Shane Watson smashed an unbeaten century and then bagged two wickets as Rajasthan Royals outplayed defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders by nine runs to seal a play-offs berth in the IPL tournament in Mumbai on Saturday.
The calmness of Mahendra Singh Dhoni is contagious, feels Chennai Super Kings' new hero Sam Billings
Images from the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
KKR hopeful of Russell, Lynn for IPL opener vs RCB
Sri Lanka paceman Suranga Lakmal took three quick wickets before Tillakaratne Dilshan smashed a 32-ball 59 to lead Sri Lanka to a tense one-wicket win in a rain-curtailed first one-dayer against West Indies.
India will look to ensure a smooth passage into the semi-finals with yet another victory.
Nathan Coulter-Nile slammed 92 from 60 deliveries to register the highest score by a No 8 batsman in a World Cup.
West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell said it "wasn't good" on compatriot Marlon Samuels' part to address a press conference with his padded legs on the table after their World T20 triumph early this month. "A lot of people ask me if he (Samuels) is from Jamaica. He is from Jamaica but he is a different Jamaican. He is a confident fellow. He has won the World T20 twice, as you know after winning the World T20. He played a tremendous knock against Sri Lanka in 2012 and he had done it again in the final against England this year," Russell said. "I heard that when he went inside the post match press conference, he did put his foot up. I don't know how to explain that but it wasn't good," he said when asked about Marlon Samuel's act after World T20.
Only the top ten teams will be taking part in this World Cup and they all will play each other in a round-robin format before the semi-finals stage.
With home advantage comes home expectation as Eoin Morgan leads arguably the strongest England side in the history of the tournament which has seen a co-host triumph in the last two editions.
Eyeing their first win of the season, Sunrisers Hyderabad would be looking to put up an improved show in their home ground where they lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders, who would also be keen to get back to winning ways in the Indian Premier League.
The 18 wickets in this year's IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore will certainly boost his confidence as there is nothing like taking good form into a big event like IPL.
Besides KL Rahul, another individual who would like to answer his critics with solid performances is Pant.
Minnows Afghanistan scripted history as they defeated 2012 champions West Indies by six runs in their final group league encounter of the ICC World Twenty20 in Nagpur to sign off on a memorable note.
India are a flexible side with enough ammunition in their arsenal going into the World Cup, says head coach Ravi Shastri, making it clear that combinations would depend on conditions.
Captain Rohit Sharma led from the front with a sparkling 84 not out as an inspired Mumbai Indians cruised to a six-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders to open their account in the ninth season of Indian Premier League in Kolkata, on Wednesday.
'There is no doubt throughout this campaign that the dynamic in our group has certainly changed'
India's hero at the 2011 World Cup believes Hardik Pandya will be the one to watch out for in the 2019 World Cup.
Dinesh Karthik's leadership skills are under the scanner after Kolkata Knight Riders's five back-to-back defeats in the ongoing IPL season, but coach Jacques Kallis says there was no discussion on removing the under-fire captain.
Their fate hanging in balance, a loss in the penultimate league round match may virtually sound the death knell for one of the two teams.
Holders India marched into the quarter-finals of the World Cup with their fourth consecutive win but all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja's form with the bat has left captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni a worried man.
Kolkata Knight Riders produced a superlative batting performance as they comfortably beat Kings XI Punjab by 31 runs to stay in contention for a play-off berth in the Indian Premier League, in Indore, on Saturday.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2020's 50 Most Valuable Players up to Match 25.
West Indies head into World Cup with little or no expectations of success.
Chris Gayle accused the West Indies Cricket Board of victimisation after key all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard were left out of the country's World Cup squad.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni failed to finish off the match and was dismissed off the final delivery with just two runs needed for victory as India went down by one run in a thrilling finish in the first T20 International against West Indies in Florida, on Saturday.
Sunil Narine hammered a quickfire half-century as Kolkata Knight Riders outclassed Royal Challengers Bangalore by four wickets at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Cleared by International Cricket Council of suspect bowling action West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine would be more dangerous and confident in the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir said, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
'He has shown how consistent he is.'
With Yuvraj Singh's injury-forced ouster disturbing their settled line-up, India have been left with a selection dilemma to handle as they gear up to take on the flamboyant and unpredictable West Indies in what promises to be a battle of nerves in the World Twenty20 semifinal in Mumbai on Thursday. Yuvraj, who has not got big runs but was involved in crucial stands with top performer Virat Kohli during the group stage matches, has been ruled out owing to an ankle injury that he sustained in the must-win game against Australia. Manish Pandey, not in the original 15, has been penciled in to replace the all-rounder in the squad although Ajinkya Rahane is also present as a viable alternative. But it remains to be seen whether skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni chooses between the two or decides to go with rookie all-rounder Pawan Negi.
The 2016 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Player Draft was held in Barbados on Thursday, with the six franchises flexed their financial muscles to rope in their desired cricketers.
Bolstered by their dramatic come-from-behind win in the last game, India will look to keep the winning momentum going when they clash against West Indies in the fourth One-Day International in Dharamsala on Friday, on what is expected to be a pacy track.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Chennai Super Kings vs KKR in Kolkata on Sunday.
'Yeah, it's all happened and it's been dealt with pretty much right after the game. And the game is finished and that's the thing about the IPL. You get to move on to the next match very quickly. There's no point us dwelling on it. Worrying about and stressing about it, we've got to move on'
Kagiso Rabada considers himself 'blessed' to have been a part of the 'Born-Free generation' with parents, who endured tough times to create a level-playing field for him.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji analyse Week 1 in Rediff.com's Most Valuable Players ratings.
Skipper Gautam Gambhir led from the front with a confident half-century after Sunil Narine stifled Lahore Lions with his magical spin bowling as Kolkata Knight Riders eked out a four-wicket win in a Champions League Twenty20 Group A match in Hyderabad.
Rajneesh Gupta brings you all the numbers from the first 26 games in IPL-12.
It seems that Pakistan's long-standing wait to end their drought of international cricket at home is finally coming to an end as West Indies are mulling to tour the country for the two-match T20 series in March this year, subject to an agreement from the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) and security clearance. "There is an offer [from the PCB] to play two T20 matches in Pakistan, subject to Players' Association agreement and security clearance," ESPNcricinfo quoted Roland Holder, WICB manager of cricket operations, as saying.
Asserting that the Indian Premier League is a great platform to sharpen skills, legendary pacer Wasim Akram said Pakistan and England are losing out big time by their players not playing in the cash-rich Twenty20 cricket tournament.