It will be a test of wits between two new captains in Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya when defending champions Chennai Super Kings clash with debutants Gujarat Titans in the IPL match in Pune on Sunday.
India will have their task cut out against a vastly improved England
Dhoni's men will be slight favourites as it will be Bairstow's last game
Former captain Vinay Kumar hit an unbeaten 83 and shared a crucial 97-run stand for the last wicket Ronit More (10) to help Karnataka take a 39-run first innings lead against Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday.
Rohit, who has made a comeback to the Test side, will now leave for Australia with India's T20 squad on Friday.
In other big movements, Punjab Kings have released their last edition's captain Mayank Agarwal, while West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Ambati Rayudu will be aiming to make a statement when a marauding Chennai Super Kings take on a desperate Sunrisers Hyderabad
Kohli appeared to enhance his formidable reputation of anchoring successful chases but his dismissal in the 47th over injected fresh drama into the contest.
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.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson and Manish Pandey have been dropped from the side while pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been rested.
Shimron Hetmyer smashed 139 off 106 balls and helped West Indies chase down a target of 288 with 13 deliveries to spare.
Another failure to win an ICC tournament will put Virat Kohli's leadership future in doubt. When BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah hold a virtual meet with the national selectors in a couple of days' time, the leadership issue will be discussed.
Chennai Super Kings seem to hold a slight edge going into the match as they have not only got the better of their southern rivals twice in the league stages but also have the winning momentum going into the match on what promises to be a bouncy track.
The Rajasthan Royals wicketkeeper-batsmen showed his class with an outstanding exhibition of strokeplay leaving the hapless Chennai Super Kings bowlers stunned, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Jos Buttler would be eagerly waiting to pounce on an inexperienced Chennai Super Kings attack in order to clinch a play-offs berth for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2022 match on Friday.
Images from Friday's Indian Premier League between SunRisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings in Dubai.
Gujarat Titans are currently at the top of the IPL table with 18 points from 12 games and a win on Sunday will more or less secure them a top-2 finish. That would mean an extra chance of making it to the final.
India overpowered South Africa by 16 runs in a high-scoring contest in the second T20 International in Guwahati on Sunday to register their first-ever T20 home series victory against the Proteas.
Rajneesh Gupta presents the Chennai Super Kings record in the IPL over the years.
Malik has been the find of the season as he outsmarted the top batters of the world with his brutal pace.
The Suresh Raina-led side suffered consecutive defeats against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders and title holder Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening two matches.
IMAGES from the 1st T20I played between India and Australia in Mohali on Tuesday.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji identify India's most valuable players in ODI games this season.
IMAGES from the IPL season XI opener played between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday
Will this (Rohit, KL Rahul and Kohli), be India's top three going into the T20 World Cup?
Selection committee will leave it on Kohli to decide whether he needs a break or continue playing.
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the three-match T20Is and ODIs against West Indies but has been included in the Test squad, while veteran wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is 'unavailable' for the entire tour.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji list India's Most Valuable ODI Players this season.
CSK have better resources but they must utilise them to the hilt. Teams:
Jos Buttler finished unbeaten on a whirlwind knock of 70 from 48 balls, which included seven fours and two sixes, to keep Royals's hopes of making it to the play-offs alive
A World Cup year tends to dominate discussion on ODI cricket, and bilateral series are usually quickly forgotten. Before the series against Australia begins, let us take a look at India's best ODI players during the ongoing 2019-2020 season.
A look at how the teams stack up ahead of the mega auction.
India won the weather-hit second match by 22 runs via Duckworth-Lewis method on Sunday to clinch the series with a game to spare.
Rajneesh Gupta previews the Final game in IPL 12: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings.
Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni says the first six days in quarantine were very difficult.
His exit from the IPL attributed to personal reasons this season, all-rounder Suresh Raina's stint with Chennai Super Kings seems in jeopardy even next year as the franchise might part ways with him before the 2021 edition.
Robbed off home advantage for the entire 2018 season, Chennai Super Kings will have to work hard in their adopted home venue in Pune to be a force to reckon with in the ongoing Indian Premier League, says the team's head coach Stephen Fleming.
The legendary Kapil Dev heaped praise on India's current pace battery, saying the fast bowlers have changed the face of Indian cricket in the last four to five years.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2020's 50 Most Valuable Players up to Game 46.
7 batsmen have scored more than 500 runs in IPL-11 so far. 6 bowlers have taken 18 or more wickets. Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji reveal who they are.
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