Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to shrug off the disappointment of two back-to-back defeats and get back to winning ways when they taken on Sunrisers Hyderabad as they aim to seal their place in the play-offs, in the IPL match, in Sharjah, on Saturday.
Many sportsmen are also good musicians. In cricket, though, the examples are few and far between. Rediff.com takes a look some.
South Africa One-day captain AB de Villiers swatted aside suggestions that India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin could prove his nemesis.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has retained his top spot in the ICC ODI rankings but is closely followed by South African AB de Villiers, who has narrowed the gap with the Indian captain to just two points.
AB de Villiers and Ashwell Prince added 134 for the sixth wicket on Sunday to put South Africa back in control on the second day of the third and final Test in Bridgetown, Barbados. At the close, South Africa were 285 for six in reply to West Indies' 231 with Prince unbeaten on 55 in a disciplined innings containing only three boundaries.
South Africa eased to a 66-run victory over West Indies thanks to centuries by Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers and some aggressive bowling in the first One-day International on Saturday.
How Rishabh Pant performs as skipper will be watched with interest
South Africa defeated New Zealand by 13 runs in a Group E Super Eight stage match of the Twenty20 cricket World Cup .
RCB's Devdutt Padikkal now has fifty-plus scores in all his major debut matches -- first-class, List-A, T20, and IPL.
Images from Saturday's IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, in Dubai.
The Indian Premier League has served as a huge platform for the upcoming cricketers to make their mark over the past 14 editions and the trend is expected to continue when the 2022 IPL season begins on Saturday.
Kedar Jadhav hit a half-century on debut to help Delhi Daredevils beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 17 runs in the Indian Premier League at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore, on Thursday. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra shone with the ball, claiming two for 23 in four overs as Bangalore finished on 166 for nine in their 20 overs.
'We have the likes of (captain) Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, who have the ability to dig in and score big runs and I also like the way that Rassie (van der Dussen) has come in and grown in that team.'
South Africa captain Graeme Smith's inspirational leadership and prolific batting in the season gone by fetched him the twin honours of 'Cricketer of the Year' and 'Test Cricketer of the Year' at the country's annual cricket awards in Johannesburg.
Making an assessment is a tough task, particularly when the results aren't on expected lines. In the case of South Africa it is all the more inexplicable.
Virat Kohli (fourth), Shikhar Dhawan (seventh) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (ninth) have also maintained their respective positions in the ICC ODI batting chart.
It will take more than just preparing a turning track to stop the high-flying South Africans in the second and final Test in Kolkata, believes AB de Villiers.
Proteas batsman AB de Villiers says Rahul Dravid's non-availability for the Test series is a big blow for India, though it is Virender Sehwag who is worrying the South African think-tank the most.
Statistical highlights after the second week of the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Kolkata Knight Riders speedster Morne Morkel says one has to think on his feet to contain someone like AB de Villiers, considered the most dangerous batsman in contemporary cricket.
Trent Boult took the prized wicket of AB de Villiers then bowled Dwaine Pretorious in the penultimate over as New Zealand secured a series-levelling six-run victory in the second One-day international against South Africa on Wednesday.
South Africa captain AB de Villiers calmly guided his side to a tense four-wicket victory over New Zealand with one ball to spare in a rain-affected first one-day international in Hamilton on Sunday.
Four among IPL's five best players are coming in relatively 'fresh' and only AB de Villiers among them has had a full cricket season. Lasith Malinga is returning from injury, and Irfan Pathan isn't a regular in India's playing eleven in ODIs and Tests.
South Africa called as many as five wrist spinners in the nets ahead of the third ODI against India, in Cape Town, on Wednesday, hoping it will help their struggling batsmen combat the combined threat of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.
England ran out South Africa captain Graeme Smith among a burst of three quick wickets to reduce the hosts to 175 for five on the first day of the second Test on Saturday.
Images from Thursday's IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Dubai.
Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg believes that Royal Challengers Bangalore's bad form will not affect Virat Kohli during the forthcoming 2019 World Cup.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 3rd Test played between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town on Saturday
AB de Villiers smashed a sensational century as South Africa beat England by 112 runs in the third One-day International at Newlands on Friday to level the series at 1-1.
The 15th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League saw some records being created as Mumbai Indians put the brakes on Chennai Super Kings's winning streak, beating the visitors by 37 runs at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, on Wednesday.
West Bengal batsman Manoj Tiwary will replace South Africa's AB de Villiers in Delhi Daredevils squad for the Champions League Twenty20 tournament, from October 8 to 23. De Villiers had reported back pain in the lead-up to the ICC Champions Trophy and was advised to rest for four to six weeks by the Cricket South Africa Medical Committee, according to a statement.
Royal Challengers Bangalore need to rediscover the joy of cricket if they are to end their Indian Premier League title drought, captain Virat Kohli said. Star-studded RCB have reached three IPL finals but are one of only three existing franchises -- along with Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab -- not to have won the title.
Delhi's performance at home is woeful, but having registered a win after two consecutive losses at the Kotla, the Shreyas Iyer-led outfit is high on confidence.
AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli jointly orchestrated a mayhem by scoring magnificent centuries as Royal Challengers Bangalore demolished a hapless Gujarat Lions by a record margin of 144 runs, in the Indian Premier League, in Bengaluru, on Saturday.
Skipper Virat Kohli said the manner in which his side beat Delhi Capitals will give Royal Challengers Bangalore "the confidence to pull off a game from any situation" in the IPL play-offs.
'Well, we got 230 in the first match and then almost 200 in this match, without Gayle firing. Guess what would happen when he fires' 'Four guys -- Gayle, AB de Villiers, myself and Shane Watson -- of international calibre playing in one team, it always helps. You can rely on those four and turn the game for you'
CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni missed the game against SRH due to a stiff back but is likely to be back for Sunday's match against Virat Kohli-led RCB.
New Zealand and South Africa played their hearts out in the first semi-final of the ICC World Cup at the Eden Park in Auckland on Tuesday, but it was the Black Caps who emerged triumphant by four wickets.
'It's really about just reading the situation and trust your gut' 'I don't think anything over 230 has ever been chased down here in an ODI'
AB de Villiers scored an unbeaten 79 as South Africa trounced Scotland by 130 runs in their opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 at the Oval on Sunday. Chasing a huge 212 to win after South Africa amassed 211 for five, Scotland were all out for 81, the seventh lowest in Twenty20 internationals and second worst in the Twenty20 World Cup following Kenya's 73 against New Zealand in Durban two years ago.