Nothing but a win will keep their play-off hopes alive as defending champions Mumbai Indians take on Gujarat Lions in a do-or-die battle, which will be their final IPL league match in Kanpur on Saturday. With seven wins in 13 matches, Mumbai are currently placed fifth, tied on 14 points with Royal Challengers Bangalore (3rd) and Kolkata Knight Riders (4th) -- both having better net run-rate with one match to go. A loss on Saturday will knock them out of the race for play-offs and Mumbai will hope to pull the rug from under the feet of the Lions this time after suffering a defeat during their home leg on April 16.
'I think he has got some terrific skills with the ball too. He bowled really in his first game against Chennai and bowled pretty well today also. The kid learns really quickly and that is sign of a really good player and someone who has a great future'
The only national team competing in a tournament meant for domestic sides, Trinidad and Tobago's teen batting sensation Adrian Barath says the secret of his side's stupendous unbeaten run in the Champions League Twenty20 is the unity among the players.
Unconquered and amazing Trinidad and Tobago will look to carry on their unbeaten run and seal a semi-final spot when they clash with equally impressive Diamond Eagles in the League A match of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament in Hyderabad on Sunday. Kieron Pollard's exploits with the bat down the order has immensely benefited the Caribbean side in the Twenty20 tournament as twice he played destructive knocks to contribute in his side's impressive run in the event.
Rohit Sharma has been docked 15 per cent of his match fee for showing dissent during India's 14-run defeat to the West Indies in their Twenty20 World Cup Super Eight Group F match in Bridgetown.
While all eyes were on big-hitter Kieron Pollard to set the stadium ablaze, it was Darren Sammy who led the way for the West Indies in their opening match of the T20 World Cup against Ireland on Friday. Sammy couldn't put a foot wrong as the hosts romped to a 70-run victory to kick-start their campaign in grand style.
Ryan McLaren was a surprise choice for the man-of-the-match award by all means, especially considering the fact that the others in contention were the likes of Kieron Pollard and JP Duminy.
West Indies have dropped batsman Lendl Simmons from their Twenty20 World Cup squad owing to a back injury, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said on Saturday. "The 31-year-old right-handed top-order batsman will remain in Trinidad to continue his rehabilitation," the WICB said. "A replacement player will be named in the coming days," it said in a statement. Simmons, who has played 34 T20Is with a top score of 77, joins all-rounder Kieron Pollard on the sidelines after a knee injury forced him to decline signing a player contract for the tournament in India. Spinner Sunil Narine, who is still working to fix his illegal bowling action, and Darren Bravo, who has opted to focus on the longer formats of cricket, withdrew from the West Indies squad last month.
Paceman Brett Lee, all-rounder Moises Henriques and opening batsman Phil Hughes on Friday joined their NSW Blues team-mate David Warner in the Champions League All-Star XI team.
New South Wales (NSW) have shown interest in signing two Indian batsmen - Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik and big-hitting West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard for this summer's domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament.
Rajneesh Gupta brings you all the numbers from the just concluded IPL-12.
Australia on Sunday crushed West Indies by 113 runs in the first One-day International at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Suresh Raina smashed an unbeaten half-century as Chennai Super Kings booked a berth in the second qualifier with a comfortable seven-wicket win over holders Mumbai Indians in the IPL eliminator in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore pacers blew away the Mumbai Indians' top order before shining in the death overs to set up a much-needed 14-run win, which kept them alive in the Indian Premier League Play-offs race, in Bengaluru, on Tuesday.
Defending champions Mumbai Indians in all likelihood will be retaining skipper Rohit Sharma along with Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal, while under- performing Delhi Daredevils may keep Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer in their stable ahead of the IPL auction on January 27.
Jacques Kallis hit a 46-ball 72 and Sunil Narine claimed four wickets as Kolkata Knight Riders scored a 41-run victory over Mumbai Indians in the opening match of the seventh season of the IPL, in Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday.
West Indies have replaced wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin with Shane Dowrich for the four-Test series at home to India.
Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi produced a brilliant performance with both bat and ball to lead his team to a thumping 126-run victory over West Indies in their first One-day International on Sunday.
Mumbai Indians will start as favourites when they take on laggards Kings XI Punjab.
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma was well aware of Shardul Thakur's range of shots as he wanted Lasith Malinga to bowl a slower delivery which turned out to be a masterstroke at the end of a thrilling IPL final.
