How often do you see such stiff competition among teams to qualify for the next round of the tournament as you are witnessing this in the IPL 2018?

Now take this fact. During the round-robin stage total, 56 matches were slated to decide four qualifiers for the playoffs. Out of these, we are already done with 52 matches and only four are left and still, two of these four spots are up for the grab and five teams are very well in the race.

So it’s all boils down to final four matches and any combination of two teams out of these five can make it to the next round, basis overall outcome of these four matches.

The fate of only three times has been frozen till now - Hyderabad and Chennai are in the next round and Delhi have been knocked off. Rest five teams are still toiling, wondering and supplicating for a bit of luck as well.

It has been one of the most tightly contested IPLs so far. There has been a continuous swing in the momentum, as by and large it is the fight among the equals. Guessing the outcome is a dangerous business in this scenario and please do this at your own risk.&nbsp;

Take the example of the match between Chennai and Delhi on 18th May 2018. How many of us would have thought that down and dejected Delhi team would be able to tame spirited "Yellow Brigade" so comprehensively? The handful of them, I believe.

I would still take risk of guessing and will put my money on Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore for the playoffs. Kolkata team is playing reasonably well as a unit and currently, they have 14 points under their belt.

One victory in the last match would send them to the playoffs, irrespective of the outcome of other matches. Rest four teams in the fray are having 12 points. Besides a victory in the last match, they need a bit of luck to have a better Net Run Rate.

Bangalore and Mumbai have recovered well after a poor run during the middle of the tournament and current favourite for playoffs birth because of the recent momentum.

Mumbai's run is somewhat reminiscent of their run in 2015 when they came back from the bottom threshold and ultimately won the championship. The good news for Mumbai is that Kieron Pollard is back in the form.

Virat-led Bangalore team has defeated the table topper Hyderabad in their previous match and that must have given them the much-needed self-belief.

AB de Villiers is batting well and captain Kohli can always turn things around with the bat. Umesh Yadav and Chahal are bowling well and they have managed Kohli’s bowling worries to an extent.

Jos Buttler has been the star of the season of Rajasthan team. He would no longer be available with for today's game and this is really a bad news for the side.

Punjab on other hand is over dependant on KL Rahul for runs. Their other stalwarts Cris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh and Karun Nair are struggling and that has made things difficult for the side.

Nonetheless, let’s fasten for seat belt this weekend for four livewire matches in IPL-2018. Rest assured all five teams would play out of their skin in their last league match.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

56 matches were slated to decide four qualifiers for the playoffs. Out of these, we are already done with 52 matches and only four are left and still, two of these four spots are up for the grab and five teams are very well in the race

How often do you see such stiff competition among teams to qualify for the next round of the tournament as you are witnessing this in the IPL 2018? Now take this fact. During the round-robin stage total, 56 matches were slated to decide four qualifiers for the playoffs. Out of these, we are already done with 52 matches and only four are left and still, two of these four spots are up for the grab and five teams are very well in the race. So it’s all boils down to final four matches and any combination of two teams out of these five can make it to the next round, basis overall outcome of these four matches. The fate of only three times has been frozen till now - Hyderabad and Chennai are in the next round and Delhi have been knocked off. Rest five teams are still toiling, wondering and supplicating for a bit of luck as well. It has been one of the most tightly contested IPLs so far. There has been a continuous swing in the momentum, as by and large it is the fight among the equals. Guessing the outcome is a dangerous business in this scenario and please do this at your own risk. Take the example of the match between Chennai and Delhi on 18th May 2018. How many of us would have thought that down and dejected Delhi team would be able to tame spirited "Yellow Brigade" so comprehensively? The handful of them, I believe. I would still take risk of guessing and will put my money on Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore for the playoffs. Kolkata team is playing reasonably well as a unit and currently, they have 14 points under their belt. One victory in the last match would send them to the playoffs, irrespective of the outcome of other matches. Rest four teams in the fray are having 12 points. Besides a victory in the last match, they need a bit of luck to have a better Net Run Rate. Bangalore and Mumbai have recovered well after a poor run during the middle of the tournament and current favourite for playoffs birth because of the recent momentum. Mumbai's run is somewhat reminiscent of their run in 2015 when they came back from the bottom threshold and ultimately won the championship. The good news for Mumbai is that Kieron Pollard is back in the form. Virat-led Bangalore team has defeated the table topper Hyderabad in their previous match and that must have given them the much-needed self-belief. AB de Villiers is batting well and captain Kohli can always turn things around with the bat. Umesh Yadav and Chahal are bowling well and they have managed Kohli’s bowling worries to an extent. Jos Buttler has been the star of the season of Rajasthan team. He would no longer be available with for today's game and this is really a bad news for the side. Punjab on other hand is over dependant on KL Rahul for runs. Their other stalwarts Cris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh and Karun Nair are struggling and that has made things difficult for the side. Nonetheless, let’s fasten for seat belt this weekend for four livewire matches in IPL-2018. Rest assured all five teams would play out of their skin in their last league match. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: IPL 2018 - Be ready for the livewire action this weekend

Table toppers Hyderabad will lock horns with Kolkata at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday. Kolkata have a two-point advantage over the other teams that are in the race for playoffs.

The do and die clash for Kolkata will not be easy as hosts Hyderabad will play all the available cards to win tonight's match in order to remain at the top of the league's table.

Despite coming off from a defeat, Hyderabad are riding on confidence because of their impressive showing in the season so far.

Skipper Kane Williamson has led the side from the front, and he will look to do it again besides other batsmen like Shikhar Dhawan and Manish Pandey.

For Kolkata, Dinesh Karthik too has taken the responsibility of the entire team in crucial occasions.

Also, Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Andre Russell are in good form.

Hyderabad might consider replacing Basil Thampi with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Bhuvi who did not play the last game could be back alongside Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul and Shakib Al Hasan to strengthen the bowling unit.

The likes of Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine and skipper Dinesh Karthik will hold the key to KKR's fortunes.

Playing XI (TBC):

Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, Alex Hales, Kane Williamson(c), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shakib Al Hasan, Shreevats Goswami(w), Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma

Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

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Table toppers Hyderabad will lock horns with Kolkata at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday

Table toppers Hyderabad will lock horns with Kolkata at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday. Kolkata have a two-point advantage over the other teams that are in the race for playoffs. The do and die clash for Kolkata will not be easy as hosts Hyderabad will play all the available cards to win tonight's match in order to remain at the top of the league's table. Despite coming off from a defeat, Hyderabad are riding on confidence because of their impressive showing in the season so far. Skipper Kane Williamson has led the side from the front, and he will look to do it again besides other batsmen like Shikhar Dhawan and Manish Pandey. For Kolkata, Dinesh Karthik too has taken the responsibility of the entire team in crucial occasions. Also, Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Andre Russell are in good form. Hyderabad might consider replacing Basil Thampi with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Bhuvi who did not play the last game could be back alongside Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul and Shakib Al Hasan to strengthen the bowling unit. The likes of Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine and skipper Dinesh Karthik will hold the key to KKR's fortunes. Playing XI (TBC): Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, Alex Hales, Kane Williamson(c), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shakib Al Hasan, Shreevats Goswami(w), Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav ×

IPL 2018: Match preview of Hyderabad vs Kolkata

Rajasthan won the toss and opted to bat against Bangalore at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Saturday.

After winning the toss, Ajinkya Rahane mentioned that the pitch is dry and also the host Rajhasthan are very familiar with the wickets. On the exit of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, Ajinkya said that the team is missing them.

Virat Kohli also highlighted the fact that Jos And Ben are not in the Playing XI. Kolhi also mentioned that the team has done decently well in the previous three matches and also it is important to find the right balance in today's game.

There is no change for Bangalore team, on the other hand, Ben Laughlin, Heinrich Klaasen and Shreyas Gopal have been included in the playing XI of Rajasthan.

Playing XI:

Rajasthan: Rahul Tripathi, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Sanju Samson, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Stuart Binny, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Ish Sodhi, Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Laughlin

Bangalore: Parthiv Patel(w), Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers, Moeen Ali, Colin de Grandhomme, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Ben Laughlin, Heinrich Klaasen and Shreyas Gopal have been included in the playing XI of Rajasthan

Rajasthan won the toss and opted to bat against Bangalore at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Saturday. After winning the toss, Ajinkya Rahane mentioned that the pitch is dry and also the host Rajhasthan are very familiar with the wickets. On the exit of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, Ajinkya said that the team is missing them. Virat Kohli also highlighted the fact that Jos And Ben are not in the Playing XI. Kolhi also mentioned that the team has done decently well in the previous three matches and also it is important to find the right balance in today's game. There is no change for Bangalore team, on the other hand, Ben Laughlin, Heinrich Klaasen and Shreyas Gopal have been included in the playing XI of Rajasthan. Playing XI: Rajasthan: Rahul Tripathi, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Sanju Samson, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Stuart Binny, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Ish Sodhi, Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Laughlin Bangalore: Parthiv Patel(w), Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers, Moeen Ali, Colin de Grandhomme, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

IPL 2018: Ajinkya Rahane opts to bat against Bangalore

Rajasthan will host Bangalore team at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Saturday in one of the most crucial encounters which will act as a decider to book a berth in the play-offs of Indian Premier League 2018.

