Their bid for a third title back on track after a shock defeat in the opening game, defending champions Mumbai Indians would be keen to carry on the winning momentum when they face table toppers Gujarat Lions, who have won both their matches so far, in an IPL game.
Even as the dust settles down on IPL 9, Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com presents his Dream XI.
Royal Challenger Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli said his team needs to play positive cricket to come out of their losing streak after they suffered yet another defeat in Indian Premier League on Thursday.
Magnificent death bowling saw Mumbai Indians snatch an incredible one-run victory from the jaws of defeat against Rising Pune Supergiant in a thrilling final of the Indian Premier League, in Hyderabad, on Sunday.
A glamour-filled opening ceremony, featuring Bollywood personalities and all-girl English pop band TBC, performed for the Season 9 of the Indian Premier League, in Mumbai, on Friday.
Gujarat Lions owner Keshav Bansal expressed happiness that the new franchise managed to get 'experienced and talented' players for the upcoming ninth edition of the Indian Premier League and is confident that captain Suresh Raina can make a strong comeback in the IPL after a dismal showing in the just-concluded World T20.
Despite resting several of their top players, Mumbai Indians managed to outclass Kolkata Knight Riders by nine runs in their last round league match to finish top of the standings in the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
Delhi Daredevils on Monday announced that Zaheer Khan has been appointed captain of the franchise for the forthcoming ninth edition of the Indian Premier League.
Notwithstanding Rising Pune Supergiants' poor run in IPL-9, Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor VVS Laxman considers the debutante side as a formidable unit and said his team will have to put its best foot forward when they clash with them in their IPL match on Tuesday. "It goes without saying that (RPS Captain M S Dhoni) Dhoni will be looking forward to use Ashwin against Warner and Shikhar. I believe that Pune has got a very formidable batting line up," Laxman said in a pre-match press conference at Hyderabad. "Lot of people talk about Ajinkya Rahane, Steve Smith, Faf Duplessis being similar. They are all extrordinary T20 players. We cannot at all be complecent or we cannot at all underestimate the batting strength of Pune. We are very mindful," he added. The former Test batsman, however, exuded confidence that SRH can take on any opposition if it sticks to its plans and executes them well. "But, I believe that if we concentrate on our plans and try to execute our plans, then we can do well against any opposition. It's more about concentrating and playing to our strength, while strategizing for each and every opposition batsman or bowler," he said. Noting that the MS Dhoni-led Pune team would look to bounce back strongly, Laxman said no team can be ruled out as it is still the early part of the long IPL tournament.
IPL team Gujarat Lions has created a digital platform for fans to interact with each other and the team.
Misfiring Mumbai Indians, struggling to get their team combination right, will take on the formidable batting might of Royal Challengers Bangalore in a potentially explosive Indian Premier League clash at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai. On Wednesday.
On paper, Kolkata Knight Riders are overwhelming favourites against King's XI Punjab.
Hardik Pandya staged a late assault to help Mumbai Indians pull off a thrilling four-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders for their first win in the Indian Premier League in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Senior India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said he is seeking legal advise on the way ahead after BCCI Ombudsman Justice (Retd) AP Shah observed that the bowler should dissociate himself from sports apparel company 'Bhajji Sports', which supplies kits to domestic teams. Shah had investigated the 'Conflict of Interest' issues raised by activist Neeraj Gundey, who had filed a number of such complaints with the 'Office of Ombudsman'. "I have received an e-mail communication from the Board. All I can say at this moment is that I am discussing the issue with my legal advisor. I will act according to his advice," Harbhajan told PTI on Thursday. The company 'Bhajji Sports' is owned by Mrs Avtar Kaur, who is the cricketer's mother. When a senior BCCI official was asked, he said that if Harbhajan is not the owner, anyone else can run the company, he said: "As long as Harbhajan's name does not feature among the owners of the company in any of the deeds, he will not be under the Conflict of Interest purview."
Rajneesh Gupta presents Mumbai Indians's record in the IPL over the years:
A relaxed Mahendra Singh Dhoni will take fresh guard when he leads his home team Jharkhand against Karnataka.
