Australia have rested all rounder Shane Watson and quick bowler Ben Hilfenhaus and dropped batsman Peter Forrest from their squad to play a three-match One-day series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates starting next month.
Delhi Daredevils wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant was named Emerging Player of IPL 11 after the final in Mumbai, on Sunday.
A good came of cricket ended with a touch of unwanted controversy.
Australia vice captain Shane Watson and paceman Brett Lee will miss the fifth and final One-day International against England at Old Trafford on Tuesday after sustaining calf injuries during the fourth match of the series.
Australia's Shane Watson has declared himself fit for both batting and bowling duties in the third and final test against South Africa beginning in Perth on Friday.
Australia's Shane Watson has failed in his bid to prove his fitness for the second Test against South Africa and was left out of an unchanged team for the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.
Australian top order batsman Rob Quiney is desperate to get another taste of Test cricket and will be ready to go if Shane Watson is unfit for next week's second match against South Africa.
Australia has named Shane Watson in a 13-man squad for the second Test against South Africa in Adelaide next week, but said it was too early to guarantee the player's selection as he recovers from a calf strain.
Opener Ambati Raydu scored his maiden century in the Indian Premier League as Chennai Super Kings coasted to an easy eight-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad to virtually seal a play-offs berth, in Pune, on Sunday.
Allrounder Shane Watson has been ruled out of the first Test against South Africa with a calf strain in a huge blow for Australia's hopes of upsetting the top-ranked visitors.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni lavished praise on his bowlers after India beat Australia by 27 runs in the second Twenty20 International at the MCG on Friday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Australia captain Michael Clarke praised his bowlers for knocking over India's potent batting line-up to win the first Test in Melbourne on Thursday and paid tribute to their ability to cobble together runs after the hosts' batsmen failed to fire.
Australia vice-captain Shane Watson's chances of playing in the four-Test series against India are quite bleak, as the all-rounder's recovery from a hamstring and calf injury is slower than expected.
All rounder Shane Watson has said playing at the Champions League would not have a taken a toll on him, but he understands why Cricket Australia have sent him home early from the Twenty20 event.
Shane Watson's dream run in shortest format continued as the all-rounder smashed a quickfire 47 after claiming two wickets as Sydney Sixers beat Highveld Lions by five wickets as they inch closer to semi-finals of the Champions League Twenty20 in Cape Town.
Featuring players who shone at the World Twenty20, Australia's Sydney Sixers might prove to be quite a handful for the Chennai Super Kings when the two teams clash in their opening Group B encounter of the Champions League T20, in Johannesburg on Saturday.
All-rounder Shane Watson emerged the highest-earning Australian cricketer with the Indian Premier League money, ahead of the likes Ricky Ponting and captain Michael Clarke, according to a latest rich-list of sportspersons.
Shane Watson scored a lot of runs at a torrid pace and took a lot of wickets with a reasonable economy rate. It is, therefore, no surprise that the Australian all-rounder was the most valuable player (MVP) in the recently-concluded ICC World T20 in Sri Lanka.
For MI's top-scorer Kieron Pollard, it was Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga's 19th and 20th overs that made the difference.
Intimidated by the marauding Shane Watson, Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore joked that his team will either have to poison the Australian all-rounder's food or hope that he has a bad day in office in their crucial World Twenty20 Super Eight clash in Colombo on Tuesday.
Images from the World Twenty20 Super Eight match between Australia and India at the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Friday.
Australia paceman Mitchell Johnson and all rounder Shane Watson may miss the first Test against New Zealand after suffering injuries during the South Africa tour.
Having registered a comprehensive win in their World Twenty20 opener, Australia would aim to seal a Super Eight berth when they take on the flamboyant West Indies in a Group B encounter at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday.
# Niall O'Brien is the highest run-getter for Ireland in the ICC World Twenty20, aggregating 116 runs at an average of 19.33 in seven matches.
Images of the World Twenty20 match between Australia and Ireland.
Before the players goes under the hammer in Chennai, here are a few batsmen who are expected to pique the interest of the franchises on Thursday.
The legitimacy of Australia's victory over Pakistan at Lord's Test last year may be in question but Simon Katich and Shane Watson said they never suspected any wrongdoing in that match.
Chris Gayle was dropped on 17 which came to hurt Chennai Super Kings big time.
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.
Opener Shane Watson hit a world record 15 sixes in his innings of 185 not out as Australia beat Bangladesh by 9 wickets in the second ODI.
Opener Shane Watson was unbeaten on 101 as Australia ended the opening day in the first Test against India on 224 for 4.
Australian skipper Michael Clarke is backing left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson's selection for the South Africa tour saying that he remains an integral part of the Test side despite his dreadful form in recent months.
Rahul and Pant, both match-winners in their own rights even with the bat, will like to seize the initiative in these early rounds.
Australia pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson has revealed how his long-standing friendship with Shane Watson got off to a rocky start back in 2000, when the former all-rounder stuck his head in the toilet at the Australia's Cricket Academy in Adelaide.
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has said the national selectors owe an explanation to out of favour wicketkeeper Brad Haddin on whether he has been dropped or rested from the One-day team.
A selection of musings from around the cricket World Cup.
Chennai Super Kings will aim to maintain their pole position with a victory over a struggling Kings XI Punjab
England eased to a second successive victory in their five-match one-day series against Australia at the Oval on Sunday to record their eighth consecutive ODI win.
The wives and girlfriends of the cricketers have been a regular attendance in the stands and have not missed out on opportunities of cheering for their partner's teams in the IPL.
India's senior trio of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were rewarded for consistent performances last season with nominations in three categories for the 2010 ICC Awards, which will be held in Bangalore, on October 6.
