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Jos Buttler will be replaced in the Gujarat Titans' IPL playoff team by Sri Lankan batsman-wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis. Before last week, Kusal Mendis was a wicketkeeper-batter for the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The last time he performed for them was on May 7. He has decided to participate in the IPL, a league he has never played in before, instead of going to Pakistan for the rest of the PSL because of alleged safety concerns. Buttler's inclusion in England's ODI team for the home series against the West Indies, which begins on May 29, is the reason he won't be able to play in the playoffs. On the same day, the IPL playoffs get underway. Two further wicketkeeping options for GT are Kumar Kushagra and Anuj Rawat. Gladiators' Kusal Mendis, on the other hand, has been playing well, scoring 143 runs with a strike rate of 168 in five PSL games. For Kusal Mendis, who had frequently put his name in the IPL auctions but had never been purchased, simply being approached by an IPL team as a replacement is somewhat of a career boost. He is anticipated to join the GT team on Saturday and is reportedly awaiting his India visa. Currently leading the IPL standings, GT is tied with Royal Challengers Bengaluru on points but has a higher net run rate. They can secure their postseason spot with only one more victory.

For three years, the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) banned controversial former Indian cricketer S. Sreesanth from all state batting-related activities. The KCA said that his comments during a TV debate regarding Sanju Samson's exclusion from the Indian Champions Trophy selection, as well as his subsequent response to a KCA notification, were rude and unsuitable. At a general body meeting on April 30, the association made the decision. A few other people, including Samson's father, Samson Viswanath, had also received letters from the KCA for making similarly false statements. The KCA is currently considering its options about Samson's father's reaction. Though it is understood that his response was not as defiant as Sreesanth's, who seemed to blame the association for Samson's non-selection, the association is still unhappy with his attitude. Sreesanth shares ownership of the Kerala Cricket League team Kollam Aeries. The former India pacer, who received a life suspension by the BCCI until the Supreme Court of India cleared him of any role in the alleged 2013 IPL controversy, would not be allowed to participate in any cricket-related activities in the state for three years, according to KCA spokesman Vinod Kumar. However, he is still able to be a part of the KCA league team. In addition to being a member of the two World Cup-winning teams (2007 and 2011), the 42-year-old Sreesanth, who played for India in 27 Test matches, 53 ODIs, and 10 T20Is, made comments about Samson's lack of selection for the Champions Trophy on a Keralan local television channel that the association believed were incorrect. He received a show-cause letter, and the general body declared suspension based on his response. "His response was poor. In simple terms, he held us responsible for Sanju's eviction from the Indian team," Vinod remarked. "A few other people have also received notices from us. In actuality, we were also accused of not having Karun Nair play for Kerala. However, those

The Indian cricket squad, led by Rohit Sharma, left Mumbai on February 15, 2025, to play in the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai. All of the team's games will be played in Dubai, while the remaining tournament matches will take place in Pakistan. It has been eight years since the last Champions Trophy event, which took place in 2017. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium will host India's opening match against Bangladesh on February 20. On February 23, there will be a much-anticipated encounter against Pakistan. Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, and Shubman Gill are among the team's members. Eight players from the team's successful T20 World Cup 2024 campaign are joining the competition. They have experienced a setback, though, as Varun Chakaravarthy replaces Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harshit Rana replaces Jasprit Bumrah, who was sidelined by injury. The head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and several support personnel traveled with the team. All of India's matches will be held in Dubai as part of the hybrid format of the event. The eight participating teams are split up into two groups; India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and New Zealand are in Group A. In Dubai, former UAE coach Robin Singh expects the Indian team to play on spin-friendly surfaces.