Players.bio is a large online platform sharing the best live coverage of your favourite sports: Football, Golf, Rugby, Cricket, F1, Boxing, NFL, NBA, plus the latest sports news, transfers & scores. Exclusive interviews, fresh photos and videos, breaking news. Stay tuned to know everything you wish about your favorite stars 24/7. Check our daily updates and make sure you don't miss anything about celebrities' lives.
DURBAN, South Africa : South Africa and Sri Lanka continue their quest for a place in the World Test Championship final when they clash in the first match of a two-test series at Kingsmead in Durban on Wednesday, with both needing victories to stay on course.
RR Full Squad, IPL 2025: Heading into the mega auction after retaining six players from their IPL 2024 core including the likes of Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rajasthan Royals waited a long time to make a purchase on Day 1 of the IPL 2025 mega auction. However, in the end, RR bought back English pacer Jofra Archer, spending a fortune for him at Rs 12.5 crore. Archer had won the 'MVP' award with RR in IPL 2020. The inaugural IPL champions also invested in Sri Lankan spin duo Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, and also picked up uncapped pacer Akash Madhwal. (Full Squad)
CSK Full Squad, IPL 2025: Chennai Super Kings aim to bolster their ranks with quality batters and a possible future replacement for MS Dhoni in the IPL 2025 auction. CSK decided to retain five players and they will have Rs 55 crore purse to spend in the auction. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja were both top retentions for the five-time champions. They also decided to retain the services of Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana and all-rounder Shivam Dube. Dhoni was retained for just Rs 4 crore thanks to the rule that any cricketer who has not played for India in the past five years will be considered 'uncapped'.
Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana, currently playing in the Abu Dhabi T10, expressed his excitement and happiness at being retained for a whopping Rs 13 crore by his franchise, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), for the upcoming IPL 2025. Pathirana, known for his skills as a specialist death bowler, shared his enthusiasm and gratitude for the trust CSK has placed in him. "Yeah, really, I'm excited about that, and that was my dream when I debuted for CSK. So yeah, I achieved it, so I'm really happy about that," said Pathirana, reflecting on his retention by the franchise.
Following the completion of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, Sri Lanka head coach, Sanath Jayasuriya, praised the Kiwis' approach towards the game during the recently concluded white-ball series. With a 2-0 series win in the ODIs against New Zealand, Sri Lanka continued their unbeaten march at home where the side has secured wins over India, New Zealand, and West Indies across formats in recent months. There is especially encouraging news in the Test arena.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir arguably has his job on the line, after series defeats against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. As the Indian team prepares itself for the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth, Gambhir is undoubtedly under pressure to deliver. Else, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could start to look at other options in the longest format of the game. Ravi Shastri, the coach of India's first team that won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, has sent Gambhir an important message ahead of his new assignment.
The Indian cricket team will be looking to book its slot in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final as they start their five-match Test series against Australia. India's dreams were dealt a massive blow as they slumped to a 0-3 series loss against New Zealand at home. However, with five matches against Australia in the next couple of months, India have a massive opportunity to reach the WTC Final for the third consecutive time. Here's a look at the scenarios where India can book their WTC Final berth -
The Optus Stadium at Perth, the venue of the highly-anticipated first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia, has become a subject of intrigue ahead of the clash. With both teams boasting world-class pace and spin options, both teams are finalising their team combinations as per conditions. With their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final spots at stake amid tough competition from Sri Lanka, South Africa and New Zealand, both sides would be aiming to make the best use of Perth's usual fast and bouncy surface. The venue is a pace-dominated venue, with Australian pacers outdoing the visiting pace attacks with their average of 22.04 as compared to 36.53 of visiting pacers. Coming to spinners, the Aussie tweakers have an average of 18.61 as compared to a poor average of 108.50 by visiting spinners.