The Asia Cup 2025 is a unique challenge for Team India, captained by Suryakumar Yadav, and a familiar one at the same time. Following their victory in the T20 World Cup 2024, the Men in Blue are eager for their next significant trophy. With mounting tension and growing expectations, this tournament provides India a further opportunity to hone their array of strategies while fielding a few new combinations. In the UAE, with only three weeks to compete, there must be enough balance in the squad, batters and bowlers alike, to remain competitive.

The two venues, Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium (Abu Dhabi) and Dubai International Stadium have pushed towards batters and pacers in the last 12 months.  In 29 T20 games across three separate competitions, just 55% of wickets fell and the majority of matches resulted in high-scoring slug-fests. All the indicators suggest that bowlers will need to go hard to earn favorable outcomes and India's selection of the bowling attack will be critical. The balance between spin and pace will be critical to securing results in these run-favoured playing conditions.

See Also: India's squad selection for Asia Cup 2025 delayed in Mumbai for this reason

With T20 format tournament, this is the best chance for India to play with five bowler balanced attack. It would be best to have at least two frontline spinners in order to ensure control of the middle overs, and two all-rounders to deepen the batting order while having at least three specialist pacers in the XI allows them to adjust to different opponents in the tournament. There are a lot of ways that India could think and strategize this to ensure that the world champs are well prepared for the Asia Cup 2025 T20 tournament, which could have seven matches in three weeks!

Arshdeep Singh 

As a left-arm pacer, he has a rare ability to swing the new ball both ways, meaning he is especially dangerous against left-handers. His skills would take him into the death overs as well, and he is relentless in using a range of clever variations to deceive batters. This all-round skill gives him the ability to be effective at all stages of the T20 innings - a valuable asset to any team. 

He goes into the Asia Cup 2025 after an impressive IPL 2025 season with Punjab Kings which he distinguished himself as one of the most consistent performers. In his 17 matches, he took 21 wickets at an excellent economy of 8. He showed the ability to combine control and taking wickets. Interestingly, of the 240 wickets taken by bowlers at the Abu Dhabi and Dubai venues recently, 76 were taken by left-arm seamers. That should only help his confidence for the tournament.

Prasidh Krishna

Opting for Harshit Rana over a vastly improved T20 bowler like Prasidh Krishna could prove to be a questionable decision by the Indian team management. Krishna’s Purple Cap triumph in IPL 2025, where he picked up 25 wickets, was not a fluke. Instead, it showcased the transformation in his T20 game, where he displayed control and maturity that had previously been missing. His performances underline consistency rather than being a one-off success.

The Karnataka pacer has been remarkably disciplined with his lengths, frequently targeting the full and good-length areas across 15 matches this season. At the same time, he has cleverly used the short ball as a reliable stock option to keep batters guessing. What makes him even more effective is his sharp use of pace variations, a skill he has mastered over the past four months. This evolution has made Krishna one of the most dependable fast bowlers in India’s T20 setup.

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya is a stands-alone player in the Indian national team when talking about match situations. His brilliance yet again shone in IPL 2025 in important moments, both bat and ball. Pandya took 14 wickets in 15 matches at 24 run average, meaning he was able to take wickets in the most important moments for his team. His dynamic game is still revolving around him being one of the best all-rounders in T20 cricket, and he continues game after game to be the most trusted.

As a bowler he understands high pressure match situations, and welcomes that responsibility of bowling in the most critical over of the match. Even when four boundaries on the trot is scored, he hurdle won't be shaken and control his mind and temperament, quickly resetting his game plan. This fearless and composed demeanor allows him to remain 'locked in' as much as he possibly can in the match scenario, and expects matters like the moment are good will, makes him an unstinting asset in India's plans ahead of important tournaments.

