Joe Root's unbeaten 149 put England in complete control of the final Test against India and they picked up the wickets of openers Murali Vijay and Gautam Gambhir before lunch on the third day on Sunday.
It will not be an easy task for a struggling Punjab side to stand up to the challenge thrown by a RCB team
Former champions Mumbai Indians will have their task cut out when they host Gujarat Titans, who remain unbeaten on the road.
Skipper Rohit Sharma will be travelling to the port city on Wednesday and is expected to feature in the series-opener.
Captain KL Rahul has been one of the few consistent performers in the formidable-looking Punjab batting unit and he once again led by example against MI
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.
The two sides experienced contrasting fortunes in their respective tournament opener.
Rahul replaced Australian skipper Aaron Finch and has gained a spot to be at number three.
It has been a dramatic turnaround for the KL Rahul-led side after a string a losses earlier in the tournament.
The nail-biting win over defending champions Mumbai Indians was certainly a morale-lifter but the inconsistent Kings XI Punjab have another tough battle at hand when they take on table toppers Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, in Dubai, on Tuesday.
Ben Stokes was named in England's Twenty20 squad for a tri-series against Australia and New Zealand on Monday, his participation dependent on whether he is charged for his involvement in an altercation outside a nightclub in September.
KKR are gradually emerging as a strong contender for a third IPL title
'Do not forget the role of Anil Kumble! Anil Kumble has been a fighter all his cricketing career, you could see when he went out with a broken jaw and bowled, and that spirit is seen in the KXIP'
A belligerent 56 off 32 balls from debutant Ishan Kishan and an unbeaten 73 from captain Virat Kohli steered India to an easy seven-wicket victory over England in the second Twenty20 International, in Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
England will rest James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali, Ian Bell and Gary Ballance in the five-match one-day series against New Zealand starting next Tuesday. Kent wicketkeeper Sam Billings was the only uncapped player named in the 14-man squad.
Lucknow Super Giants crumbled like a pack of cards as Mumbai Indians knocked them out of IPL 2023 with an 81 run defeat.
Facts and figures for the World Twenty20 final between England and West Indies at Eden Gardens on Sunday: World T20 head-to-head: Played: 4 - West Indies wins 4, England wins 0 All T20 head-to-head: Played: 13 - West Indies wins 9; England wins 4
CSK will be eliminated if they lose to Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.
Chris Morris again proved the scourge of England's bowlers after smashing 14 off the final over to power South Africa to a thrilling three-wicket win in the first Twenty20 at Newlands.
Their campaign back on track after a stunning victory over South Africa, a resurgent England will be looking to plug their bowling loopholes when they take on an ever-improving Afghanistan in a Super 10 Group 1 match of the ICC World Twenty20, in New Delhi, on Wednesday.
A win for Punjab will elevate them to the top four, while a victory for KKR will take them to 14 points
Punjab Kings are placed eighth while Chennai Super Kings occupy the penultimate slot in the 10-team IPL points table.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to outgun title-contenders, Gujarat Lions in a must-win Indian Premier League clash.
KXIP have struggled so far, losing four of their five games, with death bowling proving to be their biggest concern.
Four defeats in six games notwithstanding, Royals Challengers Bangalore batsman KL Rahul expressed confidence of his team bouncing back in the ongoing Indian Premier League, saying that it just needed to sort out a few grey areas in its bowling attack.
Images from the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, in Ahmedabad, on Monday.
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings would need to lift themselves after a nightmarish start to the season as they target their first win of IPL 2022 when they take on a high-flying Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday.
Kevin Pietersen's Test future may be in doubt but the mercurial batsman was named in England's provisional 30-member squad for this year's Twenty20 World Cup in Bangladesh on Wednesday.
Kumar Sangakkara laid the foundation before Angelo Mathews completed a nervy chase as Sri Lanka beat England by six wickets in the fourth One-Day International.
CSK, LSG seek improvement in top-order batting after opening losses
'If technology is not to be used for the fairness and transparency of the game and to ensure that it is equitable to all, then why use technology at all?'
Kings XI Punjab head coach Anil Kumble said his franchise went all out for Glenn Maxwell in the IPL players' auction on Thursday as the team needed firepower in the middle-order. Kings XI, who went into the auction with the biggest available purse of Rs 42.70 crore, spent Rs 10.75 crore for Australia's Maxwell and Rs 8.50 crore for West Indian pacer Sheldon Cottrell.
Images from the T20 World Cup Super 12s match between England and Sri Lanka, in Sharjah, on Monday.
England, who were blown away by the visitors at Southampton, will back themselves to make a strong comeback.
Captain Quinton de Kock smashed a sparkling century as South Africa eased to a seven-wicket victory over World champions England in the opening One-Day International, at Newlands, on Tuesday.
Enjoying one of the best phases in his career so far, Royal Challengers Bangalore's inspirational leader Virat Kohli is ready to play through pain against Kings XI Punjab with multiple stitches in his split webbing in another must-win IPL encounter in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Kohli sustained split webbing in his left hand while fielding against Kolkata Knight Riders as he went for a diving catch. He left the field briefly to get medical assistance, got his webbing taped and was back in field. He then played another classy knock to keep RCB's play-off qualification hopes alive. "I might need 7-8 stitches," Kohli had said after the match but if KXIP thought that the opposition skipper will make himself unavailable, they would be in for disappointment as RCB's manager Avinash Vaidya said that India's No 1 batsman will be playing in this crucial encounter.
A century partnership between Darren Bravo and Jermaine Blackwood led West Indies to a five-wicket victory over England in the third Test on an awkward Barbados wicket as the series ended at 1-1 on Sunday.
England's four-pronged pace attack bowled India out for 148 before the hosts reached 62 for no loss in reply to take control of the fifth and final Test on an absorbing first day at The Oval in London.
Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his golden run with the bat with his third half-century in a row to help Chennai Super Kings end on a high, with a hat-trick of victories, even as they failed to make the IPL playoffs for the first time.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said his team were 20 to 25 runs short when they slipped to a seven-wicket defeat in Wednesday's World Twenty20 semi-final against England.
