And Kolkata Knight Riders gave their boss man a lot to be happy about -- they defeated the R Ashwin-led Kings XI Punjab by 28 runs making themselves cosy at the top of the IPL table.
With the race for a berth in the play-offs hotting up, fifth-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore will be determined to quell Kings XI Punjab's challenge in an Indian Premier League match in Bangalore on Friday.
Chennai Super Kings, flying high on a three-match winning streak, will look to seal their play-off berth when they take on an erratic Kings XI Punjab in a crucial preliminary match of the IPL, in Dharamsala on Thursday.
Their 'fortress' almost breached by a spirited Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma said his team will now focus on making its home ground a den where opposing IPL teams will be scared to play.
Injury and poor form made it a forgettable IPL for Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman but the time away from the field was well spent as he picked on Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin's brains ahead of the World Cup in England.
Kings XI Punjab captain heaped praise on Glenn Maxwell and Thisara Perera after the five-wicket win against Hobart Hurricanes in Mohali and promised his team will get better in the Champions League T20.
Umesh's two strikes in a single over triggered a batting collapse as Punjab were bundled out for 88 in 15.1 overs.
'It's 2020 and things still don't change for me. When will I stop getting dragged into cricket and stop being used to pass sweeping statements?' Anu asked.
Dropped to the fifth position from third in the points table, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) would look to return to winning ways against an improving Kings XI Punjab in Bangalore on Wednesday to brighten up their play-off chances in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League.
Images from Wednesday's first IPL play-off between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab at the Eden Gardens.
# Pune Warriors have become the second side after Rajasthan Royals to win both their matches in the present edition of the IPL.
# Ajinkya Rahane (98 off 66 balls) has registered his career-best innings in Twenty20 -- his sixth fifty.
Title-holders Mumbai Indians are keen to end their dismal five-match losing streak but the task is easier said than done as they clash with table toppers Kings XI Punjab on Saturday.
Images from the Indian Premier League final between Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Sunday.
He captained Deccan Chargers for three seasons, guiding them to the IPL trophy once before being bought by Kings XI Punjab and Adam Gilchrist says someone in his former franchise has been making "bad" comments about him ever since he left.
Images from the IPL Nights, held across the country after the Twenty20 matches.
Sakshi Dhoni, undoubtedly the fist lady of Indian cricket, seems to have passed on her luck to husband's Chennai Super Kings.
Big-hitting by Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya in the last few overs earned Mumbai Indians victory over Kings XI Punjab, in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Delhi Daredevils restricted the lethal Kings XI Punjab batting line-up to 143/8 courtesy a superb performance from their pace bowlers.
Shaun Marsh's sensational strokeplay helped Kings XI Punjab edge past Rajasthan Royals via the Super Over after the match had finished in a tie in the Indian Premier League, in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday.
After Royal Challengers Bangalore slumped to second-largest defeat in IPL against Kings XI Punjab that ended their seven-match wining streak, skipper Virat Kohli said that the jolt has come just at the right time.
Kolkata Knight Riders produced a clinical bowling and batting display as they crushed Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets to jump to the top of table in the Indian Premier League in Kolkata on Saturday.
The Central excise department slapped a notice on King's XI Punjab cricketer Yuvraj Singh seeking payment of service tax to the tune of Rs 1.15 crore raised on his income from two seasons of Indian Premier League (IPL) and endorsements.
Refusing to be drawn into the furore surrounding a TV sting operation which claims to have exposed corruption in the IPL, Kings XI Punjab skipper David Hussey said he would be "very disappointed" if the media puts a question mark on the integrity of his players.
Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Daniel Vettori has said that his team fell short by 50 to 60 runs despite Chris Gayle (71) and Virat Kohli (45) putting on 118-run second wicket stand together and laying a solid platform against Kings XI Punjab in the IPL match on Wednesday.
Pune Warriors captain Sourav Ganguly has been handed an official warning and reprimand for breaching Clothing Regulations of the IPL Code of Conduct during his team's match against Kings XI Punjab in Pune on Sunday.
Kings XI Punjab spinner Axar Patel believes the IPL is a great opportunity for Indian youngsters.
Pakistani cricketers have been a pariah in the Indian Premier League for the last three seasons but former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood fetched a contract with Kings XI Punjab albeit as an English player.
Kings XI Punjab skipper Kumar Sangakkara was slapped with a one-match ban and a hefty $50,000 fine, for the team's slow over-rate for the third time in the third edition of the Indian Premier League on Sunday.
A superb all-round showing from Marcus Stoinis with both bat and ball helped Delhi Capitals edge past Kings XI Punjab in the Super Over, in a thrilling IPL match.
Mumbai Indians will be keen to get their IPL campaign back on track when they face an upbeat Kings XI Punjab in a crucial away game, in Mohali on Tuesday.
Having found some light at the end of the tunnel, Royal Challengers Bangalore will be keen to expose the chinks in Kings XI Punjab's armoury during their must-win IPL encounter in Indore on Monday.
K L Rahul and Athiya Shetty may not admit to a romance, but their social media posts and comments on each other's pictures speak a thousand words.
Ruturaj Gaikwad looks like Virat Kohli in the array of shots he possesses.
Having suffered back-to-back defeats against Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals will aim to get back to winning ways against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
KKR pacer Mitchell Starc's underwhelming performance is the worst among the specialist bowlers in IPL 2024.
Rajneesh Gupta presents all the important numbers after the second week of IPL 2020.
Virender Sehwag still feels the insatiable hunger for scoring runs and says he would like to make the most of his current form by scoring 'big runs' for Kings XI Punjab in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
There aren't too many better exponents of explosive batting in shortest version than Glenn Maxwell but on his own admission, the Australian all-rounder feels that he is lucky to be playing alongside Kings XI Punjab teammate Virender Sehwag in the Indian Premier League.
