Toss presenter Ian Bishop had to step closer to Gaikwad and eventually apologised for the delay. “I don’t know. I don’t know how long. Let me come closer. I apologise to the cameras,” he said. He added, “I’m sorry this is dragging on because of the noise and the cheering. I am sorry for not being able to hear you and for dragging this on.” The moment highlighted just how passionate CSK fans are at their home ground.Watch:Meanwhile, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl first, citing a fresh pitch and confidence from their previous win.Gaikwad explained his team’s approach, especially the decision to open the batting himself. “That has been the key for CSK as a franchise… I felt nothing better than having Sanju and me open the batting. So that was just the thought process behind it,” he said.He also spoke about the pitch conditions: “It looks a bit on the drier side. And I don’t think it will change too much… The dew will be a key factor in the second inning. So I think runs on the board and definitely you can defend on this track.”Coming off a heavy loss in their first match, CSK are aiming to bounce back, while PBKS look to continue their winning momentum.CSK vs PBKS playing XIs:Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.Punjab Kings Impact subs: Suryansh Shedge, Priyansh Arya, Vishnu Vinod, Pravin Dubey, Hemant BrarChennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmed, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed.Chennai Super Kings Impact subs: Jamie Overton, Rahul Chahar, Matthew Short, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh.

When asked if Vaibhav could play for India soon, Yuvraj, speaking on Sports Tak Podcast, said, “IPL cricket has changed everything… As far as Vaibhav is concerned, I think 90% of people already know that he will play for India. The question is not if, but when… But overall, I believe he will play for India. It’s just a matter of when.” He also highlighted the importance of staying grounded: “100%. I think he is an amazing talent. But it’s very important to keep your head on your shoulders, that matters a lot.”Yuvraj Singh has been impressed by his game, adding, “The most remarkable thing about Vaibhav is his bat speed. His bat speed is incredibly fast—honestly, even I didn’t have that kind of speed. I’ve seen very few players with such quick hands… What stood out for me was the way he hit sixes on the off-side, even against good deliveries, that showed real quality.” Yuvraj also added that Vaibhav’s power is all around the ground, not limited to one area, and with more experience, he will only improve.“When I was picked, my only goal was to give the team a good start. I wanted to play my game in the Powerplay, and if I got a good start, I wanted to continue and play long without giving my wicket away. I knew that if I played my shots, the scenario of the game would change,” Sooryavanshi recently told JioStar.

With his record-breaking starts and fearlessness, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is widely expected to shine at the international level soon.

Rahane, who scored just 8 off 10 balls, didn’t hold back as KKR suffered their second straight loss of the season.“I think I have one of the best strike rates so far from 2023,” he said. “People who are talking about me (are) probably not watching the game or they have a certain agenda against me. They don’t like me playing. They don’t like to watch me play.”“The amount of success which I got, I guess they are jealous of me. I am not too worried. You guys know what I am doing. Just one bad innings…not a bad inning, but my intent was there. Sometimes as a batter, you don’t get that rhythm, you don’t get that flow. People who are talking, either they don’t understand the game (or) I think they want me to play a different kind of innings.“They didn’t expect that Ajinkya Rahane will basically prove his game this much. So I am happy they are talking about me, negative or positive, either way. I am really happy that they are talking. Let them talk.”

KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane played his 200th IPL game against SRH. (ANI)

In the contest against SRH, Rahane scored only eight runs in nine balls before top-edging a Jaydev Unadkat slower delivery. During the brief stay, he struggled to find the gaps when facing the spin of Harsh Dubey and Abhishek Sharma in the powerplay overs. The ploy seemed to be to keep the seamers away from Rahane – against whom the right-hander does better.Does Ajinkya Rahane have a strong strike rate since IPL 2023?

Rahane’s claim of holding “one of the best strike rates so far from 2023” doesn’t hold up.Overall, he’s 88th in the list based on strike rate since IPL 2023. During this period, he played 42 matches, scoring 1033 runs, average of 29.51 and a strike rate of 147.78.Go deeper, and based on the players who have faced at least 50 balls, he sits 64th on the list of IPL batters, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi topping the charts at a strike rate of 218.70.If you look at those with longer stays in the middle, 250 balls or more, Rahane is 44th in the list. Abhishek Sharma tops this list with a strike rate of 185.23.Among the top-four batters who played at least 250 balls, Rahane is 28th. Nicholas Pooran tops this list with a strike rate of 191.60.A look at Rahane’s numbers in the powerplay does make things look better for him. In the last three seasons, his strike rate during the powerplay stands at 168.80.Batters with best strike rate since IPL 2023 (at least 300 balls faced)

Among players to have faced at least 300 balls since IPL 2023, his strike rate (167.78) during the powerplay overs has been the fourth best. This list is led by Travis Head (187.98).Among Indians, only Abhishek Sharma has a better strike rate during this period (176.56).Against the pacers with the new ball (effectively powerplay overs), Rahane’s strike rate stands at 170.79 but the challenge, as revealed against SRH, is the spinners with the new ball where his strike rate drops to 140.54. The larger issue, though, lies in the post-powerplay overs. His strike rate nosedives to 127.27 and 115.58, respectively, during the two middle over periods. Overall, it stands at 129.30.Against spin in the middle overs (7-15 overs), his strike rate further drops to 114.02.KKR now have consecutive home games over the next week, against Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants on April 6 and April 9, respectively, where they would be hoping to pick their first win of the season.

Speaking on Chennai Super Kings’ YouTube channel, Mhatre revealed how a simple message led to a personal interaction with Rohit. The opportunity came after Rohit had earlier told him he could reach out whenever he needed guidance following his first IPL appearance against Mumbai Indians.Before departing for England, Mhatre decided to take that offer and sent Rohit a message requesting a meeting.“So I was about to go on the England tour, and I wanted to speak to him a bit. I messaged him. Then I said I wanted to meet him, so he directly called me himself. He called me from his side and said, tell me what you want to say. I told him that I am going on this tour and wanted to meet. He asked me, where do you stay? I said Virar. He said, will you come from Virar to meet me? I said yes, I can come anywhere to meet you, I just want to meet you,” said Mhatre.Despite Rohit suggesting they could simply speak over a video call, Mhatre was determined to meet him in person. The next day, he travelled to Rohit’s residence, where the two spent nearly two hours in conversation.“He said it’s not like that, we can also talk on video. I said no, I want to meet you personally and talk. Then he gave me his home address and I went to his house the next day. I spoke to him for at least 2 hours. I mean, it was crazy that he gave me so much time, that’s a big thing for me. My idol gave me time, so it was a dream for me, a dream day. I didn’t even realise how time passed, 2 hours went by. It felt really good talking to him,” he added.Since then, Mhatre has gone on to achieve success, leading India to the Under-19 World Cup title earlier this year. However, his IPL 2026 campaign began on a disappointing note, as he was dismissed for a golden duck against Rajasthan Royals.

Meanwhile, Rohit has started the season in style, scoring a blistering 78 off 38 balls to guide Mumbai Indians to victory against Kolkata Knight Riders in a high-scoring chase of 221.For Mhatre, though, that meeting with his idol remains a defining personal milestone — one that continues to inspire his journey in the game.