Gujarat Lions will have their task cut out when they lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
A supremely confident Delhi Daredevils return to their den and have a struggling and injury-ravaged Rising Pune Supergiants in their firing line up next in the Indian Premier League, in New Delhi, on Thursday.
The shocking loss to Kings XI Punjab in their last match, notwithstanding, table-toppers Gujarat Lions will have to get their act together quickly if they wish to end their home campaign on a winning note against a formidable Delhi Daredevils in an Indian Premier League match, in Rajkot on Tuesday.
Australian captain Steve Smith says rookie pacer Barinder Sran has impressive variations in his armoury and was discussed in the dressing room.
However, if anyone has unfinished business over a decade of IPL, it is India captain Virat Kohli. He made his intent amply clear earlier this week.
Virat Kohli achieved another personal milestone by becoming the seventh India batsman and first since Sachin Tendulkar in June 2011, to top the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen.
India's quest to find the right combination for the upcoming World Cup ended with a 35-run defeat in the decisive fifth ODI against Australia as they lost the series 2-3.
AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli jointly orchestrated a mayhem by scoring magnificent centuries as Royal Challengers Bangalore demolished a hapless Gujarat Lions by a record margin of 144 runs, in the Indian Premier League, in Bengaluru, on Saturday.
Skipper Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn made short work of a challenging target as two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders thrashed Gujarat Lions by 10 wickets to make a confident start to their campaign in the 10th edition of the Indian Premier league, in Rajkot on Friday.
Steve Smith scored a brilliant century to help Australia knock out defending champions India and set up a mouth-watering final against neighbours New Zealand, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, on Thursday.
Ricky Ponting, on Sunday, heaped praise on the Indian players, especially Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer
Having found some light at the end of the tunnel, Royal Challengers Bangalore will be keen to expose the chinks in Kings XI Punjab's armoury during their must-win IPL encounter in Indore on Monday.
Glenn Maxwell blasted a splendid 83-ball 96 to lift Australia to a three-wicket victory against India that also helped the hosts seal the five-match ODI series 3-0, in Melbourne, on Sunday.
Check out the images from the second semi-final between Australia and India at the ICC World Cup at the Sydney Cricket, on Thursday.
Australia won the ICC cricket World Cup for a record fifth time when they beat New Zealand by seven wickets in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
The 2015 World Cup was, skipper Brendon McCollum said, the ride of a lifetime for New Zealand and even if Australia brought it to a shuddering halt in Sunday's final, their brilliant campaign will not quickly fade from the memory.
Travis Head (61 batting) and Pat Cummins (10) kept Australia in the game with a 50-run partnership in the last session but India walked away with the advantage after the latter fell towards the end of day's play.
Yuvraj Singh has emerged as the costliest cricketer in the IPL 8 players' auction, bought for a record Rs 16 crore (USD 2.57 million approx) by Delhi Daredevils.
Back on their favoured quick and bouncy pitches, Australia's failings against spin bowling are unlikely to figure at the World Cup and the co-hosts have an excellent opportunity to win a fifth trophy, according to former batsman Mike Hussey.
The series is even more important for Kohli as it would also define his legacy as a leader having already established himself as world's premier batsman.
A selection of musings from around the cricket World Cup.
Perennial under-achievers Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab will look to recover from opening losses and put their campaign back on track.
Smashing Warner. Amazing Stokes. Super Smith. Pure Amla...
Outplayed in the ODIs, a faltering India will look to get the balance right as they eye redemption in a three-match Twenty20 series against Australia starting in Adelaide on Tuesday which also kicks off their build-up for the World T20 Championships in March-April.
When the 2015 ODI World Cup began, no one cared to look past Australia to lift a record fifth title. A strong team, home advantage, and flailing opposition, meant that they were in pole position going into the tournament.
Rajneesh Gupta profiles the cricketers playing the World Cup 2019.
351 cricketers -- 230 Indians and 131 foreigners -- will go under the hammer in Saturday's IPL players' auction.
India opener Shikhar Dhawan said suspended fast-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya is 'crucial' for the team's balance.
India came within sniffing distance of a defining victory before a stoic resistance by Australia's tail delayed the inevitable in the third Test in Melbourne on Saturday.
Pujara was the dominant figure with his second century of the series, a dogged but faultless 106 off 319 balls
Agarwal, thrusted into the squad following failure of KL Rahul and Murali Vijay, responded with a 76-run knock off balls, sorting out India's opening woes to some extent.
We saw how the pitch is playing and told ourselves we are going to dig deep, but unfortunately, myself, Travis and Shaun couldn't bat long as long as we should have'
Harish Kotian evaluates Indian performances in the third Test.
Putting up an all-round show, Kolkata Knight Riders consolidated their fourth position in the points table with a comfortable seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL match in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Shane Watson claimed a hat-trick as Rajasthan Royals restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to a 134 for 9 in the IPL match in Ahmedabad on Thursday. However, his effort was in vain as Hyderabad came back with a vengeance to dismiss the former champions for 102 and win by 32 runs for only their third victory this season.
Rajneesh Gupta highlights all the important numbers of the Australian team from World Cups.
With it's scandalous past, still fresh in the minds of fans and critics alike, the Indian Premier League (IPL) organisers will look to ensure that the focus remains firmly on cricket when the cash-rich event gets underway with a glamorous opening ceremony on Tuesday.
Australia knocked Pakistan out of the ICC World Twenty20 with a convincing 21-run victory, setting up a virtual quarter-final against hosts India to be played in Mohali on Sunday.
'That was the key to a game where, on paper, there is nothing to separate the two sides: Intensity. From the first ball of the innings to the run out of Southee, the Australian bowlers and fielders buzzed around like predatory yellow-jacketed wasps.' 'Adding teeth to the bowling and relentless fielding is the captaincy of Michael Clarke, leading in his last one day international. His body may require an entire college of medical specialists to maintain, but his mind is scalpel-sharp, cutting through the complexities of the game to hit on simple solutions.'
Images from the World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand, at the MCG.
