While the world has been talking about Mahendra Singh Dhoni's elevation up the order, opener Shikhar Dhawan reckons that the move is not only an advantage to the line-up, but it gives him the confidence while batting.
The needle clash, expected to be watched by a capacity crowd at the Wankhede Stadium, looks set to raise the curtains on the decade-old T20 League in grand style after a formal opening ceremony.
Here's the complete list of which team bagged who, and for how much!
Faced with a do-or-die situation, the inconsistent Delhi Daredevils will take on table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad in their penultimate Indian Premier League match.
Delhi Daredevils, looking to get back to winning ways after two straight defeats, face a stern test against formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad in Thursday's IPL match, in Hyderabad.
It will be a battle for survival for struggling Rising Pune Supergiants when they lock horns with formidable title-contenders Sunrisers Hyderabad in Tuesday's Indian Premier League match in Visakhapatnam.
Bangladesh's T20 skipper Mahmudullah Riyad said Shakib Al Hasan's absence from the India tour will act more as a motivation than handicap.
Jos Buttler announced his return to form with belligerent maiden T20 hundred as Rajasthan Royals trounced SunRisers Hyderabad by 55 runs.
Even though West Indies stars such as Chris Gayle and Andre Russell were not part of that series, Jason Holder's team still must be smarting from those three consecutive losses last month.
Australia survived a middle-order meltdown to beat Bangladesh by three wickets in a World Twenty20 Super 10 match on Monday to get their campaign up and running.
Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj ran through the Bangladesh batting order to lead South Africa to an emphatic 333-run victory in the first test as the visitors capitulated meekly on the final morning on Monday.
Shakib has already submitted a letter to the BCB asking for a sabbatical and the board has complied with his demand.
Krishanappa Gowtham scored at a strike rate of 300, smashing 33 not out from 11 balls, which included 4 fours and 2 sixes.
The 11th edition of the Indian Premier League will commence, on Saturday, April 7 and will end on 27th May
Fast bowler Lasith Malinga said goodbye to one-day cricket in style as his devastating opening spell helped Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 91 runs on Friday.
Mushfiqur Rahim stroked a brilliant 99, while Mustafizur Rahman picked up four wickets as Bangladesh outclassed Pakistan by 37 runs to qualify for the final, in the Asia Cup in Dubai, on Wednesday.
Shakib Al Hasan's fine all-round showing powered Bangladesh to a seven-wicket victory over Pakistan on Friday, their first Twenty20 international win over their Asian rivals.
Eddie Leie made a memorable international debut as he and his spin partner Aaron Phangsio bowled South Africa to a series-clinching 31-run victory in the second and final Twenty20 match against Bangladesh at Mirpur on Tuesday.
Ashish Nehra produced a sensational spell of pace bowling after Shikhar Dhawan shone with the bat with a scintillating unbeaten 82 as Sunrisers Hyderabad spanked Mumbai Indians by 85 runs in a lopsided IPL match in Visakhapatnam.
Rohit Sharma smashed his fourth century of the World Cup as India beat Bangladesh by 28 runs to qualify for the semi-finals and eliminate their neighbours in the process.
Images from the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
Images from the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, in Mumbai, on Monday.
Their pace attack has been the most fearsome this IPL season but Sunrisers Hyderabad swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar feels it would be a tough task for his team to counter the marauding Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen when the two teams clash in the final on Sunday. Hyderabad edged out Gujarat Lions by four wickets on Friday in Qualifier 2 to set up a summit clash with Bangalore, who had beaten the same opponents in Qualifier 1. "We will definitely strategise because I read somewhere the other day that Virat Kohli has scored 35 per cent of RCB's runs. It'll be a big task for us to get (Chris) Gayle, Virat (Kohli) and AB (De Villers) and later, (Shane) Watson, out. We are hoping for a good contest," Bhuvneshwar said at the post match press conference in New Delhi.
Gujarat Lions will have to fight off the fiery pacers of the Sunrisers Hyderabad when the two teams clash in the Indian Premier League Qualifier 2, in New Delhi, on Friday.
Mumbai Indians will look to continue their rampaging run when they take on the formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad.
While a handful of first team players from India have played pink-ball game in domestic cricket, Bangladesh's only experience with the pink ball was a one-off Day/Night four-day match in 2013 but none of the current team players were part of that fixture.
Images from the T20 World Cup match between West Indies and Bangladesh, in Sharjah, on Friday.
Australia all-rounder James Faulkner believes Sunrisers Hyderabad have the strongest bowling attack in the ongoing 11th edition of the Indian Premier League with the likes of in-form pacer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and leg spinner Rashid Khan in their rank.
Bangladesh made a perfect start to their World Cup campaign, posting their highest one-day international score of 330-6 during the 21-run win over South Africa.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, in Sharjah, on Thursday.
Off-spinner R Ashwin, who has been phenomenal in home conditions, has made it to the Test team as the 12th man, while pacer Mohammed Shami has been included in the ODI team.
Bangladesh have been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during their World Twenty20 Super 10 group match which they lost to hosts India by a mere one run in Bengaluru.
Liton Das and Tamim Iqbal scored a hundred each as Bangladesh thrashed Zimbabwe by 123 runs in a rain-hit third One-Day International to complete a clean sweep in the three-match series, in Sylhet, on Friday.
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar has advised against knee-jerk reactions and said the decision should be left to Dhoni.
Gujarat Lions, who enjoyed three consecutive victories in the tournament before the match, could post only 135 runs, losing eight wickets, after being invited to bat first by the opposition, who chased down the target without losing any wicket.
South Africa need seven wickets on the last day to secure victory in the first Test and go ahead in the two-match series as Bangladesh struggled on a rain-curtailed fourth day at Senwes Park on Sunday.
Debutant Aiden Markram suffered a horror run out just three runs shy of a century as South Africa amassed 298 for one on the first day of the first Test against Bangladesh on Thursday.
Gujarat Lions will have their task cut out when they lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Their winning momentum punctured after a loss to Rising Pune Supergiants, Sunrisers Hyderabad would look to get back to their winning ways when they take on a struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore in an Indian Premier League Twenty20 match, in Hyderabad, on Saturday.
Rajasthan Royals' director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara on Friday said that all-rounder Chris Morris, who was brought by the franchise for Rs 16.25 crore in the IPL auction, will have a "very specific role of supporting" pace spearhead Jofra Archer.
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