At present, Rajasthan, Bangalore, Kolkata and Mumbai are fighting for two empty seats of the play-offs as Hyderabad and Chennai have already qualified in the play-offs.

Fifty-two matches have been played till now and still, the fight is very tough and that can be seen when Ajinkya Rahane-led Rajasthan will lock horns with Virat Kohli-led Bangalore.

A loss will definitely knock the team out the defeated team from the play-off race and a victory will give the team a better chance of going through.

There aren't any fresh news of injuries, players from both the teams are fit and healthy and it is expected that the skippers will enter the fields with the same squad.

Playing (TBC):

Bangalore: Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Moeen Ali, Colin de Grandhomme, Mandeep Singh, Sarfraz Khan, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Rajasthan: D'Arcy Short, Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Heinrich Klassen, Rahul Tripathi, Stuart Binny, K Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat

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Rajasthan will host Bangalore team at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Saturday

Rajasthan will host Bangalore team at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Saturday in one of the most crucial encounters which will act as a decider to book a berth in the play-offs of Indian Premier League 2018. At present, Rajasthan, Bangalore, Kolkata and Mumbai are fighting for two empty seats of the play-offs as Hyderabad and Chennai have already qualified in the play-offs. Fifty-two matches have been played till now and still, the fight is very tough and that can be seen when Ajinkya Rahane-led Rajasthan will lock horns with Virat Kohli-led Bangalore. A loss will definitely knock the team out the defeated team from the play-off race and a victory will give the team a better chance of going through. There aren't any fresh news of injuries, players from both the teams are fit and healthy and it is expected that the skippers will enter the fields with the same squad. Playing (TBC): Bangalore: Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Moeen Ali, Colin de Grandhomme, Mandeep Singh, Sarfraz Khan, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal Rajasthan: D'Arcy Short, Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Heinrich Klassen, Rahul Tripathi, Stuart Binny, K Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat ×

IPL 2018: Match preview of Rajasthan vs Bangalore

Chennai failed to reach atop league's table as MS Dhoni-led Chennai team was defeated by already eliminated Delhi on Friday at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium and by handing over a tragic defeat to Chennai, team&nbspDelhi has managed to salvage its cricketing pride.

Earlier, MSD had won the toss and invited the host to bat first as the skipper Dhoni was suspicious that the pitch might deteriorate after some time.

Delhi, batting first put up a modest target of 163 runs which Chennai failed to achieve in 20 overs and lost the match by 34 runs.

While chasing, Chennai started off well as the opener Ambati Rayudu slammed half-century off 29 balls, on the other hand, another opener Shane Watson lost his wicket to Amit Mishra's tricky spin bowl after scoring just 14 runs.

Suresh Raina (15) and MS Dhoni (17) lost their wickets to &nbspSandeep Lamichhane and Trent Boult respectively. It was a good opportunity for the batsmen to prove their calibre by chasing the total but the "Yellow Brigade" lost it.

Unbeaten Ravindra Jadeja tried to push the run rate in the death over, he scored 27 crucial runs and held the inning on one side but other batsmen kept losing their wickets from the other side.

Trent Boult and Amit Mishra struck twice to restrict the Chennai team, also, young talent from Nepal Sandeep Lamichhane and Harshal Patel took one wicket each to help the bowling unit in defending the total.

In the first innings, Delhi's opener Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer scored 17 and 19 runs respectively.

Prithvi Shaw lost his wicket to Deepak Chahar and pacer Lungi Ngidi out bowled skipper Shreyas Iyer.

At number three, Rishabh Pant came in and scored 38 crucial runs for the team. Also, Vijay Shankar and Harshal Patel contributed with their bats to push the run rate and put up a decent total on the board.

Glenn Maxwell, who has been on and off throughout the tournament, again failed and scored only five runs.

