Justin Langer stepped down as the head coach of the Australian cricket team with immediate effect on 5th February 2022 and now his exit has become a talking point in the cricket world. Meanwhile, former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson has fired shots at the current Test team skipper Pat Cummins after the sudden exit of head coach Justin Langer. He slammed Cummins for not standing up for Langer.

Johnson opened up on how Langer was ill-treated by players and Cricket Australia (CA). He further opined that Cummins has been hailed as a 'cricketing saint' since he was made the captain of the Test side. But, he has failed his Test as captain of the Australian team badly. 

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"Pat Cummins has been lauded as some type of cricketing saint since his elevation to the top job this summer. Cummins might have delivered with the ball during the Ashes series. but he has failed his first big test as captain pretty miserably."

Mitchell Johnson wrote in a column as reported by Fox Sports

Johnson mentioned that Cummins has a lot of power and even had opportunities to stand up for Langer

Johnson further mentioned that Cummins has a lot of power and even had opportunities to stand up for Langer. He added that it's quite obvious that he had an agenda to change the coach.

"He had plenty of public opportunities to endorse an extension for Langer. So when he let it through to the keeper every time, it became pretty obvious he didn't want it to happen."

Johnson added

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"Cummins holds a lot of power and must have been central to what's happened. He's clearly had an agenda to get in a coach he wants. His recent interviews have been gutless by not respecting his coach when he could have been upfront from the start" concluded Mitchell Johnson.

Justin Langer was appointed as Australia's men's team coach in 2018. He was appointed after the Sandpaper incident which saw David Warner, Steve Smith facing one-year bans. Under Langer, Australia tasted success across formats as they managed to win the T20 World Cup 2021 and then the Ashes.

As the ICC World Test Championship 2023-2025 is getting closer to the grand final, it is now time to look back at the bowlers with standout performances. They have constantly troubled batsmen which led to their team's success.

Who do you think are the ones with most wickets? Take a look at the highest wicket-takers in WTC 2023-25.

Jasprit Bumrah | India

Jasprit Bumrah had a remarkable campaign in WTC 2023-25 cycle and has taken the most number of wickets. He took 77 wickets in 15 matches, with an average of 15.09. 

Bumrah recorded five 5-wicket hauls in the cycle and also had his best bowling figure of 6/45 in an innings against England.

Read Also: Jasprit Bumrah becomes first-ever player to pick 200 Test wickets with an average below 20

Jasprit Bumrah stats in WTC 2023-2025

Pat Cummins | Australia 

The Australian skipper, Pat Cummins, has done wonders with the ball, by taking 73 wickets in 17 matches. He is the leading wicket taker for Australia and can also be on top by showcasing his wicket-taking skills in the WTC final against South Africa. 

His best bowling performance in the tournament was a 6-wicket haul for 91 runs.

Pat Cummins stats in WTC 2023-2025

Read Also: WTC Final: Australia and South Africa announce their squads

Mitchell Starc | Australia 

Yet another Australian legend to feature in this list, who is just behind Cummins by one wicket. This fiery left-arm pacer have always been a key bowling of their team. He took 72 wickets in 18 matches total.

Mitchell Starc's best bowling figure in WTC 2023-25 includes a 6-wicket haul for 48 runs.

Mitchell Starc stats in WTC 2023-2025

Other players with 60+ wickets in WTC 2023-25

Seems like the Aussies and Indians have purely dominated the bowling sides and got most wickets up their sleeves.

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Here are the other players who crossed the 60 wickets mark and deserves a shoutout in the list of highest wicket-takers in WTC 2023-25.

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.

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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.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, despite having a strong team with skilled players, are losing their spark in IPL 2025. They lack team effort and collective performance, failing to build momentum in the tournament.

Let's check out the reasons behind SRH’s poor performance and playoff hopes in IPL 2024.

How the IPL 2025 season began for SRH

Sunrisers Hyderabad started the tournament with a banger against Rajasthan Royals, winning by 44 runs. They put up a total of 286 runs on board, which is so far the highest total scored by a team in IPL 2025, and the second highest in IPL history.

Ishan Kishan was phenomenal in that game, scoring 106* off 47 balls, with a strike rate above 200. Travis Head showed his fearless batting and scored 67 runs from 31 balls while opening for the team.

The middle order batters like Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klassen also contributed significantly to that huge target they set in the inning.

SRH bowlers successfully defended the total with their fine bowling line up. Harshal Patel and Simarjeet Singh took 2 wickets each.

Read Also: Top 5 game-changing factors that could send MI to IPL 2025 Playoffs

Navigating the losing streak and poor performance

Despite having a marvellous start, SRH failed to hold onto their winning momentum. They lost 4 matches in a row, which placed them at the bottom of the points table, along with CSK.