Varun Chakravarthy

Since his return to international cricket after a near four-year layoff, Varun's comeback has been nothing short of a fairytale, not only in terms of performance level, but also improvement in his bowling. Varun made an immediate impression by taking 14 wickets from five matches against England, followed by a further nine wickets at the Dubai International Stadium during Champions Trophy 2025. This turnaround came after having practiced his variety, something that he did not have the necessary accuracy for during the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. Varun is very evidently a bowler grown.

Despite a mixed IPL 2025 season with the Kolkata Knight Riders, Varun was still able to be impactful, claiming 17 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 7.6, demonstrating consistency throughout. Varun's ability to deliver for both franchise and country shows how much he has come along as a bowler, and he clearly looks to be, once again, a vital cog in India's bowling line-up in limited overs cricket.

Axar Patel

India's T20I vice-captain may not have the most dazzling numbers on paper but has an incredible knack of coming to the fore at important times which makes him indispensable. His ability to break partnerships and create breakthroughs, when the team needs them most, has invariably turned games in India's favor. He remains one of the most dependable options in that format owing to his knowledge and ability to remain composed under pressure. 

Asia Cup 2025 could be the perfect tournament for Axar Patel to add to his inauspicious record in that format. The pitches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been particularly fruitful for left-arm spinners; in the last 29 games, there were 48 wickets taken by left-arm spinners- 60% of all spin dismissals-. However, the vast majority of these dismissals were a result of finger spinners who predominantly rely on drift rather than turn, which is Axar's biggest strength. The tournament opens up an ideal opportunity for him to enhance his record further.

Kuldeep Yadav

The dependable left-arm wrist-spinner has been an integral cog in India's bowling unit for many years, whilst continuing to provide valuable services in the T20 arena. His power of consistency and run management has proved an incredibly dependable option for the team in match defining moments, and even though conditions change, he has transitioned his game well  and proved effective in all phases.

While IPL 2025 was considered a quiet season in a relative sense by his high standards, he has still managed to take 15 wickets in 14 matches. Most importantly, his economy rate of 7.07 remained impressive given that he is able to restrict batters whilst still providing necessary breakthroughs; therefore, if the ability to both control and take wickets is the desired skill, he is a huge asset leading into the Asia Cup 2025.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced its 15-member squad for the upcoming 2025 Asia Cup season. The tournament will begin on September 9, with the Blue Brigade participating in the event against the United Arab Emirates on the following day. The most-anticipated clash will be against Pakistan on September 14 in Dubai. 

Suryakumar Yadav, after completing the fitness assessment, has returned to lead the side along with the premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the fifth and final Test of the away England trip during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 due to workload management, has also returned to the squad.

India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad

Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh

Let’s take a look at the three players who can be X-factor for India in Upcoming Asia Cup 2025

1. Suryakumar Yadav

In any event, the responsibility over any captain remains immense. That will be the same story with the Indian leader, Suryakumar Yadav. He didn’t enjoy their last T20I series against England at home with the bat, having managed just 28 runs in five innings at an average of under six and a strike rate of 116.66, thanks to the best score of 14.

See Also: [WATCH] Aakash Chopra explains inner details of hybrid pitch

However, his overall record in T20Is paints a different picture. The right-handed batter has clubbed 2598 runs in 79 innings at an average of 38.20 and a strike rate of 167.07, with the help of four centuries and 21 half-centuries at the best score of 117 runs.

During the recent 2025 season of the IPL, the 34-year-old drilled 717 runs for the Mumbai Indians in 16 innings at an average of 65.18. His strike rate of 167.91 was fabulous, scoring five half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 73 runs.

2. Hardik Pandya

The balance of the Indian side heavily leans on their premier all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, in the white-ball events. During the home England series earlier this year, he smashed 133 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 131.68 with the best score of 73* besides picking up five wickets at an economy rate of under nine.

The Baroda all-rounder has drilled overall 1812 runs in 90 T20I innings at an average of under 28 and a strike rate of 141.67, with five half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 71 runs. With the ball, he has picked up 94 wickets in 102 innings at an economy rate of 8.20.

