A roundup of Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy matches on Friday.
With nine defeats from 11 matches, the Sunrisers are languishing at the bottom, while KKR, in fourth place with 10 points from 12 matches, still have hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stage.
He is the prime force behind the feeder-line created for the senior national cricket team and India A and U-19 chief coach Rahul Dravid on Sunday lauded Test captain Virat Kohli and chief coach Anil Kumble for creating an environment where youngsters are feeling comfortable. Dravid believes that success of Karun Nair and Jayant Yadav, who are products of the A team, is purely because of the "process" that has been put in place. "It's great to see these young boys coming through the 'A' team set-up and from domestic performances. It is a tribute to I think the environment created in the national set-up that they are coming through feeling comfortable and performing straightaway. Credit to Virat and Anil for the set-up and what they have been doing at the national level. So we are seeing the results, Nice to be a part of that process," Dravid told 'bcci.tv' on Sunday.
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja's maiden 10-wicket match haul against England in Chennai has propelled him to second position behind teammate and India's star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the ICC Test bowler rankings released on Wednesday.
The spin duo of Krishnappa Gowtham and Karn Sharma shared nine wickets between them as India Red skittled out India Green for 157 on the second day of the Duleep Trophy match in Lucknow.
On a roll post the IPL's resumption, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will look to continue their winning streak when they meet in a high-octane Indian Premier League encounter, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
Lungi Ngidi bowled the most economical figures of this season's IPL to uproot Punjab's innings.
Their 68 run partnership guided the Kings XI home.
Karun Nair says he is a much improved batsmen than he was two years ago and has his focus firmly set on his comeback Test against Afghanistan rather than the following A tour of the United Kingdom.
Injured opening batsman Murali Vijay has kept his place in India's squad for the final two Tests against Australia, while all-rounder Hardik Pandya dropped out with a shoulder problem.
A lacklustre Delhi Daredevils suffered an embarrassing 10-wicket defeat following a pathetic batting show during which they were shot out for just 67 runs by Kings XI Punjab, in Mohali, on Sunday.
Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, have done an excellent job in restricting the oppositions but KKR's top-order batting has hurt them the most.
The series is an opportunity for players like Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair and Karn Sharma to impress the selectors and stake their claim in the national side.
Captain KL Rahul has been one of the few consistent performers in the formidable-looking Punjab batting unit and he once again led by example against MI
KKR have so far failed to come together as a unit and slipped to sixth in the table after starting the tournament on a high against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Kings XI Punjab face the uphill task of not only pulling the rug from under the feet of formidable Chennai Super Kings but also boosting their net run-rate in the last IPL round-robin match to salvage hopes of sneaking into the play-offs.
The focus will be firmly on India's Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and young prodigy Prithvi Shaw when Mumbai take on Karnataka in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B game, beginning in Mumbai on Friday. Both Rahane and Shaw failed with the bat in the last Ranji Trophy game against Railways which the domestic giants lost by 10 wickets inside two and half days.
Morgan's astute captaincy in using his bowling resources was the highlight as KKR had bowled out MI for a modest 152.
The selection committee on Sunday met at National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru to pick the India 'A' squad.
India 'A' struggled to 106 for four in 32 overs after veteran Alastair Cook's marathon 180 powered England Lions to 423 all out on the second day of the only four-day unofficial Test in Worcester.
Table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders and a transformed Kings XI Punjab cross swords in an Indian Premier League contest in which big-hitting Jamaicans Andre Russell and Chris Gayle will be up against each other in Kolkata on Saturday.
The unbeaten streak of table-toppers Surisers Hyderabad would be up for a test when they take on third-placed Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier League contest, in Mohali, on Thursday.
Former BCCI president and Tamil Nadu Cricket Association supremo N Srinivasan has made it clear that he would like star players Ravichandran Ashwin and Murali Vijay to play for the state during their upcoming Ranji Trophy quarter-final tie against Karnataka from December 23.
Quinton de Kock smashed the first century of the ongoing Indian Premier League to power Delhi Daredevils to a comprehensive seven wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Morgan said they have a good bench strength this season to deal with the challenges of injury and illness.
New Zealand's three-pronged attack could spell trouble for India on a spiced-up track and Will Somerville, who played a gutsy knock in Kanpur, might have to sit out.
Karnataka completed a historic treble at domestic level by emerging champions in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a four-wicket win over Railways in yet another low-scoring affair at Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Half-way through the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League, the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament has witnessed some top quality catches. Rediff.com takes a look at some memorable ones.
Half-way through the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League, the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament has witnessed some top quality catches. Rediff.com takes a look at some memorable ones.
Eyeing a maiden IPL title, the fancied Delhi Capitals will face another litmus test in the form of a Kolkata Knight Riders unit brimming with optimism when the two sides lock horns in the Qualifier 2 match in Sharjah on Wednesday.
Pace spearhead Varun Aaron wrecked Karnataka with a six-wicket haul to help Rest of India bowl out the Ranji Trophy champions for 244 on day one of the Irani Cup in Bangalore.
Gowtham is among the six uncapped players picked for India's white-ball tour of Sri Lanka
It will be a test of Virat Kohli's tactical acumen against the ice-cool demeanour of Eoin Morgan when perennial underachievers Royal Challengers Bangalore clash with former champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator in Sharjah on Monday.
Neither does Shreyas Iyer wants to harp on the past nor is he keen to fret about what the future has in store for him. He just wants to "stay in the moment" and seize the day, as the illustrious Sunil Gavaskar advised him while giving the India cap.
Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem (4/39) and leg-spinner Karn Sharma (4/58) shared eight wickets between them in a very impressive display of spin bowling.
A summary of Ranji Trophy semi-finals played at Kolkata and Pune on Monday
Young Karan Sharma led from the front with a calm and composed 93 not out as Uttar Pradesh knocked out favourites Karnataka with a five-wicket win in their Ranji Trophy quarter-finals.
Bangladesh 'A' need something special on the third and final day to save the unofficial Test against India 'A' at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. At stumps on Monday, Day 2 of the match, the visitors were reeling at 36 for 2.
A re-energised Delhi Daredevils would look for their third win in a row when they face table leaders Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League in New Delhi, on Saturday.
Lack of intent in Daredevils players has been very surprising.