For Chennai, Lungi Ngidi was proved most economical as he took two important wickets and other than that, Deepak Chahar, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur got one wicket each.

Chennai failed to reach atop league's table as MS Dhoni-led Chennai team was defeated by already eliminated Delhi

Chennai failed to reach atop league's table as MS Dhoni-led Chennai team was defeated by already eliminated Delhi on Friday at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium and by handing over a tragic defeat to Chennai, team&nbspDelhi has managed to salvage its cricketing pride. Earlier, MSD had won the toss and invited the host to bat first as the skipper Dhoni was suspicious that the pitch might deteriorate after some time. Delhi, batting first put up a modest target of 163 runs which Chennai failed to achieve in 20 overs and lost the match by 34 runs. While chasing, Chennai started off well as the opener Ambati Rayudu slammed half-century off 29 balls, on the other hand, another opener Shane Watson lost his wicket to Amit Mishra's tricky spin bowl after scoring just 14 runs. Suresh Raina (15) and MS Dhoni (17) lost their wickets to &nbspSandeep Lamichhane and Trent Boult respectively. It was a good opportunity for the batsmen to prove their calibre by chasing the total but the "Yellow Brigade" lost it. Unbeaten Ravindra Jadeja tried to push the run rate in the death over, he scored 27 crucial runs and held the inning on one side but other batsmen kept losing their wickets from the other side. Trent Boult and Amit Mishra struck twice to restrict the Chennai team, also, young talent from Nepal Sandeep Lamichhane and Harshal Patel took one wicket each to help the bowling unit in defending the total. In the first innings, Delhi's opener Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer scored 17 and 19 runs respectively. Prithvi Shaw lost his wicket to Deepak Chahar and pacer Lungi Ngidi out bowled skipper Shreyas Iyer. At number three, Rishabh Pant came in and scored 38 crucial runs for the team. Also, Vijay Shankar and Harshal Patel contributed with their bats to push the run rate and put up a decent total on the board. Glenn Maxwell, who has been on and off throughout the tournament, again failed and scored only five runs. For Chennai, Lungi Ngidi was proved most economical as he took two important wickets and other than that, Deepak Chahar, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur got one wicket each.

IPL 2018: Delhi beat Chennai by 34 runs to salvage cricketing pride

Bangalore defeated table-toppers Hyderabad by 14 runs in a must-win match to stay alive in the Indian Premier League at M. Chinnaswamy stadium.&nbsp

Hyderabad skipper Williamson along with Manish Pandey forged a crucial partnership to take Hyderabad on the verge of another nail-biting win.

However, it was the hosts who clinched the issue to keep their playoff dream alive.

While Williamson smashed 81 runs off just 42 balls, Pandey made 62 in 38 balls.

Chasing the massive 219-run target, Hyderabad openers Shikhar Dhawan (18) and Alex Hales (37) took their side to a quick start, accumulating 47 runs in the first five overs.

However, the decent start was short-lived as Yuzvendra Chahal drew the first blood for the hosts in the sixth over when Dhawan came down the track but chipped back to the bowler.

With addition of another 17 runs in Hyderabad`s scorecard, AB de Villiers took a stunning catch at deep midwicket to pack back Hales off a Moeen Ali delivery.

Skipper Williamson and Pandey then took the command, taking their side to touch the three-figure mark in 11.3 overs.

Meanwhile, the Hyderabad captain slammed his half-century off 28 balls, helping his side inch closer to the target.

The duo went on to forge a crucial 135-run partnership for the third wicket, lifting the visitors to 199 runs in 19.1 overs.

With 19 needed off the final over, Mohammed Siraj jolted Hyderabad dismissing the visiting skipper to bring back Bangalore in the game.

Earlier, Colin de Grandhomme's 17-ball 40 powered Bangalore to mammoth 218 runs against table-toppers Hyderabad.

After Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli departed cheaply, AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali established a 107 runs partnership to help Bangalore recover from the losses.

De Villiers smashed 69 runs off 37 balls while Ali made 65 off 34 balls before giving away their wicket in one over to Rashid Khan.

For Hyderabad, Basil Thampi registered the most expensive bowling figures in IPL history. He gave away 70 runs in four overs and took zero wickets.&nbsp

Earlier, Kane Williamson ton the toss and opted to bowl against Bangalore as the two teams clash at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.

