With Jasprit Bumrah "ready and roaring" after an injury scare, Mumbai Indians will fancy their chances against an erratic Royal Challengers Bangalore when the two star-studded teams square off in the IPL, in Bengaluru, on Thursday. The big sub-plot of the contest will be the world's best ODI batsman -- Virat Kohli -- taking guard against the world's best ODI bowler -- Bumrah -- in a format notorious for its unpredictability.
Images from Day 4 of the third Test between Australia and New Zealand in Sydney on Monday.
'The main motivation when I get a game is to perform for the team and help the team win'
New Zealand batsmen showed clinical efficiency in a tricky chase to spoil Virat Kohli's milestone match with a comfortable six-wicket victory over India in the opening One-Day International, in Mumbai on Sunday.
India opener Prithvi Shaw is likely to retain his place in the playing eleven for the second Test against New Zealand, starting Saturday, while Ravindra Jadeja may replace Ravichandran Ashwin.
New Zealand will play three ODIs, starting with the opening match in Mumbai on October 22. It will be followed by three Twenty20s.
While KKR suffered their heaviest defeat of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last game, Pune looked to have found their mojo in the business end of the tournament having registered consecutive wins in their last two matches.
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru on Thursday
The Indian batting line-up's soft underbelly lay exposed in slightly favourable bowling conditions as New Zealand gave the two-time champions a rude wake-up call, easing to a six-wicket victory in the World Cup warm-up match at the Oval, in London, on Saturday.
India's bowlers highlighted the balance of their side as they set up an easy seven-wicket win over New Zealand in the second Twenty20 international at Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. KL Rahul (57 not out) and Shreyas Iyer (44) then marshalled the run chase as they helped their side to reach 135-3 with 15 balls to spare, chasing New Zealand's 132-5.
In a tight season for India, the first T20 comes only five days after their last ODI against Australia at home.
Delhi's performance at home is woeful, but having registered a win after two consecutive losses at the Kotla, the Shreyas Iyer-led outfit is high on confidence.
CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni missed the game against SRH due to a stiff back but is likely to be back for Sunday's match against Virat Kohli-led RCB.
RCB to ring in changes against KKR in search of first win
While both Taylor and Latham were unable to see their side through to victory, Mitchell Santner, who scored just two from his first nine deliveries then scored another 43 from the next 18, won the game with his fourth six and finished on 45 not out.
Colin Munro became the third New Zealand player to score a Twenty20 international century as his side secured a 47-run victory and wrapped up their three-match series against Bangladesh with a game to spare on Friday.
New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor has returned to side after recovering from eye surgery in late November and will rejoin the Test team for their two-match series against Bangladesh. Taylor had surgery to remove a pterygium, or growth, on his left eye that had affected his vision after the second Test victory against Pakistan in Hamilton. "It's great to have Ross back," New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said in a statement on Thursday. "He has a phenomenal record that speaks for itself and he's coming off a terrific hundred in his last Test.
'It's come down to the people and their belief whether finger spinners could do the job or not. I feel finger spinners have a role to play provided you back them'
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played at Chepauk in Chennai on Saturday
Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad in another must-win Indian Premier League encounter
Rajneesh Gupta presents the numbers on the India and New Zealand teams and players.
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir said it will be a challenge to maintain the trend they had set in their last Indian Premier League outing by bowling out Royal Challengers Bangalore for a record lowest 49.
An unassailable lead has opened up the window for experimentation but there will be no letup in India's intensity when they face a heartbroken New Zealand team in the fourth T20 International, in Wellington, on Friday. Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant are waiting for opportunities, with the former expected to get a look-in. Pant's call-up would depend on which batsman is left out, and whether KL Rahul will continue to keep wickets.
For the Gujarat Lions to roar, their top-heavy batting order must first win in unison against a consistent KKR bowling attack.
The lack of fight in the run chase was a big disappointment, as mentioned by captain Rohit Sharma in Wellington. Despite having eight batsmen in the eleven, India lost by 80 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah, the fastest Indian pacer to 50 wickets, is now seventh in the bowlers' list after a leap of nine places owing to his five-wicket haul against the West Indies.
India's batting came a cropper in the Hamilton game as they were dismissed for their seventh lowest total of 92.
The focus will be on K L Rahul and Vijay Shankar, contenders for the number four slot, in the World Cup warm up match against New Zealand, in London, on Saturday.
Faf du Plessis made a successful review of an lbw decision against him before guiding South Africa to a series-clinching six-wicket victory in the fifth and final One-dayer against New Zealand at Eden Park on Saturday.
England beat New Zealand by four runs in their third one-day international on Saturday.
590 cricketers -- including 370 Indian players and 220 overseas players -- will go under the hammer during the two-day mega auction in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13.
RCB have been inconsistent in their first six games in IPL-12, with both their bowling and batting faltering on many occasions.
We've tried Dinesh Karthik, we've tried Jadeja, we've tried Vijay Shankar, three guys have been tried and they've not proved useful so maybe we can find a good youngster for No 5, says former India batsman Krishnamachari Srikkanth.
It will be a big statement if Virat Kohli's young side could start off with a bang at Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 'spritual home', a task which will be easier said than done.
Carlos Brathwaite struck a brilliant century but West Indies still lost to New Zealand by five runs in a thrilling finish, in the World Cup match, in Manchester, on Saturday.
What differentiates Kane Wiliamson from a lot of batsmen in this day and age is his sole focus is winning the game and he tailors his batting towards that, writes former New Zealand captain in his column.
Royal Challengers Bangalore learnt it the hard way that star power does not always guarantee success after succumbing to the lowest ever score in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Sunday's match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Taylor, who missed the third game in Wellington with a quadriceps injury, was limping badly after he appeared to suffer a similar strain but still combined with Tom Latham (71) for 187 runs as New Zealand scored 339 for five in 49.3 overs to chase down England's 335 for nine.
Trent Boult top the most valuable players list with Mohammed Shami hold on to second position
Royal Challengers Bangalore will have rise to the occasion when they take on the already-eliminated Delhi Daredevil
