Rahul and Pant, both match-winners in their own rights even with the bat, will like to seize the initiative in these early rounds.
A batting line-up dotted with big power-hitters along with the best death bowlers make record five-time winners MI a formidable unit.
Gautam Gambhir is a politician by choice but a cricketer at heart whose brain never stops ticking when it comes to conceptualising, planning and execution.
The Pandya brothers -- Hardik and Krunal -- bowled well to keep the runs down and take wickets inside the Powerplay.
Former selector Sarandeep Singh called Rohit-Dhawan the 'best option' despite skipper Virat Kohli's recent interest in the slot.
In the event of Narine missing out again, Mumbai will fancy their chances even more at the Sheikh Zayed stadium, where skipper Rohit Sharma has scored both his half-centuries this season.
India captain Virat Kohli was the star attraction at the BCCI Annual Awards function as he received the prestigious Polly Umrigar Trophy (Cricketer of the Year) award for two consecutive seasons.
In impressive form throughout the season, Lucknow Super Giants will look to bounce back from the reverse they suffered in their previous match and beat Rajasthan Royals in the IPL fixture at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday and confirm a berth in the play-offs.
Virat Kohli was rested from the three-match T20I series against the West Indies.
As the 16th edition of the glitzy Indian Premier League is set to unfold, let's take a look at the driving force of the T20 league and what's in store in this edition.
Dube smashed an unbeaten 45 off 28 balls while Pandey plundered 81 off 59 balls as India A overcame a poor start to win the rain affected match rather comfortably in the end. Chasing 208 in 30 overs, India A reached the target in 27.5 overs.
A battle royale is in the offing as heavyweights Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals clash in a high-profile IPL encounter, in Chennai, on Tuesday.
Ex-India captain Sourav Ganguly and Baroda's Krunal Pandya were among a host of cricketers who have come to aid of former India player Jacob Martin, who is in a critical condition in a Baroda hospital
Virtually out of the play-off race and struggling on multiple fronts, a horribly out-of-sorts Mumbai Indians will need a special team effort to arrest their slide when they take on Lucknow Super Giants in a return-leg IPL fixture in Mumbai on Sunday.
Defending champions Mumbai Indians will need their famed top-order batting to fire and turn things around when they take on Punjab Kings in the IPL in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Captain Virat Kohli celebrated Valentine's Day with his wife Anushka as they dined at his New Delhi restaurant Nueva Bar and Dining.
It remains to be seen whether India are able to add 'another sweetest victory' or if the visitors spoil their party.
Sri Lanka beat India by four wickets to draw level in the three-match series.
The Pandyas continue to be in the thick of things with Hardik Pandya (391) ahead, but Krunal Pandya (300) not too far behind. Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list the 50 Most Valuable Players after the first 38 IPL 2022 games.
In the space of just 10 balls, Ben Stokes blasted his way from 50 off 40 balls to 95 from 50 balls -- hitting 45 runs with six sixes and a four to take the match away from India's grasp.
Getting the combination right would be topmost on Sunrisers Hyderabad's to-do list when they take on a qualitatively superior Mumbai Indians in an IPL encounter in Chennai on Saturday, trying to arrest an early slide after back-to-back defeats.
Mumbai Indians' mega-stars will be making one last ditch effort to put their derailed Indian Premier League campaign back on track when they take on a confident Rajasthan Royals in their penultimate league match in Sharjah on Tuesday.
Rajat Patidar smashed an unbeaten 112 off a mere 54 balls at an astounding strike-rate of 207.4.
MI are coming into the match after suffering back-to-back losses
Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma praised his bowlers for their economy in the last few overs against Rajasthan Royals in the IPL match in Delhi on Thursday.
Rashid finished with final figures of 4-24 against Lucknow after what he would later attribute to 'experimenting with a different length' in this particular match.
IMAGES from the 2nd T20 International played between New Zealand and India in Auckland on Friday
Sunrisers Hyderabad face a formidable task without batting mainstay David Warner when they square off against Mumbai Indians in a crucial IPL match in Mumbai, on Thursday.
Colin Munro blasted a quickfire half-century as New Zealand pipped India by four runs in a high-scoring thriller to win the three-match T20 International 2-1, in Hamilton, on Sunday.
'Much as I feel on top of the world after being a part of a special series like Jubilee, I would say my biggest achievement so far has been spreading happiness around.'
Defending champions Mumbai Indians in all likelihood will be retaining skipper Rohit Sharma along with Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal, while under- performing Delhi Daredevils may keep Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer in their stable ahead of the IPL auction on January 27.
Mumbai Indians will play a majority of its matches on the slow tracks of Abu Dhabi (8) and adapting to that challenge would be the key to its fortunes.
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Teenage sensation Prithvi Shaw, who made a successful Test debut against the West Indies, will play for India 'A' captained by Dinesh Karthik.
Rahul started off slow, played good cricketing shots, built good partnerships along the way and then went on the offensive in the closing stages
Mumbai Indians retains 18 players; releases Duminy, Cummins, Rahman
"You must have seen both (Hardik and Krunal) of them on the ground. They are expressive. That's just how they play. And we have given them the liberty to express themselves. It brings out the best from them and we also enjoy seeing that from the dressing room," Rohit said at the post-match presentation.
They stand on the opposite ends of IPL's success spectrum but there is little to separate between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals in the tournament's 13th edition as they head into a blockbuster Qualifier 1 match, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Rohit Sharma is likely to miss his third game in a row when Mumbai Indians take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday with both teams aiming to secure their spot in the IPL play-offs.
Shreyas Iyer and Ravichandran Ashwin held their nerve in a tense finish to steer Delhi Capitals to a four-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in the IPL match in Sharjah on Saturday.
These tough cricketers have a soft and mushy side.
