'Please have a day of Thursday, bud! You know I love you, but just chill Thursday please', KP, a former England captain, wisecracked as his buddy posted a video preparing for the big match against Jos Buttler's team.
The World Cup opener is set to be another barnstorming meeting between two of the favourites -- and a fitting way to start a cricketing feast.
Rishabh Pant released by DC, Heinrich Klaasen pips Virat Kohli in retention price
England captain Jos Buttler has declared himself fit for Sunday's opening Twenty20 International against Australia but Liam Livingstone's ankle injury makes the all-rounder doubtful for their World Cup opener later this month.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list Rediff.com's 50 Most Valuable Players ahead of Sunday's IPL 2022 final between the Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals.
Jos Buttler and his England team-mate Joe Root, who are part of the Rajasthan Royals team, had a candid chat this week.
Jos Buttler has pretty much accepted their 50-overs World Cup title defence is over
India maintained their unbeaten streak at the 2023 World Cup with a 100-run victory in a low-scoring contest against holders England
Buttler said the 33-year-old is one of the best players in the world.
Sanju Samson laments 'one-hit' defeat
A look at the best fielding efforts on Sunday...
'We've been playing aggressive cricket throughout since 2015 and done it quite well. Probably the lack of that way of cricket has cost us a little bit in this tournament.'
India's approach with the bat now is drastically different to what it was in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final and both teams will start Thursday's contest on an even keel, said England head coach Matthew Mott on Wednesday.
'But obviously, Ben trained really well last night. It is great to see him back. He obviously brings a lot on the field and with his presence and leadership skills as well as someone who is always good to turn to," added the wicketkeeper-batter.'
If one has to analyse Ashwin the cricketer, it is very difficult to ignore Ashwin, the person, who had a very independent mind and a brain that probably ticked 24x7. He believed in de-construction of his art and became craftier one ball at a time.
Buttler said England had only themselves to blame after being outplayed by the Irish.
Captain Jos Buttler says England have "great respect" for Ireland and there is no question of complacency creeping in during Wednesday's T20 World Cup Super 12 match in Melbourne.
England name their 16-member squad for T20Is against India
Sometimes the MVPI table throws up intriguing situations: Four out of the top five in the table are left-handed batters. Do left-handers truly enjoy an advantage in the IPL? Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2024 after the league stage.
Buttler had produced a Player of the Match performance in the dramatic 20-run victory over New Zealand
Virat Kohli reckoned that the Jaipur track was two-paced making strokeplay difficult but former India ODI skipper Ajay Jadeja felt that the manner in which the star batter batted, there seemed to be very little demons present in the 22-yard strip.
While the dropped catches and missed run-outs were undeniable, the match did see some impressive grabs by both teams.
Moeen Ali smashed a quickfire half century to guide champions England to a four-wicket victory over Bangladesh in a rain-affected World Cup warm-up game in Guwahati on Monday.
Moeen Ali had a forgettable night at the Chepauk as he dropped two catches and missed a runout opportunity as Chennai Super Kings fell to a three-run loss to Rajasthan Royals.
"The way we defended our score was outstanding. It looked like the game was getting away from us, so to drag it back like that was really impressive," said man-of-the-match Hales.
The Gujarat Titans captain registered match-turning figures of 3/17 to help his team outclass the Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in the final at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
England will be eyeing their second T20 World Cup after a long wait of 12 years.
'We came in very excited and there was a good feel around the group ... I thought everyone, from one to 11, stood up today.'
Not only did Ashwin take three wickets, he also kept the runs in check. While his fellow bowlers leaked runs, he bowled a tight spell -- 3 for 24 off 4 -- to strangle the DC batters.
Was Avesh Khan's catch the best of the night?
Game 13 of IPL 2022 will see the Rajasthan Royals take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai starting 1930 IST.
Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, K L Rahul and Arshdeep Singh headline the top bracket of elite players at the IPL mega auction.
History is on Hardik Pandya's side, which has won all three games against the Royals so far, and that would certainly play on the minds of the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan outfit at the Narendra Modi stadium.
Jos Buttler has been in sensational form for Rajasthan Royals, scoring centuries against Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals to smash his way to 491 runs from seven matches at a strike rate of 161.
Most of the Indian players shied away from sliding to avoid potential injuries in their World Cup match against New Zealand in Dharamsala on Sunday.
The top four run-getters in IPL 2023 -- Faf du Plessis (38), David Warner (36), Virat Kohli (34) and Jos Buttler (32) -- are all above 30.
England cannot be faulted for effort at the World Cup but the team are lacking confidence and must start imposing themselves on the opposition, coach Matthew Mott said.
Batsman Jos Buttler will not play in the third Twenty20 international against Australia after leaving the team's bio-secure bubble to be with his family, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said.
Rajasthan Royals are better placed than Punjab Kings on the net run rate but both will have to rely on other results to advance.
However, the 26-year-old's comparison with Gilchrist can wait.
