England batter Liam Livingstone fetched a staggering Rs 11.50 crore deal from Punjab Kings, who also roped in West Indies fast bowler Odean Smith, for Rs 6 crore, on Sunday, Day 2 of the TATA Indian Premier League 2022 Player Auction, in Bengaluru.
Virat Kohli and Indian cricket remained an enduring love story and Sourav Ganguly held out promise for a path-breaking reign off the field in a year during which the country finally embraced pink ball Tests. There were the heartbreaks, the biggest one being a World Cup semi-final exit, and not to forget the anxious wait on what Mahendra Singh Dhoni might do next after being on a sabbatical for half the year.
The Trinidad cricketer, who suffered the injury during the team's loss to Mumbai Indians on Wednesday, has been a key player for the defending champions, but went for runs in that game.
The home team's bowlers will be wary of Chris Gayle's power-hitting.
India also play a one-day tri-series involving New Zealand on their tour of Zimbabwe starting later this month.
Former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said Pakistan Babar Azam, who is a big fan of Virat Kohli, should learn to play like his "idol" and convert good starts into big knocks by adapting to match situations the way the Indian captain does.
He will have to fight it out with the in-form KL Rahul and a solid Murali Vijay for one of the opening slots in the playing XI of the Test team but Shikhar Dhawan terms the competition "good for Indian cricket" and finds "nothing wrong with it". "I am aware that there could be three players for two (opening) spots. But there is nothing wrong in it. In fact it is good for Indian cricket. To have healthy competitions among players for places in the team is good for Indian cricket and the game in general.
'I think the franchise has grown and MS has grown with it, so it is a great relationship and great fun.'
Sri Lanka produced a near flawless performance in Dharamsala and captain Thisara Perera is expecting an encore from his team in the second ODI to win a maiden series in India.
Joining in the opposition's criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after India failed in its bid to clinch Nuclear Suppliers Group membership, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday took a dig at the PM calling it a "failed diplomacy".
'It's going to be a great game, probably the game of the tournament.'
Morgan expects English cricketers to take full advantage of the IPL, starting April 10.
Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a double setback ahead of the eighth season of the Indian Premier League when New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham and Australia's Chris Lynn were ruled out of the forthcoming T20 tournament with injuries.
The Committee of Administrators (COA) on Friday assured that all six north eastern states will be playing Ranji Trophy as individual units next season with Board of Control for Cricket in India GM (Game Development), Ratnakar Shetty, given charge of their smooth integration.
Pandya's absence means that India will have to rejig their bowling attack. Jasprit Bumrah has already been rested for this series, as well as the tour of New Zealand, and this allows the think-tank to conduct one final experimentation with their bowling attack.
Injured New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson joined the Mumbai Indians squad at its optional practice session in Mumbai on the eve of their crucial Indian Premier League match against Delhi Daredevils at the Wankhede Stadium, on Monday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson informed that pacer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar all set to miss IPL encounter against Mumbai Indians, on Tuesday.
Indian team director Ravi Shastri also made it clear that Shami will figure in the playing XI during the two warm-up games against West Indies (in Kolkata, on Thursday) and South Africa in Mumbai on March 12 in order to assess his fitness.
Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach Daniel Vettori claimed his team is pretty well equipped to handle Kings XI Punjab batsman Chris Gayle's explosive batting because they are aware of his strengths.
India's stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir did not disclose the XI but gave enough indications that he would not make wholesome changes to the squad that will take on New Zealand in the opening one-dayer of the five-match series, in Guwahati on Sunday.
The left-arm spinner is two victims shy of joining an elite club of 11 bowlers with 300 wickets in one-day internationals. Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan heads the list on 534.
Delhi Capitals have never reached the IPL final, never made the top-two, and ventured into the top-four for the first time since 2012.
Shikhar Dhawan's injury has unintentionally forced India to go for a tactical rejig despite convincing victories in the first two games against South Africa and Australia.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson enjoyed a return to form but his Hyderabad Sunrisers were left sweating on their Indian Premier League play-off hopes after a four-wicket loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday.
Kings XI Punjab skipper George Bailey rued making changes to the batting order, saying it played a part in their defeat to Rajasthan Royals in Friday night's IPL match in Pune.
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.
Hardly challenged in a dominating run this season, India once again start as overwhelming favourites when they take on an inconsistent-but-gritty New Zealand in a three-match One-Day International series, starting in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Superb performances by Chris Gayle and Sunil Narine gave the West Indies a comfortable six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the opening match of the tri-series, also involving India, at Kingston, Jamaica, on Friday. Check out some statistical highlights from the Sabina Park match.
'I had got good feedback from the New Zealand series and the Indian team coaches had also said look to work on these things. So, whatever they had said, we worked on it and it is reaping benefits today.'
Jadhav, who also played a significant role in the ODI series decider against Australia in Melbourne, said that everyone is trying to put their best foot forward and grab that spot in the UK bound squad.
Asked for China's comments on India not joining the RCEP deal over concern of cheap Chinese products potentially harming its domestic industry, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media in Beijing on Tuesday that China welcomes India joining the deal.
Table-toppers Mumbai Indians are on course to make it to the play-offs but the game is crucial for Rajasthan, who are languishing in seventh place. Defeat would mean a step closer to elimination.
Dope-tainted pacer Mohammad Asif and opening batsman Imran Farhat will return to the Pakistan Test side after over two years in the first Test against New Zealand starting on Tuesday in Dunedin.
Premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be in focus alongside speedster Mohammed Shami when defending champions India take on New Zealand on Sunday in their opening warm-up game ahead of the Champions Trophy in London.
As the clock ticks down on Brendon McCullum's international career, the New Zealand captain will achieve one more milestone on Friday in the first Test against Australia at the Basin Reserve.
Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma, Joe Root, Hashim Amla and Lasith Malinga were among the big names who went unsold at the IPL auction.
Rajasthan Royals, struggling at the penultimate spot on the points table after two wins and four straight defeats, need something special against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sunday's IPL match in Dubai.
Rajneesh Gupta gives you the numbers-that-matter from the IPL auction 2017.
Surprised and disappointed at being ignored for next month's Sri Lanka tri-series and the Champions Trophy, Indian left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha said he would come back better and stronger.
Stephen Fleming rued that their batsmen let it 'slip' despite having so much resources.
