Time is fast running out for the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings, a team which desperately needs its batting to click when it takes on SunRisers Hyderabad in Dubai on Tuesday in a battle to keep its IPL hopes alive.
CSK suffered their fifth loss in seven matches, going down by 37 runs to Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Dubai, on Saturday.
Tamil Nadu on Wednesday named a strong team comprising ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and the experienced Dinesh Karthik and Abhinav Mukund for the next two Ranji Trophy games against Mumbai and Railways. The team led by Vijay Shankar will take on Mumbai at the M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai from January 11 followed by the clash against Railways from January 19.
Eyeing a top-two finish, Chennai Super Kings will start as the firm favourites when they take on Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Images from Saturday's IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, in Dubai.
Dhoni's men will have to adapt to the conditions quickly to avoid any such hiccup in the play-offs.
With eight points from 11 games, RR are placed second from bottom in the eight-team table and a loss on Saturday will end their slim chances of qualifying for the knockout stage.
Following is the list of players who have been released by the different franchises ahead of the auction for the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League.
Virtually out of the play-off race, bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad will hope to keep their new-found momentum intact when they face table toppers Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, in Sharjah, on Thursday.
Operating like a well-oiled unit, Chennai Super Kings will start as overwhelming favourites when they clash with struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL match in New Delhi on Wednesday.
On a roll post the IPL's resumption, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will look to continue their winning streak when they meet in a high-octane Indian Premier League encounter, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
Trent Boult took an IPL career-best 4/18 to consign Chennai Super Kings to their first-ever 10-wicket defeat in the T20 league.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's astute captaincy will be Chennai Super Kings' biggest weapon against a clinical Kolkata Knight Riders, whose troika of top-notch spinners promise to hold the aces in the high-octane Indian Premier League final in Dubai on Friday.
The in-form Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore takes on Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings in a top-of-the-table IPL showdown in Mumbai on Sunday with two points and momentum at stake.
The two sides experienced contrasting fortunes in their respective tournament opener.
Punjab thrashed defending champions Karnataka by nine wickets to storm into the semi-finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, at the Sardar Patel stadium in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday.
After last year's low, there is lot to gain for CSK
Trent Boult finished with IPL career-best 4-18 in his four overs, including a maiden, while Jasprit Bumrah took 2-25 as CSK finished on a lowly 114-9 in their 20 overs.
Capitals were the best team in the league and their 20-point finish at the group stage was an indication of their consistent performances which didn't dip due to the COVID-19 forced break. CSK, over the years, have been in final eight times and won on three occasions which speak volumes of the team's ability to lift their game just when it's required most.
Shubham Pundir top-scored with 42 to take J&K to 139 for eight in 20 overs.
MS Dhoni landed in Chennai on Monday to the hero's welcome. Fans gathered to watch Dhoni as CSK began practice for the forthcoming IPL, which begins on March 29.
Former India pacer Karsan Ghavri has been appointed as the coach for the Saurashtra team for the upcoming season of Ranji Trophy.
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings head into the match after identical seven-wicket wins over Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively.
Rishi Dhawan led from the front with an all-round show as Himachal Pradesh beat Services by 77 runs in the semi-final, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday, to set up the title clash against Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy domestic One-Day championship.
Three-time champion Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals would look to build on their first wins and gain momentum when they clash in the Indian Premier League in Mumbai on Monday.
Now that M Shahrukh Khan has landed a lucrative IPL contract, the Tamil Nadu all-rounder said he would not be bogged down by the price tag.
KXIP's chances of a top four finish took a serious hit after Rajasthan Royals handed them a seven-wicket loss,
Devdutt Padikkal continued his terrific form ahead of the IPL with a third successive century as the defending champions stormed into the Vijay Hazare Trophy quarterfinals
Whether it was promoting Sam Curran to the opener's slot or finishing pacer Deepak Chahar's quota upfront while using seven bowlers to dry up runs, every move produced desired result.
Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was effusive in praise of his side, describing the victory over SunRisers Hyderabad, in the IPL match in Dubai, as a near-perfect show.
Delhi's strong batting line up of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith and Pant himself will look to fire on all cylinders right from the opening game.
KKR have plenty of resources in bowling but Karthik, it seems, has not been able to manage them well
CSK and Sunrisers Hyderabad (since inception) have traditionally been two of the most balanced sides in most IPL editions but both have ensured scratchy starts this year
On a roll after back-to-back wins, the vintage Chennai Super Kings would look to extend their winning run when they clash with struggling Kolkata Knight Riders in their next IPL match in Mumbai on Wednesday.
KKR with 12 points from 12 games would like to win the next two encounters to ensure a smooth passage while CSK, currently at the bottom of the eight-team table, are only playing for pride.
Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals have failed to live up to expectations in the IPL so far and are placed sixth and seventh respectively on the points table in the eight-team competition.
CSK have better resources but they must utilise them to the hilt. Teams:
Chennai Super Kings will be determined to erase their IPL 2020 nightmare when they failed to make it to the IPL play-offs for the first time.
Images from Friday's IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, in Sharjah.
A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com meets the families of those killed in the police firing on Sterlite protestors in Thoothukudi, and finds a similar tale running through their lives.
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