desired opportunity. But with Gautam Gambhir’s elevation as the Head Coach, he wanted the Indian players to be available for all the matches going forward. Apart from Virat and Rohit, the team will also see the return of Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant in the ODI squad.
This will be the first time since the 2023 ODI World Cup India will play an almost full-strength squad. The only ones missing in the series are Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah as all three have been rested. The rest of the Indian team is looking to stabilize its batting unit. So, with just a couple of days to go for the 1st ODI, whaat’s the best playing 11 that Team India can deploy vs Sri Lanka?
If we talk about the openers, India have been playing a settled opening pair for a couple of years now. While Rohit is a stalwart in the ODI format, and probably the second-best opener for India after Sachin Tendulkar, Gill has been equally brilliant in his pursuit of excellence in the ODI format. Gill is probably the only active player to have an average of 60+ and a strike rate of 100+ in ODIs.
With a settled opening combination, India may also stick to the regular middle-order that we have been seeing for years now. So, expect Virat Kohli to play at number 3 position, Shreyas Iyer at number 4 position, and KL Rahul at number 5 position. India does have an option of playing Rishabh Pant, but playing him means India will be playing a bowler short, and will also have to alter the batting lineup to accommodate Pant.
So, the bottom line for the batting lineup is that Pant may have to sit outside for the initial couple of ODIs at least. Pant is definitely a match-winner, and brings a left-hand righthand combination in the team. But India may not want to alter their settled batting combination, and thus, we can expect Riyan Parag to make his debut in the ODI series. Riyan has been given preferential treatment by the team, and it seems, he will be given more opportunities going forward.
Now, coming to the bowlers, India will have 4 proper bowlers + 2 all-rounders in the side. With Hardik Pandya not there, India are likely to include three pacers. Among the current lot, India will mostly opt for Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, and Khaleel Ahmed. Gauti has categorically said that he wants more left-handed pacers in this side, thus Arshdeep Singh and Khaleel Ahmed are likely to get more opportunities.
With three pacers already decided, India will have the services of three spinners too. Kuldeep Yadav shall lead the spin attack for Team India with no other good spinner available in the squad. Whereas Axar Patel and Riyan Parag will fulfil the role of spin all-rounders. Overall, the bowling attack does seem potent, and Sri Lanka will have a hard time competing against India.