Cricket roundup: Top contenders for IPL 2024 Purple Cap and why the Mumbai Indians captaincy row refuses to die down

If Jasprit Bumrah wins the IPL 2024 Purple Cap, it will be his first since his IPL debut in 2013.

1. In the Indian Premier League, where run rates go north of 10 all the time, every dot ball counts. In IPL 2024, the top 3 bowlers with the most dot balls as of April 25 are Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians), Khaleel Ahmed (Delhi Capitals) and Kagiso Rabada (Punjab Kings).

2. Mayank Yadav paced his way into the contention for the IPL 2024 Purple Cap on debut with the Lucknow Super Giants on March 30, 2024. Less than a month later, he's dropped out of the Top 20 list. Jasprit Bumrah, with 13 wickets in eight matches and best bowling figures of 21/5, is the top contender for IPL 2024 Purple Cap again - if he wins, this will be Bumrah's first Purple Cap.

3. The Mumbai Indians have won their last two IPL 2024 fixtures under Hardik Pandya's captaincy. However, the Mumbai franchise didn't begin the season well - they are currently at No. 8 in the IPL 2024 Points Table, with five losses in eight fixtures as of April 25. Internet trolls and booing in stadia have brought fans' displeasure with the Mumbai Indians captaincy change to national and international attention.

4. IPL 2024 debuts: Sameer Rizvi, the fresh recruit of Chennai Super Kings, did not feel any nerves once he went out to bat against Gujarat Titans in Match 7 of the 17th Indian Premier League (IPL) in Chennai on March 26. It was a five-minute stay at the crease, but the 14 off six balls helped the home team cross the 200-run mark.

5. Why Shardul Thakur can still be a game-changer for the Chennai Super Kings. He can provide breakthroughs at any stage with the ball and then swing his bat like a magic wand to play rescue acts.

6. The Mumbai cricket team got an additional Rs 5 crore from the Mumbai Cricket Association for winning the 2024 Ranji Trophy title, taking their winnings to Rs 10 crore. on Thursday. Under Ajinkya Rahane's leadership, Mumbai beat two-time champions Vidarbha by 169 runs on the fifth and final day of the match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

7. MS Dhoni will play for as long as he can keep wicket, former India cricketer and teammate Robin Uthappa said.

8. How Lakshya Sen turned the tide against World No. 3 Antonsen at the All England Badminton Championship 2024.

9. IPL 2024: The list of players returning to the Indian Premier League after a gap of one to eight seasons this year was long. Consider this: Rishabh Pant was returning after his December 2022 car accident; Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul were returning from injuries; Pat Cummins - now captain of the Sunrisers Hyderabad - too had missed the 2023 season; while Mitchell Starc was returning after eight seasons!

30. WPL 2024 Eliminator: Before Smriti Mandhana's Royal Challengers Bangalore lifted their first Women's Premier League title in 2024, they had to overcome the winners of the 2023 edition of the women's league: Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians. Even at this stage, RCB were pegged to be the dark horse that would surprise many.