There's still more than three weeks left for the second phase of the Indian Premier League(IPL) 2021 to start but MS Dhoni and majority of his teammates have already started their preparations in Dubai.

After completing their mandatory quarantine, the Chennai Super Kings players have started their training. The franchise has been posting videos of the net sessions on their official social media platforms. No points for guessing who is hogging all the limelight. Despite retiring from international cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni continues to be the focal point. His fans flock to social media to get a glimpse of their favourite cricketer hitting the bowlers out of the park.

Read Also : Teams with most wins in IPL history

IPL is the only tournament the 40 year old plays in at the moment. Although, it's quite natural that his body is not quite capable of doing what it used to do during his peak years. That said, Mahi leaves no stones unturned in getting ready for the big tournament. He spends hours in the gym as well as nets. Since he bats lower down the order, practicing range hitting is his top-most priority ahead of the tournament and he was seen doing just that in a viral video. From pulling a short-pitch delivery over midwicket to charging down the track and hitting the bowler over his head. Dhoni practiced every shot in his book. Even though it's just practice, watching 'Thala' smashing huge sixes was a treat for CSK fans.

However, some of the haters didn't like what they saw and started criticising the former Indian captain. The former Indian captain flexing his muscles only in the nets while flopping in the actual game. As much as we would like to shut them down, the truth is that their argument holds some ground as Dhoni has struggled to hit sixes, especially in the last couple of seasons. Last year, he cleared the ropes only seven times in 14 matches. While this year he has only smashed one six in seven outings.

Also Read : Big Changes in RCB for IPL 2021

MS Dhoni aims for the fourth title with CSK

CSK is currently placed second on the points table after playing brilliantly in the first half of IPL 2021. Dhoni's captaincy stood out and his promotion of England all-rounder Moeen Ali at number three was one of the best moves in IPL. Ali played vital knocks in the powerplay and gave the innings much-needed impetus. He also allowed the likes of Sam Curran, Jadeja, and Bravo to flourish in the end.

Apart from that, Dhoni backed Ruturaj Gaikwad after constant criticism of him not performing. With his core group of players in form, CSK are definitely the team to beat in the IPL. They have bagged three titles till now and will be aiming to bag the fourth. With Dhoni also looking in good nick, the signs are ominous for the other teams. CSK kick start their UAE leg of IPL by facing arch-rivals Mumbai Indians on September 19.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the resumption of the IPL 2025, bringing cheer to cricket fans across the nation. Following detailed discussions with government and security agencies, the BCCI has confirmed that the season will proceed with a revised schedule, ensuring both safety and excitement.

IPL 2025 was suspended for one week due to the rising tension between India and Pakistan. It will be interesting to see with most of the foreign players already going back home, they will return for the remainder of the IPL 2025 or not. 

Read Also | PSL Players' Terror in Pakistan: Daryl Mitchell Vows Never to Return, Curran Breaks Down after reaching Dubai

The remaining 17 matches will be played across six venues, kicking off on May 17, 2025, and concluding with the final on June 3, 2025. The schedule includes two double-header Sundays, adding to the thrill of the tournament. The playoff stage is set as follows:

• Qualifier 1: May 29

• Eliminator: May 30

• Qualifier 2: June 1

• Final: June 3

The BCCI expressed gratitude to India’s armed forces for their bravery and resilience, which have made the safe return of the IPL possible. The Board emphasised its commitment to the national interest while ensuring the successful completion of the league.

🚨 IPL 2025 to restart from 17th May, final to played on June 3rd!

Lucknow, Jaipur, Delhi and Ahmedabad get two matches each. #IPL2025 #ipl2025update pic.twitter.com/roLXGwEzK0

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) May 12, 2025

IPL 2025 Revised schedule

The journey of successful Indian captains have been remarkable over the years. The nation has got exceptional leaders who shaped the landscape of Test cricket for India. 

It is now time to look back at those victories brought to us by the Indian team under such efficient captains. Here are the most successful Test captains from India.

1. Virat Kohli (40 wins)

Virat Kohli is considered to be the most successful Test captain India could ever get! He had a stellar career as a captain from 2014 to 2022. Under his captaincy, India became aggressively dominant in home and held a streak of never losing or drawing a single home series.

Kohli secured 40 wins out of 68 tests, which is the highest as an Indian captain. He also holds the record for most double centuries by an Indian in Test cricket, with a total of 7 double centuries.

India has had several quality test batters, but there is no other captain who could match King Kohli's legacy.

Virat Kohli's test stats as captain:

Read Also: Virat Kohli became the Test captain on this very day; a look at Kohli's legacy as Test captain

2. MS Dhoni (27 wins)

MS Dhoni served as a Test captain for six years for India, and had a stellar career. He holds the record for most number of sixes by an Indian captain, which is 51 in number.

