# Gayle and Badrinath are the only two batsmen to have recorded five innings of fifty-plus in the present competition.
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.
One of the front-runners to win the Orange Cap this IPL season, Kings XI Punjab's opener Paul Valthaty said getting a compliment from his idol Sachin Tendulkar was the biggest achievement for him.
Kings XI Punjab produced a clinical all-round performance to score a comprehensive 29-run win over bottom-placed Delhi Daredevils to keep their play-off hopes alive in the Indian Premier League in Dharamsala.
Callum Ferguson has returned to Australia's ODI team in place of Shaun Marsh, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the ongoing three-match series against Sri Lanka due to an injury. Marsh suffered a lower back injury during his 31-run knock in Wednesday's first ODI against Sri Lanka, which Australia lost by one-wicket.
Shaun Marsh hit a quick-fire 71 and Paul Valthaty smashed 46 runs as Kings XI Punjab spanked Rajasthan Royal by 48 runs to score their third consecutive win in the Indian Premier League in Mohali on Thursday.
Dinesh Karthik scored a fighting fifty (58 off 44) but it went as vain as the Lions kept losing wickets at crucial junctures to make a hash of the chase.
Statistical highlights of the Indian Premier League match between Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors.
Tennis legend Serena Williams spent her first Christmas with her 3-month-old daughter, Alexis Olympia.
Following is a fact box on the second Test of the four-match series between Australia and India:
Australia skipper Steve Smith said Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh lived up to his expectations after the middle order batsmen scripted the team's great escape in the drawn third Test against India on Monday.
After the first 43 matches of IPL's second season, Matthew Hayden already looks poised to become this year's most valuable player, especially because Chennai Super Kings seem quite certain of entering the semi-finals. Only an injury can halt Hayden's successful march.
The 26-year-old would be expected to offer a fourth pace option to back up the strike trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, who secured Australia a 120-run victory to give them a 2-0 lead in the series on Wednesday.
'I see it as neck-and-neck in the game. Whoever can get momentum from hereon has the edge in this Test. I think it is extremely well poised'
AB de Villiers became the first Delhi batsman and seventh overall to register a hundred in the IPL. He joined Adam Gilchrist, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shaun Marsh, Brendon McCullum, Andrew Symonds and Michael Hussey. His outstanding innings -- unbeaten 105 off 54 balls -- is also his first hundred in Twenty20.
Revealing that Shaun Marsh's elevation to the number three spot in the Australian Test team was a part of captain Michael Clarke's 'long-term plan', Ricky Ponting has said that he has no problem in moving down the order as long as he is part of the playing XI.
Injured Michael Clarke was ruled out of Australia's seven-match ODI tour of India while left-hander Shaun Marsh, who has recovered from his hamstring injury following a long injury-lay off, was named in the 15-member squad. 22-year-old left-arm spinner Jon Holland is the new addition in the squad and was selected following his recent impressive performances for Australia A.
It is usually a sign of a day with few redeeming features when a coach rather than a player faces the media after play and Sunday's appearance of England's Trevor Bayliss was no exception.
With more than half the tournament over, rediff.com analyses the performances of some of the top 'lefties' in the IPL who happen to be very much on the right track.
With 23 wickets at 19.43 runs apiece, Shane Warne has surpassed Sohail Tanvir's tally of 22 at an average of 12.09. Warne is now the leading wicket-taker in the IPL.
Hosts Australia will pull on a classic uniform from the 1980s featuring green strip on bright gold top and pants when they take on India in the three-match ODI series.
Michael Clarke retained the captaincy of Australia's Twenty20 squad, while fit-again batsman Shaun Marsh returned to their one-day fold for a tour of The British Isles starting June 17.
Hashim Amla's superb 103 enabled Punjab put up a competitive 198 for 4 in 20 overs but Buttler made a mockery of the target with Mumbai Indians knocking off the runs in only 15.3 overs.
Fast bowler Mitchell Starc has had an operation on his left leg after a freak training ground accident, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Thursday.
Four new players were awarded contracts and test opener Chris Rogers has been dropped from Cricket Australia's list of contracted players for next season. David Hussey, Shaun Marsh, Doug Bollinger and Beau Casson were included on the 25-man list for the first time, while Simon Katich and Ashley Noffke were offered new contracts after failing to make the cut last season.
Following is a fact file on the first Test match between Australia and India in Adelaide and how the teams have performed at the Adelaide Oval over the years:
Adam Gilchrist is the first batsman from Deccan Chargers to reach 500-run mark in the IPL -- 520 at an average of 34.66 in 16 games, including one century and four fifties.
Smith and Warner have returned from year-long bans following a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa which also prompted Lehmann to step down as coach of the side in March last year.
Images from the fourth One-Day International between India and Australia at Mohali on Monday.
Kane Richardson gets nod ahead of Josh Hazlewood as replacement
Resolute rearguard action by Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh helped Australia escape with a remarkable draw against India on the final day of the third Test in Ranchi on Monday.
Shaun Marsh and Kumar Sangakkara hit brisk half-centuries as Kings XI Punjab beat Deccan Chargers by six wickets in an inconsequential Indian Premier League match in Mohali on Friday night.
Shane Watson also named in T20 squad to be captained by Aaron Finch
Australia have named the unchanged 12-man squad for the second Test of the three-match series against Pakistan beginning at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Boxing Day. The Steve Smith-led side are going with the same side that clinched a nail-biting 39-run win after Pakistan's epic run chase in the opening day and night Test at the Gabba, cricket.com.au reported.
Australia all-rounder Moises Henriques is in line for his first Test in three years after being named in the squad for their three-match tour of Sri Lanka in July and August.
Watson guides Australia to crushing win over Windies Shane Watson notched his maiden international century as Australia crushed the West Indies by seven wickets in the third one-day international at Grenada's National Stadium. The win provided Australia with an unassailable 3-0 lead in the best-of-five limited overs series.
Debutant Shaun Marsh struck an impressive 81 and Nathan Bracken took four wickets as Australia beat West Indies by 84 runs on Tuesday in the first of five one-day internationals. Marsh, son of former Australia batsman Geoff Marsh, was making his first one-day international appearance after taking part in Friday's Twenty20 match and he was part of a flying start with Shane Watson (31).
A new look Australian bowling attack stifled South Africa's in-form batsmen as the hosts eked out a thrilling five-run win in the second ODI to level the five-match cricket series 1-1 in Hobart on Sunday.
Australia's Shaun Marsh and Pakistan's Sohail Tanvir emerged with the most runs and wickets respectively at the end of the league stage in the Indian Premier League. A statistical outlook of the tournament thus far.
Late call-up Shaun Marsh scored an unbeaten century in his first Test in two years to lead a middle-order recovery as Australia closed at 297 for four on the first day of the first Test against South Africa on Wednesday.
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