Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders take on Rajasthan Royals at the Brabourne stadium, in Mumbai, on Saturday, in a perform-or-perish contest, as the race for play-off berths in IPL 8 hots up.
Kolkata Knight Riders will look to regain their momentum and remain in the hunt for the knockout stage when they clash with laggards Royal Challengers Bangalore in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
'I don't think he (Karthik) will be under pressure. First and foremost thing will be to give guidance to this group. He has got a lot of experienced players around him, particularly in overseas group, and there's the likes of Piyush Chawala, Vinay Kumar and Robin Uthappa.'
David Warner, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina and Zaheer Khan have all led from the front in IPL 9.
There have been a number of players who have shown solidarity, but the big guns have been silent, with the stellar exception of former India captain Anil Kumble, notes Suhit K Sen.
The Suresh Raina-led side suffered consecutive defeats against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders and title holder Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening two matches.
The Knight Riders have outplayed Rajasthan both in the home and away games this season.
Former Team Director Ravi Shastri will be the front-runner for the Head Coach's job of the Indian men's cricket team when the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) meets in Mumbai on Monday to scrutinize candidates for the high-profile vacancy.
The likes of Virat Kohli, David Warner will be aiming to silence their critics, while KKR's Shreyas Iyer and Lucknow Super Giants' K L Rahul will be looking to prove themselves after being the handed captaincy of their respective franchises.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2020's Paisa Vasool Players.
Dinesh Karthik's experience got him the nod, says Harish Kotian, but Ambati Rayudu's exclusion is puzzling.
While KKR suffered their heaviest defeat of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last game, Pune looked to have found their mojo in the business end of the tournament having registered consecutive wins in their last two matches.
India's premier Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara will play for Team Zalawad Royals in the inaugural Saurashtra Premier League.
India Test skipper Virat Kohli was among the few cricketers who received a higher actual salary according to the salary details of the retained Indian Premier League players listed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Friday.
'The way he has been interacting with everybody, be it the masseur or the assistant manager or the driver of the bus, or the new players who have not been part of the IPL before, he is making an effort to reach out to them and give them confidence.' 'That speaks a lot about the man that he is.'
The annual study by the research agency shows that Amul, Amazon and Coca-Cola were the most-recalled brands on IPL.
On a roll after back-to-back wins, the vintage Chennai Super Kings would look to extend their winning run when they clash with struggling Kolkata Knight Riders in their next IPL match in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Three-time champion Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals would look to build on their first wins and gain momentum when they clash in the Indian Premier League in Mumbai on Monday.
After Week 4 in the IPL-11, which players offer the best value for money?
As Team India begins its campaign in the Champions Trophy, many await the outcome of the Virat Kohli-Anil Kumble tangle.
'He is getting better and a player like him is probably just one game away from getting his natural way and we have seen it in the past. If I have to put everything together, I am confident of his ability and there is no doubt he will be a valuable asset.'
'Opposition to the idea of a state flag has come from the small thinking pseudo-nationalists, who are the ones pushing Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan.' 'Identifying India wrongly as a one language, one religion nation,' says Aakar Patel.
With it's scandalous past, still fresh in the minds of fans and critics alike, the Indian Premier League (IPL) organisers will look to ensure that the focus remains firmly on cricket when the cash-rich event gets underway with a glamorous opening ceremony on Tuesday.
Against England on Monday and then Wednesday's game versus Australia, the Indian team management would look to give the players who are still not automatic choices in the playing XI, more overs to bat or bowl to get a better idea about their current form.
The 13th edition of the IPL will have added significance as 2020 is also a T20 World Cup year.
Powered by in-form, inspirational leader in Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bangalore would look to inch closer to a maiden Indian Premier League title triumph when they take on table-toppers Gujarat Lions in the Qualifier I, in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
On the other hand, the Royals have managed to win only one of their three fixtures. They lost to Chennai Super Kings in their previous match to slip down to the sixth spot. Sanju Samson and his men will be eyeing a second win.
A clutch of Indian stars led by India and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli are either sidelined or ruled out of this edition of the tournament, lessening the wow factor of the IPL.
Rishabh Pant of the Delhi Daredevils, with a most valuable player index of 897, is the most valuable player of IPL 11.
'We knew these youngsters could turn out to be match-winners and we waited patiently for the last three years because success doesn't come overnight, it takes time.'
Pant had so far scored 222 runs in the IPL compared to a mere 93 by Karthik, but the latter's experience helped tilt the scale in his favour for the mega-event, starting in England from May 30.
Rishabh Pant's brute power will be put to test against Rashid Khan's bagful of tricks in an IPL encounter where Delhi Capitals will start as favourites against SunRisers Hyderabad due to their better bowling resources.
Former batsman V V S Laxman believes tinkering with Team India's support staff is not a viable option and newly-appointed team director Ravi Shastri and coach Duncan Fletcher should stay till the 2015 World Cup.
Gilchrist made the comments after the IPL governing council proposed to have a dedicated "no-ball" umpire to reduce the number of howlers in the lucrative league.
Desperate to break their title jinx, Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore will be hoping for a positive start to their campaign in the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League, when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Bengaluru, on Tuesday.
'India has the best bowling attack they have ever had at any World Cup.' 'They have the best fast bowler in the world in Jasprit Bumrah and then they have got Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who looks good, (Mohammed) Shami looks good.'
Madhuri praised him in Sinhalese, saying, 'Gondhak hundai (Very good)', which instantly made Sanath smile.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Players ratings after the league phase in IPL 10.
Sachin Tendulkar sent out a warning to the teams participating in next year's cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, saying they need to watch out for defending champions India.
Fascinating predictions for the years ahead. A revealing excerpt from Tim Wigmore and Freddie Wilde's Cricket 2.0: Inside The T20 Revolution.
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