Under Dhoni's captaincy, India won 27 tests out of 60, having a win percentage of 45%.

Dhoni's test stats as captain:

3. Sourav Ganguly (21 wins)

Sourav Ganguly, who is widely known for his contributions as a player and captain for the Indian team, is a prominent name in this list of most successful Test captains from India.

Dada was the Indian test captain from 2000-2005 and won 21 tests out of 49 played. He also holds the 2nd position for record most wins as a test captain overseas, winning 11 out of 28 matches.

Sourav Ganguly's test stats as captain:

Read Also: Most Runs for India in Pink Ball Test

4. Mohammad Azharuddin (14 wins)

Mohammad Azharuddin is another big name to be mentioned when it comes to Test cricket captaincy for India. He served as a captain for 9 years, winning 14 matches out of 47.

Azharuddin mostly enjoyed dominating in home soil and sealing crucial victories for the team. 

Mohammad Azharuddin's test stats as captain:

5. Rohit Sharma (12 wins)

Rohit Sharma is another name for one of the most successful Test captains from India who led to 10+ victories for the team. He is the 5th captain to do so. He was also one of the most impactful opener for India in tests.

Even though Rohit's captaincy tenure was short-lived, as he decided to retire from test format on 7th May, 2025, he still managed to be on top with 12 wins in 24 matches.

Read Also: Rohit Sharma stats in Tests: Is Rohit the greatest test opener since Virender Sehwag?

Rohit Sharma'r test stats as captain 

Some IPL innings leave you speechless. The talented players in this tournament have taken the stage to another level with their explosive batting over the years.

Check out the entire article to know some names that will definitely shock you.

10. Suresh Raina (2014) | 16 balls

Suresh Raina is one of the players to score the fastest half-century in the early seasons of IPL. He took only 16 balls to reach his fifty, making it look super easy for the fans.

Raina was the opening batter for CSK and scored this in a match against PBKS in IPL 2024. The endless boundaries that came off his bat in this inning is hard to forget!

Other players who scored a century from 16 balls:

• Ishan Kishan (MI) - 2021
• Abhishek Sharma (SRH) - 2024
• Travis Head (SRH)- 2024

9 & 8. Jake Fraser-McGurk (2024) | 15 balls

Jake Fraser-McGurk, who played for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024, stunned the spectators with his back-to-back fastest fifties in 2 matches. He scored both the fifties off 15 balls which is quite astonishing as it was his debut season.

McGurk’s consecutive fifties secured both the 9th and 8th position in top 10 fastest fifties in IPL history.

He proved to be highly impactful for DC and these half centuries against MI and SRH made him more impressive. Moreover, he smashed 330 runs in 9 matches with a strike rate above 200.

Read Also: Most IPL Finals: Teams with most final appearances in IPL history

7. Nicholas Pooran (2023) | 15 balls

The West Indies power-hitter, Nicholas Pooran, put up a shower of boundaries during his fastest fifty of IPL career from just 15 balls. He scored 62 runs (off 19 balls) in his knock, hitting 7 sixes and 4 fours.

Pooran had a strike rate of 326.32 which says a lot about the kind of mindset and form he was in during the match of LSG vs RCB. 

6. Sunil Narine (2017) | 15 balls

This superstar from the West Indies has never failed to amaze us, be it with the ball or bat. Sunil Narine showcased his exceptional batting skills with this 15-ball half century in IPL 2017.

Narine has played several crucial knocks for KKR in the history of IPL, but with this one, he proved how he is equally capable with the bat and can do wonders.

5. Yusuf Pathan (2014) | 15 balls

Yusuf Pathan scored a sensational fifty against SRH off 15 balls in IPL 2014. He single-handedly took the game home for KKR with his 72 runs off just 22 balls in this inning, with a strike rate above 300.

It shows that KKR indeed had some fearless power-hitters in their team throughout IPL history. 

Read Also: IPL Facts: Fastest Century in IPL History

4. Romario Shepherd (2025) | 14 balls

Romario Shepherd became the only batter in IPL 2025 to score a fifty so fast that could make its way to the top 10 fastest fifties in IPL. He helped RCB reach a 200+ total during the first inning against CSK, which was enough to be a defendable total.

Shepherd hit 6 sixes and 4 fours to score 53* off 14 balls. He was also given player of the match award for his spectacular knock.

3. Pat Cummins (2022) | 14 balls

Here comes a surprising half-century from the Australian all-rounder, Pat Cummins, who scored 50 off 14 balls for KKR in IPL 2022. He helped to seal the victory for his team against MI by 5 wickets (24 balls left). 

