Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming called R Ashwin’s return to the franchise “a homecoming” after buying him for INR 9.75 crore (US$1.16 million approx.) at the IPL 2025 auction in Jeddah. Ashwin was with CSK from 2009 to 2015. To acquire Ashwin, CSK had to beat Rajasthan Royals (RR), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in a four-way bidding war.
The franchise also signed Afghanistan’s left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad for INR 10 crore (US$1.19 million approx.). Mumbai Indians (MI), too, were interested in Noor but stopped bidding when CSK raised the price to INR 5 crore. Gujarat Titans (GT) exercised the right-to-match option but when CSK raised the bid, they backed off. Having retained Ravindra Jadeja ahead of the auction, CSK look all set to stifle teams on their spin-friendly home pitches.
“It’s a bit of a homecoming for Ashwin, but he’s a world-class bowler,” Fleming said. “It’s not so much the price – you look at how someone fits in, and there’s an emotional attachment for Ashwin with Chennai, so it’s a nice fit. He has still got a very good skillset; his numbers are fantastic. He’s obviously towards the latter part of his career, but the experience he brings, he’s handy with the bat, and we think we can use him in a number of ways.
“The Noor Ahmad pick was looking more at the middle [overs] to attack. So if we do get turning conditions, then we’ve got an opportunity to keep taking wickets. We’ve got [Matheesha] Pathirana at the end, which is the death aspect.
“We’ve just identified that the way the game is going, your bowling has to be really specific, and you have to take wickets to slow teams down. And if you’re just trying to contain, then some of the hitting power of players these days will just take the game away from you. So we’ve tried to be smart with our options given our retained players and add some variation, which maybe we
lacked a little bit last year.”
CSK also bought back the New Zealand pair of Devon Conway (INR 6.25 crore) and Rachin Ravindra (INR 4 crore). Fleming was asked if he was surprised not to see more tussle for them, especially Ravindra, who was the leading run-getter for New Zealand during their recent 3-0 Test series win in India.
“Yeah, we were,” he said. “We thought Rachin, given his success in the Test series that often counts, the performances leading up to an IPL… but we obviously experienced the IPL with him last year, and to pick him up at a what I think is a low price, and continue his development. He could be a player with that skill set just same as Jadeja at the moment, but looking forward, there could be an opportunity. So if his development continues, he’s a very silky player, and we’re really happy to have him at that price. We’re happy to have him full stop.”
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were among the two franchises – along with Rajasthan Royals (RR) – who came into the mega auction without any right-to-match (RTM) options in the bag, and they are getting close to retaining a majority of their core, although with the unexpected amount of INR 23.75 crore they shelled out for Venkatesh Iyer. But by spending a combined INR 5.60 crore on opening batters Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Quinton de Kock, the defending champions have “balanced off” after breaking the bank for Venkatesh.
Along with their retentions of Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh, and by buying Anrich Nortje again, they have nine players of ten from the squad that won IPL 2024.
“Auctions are this way only,” KKR CEO Venky Mysore said of splurging on Venkatesh. “At the end of the day it’s about the player you want and the type of player you want in the set-up. Of course, prices have a meaning within a certain band and so it surprises you all the time. When you have salary caps like this going up (INR 120 crore compared to 100 crore last auction), obviously [player] prices will also expand. For us it was about trying to keep our core. We’ve kept six players and brought 2-3 players back from last year. that was always the kind of thinking and as far as he (Venkatesh) is concerned we definitely did’t want to find ourselves in a situation where we may not be able to bing him back. But it always balances itself. When you look at Quinton de Kock (INR 3.60 crore) and Nortje (INR 6.50 crore) that we’ve picked, it balances off in many ways. On an overall basis, it all works out.
“They’ve proven on the field what they can do. You saw in a championship year, and one year we went to the final as well, in 2021. He (Venkatesh) was highly instrumental and terrific guy in the team. He had clearly given us an ultimatum that, ‘If you don’t pick me, I will be very sad’. So we didn’t want him to be sad, and we’re also very happy.”
