The 32-year-old, undoubtedly the best cricketer Bangladesh has ever produced, was granted a break from the team's short tour of Sri Lanka for three one-day internationals after his heroics at the World Cup in England.
They might have chased down some tricky targets to notch up three successive wins in IPL-9 but Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Moises Henriques feels his team's strength lies in their potent bowling attack. "It so happened that out of five games, we chased four times. We lost one of them and we won three. But I really feel that actually our strength is our bowling," he told PTI. "So, if we have guys like Mustafizur (Rahman) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Barinder Sran bowling under pressure when we are bowling second, when we are having to defend, it probably would suit us even better than batting second. "We have been very lucky that David scored runs quickly in the last three games in a row. But I still feel bowling is our strength as a team. So, if anything, batting first would probably, actually suit us better as a team," he said. Though the team missed the services of seasoned Ashish Nehra due to injury, the left-arm fast bowler Barinder Sran rose to the occasion, he said.
For a team that looked at ease all along, it was their first defeat in the UAE leg -- and three from 11 matches this season -- as Delhi struggled to get going against KKR bowlers who made full use of the slow surface after opting to bowl.
Virat Kohli and Steven Smith will be eager to stem the rot when Royal Challengers Bangalore square off with Rising Pune Supergiants in an Indian Premier League encounter.
Delhi's performance at home is woeful, but having registered a win after two consecutive losses at the Kotla, the Shreyas Iyer-led outfit is high on confidence.
It will not be the first time that the competition has had to be held outside India.
After back-to-back losses against Delhi Daredevils and Rising Pune Supergiant, Sunrisers eked out a seven-wicket win over table-toppers Mumbai Indians at Hyderabad and David Warner's men need another inspiring show.
Rishabh Pant stroked a fifty as India trounced Bangladesh by 60 runs.
Anil Kumble is happy that KKR leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy is back in his element having sorted his technical issues.
Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers' impressive defence of modest totals continued as the visitors pulled off a 11-run win over Rajasthan Royals on a tricky pitch to claim the top spot
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.
As in all successful comebacks, strong leadership will be key for the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals.
New outfit Gujarat Lions have witnessed a dream start to their debut Indian Premier League season and the team's head coach Brad Hodge feels they have plenty of match-winners who can help them continue in the same vein in the remainder of the tournament.
Rohit has not been at his best with the bat and Smith wondered if it has to do with him leading the country across formats.
Following the Bombay High Court's verdict to move the Indian Premier League games after April 30 out of drought-hit Maharashtra, the Indian Premier League, on Friday, picked Bengaluru as the venue for its season 9 finale, and offered four alternate home options to the state's affected franchises.
Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Gary Kirsten has called for "structural changes" in the set-up while maintaining "continuity", but the bigger question remains whether the former India coach will remain at the helm of the franchise after two dismal seasons in the Indian Premier League.
A resurgent Delhi Daredevils will look to build a winning momentum.
The 5 CCTV cameras at Garware Pavilion in Wankhede stadium where actress Preity Zinta was allegedly molested by industrialist Ness Wadia on May 30 have neither captured any argument nor scuffle inside the premises between the estranged couple, police said on Tuesday.
Dhoni has to ponder over both the batting and bowling departments of his team.
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.
Rediff.com has this and a whole lot more exciting action from the week gone by, encapsulated in this photo feature.
Their fate hanging in balance, a loss in the penultimate league round match may virtually sound the death knell for one of the two teams.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected plea of the Mumbai Cricket Association and the Maharashtra Cricket Association against the Bombay high court's order to shift the Indian Premier League matches out of drought-hit Maharashtra.
Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming is not only ruing the absence of Brendon McCullum from the batting line-up for Indian Premier League qualifier but also the fact that Tuesday's match is an away game for them.
None of three India fast bowlers -- Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami -- which makes it a bit easy for coach Stephen Fleming to sort his combinations.
A steadily improving Delhi Daredevils look all set to challenge the might of title contenders Kolkata Knight Riders when the two teams clash for the second time in the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match, in New Delhi on Saturday.
Their winning momentum punctured after a loss to Rising Pune Supergiants, Sunrisers Hyderabad would look to get back to their winning ways when they take on a struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore in an Indian Premier League Twenty20 match, in Hyderabad, on Saturday.
However, if anyone has unfinished business over a decade of IPL, it is India captain Virat Kohli. He made his intent amply clear earlier this week.
Gujarat Lions would be looking to get back to winning ways when they lock horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore.
'All the venues are high-scoring venues. So what you need is pace.' 'You really want someone to come there and control the flow of runs in the death overs, whether you are setting a target or setting a target.' 'It is going to be the fast bowlers because at how many venues have you seen spinners bowling the death overs?'
Take a look at top picks of all 10 IPL teams
Skipper Dinesh Karthik will face a big test when a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders lock horns with a resurgent Delhi Daredevils, led by double title winning former KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir, in a much-anticipated IPL clash, in Kolkata, on Monday.
Images from Sunday's IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, in Dubai.
Teams play safe, retain star players, total purse at Rs 148 crore versus Rs 198 crore last year
Mumbai Indians' consistency on the big day paid off again during a season where there were more than 30 last-over finishes.
Hit by scams in recent times, the IPL is yet to prove a good business move for its franchisees.
Axar Patel made it clear that he does not consider himself as a substitute of Ravindra Jadeja in the limited overs format and will 'automatically' get selected if he is doing well.
Will Ravi Shastri be retained or will the BCCI opt for a new face?
Former India captain and coach Anil Kumble supported Virat Kohli's view of having five centres for Test matches in order to bring the spectators back to the stadium.
Buoyant Kolkata Knight Riders will look to continue their winning momentum when they face defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
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