Neither DC nor LSG look like outfits that give you the vibe of a champion side
'We have all played enough cricket to know what we need to do to best prepare ourselves for these sorts of tournaments.'
They endured a disastrous run the last time around to finish at the bottom of the heap and Kings XI Punjab would be aiming to make amends this season when they begin their campaign against newbies Gujarat Lions in their IPL opener in Mohali on Monday. Kings XI Punjab did not make any big buys this year and have a new captain in South African David Miller in place of Australian George Bailey who was released after leading the side to the last place in the previous season. Virender Sehwag has also retired and he will serve as team mentor this season. The Preity Zinta-owned side continues to lack the team balance as it has not added any significant player, only snapping the likes of all-rounders Farhaan Behardien and Marcus Stoinis, seamer Mohit Sharma and left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh. Last season, their batsmen lacked consistency and whenever they did well, the bowlers let the side down. On the other hand, debutants Gujarat Lions have a balanced side with top-class performers in both batting and bowling. They have explosive batsmen in Brendon McCullum, captain Suresh Raina, Aaron Finch and a plenty of top-notch all-rounders in Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja and James Faulkner.
CSK, LSG seek improvement in top-order batting after opening losses
Captain Virat Kohli hit an unbeaten half-century, while Krunal Pandya picked up a career-best four-wicket haul to guide India to a series-levelling victory in the third and final T20 International against Australia.
Australia's limited-overs' captain Aaron Finch is confident his opening partner at the T20 World Cup, in Oman and the UAE from October 17, will do well despite being dropped by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL this year.
The IPL franchises are now expanding their bouquet of teams across leagues in the West Indies, UAE, South Africa and now the US is another untapped market that wasn't explored despite the Asian diaspora craving for some cricket.
Tanveer, who is yet to play a first class game, got a call up to the national squad on the back of his impressive show for Sydney Thunder in his debut season in the Big Bash League.
With their backs to the wall after conceding a big first innings lead, the top-order faltered again as India 'A' scored 265 for 6 against Australia 'A' by the end of third day's play in the second unofficial 'Test', in Chennai, on Friday.
Jason Holder could well turn out to be one of the most expensive buys at this edition of IPL
The two players were eligible for Aaron Finch's national side after their 12-month suspensions for ball-tampering ended last month.
Chasing India's 251 to level the five-match series, Australia got off to a strong start before the hosts roared back into the contest with some disciplined bowling.
Delhi Capitals had reached the 2019 IPL semi-finals and coach Ricky Ponting believes his team was the best in the competition despite not winning the tournament.
To everyone's surprise, the team management didn't play him during the high-scoring first T20I in Mohali, raising doubts whether he has still attained peak fitness or not.
How the IPL teams have shaped up after the auction.
Australia skipper Aaron Finch on Monday said it will take a very brave man to write Virat Kohli off and what the former India captain has achieved in the last 15 years is just 'ridiculous'.
With Ravindra Jadeja unavailable because of injury, will India include the left-handed Rishabh Pant over Dinesh Karthik who is a designated finisher in the squad?
The 29-year-old spinner claimed the first five-wicket haul in IPL 2020, when he registered career-best figures of 5-20 in four overs to power KKR to a huge 59-run victory against Delhi Capitals.
'To have Glenn Maxwell sitting in the sheds ready to go with two, three overs to go, I think that's a pretty powerful position for our cricket side to be in'
In impressive form throughout the season, Lucknow Super Giants will look to bounce back from the reverse they suffered in their previous match and beat Rajasthan Royals in the IPL fixture at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday and confirm a berth in the play-offs.
Travis Head, D' Arcy Short and Chris Lynn have been dropped, while the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have been rested.
Gujarat Titans will need their batters to fire when they take on high-flying Lucknow Super Giants as both teams look to seal IPL play-offs berth at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Tuesday.
India's Virat Kohli led from the front with a sparkling 61 not out to help secure a series-levelling six-wicket victory over Australia in the third and final Twenty20 International in Sydney.
Aaron Finch's team and its entourage of support staff sat down in a circle on the field, with each member taking turns to talk about the side's run in the tournament
The Indian batters will have to put their best their foot forward against Australia in the series-deciding third ODI in Chennai on Tuesday.
Australia is hoping to finalise a T20 tri-series with West Indies and Afghanistan just before the T20 World Cup
David Miller and Faf du Plessis scored sparkling centuries in a partnership of 252 runs as South Africa beat Australia by 40 runs in a one-day international, in Hobart, on Sunday, to win the three-match series 2-1.
IMAGES from the T20 World Cup warm-up match played between India and Australia in Dubai on Wednesday.
A sixth win in nine games takes IPL debutants LSG closer to a play-off berth, while the task gets tougher for Punjab with just four wins from nine games.
Gautam Gambhir is a politician by choice but a cricketer at heart whose brain never stops ticking when it comes to conceptualising, planning and execution.
Hardik Pandya's leadership skills and India's overall World Cup preparedness will be under focus
Rajasthan Royals captain Steve Smith said they let Delhi Capitals off the hook by conceding an extra 15-20 runs which proved quite crucial in the final analysis, in their Indian Premier League match, in Sharjah, on Friday.
Babar named Pakistan Test captain, takes charge of all three formats.
Glenn Maxwell fights to secure Australia's number six batting spot for the Ashes series.
While some franchises have said there needs to be a six-day quarantine for them and could see them miss their respective teams' opening games, others have pointed out how they should be excused since it would be simply about moving from one bio-secure bubble (in the UK) to another (in the UAE).
In-form Indian opener Rohit Sharma broke back into the top-five at fifth, while skipper Virat Kohli held on to the numero uno position in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI rankings, issued on Monday.
If their performance is any indication, Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals could make for a blockbuster Indian Premier League contest on Sunday evening, an iconic venue adding to its charm.
It was a stunning turnaround for an Australia team which had lost five T20 series on the trot heading into the World Cup.
Images from the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, in Chennai, on Tuesday.
Perennial under-achievers Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab will look to recover from opening losses and put their campaign back on track.
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