The first day of the auction saw as many as three players bag deals of over INR 20 crore each, with two of them – former KKR captain Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant – breaking the previous record of the biggest IPL deals. When asked if he was surprised by the big price tags this time as many big-name players wanted to explore the market, Mysore said, “Not really, to be honest. Players put in their base prices only, we’re the ones who are raising the paddle. It’s always a function of what the availability of the purse is and in that situation and timing what not. I still maintain that the RTM rule should have been the old rule.”
Venkatesh Iyer ‘more than happy’ to be KKR captain
“I had the opportunity to captain the side in Nitish Rana’s absence when he was unfortunately injured, and I was the vice-captain as well,” Venkatesh was quoted as saying by PTI. “I’ve always believed that captaincy is just a tag, but leadership is about creating an environment where everyone feels they can play for this team and contribute. If given the responsibility, I would be more than happy to take it on. Together, we will aim to defend the championship and continue our winning campaign.”
“To be honest, I’m at a loss for words, but I’m elated to be part of the KKR team once again,” Venkatesh said. “The KKR coach [Chandrakant Pandit] was also my coach in Madhya Pradesh. We were discussing how I felt nervous about coming back to KKR. But again, it’s a message of the franchise’s focus on winning championships and player development and how much they value its players. I’m thrilled to play for KKR again and happy they’ve shown so much confidence in me.”
Shreyas Iyer was expected to attract big bids at the IPL 2025 mega auction, and he did, going to Punjab Kings (PBKS) for INR 26.75 crore (US$3.18 million approx.) – and he could well be the team’s new captain. “He’ll be a great leader for our team if we decide to go that way, which I’m pretty sure we probably will,” Ricky Ponting, PBKS’ head coach, said soon after the acquisition.
It was frenetic stuff from PBKS early on in the auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after they started with the biggest purse of the ten teams, a result of retaining just two uncapped players from their last roster: Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh. They spent the biggest bucks on Iyer, Arshdeep Singh (INR 18 crore) and Yuzvendra Chahal (INR 18 crore). Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell also went their way.
“I wanted to work with Shreyas,” Ponting told Star Sports. “I’ve worked with him before and he is a great guy and a great player. He’ll be a great leader for our team if we decide to go that way, which I’m pretty sure we probably will. And obviously, he was the championship-winning captain last year. So there are lots of great things about bringing him to Punjab.”
“Left-arm fast bowler, obviously, with a great skill set with the new ball and the old ball and, you know, one of India’s leading wicket-takers in T20 cricket. So he was a perfect fit for us to come back into the Punjab Kings”
Ricky Ponting on Arshdeep Singh
The two had worked together at Delhi Capitals (DC) before Iyer moved to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), whom he led to the title in IPL 2024.
Chahal, meanwhile, has a new home after having played for Mumbai Indians (MI), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). He said he “deserves” the price he was bought for.
Speaking to JioCinema, Chahal said, “I was quite nervous and anxious because this amount is what I got in the last three seasons combined.
“I had a hunch and even my friends told me that I’d go to Punjab, but I had no idea it would be for such a high price. I had 12 crore-13 crore in mind, but I do deserve this. Wherever you go, you always have the opportunity to learn and grow, and I’ll make sure to work hard and deliver my best.”
On being able to bring the IPL’s highest wicket-taker (Chahal has 205 wickets) into the fold, Ponting told JioCinema, “Yuzi is the highest-quality Indian spinner in the auction, so, we wanted to fill certain gaps with the best players we possibly could. And yes, we spent a bit of money to get there, but what we’re trying to do is rebuild this franchise basically from the ground up and you can’t do that without the best players.
“So, we felt so far that the auction’s gone exactly the way we wanted. We’ve got a bit of work to do in the back half this afternoon, but that’s the fun of it.”
As for Arshdeep, he has been one of the IPL’s great success stories. He has only ever played for PBKS, was released ahead of this auction, and then bought back to continue the relationship and add to the 76 wickets he has.
