NEW DELHI: Drama galore unfolded during the IPL 2025 clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad — and it all happened in a single delivery. The moment came in the third over of the match, when Ishan Kishan appeared to get a faint tickle down the leg side off Deepak Chahar’s delivery.
The on-field umpire initially signaled it as a wide.
However, Kishan didn’t wait for the official decision. Acknowledging what he believed to be an edge, he walked off on his own — a gesture that took everyone by surprise.
Adding another twist, when Mumbai Indians players made a polite appeal for a catch, the umpire went on to raise his finger and officially gave Kishan out.
But the drama didn’t end there.
Replays showed no spike on the Snicko meter, casting doubt on whether there was any contact between bat and ball at all.
Regardless, Kishan was dismissed for just 1 run, and Sunrisers Hyderabad suffered an early blow — in the most theatrical fashion possible.

Earlier, Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Mumbai Indians have brought in Vignesh Puthur in place of Ashwani Kumar, while home team skipper Pat Cummins too made one change to his playing XI by bringing in Jaydev Unadkat in place of Mohammed Shami, who is among their impact substitutes.
Players of both the teams will wear black armbands to pay respect to the victims of the terror attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday.

“I would like to firstly pass my condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack. We as a team and a franchise condemn any such attacks,” said Pandya.
“It has been heartbreaking for us as well, our thoughts are with the victims and their families,” said SRH skipper Cummins.
Teams:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins (c), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga.
Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Vignesh Puthur.

RCB pacer Josh Hazlewood is hoping the team has a change of luck with the toss.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR

After a third straight defeat at home last week, Royal Challengers Bengaluru fast bowler Josh Hazlewood made a wish. “To win a toss would be nice,” Hazlewood said.

The spin of the coin has turned out to be a crucial factor at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium this season. The conditions are titled heavily in favour of chasing teams. RCB skipper Rajat Patidar, having lost the toss on all three occasions, will be desperate to call it right on Thursday and insert Rajasthan Royals in to bat.

RCB’s away form, meanwhile, has been top notch. In the last match, against Punjab Kings, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal made easy work of the chase.

West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd, who made his maiden appearance on Sunday, is likely to keep his spot ahead of a struggling Liam Livingstone.

RR, meanwhile, is down for the count. With four losses on the trot, the visitor’s season is already in jeopardy. The last two slip-ups, when RR has crumbled from winning positions, has exposed mental frailties.

Cruising at 156 for two against Lucknow Super Giants, RR needed a comfortable 25 off 18 balls. RR inexplicably panicked and lost the plot, similar to the meek surrender to Delhi Capitals earlier.

The expected packed house will enjoy the chance to see RR’s teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi in action. The left-handed pener, who turned heads with a bright 34 against LSG, will be tested by the wily
RCB pace trio of Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal.

Adaptive: Porel has showcased a blend of intent and range.
| Photo Credit: SANDEEP SAXENA

He is not as flashy as his left-handed Indian counterparts Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, or Priyansh Arya. He also does not have a blistering IPL century to his name, but Abishek Porel has done the job for Delhi Capitals this season.

The 22-year-old notched up his first fifty of IPL 2025 to guide DC to an eight-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday. The knock exemplified his ability to shift gears in tricky conditions and also showcased a blend of intent and range.

He took a toll on the loose fuller deliveries in the PowerPlay, rotated strike through the middle-overs and cut loose with an innovative reverse-lap to put DC on course for the win.

While there is a sense of ease in the way he scores runs, Porel’s versatility of skill and adaptability to situations stand out. He has a strike rate in excess of 140 against both pace and spin, has batted at almost all positions from one to nine in the IPL, and can double up as anchor and finisher.

He has stepped in as an opener for DC in the absence of the injured Faf du Plessis and the out-of-form Jake Fraser-McGurk, scoring 151 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 141.12. He played two match-winning cameos at No. 3 after bouncing back from a two-ball duck in the season opener.

Interestingly, after a forgettable debut IPL campaign in 2023, Porel got a second wind through the Impact Player rule, with DC sending him in at No. 9 in its first match against Punjab Kings.

He grabbed the opportunity with an unbeaten 10-ball 32 and went on to play all 14 matches that season, ending with 327 runs while striking at almost 160.

Considered a long-term investment, Porel was one of the four players retained by DC ahead of the auction last year and the decision is already reaping rewards.