Delhi Capitals are likely to have a much leaner coaching staff next season with head coach Ricky Ponting's future set to be examined at the end of the season.
A new-look Indian team, led by Shikhar Dhawan, will be hoping to make a statement and be in the reckoning for next year's 50-over World Cup when the three-match ODI series against South Africa begins in Lucknow on Thursday.
Australian team will be aiming to put up a much better batting performance with a rejigged playing eleven against an upbeat South Africa
After applauding Anrich Nortje, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin, Ponting told his boys that, "Our tournament starts now."
Axar Patel's promotion in Delhi Capitals batting order is being seriously contemplated by the management
Delhi Capitals take on the Lucknow Super Giants at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee stadium in Lucknow on Saturday, April 1, 2023, evening.
'With Ishant forever getting younger and coming out and delivering, it's amazing to see him,' Delhi captain David Warner said at the presentation ceremony.
South Africa have often relied on fast bowlers on spicy home wickets to get them to victory, but are also well aware that India have developed an excellent pace attack that has brought them overseas success in the last few years.
Images from the T20 World Cup Super 12 match between the Netherlands and South Africa, in Adelaide, on Sunday.
The South Africa series in that context is the last big international T20 series that India play followed by one against Afghanistan in mid-January.
After registering their first win in IPL 2023, Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma said first wins were always special.
Former England white-ball captain Collingwood told reporters they would not worry too much about the disappointing first day.
His Delhi Capitals pace partner Kagiso Rabada might be sitting on top of the wicket-takers' list, but Anrich Nortje has undoubtedly been one of the standout performers with the ball in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League.
They can measure the speeds at which bowlers hurl the ball, they can measure the distance when batsmen slam sixes, so we ask why can't they measure the height at which bowlers jump when they take a wicket or as in the instance below to catch a ball off their own bowling?
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Dubai, on Friday.
None of South Africa's top players will be available for their respective IPL sides in the first couple of games.
Kerala's Sanju Samson, 27, was part of the ODI series against Zimbabwe which India won 3-0. He has represented India in seven ODIs and 16 T20Is so far.
After the first qualifier ended in Dubai on Sunday, players from the Delhi Capitals and the Chennai Super Kings caught up with their mates from the opposing side.
They got into trouble early on in their reply as they slipped to 87-4, only to cruise to victory thanks to Klaasen's power hitting with an astonishing 123 balls remaining in the innings.
'So excited to be a part of @MLCricket @SFOUnicorns.'
IMAGES from the IPL match between SunRisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals, in Hyderabad, on Monday.
Green will have a period of rest ahead of the tour of India
South Africa have named a largely unchanged One-Day International squad for the three-match home series with Bangladesh on March 18-23, with only all-rounder Sisanda Magala missing out after he failed a fitness test.
DC would have expected their bowling attack to fire on all cylinders, but that was not be.
Abhishek Porel set to replace Rishabh Pant at DC, Sarfaraz to start as first keeper
While the return of pace spearhead Anrich Nortje, who had been nursing an injury, bolstered the bowling unit, the South African, who hasn't bowled since the T20 World Cup in November, looked understandably rusty.
However, South Africa have lot of openers stacked on top (Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen and Reeza Hendricks) with a light middle order which is still a huge concern.
Both Gujarat and Delhi Capitals started their campaign in IPL 2022 with wins and they would look to continue in the same vein at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
South Africa's Test players including Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi have chosen to play the IPL over the home Test series against Bangladesh, starting on March 31.
The 32-year-old Starc was diagnosed with a detached tendon in the middle finger and missed the third and final Test against the Proteas at Sydney.
How Rishabh Pant performs as skipper will be watched with interest
Delhi Capitals' South African pacer Anrich Nortje was a delighted man after finally getting out of his hotel room for his first nets session, in Dubai, on Sunday. Nortje, who spent the last six days in his hotel room, says he felt like being "locked in prison" during the quarantine period.
While the batting looks in perfect shape, India's new-look pace department needs to come up with something special against the Proteas in Cuttack on Sunday.
It was Warner's third double-century following 253 against New Zealand in Perth in 2015 and an unbeaten 335 against Pakistan in 2019.
Save for Quinton de Kock, who has retired from Test cricket and will play for Lucknow Super Giants, there is no certainty on whether Proteas pace attack of Kagiso Rabada (Punjab Kings), Nortje (DC), Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Lungi Ngidi (DC) will be available before the Test series against Bangladesh ends.
At stumps, Pakistan's score read 145/3 with Fawad and Babar unbeaten on 42 and 77 runs respectively. For South Africa, Keshav Maharaj picked two, Anrich Nortje took one while Kagiso Rabada went wicketless.
Punjab are seventh on the points table with 12 points. The Capitals also have a dozen points and are fifth
Both DC and RCB have looked solid so far and are placed atop the standings with three wins out of four games each.
A look at the XI Best Spells of the league stages of IPL 2024.
Temba Bavuma has recovered from injury and will take charge
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