Rediff.com takes a look at how the owners fared this time.
Unheralded teenagers Prabh Simran Singh and Prayas Ray Barman attracted astonishing bids during the IPL Players' Auction on a day when superstar Dale Steyn went unsold and once a hot-property Yuvraj Singh went for his base price.
Legendary South African batsman Barry Richards feels Virat Kohli is a few notches above his contemporaries in the Indian team but still has some way to go before one can compare him with the iconic Sachin Tendulkar.
Titans skipper Henry Davids (64) and Jacques Rudolph (49 not out) put on a century stand to lead their side to a crushing eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Champions League Twenty20 Group B match in Ranchi on Saturday.
Mumbai get the money-spinning tournament rolling in Chennai on Friday, just four months after claiming their second successive title, with a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by India captain Virat Kohli.
South Africa will hope the new year brings about a change in luck as they seek to put behind them a disappointing 2015 and get back to winning ways against England in the second Test at Newlands starting on Saturday.
Captain Hashim Amla has said South Africa were suffering a crisis of confidence following a woeful 2015 which culminated with a 241-run defeat to England in the first Test.
Buttler departed after an angry exchange with Ashwin and his exit condemned the Royals to a 14-run defeat in their IPL opener in Jaipur.
Captain Virat Kohli roared back to form with a scintillating unbeaten 83 as India further consolidated their position with whopping overall lead of 403 runs at stumps on Day 3 of the fourth and final Test against South Africa at the Feroz Shah Kotla, in Delhi, on Saturday.
David Miller and Faf du Plessis scored sparkling centuries in a partnership of 252 runs as South Africa beat Australia by 40 runs in a one-day international, in Hobart, on Sunday, to win the three-match series 2-1.
India's long winning streak in Test cricket is under threat in a quick-fire three match series against South Africa this month, where their status as the top ranked nation in the format faces a stiff examination.
South Africa's success in Australia is often put down to their comfort on the hard local tracks, which can be similar to those at home, but they could face some unfamiliar conditions this year.
While South Africa grabbed a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, the visitors squandered a golden opportunity to script a memorable win outside the sub-continent.
It's worse than a nightmare but letting the youngsters in the team wallow in self-pity is the last thing skipper Faf du Plessis would want ahead of their crucial game against world No 2 India.
The three-Test South Africa series is the first of a gruelling 2018-19 season that includes tours to England and Australia.
South Africa's pace bowlers laid the foundation for a crushing nine-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first Twenty20 international at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
South Africa captain Hashim Amla feels frustrated over 'bizarre' rain-hit series against Bangladesh.
Six out of the 10 days in the entire series were thus lost to rain, questioning the logic behind scheduling the tour during monsoon season
The auction ahead of the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League had in store something on expected lines and some surprises. Here's a look at the top buys after the first round.
Faf du Plessis pointed out that they were missing out on their best players due to the Kolpak deal.
As many as 76 players including 28 from overseas will go under the hammer at the 2017 Indian Premier League auction to be held in Bengaluru on February 20.
David Warner thumped a run-a-ball century as Australia dominated the opening day of the third and final Test against South Africa, piling up 331 for three at Newlands on Saturday.
Australia's dramatic collapse against South Africa at the weekend has drawn inevitable comparisons with their previous Test defeat but vanquished coach Darren Lehmann says the two losses were vastly different.
Kings XI Punjab once again showed their batting might as the table-toppers chased down another 200-plus run target to comfortably beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in an IPL match in Uppal on Wednesday.
From bloody noses to sparks on the race track, Rediff.com has the best pictures from the last week snapped right here...
Dismissing reports of interference in team selection ahead of South Africa's World Cup semi-final against New Zealand as 'utter nonsense.'
RCB, led by their captain Virat Kohli, has always been a team full of stars but has not played to its potential. After reaching the final in 2016, it has had three forgettable seasons.
Pakistan won a bilateral one-day international series against South Africa for the first time when they claimed a one-run victory in a thrilling finale in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday.
Three wickets in as many balls sent Pakistan tumbling from cruise control to defeat by six runs in the second Twenty20 international against series winners South Africa in Dubai on Friday.
Pushed to the bottom of the table following their fifth defeat in six outings, former champions Mumbai Indians will look to keep their chances alive when they face a resurgent Sunrisers Hyderabad in a crucial Indian Premier League game at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
Heavy showers had been forecast for Sunday and they duly arrived early in the morning. It picked up as the scheduled start time of play approached.
South Africa pace spearhead Dale Steyn has not allowed a series-ending injury to prevent him from backing his captain Faf du Plessis over allegations of ball tampering, suggesting Australia are using the incident as an excuse for losing. Du Plessis was charged with ball tampering on Friday after Australian television pictures showed him applying saliva to the ball with a sweet in his mouth during the second test, which South Africa won to clinch the series with a match to spare. The International Cricket Council (ICC) could ban Du Plessis from one test match if he is found guilty, putting him in doubt for next week's third test in Adelaide.
Pakistan were awarded a five-run penalty and the ball was changed on the third day of the second Test against South Africa in Dubai on Friday. Umpire Ian Gould signalled five runs to Pakistan after talking to South African captain Graeme Smith during Pakistan's second innings.
New Zealand completed their World Cup preparations with a 134-run victory over South Africa on Wednesday.
Cricket will venture into new territory when South Africa tackle Zimbabwe in the first official four-day Test match to be played at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth starting on Tuesday.
Captain AB de Villiers was in tears at the post-match news conference after overseeing another South African defeat on the big stage.
Check out how the players released by the IPL franchises fared in the last edition of the tournament in 2015.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin became the fastest bowler to reach the milestone of 300 Test wickets in his 54th match, breaking Dennis Lillee's record during India's win over Sri Lanka in the second Test, in Nagpur on Monday.
For Africa's Test-playing nations, administrative turmoil has defined the dying days of the 2010s.
Indian cricket team stands a chance of making big gains in terms of International Cricket Council (ICC) Test ranking if they manage to register a 3-1 victory over Australia in their ongoing four-match series.