IMAGES from the 2nd T20I played between India and Australia in Nagpur on Friday.
Though arguably Australia's finest batsman of the modern era, Steve Smith's only on-field role has been as a substitute at this World Cup, with selectors opting for the hard-hitting but inexperienced David in the middle order.
They are languishing at the bottom and placed eighth in the points table after the first half of IPL 2023.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2023 after Game 42.
Mumbai Indians will be looking for an ideal playing eleven to end their five-match losing streak when they take on Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL match in Mumbai on Saturday.
The 2nd and final day of the IPL mega auction was just as dramatic if not more than Day 1 with Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians getting in the thick of the action.
How Rishabh Pant performs as skipper will be watched with interest
Chasing 146, Australia lost wickets at regular intervals. WI pacers Sheldon Cotrell and Alzarri Joseph dismissed opener David Warner (14) and Mitchell Marsh (3), reducing Australia to 21/2.
Rohit Sharma ended his barren spell with the bat as Mumbai Indians edged Delhi Capitals off the final ball of the match.
Delhi Capitals will have their fortune in their own hands as they aim to pull all stops against Mumbai Indians in what will be a virtual quarter-final clash for Rishabh Pant's men as far as their IPL 2022 play-offs hopes are concerned.
Getting the opportunity in the absence of Mitchell Marsh, who got married on Sunday, Manish Pandey lasted only one ball and the veteran batter will be keen to make an impact at Kotla.
'Till about the second to last over, I thought we had it. Unfortunate run out of Tim David. But we thought we were very much in the game till that run out.'
It has been a rollercoaster ride for SRH who won five games in a row before losing the next five.
Defending champions Australia are grappling with injury concerns to three key players, including captain Aaron Finch who is uncertain to lead the side in their crucial T20 World Cup match against Afghanistan on Friday.
Pandya (25) kept his cool while facing a relentless Australian attack after Kohli's dismissal in the final over and wrapped up the win with a boundary off Daniel Sams.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2023 after Game 52.
Finch led Australia to their maiden Twenty20 World Cup title last year and will spearhead their title defence on home soil next month.
IMAGES from the 1st T20I played between India and Australia in Mohali on Tuesday.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is a quick learner and has the ability to excel not just for his IPL franchise but also India, feels Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara.
And one Saturday evening, under the Mumbai night sky, next to the Arabian Sea, with the 'God of Cricket' in attendance, Mumbai Indians were done in by the brilliance and resilience of Punjab Kings.
'We've put ourselves in this situation but hopefully the Sri Lankans can do the job for us.'
Mumbai Indians will have the returning Suryakumar Yadav's flamboyance in the middle-order as they look to bounce back against a confident Rajasthan Royals unit in the IPL at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.
Suryakumar reached a career-best-equalling second position in the ICC men's T20I Player rankings
India dropped three catches and were left to rue their death-overs bowling.
Australia gelled superbly during last year's triumph in the United Arab Emirates and 14 of that 15-man squad will bid for back-to-back titles
Rohit Sharma would any day take a Mumbai Indians victory as a birthday present; more so when the team finally performs to its potential after eight straight defeats.
Mumbai Indians head coach Mark Boucher lamented that his side allowed Punjab Kings to get away with the game in the final five overs of the first innings, in which they added 96 runs to swell their total to a match-winning 214 for 8 at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
The 35-year-old Aaron Finch, who had suffered a hamstring injury in 2016 as well, left the field early during Ireland's chase, which ended at 137 all out in 18.1 overs.
Kolkata Knight Riders batter Venkatesh Iyer dedicated his maiden century to assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.
Pacer Matheesha Pathirana starred with the ball as Chennai Super Kings eased to an emphatic six-wicket victory against Mumbai Indians.
Rohit Sharma will be looking to get his act together as batter and skipper when his star-studded Mumbai Indians take on an astute Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings in what could be safely billed as a Saturday night IPL blockbuster.
Mumbai won with 31 balls to spare, only the five time IPL winners's third win in 12 IPL 2022 games. CSK slumped to their eighth defeat, ending their slim hopes of making it to the last four.
With MI's batting finally clicking, LSG bowlers have task cut out
Smith's selection was mostly influenced by Australia's emphasis on having bowling options in their top six.
Australia captain Aaron Finch says he is more likely than not to play in Friday's crunch Twenty20 World Cup Super 12 match against Afghanistan, despite suffering a hamstring strain on Tuesday.
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
Lucknow Super Giants crumbled like a pack of cards as Mumbai Indians knocked them out of IPL 2023 with an 81 run defeat.
Mumbai Indians have so far looked like anything but IPL's five-time champions, losing both their opening games - against Delhi Capitals by four wickets, followed by a 23-run defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals.
Rahul Tripathi batted like a man on a mission before Umran Malik sizzled with his pace as Sunrisers Hyderabad kept their slim IPL play-off hopes alive with a narrow three-run win over Mumbai Indians in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Suryakumar Yadav hammered his maiden IPL ton and took the sheen away from Rashid Khan's dazzling all-round performance with MI picking up a win over GT.
