After attracting a Rs 23.75 crore bid from Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL mega auction, Venkatesh Iyer made a small right step while producing an all-round effort to propel Madhya Pradesh to a 101-run win over Meghalaya in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Group A match on Monday. Venkatesh got the third highest bid in the auction being held at Jeddah after Rishabh Pant (Rs 27 crore) and Shreyas Iyer (Rs 26.75 crore). Venkatesh first made a 17-ball 37 (4×6) which along with Rajat Patidar’s 78 (36b, 6×4, 6×6) guided MP to 222 for five in 20 overs.

Venkatesh, then took a wicket (2-0-9-1) to support Mohammed Arshad Khan (2.4-0-5-3) as Madhya Pradesh bundled out Meghalaya for 121 with two balls to spare.

Harshal, Chahal sparkle

A blistering hundred by Nishant Sindhu (100, 48b, 11×4, 4×6) and a brisk 91 (45b, 11×4, 4×6) by Himanshu Rana powered Haryana to 255 for two against Arunachal Pradesh in a Group C match at Mumbai.

The Arunachal batters could not tackle the guiles of pacer Harshal Patel (4-0-12-5) and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (4-0-15-2) to get bowled out for 80 as Haryana celebrated a huge 175-run win.

Chahal was a Rs 18 crore buy by the Punjab Kings while Harshal went to Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 8 crore.

Pandya brothers shore up Baroda

Hardik Pandya (41 not out, 21b, 2×4, 3×6) and skipper Krunal Pandya (45, 35b, 3×4, 1×6), who joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs 5.75 crore, played key roles as Baroda chased down a 166-run target set by Uttarakhand to notch their second successive win in Group B.

Earlier, Hardik chipped in with a wicket as well to help Baroda restrict Uttarakhand to a manageable 165 for seven.

Brief scores: At Rajkot: Group A: Madhya Pradesh: 222/5 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 78, Venkatesh Iyer 37) beat Meghalaya: 121 all out in 19.4 overs (Arshad Khan 3/5, Venkatesh Iyer 1/9) by 101 runs.

At Mumbai: Group C: Haryana: 255/2 in 20 overs (Himanshu Rana 91, Nishant Sindhu 100 not out) beat Arunachal Pradesh: 80 all out in 17 overs (Harshal Patel 5/12, Yuzvendra Chahal 2/15) by 175 runs.

At Indore: Group B: Uttarakhand: 165/7 in 20 overs (R Samarth 42, Avneesh Sudha 38; Hardik Pandya 1/25, Lukeman Meriwalla 2/37) lost to Baroda: 168/5 in 18.4 overs (Hardik Pandya 41 not out, Krunal Pandya 45; Agrim Tiwari 2/28) by 5 wickets. PTI UNG 7/21/2024 KHS

Australia batter Jake Fraser-McGurk, one of the most explosive young T20 batters, set the stage alight with a bidding war that ended with Delhi Capitals (DC) successfully using their Right to Match (RTM) card for Rs 9 crore in the IPL 2025 Auction at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah on Sunday. Fraser-McGurk, who had made his IPL debut in 2024, was initially set at Rs 2 crore, but the bidding quickly heated up. DC, eager to bring the 21-year-old back, initiated the bidding, but Punjab Kings (PBKS) were also keen to secure the dynamic Aussie.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) led by their head coach Ricky Ponting, who is known to rate Fraser-McGurk highly, upped the ante, taking the bid to Rs 5 crore. LSG, ever active in the auction, entered the fray, and the three teams – DC, PBKS, and LSG – battled it out in what became a captivating contest.

As the bid soared, PBKS continued to outbid their competitors, pushing the price to Rs 9 crore. At this stage, it seemed like PBKS had won the race for Fraser-McGurk. However, the DC camp was not ready to give up their man that easily.

Just as it looked like Fraser-McGurk was off to PBKS, DC exercised their RTM, matching the Rs 9 crore bid to secure the services of the 22-year-old batter.

Fraser-McGurk, who has already impressed with his attacking style of play, made an instant impact with his debut in the IPL 2024 season. In nine matches, he scored 330 runs at an impressive average of 36.67, with four half-centuries and a career-high score of 84 runs. He also showcased his power-hitting abilities, with 32 fours and 28 sixes to his name.

The Australian cricketer first grabbed headlines in 2023 when he smashed the fastest hundred in professional cricket, a record-breaking 29-ball century for South Australia against Tasmania in the Marsh Cup. This remarkable feat made him one of the most talked-about young talents in world cricket.

In another purchase, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) secured the services of IPL 2024 Purple Cap winner, Harshal Patel for Rs 8 crore. It all started with the base price set at Rs 2 crore. Two teams, SRH and Gujarat Titans (GT), quickly emerged as the frontrunners. SRH, always looking for that crucial match-winner in the bowling department, fought hard to bring Harshal back into their fold.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans, with their aggressive approach, raised the stakes, pushing the price to Rs 5 crore. SRH wasn’t ready to back down as they raised the bid to Rs 6 crore. The battle reached its peak as SRH raised their bid to Rs 6.75 crore, forcing GT to pull back.

But the bidding war wasn’t over. Punjab Kings, sitting quietly in the background, used their Right to Match (RTM) card, making it clear they were ready to lock down the bowler for their squad. The competition was fierce, but SRH wasn’t ready to lose Harshal Patel to anyone. They raised their bid to an impressive Rs 8 crore, and Punjab Kings happily came out of the race.

The seasoned bowler had already proven his worth in the IPL. Making his debut in 2012, he had become a regular in the league, with 135 wickets in 105 matches. His performance in IPL 2024 was nothing short of spectacular, finishing as the top wicket-taker with 24 wickets in 14 matches with an economy rate of 9.73.

In a thrilling week for domestic cricket, Madhya Pradesh’s Rajat Patidar stunned fans with a lightning-fast century, the fifth quickest in Ranji Trophy history. Delhi and Baroda registered massive victories while defending champion Mumbai were held to draw by Tripura. Madhya Pradesh batter Rajat Patidar reignited his domestic cricket season in stunning fashion, blasting the fifth-fastest century in Ranji Trophy history in just 68 balls during the draw against Haryana. Harshal Patal was adjudged the Man of the Match after scoring 81 runs in the first innings and taking two wickets in each innings as the teams settled for a hard-earned draw.

Delhi earned a dominant 10-wicket win over Assam on Tuesday in the third round of the Ranji Trophy, marking their first outright win of the season. The victory came with a bonus point, secured by openers Sanat Sangwan and Gagan Vats as they comfortably chased down the target of 59 runs without losing a wicket.

Mumbai and Tripura battled it out for an entertaining draw after the former led in the first innings. Mumbai declared their second innings at 123/6 giving their opponents a target of 271. Unbeaten knocks by Bikramkumar Das and Jiwanjot Singh saw the team score 48/0.

Skipper Krunal Pandya’s 119-run innings alongside Shivalik Sharma and Vishnu Solanki’s contributions of 96 and 98 respectively, saw Baroda secure a victory by an innings and 98 runs against Odisha.

Match Results Summary

1. Andhra vs Himachal Pradesh – Himachal Pradesh won by an innings and 38 runs.

2. Arunachal Pradesh vs Sikkim – Sikkim won by 104 runs.

3. Baroda vs Odisha – Baroda defeated Odisha by an innings and 98 runs.

4. Bengal vs Kerala – Draw (first innings unfinished).

5. Bihar vs Karnataka – Karnataka won by 8 wickets.

6. Delhi vs Assam – Delhi won by 10 wickets.

7. Goa vs Nagaland – Goa won by 84 runs.

8. Hyderabad vs Pondicherry – Hyderabad won by an innings and 50 runs.

9. Jammu & Kashmir vs Services – J&K won by an innings and 25 runs.

10. Jharkhand vs Chandigarh – Chandigarh won by 10 wickets.

11. Maharashtra vs Meghalaya – Maharashtra won by 10 wickets.

12. Manipur vs Mizoram – Mizoram won by an innings and 20 runs.

13. Punjab vs Uttar Pradesh – Draw (Uttar Pradesh led in the first innings).

14. Rajasthan vs Gujarat – Draw (Gujarat led in the first innings).

15. Saurashtra vs Railways – Railways defeated Saurashtra by 37 runs.

16. Tamil Nadu vs Chhattisgarh – Draw (Chhattisgarh led in the first innings).

17. Tripura vs Mumbai- Draw (Mumbai led in the first innings).

18. Uttarakhand vs Vidarbha – Vidarbha won by 266 runs.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 concluded on an extraordinary note, with the Kolkata Knight Riders clinching their 3rd title while the Sunrisers Hyderabad could only settle for the runners-up medal. With the win, KKR also bagged a whopping prize money of INR 20 crore, while SRH were given Rs 13 crore. The total prize money IPL had reserved for the occasion was INR 46.5 crore, which wasn’t only distributed among the winners and the runners-up.

Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who finished 3rd and 4th in the points table respectively, also took home a fair amount of prize money. Sanju Samson‘s side were given Rs 7 crore for finishing third while Faf du Plessis‘ team got INR 6.5 crore.

RCB’s talisman Virat Kohli won the Orange Cap while the Purple Cap went to Punjab Kings pacer Harshal Patel. Both fetched a prize money of Rs 10 lakh each for their accomplishments this season.

Kohli scored 741 runs in 15 matches at an average of 61.75, with a century and five fifties. His best score was 113* and his strike rate stood at 154.69, the highest it has ever been for Kohli in a single IPL season.

Crafty pacer Harshal concluded the tournament with 24 wickets in 14 matches at an economy of 9.73 and an average of 19.87.

Sunrisers’ Nitish Kumar Reddy was named the Emerging Player of the Season for his all-round show while KKR veteran Suil Narine got the Most Valuable Player of the Year award.

Full List Of Prize Winners In IPL 2024:

Orange Cap: Virat Kohli – 741 runs (Rs 10 lakh)

Purple Cap: Harshal Patel – 24 wickets (Rs 10 lakh)

Most Valuable Player of the season: Sunil Narine (Rs 12 lakh)

Ultimate Fantasy Player of The Season: Sunil Narine

Most 4s: Travis Head (64)

Most 6s: Abhishek Sharma (42)

Striker of the season: Jake Fraser-McGurk (234.04)

Emerging Player of the season: Nitish Kumar Reddy (Rs 20 lakh)

Catch Of The Season: Ramandeep Singh

Fair Play Award: SRH

Pitch and ground award: Hyderabad Cricket Association

Runners-up award: SRH

Winners: KKR

Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer Harshal Patel levelled with Australian pacer Andrew Tye to become the player with the highest number of wickets for the franchise in a single Indian Premier League (IPL) edition on Sunday. Harshal accomplished this feat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their final league stage game. In the game, Harshal took 2/49 in four overs, at an economy rate of over 12. He took wickets of Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

In the ongoing season, Harshal has taken 24 wickets at an average of 19.87 and an economy rate of 9.73, with the best bowling figures of 3/15. He is the leading wicket-taker this season, but he would not have any more opportunity to add to his tally since his team is not in the playoffs.

Andrew Tye (24 wickets in the 2018 edition), Kagiso Rabada (23 in the 2022 edition) and Shami (20 in the 2020 edition) have taken the joint-highest, second-highest and third-highest number of wickets in a single IPL for Punjab, respectively.

Coming to the match, PBKS won the toss and elected to bat first. A hard-hitting half-century from Prabhsimran Singh (71 in 45 balls, with seven fours and four sixes) and knocks from Rilee Rossouw (49 in 24 balls, with three fours and four sixes) and Atharva Taide (46 in 27 balls, with five fours and two sixes) set the tone for a big total, taking PBKS to 214/5 in their 20 overs.

T Natarajan (2/33) was the pick of the bowlers for SRH.

In the run-chase, after losing Travis Head for a duck, Abhishek Sharma (66 in 28 balls, with five fours and six sixes), Nitish Kumar Reddy (37 in 25 balls, with a four and three sixes) and Heinrich Klaasen (42 in 26 balls, with three fours and two sixes) played fiery knocks to propel SRH to 215/6 in 19.1 overs, winning the game with five balls left.

Arshdeep Singh (2/37) was the pick of the bowlers for PBKS.

Abhishek Sharma was the Player of the Match for his quickfire fifty.

SRH is at number two in the points table, with eight wins, five losses and a no result, with 17 points. PBKS is at the ninth spot with five wins, nine losses and 10 points.

Preity Zinta applauds Harshal Patel after he dismisses MS Dhoni© X (Twitter)