• Lost to LSG by 5 wickets 

In this match, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan didn't have any luck with the bat. Ishan got out for a duck, leaving the fans surprised after his aggressive batting in the previous match.

Pat Cummins was the only bowler to have an economy below 10, who also picked up 2 wickets. SRH bowlers collectively failed to defend 191 runs, which led to their first defeat in IPL 2025. 

• Lost to DC by 7 wickets 

Delhi Capitals secured a comfortable win by 7 wickets with 24 balls remaining. The top batting order of SRH crumbled within the powerplay and were all-out by 18.3 overs.

Aniket Verma’s knock of 74 runs from 41 balls, led them to a defendable total of 163 runs, which eventually fell short in the second innings. SRH bowlers were unsuccessful in taking wickets, with only Zeeshan Ansari having 3 wickets under his name. 

• Lost to KKR by 80 runs

SRH faced a humiliating defeat against KKR in their fourth match of the season. Batting first, Knight Riders put up a target of 201 runs, and restricted SRH to 120 (all out) in 16.4 overs.

This defeat raised discussions about SRH’s poor performance and playoff hopes in IPL 2025. 

• Lost to GT by 7 wickets

Yet another low scoring totals for the Sunrisers, where they somehow managed to set a target of 153 for the Gujarat Titans. They also failed to take early wickets which was crucial to defend a total like that and gave away their victory. 

Losing 4 consecutive matches was highly a matter of concern that slowly started fading their playoff hopes in IPL 2025.

A drought-breaking victory

SRH finally ended their losing streak with a victory against Punjab Kings in their match number 6. This was another high scoring match where they had to chase down 246 runs. Abhishek Sharma played a key role in this game by scoring 141 runs off 55 balls.

Notable names like Travis Head and Heinrich Klassen also contributed to this run-chase. This match felt like the only time where the top batting order of SRH didn't collapse easily, giving them a breakthrough.

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MI downs them twice in a row

SRH lost to Mumbai Indians in 2 back-to-back matches by 4 and 7 wickets, respectively. These defeats almost shattered the hopes of fans. Their low spirit clearly reflected on their performance. They found themselves in the 9th position of the points table, with a very low net run rate.

Much-needed victory against CSK

SRH successfully managed to win against CSK in a do-or-die match for both the ends. They won by 5 wickets with 8 balls remaining. Players like Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan, Kamindu Mendis, Pat Cummins, and Nitish Kumar Reddy stood out for the team. 

SRH got the crucial 2 points to keep their playoff hopes in IPL 2025 alive.

Read Also: India's performance in every ICC tournament

Can SRH qualify for the playoffs?

SRH stands in the 8th position in IPL 2025 points table with 6 points and a below par net run rate. They can secure a maximum of 10 more points in their 5 matches remaining, which will add up to 16 points in total.

Therefore, they will need to win all their remaining matches in order to make it smoothly to the top 4.

• If they win 4 out of 5 matches:

This will narrow their chances with a total of 14 points to end the league stage. SRH will need to win those matches with big margins to keep their NRR high.

They might also need to depend on other factors like the performance of teams ending with similar points and their NRR.

• If they win 3 or lesser matches:

The chances of getting into the top 4 will be completely gone if they win 3 or lesser matches out of the 5 remaining. It will be too late for them to bounce back in IPL 2025.

MI skipper Hardik Pandya went on to script history as he became the first-ever skipper in Indian Premier League history to take a five-wicket haul. Hardik’s spell of 5 for 36 is also his best-ever bowling figures in T20 cricket.

Hardik’s fifth wicket was also his 30th IPL wicket as a skipper, which takes him level with Anil Kumble’s tally of 30 wickets as the second-most wickets in IPL as a captain.. Former Aussie great and Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne is the only bowler ahead of him with 57 wickets.

Also Read: Most wins in IPL as captain

So, let's take a look at the players with most wickets in IPL as a captain.

10. Shane Watson | 13 Wickets

Shane Watson is placed at no. 10 with 13 wickets to his name. Watson led the Rajasthan Royals in the 2014 and 2015 ipl seasons. Under his captaincy in 2015 Rajasthan also qualifies for the playoffs. He also led Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2017 for some matches as interim captain.

A notable all-rounder, Watson also mustered 2372 runs with the bat for RR at 36.49. He smashed two tons and 14 fifties. Overall, the Aussie hammered 3874 runs (100s: 4, 50s: 21). He hit 190 sixes.

9. Sam Curran | 13 Wickets

English all rounder Sam Curran comes in with 13 wickets. Sam Curran led Punjab Kings in 11 matches of the IPL 2024 as Shikhar Dhawan was injured. That year, Sam Curran showed his brilliant all round game by clinching 16 wickets and scoring 270 runs in 13 matches ,but punjab couldn’t do well finishing at 9th position just above Mumbai Indians.

8. Daniel Vettori | 17 Wickets

Former New Zealand allrounder Daniel Vettori comes at 8th position in this list. He led Royal Challengers Banglore in 2011 and 2012 IPL.

As a captain Vettori has taken 17 wickets for RCB. Under his captaincy, Rcb also reached the final of 2011 IPL season but lost to csk.

7. Yuvraj Singh | 18 Wickets

Yuvraj Singh has taken 18 wickets as a captain in IPL and placed at no. 6 in this list. He captained Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the 2008-2009 season and Pune Warriors in 2011. 

Yuvi also has two hat-tricks to his name in IPL, which he took against RCB and Deccan Charges in the 2009 season. He is only the second bowler in IPL history to take multi hat-tricks in IPL, after Amit Mishra, who has taken 3 hat-tricks in IPL.

Also Read: IPL records: 5 youngest centurion in IPL

6. Zaheer Khan | 20 Wickets

Indian pace legend Zaheer Khan has captained Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2016 and 2017. He is placed fifth in the list of highest wicket taking captains in ipl with 20 wickets. 

In 2017, Zaheer Khan was overall 10th or 9th Indian bowler to take 100 wickets in the IPL. After 2017, Zaheer Khan took retirement from all formats of cricket.

5. Pat Cummins | 21 Wickets

Australia’s captain and SRH skipper Pat Cummins has taken 21 wickets as a captain in IPL. Cummins comes at fourth position in this list. 

Cummins is also the second highest wicket-taker as a captain in a single season, taking 18 wickets, just behind Shane Warne, who took 19 wickets in the 2008 season. With the help of this brilliant performance by Cummins, SRH also reached the 2024 IPL final.

4. Ravichandran Ashwin | 25 Wickets

Ravichandran Ashwin led Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for two seasons in 2018 and 2019. 

As a captain he has taken 25 wickets and grabs the third position in the list of most wickets in IPL as captain. In 2019 R Ashwin took 15 wickets for Punjab Kings with an economy rate of 7.27.

2. Hardik Pandya | 30 Wickets

Next we have, Hardik Pandya who joins Anil Kumble in this list. Pandya ranks second in the elite list of captains with the most wickets in IPL. 

Till now, as a captain Hardik has taken 30 wickets in IPL. Pandya has led Gujrat Titans in 2022- 2023 season and out of that in 2022, under Hardik’s captaincy, Gujarat won the trophy in its first season and was runner up in 2023. Since 2024, Hardik has been captaining Mumbai Indians.

In 2025 season, Hardik became the first-ever captain in IPL history to claim a five-wicket haul during the match against Lucknow Super Giants in Ekana Cricket Stadium. Pandya's fiery spell of 5 for 36 was also his personal best in T20 cricket.

2. Anil Kumble | 30 Wickets

Former Indian spinner Anil Kumble is the second highest wicket taker in IPL as captain with 30 wickets. He led Royal Challengers Banglore in 2009- 2010. 

As a player, Kumble had a good run, ending the 2009 season as highest wicket taker for Rcb and overall second highest wicket taker with 21 wickets at an economy rate of 5.86 . He also took his team to the finals in 2009.

Also Read: IPL Facts: Who was hit the most sixes in IPL History? Top 10 list

1. Shane Warne | 57 Wickets

The late Shane Warne is the record holder for the most wickets in IPL as captain. Leg-spinner Warne represented the Royals across four IPL seasons, claiming 57 scalps from 55 matches at 25.38. He took one four-wicket haul.

Warne also captained Rajasthan Royals to win the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008. The 2008 campaign saw the multiple World Cup-winning ace pick up 19 wickets from 15 games at 21.26. He was the side’s second-highest wicket-taker after Pakistan’s Sohail Tanvir (22 wickets). Notably, Tanvir won the Purple Cap that season. 

Warne took 14 wickets in 2009, 11 wickets in 2010 and 13 wickets in 2011 to highlight his consistency.

Hello and welcome to another LIVE coverage of IPL 2025. Tonight we have the replay of last season's final as Kolkata Knight Riders are all set to host Sunrisers Hyderabad for match no. 15 of IPL 2025. 

This is Koushik Biswas, who will bring you all the LIVE updates of the KKR vs SRH IPL 2025 match from the web desk. 

KKR have struggled to get going in their first three games as they lost two of them. But, as they return to their home turn after two away games, they will be confident to make a mark at their own den. 

In the meantime, SRH, after winning the first game of the season, failed to win their next two games. Hence, Pat Cummins and company would definitely love to get back to winning ways. 

So, sit back and relax as we bring you all the LIVE updates of the match.

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