Talking after the toss, Williamson said," "We are gonna bowl. Hard to know how the surface will play, so we'll try and make use of it first with the ball in hand. Hopefully we can restrict them."

"We have one change: Basil Thampi comes in for Bhuvneshwar. Great opportunity for Basil tonight. Hopefully we can adapt to conditions," he added. &nbsp

Bangalore, on the other hand, registered two big wins over Delhi and Punjab to save their chances of survival in Indian Premier League (IPL). &nbsp&nbsp

The 10 wicket victory over R Ashwin side brought the Virat Kohli’s team out of nowhere into the play-off contention.&nbsp

Talking about their strategy for today, Kohli said,"We wanted to bowl but SRH are not a bad side to bat first against, who bank on their bowling. Would be nice to test their batting with a score on board. We can play with freedom."&nbsp

"We will try to do well in whatever we are doing first. It's my 163rd IPL game, so not my first (when Morrison asked if he was nervous about where RCB were). We have been through these times before, so the key is to enjoy," he added.

"There's no reason to think too much now because we have two (consecutive) wins. Another day in life, so just enjoy. We have won two games, so we are playing with the same side. We'll try and replicate the same tonight," the Bangalore skipper concluded.&nbsp

While Williamson smashed 81 runs off just 42 balls, Pandey made 62 in 38 balls

Bangalore defeated table-toppers Hyderabad by 14 runs in a must-win match to stay alive in the Indian Premier League at M. Chinnaswamy stadium. Hyderabad skipper Williamson along with Manish Pandey forged a crucial partnership to take Hyderabad on the verge of another nail-biting win. However, it was the hosts who clinched the issue to keep their playoff dream alive. While Williamson smashed 81 runs off just 42 balls, Pandey made 62 in 38 balls. Chasing the massive 219-run target, Hyderabad openers Shikhar Dhawan (18) and Alex Hales (37) took their side to a quick start, accumulating 47 runs in the first five overs. However, the decent start was short-lived as Yuzvendra Chahal drew the first blood for the hosts in the sixth over when Dhawan came down the track but chipped back to the bowler. With addition of another 17 runs in Hyderabad`s scorecard, AB de Villiers took a stunning catch at deep midwicket to pack back Hales off a Moeen Ali delivery. Skipper Williamson and Pandey then took the command, taking their side to touch the three-figure mark in 11.3 overs. Meanwhile, the Hyderabad captain slammed his half-century off 28 balls, helping his side inch closer to the target. The duo went on to forge a crucial 135-run partnership for the third wicket, lifting the visitors to 199 runs in 19.1 overs. With 19 needed off the final over, Mohammed Siraj jolted Hyderabad dismissing the visiting skipper to bring back Bangalore in the game. Earlier, Colin de Grandhomme's 17-ball 40 powered Bangalore to mammoth 218 runs against table-toppers Hyderabad. After Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli departed cheaply, AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali established a 107 runs partnership to help Bangalore recover from the losses. De Villiers smashed 69 runs off 37 balls while Ali made 65 off 34 balls before giving away their wicket in one over to Rashid Khan. For Hyderabad, Basil Thampi registered the most expensive bowling figures in IPL history. He gave away 70 runs in four overs and took zero wickets. Earlier, Kane Williamson ton the toss and opted to bowl against Bangalore as the two teams clash at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. Talking after the toss, Williamson said," "We are gonna bowl. Hard to know how the surface will play, so we'll try and make use of it first with the ball in hand. Hopefully we can restrict them." "We have one change: Basil Thampi comes in for Bhuvneshwar. Great opportunity for Basil tonight. Hopefully we can adapt to conditions," he added. Bangalore, on the other hand, registered two big wins over Delhi and Punjab to save their chances of survival in Indian Premier League (IPL). The 10 wicket victory over R Ashwin side brought the Virat Kohli’s team out of nowhere into the play-off contention. Talking about their strategy for today, Kohli said,"We wanted to bowl but SRH are not a bad side to bat first against, who bank on their bowling. Would be nice to test their batting with a score on board. We can play with freedom." "We will try to do well in whatever we are doing first. It's my 163rd IPL game, so not my first (when Morrison asked if he was nervous about where RCB were). We have been through these times before, so the key is to enjoy," he added. "There's no reason to think too much now because we have two (consecutive) wins. Another day in life, so just enjoy. We have won two games, so we are playing with the same side. We'll try and replicate the same tonight," the Bangalore skipper concluded.

Bangalore beat Hyderabad by 14 runs to stay alive in IPL 2018

MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to ball at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Friday.

After winning the toss, Dhoni mentioned that it is a difficult ground and also mentioned that the wickets might deteriorate after some time.

For Chennai, Lungi Ngidi has been included in the playing XI.

On the other hand, Delhi's skipper Shreyas Iyer said that the team will try to put up a good score.

Glenn Maxwell and Avesh Khan come in for Jason Roy and Junior Dala respectively.

Playing XI:

Chennai: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Sam Billings, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi

Delhi: Prithvi Shaw, Glenn Maxwell, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Harshal Patel, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Trent Boult

Lungi Ngidi has been included in the playing XI of Chennai

MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to ball at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Friday. After winning the toss, Dhoni mentioned that it is a difficult ground and also mentioned that the wickets might deteriorate after some time. For Chennai, Lungi Ngidi has been included in the playing XI. On the other hand, Delhi's skipper Shreyas Iyer said that the team will try to put up a good score. Glenn Maxwell and Avesh Khan come in for Jason Roy and Junior Dala respectively. Playing XI: Chennai: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Sam Billings, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi Delhi: Prithvi Shaw, Glenn Maxwell, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Harshal Patel, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Trent Boult

IPL 2018: MS Dhoni opts to bowl against Delhi

Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi team will host MS Dhoni-led Chennai at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Friday, May 18.

Team Delhi has been eliminated and has only two games left in the tournament. On one hand, the team will look to salvage its cricketing pride and on the other hand, Chennai team will play to warm up for the play-off as they have already qualified in the play-offs.

Though Delhi did not qualify for the play-offs it is one of the best batting sides in the ongoing tournament but the bowling side suffered a lot and currently have the poorest economy rate which is 9.34.

The result of today's game will not affect the points table and it will be through joy for the Delhiites at Kotla stadium.

Both the teams have done remarkably well in the death overs and it is expected that both the teams will enter with the same squad.

Playing XI (TBC):

Delhi: Amit Mishra, Jason Roy, Trent Boult, Harshal Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shreyas Iyer (c), Junior Dala, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sandeep Lamichhane, Abhishek Sharma, Prithvi Shaw

Chennai: Harbhajan Singh, Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, David Willey, Deepak Chahar, Sam Billings, Shardul Thakur

&nbsp

Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi team will host MS Dhoni-led Chennai at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium

Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi team will host MS Dhoni-led Chennai at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Friday, May 18. Team Delhi has been eliminated and has only two games left in the tournament. On one hand, the team will look to salvage its cricketing pride and on the other hand, Chennai team will play to warm up for the play-off as they have already qualified in the play-offs. Though Delhi did not qualify for the play-offs it is one of the best batting sides in the ongoing tournament but the bowling side suffered a lot and currently have the poorest economy rate which is 9.34. The result of today's game will not affect the points table and it will be through joy for the Delhiites at Kotla stadium. Both the teams have done remarkably well in the death overs and it is expected that both the teams will enter with the same squad. Playing XI (TBC): Delhi: Amit Mishra, Jason Roy, Trent Boult, Harshal Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shreyas Iyer (c), Junior Dala, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sandeep Lamichhane, Abhishek Sharma, Prithvi Shaw Chennai: Harbhajan Singh, Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, David Willey, Deepak Chahar, Sam Billings, Shardul Thakur

IPL 2018: Match preview of Delhi vs Chennai

Mumbai defeated Punjab by three runs in a last-ball thriller match at Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Jasprit Bumrah took the crucial wicket for Mumbai, which turned out to be a game changer.&nbsp;

Punjab Opener KL Rahul once again proved his cricketing prowess as he single-handedly depleted Mumbai's bowling attack.

With every ball, Rahul went strong and registered his seventh half-century of IPL 2018.

However, he missed his another century by six runs and departed after making 94 off 60 balls.

His inning included 10 boundaries and three sixes.

Aaron Finch also played a spectacular inning with Rahul after Chris Gayle was sent back to the pavilion for just 18 runs.

Yuvraj Singh once again failed to leave any mark with his batting. he gave away his wicket while trying to hit a big shot.&nbsp;

For Mumbai, Kieron Pollard smashed a half-century to save Mumbai from drowning as the team ended their innings for 186 for 8, against Punjab at Wankhede stadium, on Wednesday.

