Kohli has always led from the front but he knows his search for a maiden title will remain incomplete if the team doesn't perform in all departments.
A roundup of the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day matches played on Wednesday
It will not be the first time that the competition has had to be held outside India.
There were no major surprises with most of the players picking themselves.
Young Karan Sharma led from the front with a calm and composed 93 not out as Uttar Pradesh knocked out favourites Karnataka with a five-wicket win in their Ranji Trophy quarter-finals.
The 10 teams in the league will be bidding heavily for the Indian players in a list of 590 cricketer
Despite the win against KXIP, RCB remain at the bottom of the points table and remain to win all their remaining league games to have any hopes of progressing in the tournament.
KKR's Indian pacers Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi and Prasidh Krishna stressed on how important the next few weeks were going to be for them to get back in the groove for the season.
It all starts in Guwahati on Sunday as the biggest city in Assam is slowly getting back to normalcy after protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Embattled Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have left themselves with little margin for error after a string of reverses, will face a test of character when they clash against Kolkata Knight Riders, in the Indian Premier League, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Delhi Daredevils face a herculean task to revive their IPL campaign when they clash with Kolkata Knight Riders
Will India get their bowling combination right after the debacle in Chennai when they take on a buoyant West Indies in the second ODI
The 10 IPL franchises have so far spent above Rs 388 crore collectively
Karthik will be surrounded by cricketing brains all around him with the 2019 England World Cup winning skipper as his deputy, and New Zealand great Brendon McCullum as the head coach.
Mumbai defeated Vidarbha by six wickets in their Super League Group B match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, in Indore, on Monday.
'The auctions were necessary up to a point, but now the time has come where continuity is very, very, important.'
Images from Wednesday's Indian Premier League match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians, in Abu Dhabi.
The onus would be on their famed batting line-up of Kohli, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell to start firing once again and put pressure on the KKR batsmen.
Selection committee will leave it on Kohli to decide whether he needs a break or continue playing.
A look at how the teams stack up ahead of the mega auction.
With eight points from 11 games, RR are placed second from bottom in the eight-team table and a loss on Saturday will end their slim chances of qualifying for the knockout stage.
A new captain in the saddle, Kolkata Knight Riders would look to sort out their batting woes and strive for consistency when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad in an intriguing mid-table Indian Premier League clash, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
Punjab, who are on eight points from 11 games, need to win the match to keep their play-offs hopes alive, while KKR (10 points from 11 games) also need a victory to boost their hopes.
KKR struggled for stability in the last edition in the UAE, while a change of captaincy at the halfway stage did not help them either.
A roundup of Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy matches on Friday.
Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar heaps praise on young Mumbai batsman Sarfaraz Khan after his unbeaten triple hundred in the drawn Ranji Trophy game against Uttar Pradesh.
Himachal Pradesh, who were bowled out for 130 in their first innings, were 79 for one at stumps on day three needing another 393 runs for an improbable win.
Just a day before Shabana Azmi met with a road accident on January 18, she was celebrating husband Javed Akhtar's 75th birthday bash with the rest of Bollywood. And it was a full house, as *everyone* came forward to pay their salaams to one of Bollywood's leading writers and poets.
Mumbai bowlers restricted Delhi to 211/7 and then cantered to the target in 31.5 overs, as Prithvi Shaw tore into the Delhi attack.
Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be striving to turn around their fortunes in IPL 2021 after a below-par showing last season.
It remains to be seen whether India stick to their combination of three specialist pacers and two spinners combination or bring in an extra spinner in Kuldeep Yadav to partner Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja.
The 21-year-old had limited opportunity to showcase his skills in the last edition, but this time Kolkata Knight Riders coach Brendon McCullum has already given the opener's slot to him.
But the focus will be on 19-year-old Gill, who has broken into the Indian Test squad for the three-match series against the Proteas, starting on October 2 in Visakhapatnam.
In a tight season for India, the first T20 comes only five days after their last ODI against Australia at home.
In an act of gamesmanship, pacers, right-arm quick Harshit Rana (1/27 in 3 overs) and left-arm seamer Kuldip Yadav (2/27 in 3 overs) also wasted time, either faking cramps or tying shoelaces or not delivering the ball even after completing the action.
The focus will firmly be on Prithvi Shaw and the national selectors keeping a keen eye on Mumbai captain's performance as his team takes on Uttar Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final, in Delhi, on Sunday.
Mayank Agarwal has been in top form in Test cricket and he could carry that form into the limited overs series if picked in the playing XI. The Karnataka cricketer is currently playing in the Ranji Trophy and will join the national squad before the opening ODI.
Sreesanth, who was not shortlisted in IPL 2021 auction's final list, returned figures of five for 65 in his first List A game in more than eight years.
After winning the 2nd T20I with ease, the Windies go into the decider with confidence and the tie will certainly not be a cakewalk for the hosts, who will look to seal their second T20I series this season.
Since the trouble in Uttar Pradesh's ruling party became public, Akhilesh has been insisting on sidelining or expulsion of Singh.
