Royal Challengers Bengaluru's fairytale resurgent run will be up against the might of five-time champions Chennai Super Kings and the weather gods when the two sides clash in an epic do-or-die match to decide the fourth and final team for the IPL play-offs, in Bengaluru on Saturday.
India arrived in Bengaluru seeking a big win over the 2021 champions to improve their chances of making a third successive final in June 2025, but will now need to battle to keep alive their run of 18 straight home series victories since 2012.
Desperate Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be under tremendous pressure to get their act together against an equally struggling Mumbai Indians when the two teams face-off in an Indian Premier League match in Mumbai on Thursday.
Yuzvendra Chahal might be despondent after the selectors snubbed him for the T20I series against Australia, but the leg-spinner channelised his angst positively with a six-wicket burst against Uttarakhand.
How India's players fared in the England series.
Pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada produced an inspired bowling performance to lead MI Cape Town to their maiden SA20 title with a comfortable 76 runs victory over two-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth?
New Zealand can become only the second team to inflict a series whitewash on India in their backyard.
The KKR think-tank might not be unduly worried as their campaign is still at a nascent stage, but they would like to see the first-choice pacer and spinner finding their range at the earliest.
India's Asian Games cricket team captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who played the first two ODIs, has been released from the squad and will link up with the Hangzhou-bound outfit. Also released is pacer Mukesh Kumar, who came in as cover for Bumrah.
Rohit has managed just one half-century in his last eight innings in which he has tallied 104 runs. Kohli's freefall in Test cricket continues. He has fallen to spin three times in the first two Tests. Ashwin, usually, dominant at home, managed just six wickets in the first two Tests at an average of 43.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 2nd Test played between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur, on Monday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore batters overcame some nervy moments after leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga spun his way to a four-wicket haul to register a three-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders.
Bengal's dream of winning a Ranji Trophy after more than three decades suffered a setback as the left-arm Saurashtra pace duo of Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya rattled the home team's top-order, bundling them out for a paltry 174 on the opening day of the summit clash in Kolkata on Thursday.
Rajasthan Royals will face a stern test of character as they look to arrest a shocking slide in a do-or-die IPL Eliminator against an in-form RCB.
India boast of a near perfect record against Bangladesh in Tests, having never lost a Test match against their neighbours.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh?
Roundup of matches across the country in the ongoing BCCI Ranji Trophy
Hardik Pandya has quit Gujarat Titans to rejoin his former team Mumbai Indians, following a trade between the two franchises.
Kohli has not played competitive cricket in almost two months after opting out of the recently-concluded Test series against England at home
Gujarat Giants will be wary of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's newfound firepower in the middle-order when the teams clash in the Indian Premier League in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
'Even if we had won the New Zealand series 3-0, it would have meant little because the conditions in Australia are very different, and the team there is very different.' 'In Australia, you just go with a clean slate and start fresh. It doesn't matter what has happened on the previous page.'
Sent in to bat, North Zone couldn't get any momentum and were reduced to 17 for two in 6 overs.
He may no longer be RCB's captain, but Virat Kohli is always in the thick of action on the field and off it.
'There will be a lot of spice to the contest -- there is a reason India is the only team other than England against whom Australia is keen to play a five Test series.' 'I'll watch, as I suspect most fans will -- but this one time, I'll watch with considerable trepidation and, from a fan's point of view, with the hope that the team finds its feet and that right quick,' notes the distinguished cricket commentator Prem Panicker.
The Bengaluru outfit will hope for a reversal at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, a venue that carries similar traits as RCB's home -- Chinnaswamy Stadium -- in terms of a smooth pitch and a blistering outfield adding value to the batters' shots.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh?
For Saurashtra, the star performers were Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada, and of course, their captain Jaydev Unadkat.
From a maths perspective, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans can still reach the IPL playoffs, but they need to ward off inner gremlins on Saturday to notch a mandatory win to keep that dream flickering.
Images from Day 3 of the fourth Test between India and England in Ranchi on Sunday, February 25.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Saturday.
K L Rahul has ruled out of the third Test against England, starting in Rajkot on Thursday, after failing to recover fully from his injury.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2024 campaign is just one-match old, but it has already exposed their biggest chink. It's fragility in bowling, and they need better returns from bowlers against a confident Punjab Kings at an unforgiving M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Monday.
It was learnt that once Kishan conveyed his decision, Tripura selector Jayanta Dey wanted Wriddhiman Saha and he was also contacted.
Bobat also backed England all-rounder Will Jacks to come in handy.
The Mumbai batter lit the Chinnaswamy stadium with his brilliant batting.
Rajasthan Royals would aim to build on their promising start to the season when they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore, a side that is yet to unlock its potential.
Mumbai Indians's top-order failed to fire in unison as they lost to the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
'The series has shown a lot of talent, for us and India. I love Test cricket and we've seen some young, inexperienced players perform and the future looks bright in this format.'
India skipper Rohit Sharma on Monday had a stern message for aspirants wanting to make the national Test team without putting in the hard yards -- opportunities will only be given to those who show "hunger for success" in the "toughest" format.
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