As part of a lively Poila Baisakh observance marking Bengali New Year, IPL 2025 , Khalija Kolkata Knight Riders organized a cooking segment named Knight Bite, uniting cricket players Manish Pandey with South Africans Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje in an intercultural cook-off. Paturi stood as the focal point of this cooking show because it consisted of grilling fish or prawns inside banana leaves. The cricketers introduced South African peri-peri marinade to the recipe to produce a cross-cultural fusion through food. Their mutual enthusiasm combined with their rapport during cooking resulted in a celebratory mixed dish that captured the essence of their united spirit.

South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock demonstrated impressive kitchen skills when he proclaimed he is a professional chef in his family home. The girls of my household relax while I handle the entire cooking responsibility. Nortje revealed to cameras that cooking has been out of reach for him over a substantial period of time. Their mutual fishing interest enhanced the cooking experience as de Kock described the intense excitement of this sport through his words: "The adrenaline rush... places around the world you go to..." The Amazon and St. Charles, along with mid-Africa, form my list of visited places. Their mutual love for fish fit perfectly with the seafood paturi task despite the fact that they did not need to fish for their ingredients.

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A KKR veteran and 2014 IPL champion, Manish Pandey added both sentimental feeling and positive energy to the episode. The Bangladesh captain described his award-winning experience with KKR as the inaugural step in both trophy victories while noting that the IPL final took place in his residential city of Bangalore. The team’s extraordinary performance during the last season gained his admiration, as he stated, “The way everybody played last year was unbelievable, so I really hope the boys are ready to win another trophy.” His presence added warmth and a sense of KKR’s enduring legacy.

A Fusion Feast and Festive Cheer

The cricketers prepared fish and prawns using banana leaves as wrap before grilling them to completion under the peri-peri marinated solution. They directly sampled their dish which earned them great approval from themselves. The spicy dish did not bother De Kock at all because he answered directly "No, not for me." South Africans ended the episode by celebrating Poila Baisakh through toasting while trying to pronounce “Shubho Nobo Borsho” (the Bengali phrase for Happy New Year).

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The mix of cricket with food preparation showcased team members in a heartwarming way to their fans while demonstrating their individual characteristics off the pitch. The combination of Bengali and South African comfort foods in the episode symbolized how KKR represented different cultural backgrounds to create a stage for social unity. Knight Bite became a real connection between cricketers through their laughter and camaraderie during recipe creation so fans desired additional off-field adventures after the episode aired.

Current defending Champions Kolkata Knight Riders had a great auction before the IPL 2025, though there were quite setbacks when Shreyas Iyer the former captain left the team for the credibility issues. However, the team had moved on from that and they replaced the same replica of the person who understood the game better. They bought Rahane at the cost of 1.5 crore which could be considered as the best deal of all. 

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The amount of experience Rahane posses in that camp is just invaluable. Retaining the core team and adversing the new talents strains Kolkata into the final 4 of this IPL edition too.In this edition there are players who can strom this IPL season with their innovative batting style. 

The first on our list is - 

1  Ajinkya Rahane

     Rahane might be considered as slow starter or carrier of the team but the recent form and the way he played in the previous season are the testiments that Rahane could be the x factor for Kolkata. From 2023 he has stellar performance for CSK where he had the strike rate of 199 and scored 209 runs comparing to last year it is quite impressive where he just possesed a strike rate of 103 and scoring just 133 runs. 

Rahane has improved a lot as a t20 player and the additional responsibility of captaincy would strive him more as player and enchance the confidence beneath him. 

2. Venkatesh Iyer

  Venkatesh Iyer has been the best opener for KKR where he debuted in 2021 where he had a stellar performance in 10 games scoring 350 runs where they finished as runners up in that season and Iyer established himself as prominent opener. He established himself in 2022 too where he had a good season but later suffering from injury he had to skip the next season. 

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Iyer was back in 2024 he was not just back but was impactful then way earlier he just devasted the opening slot scoring 370 in that season with an average of 46.89 with a strike rate of 158. Yet it seems Iyer hasn't shown his full potential he may be a dangerous customer for other teams in this upcoming season. 

3. Andre Russell

 The muscle man is no need of introduction of his finishing abilities which he is been doing for KKR for years. If he stands on the ground that means any bowler in the world is small for him. He has played some of the crucial knocks which is never been expected. The type of pressure handling he does and range of hitting is quite insane.

