Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has nothing but empathy for Hardik Pandya as he navigates a challenging phase in his career and is hopeful that the all-rounder, who "hasn't been a free man in the last two months", will become one during next month's T20 World Cup.

In mid-March this year, the finance ministry asked state-run banks to review their gold loan portfolio for the two-year period between January 1, 2022, and January 31, 2024. This business had grown at a fast clip. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data has it that it grew 15 per cent to Rs 1 trillion in FY24. Now, in recent times, any kind of exuberance in financial services has seen the authorities swoop down - be it pushing the lines on governance or unsecured credit.

India's T20 World Cup campaign begins on June 5 against Ireland at the newly constructed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.

From Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma sharing the limelight with their raw talent, to SRH's Travis Head smashing some brutal boundaries to notch up big runs and totals for his franchise, this season has had some real power hitters on show.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) etched a new low in their IPL history, suffering their 10th playoff defeat in just 16 appearances.

Sometimes the MVPI table throws up intriguing situations: Four out of the top five in the table are left-handed batters. Do left-handers truly enjoy an advantage in the IPL? Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2024 after the league stage.

A look at the XI Best Spells of the league stages of IPL 2024.

The hot button moments of IPL 2024...

RCB all-rounder Swapnil Singh, who entered the IPL in the second half and made an immediate impact, opened up on his "emotional" cricketing journey that saw him experience numerous ups and downs and his relationship with star batter Virat Kohli.

Rohit Sharma was all smiles as he spoke to MI Owners Nita Ambani and Akash Ambani after their final league match.

The T20 World Cup will start on June 1 and will be played in venues in the USA and the Caribbean till June 29.

Rohit Sharma on Sunday lashed out at the IPL broadcasters for 'breaching' cricketers' privacy

Hardik Pandya had a below-par season in IPL 2024, scoring 216 runs at an average of 18 and taking 11 wickets at an economy rate of 10.75.

The ball was lofted down the ground and looked destined to cross the ropes at long off for a six but Krunal Pandya timed his leap to perfection and caught the ball which looked to have gone past him with his left hand.

India skipper Rohit Sharma acknowledged that he could not match the expected batting standards in the ongoing IPL but instead of indulging in over-thinking, his endeavour was to stay in the right zone and keep working on his flaws.

Leg spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Piyush Chawla excelled at the Wankhede stadium.

Mumbai Indians coach Mark Boucher really felt bad watching skipper Hardik Pandya face hostile reactions and boos from fans throughout the disastrous IPL campaign and admitted that it did affect the star all-rounder, something the management would need to address in coming days.

Rohit Sharma enthralled home fans to a fine exhibition of sumptuous strokeplay in what could probably be his final knock for the Mumbai Indians.

Rohit Sharma is the "master of his own destiny" and Mumbai Indians head coach Mark Boucher isn't exactly aware about the franchise's most successful former skipper's plans ahead of the mega auctions for the next edition of the IPL.

'Have a feeling this is the last time we are seeing Rohit in Mumbai Indians jersey.'

LSG skipper KL Rahul, whose team also finished out of play-off zone was disappointed.

'The whole season kind of went wrong. We can pass this game as another one (that went wrong)'

Scenes from the IPL match between the Mumbai Indians and the Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Friday.

'My captaincy is simple. The mantra is to give team-mates the confidence, belief and the love.'

If the game of cricket remains tilted heavily in the favour of batters, not many youngsters would be lining up to start bowling in a couple of years, fears spin great Anil Kumble, who advocated the need to keep biggest possible boundaries at IPL venues and use of more pronounced seam to restore the balance between bat and ball.

KL Rahul might feel a bit frustrated but he has not done "bad at all" with the bat, said assistant coach Lance Klusener, who feels the Lucknow Super Giants skipper was forced to curb his attacking instincts with wickets falling around him this IPL.

Out of reckoning from the IPL playoffs, Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants will look to end their campaign on a winning note when they clash at the Wankhede Stadium here on Friday.

Pat Cummins-led side will also want to challenge for the top two spots, which is a possibility considering they have one more game after this match and a healthy net run rate of +0.406.

Nicholas Pooran and Naveen-ul-Haq visit the Taj Mahal.

Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2024 after Game 62.

Rohit was spotted having a deep conversation with members of the KKR franchise in their dressing room.

Varun Chakaravarthy's ability to consistently figure among the wickets for Kolkata Knight Riders drew praise from former Australian tearaway bowler Brett Lee, who said he made life difficult for Mumbai Indians batters in the rain-shortened, low-scoring IPL match at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Saturday night.

Co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was not present at the Eden Gardens but his kids Suhana and AbRam cheered for the Knights from the stands.

There were some magical moments in the field from both teams that brought fans and franchise owners to their feet.

Just two batters played impactful knocks on the night. Here's how they went...

Bumrah, DreRus or Varun Chakravarthy: Who bowled the best spell?

Kolkata Knight Riders outclassed Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in the rain-hit IPL 2024 match in Kolkata on Saturday.

Kolkata Knight Riders wrist spinner Varun Chakravarthy on Friday said team owner Shah Rukh Khan has made a "huge impact" with his motivational speeches when the chips were down in the ongoing IPL.

In red-hot form, two-time former champions Kolkata Knight Riders will look to seal an IPL playoff berth for the first time in three years when they take on the struggling Mumbai Indians in their final home match of the season, in Kolkata on Saturday.

While the responses of the candidates were predictable, depending on which side they belonged to, an interesting point slipped through when Rahul Shewale cited the Dharavi Redevelopment Project as a scheme that would add to Mumbai's importance. No big infrastructural project in Mumbai, he said, could be successful without the Centre's nod.