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Pathan praised the franchise’s renewed clarity in leadership and squad construction as key factors behind their resurgence. Punjab finished runners-up last season after a narrow final defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

“I always believed, maybe today, maybe tomorrow, my chance will come. I never stopped preparing for that day,” he reflected, his words carrying the weight of years spent waiting.

The directive comes in the wake of an injury-marred ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign, where Sri Lanka’s challenge faded during the Super 8 stage, exposing concerns over player workload and conditioning.

In a league as demanding and dynamic as the IPL, the presence, personality, and decision-making of a captain can be the difference between a side that merely competes and one that lifts the trophy.

Thakkar dominated the early exchanges, racing through the first two games before Jeet staged a brief comeback in the third. However, the top seed quickly regained control to close out the match in style.

“We couldn’t find our own rhythm, but the character of the players, the way they never stop playing, makes us 10–20 per cent better. It’s nice to be good, and it’s nice to be charming, but if you don’t win the tournament, it doesn’t count.”

"After the auction, I had said that KKR’s bowling attack is solid. But now, Mustafizur Rahman is not there. (Matheesha) Pathirana’s injury is there; Harshit Rana has been ruled out. KKR has the blessing of Blessing Muzarabani. He has worked hard, and I am excited to see them, but with all the injuries plaguing them, somebody has to do the heavy lifting. I can’t see anyone who can do that.”

Players will be allowed to review specific calls made by the chair umpire such as double bounces and they will not be limited in the number of reviews they can request

The 31-year-old Australian posted a time of 20.88 seconds on Friday at the China Open in Shenzhen, taking 0.03 second off Brazilian César Cielo's previous mark

The world class field will be starred by Akshay Bhatia, ranked 22 in the world and a recent winner on the PGA Tour, and Italy’s Francesco Molinari, the 2018 Open champion and a three-time Ryder Cup winner

The recently appointed Sports Commissioner of World Premier Squash has called for inclusion of squash in Olympics and stresses on the need to expand access and improve coaching facilities

Addressing the squad during their first practice session at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Virat Kohli underlined the need to maintain the intensity that brought them the title last year