India could field three spinners against Australia in the final.
A career-best unbeaten 92 from new captain Mitch Marsh propelled Australia to a comprehensive 111-run victory over hosts South Africa in the first Twenty20 International in Durban on Wednesday.
David Warner has been under pressure after a poor run of form with the bat but returned after injury to the 17-man squad for the June 7 WTC final against India at The Oval and the first two Ashes Tests.
Full list of players released, retained and traded by all ten teams in the IPL.
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.
Rohit Sharma on Sunday admitted that the biggest challenge in front of his side would be to play in different conditions over the course of the World Cup.
New Zealand's campaign has hit a disheartening flatline after their early domination and the Kiwis will have to rediscover their bowling mojo for a World Cup reboot when they face knocked-out Sri Lanka in Bengaluru on Thursday.
David Warner's place in the side remains a matter of speculation after his twin failure in Leeds.
Mohammed Shami's absence will certainly leave a gaping hole in India's planning but former South African pacer Fanie de Villiers believes that Rohit Sharma's men have the best chance of ending a 31-year wait for a Test series win in the Rainbow Nation.
Kane Williamson showed his class in his first competitive outing in six months while Rachin Ravindra sizzled at the top of the order as New Zealand gunned down a 346-run target in their opening World Cup warm-up game against Pakistan
Australian batting has not clicked as a unit so far in the World Cup, and captain Pat Cummins hoped that his batters will fire on all cylinders against Pakistan in Bengaluru on Friday.
Chelsea came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 3-1 thanks to added time goals from Conor Gallagher and Enzo Fernandez.
Rachin Ravindra has had a dream World Cup so far.
Australia call up left-arm spinner Kuhnemann for India tour
'It is just a case of trying to put a real focus on the cricket rather than the noise that comes with it.'
After a stunning manifestation of his talent with an unbeaten 123, New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra on Thursday said he did not expect to bat at No. 3, but coming out at that position gave him the freedom to play with aggression.
The truth of the matter is that India lost their second successive WTC final on day two of this encounter when they collapsed to 71/4 in response to Australia's first-innings total of 469.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the WTC Final played between Australia and India at The Oval in London on Thursday.
"I really love the game, but most importantly, I want to win another World Cup for Australia."
CSK would be hoping to pick up two more points against Delhi Capitals, who have struggled in the tournament for the most part.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the fourth Ashes Test between England and Australia at Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday.
India captain Rohit Sharma is extremely satisfied with his team's World Cup preparation and wouldn't like to read too much into the 66-run defeat at the hands of Australia in the final game of the three-match ODI series in Rajkot on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old revealed he was not slated to play but was drafted into the side as Mitchell Marsh was ill.
With pacer Mohammed Shami in menacing form, India holds the edge in the bowling department against Australia, reckons batting great Gundappa Viswanath, who wants skipper Rohit Sharma to convert his aggressive starts to a big hundred in the World Cup final.
South Africa sealed a comprehensive 190-run victory over New Zealand on Wednesday for their sixth win in seven matches.
Kane Williamson, playing his first match of World Cup 2023, scored 78 as the Kiwis eased past Bangladesh by eight wickets.
New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner feels assessing the conditions in Dharamsala and countering an in-form Rohit Sharma will be vital as they eye the "tough" task of beating India at home during their World cup clash on Sunday.
India dominate the business side of global cricket by virtually every metric but Australia showed commercial clout counts for little when teams battle on the game's biggest stage.
Bangladesh vice-captain Najmul Hossain Shanto says the team is hoping to benefit from the inputs it is receiving from technical consultant Sridharan Sriram in the World Cup matches, including Friday's game against New Zealand.
Astronomical Rs 24.75 crore bid makes Starc most expensive player in IPL history
Veteran all-rounder Mitchell Santner will captain the New Zealand side for the three-match T20I series against India.
Warner played some audacious strokes batting both left and right-handed.
'As a South African team, we know we're going to have that chip on our back, or that narrative that we have to get over'
Would he continue to be calm under pressure now that he is leading the side?
Maxwell put on a solid partnership of 103 runs with Pat Cummins for the highest seventh-wicket stand or lower for Australia in World Cups.
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Delhi Capitals and SunRisers Hyderabad in Delhi on Saturday.
Born to Indian parents in Wellington, New Zealand's batting star Rachin Ravindra has his family roots in Bengaluru.
Warner is poised to wrap up his Test cricket journey with the upcoming third Test against Pakistan at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Who do you think should be part of India's playing for the World Cup opener against Australia?
'I feel like my rhythm has been good for a few weeks now and I guess the last couple of nights I've got the ball to shape in the air and do a little bit off the wicket. So, it's feeling in a good place and hopefully it continues.'
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