Kolkata Knight Riders may have missed a trick by not playing Kuldeep Yadav on a slow Sharjah wicket but skipper Dinesh Karthik said AB de Villiers put the game beyond their reach with an incredible display of power-hitting.
Jasprit Bumrah started off from where he had left before being laid low by stress fracture as he bowled flat out at the India nets in Guwahati ahead of their first T20 International against Sri Lanka on Sunday. Closely monitored by team's support headed by Ravi Shastri, Bunrah hit the straps straightway, bowling with pace on a breezy winter evening on Friday even as the Sri Lankan team decided to take rest for the day.
For KKR, the biggest cause of concern will be the availability of big-hitter Andre Russell, who hurt his knee when he dived into the advertisement boards after missing a catch on Saturday.
SunRisers Hyderabad has the biggest purse while Kolkata Knight Riders has the slimmest purse.
KL Rahul will have to show drastically improved leadership acumen when he leads India against a buoyant South African side in the second ODI on Thursday.
Captain Virat Kohli led India to a resounding seven-wicket win over South Africa in the second T20 International with an unbeaten half-century, in Mohali, on Wednesday.
Former India captain Gautam Gambhir has said Delhi chief coach KP Bhaskar made talented youngsters "so insecure" that he was left with no option but to ask him a few tough questions.
Saker took the unusual step of publicly criticising his bowlers in the fourth and final Test against India in Sydney last month, revealing discord with staff over tactics.
Rajasthan Royals, who have won their last two games, will look for another victory against RCB and keep their hopes alive of making it to the IPL play-offs.
Vidarbha inched closer to a maiden Ranji Trophy title by grabbing a commanding 233-run lead against a Delhi side that looked defeated for better part of the day, as little-known Akshay Wadkar chose first-class cricket's biggest stage to compile his maiden century, in Indore, on Sunday.
Selection committee will leave it on Kohli to decide whether he needs a break or continue playing.
The 36-year-old Gambhir, who had captained Delhi in the Ranji Trophy for the past four seasons, expressed his desire to continue as a player.
Warner would be looking to make the most of the early start and put runs on the board again.
There are 19 players available for selection and with two in contention for each slot
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji list the Most Valuable Players in the Sri Lanka-India ODI series.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad in another must-win Indian Premier League encounter
Gujarat Lions and Delhi Daredevils will look to salvage pride when they clash in the Indian Premier League in Kanpur on Wednesday.
Wriddhiman and Hanuma Vihari are the two Test specialists who have been included in the 'A' squad to prepare for the two-Test series starting late August.
Kohli, the IPL's highest scorer with 5,878 runs, is set to open the innings to give his team the early momentum.
Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha and young opener Prithvi Shaw are unlikely to be picked for the remaining Tests in Australia as India look to ring in wholesale changes after the batting debacle in Adelaide.
India would eye nothing less than a clean sweep when they take on an Australian side significantly weakened by injury blows, in the third and final T20 International, in Sydney, on Tuesday.
It will be a test of Virat Kohli's tactical acumen against the ice-cool demeanour of Eoin Morgan when perennial underachievers Royal Challengers Bangalore clash with former champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator in Sharjah on Monday.
A series win will be an ideal confidence booster for India before the visitors hit Test match mode.
Team India possess a much more balanced squad in the shortest format.
Vidarbha claimed their maiden Ranji Trophy after beating Delhi by nine wickets in the final of India's premier domestic tournament, in Indore, on Monday.
Whether he is batting in the middle or fielding at the boundary line, Virat Kohli's every move will be tracked, though some of that attention will now be on skipper K L Rahul.
Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore have won only three games out of 10 in IPL-12 so far.
"How can people forget Jasprit Bumrah's numerous match-winning performances just after a couple of indifferent ODI games?" asked a miffed Mohammed Shami on Saturday to counter the criticism levelled at his new ball partner. Bumrah went wicketless in all three of India's defeats against New Zealand in the ODIs with questions being raised over his performance.
Royal Challengers Bangalore's head coach Simon Katich and Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson backed Virat Kohli to stay as the captain despite yet another IPL heartbreak and the criticism around it.
In charge of a house in complete disorder, Virat Kohli will hope that Royal Challengers Bangalore play in the manner that defines his cricket when they meet Delhi Capitals in the IPL match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
At stumps on the second day, Jaffer was batting on 61 off 120 balls and Akshay Wakhare was yet to open his account, as Vidabha trailed by 89 runs.
Both teams have been more than disappointing thus far in the IPL and need a win to revive their respective campaigns.
With Jasprit Bumrah "ready and roaring" after an injury scare, Mumbai Indians will fancy their chances against an erratic Royal Challengers Bangalore when the two star-studded teams square off in the IPL, in Bengaluru, on Thursday. The big sub-plot of the contest will be the world's best ODI batsman -- Virat Kohli -- taking guard against the world's best ODI bowler -- Bumrah -- in a format notorious for its unpredictability.
The Virat Kohli-led RCB has won five of its eight games on the back of all-round performances but seemingly blundered in the eight-wicket defeat to laggards KXIP on Thursday.
All-rounder Krunal Pandya and medium pacer Deepak Chahar earned their maiden call up in the Indian squad to replace the injured Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah for the three-match Twenty20 International series against England, starting in Manchester on Tuesday.
New Zealand had it all under control in the third T20, with two runs needed off four balls and six wickets in hand to overhaul India's total, but they faltered.
Saurashtra seamers Jaydev Unadkat, Shaurya Sanandia and Chirag Jani shared seven wickets among them to bundle out Haryana for 140 in their second innings and lift their team to an innings and 31-run victory on the third day of their Group B Ranji Trophy match, on Sunday.
Karnataka pacer Abhimanyu Mithun picked a five-wicket haul in their Group B match against UP. While Delhi's Ricky Bhui put his team in a good position against Andhra. A round-up of Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Wednesday.
Only pride will be at stake when Delhi Daredevils host embattled Royal Challengers Bangalore in an inconsequential IPL game in New Delhi, on Sunday, with both teams seeking an end to their misfiring campaign on a positive note.
Rising Pune Supergiant, who have gone from strength to strength, will look to seal their place in the Play-offs with a win over inconsistent Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League in New Delhi, on Friday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances