Hardik Pandya and RCB Women players [Source: @mumbaiindians/Instagram, @RCBTweets/x]
Deepti Sharma soared into the top five ICC rankings for women’s ODI all-rounders. Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya has joined the team for IPL 2025 after starring in India’s 2025 ICC Champions Trophy win in the UAE. In other news, KL Rahul has reportedly rejected the offer of leading Delhi Capitals.
Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest cricketing news that emerged out of Tuesday, March 11.
Hardik Pandya Joins MI Camp For IPL 2025
Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has joined the Mumbai Indians site for the upcoming IPL 2025 season. The cricketer recently starred in India’s triumphant run at the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in the UAE, picking up four wickets throughout the tournament and cracking crucial knocks against New Zealand and Australia in succession.
On March 11, i.e., roughly 10 days prior to the start of IPL 2025, the Mumbai Indians franchise posted a picture of Pandya making his way to the team set-up. The 31-year-old all-rounder is set to lead the Mumbai Indians team to continue the leadership role he assumed back in 2024.
Deepti Sharma Bursts Into Top 5 ICC Rankings
Senior women’s cricketer Deepti Sharma gained a rung to burst into the top five rankings in ICC’s ODI all-rounders charts. Sharma jumped from sixth to fifth position, displacing New Zealand cricketer Amelia Kerr in the process.
The 27-year-old, currently plying her trade in WPL 2025, had a prolific outing for Team India in the home ODI series against Ireland, picking up seven wickets in just three matches at an average of 15. Notably, Deepti Sharma is the lone Indian to feature in ICC’s top 10 ODI all-rounders rankings, much like she finds herself in the top 10 ODI bowling charts at number four.
KL Rahul Rejects Delhi Capitals Captaincy: Report
KL Rahul has reportedly declined the offer of leading the Delhi Capitals franchise in the upcoming IPL 2025 season. As reported by IANS, the charismatic Indian batter has expressed his desire of contributing to the team merely as a player.
The report further indicates that Rahul’s rejection has prompted the franchise and team owners to consider senior all-rounder Axar Patel as captain instead. Patel has been a part of the Delhi Capitals set-up since IPL 2019, while KL Rahul was first acquired by the franchise during the IPL 2025 mega auction last November.
LSG’s Mayank Yadav Ruled Out Of First Half Of IPL 2025
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fast bowler Mayank Yadav has been reportedly ruled out of the first half of the IPL 2025 season. As per ESPNCricinfo, the speedster is yet to recover from the lumbar stress injury he suffered a few months ago. He made his IPL debut back during the 2024 edition of the tournament last year, and owing to his breakneck pace with the ball, was subsequently called up for international debut through a home T20I series against Bangladesh.
Wareham Blitz Denies Mumbai Indians’ Top Spot Before Playoffs
Struggling RCB snapped its five-match losing streak to spoil Mumbai Indians’ top-of-the-table ambitions in the final league match of the WPL 2025 season at the Brabourne Stadium. Batting first, the defending champions racked up 199-3 from 20 overs, with captain Smriti Mandhana leading the way through a well-crafted half-century. Ellyse Perry also cracked 49 unbeaten runs from 38 balls, while Georgia Wareham went berserk at the death with 31* from just 10.
Mumbai Indians, aiming for a win to secure a direct berth in the WPL 2025 finals, fell 11 runs short of their target to remain at number two on the five-team points table. Nat Sciver-Brunt bludgeoned 69 off 33 balls, but a scintillating three-fer from Sneh Rana (3-26), two wickets for Kim Garth and a wicket apiece from Heather Graham and Georgia Wareham kept Mumbai Indians down to 188-9.