• Pathirana back in action after injury
• Skipper Rajat Patidar joins Virat Kohli in the middle. Matheesha Pathirana joins the action as he tries to get in the rhythm of the match. 
• Strategic Timeout on. 
• RCB (83/2) 9 overs 
• Wicket! Ashwin strikes, Padikkal departs
• Ashwin gets his first wicket. Ruturaj Gaikwad takes a crucial low catch to dismiss Padikkal. 
• RCB (77/2) 8 overs 
• Padikkal charges on Jadeja
• Clean and crisp hitting from Padikkal continues as he gets another boundary over the forward square leg. Padikkal swings and gets a maximum. Its 15 runs of the over. 
• RCB (71/1) 7 overs
• Padikkal gets going with a maximum
• Devdutt Padikkal charges on Curran as he flicks the ball behind square. Curran continues to bring variations to his pace. 
• RCB (57/1) 6 overs 
• Wicket! Dhoni stumps Phil Salt
• M.S. Dhoni joins the party with his magical hands as he stumps in-form Salt. 
• Sam Curran joins the attack
• Kohli tries to get a boundary by clearing the midwicket, but the ball doesn’t carry. RCB openers continue to back on running between the wicket. 
• RCB (37/0) 4 overs 
• Virat Kohli survives review
• A roaring Khaleel appeals in the first delivery as Kohli misses the ball. CSK reviews. Kohli survives as the ball was pitching outside the leg. Salt backs on his intent and bags another boundary towards midwicket.
• RCB (32/0) 3 overs 
• Phil Salt gets his rhythm as he pounces on the opening delivery for a maximum towards the fine leg. He then dispatched the ball for another boundary. Virat gets his maiden run as he chips the bowl. 
• RCB (25/0) 2 overs
• Phil Salt gets consecutive boundaries
• Verbal battle begins as Khaleel takes on Salt. The pitch offers some movement to the bowler with a bit of turn. Salt edges the fourth delivery for first boundary of the match. Salt gets hang of the length of the delivery and hits second boundary of the match. 
• RCB (9/0) 1 over
• Action begins! Kohli and Salt take center stage
• Khaleel Ahmed will start the bowling attack, and Salt faces the opening delivery of the 8th match of the season. 
• RCB: Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh
• CSK: Shivam Dube, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton, Shaik Rasheed
• CSK win the toss, elects to bowl first
• Matheesha Pathirana is back in the side in place of Nathan Ellis for Chennai Super Kings. Bhuvneshwar Kumar joins the playing XI for Royal Challengers Bangalore. 
• Dhoni and Virat in the middle
• Dhoni in conversation with Dube and Noor
• CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, 27/03/2025 : CSK’s MS.Dhoni, Shivam dube and Noor Ahmad during the practice session ahead of Tata IPL match between Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru at M.A.Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk in Chennai on Thursday. Photo : B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu
• CSK preps underway as fans throng MAC
• Will Shivam Dube lift CSK to another triumph against RCB?
• Shivam Dube’s hard-hitting sixes and finishing skills will be tested against the likes of Tim David, Romario Shepherd, and Liam Livingstone.
• His only outing at Chepauk against RCB last year saw him score 34* in 28 balls during a run-chase of 174 runs. 
• Dube at Chepauk has 410 runs at an average of 34.17 and a strike rate of over 164, with two half-centuries in 16 innings and the best score of 66.
• -ANI
• Will Virat’s slog-sweep work against CSK’s spin duo of Noor-Ashwin?
• During this clash of titans between Dhoni and Virat, the latter’s spin game against Afghan sensation Noor Ahmed and Ravichandran Ashwin will attract many eyeballs.
• Virat holds a fine record against CSK, having made 1,053 runs in 33 matches and 32 innings at an average of 37.60 and a strike rate of over 126, with nine fifties and the best score of 90*.
• However, at the den of five-time champions, Virat has scored just 383 runs in 13 matches at an average of just 29.46 and a strike rate of over 111, with two fifties and the best score of 58.
• Against Noor in the T20s, Virat has faced off in four innings, scoring 58 in 40 balls at a strike rate of 145.00, seven fours and a six. He has been dismissed by Noor once.
• Virat has been dismissed just once by Ashwin in T20s as he has garnered 181 runs in 147 balls against this spin legend. However, his strike rate against Ashwin is just 123.12. In 23 innings, Virat has used just 13 fours and six sixes against Ashwin.
• -ANI
• Fan’s delight: Virat Kohli in the nets
• Work mode on in CSK’s den
• What’s the buzz in RCB’s camp?
• Rajat Patidar’s men will be quietly confident following a convincing performance in the opener against defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders. The bowlers, led by Krunal Pandya, fought back strongly in the second half of the innings after the Knight Riders got off to a flyer. 
• Phil Salt and Virat Kohli then made quick work of the chase, with the latter staying unbeaten. 
• Kohli has had his fair share of struggles against high-quality spin in recent times, and how he handles Chennai’s strong spin line-up could hold the key to his side’s fortunes. On the team front, it will be interesting to see if leg-spinner Mohit Rathee gets a look in to take advantage of the conditions.
• 
• Indian Premier League 2025, IPL season 18: Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Chennai on March 28, 2025. Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s hopes of exorcising a 17-year jinx in chennai
• JioStar shatters viewership records on historic opening weekend
• In a record-breaking opening weekend, the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) witnessed unprecedented viewership across JioHotstar and Star Sports Network. With a cumulative watch time of 4,956 crore minutes, JioStar Network has set new benchmarks, delivering an unparalleled cricketing experience across TV and digital platforms.
• On JioHotstar, digital viewership of the first three matches was 40% higher than last season, fueled by a 54% surge in CTV consumption. 
• With 137 crore views, a peak concurrency of 3.4 crore, and a staggering 2,186 crore minutes of watch time from just the first three matches of IPL 2025, JioHotstar continues to set new benchmarks, capturing the pulse of the nation like never before.Furthermore, on television, as per BARC data, the opening weekend of TATA IPL 2025 set new records, drawing over 25.3 crore viewers and clocking an unprecedented 2,770 crore minutes of watch time — a 22% surge from last year. 
• IPL 2025, IPL season 18: JioStar shatters viewership records on historic opening weekend
• What’s the match on March 29: It’s Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians – A preview’
• Skipper Hardik Pandya’s much-anticipated comeback after serving a one-match ban will lend the required balance to Mumbai Indians’ line-up when they take on an equally desperate Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Saturday (March 29, 2025) as both teams are chasing their first victory in the ongoing edition of the IPL.
• Mumbai could not break their long standing jinx of losing their IPL opener as Chennai Super Kings comfortably won by four wickets while Gujarat Titans lost a high-scoring game to Punjab Kings by 11 runs.
• With nearly a week’s gap between the first and second games, the MI team spent a few days at Reliance’s Jamnagar facility where the whole unit relaxed and engaged in team bonding activities.
• IPL 2025, GT vs MI: Skipper Pandya’s comeback to boost Mumbai, Mohammed Siraj’s form concerns Titans

• A flash of Dhoni and a peep both into the past and the future
• The valiant never taste of death but once, Caesar said, but he was wrong. If you are a sportsman, you die twice — once at retirement. The national mourning that followed the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar was different only in degree and volume from those that greeted similar goodbyes. There is a sadness about endings that is inevitable and seems to affect some fans nearly as much as the players.
• It is not difficult to understand this. We weren’t just successful, wrote Kareem Abdul Jabbar, the NBA great, “we were significant.” You are in your thirties (usually) when a huge part of your identity, purpose, focus, and sense of belonging is taken away. You go from being a promising youngster to a world beater to a former star who sometimes annoys people with stories of the good old days. 
• A flash of Dhoni and a peep both into the past and the future

• ICC retains Nitin Menon in Elite Panel of Umpires, Jayaraman Madangopal promoted to Emerging Panel
• The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday (March 25, 2025) included Allahudien Paleker of South Africa and England’s Alex Wharf in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires which features Nitin Menon as the only Indian, while Jayaraman Madangopal has been promoted to the Emerging Panel.
• Michael Gough and Joel Wilson will make way for the two new entrants in Palekar and Wharf.
• ICC retains Nitin Menon in Elite Panel of Umpires, Jayaraman Madangopal promoted to Emerging Panel

• ‘This is how T20 cricket has evolved,’ says Dhoni on ‘Impact Player’ rule
• M.S. Dhoni expressed his take on the Impact Player rule, which allows teams to utilise one extra player during the game, and said that the high-scoring games are not a direct result of this but has more to do with the conditions and comfort level of players.
• Notably, the impact player rule has attracted a variety of opinions. While it has been hailed by many for helping teams be more flexible with their combinations and get the best talent possible during a particular match situation, it has been criticised for hampering the growth of all-rounders due to the rise of usage of specialist batters/bowlers and for making the games too high-scoring and batter friendly.
• IPL 2025: ‘This is how T20 cricket has evolved,’ says Dhoni on ‘Impact Player’ rule

• Dhoni continues to turn clock back with his lightning-quick stumpings
• In Chennai Super Kings’ season-opener win against Mumbai Indians, M.S. Dhoni did not have to do much with the bat walking out to the middle when his team needed just four to win. 
• However, the 43-year-old made his impact earlier in the evening behind the stumps when he pulled off one of his lightning-quick stumpings to leave Suryakumar Yadav stranded and stunned. In the context of the match, it was a pivotal moment as the stand-in MI skipper had forged a 51-run stand with Tilak Varma. The wicket triggered a mini-collapse. 
• Much like his batting, Dhoni’s wicketkeeping technique doesn’t follow the copybook, but he continues to set the bar. His effectiveness is even more pronounced while standing up to the spinners. This is crucial, especially on the spinner-friendly surfaces at the MAC Stadium. 
• Dhoni continues to turn clock back with his lightning-quick stumpings

• Indian Premier League 2025 points table: Where do the teams stand?
• The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League 2025, which runs from March 22 to May 25, is already off to a blazing start with exhilarating action and power-packed performances. Based on better net run rate, Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad sit at top of the IPL points table after they clocked 44-run win against Rajasthan Royals in their tournament opener.
• Indian Premier League 2025 points table: Where do the teams stand?

• What Dhoni is achieving at 43 is remarkable, says Ruturaj Gaikwad
• Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was astonished at the “remarkable” ability of legendary MS Dhoni to keep contributing for the team at the age of 43 and hoped he will deliver “crucial knocks” for his side in this IPL.
• M.S. Dhoni will most likely bat at the lower-order for CSK just as he did in last year’s IPL when he usually came at No. 7 or 8.
• What Dhoni is achieving at 43 is remarkable, says Ruturaj Gaikwad

• What happened on March 27: Pooran and Marsh make it a cakewalk for LSG
• On the eve of the clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad, a question about Lucknow Super Giants’ depleted bowling resources miffed Mitchell Marsh. “I don’t see it as a lack of depth,” came the quick retort. His team got the memo as its bowlers threw a spanner into the ultra-aggressive steamroller of the home franchise. Nicholas Pooran and Marsh then helped seal a five-wicket win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday (March 27, 2025) to help LSG open its account in IPL 2025.
• IPL 2025 SRH vs LSG | Pooran and Marsh make it a cakewalk for LSG after Shardul’s vital strikes

• Fans’ obsession for Dhoni is strange, does not serve the game well, says Ambati Rayudu
• Former India batter Ambati Rayudu says the phenomenal support Mahendra Singh Dhoni enjoys from the CSK fans has gradually morphed into an unhealthy obsession which is daunting for other batters to handle as the crowd is always anticipating their early dismissal so that they can see their ‘Thala’ bat.
• Rayudu said the fans’ support is first for Dhoni and then for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and probably in future it may hurt the team’s branding which has always revolved around one man.
• “It is quite daunting if you’re a newcomer. It’s quite loud. The support is phenomenal. But, as you go on and play, then you realise they are MS Dhoni fans before they are CSK fans,” Rayudu told
• ESPNcricinfo.

• IPL 2025: Fans’ obsession for Dhoni is strange, does not serve the game well, says Ambati Rayudu

• Royal Challengers sweat it out
• CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, 27/03/2025 : Royal Challengers Bengaluru player Virat kohli during the practice session ahead of Tata IPL match between Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru at M.A.Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk in Chennai on Thursday. Photo : B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu

• Toss and effect: the early trend in the 18th chapter of the Indian Premier League
• How will the pitch behave? Will there be dew? What’s the par-score? All pertinent questions fly around ahead of a game of cricket. 
• The early trends in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League show that skippers winning the toss are taking the ‘when in doubt, chase’ option (six out of six). 
• What is the idea behind it? 
• IPL 2025 | Toss and effect: the early trend in the 18th chapter of the Indian Premier League

• Dhoni says he is focussed on reinventing himself ‘to stay relevant’ in IPL
• Rejecting speculation that he is the back-room decision-maker in Chennai Super Kings despite handing over captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad, the talismanic Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he is instead focussed on reinventing himself and his strokes to “stay relevant” in the Indian Premier League.
• Speaking to

JioStar

• after CSK’s four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in their lung-opener on Sunday (March 23, 2025) night here, Dhoni spoke about the team dynamics under Gaikwad, his own form and also the regional commentary being done in the ongoing league.
• Dhoni says he is focussed on reinventing himself ‘to stay relevant’ in IPL