While the return of pace spearhead Anrich Nortje, who had been nursing an injury, bolstered the bowling unit, the South African, who hasn't bowled since the T20 World Cup in November, looked understandably rusty.
Uncapped Surrey all-rounder Zafar Ansari was named in England's squad on Tuesday for the forthcoming three Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.
Delhi Capitals' co-owner Parth Jindal hinted that the entire league stage of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League could be held in Mumbai this year.
Dhoni's men will have to adapt to the conditions quickly to avoid any such hiccup in the play-offs.
On a roll after five wins on the trot, table toppers Mumbai Indians will look to continue their domination when they clash with struggling Delhi Daredevils in an Indian Premier League game, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
Sitting atop the points table, Kolkata Knight Riders would look to consolidate their position when they clash with an equally confident Delhi Daredevils in what promises to be a thrilling IPL encounter, in New Delhi, on Monday.
Up against Delhi Capitals, RCB will need to address their middle-order woes, to return to winning ways, in what could be touted as a battle of equals.
Eoin Morgan calls for England to make a 'fresh start' after dismal World Cup
The needle clash, expected to be watched by a capacity crowd at the Wankhede Stadium, looks set to raise the curtains on the decade-old T20 League in grand style after a formal opening ceremony.
Young leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal said big grounds like the one at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha, Nagpur, provides him with a chance to flight the deliveries more in order to create a deception.
Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming said that captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni would play a 'more prominent' role as a batsman in the upcoming Indian Premier League by batting 'relatively high' in the order.
Andre Russell's all-round brilliance kept Kolkata Knight Riders in contention for a play-off berth as they recorded a comprehensive 54- run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in a must-win IPL game.
Having outsmarted England in challenging conditions, a confident India will back themselves to win the series-decider in Ahmedabad on Saturday and take another firm step towards finalising their core for the T20 World Cup.
India's Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah unmoved
Tributes poured in for AB de Villiers after the South African batter on Friday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, with Indian maestro Virat Kohli aptly summing up his greatness by calling him the "best player of our times".
India are unlikely to tinker with the winning combination save the return of star white-ball opener Rohit Sharma
SunRisers Hyderabad has the biggest purse while Kolkata Knight Riders has the slimmest purse.
A testimony to KKR's problems has been the fact that 20 players have played in 12 games. There has not been a single game, where the playing XI has been retained, making the outfit look completely unsettled.
Punjab Kings got back to winning ways with a 13-run victory over Mumbai Indians in a high-scoring IPL 2023 match.
Mumbai Indians have called up West Indies fast bowler Jerome Taylor to replace the injured Sri Lankan paceman Lasith Malinga for the remainder of the IPL 2016.
Travis Head returned from COVID-19 to smash a belligerent 101 and Cameron Green made 74 to revive Australia after a top-order collapse on the opening day of the day-night final Ashes Test against England on Friday.
Gujarat Titans have been firing on all cylinders, with their batting prowess and bowling might.
The West Indies will need the likes of Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran to fire to make a good start and win at least three group matches to qualify for the semi-finals.
England batsman Sam Billings says working with Rahul Dravid during his six-week stint for Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League last year helped him improve his footwork against spin bowling.
Nerves will play a big role when title-hungry Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad look to outdo each other and regain the coveted IPL crown when they square off in the final in Mumbai on Sunday.
Chennai Super Kings eliminated Kings XI Punjab from the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a five-wicket win, a result which sealed Rajasthan Royals' place in the Play-offs, in Pune, on Sunday night.
Australia's ongoing tour of Pakistan ends on April 5 while KKR's fifth match of the season is scheduled for April 10.
Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan hit half-centuries as Kolkata Knight Riders edged past Delhi Daredevils by four wickets, in the Indian Premier League, in Delhi, on Monday.
Game over! A 12-year-old Indian-origin boy unknowingly raked up a 1,500-pound (approx Rs 1,27,500) bill for his dad to fret on while playing live video games as he purchased online currency thinking them to be gaming points.
The 11th edition of the Indian Premier League will commence, on Saturday, April 7 and will end on 27th May
Images from the 2nd ODI between England and Ireland in Southampton on Saturday
James Vince's knock of 59 runs enabled England to defeat New Zealand by seven wickets
England face unbeaten New Zealand in the first semi-final of 2016 World T20 at New Delhi's Ferozshah Kotla Stadium on March 30. While England have been champions in 2010, New Zealand will be eyeing their first World T20 title. Following is a factbox of the two teams:
Sri Lanka will have to produce something special to halt England's juggernaut at Sharjah.
Meanwhile, Middlesex middle-order batsman Dawid Malan has been confirmed the replacement of Stokes in the ODI squad.
Left shaken by a bunch of world-class operators, the Indian team's white-ball stars will be aiming to put up an improved batting effort in the second T20 International against England in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
"England played better cricket than us today, and they are deserving winners. Credit to their bowlers, they bowled good, hard lengths with extra pace and bounce," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Assured of a play-off berth, Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to quickly recover from their loss in the previous game and finish the league phase on a high when they take on table-toppers Delhi Capitals in their final IPL round-robin game in Dubai on Friday.
An in-form Delhi Capitals will fancy their chances of securing a play-off berth when they face Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League in Sharjah on Tuesday.
Rajasthan Royals will take a lot of confidence after snatching a two-run victory from the jaws of defeat against Punjab Kings.
