Pushed into a tight corner, Royal Challengers Bengaluru rose above their frailties to notch four wins on the trot and stay alive in the race to play-offs. However, a volatile Delhi Capitals offer them a different challenge in their penultimate IPL league match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Virat Kohli's return to form and a rather dramatic entry into the IPL play-offs will make Royal Challengers Bangalore a more confident unit when they meet a top-heavy Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2022 Eliminator match in Kolkata on Wednesday.
The series loss to South Africa notwithstanding, India held on to their second spot in the team list, while star batsman Virat Kohli rose up a rung to second in the batsmen's table of the latest ICC ODI cricket rankings.
JP Duminy will captain a South Africa Twenty20 squad with three new caps to take on India in three matches later this month, Cricket South Africa announced on Tuesday.
Karn Sharma took a sharp catch off his own bowling to send back Abdul Samad.
Batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson's woeful form will be in focus when Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad meet in a return IPL fixture at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Virat and Krunal inspired Bengaluru to the top of the table by stitching up an impeccable 119-run stand to safely guide the Royal Challengers through the turbulent phase.
'Winding down for team dinner before we hit the road for the away leg.'
IMAGES from Day 4 of the fourth Test between South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg on Monday
India's limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named captain of new Indian Premier League franchise Rising Pune Supergiants on Monday.
'I just want to have a lot of fun and just enjoy myself on the field and give myself fully to this team, like I have for so many years, without any load.'
South Africa batter David Miller picked his preferred spot in the Proteas T20 World Cup setup as well as what they need to do as a team in order to enjoy a successful tournament.
Kohli has not played competitive cricket in almost two months after opting out of the recently-concluded Test series against England at home
South Africa opener Quinton de Kock's attacking 87 set up a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second one-day international in Dambulla on Wednesday, handing the tourists a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
'He (Rahul) pulled his hip flexor, I guess. I do not know how bad it is'
Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his side played a "complete game" to beat Kings XI Punjab and enter the Champions League T20 final.
Glenn Maxwell played a scintillating cameo hitting an unbeaten 32 off 14 balls under pressure to power Kings XI Punjab to a six-wicket win over Rising Pune Supergiants.
Opener Dean Elgar struck his third Test century as South Africa rode their luck to finish the first day of the second Test against West Indies on 270 for two on Friday.
Down and out, the two bottom-placed teams know that this will be their best chance to post their first win in the ongoing 50-over showpiece.
The Capitals sit pretty at the top with 10 points from six games, while the Titans trail close behind with eight from as many outings.
Delhi are enduring a poor start to the season as they have lost all their four games in IPL 2023 so far.
Newly-appointed Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar on Thursday said he would want to pick talisman Virat Kohli's brains to learn the nuances of leadership and stressed on the importance of "standing with players" in all circumstances.
At the halfway point, after winning just two games out of seven, CSK are looking set to miss the play-offs for the first time in their history. Harish Kotian tells Captain M S Dhoni and Coach Stephen Fleming how to get CSK back to its winning ways.
Royal Challengers Bangalore has been officially renamed as Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of this year's IPL
While MI's win will assure them of a place in the play-offs, Delhi Capitals need to win both their remaining games to advance.
While the dropped catches and missed run-outs were undeniable, the match did see some impressive grabs by both teams.
Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen says defending champions Mumbai Indians can ill-afford a typical slow start when the IPL resumes, and the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings have a "fantastic shot" at regaining the title after a poor 2020 season.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni nearly pulled off a heist but Parthiv Patel's last ball run out helped Royal Challengers Bangalore edge past Chennai Super Kings by one run off the last ball in a thrilling finish.
Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock struck commanding hundreds to author South Africa's spectacular fightback before Ravichandran Ashwin wrested back India's control with a five-wicket haul on the third day of the opening Test.
South Africa, who have been hit by injuries to their pacers, finally have something to cheer about with Lungi Ngidi set to make a comeback in their next game against Afghanistan on June 15.
Images from the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, in Dubai, on Sunday.
The Proteas skipper felt that the manner in which Rohit Sharma batted in the second innings for his knock of 127, really made the chase difficult for his side.
Bollywood actress and IPL Kings XI Punjab team co-owner, Preity Zinta, has been confirmed as the owner of the Stellenbosch franchise team in the South African T20 Global League.
Skipper Virat Kohli's weakness outside the off-stump was again exposed as India plunged into deep trouble at 28 for three, after their bowlers dismissed South Africa for a modest 286, on the opening day of the first Test in Cape Town on Friday.
Images from Wednesday's IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, in Abu Dhabi.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Images from Wednesday's World Cup match between India and South Africa, at Southampton.
Some cricketers try to add personality and a unique style to their masks by getting customised graphics on them.
Did you enjoy Mayank Yadav's fiery spell against RCB?
Patidar was ignored at this year's auction only to be picked as an injury replacement