During the 2025 season of the IPL, the veteran has smacked 224 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 163.50. The right-arm pacer also picked up 14 wickets in 14 innings at an average of 24.42 and an economy rate of under 10 for the Mumbai Indians.

3. Varun Chakravarthy

Varun Chakravathy finished the home T20I series against England as the leading wicket-taker. The Tamil Nadu spinner was the leading wicket-taker with 14 scalps in five innings at an average of under 10 and an economy rate of 7.66. His four overs will be crucial, especially in the middle overs.

Chakravarthy continued the same rhythm during the 2025 season of the IPL. Out of his 100 wickets of the league, the right-arm spinner has bagged 17 scalps in the 2025 edition in 13 innings at an average of 22.52 and an economy rate of under eight.

Varun has the skills to pick wickets at any stage of the game, including the powerplay and death. His partnership with the ball, along with Kuldeep Yadav, will be essential for India to go for their title defense.

The 33-year-old Indian leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy is now India's no.1 T20I bowler, while he made his international comeback last year after missing the Indian jersey for almost three years. Recently, he revealed who motivated him during his tough time, which inspired him to make his international comeback. 

After recording only two wickets in his first six T20Is, Varun Chakravarthy missed international cricket for almost three years before making his comeback during the home T20I series against Bangladesh last October, where he finished as the joint leading wicket-taker with five wickets. Then, he bagged 12 wickets in the four-match T20I series in South Africa, including one five-wicket haul, the most wickets by an Indian in a bilateral T20I series. However, he broke that series record in the next T20I series against England at home by picking up 14 wickets in five matches, including one fifer.  

While India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 by winning all matches of the tournament, Varun Chakravarthy made his ODI debut just before that tournament and finished the Champions Trophy as the joint second most wicket-taker in the tournament with nine wickets in just three games. The leg-spinner is currently the fourth-ranked T20I bowler, who was not even in the Indian team a year ago. 

See Also: BCCI has decided to conduct a Press Conference to announce Asia Cup 2025 squad

Gauti Bhai also has helped me a lot in my comeback: Varun Chakravarthy

For his international cricket comeback, Varun credited the Indian Head Coach Gautam Gambhir. While he wasn't in contention, Gambhir supported him, which helped him regain his confidence.

Varun recently told RevSportz, "Similarly, Gauti Bhai also has helped me a lot in my comeback, the way he motivates me. Even if we talk little, he has always given me good confidence and he has always told that "no matter who's going to ignore you, I will keep you in my plans for now". So, that kind of gave me confidence. And if you ask about Gauti Bhai as a mentor, then I would say he brings in a warrior mindset in the dressing room, which is very important and has worked for us at KKR and in the Champions Trophy."

Varun's luck changed with his IPL 2024 performance. While his team Kolkata Knight Riders won the title under the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir, Varun was the second leading wicket-taker in that season with 21 wickets. Although he missed the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, he then made his international comeback and set an inspirational story. 

Varun Chakravarthy about the skipper Suryakumar Yadav

Varun also praised the present Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, as he said that Yadav was similar to India's last T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma. 

Varun said, "You give everything you have and it does not matter whether you win or you lose. And about Surya, he is someone very similar to Rohit Sharma - that is what I've seen. He is a very tactically sound, and maybe his time at MI Mumbai Indians has given him good exposure to great captains. He is a very good guy and never puts pressure on the bowlers. It would be a bowler's delight to have a captain like him."

The Asia Cup 2025 is just around four weeks away from its beginning. The new edition of the event will be held in the shortest format, keeping an eye on the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, which will take place in India and Sri Lanka. 

The competition is scheduled to begin on September 09, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to announce the squad of the Blue Brigade for the continental event in the next few days.

Let’s take a look at the probable 15-member Asia Cup 2025 squad for India

Yashasvi Jaiswal expected to be back in India’s top order

There should not be any doubt about the selectors picking Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as the two opening batters. The latter has struggled recently during the last home T20I series against England. At this position, the defending champions are expected to bring Yashasvi Jaiswal into the squad.

