RCB will be strengthened further when the immensely-talented Devdutt Padikkal makes the team after his recovery from COVID-19.
Virtually out of the play-off race, bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad will hope to keep their new-found momentum intact when they face table toppers Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, in Sharjah, on Thursday.
Much was expected from a revamped Kolkata Knight Riders set-up but it seemed Dinesh Karthik did not learn from his past mistakes
After a cracking century, left-handed opener Akhil Herwadkar spun web around Jharkhand batsmen with his off-breaks as heavyweights Mumbai took a step closer towards qualifying for the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy on Thursday. Mumbai ended their first innings on 416 with domestic stalwart Abhishek Nayar scoring 74 off 167 balls with seven boundaries and a six. With useful contributions from wicketkeeper-batsman Sufiyan Shaikh (23) and spinner Iqbal Abdullah (33), Mumbai got more than 100 runs from the last four partnerships. In reply, Jharkhand were reeling at 150 for eight with another 57 runs required to save the follow-on.
England Lions tightened the screws on India 'A' as they dismissed the visitors for 197 and were going strong at 159 for 4 in their second innings on the third day of the only four-day unofficial Test, in Worcester.
Chahal, who has been an automatic choice in the limited overs format has not played any first-class cricket since December 2016 (against Haryana in Ranji Trophy), but the Indian team management and especially skipper Virat Kohli has indicated that he wants the wiry leg-spinner for five-day matches also.
Rest of India fought back well after conceding a 132-run first innings lead to Gujarat, but the newly crowned Ranji Trophy champions maintained the upper hand at the end of the third day of the five-day Irani Cup match, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
KXIP got its campaign back on track with three consecutive wins -- over mighty Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore and the KL Rahul-led side would be hoping to carry the winning momentum forward to break into top four.
The unbeaten Mumbai duo added 185 runs for the fourth wicket to rescue the hosts who looked in dire straits at 39 for three in the morning session after opting to bat in Ranchi.
Himachal Pradesh, who were bowled out for 130 in their first innings, were 79 for one at stumps on day three needing another 393 runs for an improbable win.
Delhi Daredevils were already out of reckoning for Indian Premier League play-offs before Friday's match against Rising Pune Supergiant but their captain Zaheer Khan said that his side wanted to win as many matches as possible.
A final decision by the team's think-tank will be taken after the final practice session on Friday.
India skipper Virat Kohli was pushed to the fifth spot by his English counterpart Joe Root, who rose two rungs to third in the latest ICC Test rankings for batsmen, even as Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin moved up in the bowlers' chart.
Batting first, Board President's XI made 295 for 9 in 50 overs and then bowled out the tourists for 265 in 47.4 overs.
Youngsters including Shreyas Iyer, Karun Nair, keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, teen sensation Prithvi Shaw will be keen to make a mark and impress the national selectors during Tuesday's One-Day warm-up against New Zealand in Mumbai.
India 'A' were set a stiff target of scoring 307 runs to win the second and final unofficial Test after South Africa 'A' declared their second innings at 166 for five on the third and penultimate day in Pretoria on Monday.
Kane and Shikhar took the game calmly over the line to book a berth in the playoffs and all but end Delhi's chances of progressing in the competition.
CSK and Sunrisers Hyderabad (since inception) have traditionally been two of the most balanced sides in most IPL editions but both have ensured scratchy starts this year
Rohit, who has made a comeback to the Test side, will now leave for Australia with India's T20 squad on Friday.
In an act of gamesmanship, pacers, right-arm quick Harshit Rana (1/27 in 3 overs) and left-arm seamer Kuldip Yadav (2/27 in 3 overs) also wasted time, either faking cramps or tying shoelaces or not delivering the ball even after completing the action.
Mumbai rode on Akhil Herwadkar's century and a quickfire fifty from Suryakumar Yadav to post a healthy 303 for six at close of play on day one of their quarter-final clash against Jharkhand in Mysore, on Wednesday.
RR have a lot of issues to sort out, particularly in the absence of key foreign players like Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes.
Daredevils once again had a stop-start campaign in the ongoing IPL and are standing on the verge of yet another early elimination.
The 11th edition of the Indian Premier League will commence, on Saturday, April 7 and will end on 27th May
Rishabh Pant's brute power will be put to test against Rashid Khan's bagful of tricks in an IPL encounter where Delhi Capitals will start as favourites against SunRisers Hyderabad due to their better bowling resources.
Gill's impressive knock comes days after he failed to find a spot in India's tour of the West Indies.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha was named captain of the India 'A' team, which will take part in the two unofficial 'Tests' and a four-nation One-day tournament, in Australia.
Check out the Delhi Daredevils squad for IPL 2014.
Karnataka looked set to secure a big first innings lead against Goa despite fighting half-centuries by three of the home team's batters on day three of their Elite Group C match in Porvorim, on Thursday.
A dominant India quickly wrapped up the last two wickets to win by a comprehensive margin of an innings and 202 runs and complete an emphatic 3-0 series whitewash against South Africa.
Sitting atop the points table, Kolkata Knight Riders would look to consolidate their position when they clash with an equally confident Delhi Daredevils in what promises to be a thrilling IPL encounter, in New Delhi, on Monday.
India A put on a dominant performance as they raced to 91 for one after Bangladesh declared their innings at 224 for eight on the first day of their two-day warm-up match in Hyderabad on Sunday.
A summary of all the action from Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Wednesday.
A win against Mumbai Indians should be enough to send Sunrisers into the final-four.
Having suffered back-to-back defeats against Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals will aim to get back to winning ways against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
A new captain in the saddle, Kolkata Knight Riders would look to sort out their batting woes and strive for consistency when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad in an intriguing mid-table Indian Premier League clash, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
The mountain of runs that he has plundered so far in first-class cricket has ensured that the focus will be firmly on Delhi youngster Rishabh Pant as India 'A' take on the visiting England XI, in the second and final warm-up match in Mumbai, on Thursday.
Their bowling attacks struggling to find form, Kings XI Punjab and SunRisers Hyderabad will look towards their power-hitters to do the job when the two erratic teams go head to head in an IPL match, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Former India left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who recently drew curtains on his international career, is keen to compete in T20 Leagues abroad and will seek the Board of Control for Cricket in India's permission for exploring the options.
Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma is in sublime form and he can pummel any attack into submission on his day.