Virat Kohli's inspirational leadership for Royal Challengers Bangalore will be up against the brute force with which David Warner has steered Sunrisers Hyderabad when the two teams, eyeing their maiden IPL title, square off in a high-intensity summit clash in Bengaluru on Sunday. RCB, however, will have a slight advantage over Sunrisers as they have the experience of playing in an IPL final twice in the past -- 2009 and 2011, but on both occasions, they had finished runners-up. Sunrisers' best finish was a play-off berth which they managed in their debut season in 2013.
Desai, who has been handed a two-year contract, has joined the team before the the first T20 International on Friday.
Former Australian batsman Matthew Hayden has heaped praise on Virat Kohli, saying that the current India Test skipper is a special blend of consistency and power while batting. "Virat is a special blend of consistency, power, his presence of mind, and his passion for the game. I think those elements are addictive in a personality," Hayden told reporters in Mumbai. Kohli, who is in his form of life, scored over 900 runs in the recently concluded IPL, which included four hundreds, but ended on the losing side last night after the Royal Challengers Bangalore lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the summit clash. Hayden, known for his aggression during his playing days, was present for the Ceat Cricket Rating awards function in Mumbai. "The game needs to have big personalities, big characters that allow the game and followers to almost polarise an audience. Cricket lovers like Kohli arguing with the umpires and engaging in sort of more combative style which is appropriate to Australian cricket," Hayden said.
India's batting superstar and RCB captain was full of praise for AB de Villiers, who guided his team to a fighting victory over Gujarat Lions and advance into the final of IPL 9. Appreciating AB's whirlwind knock of 79 not out from 47 balls, Kohli said that the Proteas batsman was the 'best in the world'. Kohli, who was dismissed for a duck in the qualifier against Gujarat, has been in the form of his life, scoring as many as four hundreds in the ongoing IPL season. "Unbelievable, can't believe I'm the winning captain," Kohli said after the match.
On a roll after five wins on the trot, table toppers Mumbai Indians will look to continue their domination when they clash with struggling Delhi Daredevils in an Indian Premier League game, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
Young Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan's fairytale run continued as his three-wicket burst helped Sunrisers Hyderabad restrict Gujarat Lions to a paltry 135 for seven.
'It's happened before. Not just Virat but there's many players that have come up to IPL time and ... look, we know it's a cash rich tournament, there's some money up for grabs.'
AB de Villiers played a match-winning knock of 79 not out from just 47 balls against Gujarat in the Qualifier 1 match to help RCB stage one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the tournament, after the hosts were reduced to 29 for five at one stage chasing 160 for victory.
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers continued their sparkling show with the bat to guide Royal Challengers Bangalore to a commanding nine-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders and keep their play-off hopes alive in the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League, in Kolkata, on Monday.
Dinesh Karthik led the way with a fluent half-century while Praveen Kumar produced a superb spell with the ball as Gujarat Lions snapped their three-match losing streak to reclaim the top spot with a comfortable five-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders.
Yuvraj Singh feels Virat Kohli is the best batsman of this generation, but it unfair to compare India's Test captain with Sachin Tendulkar.
Discarded Indian pacer Praveen Kumar has joined Samajwadi Party on Sunday ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. Kumar, who has represented India in six Test matches and 68 ODIs, said that he met UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and took the decision to join his party. "I have met CM and decided to join the party. I will do whatever is possible for the party," Kumar told reporters after meeting the CM, who is also state president of SP.
Rising Pune Supergiants, who have been struggling in the Indian Premier League, on Sunday suffered another major blow as Australia captain Steven Smith was ruled out of the remainder of the league.
Their pace attack has been the most fearsome this IPL season but Sunrisers Hyderabad swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar feels it would be a tough task for his team to counter the marauding Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen when the two teams clash in the final on Sunday. Hyderabad edged out Gujarat Lions by four wickets on Friday in Qualifier 2 to set up a summit clash with Bangalore, who had beaten the same opponents in Qualifier 1. "We will definitely strategise because I read somewhere the other day that Virat Kohli has scored 35 per cent of RCB's runs. It'll be a big task for us to get (Chris) Gayle, Virat (Kohli) and AB (De Villers) and later, (Shane) Watson, out. We are hoping for a good contest," Bhuvneshwar said at the post match press conference in New Delhi.
Rajneesh Gupta presents statistical summary of Kolkata Knight Riders and much more.
