The series promises a fascinating duel between the two modern-day pace greats.
Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants, both struggling in the Indian Premier League, will be looking to turn their fortunes around when they face each other on Friday.
Pandya's inclusion obviously adds firepower to batting and he can also open the bowling if necessary.
Chennai Super Kings will lean on their formidable spin strength under favourable conditions at the Chepauk as well as recent record against Mumbai Indians sans Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, when the two sides face each other in their Indian Premier League campaign opener in Chennai on Sunday.
Drugs ban gives Rabada extra motivation for WTC final, says the Proteas captain
'He is a brilliant player, the way he started in one-day cricket, he has been exceptional. He has been a huge part of India's success at top of the order.'
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen on Saturday rated Protea opener Aiden Markram's measured hundred against Australia in the World Test Championship final as the "best innings" by a South African batter in Test matches.
Suryakumar Yadav's doughty 73 not out proved to be the difference as Mumbai Indians sealed the fourth and final play-off berth with a 59-run trouncing of Delhi Capitals.
Having got off to a start so typical of themselves in the Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians will hope for a quick turnaround when they take on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai on Monday.
New Zealand booked their place in the final of the Champions Trophy against India after a 50-run victory over South Africa.
Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja would open the innings for Australia in the WTC final against South Africa while the fit-again Cameron Green would bat at the No. 3 position.
Quinton de Kock has reversed his retirement from ODI cricket and has been named in both the ODI and T20I squads for the Pakistan tour.
As the battle for semi-final berths intensifies in Group B, top-ranked South Africa will aim to assert their dominance and secure a spot in the final four when they face a struggling England in a high-stakes Champions Trophy clash in Karachi on Saturday.
At the mega auction, Mumbai Indians made some strategic buys, in a bid to build a strong team around their solid Indian core consisting of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jaspreet Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Tilak Varma.
Rohit Sharma scored a fluent 70 off 46 balls, laced with 8 boundaries and 3 sixes, helping his side comfortably chase down a target of 144.
Rohit Sharma fires again as Mumbai Indians pulverise hapless Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets.
Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene on Friday said star pacer Jasprit Bumrah was still recuperating from a back injury and that the team was waiting for him to be cleared by the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
South Africa picked an experienced 15-man squad for next month's Champions Trophy in Pakistan with 10 players having competed at the last World Cup in India in late 2023.
'With the old ball, the way he got Aniket lbw and bowled Simrajeet with a yorker. Siraj has answered all the questions.'
No side has won the IPL title after finishing fourth on the points table. Will Mumbai be able to break that jinx?
Australia will be aiming to become the first-ever side to defend their ICC WTC mace as they take on Proteas in the 'Ultimate Test' from June 11 onwards at Lord's.
New Zealand and South Africa, both laden with world-class talent but often falling short in ICC tournaments, will face off in a tightly contested Champions Trophy semifinal.
Mumbai Indians' fast bowler Ashwani Kumar, who took four wickets on his IPL debut, has been praised by teammate Ryan Rickelton for his pace and ability to swing the new ball.
Limping Bavuma, Markram lead South Africa to brink of history.
MI Cape Town booked their maiden entry into the playoffs of the SA20 tournament with a 10-wicket thrashing of defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Cape Town.
Heinrich Klaasen will captain South Africa in three Twenty20 matches against Pakistan next week.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji check out who could be the Most Valuable Player of IPL 2025 before the final.
South Africa have picked the uncapped duo of batter Ryan Rickelton and seamer Ottniel Baartman in their 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup
WTC Final-bound SA players likely to miss IPL playoffs
Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna's excellent spell with the ball and Sai Sudharsan's fluent fifty inspired Gujarat Titans to a convincing 36-run victory against Mumbai Indians.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 29.
M S Dhoni, known for his sharp judgment and high success rate with DRS, missed it completely. To CSK's dismay, ball-tracking showed there was no inside edge and the ball would have smashed into the leg-stump.
Aiden Markram will replace Temba Bavuma as South Africa captain for the first Test against Bangladesh later this month, Cricket South Africa said on Friday.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy second Semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Wednesday
Rajasthan Royals will face Mumbai Indians in a crucial Indian Premier League match on Thursday, looking to halt the five-time champions' surging momentum.
MI Cape Town advanced to their first-ever SA20 final after registering a thumping 39-run victory over the Paarl Royals in Qualifier 1.
Karn Sharma showed a lot of heart, says MI skipper Pandya
Ashwell Prince, South Africa's batting coach, labelled Aiden Markram as the "man for the big occasion" after the opener steered the Proteas towards what could be a famous run-chase in the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia on Friday.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the WTC Final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's on Wednesday
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