A confident Delhi are coming off two back-to-back victories against Royal Challengers Bangalore and a strong Kolkata Knight Riders outfit.
Most of these incredible performances came against one team -- the Gujarat Lions.
Rajneesh Gupta lists interesting records from the first week of the Super 12 competition in the T20 World Cup in the UAE.
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.
Guptill wants to utilise his time facing Rashid Khan at the nets to prepare for the World Cup game against Afghanistan on June 8.
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.
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
Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim said their approach made it difficult for him to even set the field for the rival batsmen.
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.
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.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders would look to return to winning ways.
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.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, in Dubai, on Sunday.
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.
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza had no hesitation in terming India a far better team but said 'my Asia Cup was won' when Tamim Iqbal batted with one hand in their tournament opener, against Sri Lanka.
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.
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.
Ashwin moves into top-10, Dhawan in career-high 32nd spot in the latest ICC Test rankings
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.
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.
India captain Virat Kohli remained in second spot behind Steve Smith while Alastair Cook jumped nine places to be eighth in the latest ICC Test rankings after his unbeaten double century in the ongoing Ashes.
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.
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.
Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara eye top 10 places while Ravindra Jadeja jumps to career-best third position among Test all-rounders.
The victory put all the pressure on England for their showdown with Eoin Morgan's side on March 9 in Adelaide, with Bangladesh now on five points and level with third-placed Australia, while England have two.
It was a sweet revenge for Kolkata Knight Riders as they defeated Rajasthan Royals by five wickets in closely-contested IPL match in Kolkata on Friday.
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.
Two years ago in the World Cup, they beat and finished above England in their group to reach the quarter-finals Bangladesh run to Champions Trophy last four is reward for years of toil
10 all-rounders who may leave a mark on the World T20.
In the ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, Australia's Ryan Harris has moved up two places to second following his six wickets against India in the fourth Test at MCG.
For India, who are considered as title contenders, a good showing in the Asia Cup will give them the much-needed boost going into the World T20.
Cheteshwar Pujara was the highest-ranked Indian batsman despite dropping a rung to eighth while R Ashwin held on to his eighth position in the bowlers' chart of the ICC Test rankings.
'We will play about 10 Tests next year and hopefully we will put up much improved show'
Afghanistan will take on Bangladesh in a three-match T20 series, starting Dehradun on Sunday, dividing their focus ahead of the historic Test debut against India in two weeks' time.
Afghanistan's Rashid Khan came up with a brilliant all-round effort as Sunrisers Hyderabad scored a 13-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in the second qualifier and made the final of the Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens on Friday.
Bangladesh have come close to a victory on many occasions but have failed to cross the line, especially against top teams like India losing the T20 series 1-2.
Martin Guptill stroked a fluent century to help New Zealand edge past Bangladesh by three wickets with seven deliveries to spare, in the ICC World Cup Pool A match in Hamilton, on Friday.
