The most consistent team across all seasons of the IPL, Chennai Super Kings would look to put behind the off-field distractions and do what they are best at when they take on previous edition's bottom-placed Delhi Daredevils in their opening match of the Twenty20 league.
India has lost four matches in a row in the ongoing series Down Under but if Australian batting great Michael Hussey is to be believed, the visitors have not fared badly.
Mumbai Indians suffered their fourth consecutive defeat as Delhi Daredevils thrashed the defending champions by six wickets in the Indian Premier League match in Sharjah.
India's star cricketer Suresh Raina tied the nuptial knot with fiancee Priyanka in a private ceremony attended only by family members and close friends, at a posh hotel in New Delhi on Friday.
Notwithstanding Ravindra Jadeja's poor showing in the ongoing Indian Premier League, Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming has backed the all-rounder, saying he believes in giving chances to players rather than chopping and changing a winning combination.
He had redefined ODI batting almost three decades back but Sir Vivian Richards' favourite ODI batsman is none other than the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
'If they are going to get into a battle verbally, if it gets the best out of them, then go for it' Australia captain Steve Smith suggests that he won't hold back his players if exchanging words with the opposition will fire them up.
Former Australian batsman Michael Hussey feels that India's batting sensation Virat Kohli can emulate the feats of legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar. However, Hussey was also quick to point it out that while Kohli has the talent it is yet to be proven if he has the stamina of the Little Master. "One of Tendulkar's greatest strengths was his longevity and if Kohli can stay fit, he could be well on his way to emulate Tendulkar as a player," Hussey said from India, where he is commentating on the Indian Premier League. Kohli has taken his splendid form to new heights in the ongoing IPL as the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper hit his fourth century in the tournament by cracking a 47-ball century in a rain-shortened game against Kings XI Punjab on Wednesday.
Former Australian batsman Michael Hussey warned teams against underestimating India after their 0-2 loss in the Tests series.
Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni says the camaraderie between the young and senior players is key to his team's good showing in the Indian Premier League.
With an eye on the final spot, two-time champions Chennai Super Kings face high-flying Mumbai Indians in their first qualifier in the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.
India's limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named captain of new Indian Premier League franchise Rising Pune Supergiants on Monday.
South Africa are still fretting over the fitness of their key batting all rounder Jean-Paul Duminy ahead of their opening Test against hosts India commencing at Mohali on November 5.
Come February, the longstanding rivalry between Virender Sehwag and Shoaib Akhtar will be renewed but this time it will play out on an ice field rather than on a cricket ground.
It will be a big statement if Virat Kohli's young side could start off with a bang at Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 'spritual home', a task which will be easier said than done.
Umar Akmal played a stunning cameo of 18-ball unbeaten 38 as Lahore Lions beat defending champions Mumbai Indians by six wickets in their opening qualifying round match of the Champions League Twenty20 in Raipur on Saturday.
Mike Hussey played a key role in ensuring Chennai Super Kings' record sixth appearance in the final of the Indian Premier League and the Australian said the team needs to be at its "best" to beat Mumbai Indians in Sunday's summit clash at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Michael Hussey believes Mahendra Singh Dhoni does not have "too many weaknesses" but even if he has, the Chennai Super Kings batting coach wouldn't share them with the Australian team.
Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was reportedly approached by the Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Sydney Thunder to feature in this year's edition of the Twenty20 tournament, but eventually the deal could not be reached.
'But if in his heart, he believes he can still contribute and be a positive influence on the game, I think he deserves every chance to go out there and perform'
It will be difficult for Australia's besmirched cricketers to reclaim their reputations when the dust settles on the ball-tampering scandal but the episode is nonetheless a chance for the team to reclaim some of its lost principles and values, feels former batsman Michael Hussey.
The 2016 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Player Draft was held in Barbados on Thursday, with the six franchises flexed their financial muscles to rope in their desired cricketers.
Australia will be desperately hoping to play a full game under clear skies when they face arch-rivals England in their must-win Champions Trophy clash in Birmingham on Saturday.