“We had certain targets coming into the auction as every team does. Arshdeep was obviously the first one,” Ponting said. “He’s been in our franchise for a number of years. I was really keen to get him back. Left-arm fast bowler, obviously, with a great skill set with the new ball and the old ball and, you know, one of India’s leading wicket-takers in T20 cricket. So he was a perfect fit for us.”
South Australia 139 for 4 (Hunt 71*, Nielsen 48*, Richardson 3-26) trail Western Australia 373 (Goodwin 139, Turner 79, Doggett 5-97, Johnson 3-108) by runs
Three South Australia top-order batters made golden ducks as Western Australia took a stranglehold on their Sheffield Shield game amid a dramatic return to four-day cricket by Jhye Richardson.
After WA, anchored by Jayden Goodwin’s 137, posted 373 all out, SA spectacularly collapsed on day two at Adelaide Oval.
Opener Conor McInerney, No. 3 Daniel Drew and No. 4 Jake Lehmann were all dismissed on their first ball as SA crashed to 2 for 3
But Henry Hunt and Harry Nielsen recovered as the home side reach 139 for 4
Richardson, playing his first Shield game in a year, sparked the early drama with the wickets on consecutive deliveries of McInerney and Drew in his first over.
Richardson, hooping the pink ball great distances before dusk fell, produced a big inswinger to trap left-hander McInerney leg before wicket. Next ball, he delivered a massive inswinger to right-hander Drew for another lbw.
Richardson ran down the pitch and celebrated by high-fiving team-mates but then sank to his haunches while grabbing his right shoulder. The 28-year-old was making his comeback to Shield cricket after a string of shoulder, hamstring and side injuries.
Richardson, who played the last of his three Tests in December 2021 before his wretched run with injury, walked from the field with help while delicately holding his right arm. But after being assessed by medical staff, he returned to action some 30 minutes later and continued bowling.
He was able to add the wicket of Thomas Kelly, caught at second slip, although was careful with the celebrations
After Richardson had left the field, Lance Morris, another return to Shield cricket, removed Lehmann for SA’s third golden duck.
Earlier, WA’s Goodwin scored his second first-class ton, striking 14 fours in his 272-ball knock. Goodwin, the son of Zimbabwean Test player Murray, and Ashton Turner, thwarted a South Australian bowling attack led by Brendan Doggett and Spencer Johnson.
South Africa were put in to bat in East London in their first match since losing last month’s T20 World Cup final. They have three changes from the XI that played in that match, with Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka rested from this series and Chloe Tryon ruled out following her return from the WBBL. Tryon will be available for the next two games.
The absence of the trio of seniors provided an opportunity for seamer Ayanda Hlubi, who was part of the T20 World Cup squad but did not get a game, ahead of the injured Tumi Sekhukhune. The seamer suffered a thigh injury and is expected to recover by next week. Offspinner Nondumiso Shangase and medium-pacer Eliz-Mari Marxmake their returns to the XI after last playing in December 2023 and July this year respectively.
England have also been best by injury. Allrounder Paige Scholfield returned home with an ankle injury. Wicket-keeper batter Bess Heath has been ruled out of the entire tour after fracturing her thumb in training. They welcomed back Sophia Dunkley at No.3, ahead of Alice Capsey, who was initially left out of the squad, and fielded eight of the XI that beat South Africa in Sharjah last month. Freya Kemp and Sarah Glenn are the two players other than Dunkley that did not play against South Africa at the T20 World Cup. They replaced Charlie Dean and Linsey Smith from that match.
Brisbane HeatSydney Sixers 140 (Kerr 41, Hamilton 3-21, Jonassen 3-26)
Brisbane Heat downed Sydney Sixers by five wickets but failed to steal WBBL final hosting rights from Melbourne Renegades.
