Punjab are lying at the bottom of the table with only one win from six matches, while the in-form Lions are the top of the IPL standings with six wins from seven matches.
India's Virat Kohli joins an elite list of star Ambassadors to provide neccessary support in the build-up to the ICC 2015 World Cup to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand between February and March.
Williamson' leadership skills came under the scanner following New Zealand's crushing defeat
New Zealand's 2-0 series defeat on home pitches by Australia was a disappointing end to the Brendon McCullum era and showed the Black Caps have work to do if they hope to consistently challenge the top test nations.
Australia's aim of regaining the top ranking in Test cricket has taken a major step forward following Monday's comprehensive victory over New Zealand in the opener of their two-match series, according to captain Steve Smith.
The trouble-prone Pakistan cricket team dressing room was once again witness to some drama and it took PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan's intervention to diffuse the controversy generated by Misbah-ul-Haq's decision to rest from the third ODI against Australia.
At stumps on Day 3, India were 125/3 in their second innings to extend their lead to 257 runs with Cheteshwar Pujara (50 not out) hitting a gutsy half-century.
After a jittery start, Chennai Super Kings will look for a turnaround to get their campaign back on track when they take on South African team Nashua Dolphins in a Group A match of Champions League T20 in Bangalore on Monday.
Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin has been slammed on social media for sledging a couple of New Zealand batsmen while sending them back to the pavilion following their dismissal during their World Cup win over Brendon McCullum's men on Sunday.
New Zealand Cricket have promised to support Brendon McCullum after former Test all-rounder Chris Cairns was acquitted of perjury in London despite evidence given against him by the Black Caps captain.
New Zealand opener Tom Latham on Tuesday backed underfire batsman Ross Taylor, who is battling poor form in the ongoing tour of India and and has also faced criticism from former captain Brendon McCullum. In his autobiography 'Declared', McCullum derided Taylor for being uninspiring during his captaincy and someone who failed to communicate with the team. "We haven't seen anything about that at the moment," Latham said when asked whether the book 'Declared' has affected Taylor off the field.
Former India captain Anil Kumble made light of the cliche 'it's a team decision' and said decision making always lies with the captain.
Josh Hazlewood will be Australia's third pace bowler in this week's first Test against New Zealand after Peter Siddle was named 12th man on Wednesday.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is all set to resume on Sunday with Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) locking horns against each other.
Clearly he didn't get the length of contract extension offer that he was after so it hasn't been ideal, but I don't subscribe to the fact that it was individuals that were key to making the decision, said selection chief, George Bailey.
Gibbs back India, England as contenders for ODI World Cup
GMR's team will be based in Johannesburg with young Protea paceman Kagiso Rabada as its marquee player while Khan's outfit will be based in Cape Town with left-handed batsman JP Duminy as the marquee player.
New Zealand started their World Twenty20 campaign on a positive note, beating England by nine runs via Duckworth-Lewis method in a Group 1 league match that was called off following heavy rain and thunder storm, at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, on Saturday.
Crediting Brendon McCullum and B J Watling for their spirited batting in the ongoing third Test against India, New Zealand's assistant coach Bob Carter said that they still have a challenge ahead.
Iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar did not find a place in Kumar Sangakkara's list of all-time XI while Rahul Dravid was the lone Indian in the team selected by the former Sri Lankan skipper.
Knuckle ball a powerful weapon for bowlers, says Aaron Finch.
Ravichandran Ashwin held on to his top spot, while Ravindra Jadeja rose a rung to be fifth in the all-rounders' chart of the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Tuesday.
Former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan on Sunday said that the idea of experimenting with the pink ball and the day and night Test would be a flop from the perspective of attracting more spectators to the stadium to watch the game in real time.
Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar congratulated New Zealand on sealing their maiden cricket World Cup final spot, but also consoled South Africa for again failing to cross the semi-final hurdle after losing to the Kiwis by four wickets in a nail-biting finish in Auckland, on Tuesday.
Consigned to their fourth straight defeat, a dejected Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma said he has tried everything to get the right combination this IPL season but hasn't succeeded.
Gujarat Lions would look to better their debut season's success and aim for a winning start against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League match, in Rajkot on Friday.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Charitable Foundation received 20,000 pounds out of the 300,000 raised during the inaugural T20 fundraiser, 'Cricket for Heroes', at the KIA Oval last week.
Suresh Raina's return could not have been better-timed as Gujarat Lions, jolted by the tournament's biggest ever defeat, seek to revive their campaign when they face off with Kolkata Knight Riders.
New Zealand entered their maiden ICC World Cup final, beating South Africa by five wickets in a thrilling rain-reduced World Cup semi-final at Eden spoPark in Auckland on Tuesday. Set 298 to win from 43 overs, the Kiwis, led by fine knocks from captain Brendon McCullum (59 off 26 balls) and Grant Elliott (84 off 73) got across the finish line with one ball to spare. Elliott hit the winning run with a six over long-on off the bowling of Dale Steyn.
ujarat Lions face the challenging task of gathering themselves and bounce back when they square off against the consistent Kolkata Knight Riders.
Gujarat Lions will have their task cut out when they lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Photos of the World Cup Pool A game between Afghanistan and New Zealand being played in Napier
McCullum, 37, played for the two-time IPL champions in two separate stints and also represented Trinbago Knight Riders, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise that is owned by the same parent company Red Chillies Entertainment.
India's Under-19 star Rishabh Pant struck a brilliant half-century to power Delhi Daredevils to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Gujarat Lions at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot, on Tuesday.
En route to a record sixth Asia Cup title, Team India and Captain Dhoni set an array of records.
Sourav Ganguly said the Delhi Daredevils wicketkeeper-batsman will get to play for the national team in due time.
They endured a disastrous run the last time around to finish at the bottom of the heap and Kings XI Punjab would be aiming to make amends this season when they begin their campaign against newbies Gujarat Lions in their IPL opener in Mohali on Monday. Kings XI Punjab did not make any big buys this year and have a new captain in South African David Miller in place of Australian George Bailey who was released after leading the side to the last place in the previous season. Virender Sehwag has also retired and he will serve as team mentor this season. The Preity Zinta-owned side continues to lack the team balance as it has not added any significant player, only snapping the likes of all-rounders Farhaan Behardien and Marcus Stoinis, seamer Mohit Sharma and left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh. Last season, their batsmen lacked consistency and whenever they did well, the bowlers let the side down. On the other hand, debutants Gujarat Lions have a balanced side with top-class performers in both batting and bowling. They have explosive batsmen in Brendon McCullum, captain Suresh Raina, Aaron Finch and a plenty of top-notch all-rounders in Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja and James Faulkner.
On a day when Brendon McCullum broke the record for the fastest Test hundred, Suresh Raina said he couldn't be happier to have the Kiwi swashbuckler in his IPL team Gujarat Lions even though he wants an Indian to breach the milestone.
New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor has reportedly been named the country's Player of the Year twice at the annual New Zealand Cricket Awards in Auckland for the 2013-14 season, topping in every category he was nominated in.
'They have tried too hard to be that stereotypical Australian team that are aggressive and go hard at people.'
