It may be an inconsequential game on paper but Indian bowlers await another tough test against South Africa ahead of the T20 World Cup when the two teams meet in the final game of the three-match series in Indore on Tuesday.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar picked Rohit Sharma to lead India in T20 Internationals after Virat Kohli, while KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are his two options as the vice-captains in the shortest format.
Morne Morkel makes a return to the limited-overs format after nearly 10 months, adding experience to the pace bowling group featuring Kagiso Rabada, Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo.
Eight franchises collectively spent Rs 91.15 crore to buy 66 players from a pool of 350 plus that went under the hammer.
Sarfaraz, Imad Wasim dropped from Pakistan white-ball squad vs Australia.
Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Trevor Bayliss has asserted that their pacer T Natarajan's positive COVID-19 result did not impact their performance against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday since all the players are used to last-minute setbacks.
Meanwhile, South Africa have included uncapped off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen and seamer Lizaad Williams in their squad for the two-Test series in the West Indies that starts on June 10.
'We have the likes of (captain) Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, who have the ability to dig in and score big runs and I also like the way that Rassie (van der Dussen) has come in and grown in that team.'
Images from the T20 world Cup Super 12 match between Bangladesh and South Africa in Sydney on Thursday.
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.
Bairstow made Delhi pay for the miss, hitting 48 runs in 28 balls.
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.
A big win on Saturday will not only will boost Delhi's morale after the 80-run hammering at the hands of CSK but it could also propel the side to the second position in the eight-team standings.
A win for either side will help it consolidate its position at the top and also seal a spot in Qualifier 1.
South Africa coach Ottis Gibson believes the world's best Test bowler Kagiso Rabada has learnt from his brush with suspension and expects more mature on-field behaviour in the third Test against Australia starting in Cape Town on Thursday.
A contrite Kagiso Rabada admits he has let his team down after his two-Test suspension significantly weakened South Africa's chances of winning their home Test series against Australia.
Gujarat are clearly the team to beat in the competition having won eight out of nine games.
A confident Delhi are coming off two back-to-back victories against Royal Challengers Bangalore and a strong Kolkata Knight Riders outfit.
60 runs came off the last 5 overs and that's where the game tilted in the favour of the defending champions.
Punjab Kings would be keen to put brakes on Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul's rollicking batting form during their IPL 2022 match on Friday.
In charge of a house in complete disorder, Virat Kohli will hope that Royal Challengers Bangalore play in the manner that defines his cricket when they meet Delhi Capitals in the IPL match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
The Proteas speedster, a star performer for DC in the last edition, had tested positive for COVID-19 while in quarantine. But was retested and came out negative in three RT-PCR results.
The unmatched legacy and hegemony created by the galacticos of Mumbai Indians will be thoroughly challenged by a young Mumbaikar Shreyas Iyer, who will lead a passionate-but-unpredictable Delhi Capitals in a cracker of an Indian Premier League final, in Dubai, on Tuesday.
The home side were in the game at 107 for three when left-arm spinner Maharaj (5-36) claimed the scalp of Kieran Powell (51), who tried to launch him to the midwicket boundary but picked out lone fielder Anrich Nortje.
Peaking at the right time and with all their boxes ticked, Sunrisers Hyderabad are certain to hold sway over a dishevelled Delhi Capitals in a virtual semi-final in the second Indian Premier League qualifier, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
Delhi Capitals showed remarkable resilience to overcome the COVID-19 crisis in their camp and hand Punjab Kings a nine-wicket thrashing in the Indian Premier League match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
CSA had to postpone the match from its original date of June 27 as the government had not provided the necessary approval for training and match-day protocols.
The Proteas bowlers took part in a thorough session under the watchful eyes of Langeveldt with the aim of increasing their workloads and mapping out expectations and game plans ahead of the 72-day tour which starts with the first Twenty20 match in Dharamsala on October 2.
Kings XI Punjab captain KL Rahul believes that the 'short run' that played a part in their opening IPL loss to Delhi Capitals massively affected their play-off chances despite a remarkable comeback in the second leg of the tournament.
Young pace sensation Umran Malik's scorching final over proved to be the difference as Sunrisers Hyderabad slayed Punjab Kings by seven wickets for their fourth successive win in IPL 2022.
Dale Steyn has fully recovered from a shoulder injury and recently featured for the Melbourne Stars in Australia's domestic Big Bash league.
India will surely fancy their chances of an encore, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The 34-year-old Steyn, currently on a short-term contract with Hampshire having been plagued by injury over the last two-and-a-half years, is three wickets short of a milestone that has frustratingly eluded him in recent times.
South Africa have named fast bowler Dale Steyn in their 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 in India next month, but will ask him to prove his fitness following a debilitating shoulder injury.
The 3-0 series win against the West Indies could be called a precursor and the real battle begins now against Quinton de Kock's Proteas who are also in the midst of a tough transition.
Delhi Capitals have gone from strength to strength in the last few years -- finishing third in 2019 before finishing runners up last year to Mumbai Indians.
Images from the T20 World Cup Super 12 match between South Africa and India, in Perth, on Sunday.
Philander admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Andy Pycroft.
South Africa are fired up to perform in the dead-rubber fourth Test against England and will 'play hard' as they try to salvage battered pride, young Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada said on Tuesday. England have wrapped up the series as they take an unassailable 2-0 lead into the final Test starting in Pretoria on Friday, but the 20-year-old Rabada said the match was an opportunity for South Africa to rebuild. "There is another game to play and we have to look to the future," he told reporters. "We are trying to stay positive, there is another match and we are going to rock up and play hard. We are not going to throw in the towel, it's unlike us to do that."
IMAGES from the opening T20I played between India and South Africa in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
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