Former Australia batsman Michael Hussey said that conditions for the third Test in Melbourne will be a lot different from those in Perth and India should consider drafting in all-rounder Hardik Pandya to bring balance to their attack.
Controversial England batsman Kevin Pietersen will be one of the first players to go under the hammer, along with senior India discards Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, when the two-day auction for the cash-rich IPL commences in Bangalore on February 12. The initial list of 651 players was pruned to 514, including 219 capped players, by the IPL governing council.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke said his body felt 15 years younger after a spell away from cricket as he prepared for a comeback at the Hong Kong T20 Blitz. Injury-plagued Clarke said nine months without cricket and its rigorous travel, as well as a revamped diet and training regime, had given him a new lease of life as he contemplates joining the lucrative Twenty20 bandwagon. The 35-year-old batsman played his last Twenty20 international in 2010 but he will test the waters for a stint in Australia's Big Bash League at the four-team Hong Kong event this weekend. Clarke, troubled by chronic back problems, retired after last year's Ashes series but less than a year later, he will make an experimental hit-out for Kowloon Cantons. "I'm going to play these couple of games and see how I go, see if I enjoy it and then assess after that," he said. "Right now it's about coming here and having some fun. If I enjoy it, I'll assess when I get home what my exact plan will be." He added: "My body's going really well. My body hasn't felt this good in 15 years. Let's hope I'm saying that on Sunday night after four games of cricket!"
With Virat Kohli set to eclipse the 1,000 runs' barrier, Rajneesh Gupta presents the top scorers in a series/tournament and the run-machine's performance in IPL-9.
He is one among the few top overseas players to have regularly featured in the cash-rich Indian Premier League and Michael Hussey believes that his bond with it has got stronger over the years having played the role of a "mentor" to young Indian players.
Led by aggressive Australian opener David Warner, Sunrisers would be relying mostly on foreigners to deliver the goods, given the scarcity of local stars in their ranks.
Darren Sammy, who led the West Indies to their second World T20 title in India recently has been bestowed with a special honour with the cricket ground in his home country St Lucia to be renamed after him. St Lucia Prime Minister Kenny Anthony announced that Beausejour Stadium will be renamed Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium after the Windies captain led his team to glory in thrilling fashion in the World T20 final against England on Sunday night. Sammy is the first international cricketer to emerge from the island nation, having first represented West Indies in ODI cricket in 2004, and has gone on to captain his country in all three formats.
Unbeaten in seven Test series since 2013, New Zealand are widely viewed to have their best chance in a good while to secure a second series victory on Australian soil to go with the Richard Hadlee-inspired 1985 triumph.
None of three India fast bowlers -- Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami -- which makes it a bit easy for coach Stephen Fleming to sort his combinations.
Defending champions Mumbai Indians paid the price for an indifferent showing and crashed out of the Champions League T20 after being beaten by New Zealand's Northern Knights by six wickets in the final qualifying round match in Raipur, on Tuesday.
Rohit Sharma, who scored a century on debut on Day 2 of the first Test against the West Indies in Kolkata on Thursday, said the endless wait to play a Test was annoying and he looked up to other sportspersons for inspiration.
Michael Hussey was approached by former India batsman VVS Laxman for the job of Team India head coach, the ex-Australian cricketer has revealed in his latest book.
'Ashwin against the left-handers could play a big role. Kuldeep has done brilliantly but I feel India should persist with Ashwin. Kuldeep is young and can learn along the way'
South Africa opener Dean Elgar reckons that the toss will play an important role in tougher Indian conditions during the four-Test series and said they will look to put the Indian new ball bowlers under pressure early on.
Two-time former champions and the most consistent team of the season, Chennai Super Kings will lock horns with late bloomers Mumbai Indians in a high-voltage Indian Premier League summit clash in Kolkata, bringing the 47-day T20 extravaganza to a relatively controversy-free end.
Mumbai Indians became the first team to qualify for the final of the Indian Premier League with a comfortable 25-run win over Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede stadium.
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