IPL

SUMMER is fully upon us, bringing with it holidays abroad, trips to the beach, dips in the pool – and, of course, bare legs.

I’ve grappled with various razors, at-home waxing kits and painful trips to the salon for years, which only leave me dreading the next time my leg hair is ripped from the root, before it grows back and I have to endure it all over again.

Keskine IPL Hair Removal Handset, £299 £159.20 with code THESUN20

That was until I decided to take the plunge, listen to my mates, and join the at-home IPL brigade.

Instead of spending hundreds (thousands in the long run) on salon hair removal, I opted to try an at-home hair removal solution that would last — a Keskine IPL Hair Removal Handset.

IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) uses a combination of targeted light and heat that is absorbed by the melanin found in hair follicles, essentially disabling and damaging them, which, in turn, stops the hair from growing back.

The highly rated Keskine handset boasts an impressive 4.9-star rating from almost 4,000 reviews, and one of its most notable features is the built-in ice-cooling technology, setting it apart from competitors.

This promises to soothe the skin and alleviate the biggest complaint people have about hair removal: pain.

So, I put the Keskine IPL Hair Removal Handset to the test for six weeks to see what results I could achieve while the sun is still shining.

Pros

• Financially worth it in the long run 
• Portable
• Effective
• Works on a range of hair types and skin tones 
• Built-in cooling technology

Cons

• It can feel like a big cash injection
• Have to remain consistent with your sessions
• Slightly noisy (although worth it for the cooling option)

Rating: 8/10

How I tested the Keskine IPL Hair Removal Handset

Keskine IPL Hair Removal Handset, £299 £159.20 with code THESUN20

Keskine promises visible results within one to four weeks, with optimal results appearing between six and twelve weeks.

I decided to track the effects on my hair over six weeks, assessing every week..

As part of the Sun Shopping team, I’ve tested a range of beauty tech, including the best LED face masks, the best Dyson dupes, and more, so I’m well-versed in what makes a product worth your pennies, even if it’s at the higher end of the price spectrum.

I used the product the recommended number of times: up to three times a week for the first month and then twice a week for weeks four to six.

For some context, I have naturally fair and soft hair on my head, but my leg and armpit hair is thick and stubborn after years of shaving abuse, so my main goal was to see if the IPL would thin the hairs out before removing them completely.

Keskine IPL Hair Removal Handset review: The Nitty Gritty

First impressions

I won’t lie to you, I often find myself sceptical about any at-home treatment that imitates salon visits, such as laser hair removal or at-home LED facial treatments.

Keskine IPL Hair Removal Handset, £299 £159.20 with code THESUN20

However, always open to having my opinion changed, I unboxed the Keskine to discover a very easy-to-use handheld IPL, which came with a razor and a pair of protective sunglasses.

The device itself is extremely lightweight and compact, with a lovely white and rose gold colour scheme.

Its small size means you can take it on holiday with you, ensuring you never have to miss a session.

Setting it up proved to be an easy task. All you need to do is clean your chosen treatment area and shave off any hair using the razor provided, before patting the area completely dry.

Once you’ve connected the power cord to the adapter and plugged it into a power outlet, all you need to do is turn it on and choose one of the five built-in smart modes.

Don’t be alarmed by the loud whirring noise that comes from the device; that’s just an indication that the cooling capabilities are working.

You can select which part of your body you will be targeting with the IPL — face, armpit, body, bikini or beauty.

Keskine IPL Hair Removal Handset, £299 £159.20 with code THESUN20

Although it’ll make you look like a member of the Blues Brothers every time you use it, you will need to wear the protective sunglasses provided to shield your eyes from the effects of the light.

Does it deliver?

My hair has definitely become much finer and completely disappeared in places since I started using the Keskine.

When speaking to friends who go for professional laser removal treatments in a salon, our results were very similar at the four-week and six-week mark.

I saw most results at six weeks, but noticed that even at the four-week mark, after using the device appropriately and consistently, there were areas where the hair had disappeared, and surrounding areas were extremely wispy where it once was coarse.

I will say that this product is best suited if you already have body hair on the finer side and definitely on the darker side.

As per the Keskine colour chart, the tool is ineffective on darker skin tones and lighter hair types.

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I found the best results were on intimate areas and my armpits, where I saw a massive improvement on darker, coarser hair.

The product is very simple to use, and the cooling sensation that Keskine offers is a standout feature, contributing to a pain-free experience.

