IPL 2025: Opening match set to feature KKR, RCB; final likely on May 25
New Delhi, Feb 15 (PTI): The IPL 2025 is set to begin on March 22 with a match between title holders Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Eden Gardens, also the designated venue for this year's final on May 25.
The PTI has learned that this year too, Dharamsala and Guwahati will host a couple of IPL matches.
Dharamsala will be the second home venue of Punjab Kings after Mullanpur, while Rajasthan Royals will set up their base in the North Eastern City apart from regular venue Jaipur.
The BCCI is yet to release the schedule but it is expected that the governing body will announce the full list of venues and matches early next week.
In IPL 2024, Punjab had hosted Chennai Super Kings and RCB and had lost both the matches. However, this year the picturesque venue might get an additional match.
The Royals played PBKS and KKR at Guwahati last year, while they lost the match against Punjab, the match against the Knight Riders ended in a washout.
Five-time champions Super Kings, set to be led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, will open their IPL 2025 campaign on March 23 at their home ground — MA Chidambaram Stadium — against Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians, who also owns five titles in the league.
While both CSK and MI have zeroed in on their captaincy choices, Kolkata is yet to name their leader after IPL-winning skipper Shreyas Iyer joined PBKS after the mega auction.
The Royal Challengers also have a new captain in Rajat Patidar, who replaced Faf du Plessis.
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SC cancels bail to wrestler Sushil Kumar in murder case, orders surrender in a week
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday cancelled bail to Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar in the murder case of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar at the Chhatrasal Stadium in the national capital.
A bench of justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra set aside the March 4 order of the Delhi High Court granting bail to the wrestler.
The wrestler has been asked to surrender within a week.
The top court's order came on an appeal filed by Ashok Dhankar, father of Sagar Dhankar, challenging the order passed by the Delhi High Court granting bail to Kumar.
Kumar and others are accused of fatally assaulting Sagar Dhankar in May 2021 over an alleged property dispute.
Two of Sagar Dhankar's friends were also injured in the assault.
According to the postmortem report, the victim suffered cerebral damage from the impact of a blunt object.
Kumar was arrested in May 2021 and a sessions court had granted him a week's interim bail for his knee surgery on July 19, 2023.
The trial court in October 2022 framed IPC charges, including murder, criminal conspiracy, intimidation and rioting with a deadly weapon against Kumar aside from the Arms Act, among others.
The trial court noted that after being abducted and brought to the stadium, Sagar Dhankar was severely assaulted by several accused persons with baseball and hockey sticks.