The Mumbai batter, who has smashed 723 runs in 22 T20I innings at an average of 36.15 and a strike rate of 164.31 with five fifties and one century, will also bring experience into the squad. Tilak Verma has a decent time in the shortest format, while there is no doubt about the captain, Suryakumar Yadav’s skills with the bat.

See Also: Mitchell Marsh locks Australia's top-order plans for T20I series against South Africa

Rinku Singh could be another batter whom the national side may use in the middle order, along with Shivam Dube, who could also offer a couple of overs with the ball. Rinku nailed 546 runs in 24 T20I innings at an average of 42 and a strike rate of over 160 with three fifties at the best score of unbeaten 69 runs.

There are chances of Shreyas Iyer getting back into the T20I squad after missing out of the team for a few months. The right-handed batter had a fabulous period for the Punjab Kings during the IPL 2025 while leading the side and batting in the middle order. There are chances of him coming into the T20I side, but it is very unlikely for him to get a spot in the playing eleven.

Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel could be India’s top all-rounders

Hardik Pandya has always been the most vital member of the Indian side in the shortest format. He is the glue of the side to balance the strength. In 90 innings, the right-handed batter has smacked 1812 runs at a strike rate of 141.67, besides picking up 94 wickets at an economy rate of just over eight.

Axar Patel is another such member of the side. The southpaw has carried the ability to go after the bowlers towards the end overs, besides bowling tight overs. Jitesh Sharma could be the spare wicket-keeper in the side after reports claimed that Rishabh Pant would be ruled out of the tournament with a broken foot injury.

India could look to back experienced bowling unit

There are serious questions about Jasprit Bumrah’s participation in the series. The Ahmedabad-born didn’t take part during the fifth and final Test of the five-match series against England at the Kennington Oval in South London. The right-arm pacer has collected 89 wickets in 69 T20I innings at an economy rate of just over six.

Mohammed Siraj may replace him in the 15-member squad in case there are issues with fitness. Kuldeep Yadav should be back in the T20I squad. The left-arm wrist spinner, who didn’t play a single game in the five-match Test series in England, has collected 69 wickets in 39 innings at an average of 14.07 and an economy rate of under seven.

Varun Chakravarthy, on the other hand, has become a different bowler since his comeback into the national side. The Tamil Nadu spinner has picked 33 T20I wickets in 18 innings at an average of under 15 and an economy rate of just over seven, with the best bowling figure of 5/17 in an innings.

Arshdeep Singh will be the other pacer of the side. The left-arm pacer has bagged 99 T20I scalps in 63 innings at an average of 18.30 and an economy rate of just over eight.

The Blue Brigade will start their campaign of the Asia Cup against the United Arab Emirates on September 10 before meeting Pakistan four days later at the Dubai International Stadium. There are doubts about the game potentially getting cancelled after the recent relationship between the two countries. The last group-stage clash will be on September 19 against Oman in Abu Dhabi.

India’s probable squad for Asia Cup 2025

Abhishek Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Tilak Verma. Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, Jitesh Sharma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav.

In recent times, whenever Team India stepped into the field, Jasprit Bumrah became one of the major talking points among cricket fans. At present, he is the most lethal pace bowler on the planet. But, if we look at the stats, it is not Jasprit Bumrah who claimed the most wickets for the brigade in blue in 2025. According to stats, the pacer is currently the third-highest wicket taker for the team so far in 2025. Mohammed Siraj is in the second spot on the list, and Varun Chakravarthy, the spinner, is leading the chart, having gotten 10 wickets more than Bumrah and 7 wickets more than Siraj. 