The five adjustment levels are also a nice touch to reduce the pain in more sensitive areas.

How much is the Keskine IPL?

One thing that always used to put me off IPLs and at-home treatments was the hefty price tag that often accompanies them.

However, when you compare the cost of the Keskine – usually £299 but currently on sale for £199.99 (or just £159.20 with exclusive code THESUN20) — to just one session at a popular high street therapy clinic, it suddenly feels worthwhile, especially with very similar results on offer.

When compared to other IPLs, such as Braun or Philips, which offer the same level of settings and features, the Keskine IPL stands out financially, making it well worth the investment.

Where to buy the Keskine IPL?

The IPL can be purchased directly from the Keskine site, which often runs offers.

Additionally, Keskine have provided an exclusive 20% discount code for Sun readers, bringing the price down even further to £159.20; however, you may have to act fast as the code is only valid until July 31st at midnight!

There are also sign-up offers that allow 10% off across the site on your first order, as well as Clearpay being available as a payment plan, along with fast, free tracked shipping.

Keskine IPL alternatives

If you’re looking for the same level of quality as the Keskine IPL, with cooling technologies and adjustable power settings, here are some alternatives:

• Braun Silk Expert Pro 5 PL5124 Corded IPL Hair Removal, £425 £300 – buy here
• Ulike Air 3, £319.99 £279 – buy here
• FOREO Peach 2 Device, £369 – buy here

One of the things we looked at is the quality of player in each league, based on international caps across all formats.

We looked at the average number of international caps held by the starting XIs in each game and here is where the ILT20 comes out on top (423), followed by the PSL (351) and the IPL (335).

There is a huge disparity here between the top of the pile and the bottom, with the Big Bash average of just 145 almost 300 caps short of the ILT20.

This could be attributed to the fact Australia’s best cricketers are playing an international summer at the same time as the Big Bash is being contested, whereas in India, for example, the whole cricketing world stops for the IPL window.

Another factor is that the ILT20 allows up to nine overseas players per team, compared to the three or four spaces given up for players from abroad in other competitions.

The ILT20 manages to attract so many players from overseas because of the money on offer – only the IPL pays its players more, with one report in Forbes suggesting teams in the UAE have a salary cap of more than £2m for a month-long competition, compared to the £1.5m offered by the Big Bash for a competition that runs for almost twice as long.

One of the sticks used to beat certain leagues is how long they take to complete. How often have you heard a commentator say that IPL matches last four hours now?

Well, in the latest iteration of each competition, it’s actually the CPL – the league where spin is king – which takes the longest on average, with matches lasting just six minutes short of that four-hour figure.

The IPL is second on the list (three hours 44 minutes) with the Big Bash the most economical of the T20 leagues in terms of time (three hours 10 minutes).

The average men’s Hundred game – which is 40 balls shorter, don’t forget – lasted two hours 42 minutes.

Punjab won the toss and elected to bowl before the rain arrived, although no overs were lost.

When play eventually started, Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis removed India opener Rohit Sharma for just eight, before Varma and Bairstow combined for 51 runs.

Another strong partnership worth 72 between Varma and Suryakumar put Mumbai in a decent position before both fell in the space of three deliveries.

However, Naman Dhir’s 37 off 18 balls boosted the five-time champions to a challenging total.

In reply, Australia wicketkeeper Josh Inglis sparked Punjab with 38 off 21, including 20 off one over from India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah.

But Mumbai hit back as captain Hardik Pandya removed Inglis and were marginal favourites when Nehal Wadhera fell for 48, with Kings needing 48 off 26 balls.

However, Shreyas kept his side in contention and, requiring 23 runs off the last two overs, he flicked the switch to smash four sixes in the 19th over in a clinical finish.

The final is a repeat of the first qualifier match, in which RCB thrashed Kings by eight wickets.

Both sides scored 19 points in the group stage, with Kings narrowly topping the table on net-run rate.

Punjab were beaten by Kolkata Knight Riders in their only previous final appearance in 2014, while RCB have lost the showpiece in 2009, 2011 and 2016.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru demolishes Punjab Kings with eight-wicket win to reach first IPL final since 2016.

Virat Kohli inched closer to a maiden Indian Premier League title after Royal Challengers Bengaluru thrashed Punjab Kings by eight wickets in a lopsided qualifier to reach the final of the 10-team tournament.

A superlative performance by their bowlers in Thursday’s game left Bengaluru needing only 102 to make Sunday’s final and they reached the target in just 10 overs with opener Phil Salt, who made 56 not out, leading the charge.

Punjab can still make the final if they can win the second qualifier against the winner of Friday’s eliminator between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans.

Kohli made 12, but has been Bengaluru’s leading scorer this season.

The former India captain has been with the franchise since the inaugural 2008 edition of the league. Bengaluru reached the finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016 but were beaten on all three occasions.

“It’s a great feeling right now,” Salt said. “Obviously, we had a second bite at the cherry, but it’s such a good feeling to get that out of the way first-time.

“It just gives us that momentum. It’s such a cliche, but it’s so true at the back end of the tournament.”

Bengaluru have looked formidable this season and,

electing to field, their fiery pace attack, led by a returning Josh Hazlewood, bundled out Punjab in 14.1 overs.

Having recovered from a shoulder niggle, Hazlewood led Bengaluru’s superb pace display as they reduced Punjab to 71-7 at the halfway stage of their innings.

Hazlewood’s (3-21) victims included rival skipper Shreyas Iyer, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed the important wicket of Prabhsimran Singh, Punjab’s leading scorer this season.

Marcus Stoinis made 26 before losing his stumps to leg-spinner Suyash Sharma, who claimed 3-17 in his three overs.

Kyle Jamieson removed Kohli in the fourth over, but Bengaluru raced to 61-1 in their six powerplay overs, compared with Punjab’s 48-4, with Salt hitting boundaries almost at will.

Salt took 23 balls to bring up his fifty and skipper Rajat Patidar hit a six to seal Bengaluru’s victory in a match that lasted only 24.1 overs.

Shepherd, who has played 37 ODIs and 53 T20s, will be replaced in the squad by left-arm seamer Jediah Blades.

He has played four matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL, including a 14-ball 53 not out in his most recent innings.

Rutherford has played in nine matches for current IPL leaders Gujarat Titans this season.

He will be replaced by top-order batter John Campbell for the Ireland leg of the tour while Shimron Hetmyer will take his place for the matches against England.

Hetmyer is another West Indies player at the IPL but his Rajasthan Royals side are already eliminated. He was originally left out of the Windies ODI squad after a poor run of form.

Seamer Shamar Joseph is at the IPL but has not featured for his side Lucknow Super Giants and remains in the West Indies squad.

The Windies play three ODIs in Ireland from 21 May before a three-match series in England from 29 May.

Three T20s against England follow from 6 June but the tourists are yet to name a squad for that contest.

The Pakistan Super League (PSL), which was initially moved to the United Arab Emirates and then postponed indefinitely, is also making plans to reschedule its final eight matches.

While players from England and Australia left India when the IPL was suspended, other overseas players and coaches remained. League leaders Gujarat Titans trained over the weekend.

Of the 10 English players taking part in the IPL, eight are centrally contracted to England. It is thought they will be left to take personal decisions on their return to India.

The England and Wales Cricket Board initially agreed to let any players taking part to remain for the entire competition, meaning all-rounder Jacob Bethell is not in the squad for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe.

Now the tournament has been rescheduled, there is yet to be a decision on whether players will be asked to return for the three T20s and one-day internationals against West Indies, which begin on 29 May.

There were seven English players at the PSL, along with a number of coaches. All overseas players and coaches at the PSL have returned home.

Last month, a deadly militant attack killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.

As a result, India launched air strikes inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir – triggering days of aerial clashes, artillery duels and, by Saturday morning, accusations from both sides of missile strikes on each other’s airbases.

Later on Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced a “full and immediate” ceasefire.

However Dasgupta, who was speaking from Lucknow where he was due to be commentating on Friday’s game between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, believes the tournament would be unlikely to resume if overseas players are absent.

It is understood that most of the 10 England players are leaving India, while the Australians involved are also likely to depart. Players from the West Indies have remained in India.

If a short-term restart is not possible, there would an overwhelming desire to complete the tournament later in the year because of its financial value.

A $6.02bn rights deal for IPL matches was signed in 2022 and in a statement confirming the suspension, the Board of Control for Cricket in India thanked broadcaster Jiostar for its support in the decision.

If the remainder of the IPL is rearranged for later in the year, there would be concern at the England and Wales Cricket Board about an August clash with The Hundred, but a more likely window would be in September.

That month was initially earmarked for the Asia Cup, though with matches between India and Pakistan now unlikely to take place, that tournament could be scrapped and replaced by the remainder of the IPL.