Heat, chasing the Sixers’ 140 all out, reached their target from 17 overs for victory at Allan Border Field. But they to chase down their target in 13.3 overs to eclipse Renegades on net run rate and secure hosting rights for the final.
Renegades will host the WBBL decider at the MCG next Sunday night after topping the table from the second-placed Heat.
Heat will host the Challenger on Friday night at Allan Border Field against the winner of Wednesday night’s Knockout final between the third-placed Sydney Thunder and fourth-placed Hobart Hurricanes at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney.
Heat on Sunday night made a dash for top spot in the last game of the tournament’s regular season. Jemimah Rodrigues smacked five fours and a six in making 39 from 22 balls but her rapid-fire knock ended when caught from Amelia Kerr’s bowling and Sixers spinner bowled Charli Knott next ball.
The quick wickets left the Heat 58 for 3 after seven overs and, met with some miserly Sixers bowling, they changed tack to focus winning the game, rather than chasing the net run rate target.
Georgia Redmayne made 25 from 29 balls and the outcome remained tight when Heat required 46 runs from the last 42 balls.
Captain Jess Jonassen then called the power surge and capitalised on the field restrictions by cracking three fours and a six as Caoimhe Bray conceded 20 runs from her over. The burst from Jonassen and a late flurry from Laura Harris sealed victory.
Earlier, Sixers couldn’t cash in on a bright start from their opening batters Kerr and Ellyse Perry. The pair put on 63 runs before Perry was dismissed in the 10th over.
Ash Gardner became Lucy Hamilton’s first victim some two overs later and when Kerr’s 37 ball innings ended in the 14th over, Sixers had slipped from 63 for 0 to 90 for 3.
From then, only Sarah Bryce, who smashed a six and four fours in making 28 from 19 balls, reached double figures.
Heat’s emerging 18-year-old star Hamilton was again superb – she now has taken 10 wickets in her past three games – while skipper Jonassen claimed 3 for 26.
Rishabh Pant has become the most expensive player in IPL history after he was sold to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 27 crore (USD 3.2 million) on the first day of the mega auction in Jeddah. He surpassed the mark set by Punjab Kings (PBKS), who bid INR 26.75 crore (USD 3.18 million) to buy Shreyas Iyer, a few minutes earlier.
Both LSG and PBKS were in need of new captains this season and Pant and Shreyas will likely fill those roles for them. They surpassed the record INR 24.75 crore bid that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had made for Mitchell Starc at the IPL 2024 auction.
LSG and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) began the bidding for Pant, with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) joining in once RCB dropped out. SRH and LSG took the bid to 20.75 crore, at which point SRH dropped out and Pant was sold to LSG. The auctioneer then asked Delhi Capitals (DC) if they wanted to use a right-to-match (RTM) option to buy back Pant, and DC said yes. According to the new RTM rules at this auction, the team that won the bidding were given another opportunity to raise their bid, which LSG did from INR 20.75 crore to INR 27 crore. DC said they did not want to match that bid, which meant Pant was sold to LSG.
Shreyas was the third player up for sale from the first set of marquee players and KKR opened the bidding in an attempt to buy back their title-winning captain. However, they dropped out of the bidding at INR 10 crore, after which DC and PBKS were competing for Shreyas, with both teams needing captains. PBKS, who came in with the largest purse of INR 110.5 crore, won the bid at INR 26.75 crore.
PBKS also bought the first player up for sale on the day, buying back Arshdeep Singh for INR 18 crore. They exercised their RTM option after SRH raised their final bid for Arshdeep from INR 15.75 crore to INR 18 crore.
New homes for Buttler, Starc and Rabada
Rajasthan Royals (RR) tried to buy back Jos Buttler but were unsuccessful. After competition from PBKS and LSG, GT were able to buy Buttler for INR 15.75 crore (US$ 1.88 million), to partner Shubman Gill at the top of their order and keep wicket.
