A demoralising defeat in their own den will certainly serve as a wake-up call for the Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers as they take on a menacing Royal Challengers Bangalore batting line-up in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Kolkata, on Sunday.
India's Rohit Sharma jumped eight spots to enter the top five in the ICC batsman rankings after a stellar showing in the recently concluded series against top-ranked Australia.
The odds are in favour of table toppers Kolkata Knight Riders as they square off against defending champions Mumbai Indians, experiencing a campaign that is oscillating between high and low, in a potentially exciting Indian Premier League contest in Mumbai, on Thursday.
While former Delhi skipper Mithun Manhas will be the chief coach, Klusener's appointment is certainly the most high profile among the support staff across domestic teams.
England still top team in ODIs, but only just
Bangladesh teenage spin sensation Mehedi Hasan rocketed into the 33rd position in the rankings for Test bowlers after bowling Bangladesh to their first-ever victory over England on Sunday
A good fast bowler needs a good captain and India speedster Umesh Yadav is thankful to Virat Kohli for letting him be his own man while devising strategy to get batsmen out.
Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim said their approach made it difficult for him to even set the field for the rival batsmen.
Chasing a target of 172, Bangladesh were bowled out for a paltry 98 in 19.1 overs to lose by 73 runs in a lop-sided game, in the ICC World Twenty20 match in Mirpur.
Kolkata Knight Riders, who have lost their last four games, need to get back to winning ways and keep their hopes alive of making it to the play-offs.
Consistency is a word unknown to Bangladesh.
A confident Delhi are coming off two back-to-back victories against Royal Challengers Bangalore and a strong Kolkata Knight Riders outfit.
Sunrsiers' middle-order has hardly been tested and when the opportunity came against Mumbai Indians, the likes of Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda and Yusuf Pathan fell flat.
However, Mumbai will take heart from the fact that they defeated defending champions Chennai Super Kings, their first loss in four games, in the last match.
Their morale on the upswing after back-to-back victories, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will aim to continue the winning run when they take on the inconsistent Sunrisers Hyderabad in their fifth IPL cricket match in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
Guptill wants to utilise his time facing Rashid Khan at the nets to prepare for the World Cup game against Afghanistan on June 8.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders would look to return to winning ways.
Andre Russell played a whirlwind unbeaten knock of 49-runs to script his side's dramatic win after Nitish Rana scored 68 at top of the batting order.
Kolkata Knight Riders might have come up trumps in a high-scoring IPL opener against Mumbai Indians, but skipper Gautam Gambhir was all praise for his bowling unit that was ably led by South African speedster Morne Morkel.
Comeback man David Warner will be the cynosure of all eyes when last year's finalist Sunrisers Hyderabad open their campaign against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the 12th Indian Premier League, in Kolkata, o
Tom Latham and Colin de Grandhomme guided New Zealand to a series-sweeping nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second Test in Christchurch on Monday after the visitors suffered another second-innings collapse on the fourth day.
For the Gujarat Lions to roar, their top-heavy batting order must first win in unison against a consistent KKR bowling attack.
Images from the World Cup Group A match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Melbourne.
England batsman Joe Root and Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath have moved up to second positions in their respective ICC Test player rankings but failed to displace top-ranked batsman Steve Smith and bowler Ravichandran Ashwin.
'Obviously, I think, it is a great, great opportunity especially when you have already won the first game in the series, so it's a great opportunity and I think boys are feeling energetic about it and hopefully we can put up a good show tomorrow'
Ganguly said he is happy that India skipper Virat Kohli as well as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have agreed on a historic first at such a short notice.
Rajneesh Gupta lists interesting records from the first week of the Super 12 competition in the T20 World Cup in the UAE.
Australian opener David Warner has surged to a career-best third in the ICC ODI Players Rankings for batsmen after accumulating 386 runs at an impeccable average of 77.20 in the recently concluded five-match series against South Africa.
The number one ODI status will be on the line when second-placed India and table-toppers South Africa clash in a six-match series, starting in Durban on Thursday.
Indian Cricket Board feel that President-elect Sourav Ganguly's cordial relations with both players and officials in Bangladesh cricket might help in salvaging the situation.
Most of these incredible performances came against one team -- the Gujarat Lions.
ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar has congratulated the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the country's 500th Test, which will be played against New Zealand in Kanpur from Thursday. "This is a huge milestone in the history of Indian cricket. India has been a very important member of the ICC with its rich heritage and great following for the game," Manohar said. "India has produced world-class players who have entertained fans the world over. I congratulate the BCCI on this historic occasion and I'd like to thank the BCCI for their kind invitation to share in the celebration. The ICC wish its team all the best for this 500th Test and in the years to come," he added.
With nine defeats from 11 matches, the Sunrisers are languishing at the bottom, while KKR, in fourth place with 10 points from 12 matches, still have hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stage.
On a roll post the IPL's resumption, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will look to continue their winning streak when they meet in a high-octane Indian Premier League encounter, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, in Dubai, on Sunday.
Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara eye top 10 places while Ravindra Jadeja jumps to career-best third position among Test all-rounders.
Ashwin moves into top-10, Dhawan in career-high 32nd spot in the latest ICC Test rankings
Opener Shikhar Dhawan's attractive stroke-play vindicated skipper Virat Kohli's decision to bat first as India comfortably amassed 239 for no loss at stumps on the first day of their one-off Test against Bangladesh in Fatullah.
As the Indian players relaxed at their hotel in Colombo or went out simply taking some time off, the World No 1 spinner and all-rounder spent the evening with coach Ravi Shastri and other members of the support staff.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will stand in the way of two-time former champions Kolkata Knight Riders' bid to make it to the play-offs in a mouthwatering Indian Premier League encounter.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances