IMAGES from the IPL 2022 game between Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday.
Former selector Sarandeep Singh highlighted the selection blunders in India's T20 World Cup squad and said though Rohit Sharma is the obvious choice to lead the side in white-ball formats, he is not a long-term option.
Andre Russell's all-round brilliance kept Kolkata Knight Riders in contention for a play-off berth as they recorded a comprehensive 54- run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in a must-win IPL game.
Mumbai Indians have so far looked like anything but IPL's five-time champions, losing both their opening games - against Delhi Capitals by four wickets, followed by a 23-run defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals.
It will take a special effort from the struggling Sri Lankan side to pull one back against the rampaging visitors.
IMAGES from the T20 World Cup warm-up match played between India and Australia in Dubai on Wednesday.
Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Varun Chakravarthy is still not fit for intense training after his recovery from COVID-19 as he is still experiencing 'weakness and dizziness'.
Team India will have to choose between experimenting and continuing the winning combination
Jaydev Unadkat was the most expensive purchase to continue his good run at the auction.
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes his former IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders doesn't have enough back-up options and the team management could have gone for all-rounders in the players' auction to provide the squad more depth. Gambhir said KKR don't have the bench strength to deal with any injury crisis in the top order.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings, in Dubai, on Friday.
Dasun Shanaka is their 10th captain in nearly five years, and barring a classy batsman like Dhananjaya de Silva and a steady pacer in Dishmantha Chameera, this team lacks quality to challenge the might of the Indian team led by Shikhar Dhawan.
Images from Friday's IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, in Abu Dhabi.
A look at how the teams stack up ahead of the mega auction.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders, in Sharjah, on Wednesday.
A look at the top performers in the IPL this year, who set the T20 tournament alight with outstanding performances this season.
All India Tennis Association (AITA) has decided to send his name to the government for this year's Arjuna award.
Smith was handed a one-year ban along with his then deputy David Warner exactly a year ago for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
Sunrsiers' middle-order has hardly been tested and when the opportunity came against Mumbai Indians, the likes of Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda and Yusuf Pathan fell flat.
The home team's bowlers will be wary of Chris Gayle's power-hitting.
While Kings XI's biggest star Chris Gayle scored a 47-ball 79 in the Jaipur match, his Jamaican compatriot Andre Russell also looked in blistering touch for KKR in the match against Sunriserrs Hyderabad. Their rivalry will be one of the sub plots of Wednesday's clash in Kolkata.
With a debate raging over the run out, it remains to be seen how Ashwin and Co. start afresh in what will be their first away match of the season.
Focus will now be on how Rabada would fare against the likes of Chris Gayle, Lokesh Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and David Miller.
List of players released by IPL teams ahead of next month's auction for 2020 season:
KXIP are riding a roller-coaster ride, having to endure a controversy involving their captain Ravichandran Ashwin who 'Mankaded' Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler in their first match, an act which was legal but criticised by some as against the 'Spirit of Cricket'.
A total of 62 players were sold at the auction for the 13th edition with the eight franchises spending a total of 1.403 billion rupees ($19.73 million). Australia's Pat Cummins became the most expensive overseas buy ever in the Indian Premier League when the Kolkata Knight Riders paid a staggering Rs 15.50 crore ($2.18 million) for the fast bowler in Thursday's auction in Kolkata on Thursday.
Architect-turned-cricketer Varun Chakravarthy, with a base price of Rs 20 lakh, went to Kings XI Punjab for a massive Rs. 8.4 crore, while Rajasthan Royals retained Jaydev Unadkat for the same amount.
India Test regulars like Cheteswar Pujara and Ishant Sharma have also thrown their hat into the ring with base prices of Rs 50 and Rs 75 lakh respectively.