Australia 104 and 12 for 3 need 522 more runs to beat India 150 and 487 for 6 dec (Jaiswal 161, Kohli 100*, Rahul 77)
In the same city where Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli scored legendary centuries, India’s latest batting prodigy Yashasvi Jaiswal produced a masterclass of his own with a majestic 161 to decimate a listless Australia in the first Test at Optus Stadium.
Kohli then rammed home the advantage late on day three with a drought-breaking century to add to his epic ton on the same ground in 2018. On that occasion his heroics were in vain, but this time around will almost surely be different after India declared their second innings at 487 for 6.
Chasing a record 534, Australia crashed to 12 for 3 in a dramatic 4.2 overs bowled in the shadows before stumps. They had a horrible start when opener Nathan McSweeney fell in the first over for a duck as a wicked delivery from stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah crept low and smashed into his pads. It capped a tough debut for McSweeney, who made 10 in the first innings.
With 20 minutes until stumps, captain Pat Cummins came in as the nightwatchman but didn’t last long as he edged quick Mohammed Siraj to leave Australia at 9 for 2.
Marnus Labuschagne belatedly came out but could not stop the unplayable Bumrah as he unsuccessfully reviewed the lbw decision having shoulder arms. After a five-wicket haul in the first innings, Bumrah had the remarkable figures of 2 for 1 from 2.2 overs.
It completed a day of utter domination for India after their long-time talisman and his protege completely broke Australia’s spirits on an oppressive day in Perth where temperatures reached 36 degrees celsius. Much like on day two, Australia went through the motions in a performance set to attract plenty of scrutiny.
The much discussed pitch appeared benign earlier in the day until coming alive with notable signs of uneven bounce that will further buoy India. Having batted through the final two sessions of day two, Jaiswal and KL Rahul started the day’s play with a golden opportunity to put India into an impregnable position.
They were confronted by an Australia attack that was keen to make amends for a lacklustre performance on the second day where they appeared weary and rattled by the sudden changing nature of the pitch.
Australia had their eyes on the second new ball, but before then Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood gave it a crack with the old ball. After some conservative tactics from Australia turned heads on day two, Starc and Hazlewood started with attacking lengths as they preyed on the nerves of Jaiswal, who played and missed several times in the 90s.
But Jaiswal was not to be denied and, befitting his audacious skills, he reached his century in the most spectacular fashion. On 95 he looked to ramp a bouncer from Hazlewood over the slip but instead hit to fine leg where the ball smacked into the boundary marker on the full. Starc fielding nearby signalled a six, but the umpires had to check leaving Jaiswal with a nervous wait. The all clear came as Jaiswal took his helmet off before raising his arms aloft and punching the air.
There was a brief loss of concentration when the openers had a mix-up and Jaiswal would have been run-out by a mile only for Cummins to miss the direct hit from mid-off. It wasn’t the first time the openers had miscommunicated between the wickets as a run-out appeared a flagging Australia’s best chance of a breakthrough.
Jaiswal and Rahul became the first India openers to produce a double century partnership in Australia, but on the next delivery the 201-run stand finally ended when Rahul on 77 was caught behind poking at a delivery in the channel from Starc. There were muted celebrations from Australia, more relief, at ending the sixth highest opening partnership from overseas batters in Australia.
No. 3 Devdutt Padikkal, who had his chance in the absences of captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, made an excruciating 23-ball duck in the first innings. But he had a much better chance to succeed with a massive platform built and in better batting conditions. Padikkal got off the mark from his fourth delivery with a push through gully as he combined well with Jaiswal through to lunch.
Jaiswal was unstoppable and had an answer for every Australia strategy. Cummins resorted briefly to a short-ball tactic to no avail. Labuchagne was utilised but he started with a wayward bouncer that was called a wide and he didn’t threaten to the extent that later in the day he reverted back to legspin.
The second new ball was taken before lunch but Jaiswal and Padikkal had no issues as they scored freely. Padikkal, however, fell to Hazlewood, clearly Australia’s best bowler in the innings, on the first ball after the interval as a determined Kohli came out eager to end his form slump.