He posses the strike rate of 170 at the death overs of the game. Where his valuable efforts are still in praise. In this season too he can create a huge impact with his all round abilities too which can help KKR to attain their fourth title. 

4. Manish Pandey

 Manish Pandey who started his career as an opener then later moved onto the middle order batsman. Started his career with Royal Challengers Banglore where stretched with Virat Kohli's stature though he had a good flow of runs too. But due to inconsistency he had to travel to many teams. Scoring runs was never an issue but the template of consistency has been lacking. 

In this season he has been picked by Kolkata once again for 75 Lakhs. He is considered as best middle order batsman for now who manages the role and this year without absence of Shreyas Iyer he can play the middle order role for the team. 

5. Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine the spin web and the pinch hitter of the team has gained widespread recognition where it all started with Gautam Gambhir who promoted him to the top order during his captaincy tenure in 2017, from there it was no looking back for Narine. With KKR he has won three titles from 2012,2014 and now it's 2024. He has won it in different phases which makes him more elite. There is no intro for his spin bowling which can be heavily handy. 

He can play the role of same all rounder for the team, that's what makes kolkata a dangerous side where their players posses both kind of talents so it kindly helps them to generate the game. 

These players are considered as the X factor for this season it would be epicable if they added some experienced coach pool too Csk Dwayne Bravo as bowling coach can be very handy that reciprocates KKR are on a hunt to retain their title. 

The Indian cricketers' personal life has come under the scanner of late. With emerging reports of their troubled married life coming to light, not all seems to be going well for them off the field. Amidst never-ending divorce stories emerging from the Indian camp, another Indian cricketer joins the queue. 

As per reports and widespread speculation, Indian top-order batsman, Manish Pandey and his wife Ashrita Shetty are in the midst of a very troubled relationship. This becomes more obvious if one looks at the social media activities of the two personalities. This development has sparked concerns among the fans who now feel that the couple could be on the course of an inevitable separation.  

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More into the rift between Manish Pandey and Ashrita Shetty

Featuring in 68 internationals for India, Manish tied the knot with actor Ashrita Shetty in December 2019.  But it seems like the couple's honeymoon days are long over. Once seen frequently in the public together, the couple has not made any public visits for quite some time now. Additionally, the two have also distanced themselves from each other on social media as well. This claim is further bolstered after learning that the couple has unfollowed each other on Instagram.  

To add further to the tension, both Manish and Ashrita have removed the images of each other from their respective Instagram accounts. This development has led many to believe that the couple may be heading in the path of a possible divorce. However, neither Manish nor Ashrita have come forward to confirm that the claim is true just yet. 

The catastrophic fate of Yuzvendra and Hardik 

Prior to Manish, two other Indian cricketers have also been at the eye of the storm and have found themselves at the receiving end whilst splitting apart. While Hardik has already announced his separation from his wife Natasa Stankovic a year ago, tension seems to be brewing between Chahal and Dhanushree with experts suggesting that their marriage days could be well be numbered. 

The IPL teams have issued the final retention lists before next month’s mini-auction. The Royal Challengers Bangalore released 11 players, including Josh Hazlewood, Harshal Patel, and Wanindu Hasaranga. As a result, the squad must concentrate on their bowling assault.

With the all-cash transfer of Cameron Green from the Mumbai Indians to boost their middle order and provide a hand with his medium speed, the team’s devoted fan base must make some sound selections to meet their long-term demands. So, here is a list of the top three likely buys made by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the coming IPL mini-auction. 

• Rachin Ravindra

Rachin Ravindra can be an ideal and wholesome all-rounder for RCB. They may even contemplate starting him to capitalise on his rapid scoring. Ravindra might be the answer to their overall batting problems.

Even though they currently have a grand opening combo in Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis, he can be a reliable opener. This would also allow Kohli to bat at his natural number three position. 

• Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc, the Aussie speedster, played for Royal Challengers Bangalore for two seasons. And he was Virat Kohli’s destructive weapon. Starc has a 7.17 economy in 27 IPL games for RCB at that facility.

Bangalore will want to re-sign their former star to give their team a good bowling option. Mitchell Starc and Mohammed Siraj will be a lethal combination if this happens.

• Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey belongs to the category of Indian batters that can create an impact with the batter at crucial moments for the team. He is not the same old Pandey, but having an Indian hitter in the lineup may benefit any team.

Being a player representing the home ground of Karnataka, his experience with the pitch might make the XI, as he can middle the ball on turning surfaces.