And there will be long-term questions over future matches between India and Pakistan at global events, with Dasgupta saying he “can’t even think” about fixtures between the two countries.

“It would be extremely insensitive to even talk about it right now,” he said. “Maybe at a future date. We’ll see. As of now, India-Pakistan cricket is too trivial to talk about.”

Even before the latest deterioration in the relationship between the two countries, their cricket teams were only playing each other in multi-nation events.

Earlier this year, India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, prompting the International Cricket Council (ICC) to announce that any matches involving the two teams in global events hosted by either country will be played at a neutral venue.

The next such instance will be the Women’s World Cup in October, hosted by India. Pakistan secured their qualification earlier this month, so will be based in a different country.

However, there is now uncertainty if a match between the two can take place, regardless of the venue. It is understood that the ICC feels it is too soon to consider a solution.

On Thursday, it was announced that the remainder of the Pakistan Super League will take place in the United Arab Emirates. Teams left Pakistan for the UAE on Friday.

Rajasthan Royals’ schoolboy prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi becomes youngest T20 centurion after scoring a stunning 35-ball 100 against Gujarat Titans in the IPL.

Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest centurion in men’s Twenty20 cricket as he guided Rajasthan Royals to an eight-wicket victory over the Gujarat Titans in an Indian Premier League match in Jaipur.

Suryavanshi doled out severe punishment to Gujarat’s bowling attack on Monday, hitting 11 sixes and seven fours in his 101 off 38 balls, as the hosts chased down a 209-run target in 15.5 overs.

The left-hander reached his 100 in 35 balls to register the second-fastest century in IPL history, while combining with Yashasvi Jaiswal in a 166-run opening partnership.

“It is a very good feeling. It’s my first hundred in the IPL and it’s my third innings. The result has shown here after the practice before the tournament,” the player of the match, Suryavanshi, said.

“I just see the ball and play. It has been a dream to get a 100 in the IPL, and today, it materialised. There is no fear. I don’t think much, I just focus on playing.”

Suryavanshi’s century was also the quickest by an Indian in the IPL, bettering Yusuf Pathan’s 37-ball effort for Rajasthan against the Mumbai Indians in 2010.

“Many congratulations to young Vaibhav Suryavanshi for breaking my record of the fastest IPL hundred by an Indian,” Pathan wrote on social media.

“Even more special to see it happen while playing for Rajasthan Royals, just like I did.”

Suryavanshi grabbed headlines when he became the youngest player to earn a contract in the lucrative IPL at the age of 13, before making his debut this month and announcing himself in style with a six off the first ball he faced.

He played in the domestic Ranji Trophy red-ball competition aged 12 last year and has represented India’s Under-19 side against Australia, scoring a 58-ball century.

Suryavanshi also made a triple hundred in a local tournament in his home state of Bihar.

Rajasthan are eighth in the IPL standings, with the win over Gujarat snapping a five-game losing run for the 2008 champions.

Rajasthan Royals’ 14-year-old batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi made history as the youngest player to hit a century in men’s T20s.

Suryavanshi pulled Rashid Khan for six to bring up the second fastest hundred in the Indian Premier League (IPL) – and fastest by an Indian player – from 35 balls.

The teenage left-hander smashed seven fours and 11 sixes before he was eventually bowled for a stunning 101 from 38 balls as the Royals romped to a eight-wicket win over Gujarat Titans.

Suryavanshi, who only turned 14 last month and was signed at last year’s auction for £103,789 (1.1 crore rupees), became the youngest player to feature in the IPL earlier in April and made an immediate impact by hitting his first ball for six.

He showed all of that same swagger in Jaipur as he dismantled the Gujarat attack to ensure Rajasthan made light work of a chase of 210 for victory.

Suryavanshi put on 166 with India batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, who ended unbeaten on 70 from 40, in a remarkable display of hitting.

A maximum over deep mid-wicket brought up the century in the 11th over and only West Indies great Chris Gayle, with a 30-ball ton for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Pune Warriors in 2013, has got to the milestone quicker in the IPL.

Victory ended a run of five straight losses for Rajasthan to keep their slim hopes of making the knockout stages alive.

Meanwhile, Gujarat – for whom Shubman Gill made 84 from 50 balls and former England skipper Jos Buttler hit an unbeaten half-century in a losing cause – drop to third in the IPL table on net run-rate.