Rising Pune Supergiant owner Sanjiv Goenka, on Tuesday, rubbished speculations that he has already bought stakes in Rajasthan Royals after the Indian Premier League orgainsers made it clear that his side and Gujarat Lions will not get extensions for the 2018 season.
One can succeed in T20 without looking agricultural, says Amla.
Delhi Daredevils batsman Rishabh Pant, who made his maiden IPL half century against Gujarat Lions in his first match as an opener, said he just looked to play his natural game.
"It probably was my best innings in T20 cricket. But it was upsetting that we lost."
Virat Kohli and Steven Smith will be eager to stem the rot when Royal Challengers Bangalore square off with Rising Pune Supergiants in an Indian Premier League encounter.
It remains to be seen if he gets a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the BCCI, which has maintained a tough stance in not allowing Indian cricketers to participate in T20 leagues such as BBL, CPL and BPL.
Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook got a taste of the IPL cricket tournament during the match between Gujarat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders in Kanpur on Thursday. Cook, who is touring India, visited the match venue on the invitation from IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla. "I had personally invited Cook to watch an IPL match and I am glad that he has accepted my invitation," Shukla told PTI. Cook was seen enjoying the game while sitting alongside Shukla and Sanjay Dutt, who was recently released from prison.
Mumbai Indians' all-rounder Krunal Pandya is a big fan of swashbuckling cricketer Yuvraj Singh and idolises the Punjab all-rounder who is playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad this IPL season.
Placed reasonably well at the halfway mark of the ongoing IPL, Sunrisers Hyderbad's key pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar said the key to the team's success this season has been the players' clear understanding of their role in the side.
Kings XI Punjab's bid to remain in contention for the play-off berth in the Indian Premier League received a major blow when their premier batsman Shaun Marsh was ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury. The Australian batsman had picked up a niggle in his back during the six-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders on April 19, which reportedly worsened in subsequent matches. Marsh is the third Australian in as many days to be heading home early from the competition, following younger brother Mitchell (side) and captain Steve Smith (wrist).
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner credited his bowlers and fielders for the comfortable 22-run victory over two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator, in Delhi, on Wednesday.
India's star batsman Virat Kohli says he has not batted better than the last two months but stopped short of calling the ongoing phenomenal phase as the peak of his career.
A steadily improving Delhi Daredevils look all set to challenge the might of title contenders Kolkata Knight Riders when the two teams clash for the second time in the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match, in New Delhi on Saturday.
Even as they struggle to find the winning formula, laggards Kings XI Punjab will still fancy their chances when they host Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League cricket tournament in Mohali on Monday.
Here's a list of few top draws who went unsold in the first round of auction ahead of the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League.
Would only comment on Yadav after talking to BCCI: Mysore
Ravichandran Ashwin took a dig at former Australia batsman and Gujarat Lions coach Brad Hodge, who was forced to apologise to Virat Kohli for his allegation that the India captain opted out of Dharamsala Test match to keep himself fit for the upcoming Indian Premier League.
Buoyed by increased viewership and a relatively controversy-free tournament, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen a spike in its brand valuation to $5.3 billion after the 10th edition, according to global valuation and corporate finance advisor Duff & Phelps.
In a major boost for Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals -- the two teams who are making a comeback after serving a two-year ban -- they will be allowed to pick from the players, who turned out for Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions squad in IPL in season 10.
In the form of his life, India's star batsman Virat Kohli says the hunger to keep improving with every game keeps him motivated. "Every day is a new day. I always feel that there is a scope for improvement and with every game, I take the plus and the minus as this helps me improvise. There is no substitute to hard work and discipline," Kohli, who goes into the IPL final as the leading run getter in the tournament, told PTI in an e-mail interaction. His phenomenal phase began with the World T20 and reached a level higher in the IPL where he has already hit a record four centuries. He averages a staggering 83.54 in 15 games this season and is only 81 short of completing 1000 runs. Talking more about his remarkable consistency, Kohli said: "I went through the same stuff that every cricketer goes through when he comes in. You are insecure about your place; you make mistakes in your desperation. You want to do really well and you don't really control yourself on and off the field.
India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh on Thurday said the Indian Premier League should not be blamed for the prevailing water crisis in the drought-hit Maharashtra and it was not right to shift the matches out of the state.
Images from the IPL match played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday
Swashbuckling West Indies opener Chris Gayle described it as a 'special occasion' to become the first cricketer to score 10,000 runs in twenty20 cricket.
The Pune outfit is presently languishing at the sixth spot in the eight-team standings with just four points.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances