Eyeing a top-two finish, Chennai Super Kings will start as the firm favourites when they take on Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League, in Dubai, on Thursday.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Sunday
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.
Almost out of reckoning for a place in the play-offs, bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to play party-poopers when they take on an equally struggling Punjab Kings in the battle of laggards in the IPL in Sharjah on Saturday.
Has the long due transition phase kicked in for India's Test team?
Hardik Pandya has quit Gujarat Titans to rejoin his former team Mumbai Indians, following a trade between the two franchises.
It was batters who mostly lead their teams to victories and some into the knock-outs. While Mumbai trailblazer Sarfaraz Khan continues to find the big runs, Baba Indrajith's consistency wasn't enough for Tamil Nadu to make even the top two in Group H.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Saturday.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan was back amongst the runs with a brisk 52 off 43 balls but it wasn't enough to get India 'A' over the line against South Africa 'A' in a rain-hit unofficial fourth ODI.
The odds will be stacked heavily in favour of India when the title contenders, with an eye on securing a knockout berth, meet minnows Papua New Guinea in the ICC U-19 World Cup, in Mount Maunganui, on Tuesday.
Australia-bound Mohammed Shami defied BCCI's instruction of not bowling more than 15 overs in the Ranji game against Kerala.
Rohit Sharma ended his barren spell with the bat as Mumbai Indians edged Delhi Capitals off the final ball of the match.
A summary of Ranji Trophy matches played on Thursday.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable performances of IPL 2024
It has been a dramatic turnaround for the KL Rahul-led side after a string a losses earlier in the tournament.
The nail-biting win over defending champions Mumbai Indians was certainly a morale-lifter but the inconsistent Kings XI Punjab have another tough battle at hand when they take on table toppers Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, in Dubai, on Tuesday.
Their bowling attacks struggling to find form, Kings XI Punjab and SunRisers Hyderabad will look towards their power-hitters to do the job when the two erratic teams go head to head in an IPL match, in Dubai, on Thursday.
CSK have better resources but they must utilise them to the hilt. Teams:
For any bowling unit, facing the Dhawan-Shaw duo is a scary proposition.
The match, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, will also be a face-off between skippers KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, both seen as future India captaincy material.
A restructured Kings XI Punjab have all the required ingredients to achieve success in the upcoming IPL but they have to ensure that good starts are not squandered and their overseas combination is apt.
With the national selection committee and the team management deciding to promote Rohit as an opener, keeping his spunky strokeplay in mind, the next five Tests could be a make or break for the 32-year-old stylish right-hander.
Getting the opportunity in the absence of Mitchell Marsh, who got married on Sunday, Manish Pandey lasted only one ball and the veteran batter will be keen to make an impact at Kotla.
Cheteshwar Pujara missed out on a second successive double hundred but his 182 went a long way in Saurashtra piling up a mammoth 570 in their first innings against Gujarat on the second day of the Ranji Trophy.
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.
A round-up of Day 4 of the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals on Friday.
A win for Punjab will elevate them to the top four, while a victory for KKR will take them to 14 points
A desperate Sunrisers Hyderabad would seek inspiration from skipper David Warner to arrest any further slide when they take on Punjab Kings in an IPL match, in Chennai, on Wednesday.
Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, on Saturday, emphasised on smooth transition of the Under-19 World Cup winning players, who impressed with their discipline and controlled aggression during their victorious campaign.
Veteran Wasim Jaffer became the first batsman to reach the landmark of 11,000 runs in Ranji Trophy during Day 2 of Nagpur's Group A match against Baroda on Wednesday.
A summary of Ranji Trophy matches played on Tuesday
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Saturday.
Australia looked on course for a total in the range of 250 in the 40th over before India's spinners took charge. The Jason Sangha-led side lost its last six wickets for 33 runs and was dismissed in 47.2 overs.
Both KXIP and the Royals would look to build a winning momentum after starting the tournament as underdogs.
Delhi Capitals will need their under-performing Indian batters to deliver when they take on the mighty and versatile Gujarat Titans in the IPL match in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Domestic giants Mumbai continued its winning run in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy thrashing Madhya Pradesh by nine wickets in Mumbai on Monday.
'At the end of the day, we also had to look at players who will figure in the playing XI.'
Last season, Punjab finished 6th, narrowly missing on the playoffs.
Chahal, who has been an automatic choice in the limited overs format has not played any first-class cricket since December 2016 (against Haryana in Ranji Trophy), but the Indian team management and especially skipper Virat Kohli has indicated that he wants the wiry leg-spinner for five-day matches also.
Unlike in previous years when the under-19 players were in focus and even got lucrative offers, this time the franchises were rather subdued when it came to locking in the junior stars as evidently, it takes time for them to be mature enough for top-flight cricket.
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