Jay Shah in the stands with family during high-voltage IPL 2025 final

NEW DELHI: ICC Chairman
was among the high-profile attendees at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) faced off against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2025 final.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Shah was joined by his wife, daughter, and mother to witness the much-anticipated title clash.
Ahead of the blockbuster finale, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (
) hosted a special ceremony to honour the
. The event featured a patriotic musical performance headlined by renowned singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan, alongside his sons Siddharth and Shivam. Songs like 'Ae Watan', 'Vande Mataram', and 'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani' echoed through the stadium, stirring the crowd.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
The tribute came in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, India's military retaliation against terror camps in Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives.
Adding to the emotional scenes, helicopters bearing the flags of the Army, Navy, and Air Force flew over the stadium as a massive crowd roared with applause. Chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' filled the air as fans stood to acknowledge the nation's armed forces.
IPL 2025 Final | Rishi Sunak Interview: 'I am a big Virat Kohli fan... RCB is my team'
The IPL 2025 season had earlier been paused for a week due to rising tensions between India and Pakistan. Following a ceasefire agreement between the two nations, the tournament resumed with a revised schedule, pushing the final from its original May 26 date to June 3.
Since resumption, the BCCI has consistently shown solidarity with the armed forces. The national anthem has been played before every match, and giant screens in the stadiums have prominently displayed 'Thank You, Armed Forces' messages.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The summit clash sees both RCB and PBKS hunting for their maiden IPL crown. Bengaluru booked their spot in the final with a dominant win over Punjab in Qualifier 1, while the Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS bounced back to beat five-time champions Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2.
With the trophy on the line, one team will finally end its long-standing wait for IPL glory.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

News18

32 minutes ago

• News18

Canada Qualifies For ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 In India And Sri Lanka

Canada booked their spot in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka after defeating the Bahamas. Canada secured their qualification for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The hosts of the Americas Qualifiers confirmed their place in the tournament after a victory against the Bahamas, marking their fifth consecutive win in the campaign. Kaleem Sana and Shivam Sharma each took three wickets as Canada dismissed the Bahamas for just 57 runs. The chase was completed in just 5.3 overs, with Dilpreet Bajwa scoring an unbeaten 36 off 14 balls, ensuring a dominant win and qualification. Having participated in last year's Men's T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean, Canada entered the qualifiers as one of the favourites to advance. Led by Nicholas Kirton, Canada began their campaign with a 110-run win against Bermuda. They followed this with a 59-run victory over the Cayman Islands and a 10-wicket triumph over the Bahamas in the first round. In their second match against the Cayman Islands – a five-over-a-side contest – Canada secured another comfortable win by scoring 82 runs and winning by 42 runs. Canada joins the list of 10 teams already qualified for the 20-team event, alongside co-hosts India and Sri Lanka. The other qualified teams include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, United States, West Indies, Ireland, New Zealand, and Pakistan. First Published: June 22, 2025, 15:12 IST

The Hindu

44 minutes ago

• The Hindu

Ritik Tada, standout performer at MP T20 League who idolises Pandya and Kohli, impresses IPL scout

Ritik Tada has a sound hitting technique: he adjusts to length quickly and transfers his weight onto the back foot with ease. Despite his lean frame, Tada delivers powerful strokes. One of his signature shots involves kneeling on his right knee to slash a wide delivery over point for a boundary—a stroke that prompted one Indian Premier League (IPL) scout, watching him in Gwalior during the Madhya Pradesh T20 League, to remark, 'Reminds me of Hardik Pandya.' So far, Tada has been one of the standout performers in the tournament, scoring 173 runs at a staggering strike rate of 216.25. Batting at No. 6, he has hammered 13 sixes and 14 fours off just 80 balls, finding a boundary nearly every three deliveries. After a slow start with scores of 8 and 1, Tada has bounced back in style. He struck an unbeaten 45 off 22 balls and 44 off 19 in successive wins for the Jabalpur Royal Lions. In a chase of 247, he smashed 75 off 30 balls; however, his team fell short by 19 runs. READ: Tripuresh, a wrong-footed menace and death-over specialist, believes in the mantra of backing one's instincts 'I have developed my finishing skills through practice,' Tada told Sportstar. 'I watch a lot of IPL and closely follow finishers, especially Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli, to understand what they do in certain situations and try to apply it in my game.' 'I plan my shots in the death overs based on the situation, the pitch, and who's bowling,' he added. Hailing from the Sehora district in Bhopal, Tada began his training in Indore at the Laxman Singh Gaur Cricket Academy under coach Sachin Dholpure. 'He taught me all the basics of cricket,' said the 22-year-old. Once he had perfected his fundamentals, Tada began playing in the Bhopal division and joined the Faith Cricket Club under former India international Jay Prakash Yadav. 'He has helped me a lot. I have spoken to him recently, and I have applied his inputs to my game.' Though yet to break into the Madhya Pradesh team, Tada remains unfazed by the presence of State selectors and IPL scouts in the stands. 'Rather than trying to impress anyone, I focus on doing well. If I perform, those watching will automatically notice it. I don't try to show off, I just try to do my job for the team.' His long-term goal is clear: to play for India. But in the near future, Tada hopes to earn a place in the MP squad and an IPL contract. 'I don't expect myself to do something extraordinary. My aim is simple: help the team win when I get the chance. I don't just want to make an impact; I want to finish games. That's how I'll approach every game going forward as well.'

NDTV

an hour ago

• NDTV

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Given Major 'World Cup' Reality Check By Sourav Ganguly: "Game Will Go Away..."

It won't be easy for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to remain fit and find a place in India's ODI World Cup squad in 2027, former captain Sourav Ganguly says. "All of us must understand, just like everyone, the game will go away from them and they will go away from the game," Ganguly told PTI in a lengthy interview at his residence. The next ODI World Cup is scheduled in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia and by the time the prestigious ICC event is played Kohli will be 38 years old and Rohit will touch 40. Till then India have 27 ODIs to play spread across nine bilateral series. That means Kohli and Rohit will hardly get 15 international games a year. "It won't be easy, with 15 games a year," Ganguly said. With 25,000 runs and 83 international hundreds between them, both Kohli and Rohit have expressed their desire to play the 50-over global event after recently retiring from Test cricket. Ganguly, an exceptional ODI batter during his career, was asked if he had any word of advice for them. "I have got no advice. I think they know the game as much I do. They will take a call." Ganguly acknowledged that finding a player of the caliber of Kohli to replace him won't be easy, though he is not worried about Indian cricket after the retirement of the two stalwarts. "I was not concerned at all. Virat is a class player. Finding his replacement will take time. But the rest, I wasn't surprised." Talking about Yuvraj Singh, Ganguly said he was a special player who flourished in white-ball formats but did not get enough chances to touch his real potential in traditional format. "I remember seeing Yuvraj for the first tine in Nairobi and saw that he is special. What he went on to do for India after that in one-day cricket is unreal. He was 2007 World T20 player player of the series, 2011 World Cup, player of the series, runs, wickets fielding, he was special. "Unfortunately he did not get many opportunities in Test matches. He played about 30 odd Test matches, he got stuck between Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly and VVS Laxman, but a special player," he said.