The Australia vice-captain struggled in the four-Test series in India preceding the IPL but has been at his attacking best in the Twenty20 tournament, where he has registered back-to-back 600-plus run seasons.
The Gujarat Lions-RCB game -- featuring Virat's magnificent century -- earned the highest amount.
Rediff.com has this and a whole lot more exciting action from the week gone by, encapsulated in this photo feature.
Imran Tahir needed less than 12 deliveries to highlight the folly of his rejection at the Indian Premier League auction in February when the leg-spinner set up Pune's thrilling victory in their IPL opener against Mumbai on Thursday.
Ashwin, a key member of the Indian team across all formats, will have to be 100 percent fit in time for the upcoming Champions Trophy starting June 1.
A look at the Kolkata Knight Riders's IPL record over the years.
Rajneesh Gupta presents how the teams have performed in eight seasons of the IPL.
Kings XI Punjab's the team's director of cricket operations Virender Sehwag came down heavily at the team's 'irresponsible' batsmen, after Rising Pune Supergiant bowled them out for an embarrassing 73.
Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Chris Woakes is confident that their side will win the remaining matches to finish among top-two.
High on confidence after decimating a high-profile Royal Challengers Bangalore, an upbeat Gujarat Lions will be aiming to lift their game a notch higher when they face title contenders Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Rajkot on Saturday.
A rampaging Kolkata Knight Riders stand in the way of Delhi Daredevils' revival plan as the two teams, with contrasting runs so far, gear up to clash in an Indian Premier League (IPL) fixture in Kolkata on Friday.
Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar on Monday said that he could not believe he has turned 44 as he celebrated his birthday in front of thousands of adoring fans at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Players ratings after the league phase in IPL 10.
Nitish Rana continued his good form with the bat as he hit his third half-century of IPL 10, while Rohit Sharma got back among the runs to lift Mumbai to a comfortable six-wicket against Gujarat Lions.
Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene said he has seen enough T20 cricket not to be surprised by the manner in which his side pulled off a sensational four-wicket victory in an IPL game against Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai.
Mumbai Indians will be fretting over their team combination as they take on a marauding Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
The destructive show of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers during their first meeting of Indian Premier League 9 still fresh in his mind, Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody said he has a few ideas up his sleeve to stop the marauding Royal Challengers Bangalore duo.
Harish Kotian/Rediff.com picks five performances that took spectators' breaths away in week 9: Five wonderful knocks and one magical spell of bowling.
Harish Kotian/Rediff.com comes up with a pretty strong playing eleven from the long list of big names warming the benches this IPL season.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar feels Gautam Gambhir looks good for a national recall after a string of good scores in the ongoing IPL but the Kolkata Knight Riders captain does not want to look too far ahead as "comebacks are only by-products" of good performances. "At the moment, it's about IPL and I am concentrating on getting runs and help KKR win. All the rest, comebacks or no comebacks, are only by-products," said the left-handed batsman at the pre-match media conference against defending champions Mumbai India at the Wankhede Stadium. The Delhi Ranji Trophy captain had appeared last for India in the fifth and final Test match at the Oval in August, 2014, a match that India lost by an innings and in which he made 0 and 3, and has never been picked for the country in any of the three formats since. In fact in his last four Test innings for India, he failed to reach double figures in three of the innings.
Two of the world's best batsmen- Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers are on top of the run charts in IPL 9. Scoring a half-century in each of their four innings till now, Kohli and de Villiers have been in prolific form for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Catch RCB's dynamic duo in a special conversation with IPLT20.com
England all-rounder Ben Stokes, who became the highest paid overseas player in the Indian Premier League auction, is excited about sharing the dressing room with Steven Smith and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in his maiden stint at the cash-rich T20 tournament.
Young Tamil Nadu all-rounder Washington Sundar, who has impressed in recent times but had failed the Yo-Yo test, said he is hopeful of clearing it in the future.
Australia's Adam Zampa on Tuesday admitted that he failed to execute his plans against Hardik Pandya, who smashed him for 24 runs in a single over -- including three sixes, to turn the game on it's head, in the first ODI against India in Chennai.