India batter Rajat Patidar has been appointed captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the upcoming IPL 2025, starting on March 21.

RCB made this announcement at an event in Bengaluru on Thursday, with Patidar, director of cricket Mo Bobat, and head coach Andy Flower in attendance.

Patidar will replace former South African batter Faf du Plessis, who captained the side from 2022 to 2024 but was not retained in last year's IPL mega auction.

Champions MI Cape Town dominate the SA20 team of season 3 with five players selected. Opening batter and wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton leads the charge up front along with dynamic batter Dewald Brevis, allrounder George Linde and seam bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Trent Boult.

Rickelton struck 336 runs at an average of 48 and strike-rate 178.82 to pass 1000 runs in the competition, becoming the leading run scorer in SA20 history. He also claimed nine dismissals behind the stumps.

Rising Star Brevis came of age in season 3, scoring 291 runs at an average of 48.5 and strike-rate of 184. The 21-year-old was equally adept against pace and spin, striking at 211 against the seamers and 149 against a list of highly impressive slow bowlers.

England skipper Jos Buttler admitted his team were outplayed by India in the three-match ODI series which concluded with a 142-run defeat for the visitors at Narendra Modi Stadium here on Wednesday.

England batters heavily struggled against spin throughout their tour of India, which included a 1-4 defeat in the five-game T20I series and will need to make quick changes to their approach ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy set to kick off in Pakistan on February 19.

"Similar to the whole tour, we were outplayed by a fantastic team. Our approach is the right one, it's just that we haven't executed well. They put a great score on the board. Shubman played a great innings. We got off to a great start again but it's a familiar story for us. We need to find a way to bat for longer. We were up against a really good side that keeps challenging us," said Buttler in the post-game presentation.

Opener Shubman Gill’s majestic 112, along with solid half-centuries by Shreyas Iyer (78) and Virat Kohli (52), propelled India to a massive 356 in the third and final ODI against England. This commanding total proved too much for the visitors, who were bowled out for 214, handing India a comprehensive 142-run victory and a 3-0 series clean sweep.

Gill has been firing on all cylinders in the ongoing series and was named the player of the series for scoring 259 across the three innings at an average of 86.33.

England captain Jos Buttler won his third consecutive toss and opted to field first, However, it was a decision that quickly backfired as India’s top order, barring Rohit Sharma fired on all cylinders.

Rohit was dismissed for just 1 through a beautiful delivery by Mark Wood which found his outside edge, and Phil Salt pouched it. Despite the early setback, Gill and Kohli steadied the ship.

Australia's woes in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy worsened as they succumbed to a 49-run defeat against Sri Lanka in the opening ODI of the two-match series at the R Premadasa Stadium here on Wednesday. A brittle batting display saw the visitors bowled out for just 165 in 33.5 overs, chasing a target of 215 set by Sri Lankan, riding on captain Charith Asalanka’s masterful 127 off 126 balls.

Despite an early bowling wicket-blitz by Aaron Hardie and Spencer Johnson that reduced Sri Lanka to 31/4, Asalanka’s counter-attacking century ensured the hosts posted a competitive total of 214 after they won the toss and elected to bat first. His determined knock, laced with well-timed boundaries, was the bedrock of Sri Lanka’s innings, as he stitched together a crucial 79-run stand with Eshan Malinga, who contributed just a single run.

Australia, too, found themselves reeling 31/4 in a mirror collapse, with the top three managing a combined five runs. Matt Short fell for a second-ball duck, Jake Fraser-McGurk followed soon after for two, while Cooper Connolly’s attempted aggression against Maheesh Theekshana saw him trapped lbw for three.

Opener Shubman Gill’s (112) seventh century in the 50-over game alongside crucial half-centuries by Shreyas Iyer (78) and Virat Kohli (52) helped India post a massive total of 356, their highest-ever total at the venue, against England in the third and final ODI being played at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Wednesday.

