Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has been left supremely impressed by the quality of youngsters in the Punjab Kings squad as well as the Indian T20 set up on the sidlelines of the IPL.
Australia and South Africa, two teams renowned for their batting prowess, will go head-to-head in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, aiming to secure a place in the Champions Trophy semifinals.
This squad is by far one of the most compact in Punjab's IPL history and with the tactical genius of Ricky Ponting at the helm, it will be a folly to write them off at any time of the competition.
'I've been bowling here for the Melbourne Stars, I know the pitch, I know the length.'
With Mahendra Singh Dhoni being the same player and no one to "bell the cat", CSK are in unusual mess with a mis-firing top-order where the skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has had to give up his opening slot.
A rampant Mumbai Indians will present a stern test of character for the rattled Punjab Kings in a virtual semi-final when the two teams face-off in Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Shreyas Iyer's inspiring leadership faces its toughest test yet when Punjab Kings host an equally upbeat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League in Mullanpur on Thursday.
Young leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha has been cut along with fast bowler Nathan Ellis and rookie all-rounder Aaron Hardie.
Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill, both in strong form after their Champions Trophy triumph with India, look to lead their respective teams, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans, to IPL glory in the 2025 season.
Punjab Kings will look to renew their bid for a play-off berth with another commanding performance in Jaipur on Sunday against Rajasthan Royals, who have failed to rise above mediocrity despite possessing the resources this season.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have very little time to pick up the pieces after a debilitating loss as they eye a much-improved display from their batting unit in a return Indian Premier League match against in-form Punjab Kings in Mullanpur, Punjab, on Sunday.
Shaheen and fellow quick Naseem Shah led the way, picking up three wickets apiece during a showcase of swing and pace, which accounted for Jake Fraser-McGurk (seven) and Aaron Hardie (12) in the first powerplay.
Almost half of the Australian team currently playing in the T20 International series in India will return home after the third match in Guwahati.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's bid for a maiden home victory this IPL season will depend on their batters' ability to handle the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Glenn Maxwell when they face the Punjab Kings on Friday.
If Punjab goes for a flat deck, there is no guarantee that the bowling unit can defend anything in the 220 range, especially when KKR have the likes of Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, and Venkatesh Iyer in their ranks.
SRH's ultra-aggressive approach with the bat has backfired spectacularly as they have suffered four defeats in a row -- leaving them languishing at the bottom of the points table.
Delhi Capitals will be desperate to arrest their slump and stay in contention for a play-off berth when they take on high-flying Punjab Kings in a crucial IPL match in Dharamsala on Thursday.
IMAGES from the 2nd ODI played between England and Australia at the Headingley Cricket Ground, Leeds, Britain, on Saturday.
Australia's historic pedigree in cricket's biggest tournaments will count for nothing when they run into an Afghanistan side that is fast cementing its place in the game's top table in the Champions Trophy match in Lahore on Friday.
The three-match ODI series between Australia and West Indies will start from February 2 till February 6 in Brisbane, Sydney, and Canberra respectively.
Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant is looking to make his mark and secure a win in his team's first home game of the season.
Shreyas Iyer had led KKR to their first IPL title in a decade last year. However, on Saturday, he returns as captain of a rejuvenated Punjab Kings chasing a play-off spot.
Virat Kohli's nearly two-decade long agonising wait to lay his hands on an IPL trophy with Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be up against Shreyas Iyer's resolve to make first-time winners out of the tenacious Punjab Kings.
Australia's Test regulars will skip the three-match series against Pakistan in November as they prepare for the blockbuster clash against India.
Johnson sidelined for Aus tour of UK
Rajasthan Royals face a tough challenge against a marauding Punjab Kings batting lineup, led by in-form Shreyas Iyer.
Both teams have struggled in the ODI format recently. World champions Australia lost to Sri Lanka (0-2) and Pakistan (1-2) in their last two series, while England, now coached by Brendon McCullum in all formats, haven't won an ODI series since their disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign.
Australia's decision to field an unchanged frontline pace attack last summer might have been unusual as selectors now reassess their seam options after losing allrounder Cameron Green.
India exacted a modicum of revenge for their loss to Australia in the final of the 50-overs World Cup by clinching the T20 series
Images from India's fourth T20 International match against Australia in Raipur on Friday.
Their pre-tournament decision to fill the squad with five spinners drew a lot of flak from all corners, but it is now proving to be a masterstroke on the slow pitches in Dubai.
A career-best unbeaten 92 from new captain Mitch Marsh propelled Australia to a comprehensive 111-run victory over hosts South Africa in the first Twenty20 International in Durban on Wednesday.
PHOTOS from the 5th T20I match between India and Australia played in Bengaluru on Sunday
David Warner became Australia's first player from the nation to make 100 appearances in all formats of cricket
Warner described local fans as "derogatory and pretty vulgar" after the Australians were targeted for abuse during a test and ODI tour of New Zealand in 2016.
Apart from Renshaw's inclusion in place of Warner, there are no changes to the squad which beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the third and final test to sweep the series 3-0 last week.
All about IPL 2025 which kicks off on March 22, Saturday.
In-form skipper Virat Kohli (64) and teenage prodigy Prithvi Shaw (66) were among the five Indian batsmen who struck fifties before the visitors were bowled out for 358 on the second day of the rain-hit practice game against Cricket Australia XI in Sydney.
Images from India vs Australia 3rd T20 International in Guwahati on Tuesday.
The ever-milling modern-day sport does not allow extended celebrations and India, in the immediate aftermath of their T20I series triumph, will have to hit game-mode and treat the fifth match against Australia in Bengaluru on Sunday as a workshop to fit two key pieces in their grooves ahead of an exacting assignment.
