When AB de Villiers is in full flow, no target is beyond him. Rajasthan Royals discovered it the hard way when de Villiers came up with an incredible exhibition of strokeplay in the death overs to take Royal Challengers Bangalore to a seven-wicket victory from a difficult position.
Rewarding for his all-round show during the on-going India 'A' ODI series against Bangladesh, the Indian selectors have picked up youngster Gurkeerat Singh Mann for the three T20 Internationals and the first three ODIs for the upcoming home series against South Africa.
Both DC and RCB have looked solid so far and are placed atop the standings with three wins out of four games each.
The dew factor will go out of the window but the searing heat will be an issue when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on a better prepared Rajasthan Royals in the first of the 10 IPL double-headers, in Abu Dhabi, on Saturday.
Rohit Sharma is likely to miss his third game in a row when Mumbai Indians take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday with both teams aiming to secure their spot in the IPL play-offs.
After a shock defeat against Bangladesh 'A' in the second One-dayer, India 'A' will look to get their act together and clinch the unofficial three-match ODI series as they go into the third and final match, in Bengaluru, on Sunday, with both teams locked 1-1.
For tennis-ball sensation Ramesh Kumar, the Rs 20 lakh contract with KKR has ensured that his father doesn't have to make a living as a cobbler and his mother no longer needs to criss-cross villages in Punjab's Fazilka district to sell bangles.
The bowling attack looks the most settled this year and if batting manages to compliment the bowling, RCB can expect to have a solid season.
Devdutt Padikkal (5) and skipper Virat Kohli (7) departed in quick succession early, both falling to Sandeep Sharma (2 for 20).
An in-form Delhi Capitals will fancy their chances of securing a play-off berth when they face Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League in Sharjah on Tuesday.
A complete list of players, who failed to attract any bid in the IPL 2021
Virat Kohli said that many people do not have faith in the side's abilities but all players do have the desired confidence.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to shrug off the disappointment of two back-to-back defeats and get back to winning ways when they taken on Sunrisers Hyderabad as they aim to seal their place in the play-offs, in the IPL match, in Sharjah, on Saturday.
Young Karan Sharma led from the front with a calm and composed 93 not out as Uttar Pradesh knocked out favourites Karnataka with a five-wicket win in their Ranji Trophy quarter-finals.
India made two changes for this must-win game, with Gurkeerat Mann and Rishi Dhawan handed debuts on account of their all-round capabilities. Ravichandran Ashwin and Manish Pandey made way for them in the playing eleven.
The Indian cricket team would get into the groove for the short limited-overs series against Australia with a couple of warm-up games against a Western Australia XI at the WACA ground on Friday and Saturday. While the first match tomorrow is slated to be a T20 affair, the second match scheduled the day after will be a 50-over warm-up game against the same opposition. It will certainly not be the first team of Western Australia which is better known as Perth Scorchers, which will be playing in the warm-up games. It will be a second string squad that will take on the Indians.
Images from Saturday's IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, in Dubai.
Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders would strive for a handsome win over struggling Rajasthan Royals in their last round-robin game to stay ahead in the IPL play-offs race in Sharjah on Thursday.
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.
Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be striving to turn around their fortunes in IPL 2021 after a below-par showing last season.
David Hussey led a dramatic fightback with an unbeaten 35-ball 65 as Kings XI Punjab defeated Deccan Chargers by four wickets and kept alive their hopes in the Indian Premier League in Mohali on Sunday.
Arun Karthik hammered nine boundaries and three sixes, in his match-winning knock and fittingly finished the game with a boundary.
Following is the list of players who have been released by the different franchises ahead of the auction for the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League.
With nine defeats from 11 matches, the Sunrisers are languishing at the bottom, while KKR, in fourth place with 10 points from 12 matches, still have hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stage.
Punjab batsman Gurkeerat Singh Mann, a surprise inclusion as the 17th member of the squad for the Bangalore Test, retained his place for the next two matches as well.
On a roll post the IPL's resumption, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will look to continue their winning streak when they meet in a high-octane Indian Premier League encounter, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
Perennial underachievers Royal Challengers Bangalore endured another disappointing IPL campaign, but their performance in the second half of Season-12 has given them something to be proud of, said skipper Virat Kohli, after defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by four wickets, in Bengaluru, on Saturday.
De Villiers was in quarantine for six days after arriving in the UAE and hit the nets after clearing three COVID-19 tests. The session was also attended by Umesh Yadav, Parthiv Patel and Gurkeerat Singh among others.
Jaydev Unadkat was smashed for as many as 25 runs in the 19th over which all but sealed the contest in RCB's favour.
Eyeing a maiden IPL title, the fancied Delhi Capitals will face another litmus test in the form of a Kolkata Knight Riders unit brimming with optimism when the two sides lock horns in the Qualifier 2 match in Sharjah on Wednesday.
It will be a test of Virat Kohli's tactical acumen against the ice-cool demeanour of Eoin Morgan when perennial underachievers Royal Challengers Bangalore clash with former champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator in Sharjah on Monday.
Spinner Ravindra Jadeja reaped rich dividends for reading the pitch well and grabbed 5 for 95 as India Blue looked all set to win the first-ever day/night Duleep Trophy, having secured a huge 337-run first-innings lead.
Manish Pandey continued his good form in the limited-overs' format, scoring an unbeaten 99 as defending champions Karnataka beat Mumbai by four wickets to enter the semi-finals of the National One-Day Championship, for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, in Vadodara, on Friday.
In addition to the Karnataka batsman, leg-spinner Karn Sharma, who has been in great form for India A against the Black caps A side, was called as a replacement for injured Rajasthan youngster Rahul Chahar.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's astute captaincy will be Chennai Super Kings' biggest weapon against a clinical Kolkata Knight Riders, whose troika of top-notch spinners promise to hold the aces in the high-octane Indian Premier League final in Dubai on Friday.
A summary of the first day's proceedings in the Ranji Trophy matches across the country.
Check out the Kings XI Punjab squad for the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League.
Jasprit Bumrah completed a century of wickets in the IPL as he registered wonderful figures of 3/14 to bowl the Mumbai Indians to victory over the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
A pool of 346 cricketers will go under the hammer at the IPL Player Auction in Jaipur on December 18.
Ishank Jaggi scored an unbeaten century while Ishan Kishan made 83 to hand Jharkhand the crucial first innings lead over Haryana in a Ranji Trophy match.