Table-toppers Mumbai Indians will be itching to avenge their double defeat against Rising Pune Supergiant in the league stage when the two teams face-off in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League in Mumbai, on Tuesday.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji identify the Most Valuable Players in IPL 2019 at the end of the season.
Having managed to field a strong side in the last minute amid a contract row with their Board (WICB), West Indies captain Darren Sammy today said their aim is to bring back the World Twenty20 title to restore the faith among the Caribbean fans. "As of now we are in the World Twenty20 and that's what our focus is on. It's just cricket. At the end we are professionals, but this event means a lot to us as a group. The next World Twenty20 is in 2020 and a few of our guys won't be part of that event so this one is very important for us," Sammy said. "Everyone's focus is on winning. A win here will mean a lot to us and people at home, especially in the current situation of our cricket. It's not just about the men team but the women team as well. "The message is cricket. Once you step out on the cricket field you should not be worried about contracts and other stuff. It's about making your country proud," the skipper of the 2012 World T20 champion side in Sri Lanka told reporters in Kolkata. Presently ranked world no 2 in Twenty20 rankings, West Indies cricket was in serious crisis involving players' contracts in the run up to the upcoming event and a second string side was expected to be named had the row been not resolved at the last minut
Chennai Super Kings' Michael Hussey is happy to be back in the fold and the 39-year-old Australian is open to performing any role for the two-time IPL champions in the upcoming edition.
Rohit Sharma's quickfire half-century went in vain as Rising Pune Supergiant shocked table-toppers Mumbai Indians by three runs, in the Indian Premier League, in Mumbai on Monday.
Mitchell McClenaghan led Mumbai Indians's superb showing with the ball as they thrashed Delhi Daredevils by 14 runs to register their sixth successive victory, in the ongoing tenth edition of the Indian Premier League, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji analyse the players' performance inRediff.com's Most Valuable Players ratings.
The ITF, in a statement on the Davis Cup website (www.daviscup.com), said, 'By virtue of its decision not to send a team to compete against India, Australia has forfeited the tie. India is declared the winner.'
Australia will not send its Davis Cup team to India for next month's tie because of security concerns, Tennis Australia said on Saturday, knowing the country could now face a year-long ban and substantial fine.TA had appealed against the International Tennis Federation's decision to keep the May 8-10 Asia/Oceania group I tie in Chennai, citing security concerns.The ITF on Friday, however, rejected the appeal and upheld the decision of the Davis Cup committee.
The celebrated duo of head coach Ricky Ponting and mentor Sourav Ganguly has managed to instill belief in the team members and that is visible on the field. The team now seems to believe that it can win the title after a long spell as the perennial underachiever of the competition.
RCB have been inconsistent in their first six games in IPL-12, with both their bowling and batting faltering on many occasions.
Defending champions Mumbai Indians paid the price for an indifferent showing and crashed out of the Champions League T20 after being beaten by New Zealand's Northern Knights by six wickets in the final qualifying round match in Raipur, on Tuesday.
Back in the top half of the league table after a convincing win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils will look to build on the winning momentum when they take on defending champions Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League match in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
'Cricket in general is played at a pace below what it needs to be. Cricket needs to be speeded up in all forms of the game. If it puts pressure on captains and bowlers, so be it. We need to ask captains and bowlers to be a little bit surer in their plans'
Sunil Narine and Kemar Roach took three wickets each as Bangladesh were bowled out for 70 to give West Indies victory in the second one-day international by 177 runs on Friday.
Images from the IPL match played between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians on Saturday
Even as they struggle to find the winning formula, laggards Kings XI Punjab will still fancy their chances when they host Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League cricket tournament in Mohali on Monday.
KXIP are riding a roller-coaster ride, having to endure a controversy involving their captain Ravichandran Ashwin who 'Mankaded' Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler in their first match, an act which was legal but criticised by some as against the 'Spirit of Cricket'.
An umpiring howler off the last delivery cost Royal Challengers Bangalore dearly as Mumbai Indians beat the hosts by six runs, largely due to Jasprit Bumrah's brilliant spell at the death, in Thursday's IPL encounter in Bengaluru.
Erratic Sunrisers Hyderabad look to bounce back against inconsistent Mumbai Indians.
