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.
India's Test captain Virat Kohli has decided to take rest while teammates Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma will be playing for Delhi's home fixture against Baroda in their opening group league match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, to be played on Thursday.
IMAGES from the IPL 2022 game between Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants, in Mumbai, on Sunday
The FIR states that the Kanjhawala police station received three PCR calls that the naked body of a woman was found near Hanuman Mandir, Jonti village.
The 2016 Indian Premier League season brings with it an opportunity for both the old and new.
India would be looking to sort out issues such as the opening blues, the middle-lower order conundrum and also the bowling strategies during the three-match T20 series against West Indies.
It was debated if KL Rahul, Rohit and Kohli are the ideal No. 1, 2, and 3 in the shortest format and the answer received from most quarters wasn't exactly in the affirmative.
Riding on a superb all-round performance by Ravindra Jadeja, Saurashtra thrashed Tripura by an innings and 118 runs to bag a bonus point from their Ranji Trophy Group C game in Rajkot.
Sunrisers Hyderabad produced a clinical performance to seal their place in the Qualifier 2 as they crushed the hopes of two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders with a comfortable 22 runs win in the IPL Eliminator.
Chasing a target of 283, India 'A' knocked off the runs in 39.4 overs.
Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje are expected to spit fire on a track that will offer steep bounce as India's top-order gears up for its toughest test in adverse conditions against a top-notch South African side in the T20 World Cup on Sunday.
Defending champions India crashed out of the Under-19 World Cup after suffering a three-wicket defeat at the hands of a disciplined England side in the quarterfinals in Dubai on Saturday.
KXIP got its campaign back on track with three consecutive wins -- over mighty Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore and the KL Rahul-led side would be hoping to carry the winning momentum forward to break into top four.
A win for Mumbai Indians will virtually seal them a spot in the play-offs while a loss for KXIP could send them out of contention.
Kings XI run into a RCB squad which has grown in confidence by leaps and bounds since their last meeting.
Thousands of fans from both countries have crisscrossed the globe to watch their team in action and trust rival captains Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam to tell you this is another 'match' for them, but all the 22 players and reserves know that this is 'The Match'.
Images from the IPL 2022 Playoff Eliminator match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants
The Indian Premier League 2022 Player Auction came to an abrupt halt after auctioneer Hugh Edmeades collapsed on stage.
The 34-year-old was India's number one Test wicket-keeper until a career-threatening shoulder injury ruled him out of action for almost a year.
It will not be an easy task for a struggling Punjab side to stand up to the challenge thrown by a RCB team
KL Rahul and Co would like forget the unsavoury incident and focus on the task ahead.
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.
Images from the first One-Day International between India and the West Indies, in Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
Suryakumar Yadav gave an exhibition of his incredible hitting skills with a superb 76 as India cantered to a seven-wicket win against the West Indies in the third T20 International on Tuesday.
Captain Kane Williamson, all-rounder Vijay Shankar and comeback man Wriddhiman Saha will look to score in the key match.
Manish Pandey continued his good form as India 'A' outclassed Afghanistan 'A' by 113 runs.
All praise for both his batsmen and bowlers, Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner said the side has achieved balance midway into the tournament and would look to continue being consistent in the coming matches.
Table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to quickly bounce back from the disappointing loss against Delhi Daredevils and seal their place in the play-off when they take on a resurgent Kings XI Punjab in an IPL clash in Mohali on Sunday. Knowing that there is scramble among top teams for the playoff berth and holding on to top position is not an easy task, SRH will have to put the loss against Delhi behind and look to put up an all-round performance on Sunday. What has made this game at the I S Bindra PCA stadium even more important for Hyderabad is the fact that Punjab, which has struggled through the tournament, has suddenly started turning over a leaf under their new captain Murali Vijay, whose appointment was made mid-way. The Punjab outfit, which is lying at the seventh place with four wins from 11 outings, pulled off a comprehensive seven-wicket victory against Mumbai Indians at Visakhapatnam on Friday night.
David Warner (4 off 12), returning to the franchise where he made his IPL debut back in 2009, struggled in his first innings of the season.
Defending champions India are on the brink of elimination after they suffered a six-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in their Super Four match of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Tuesday.
Images from the T20 World Cup Super 12 match between South Africa and India, in Perth, on Sunday.
A lot of grey areas are yet to be addressed, but a young Indian team, with an admirable collective temperament, will start as favourites in the series-deciding fifth T20 International against South Africa, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India is all set to monitor workload of top 50 Indian cricketers, starting with the seven-week Indian Premier League, and will create a database for their workload and injury management to keep them fresh for big international assignments.
While Ishan Kishan has done well so far, Ruturaj Gaikwad (23, 1) has pulled the team down with questions being raised over his technique against quality pacers and his ability to force the pace early on.
Chasing a victory target of 159, Mumbai achieved the target in 18.4 overs with youngster Nitish Rana scoring 45 and veteran keeper Parthiv Patel scoring 39 off 24 balls.
England batter Liam Livingstone fetched a staggering Rs 11.50 crore deal from Punjab Kings, who also roped in West Indies fast bowler Odean Smith, for Rs 6 crore, on Sunday, Day 2 of the TATA Indian Premier League 2022 Player Auction, in Bengaluru.
A round-up of final day of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Thursday.
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.
IMAGES from the T20 World Cup match played between India and Bangladesh in Adelaide on Wednesday.
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.