After delivering multiple effective spells in domestic cricket, Varun Chakravarthy made his way into the India dressing room. The Board so far utilized the leggy as a specialist bowler in the limited-over formats. The 33-year-old played his last match for India in March 2025, which was an One Day International contest. Chakravarthy has so far played only 4 ODIs for India and claimed 10 wickets with a best bowling figure of 5/42, which came during a match against New Zealand. All these ODI matches and wickets he claimed are in this year. 

Apart from the ODIs, the spinner played 5 T20Is as well in 2025. In those 5 contests, he bagged a total of 14 wickets, including another 5-wicket figure. Against England, in Rajkot, Varun clinched 5 wickets, conceding only 24 runs. On February 2, 2025, the Karnataka-born player played his last T20I match for Team India. 

Read More: Kolkata Knight Riders rope in former RCB player as bowling coach

List of top 5 bowlers who claimed the most scalps for Team India in 2025 so far:

Varun Chakravarthy—24 wickets 

Mohammed Siraj—17 wickets 

Jasprit Bumrah—14 wickets 

Ravindra Jadeja—14 wickets 

Mohammed Shami—14 wickets 

Virat Kohli stepped down as India’s T20I captain following the team’s poor campaign in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Shortly after, the BCCI replaced him as the ODI skipper, handing over the reins to Rohit Sharma. In 2022, Kohli also resigned as Test captain. Since taking over, Rohit Sharma has led India to notable success, including winning the T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, showcasing his strong leadership across formats.

In a chat on R Ashwin’s YouTube show, spinner Varun Chakaravarthy was asked to evaluate Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's styles of captaincy. The mystery spinner had played under both leaders, and he discussed how you can see the captaincy style of both in their respective approaches on the field. His view gave fans a closer glimpse into both players' varied styles, leadership qualities, and how, now, perhaps the team is approaching both of them differently through Rohit’s more recent and successful term as captain.

See Also: Former Pakistan all rounder appointed as new Test Head coach for upcoming series

“Virat is a true leader. When you just see him, when you just observe what he is doing and you must have also noticed the match against Pakistan, you were also there. We lost first two wickets to Shaheen Shah Afridi. But when Virat came, he stepped down and hit Shaheen for six and it was so inspiring and motivational, but how he is giving it back and all this. So Virat is exceptional, as in the way he can he can cheer up everyone. So the main thing was whenever I spoke to him his answers were very motivational and in that thing and when I spoke to Rohit Sharma, it was very tactical. So it was two different parts,” Varun Chakravarthy said.

Ashwin backs Varun's claim on the captaincy debate

Ashwin, hosting the discussion, agreed with Varun Chakaravarthy’s views and highlighted the difference in leadership styles between the two former captains. He described Virat Kohli as an inspirational figure who leads by example — always visible, intensely involved in training and practice, and motivating the team through his presence and energy. In contrast, Rohit Sharma was praised for his tactical mindset, with Ashwin noting that Rohit’s strategies are well thought out, particularly when it comes to field placements and exploiting opposition batters’ weaknesses.

Recently Kohli and Rohit became retired players of Test cricket, the retired players from T20Is. Their retirements have led to the end of an era for Indian cricket, but they have both begun an era where succession is evolving. The ongoing Test series against England displays this generation shift, as Shubman Gill becomes captain and Rishabh Pant is his vice-captain. The transfer of leadership represents a new beginning, a new chapter, as India steps towards the future.

India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has surprised everyone with his dream T20 XI, leaving out some of the country’s biggest cricket stars

He shared his team while talking to former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Ashwin’s YouTube channel. Varun picked an attacking team full of players in good form right now. But he left out great players from India like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and MS Dhoni, who have been huge names in T20 cricket for many years.

He chose players who have done really well in recent seasons, especially in franchise leagues around the world. Only three Indians made it into his team, all known for their ability to win games on their own.

ALSO READ: 'Relationship with multiple girls'- Ghaziabad woman claims massive allegation against Yash Dayal

Which Indians did Varun Chakravarthy pick?

He chose Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya. But what really got people talking was who he left out. Kohli is the top run-scorer in IPL history and RCB won the 2025 title. Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni have each won the IPL five times as captains.

