Gujarat Titans are set for an electrifying IPL 2025 season, with skipper Shubman Gill leading from the front. In a pre-season press conference in Ahmedabad, Chief Operating Officer Col. Arvinder Singh, Director of Cricket Vikram Solanki, Head Coach Ashish Nehra, Assistant Coach Parthiv Patel, and Captain Shubman Gill shared insights on the team’s preparations, strategies, and vision for the upcoming campaign.

“Each IPL season brings renewed excitement, and this year is no different. As a franchise, our focus extends beyond just cricket—we are committed to delivering a best-in-class experience for fans inside the stadium. From engaging activities to seamless ticket access, we are ensuring that Titans fans get to be a part of something special this season,” said Arvinder.

Fans can purchase tickets online and offline tickets are available at multiple locations across Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Surat, and Vadodara. Beyond the cricketing action, Gujarat Titans are elevating the fan experience with innovative in-stadia activations and engagement zones.

Ahead of stepping into his second IPL season as the captain of Gujarat Titans, opener Shubman Gill said his captaincy journey has been a continuous endeavour, adding that he gains new insights with every match and week in the tournament.

Under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy, Gujarat Titans won 2022 IPL and became runners-up in the subsequent season. But after Pandya left for the Mumbai Indians and Gill was made the new GT captain, the side failed to make the playoffs last year by finishing in eighth place in the league – with five wins, seven defeats and two abandoned games due to rain.

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer is happy to be reunited with head coach Ricky Ponting and said his presence around the squad gives a lot of confidence to players.

“He supports everyone. When I worked with him for the first time in the past, he made me feel like I am a great player and I can easily excel in this format. The confidence he gives a player is of a different level,” Iyer said in a press conference.

He further deliberated on the team’s objective for the season and said, “The goal is to win the trophy, that's our mindset right now and it's a step-by-step process, it's not like you wake up in the morning and do it but the way we're practicing right now and the way we're sharing our wavelength and camaraderie with each other, it's going really well.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has called for an Apex Council meeting on Saturday, March 22 in Kolkata to discuss key decisions. The upcoming meeting, scheduled ahead of the IPL 2025 opener between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens, will address several key issues including venue selection for the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup.

One of the main agenda points will be finalising the venues for the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, scheduled to be played in India. This will be the first time since 2013 that India are hosting the marquee women’s event. The exact schedule of the tournament slotted in October is yet to be worked out.

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Tuesday announced the launch of their revolutionary new jersey that is made out of biodegradable materials, alongside their innovative environmental initiative called ‘Runs to Roots,’ reinforcing the team's commitment to sustainability and environmental conservation.

"The new KKR jersey, unveiled earlier in March, is designed to be 100% biodegradable in a compost state, setting a standard for sustainable sportswear in cricket. The jersey showcases the team's three championship stars, commemorating their victories since the inception of the premier T20 league. This is in addition to the representation of the three stars that they have purchased in the Gemini constellation, to celebrate their three IPL Trophies," the franchise said in a release.

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer is focused on creating history for the franchise by winning their first-ever title in the upcoming IPL 2025 season commencing on March 22.

Iyer was bought by Punjab for Rs 26.75 crore in last year's mega auction in Jeddah. He was named the captain of the franchise earlier this year. The stylish batter led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the title in the 2024 season.

"From the moment I was picked in the auction, my desire has been clear - Punjab Kings haven’t won the IPL yet, and my goal is to lift the trophy for them. That would be a historic achievement, and I want to make the fans happy and give them a reason to celebrate. A Punjabi celebration at the end of the season would be something special," Iyer said on JioHotstar's Superstars.

Reminiscing about his first IPL memory, Iyer recalled being a ball boy at Wankhede Stadium for a match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2008 when he was just 14 years old, saying, "I grew up playing street cricket in my area, and at that time, I was playing for Mumbai’s U-14 team. All the kids from the Mumbai squad were assigned to be ball boys, and I was lucky to be one of them. That was my first experience of IPL up close."

The Rajasthan government is set to introduce three key innovations in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, focussing on sustainability and social impact.

Secretary of the Sports Department, Neeraj Kumar Pawan, announced that this year’s IPL in Jaipur will be organised as a Green IPL, ensuring a plastic-free environment throughout the matches.

In a unique initiative, the number of runs scored in the five IPL matches to be held at Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium will determine the number of trees planted.

Given that both teams typically score around 400 runs per match, the government aims to plant 1,500 to 2,000 trees in and around the stadium, said Pawan.

As the final phase of the National Women’s Hockey League 2024-2025 begins here in Ranchi, Hockey Haryana, Hockey Association of Odisha and Hockey Madhya Pradesh had a successful outing as they registered a win in their respective matches.

In the first match of the day, Hockey Haryana defeated Manipur Hockey 7-1 in Pool A. Saavi (32’, 37’) and Kirti (45’, 56’) scored a brace each for Hockey Haryana. Khasa Shashi (11’), Supriya (54’) and Kirty (58’) also scored one goal each for their side. In response, Deena Devi Naoram (2’) scored the consolation goal for Manipur Hockey.

In the next match, Hockey Association of Odisha defeated Hockey Bengal 1-0 in a closely contested game. Dipika Barwa (3’) scored for Hockey Bengal in the first quarter of the match.

In the third match, Hockey Madhya Pradesh defeated Hockey Maharashtra 2-0 in Pool A. Bhumiksha Sahu (4’) and Captain Soniya Kumre (58’) scored for Hockey Madhya Pradesh in the first and final quarter of the game to take the game away from Hockey Maharashtra.

The Indian senior men's team will face Maldives in a FIFA International Friendly on Wednesday, March 19 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong. The game will also be India's all-time top scorer Sunil Chhetri's first match since announcing his return to international football.

Head coach Manolo Marquez also confirmed Sunil Chhetri's involvement in the friendly match that will mark his 152nd cap for India and backed his decision to return from retirement by stating his team needs to win games, not develop players.

"For sure, Sunil will play some minutes. I don't know whether as a starter or from the bench. We can use six substitutions, so 17 players can play, and I think Sunil will be one of them.

Ahead of Mumbai Indians kickstarting their IPL 2025 season against fellow five-time champions Chennai Super Kings on March 23, legendary South Africa batter AB de Villiers believes the pitches at the side’s home venue Wankhede Stadium will suit in-form batter Ryan Rickelton’s batting style.

Rickleton was picked by MI in last year’s mega auction in Jeddah and is all set to feature in an IPL for the first time. The left-handed opener, who is also a wicketkeeper, is coming off a strong season in the SA20, where he was fourth-highest run-getter for MI Cape Town with 336 runs in eight games at an average of 48 and strike-rate of 178.72.

“It's great to see Rickleton get a full-on opportunity at the IPL. Rickleton is in the form of his life. He's broken doors down in all formats of the game. He's a very smart cricketer, but can be incredibly explosive as well. I think the wicket there at the Wankhede Stadium is going to suit him to the T alongside Rohit Sharma, who is coming up with a bit of form,” said de Villiers to IANS on the Star Sports Press Room show episode on Tuesday.