For the fans of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the end of the ban period from Indian Premier League is a big step forward as they look forward to seeing the 'Men in Yellow' back at their den, M A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin defended the decision to play only two spinners in the game against Chennai Super Kings, on a spin-friendly track, in Chennai, on Saturday.
Chennai Super Kings comprises some of the oldest players in the Indian Premier League, and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni knows fully well that they cannot be a great fielding outfit but can make it up in batting and bowling.
Delhi's strong batting line up of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith and Pant himself will look to fire on all cylinders right from the opening game.
While T20 is primarily a batsmen-dominated format, the bowlers have evolved over the years and left a mark with their clever innovations.
There are many who see a potential drop in interest by brands this year given that election news tends to cut into sports viewership.
Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni batted at number seven against , promoting the likes of Sam Curran, Jadhav and Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of himself but the ploy backfired badly
West Indies created history by becoming the first nation to win the ICC World T20 twice with a dramatic four-wicket victory against England riding on Carlos Brathwaite's magical finish at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on Sunday.
Rival openers Evin Lewis of the West Indies and India's Lokesh Rahul have made huge gains in the latest ICC Players Rankings for T20I Batsmen after slamming fine centuries in the recent two-match series in Lauderhill, USA, played on 27 and 28 August. The first match, in which a T20I record aggregate of 489 runs were scored, saw Lewis slam a 49-ball 100 in the West Indies' total of 245 for six that has helped him move up 288 slots to reach 51st rank.
Thirty-four-year debutant Zulfiqar Babar took three key wickets then struck a six off the final ball of the match to give Pakistan a two wicket victory over West Indies in the first Twenty20 international on Saturday.
A recurring back injury will certainly keep Chris Gayle out of the upcoming home Test series against England, but the destructive West Indies batsman insists that he is not retiring from any format of the game.
Dhoni's CSK will take on Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener on Saturday. Fleming, a former New Zealand captain, stressed that his team's experience of winning big matches will come in handy during the next 53 days.
High on confidence after their emphatic victory over England, the West Indies will once again look for an explosive knock from Chris Gayle to inch closer to a semi-final berth when they take on defending champions Sri Lanka in a World Twenty20 Super 10 Group 1 match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
'18 threats' that international cricket faces right now
All eyes were on Virat Kohli during the team's two-and-half-hour training session on the eve of the second One-Day International between India and the West Indies at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in New Delhi, on Friday.
India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named captain of ICC's ODI Team of the Year, but none of the Indian players found berth in governing body's Test Team of the Year, led by Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India's all-powerful Working Committee will meet in Hyderabad on Tuesday to decide on whether to impose a freeze on future West Indies tour and claim damages in the wake of the unprecedented move by the Caribbean team to pull out of the remainder of India tour because of the pay dispute with the Board.
It will be a battle of tactics as a formidable Chennai Super Kings, led by the wily Mahendra Singh Dhoni, square off against a confident Royal Challengers Bangalore under an aggressive Virat Kohli in the second qualifier of the Indian Premier League, in Ranchi on Friday.
Defending champions the West Indies trounced Pakistan by 84 runs on Tuesday to set up a semi-final meeting with Sri Lanka in the ICC World Twenty20. Led by a late charge from Dwayne Bravo (46) and skipper Darren Sammy (42 not out) the West Indies put up an impressive 166 for six after electing to bat and then shot out Pakistan for a meagre 85 in 17.5 overs.
The West Indies will need the likes of Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran to fire to make a good start and win at least three group matches to qualify for the semi-finals.
Kings XI Punjab released explosive South Africa batsman David Miller after eight IPL seasons along with Englishman Sam Curran and Australian pacer Andrew Tye.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings, in Dubai, on Thursday.
With Yuvraj Singh's injury-forced ouster disturbing their settled line-up, India have been left with a selection dilemma to handle as they gear up to take on the flamboyant and unpredictable West Indies in what promises to be a battle of nerves in the World Twenty20 semifinal in Mumbai on Thursday. Yuvraj, who has not got big runs but was involved in crucial stands with top performer Virat Kohli during the group stage matches, has been ruled out owing to an ankle injury that he sustained in the must-win game against Australia. Manish Pandey, not in the original 15, has been penciled in to replace the all-rounder in the squad although Ajinkya Rahane is also present as a viable alternative. But it remains to be seen whether skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni chooses between the two or decides to go with rookie all-rounder Pawan Negi.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will be aiming for revival when they clash against out-of-sorts Gujarat Lions in an Indian Premier League match.
Chennai Super Kings pace spearhead Ashish Nehra said dismissing Rohit Sharma, when the Mumbai Indians' skipper was poised for a late assault, proved crucial in his side's six-wicket triumph over the home side in Friday night's IPL match in Mumbai.
The right-handed batsman mercilessly trolled his teammate Chahal after a shirtless picture of the leggie
Every person was tested 72 hours before they travelled in order to ensure that all members of the party were travelling virus free.
Left disappointed after their Group A match of the Champions League Twenty20 was washed off without a single ball being bowled against Lahore Lions, Chennai Super Kings would be looking to shut out Perth Scorchers on Saturday to book their last-four spot.
ujarat Lions face the challenging task of gathering themselves and bounce back when they square off against the consistent Kolkata Knight Riders.
The variety in Sunrisers Hyderabad's bowling attack will pose a few tricky questions for Mumbai Indians
A disciplined Chennai Super Kings produced an all-round effort to defeat Perth Scorchers by 13 runs in Bangalore and brighten their hopes of earning a semi-final berth in the Champions League Twenty20.
West Indies' two-time World T20-winning captain Darren Sammy has defended his team-mate Chris Gayle, who has once again revived accusations of sexism against him with some lewd comments in an interview with a British daily. Gayle, 36, came under fire for asking Australian broadcaster Mel McLaughlin out on a date in a live television interview during a Big Bash Twenty20 game in January. In the ongoing IPL, the Royal Challengers Bangalore opener sparked another sexism row when he asked a Times journalist a string of inappropriate questions. Sammy, however, chose to play down the latest row. "Chris Gayle is the universe boss, a team-mate of mine who I admire and respect. I just think people target Chris for no reason. "To me, Chris is one of our cricketing heroes. He's an entertainer, first, but a lot of people have jumped on his back," Sammy was quoted as saying by 'ESPNcricinfo'. He added, "I always support Chris because of what he does on a cricket field. Yes, we have a responsibility to ourselves, and the people who watch us, but sometimes I feel Chris is a target for newspaper headlines."
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni credited the clinical effort of his bowing unit for setting up the platform for the comfortable six-wicket win against Delhi Capitals in the Qualifier 2 match, in Visakhapatnam, on Friday.
Chennai Super Kings will aim to maintain their pole position with a victory over a struggling Kings XI Punjab
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2021's 50 Most Valuable Players.
CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni missed the game against SRH due to a stiff back but is likely to be back for Sunday's match against Virat Kohli-led RCB.
Sympathising with the West Indies players for their India tour pull-out after a fallout with the West Indies Cricket Board, Brian Lara said that communication between the players' and the board is key and it's time to stop making internal issues a public matter.
A blazing 115-run stand between David Miller and Glenn Maxwell helped Kings XI Punjab pull off a sensational six-wicket win over formidable Chennai Super Kings in their opening Indian Premier League match in Abu Dhabi.
CSK will be brimming with confidence having defeated the Royals earlier in the season
West Indies skipper Darren Sammy made it clear that they "can't take England for granted" in the opening group league fixture of the ICC World T20 on Wednesday in Mumbai.