Royals core comprises of three Englishmen -- Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer and their Australian skipper Steve Smith.
Their bid for a third title back on track after a shock defeat in the opening game, defending champions Mumbai Indians would be keen to carry on the winning momentum when they face table toppers Gujarat Lions, who have won both their matches so far, in an IPL game.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes became the most expensive overseas purchase -- bought by Rising Pune Supergiants for a whopping Rs 14.50 crore even as some unheralded Indian domestic players trumped seasoned names to land lucrative deals at the Indian Premier League players' auction.
His bowlers pulled off an incredible win under pressure and Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma said that he always had faith in his pacers to deliver in crunch situation.
'The main motivation when I get a game is to perform for the team and help the team win'
Cricket Australia has made an attempt to lure away its key players from the lucrative Indian Premier League by offering them multi-year central contracts, a report has claimed.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni checked in at Eden Gardens in Jharkhand jersey, motivating his state team in his usual 'captain cool' manner.
To celebrate ten years of its association with the hugely successful Indian Premier League, two-time champions Mumbai Indians are organising a special function in Mumbai on April 10.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will be without captain Virat Kohli for at least the initial phase of the Twenty20 tournament as the India skipper recovers from a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the series-sealing final test win over Australia in Dharamsala.
Indian opener K L Rahul hit pay dirt with a Rs 11 crore deal with Kings XI Punjab, while controversial England all-rounder Ben Stokes also triggered a bidding war before going to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 12.50 crore at the IPL auctions, in Bengaluru, on Saturday.
Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has decided to skip the cash-rich Indian Premier League and play for English county side Surrey next season to improve his game in the longer format.
Among the Indians, while Robin Uthappa was bought by Rajasthan Royals for 3 crore, Test specialists Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari went unsold.
The Australia vice-captain struggled in the four-Test series in India preceding the IPL but has been at his attacking best in the Twenty20 tournament, where he has registered back-to-back 600-plus run seasons.
Buoyed by increased viewership and a relatively controversy-free tournament, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen a spike in its brand valuation to $5.3 billion after the 10th edition, according to global valuation and corporate finance advisor Duff & Phelps.
Magnificent death bowling saw Mumbai Indians snatch an incredible one-run victory from the jaws of defeat against Rising Pune Supergiant in a thrilling final of the Indian Premier League, in Hyderabad, on Sunday.
While T20 is primarily a batsmen-dominated format, the bowlers have evolved over the years and left a mark with their clever innovations.
Desperate to get their campaigns back on track, the two bottom placed teams in the Indian Premier League -- Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore -- lock horns in Mohali on Monday, aiming to keep their winning momentum going to stay afloat in the ninth edition of the T20 league.
The shortest format may have resulted in change of batting philosophy for many but India's star batsman Ajinkya Rahane says that he will never trade his "copybook style" for fancy shots.
Punjab Kings head coach Anil Kumble was extremely satisfied with the new players, including Liam Livingstone and Odean Smith, coming to his franchise during the IPL 2022 Player Auction, the dynamics of which were "very different and challenging".
On a roll after a poor start, Delhi Daredevils will look to complete a hat-trick of victories on home turf when they take on defending champions Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League encounter, in New Delhi on Saturday.
Gujarat Lions fast bowler Andrew Tye has been ruled out for the remainder of the Indian Premier League with a dislocated shoulder.
Senior India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said he is seeking legal advise on the way ahead after BCCI Ombudsman Justice (Retd) AP Shah observed that the bowler should dissociate himself from sports apparel company 'Bhajji Sports', which supplies kits to domestic teams. Shah had investigated the 'Conflict of Interest' issues raised by activist Neeraj Gundey, who had filed a number of such complaints with the 'Office of Ombudsman'. "I have received an e-mail communication from the Board. All I can say at this moment is that I am discussing the issue with my legal advisor. I will act according to his advice," Harbhajan told PTI on Thursday. The company 'Bhajji Sports' is owned by Mrs Avtar Kaur, who is the cricketer's mother. When a senior BCCI official was asked, he said that if Harbhajan is not the owner, anyone else can run the company, he said: "As long as Harbhajan's name does not feature among the owners of the company in any of the deeds, he will not be under the Conflict of Interest purview."
On paper, Kolkata Knight Riders are overwhelming favourites against King's XI Punjab.
The Champions Trophy, to be held in three months' time, would decide the fate of India's most successful cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, his childhood coach Keshav Banerjee believes.
After being missed out on earning a contract from Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises in the auction ahead of its 10th season, veteran all-rounder Irfan Pathan penned an emotional letter to his fans and followers.
Chennai Super Kings will take on holders Mumbai Indians in the opening match of the Indian Premier League, which has retained its earlier match timings, weeks after considering the broadcaster's request for a change in schedule.
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.
The young Tamil Nadu all-rounder knows he has to perform both with bat and ball whenever he gets an opportunity.
In a major boost for Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals -- the two teams who are making a comeback after serving a two-year ban -- they will be allowed to pick from the players, who turned out for Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions squad in IPL in season 10.
Kings XI Punjab's the team's director of cricket operations Virender Sehwag came down heavily at the team's 'irresponsible' batsmen, after Rising Pune Supergiant bowled them out for an embarrassing 73.
Imran Tahir needed less than 12 deliveries to highlight the folly of his rejection at the Indian Premier League auction in February when the leg-spinner set up Pune's thrilling victory in their IPL opener against Mumbai on Thursday.
Even as the dust settles down on IPL 9, Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com presents his Dream XI.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann has urged cricket's governing body to help reduce the workload on players competing in all three forms of the game as he fears the current packed schedule is unsustainable.
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.
Rediff.com has this and a whole lot more exciting action from the week gone by, encapsulated in this photo feature.
Fourth months after splashing out $1.97 million to secure the services of Ben Stokes, Rajasthan Royals cannot be faulted for regretting the splurge as they struggle to stay afloat in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL).
Rajneesh Gupta presents a complete statistical IPL dossier.
You pick the cheerleaders' team you like best.
all-rounder Washington Sundar, who bats left-handed and bowls right-arm off-spin, was picked following a trial by the franchise a few days ago after Ravichandran Ashwin was ruled out of IPL-10 with an injury.
Mumbai Indians need to rethink their strategy; Narine boost for Kolkata Knight Riders.