Underlining his desire, Kohli had spent much of the first session padded up with his helmet on and he quickly showed that he had learned from his baffling brief stint at the crease in the first innings when he batted well out of his crease. This time around, Kohli made a change in his set-up and did not bat nearly as far out of his crease. He looked far more comfortable, albeit in easier circumstances, and he was content to let Jaiswal hog the limelight.
Jaiswal once again passed 150, but one run later he had a let off after wicketkeeper Alex Carey dropped a tough chance down the leg-side. Australia’s torture continued when Jaiswal smashed Cummins with disdain through mid-off before, out of nowhere, he carved a short and wide delivery from Mitchell Marsh straight to point.
Jaiswal threw his head back in disbelief and the 26,000 crowd too was stunned before giving him a deserved standing ovation as he took off his helmet and looked up the heavens on his way off the field.
Australia had their best passage of play since the middle of the opening day when Lyon outfoxed Rishabh Pant to have him stumped on 1 before Cummins finally claimed a wicket after trapping Dhruv Jurel lbw as India lost 3 for 8.
But Kohli was on a mission and in an aggressive mood as he carved Starc over the slip cordon for six in a blow that unfortunately hit a sitting security officer on the side of the head.
With a declaration in their sights he put his foot down alongside debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy, who unfurled T20 style batting. Having last scored a Test century in July 2023, Kohli reached his 30th Test ton in style with a boundary to deep fine leg. He took off his helmet, blew a kiss to his wife and walked off the ground amid India’s declaration as a famous win beckons for the tourists.
The incident occurred on Sunday morning in Queenstown where England have been preparing for the first Test, which begins on Thursday at the Hagley Oval. Cox was taken to a local hospital for a scan that revealed the extent of the damage. The 24-year-old was all set to make his Test debut with regular keeper Jamie Smith missing the tour for the birth of his first child.
A replacement will be announced in due course, with Durham’s Ollie Robinson seemingly at the front of the pack for a maiden call-up. England’s white-ball regular Phil Salt is also in with a shout, with uncapped Michael Pepper an outside shot after touring the Caribbean with the limited-overs side. Other keeping options include Somerset’s James Rew and Lancashire’s Matty Hurst, both of whom are due to tour South Africa with the Lions. Jonny Bairstow, still with a year remaining on his central contract, is unlikely to be recalled at this juncture.
Ollie Pope stood in for Cox for the culmination of the warm-up fixture, but England will not want to burden him with more responsibility on top of his duties at No. 3. Having averaged 11 on last month’s tour of Pakistan, a strong showing from Cox might have tested the selectors’ loyalty to the vice-captain.
Cox will now have to wait a little longer to complete the set of caps having debuted in the ODI and T20I formats in the last two months. He will remain with the squad in Christchurch and may opt for a break in Australia before returning home having had little time off since the end of the English summer.
“I’m gutted for Jordan (Cox),” Test head coach Brendon McCullum said. “He has been shaping up nicely, both with the bat and gloves, since we got to New Zealand.
“That’s sport, and unfortunately, these things happen. We will get around him and look after him. He is resilient, and his time will come at some point in the future.”
The immediate aftermath of Cox’s injury left England short of bodies for play on Sunday, resulting in James Anderson donning the whites four months after he was pushed into international retirement. With three players opting out of the match for extra time in the nets, Anderson subbed in the field, alongside captain Ben Stokes who had chosen to sit out the first day’s play.
Jacob Bethell and Rehan Ahmed will join the rest of the squad in Christchurch on Monday after a few days off following the white-ball tour of the Caribbean which finished last week. Cox’s replacement should be on deck in the next 48 hours.
![SA vs ENG [W] 2024/25, SA-W vs ENG-W 1st T20I Match Report, November 24, 2024](https://allcfleague.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/366280.6-768x432.jpg "SA vs ENG [W] 2024/25, SA-W vs ENG-W 1st T20I Match Report, November 24, 2024")