VARUN CHAKARAVARTHY PICKS HIS DREAM T20 11 🥶

[Rule - Players he has played with] pic.twitter.com/TaMwAYtuw9

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 30, 2025

Jos Buttler from England and Australia’s Travis Head as the openers, both known for fast starts and big hitting. In the middle order, he picked West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran and South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen, who are strong hitters of the ball. His all-rounders are Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, his trusted KKR teammates who can win matches with both bat and ball. For bowling, he included Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, Sri Lanka’s young fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana, and India’s Jasprit Bumrah. The other Indians in his team are Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav. Varun’s team shows he likes players who are doing well right now in T20 cricket even if it means leaving out some of India’s biggest and most successful names.

Varun Chakravarthy’s Dream T20 XI

Jos Buttler, Travis Head, Suryakumar Yadav, Nicholas Pooran, Heinrich Klaasen, Hardik Pandya, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Matheesha Pathirana

M Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru) is ready to host the IPL 2025 restart, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders (RCB vs KKR) has been scheduled for Saturday evening (May 17) in the 58th match of the season. Both teams previously met during the first game of the season at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where RCB won by seven wickets. 

Here, we are going through the Dream11 top three captains and vice-captains for the RCB vs KKR match. 

IPL 2025, Match 58: RCB vs KKR Probable XIs

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Predicted Playing XI: Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Rajat Patidar (Captain), Mayank Agarwal/Suyash Sharma (Impact Player Sub), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Playing XI: Sunil Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Rinku Singh, Vaibhav Arora/Angkrish Raghuvanshi (Impact Sub), Ramandeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy

See Also: IPL 2025: KKR vs RCB Match 58- Who will be Impact Players for today's match?

IPL 2025, Match 58: RCB vs KKR Dream11 Top Captains And Vice-captains

Top 3 Dream11 Captain choices

Virat Kohli: RCB legend Virat Kohli is the fourth leading run-scorer in the IPL 2025 with 505 runs in 11 matches, with an average of 63.12 and a strike rate of 143.46. He recorded seven half-centuries this season, including scoring 50+ runs in the last four straight matches. 

Varun Chakravarthy: KKR spinner Varun Chakravarthy is the second most wicket-taker as a spinner and fifth overall most wicket-taker in the IPL 2025 with 17 wickets in 12 matches. Although the Bengaluru pitch can be challenging for him, he is in great form with the ball, as he took two wickets in each of the last three games. 

Vaibhav Arora: KKR right-arm pacer Vaibhav Arora is the leading wicket-taker among the uncapped bowlers in the IPL 2025 with 16 wickets in 11 games. Although his economy rate this season is above 10, he is a strong wicket-taking bowler. 

Top 3 Dream11 Vice-captain choices

Andre Russell: KKR all-rounder Andre Russell had some useful moments with the ball this season, and only lately has he managed to produce his familiar dangerous batting form. In their last two games, Russell smashed 57 not out off 25 balls and 38 off 21 balls, respectively.  

Krunal Pandya: Krunal Pandya is the second leading wicket-taker for RCB this season with 14 wickets in 11 matches. RCB were desperate to secure him this season, and the reason is clearly visible now. Pandya’s batting has hardly been required this season, but when RCB were struggling at 26/3 in their 163-run chase against Delhi Capitals, Pandya scored a match-winning 73 not out off 47 balls with five fours and four sixes and had a valuable 119-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Virat Kohli. 

Ajinkya Rahane: KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane is the only consistent performer for the defending champions this season, as he has scored 375 runs in 11 innings with an average of 37.50 and a strike rate of 146.48, including three half-centuries. In his all last four innings, Rahane scored 25+ runs. 

Wednesday (May 7, 2025) starts with impactful news— India strikes again. This time, Operation Sindoor. The Indian Air Force destroyed 9 militant locations, including in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Netizens are describing their emotions on their social media accounts regarding this incident. India replied back after the barbarian terror attack in Pahalgaon, which took 25 Indian civilian lives.

It was almost obvious that the Indian government would reply, but how and when were the questions around the common man. Operation Sindoor is now a trending topic on social media platforms. Cricket personalities are also sharing their thoughts.

Read More: PSL players in fear after India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ against terrorists

Former cricketer Virendra Sehwag, from his 'X' (formerly known as Twitter), said, "Dharmo Rakshati Rakshata... Jai Hind ki Sena." Team India coach and former India international Gautam Gambhir said, "Jai Hind." "Together we stand. Jai Hind," said former cricketer turned cricket expert Aakash Chopra. Former cricketer Suresh Raina put the "Operation Sindoor" image on his Instagram story. Star Indian cricketer Varun Chakravarthy has done the same, posting an "Operation Sindoor" poster on his Instagram story.

Reaction from Sachin Tendulkar 

Sachin Tendulkar's Instagram post about Operation Sindoor 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/8mOllc4ELQ

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 7, 2025

Shikhar Dhawan said

India takes a stand against terrorism. भारत माता की जय! 🇮🇳

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) May 7, 2025

Check what Virendra Sehwag said

Dharmo Rakshati Rakshata

Jai Hind ki Sena 🙏🏼#OperationSindoor

— Virrender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) May 7, 2025

This is what Gautam Gambhir wrote

Jai Hind! 🇮🇳🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/dTN5Cm8yiX

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) May 7, 2025

Varun Chakravarthy's Instagram story

Varun Chakravarthy's Instagram story for Operation Sindoor. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/vu1ewQrwEO

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 7, 2025

Suresh Raina's instagram story 

Instagram story of Suresh Raina for Operation Sindoor 🤝 pic.twitter.com/PXcOL90cCY

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 7, 2025

Aakash Chopra's reaction on Operation Sindoor 

Together we stand. Jai Hind 🫡 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/sZZhBm9O0L

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) May 6, 2025

Kolkata Knight Riders leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy broke the confidence of Rajasthan Royals in the high-scoring chase with his double wickets in an over in post post-powerplay. While it is an important home match for the defending champions KKR, Varun's outstanding bowling boosted the Knights' hopes. 

In this must-win game at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday afternoon (May 4), after the KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane chose to bat first, they scored 206/4 in 20 overs. While Angkrish Raghuvanshi scored 44 runs, Andre Russell finally produced his storm with 57 not out off 25 balls (four fours and six sixes), Rinku Singh also had a useful cameo of 19 not out off just six balls (one four and two sixes).

In chasing, Rajasthan Royals were once struggling at 8/2. However, the opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Riyan Parag handled the next situation very well, and they had a 58-run partnership for the third wicket. While that partnership was a headache for KKR, Moeen Ali dismissed Jaiswal (34) in the first over after the powerplay.

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Varun Chakravarthy bowled Dhruv Jurel and Wanindu Hasaranga in a single over

While Varun delivered his first over of the match in the powerplay and conceded nine runs, his second over was the eighth over of the innings. In that crucial over of the match, the 33-year-old leggie bowled Dhruv Jurel and Wanindu Hasaranga both for ducks. Both deliveries were googlies, and the batters failed to pick those as they had no clues. From 66/2, RR were suddenly struggling at 71/5. 

Through the gate ✖ 2️⃣ \|/

Varun Chakaravarthy is weaving his magic in Kolkata! 👏

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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 4, 2025

IPL 2025: Varun Chakravarthy is KKR's leading wicket-taker

Varun Chakravarthy is the leading wicket-taker for KKR in the IPL 2025 as he has taken 15 wickets in 11 matches this season, including the 4-0-32-2 bowling figures against Rajasthan Royals in the latest IPL 2025 match in Kolkata. In the IPL 2025, Varun is the second leading wicket-taker among spinners and the fifth leading wicket-taker.