Cummins unveiled his boundary-hitting capabilities with 4 fours and 6 sixes, leaving the fans shocked. It is considered to be one of the finest knocks in IPL where he truly showcased his batting skills when needed.

2. KL Rahul (2018) | 14 balls

KL Rahul, who is now known for his calm and composed batting style, holds the second position in the list of top 10 fastest fifties in IPL history. Quite shocking, isn't it?

This was back in IPL 2018 when Rahul showed no mercy to the bowlers of Delhi Capitals with his magnificent fifty off just 14 balls.

He was the opening batter of PBKS, who kept the fans on the edge of their seats from the beginning of the inning.

Read Also: IPL Records: Youngest Half-centurions in IPL History

Yashasvi Jaiswal (2023) | 13 balls

An all-time shocker of an innings from Yashasvi Jaiswal, which remains unmatched till date! He scored fifty off 13 balls, making it the fastest half-century in IPL history.

Jaiswal scored a total of 98 runs (from 47 balls) in this match against KKR and led Rajasthan Royals to victory. He hit the ball out of the boundary line in every direction possible, and was barely seen running between the wickets.

This performance goes down the history of unbelievable knocks in IPL.

As part of their continued commitment to empowering the community and celebrating everyday heroes, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are set to bring their Shahoshi Rani initiative to the ongoing IPL 2025 season. This unique initiative honours women who have shown exceptional bravery, resilience, and determination in the face of adversity. 

These Shahoshi Ranis will be at the heart of KKR’s message of celebrating strength, inspiring change, and fostering inclusivity in sport when the defending champions take on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Eden Gardens on May 7.

As part of the campaign, 40 Shahoshi Ranis will be present at the KKR practice session, having the opportunity to watch the team train, interact with the players and coaching staff, and spend time with franchise co-owner Juhi Chawla, who will also be present to engage with these remarkable women.

To further amplify the initiative beyond the cricket field, KKR’s practice jerseys ahead of their match against CSK will prominently carry the Shahoshi Rani logo on the back. As a personal gesture of recognition, each player and member of the support staff will also don the names of each Shahoshi Rani beneath the logo, symbolising a bond between the team and the women they are honouring.

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In addition, the team will be filming select moments from the practice session, capturing the inspiring interactions between the Shahoshi Ranis and the players. These stories will be shared across digital platforms to spotlight the strength and spirit these women represent, not just to the team, but to the global audience.

Speaking about the initiative, Juhi Chawla, Co-Owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, said, "Shahoshi Rani is more than just a campaign, it’s a celebration of real courage. These women are an inspiration, and we are honoured to share our platform with them. We hope their stories move others as much as they’ve moved us."

Read Also | Best Celebrations of IPL 2025 so far: From Abhishek's papercut to Hasaranga's Pushpa move

The Shahoshi Rani initiative is one of several community-led efforts championed by KKR, reflecting their commitment to using sport as a tool to bring about a positive change, amplify voices that matter and inspire people beyond the cricket field.

With the IPL 2025 playoffs just around the corner, the tension is reaching its peak. Over the years, the Indian Premier League has given fans plenty of memorable moments full of surprises at the fag end of the group stage. Generally, the fans have to wait till the last over of the group stage to know who will qualify for the IPL Playoffs.

Sometimes, it even goes to the final ball as well, to decide the fourth team to qualify.

From teams that regularly reach the playoffs to underdogs who’ve shocked everyone, the path to the final four has always been full of drama. 

Read Also | Most Wickets in IPL history

2008 | RR, KXIP, CSK, DD

2009 | DD, CSK, RCB, Deccan Chargers

2010 | MI, Deccan Chargers, CSK, RCB

Read Also | Most IPL Finals: Teams with most final appearances in IPL history

2011 | RCB, CSK, MI, KKR 

Read Also | IPL records: Most consecutive away wins in IPL history

2012 | DD, KKR, MI, CSK

2013 | CSK, MI, RR, SRH

2014 | KXIP, KKR, CSK, MI

2015 | CSK, MI, RCB, RR 

2016 | Gujarat Lions, RCB, SRH, KKR

2017 | MI, RPSG, SRH, KKR

2018 | SRH, CSK, KKR, RR

Read Also | SRH's poor performance and playoff hopes in IPL 2025: Can they rise?

2019 | MI, CSK, DC, SRH

2020 | MI, DC, SRH, RCB

2021 | DC, CSK, RCB, KKR

2022 | GT, RR, LSG, RCB

2023 | GT, LSG, CSK, MI

2024 | KKR, SRH, RR, RCB