England skipper Jos Buttler completed a hat-trick by winning the toss for the third straight game and elected to field first, after having opted to bat in the first two games.

Rohit Sharma (1), after hitting a stellar century in the second game, was dismissed by Mark Wood off his first delivery. A good length delivery, angling into off-stump, forced the Indian skipper to play at it and found the outside edge which was comfortably caught by a diving Phil Salt. Gill and Virat Kohli (52) put on a steady 116-run stand to steady the ship for India. Both batters took their time to get set and carefully rotated the strike in the opening overs.

India’s vice-captain Shubman Gill continued his stellar form with a record-breaking century in the third and final One-day International against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Wednesday. The 25-year-old opener reached his seventh ODI hundred off just 95 balls, cementing his reputation as one of the most consistent batters in the format.

Gill’s milestone knock also saw him achieve two remarkable records. He became the fastest batter to reach 2,500 ODI runs, achieving the feat in his 50th match, surpassing South Africa’s Hashim Amla, who had previously held the record at 51 innings. Additionally, the Gujarat Titans captain reached 5000 international runs in just 131 innings across formats.

His impressive performances in the ODI series against England have also seen him climb to second place in the latest ICC ODI batting rankings, overtaking India skipper Rohit Sharma. Gill’s scores of 87 and 60 in the first two ODIs had already put him in contention for a top spot, and his century in Ahmedabad has further boosted his standing among the world’s elite batters.

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have announced a first-of-its-kind Trophy Tour ahead of the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Last year, they won their third IPL title, adding to the ones they claimed in 2012 and 2014.

As part of their championship celebrations, the franchise will travel along with the coveted trophy across multiple cities in India to connect with the heart of their fanbase. This marks the first time in history that an IPL franchise is organising a Trophy Tour beyond their home city.

"The initiative aims to give the nationwide KKR fans a chance to interact with the trophy and witness their favourite team’s achievement in all its glory. Ahead of the new season, the extensive tour will see the prestigious IPL trophy journey across nine cities, starting from February 14 in Guwahati and finally making a return to the City of Joy in Kolkata by March 16," the franchise said in a release.

The tour will cover multiple regions in their catchment area including Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Gangtok, Siliguri, Patna, Durgapur, and Kolkata.

With just a week left for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, India skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are closing in on the top spot in the ICC men’s ODI player rankings.

The latest rankings update saw Pakistan captain Babar Azam maintaining his position at No. 1, but the Indian duo are closing in following good efforts during the ODI series against England.

Gill gained one place to move to second on the latest ODI batter rankings and is just five rating points adrift of Babar after back-to-back half-centuries against England, while Rohit, sitting third, is within 13 rating points of the Pakistan right-hander following his splendid century in Cuttack.

Several other prominent batters have re-entered the ODI rankings as teams prepare for the marquee ICC event. Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman is ranked 13th, while New Zealand’s Kane Williamson (29th), England's Jos Buttler (38th), Devon Conway (40th), and Joe Root (51st) have also made their way back into the standings after their return to 50-over cricket.

West Indies legend Chris Gayle has backed "world-class" batter India skipper Rohit Sharma to score big runs for his side in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 to be held later this month in Pakistan and Dubai.

Rohit, who was struggling to score runs in Test series against New Zealand (home) and Australia (away), failed to had a good outing in the ODI series opener against England in Nagpur. However, he returned to form with a bang and scored a match-setting knock of 119 in India's four-wicket win in Cuttack on Sunday.

During his 32nd ODI century, Rohit smashed seven sixes and surpassed Gayle to become the second-most six-hitter in the format with 338 maximums.

"Rohit (Sharma) is a world-class player. He has many double-centuries in ODI cricket. He is a Hitman and now has the most sixes in ODI cricket. He just got a century the other day. I know he had a tough Test series, but good players always put behind them and try to look ahead," Gayle told IANS during an event in the national capital region on Tuesday.