'You could argue that middle-order role is one of the hardest in any cricket team. That's what we've identified, we've got to give guys a go.'
Suryakumar Yadav-led India ready for Aussie challenge as T20 World Cup preparation begins.
All-rounder Marcus Stoinis played a crucial role as Royal Challengers Bangalore registered their first victory in IPL-12, in Mohali, on Saturday. The Virat Kohli-led side beat Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets to end their run of six straight defeats.
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League Qualifier 2 match played between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill, both in strong form after their Champions Trophy triumph with India, look to lead their respective teams, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans, to IPL glory in the 2025 season.
The Aussies also named a 14-player group for the first two T20I matches against India, with Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis earning recalls after they missed the recent T20I series with South Africa.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru raced to their first IPL final since 2016 with an eight-wicket thrashing of Punjab Kings in a lopsided Qualifier 1 match.
A full-strength Punjab Kings will fancy their chances of securing their first top-two finish in 11 years, when they face Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
Images from Friday's IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals, in Sharjah.
His experience and mastery with the ball shone through as he single-handedly restricted LSG to their lowest-ever Powerplay score -- a paltry 27 for 2. This early stranglehold effectively stalled LSG's batting momentum and set the tone for the entire match.
Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer has delivered a firm and timely reminder of the league's identity
Aaron Finch's side will head to Sunday's decider in Hobart buoyed by Australia's first win in the short format since January and having delivered some badly needed cheer for the struggling cricket nation.
This squad is by far one of the most compact in Punjab's IPL history and with the tactical genius of Ricky Ponting at the helm, it will be a folly to write them off at any time of the competition.
Marcus Stoinis, a limited-overs specialist, said that Delhi Capitals has a right balance.
Shreyas Iyer's inspiring leadership faces its toughest test yet when Punjab Kings host an equally upbeat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League in Mullanpur on Thursday.
Shubman Gill's form in the series is a concern for India as he has now gone six games without a half-century.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have very little time to pick up the pieces after a debilitating loss as they eye a much-improved display from their batting unit in a return Indian Premier League match against in-form Punjab Kings in Mullanpur, Punjab, on Sunday.
Ricky Ponting believes all-rounder Marcus Stoinis is playing 'five times better' than what he was a year ago and could take up multiple roles for Australian cricket in limited overs cricket, including the job of a finisher.
If Punjab goes for a flat deck, there is no guarantee that the bowling unit can defend anything in the 220 range, especially when KKR have the likes of Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, and Venkatesh Iyer in their ranks.
MI Cape Town secured a bonus point victory over Durban's Super Giants in their SA20 league match, thanks to a brilliant knock from Ryan Rickelton and a destructive finish from George Linde.
The performance marked a significant milestone for Zampa, as he became the first Australian bowler to reach the coveted 100-wicket mark in T20 Internationals
Delhi Capitals will be desperate to arrest their slump and stay in contention for a play-off berth when they take on high-flying Punjab Kings in a crucial IPL match in Dharamsala on Thursday.
After registering a 17-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League on Saturday, Delhi Capitals all-rounder Marcus Stoinis said they now have the belief to upset the mighty Mumbai Indians in Tuesday's final.
The Bellerive Oval is one ground where the side boundaries are smaller in size, hence hitting the right lengths would be paramount considering anything short would be flying over cover, point, square leg or mid-wicket on either side of the fence.
The contrast between Iyer's selflessness and Kohli's perceived self-interest fuelled online discussions, with many interpreting Shastri's comment as a veiled critique of Kohli's actions.
With the dew playing a role, the fielding of the two teams was nothing much to write about.
Mohammed Nabi picked up a smart catch at the boundary ropes to end K L Rahul's knock.
All-rounder Marcus Stoinis was called up for Australia's two remaining Tests in India on the strength of his bowling and previous performances in the region, interim chief selector Trevor Hohns said on Thursday.
Australian batter Matthew Short is relishing the opportunity to face "world-class" Indian bowlers in the ongoing five-match T20I series.
Australia's new squad member Peter Handscomb will be thrust into the cauldron of Thursday's World Cup semi-final against England as replacement for Usman Khawaja, coach Justin Langer has said. Langer also confirmed that all-rounder Marcus Stoinis had passed a fitness test and was ready for Edgbaston while refusing to guarantee the mercurial Glenn Maxwell a place in the team.
With the announcement of IPL resumption imminent, Punjab find themselves well-placed with majority of their star Indian and foreign players already in the country and on standby.
Australian star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is hopeful of regaining fitness in time for the latter half of the upcoming T20 International series against India after undergoing surgery on his fractured right wrist.
'Any time Smith and Stoinis are there there's a chance. They are both quality players and given the opportunity, they would have taken the match closer.'
Australian chair of selectors George Bailey said Fraser-McGurk and Short made "compelling cases" for selection, and provide better than adequate cover should squad members go down during the tournament.
Images from Sunday's IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab in Dubai.
It was a last-minute [situation], to transition my mind from not playing to playing, said Ashton Turner, who made the most of his opportunity with a match-winning 84 off 43 balls to help Australia level the five-match ODI series 2-2.
Virat Kohli inched closer to a maiden IPL title after Royal Challengers Bengaluru thrashed Punjab Kings by eight wickets in a lopsided Qualifier 1 match.
Should Stoinis and Marsh prove their fitness over the next couple of weeks, Finch said it was unlikely that exciting young all-rounder Cameron Green would play a part at the World Cup.
Kings XI Punjab bowlers displayed exceptional death bowling skills as they shocked a formidable Delhi Daredevils by 9 runs in an IPL encounter.
With Stoinis going way across, the pacer went beyond the tramline and bowled it way outside off but the umpire, instead of calling it wide, deemed the delivery legal, much to the batter's chagrin.
