Their play-off chances hanging by a thread, Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Mumbai Indians with a prayer on their lips in a must-win Indian Premier League game for them on Sunday.
A look at how the teams stack up ahead of the mega auction.
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik called for improvement in many aspects of the game despite the big win over Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday in Dubai.
RCB to ring in changes against KKR in search of first win
Punjab, who are on eight points from 11 games, need to win the match to keep their play-offs hopes alive, while KKR (10 points from 11 games) also need a victory to boost their hopes.
Youngsters like Brandon King, Khary Pierre, Sherfane Rutherford, Keserick Williams and Hayden Walsh Jr were preferred for the India tour
The body of an Indian waiter, who was the last missing victim of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia, has been found while dismantling the vessel, nearly three years after Italy's worst postwar maritime disaster.
Archer, who has played his junior cricket in the Caribbean and qualified to play for England only in April, is a familiar figure for the West Indies camp and it knows what the 24-year-old is capable of.
France emerged teary-eyed and triumphant from a weekend of grit and inspiration to claim their first Fed Cup title in 16 years with a 3-2 win on Sunday over hosts Australia.
Chasing a mammoth 196 for victory, Kolkata Knight Riders's hopes dependent largely on getting off to a quickfire start, but their top order came undone against a spirited performance by the Mumbai Indians pacers with the new ball.
People who were used to see him lead for 10 years were happy.
IMAGES from the IPL match played between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai on Tuesday
Rajneesh Gupta previews Game 29 in IPL 12: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings.
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings head into the match after identical seven-wicket wins over Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively.
Hosts Kolkata Knight Riders run the risk of slipping away when they face resurgent defending champions and 'nemesis' Mumbai Indians in an IPL clash, in Kolkata, on Wednesday.
Comeback man David Warner will be the cynosure of all eyes when last year's finalist Sunrisers Hyderabad open their campaign against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the 12th Indian Premier League, in Kolkata, o
Embattled Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have left themselves with little margin for error after a string of reverses, will face a test of character when they clash against Kolkata Knight Riders, in the Indian Premier League, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Maverick batsman Chris Gayle opted out of the ODI and T20 series against India citing personal reasons as the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) named three fresh faces for the assignment.
Images from the IPL match between Royal Challengers and Kolkata Knight Riders, in Chennai.
KKR's chief mentor David Hussey said Kuldeep would not have any confidence issues going into the 13th edition of the league which will get underway in UAE on September 19.
'The IPL is like a corporate world, the owners expect results and on top of that you don't get that much time.' 'Coaching is not that important at that level, it is more about man management and keeping the atmosphere really good, that is the most important thing.'
The West Indies' fast bowlers produced a ruthless display to dismiss Pakistan for a disappointing 105 in their World Cup opener at Trent Bridge on Friday. In reply, Chris Gayle led the chase, scoring 50 ff 34 deliveries, as the meagre target was overhauled in 13.4 overs.
The West Indies are currently lying seventh in the 10-team standings with just three points in their kitty and they can't afford any further loss to stay in the mix for a semifinal spot.
On a roll after back-to-back wins, the vintage Chennai Super Kings would look to extend their winning run when they clash with struggling Kolkata Knight Riders in their next IPL match in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Table-toppers Chennai Super Kings will look to complete the double against Kolkata Knight Riders, just like Delhi Capitals did, when the teams clash in Sunday's IPL match in Kolkata. The home side's consistency has suddenly taken a beating after two defeats on the trot, first in Chennai and then against Delhi Capitals on Friday night. Thus, the Knight Riders will be under immense pressure to arrest the slide when they face mighty Chennai.
West Ham United and Chelsea both narrowly avoided ignominious FA Cup exits with narrow wins against lower-league opposition but Everton marked Frank Lampard's first game in charge by sauntering past Brentford into the fifth round on Saturday.
Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Manish Pandey lamented that his side should have posted at least 200 after a rousing start given by their top-order batsmen as they lost to defending champions Mumbai Indians by six wickets in their Indian Premier League match, in Kolkata.
Eyeing a maiden IPL title, the fancied Delhi Capitals will face another litmus test in the form of a Kolkata Knight Riders unit brimming with optimism when the two sides lock horns in the Qualifier 2 match in Sharjah on Wednesday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents all the important numbers after the third week of IPL 2021.
Take a look at the nominees!
It will be a crucial couple of weeks for Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey, who are back in the mix after being sidelined from India's 50-over World Cup plans.
The Kolkata Knight Riders eliminate the Rajasthan Royals by 25 runs in a see-saw contest.
Check out the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League.
South Africa will need to go back to basics if they want to rediscover their form against England in the four-Test series, which starts on Boxing Day, coach Russell Domingo said.
Images from Sunday's IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, in Mumbai.
Former skipper Graeme Smith on Friday dropped in at South Africa's training session, continuing an interesting trend of ex-captains visiting their teams with bagful of wisdom ahead of matches against India.
The best-case scenario for RR would be Kings XI Punjab losing their last match and Sunrisers Hyderabad winning no more than one in their last two outings.
Enduring a forgettable outing in the first half of this year's IPL, two-time former champions Kolkata Knight Riders would look for reversal of fortunes when they resume their campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second phase of T20 league in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents statistical summary of Kolkata Knight Riders and much more.
41/4 is the worst start in a Test from which India has gone on to win a match. Rajneesh Gupta has all the numbers.