The Trinidadian cricketer smashed five boundaries and three sixes to reach 50 in just 23 balls.

Suryakumar Yadav and Evin Lewis opened for Mumbai and the team lost its first wicket for 37 runs.

After Lewis departed, Yadav continued his attack along with Ishan Kishan.&nbsp;

However, Kishan too lost his wicket after making just 20 runs.

Skipper Rohit Sharma again failed to fill up the gap and went back to the pavilion after making just six runs.&nbsp;

Krunal Pandya, who failed to contribute in last match, made 32 runs in 23 balls before giving away his wicket to Marcus Stoinis.

Earlier, R Ashwin won the toss and opted to bowl against Mumbai in a must-win match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Mumbai will be desperate for a win also to keep their play-off hopes alive as they are almost on the edge of elimination.&nbsp;

Talking after the toss, Ashwin said, "We are bowling first. Looks like there's dew here, we would like to bowl first and chase the total down. I expected some dip, that's what has happened, "

"We have lost three matches on the bounce, hopefully, we will stop that rot. Two changes for us - Yuvraj Singh and Manoj Tiwary are back, they replace Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair. Mujeeb is still not fit, hopefully, he will be back for the next match," he added.

Speaking about their strategy for today, Rohit Sharma said, "We were bowling first as well. Dew is a factor, but we are not worried about it, we need to play some good cricket."

"I have been in this position over the last few years and I know how to handle the situation. The team has handled it better than me, I think we have done well considering how we played in the first half of the tournament," he added.

"We are not thinking about the Delhi match at the moment. Just one change for us, Kieron Pollard replaces JP Duminy," he concluded.

Rahul went strong and registered his seventh half-century of IPL 2018.

Mumbai defeated Punjab by three runs in a last-ball thriller match at Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. Jasprit Bumrah took the crucial wicket for Mumbai, which turned out to be a game changer. Punjab Opener KL Rahul once again proved his cricketing prowess as he single-handedly depleted Mumbai's bowling attack. With every ball, Rahul went strong and registered his seventh half-century of IPL 2018. However, he missed his another century by six runs and departed after making 94 off 60 balls. His inning included 10 boundaries and three sixes. Aaron Finch also played a spectacular inning with Rahul after Chris Gayle was sent back to the pavilion for just 18 runs. Yuvraj Singh once again failed to leave any mark with his batting. he gave away his wicket while trying to hit a big shot. For Mumbai, Kieron Pollard smashed a half-century to save Mumbai from drowning as the team ended their innings for 186 for 8, against Punjab at Wankhede stadium, on Wednesday. The Trinidadian cricketer smashed five boundaries and three sixes to reach 50 in just 23 balls. Suryakumar Yadav and Evin Lewis opened for Mumbai and the team lost its first wicket for 37 runs. After Lewis departed, Yadav continued his attack along with Ishan Kishan. However, Kishan too lost his wicket after making just 20 runs. Skipper Rohit Sharma again failed to fill up the gap and went back to the pavilion after making just six runs. Krunal Pandya, who failed to contribute in last match, made 32 runs in 23 balls before giving away his wicket to Marcus Stoinis. Earlier, R Ashwin won the toss and opted to bowl against Mumbai in a must-win match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Mumbai will be desperate for a win also to keep their play-off hopes alive as they are almost on the edge of elimination. Talking after the toss, Ashwin said, "We are bowling first. Looks like there's dew here, we would like to bowl first and chase the total down. I expected some dip, that's what has happened, " "We have lost three matches on the bounce, hopefully, we will stop that rot. Two changes for us - Yuvraj Singh and Manoj Tiwary are back, they replace Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair. Mujeeb is still not fit, hopefully, he will be back for the next match," he added. Speaking about their strategy for today, Rohit Sharma said, "We were bowling first as well. Dew is a factor, but we are not worried about it, we need to play some good cricket." "I have been in this position over the last few years and I know how to handle the situation. The team has handled it better than me, I think we have done well considering how we played in the first half of the tournament," he added. "We are not thinking about the Delhi match at the moment. Just one change for us, Kieron Pollard replaces JP Duminy," he concluded.

IPL 2018: Mumbai keep play-off hopes alive, beat Punjab by 3 runs

Colin de Grandhomme's 17-ball 40 powered Bangalore to mammoth 218 runs against table-toppers Hyderabad on Thursday.

After Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli departed cheaply, AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali established a 107 runs partnership to help Bangalore recover from the losses.

De Villiers smashed 69 runs off 37 balls while Ali made 65 off 34 balls before giving away their wicket in one over to Rashid Khan.

For Hyderabad, Basil Thampi registered the most expensive bowling figures in IPL history. He gave away 70 runs in four overs and took zero wickets.&nbsp

Earlier, Kane Williamson ton the toss and opted to bowl against Bangalore as the two teams clash at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.

Talking after the toss, Williamson said," "We are gonna bowl. Hard to know how the surface will play, so we'll try and make use of it first with the ball in hand. Hopefully we can restrict them."

"We have one change: Basil Thampi comes in for Bhuvneshwar. Great opportunity for Basil tonight. Hopefully we can adapt to conditions," he added. &nbsp

Bangalore, on the other hand, registered two big wins over Delhi and Punjab to save their chances of survival in Indian Premier League (IPL). &nbsp&nbsp

The 10 wicket victory over R Ashwin side brought the Virat Kohli’s team out of nowhere into the play-off contention.&nbsp

Talking about their strategy for today, Kohli said,"We wanted to bowl but SRH are not a bad side to bat first against, who bank on their bowling. Would be nice to test their batting with a score on board. We can play with freedom."&nbsp

"We will try to do well in whatever we are doing first. It's my 163rd IPL game, so not my first (when Morrison asked if he was nervous about where RCB were). We have been through these times before, so the key is to enjoy," he added.

"There's no reason to think too much now because we have two (consecutive) wins. Another day in life, so just enjoy. We have won two games, so we are playing with the same side. We'll try and replicate the same tonight," the Bangalore skipper concluded.&nbsp

Kohli has to defeat table-toppers Hyderabad to save Bangalore in IPL 2018.&nbsp

Bangalore (Playing XI): Virat Kohli(c), Parthiv Patel(w), Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Hyderabad (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Alex Hales, Kane Williamson(c), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shakib Al Hasan, Shreevats Goswami(w), Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi 
&nbsp

AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali established a 107 runs partnership to help Bangalore recover from the losses

Colin de Grandhomme's 17-ball 40 powered Bangalore to mammoth 218 runs against table-toppers Hyderabad on Thursday. After Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli departed cheaply, AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali established a 107 runs partnership to help Bangalore recover from the losses. De Villiers smashed 69 runs off 37 balls while Ali made 65 off 34 balls before giving away their wicket in one over to Rashid Khan. For Hyderabad, Basil Thampi registered the most expensive bowling figures in IPL history. He gave away 70 runs in four overs and took zero wickets. Earlier, Kane Williamson ton the toss and opted to bowl against Bangalore as the two teams clash at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. Talking after the toss, Williamson said," "We are gonna bowl. Hard to know how the surface will play, so we'll try and make use of it first with the ball in hand. Hopefully we can restrict them." "We have one change: Basil Thampi comes in for Bhuvneshwar. Great opportunity for Basil tonight. Hopefully we can adapt to conditions," he added. Bangalore, on the other hand, registered two big wins over Delhi and Punjab to save their chances of survival in Indian Premier League (IPL). The 10 wicket victory over R Ashwin side brought the Virat Kohli’s team out of nowhere into the play-off contention. Talking about their strategy for today, Kohli said,"We wanted to bowl but SRH are not a bad side to bat first against, who bank on their bowling. Would be nice to test their batting with a score on board. We can play with freedom." "We will try to do well in whatever we are doing first. It's my 163rd IPL game, so not my first (when Morrison asked if he was nervous about where RCB were). We have been through these times before, so the key is to enjoy," he added. "There's no reason to think too much now because we have two (consecutive) wins. Another day in life, so just enjoy. We have won two games, so we are playing with the same side. We'll try and replicate the same tonight," the Bangalore skipper concluded. Kohli has to defeat table-toppers Hyderabad to save Bangalore in IPL 2018. Bangalore (Playing XI): Virat Kohli(c), Parthiv Patel(w), Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal Hyderabad (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Alex Hales, Kane Williamson(c), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shakib Al Hasan, Shreevats Goswami(w), Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi

IPL 2018: Grandhomme's cameo powers Bangalore to mammoth 218

Kane Williamson ton the toss and opted to bowl against Bangalore as the two teams clash at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.

Talking after the toss, Williamson said," "We are gonna bowl. Hard to know how the surface will play, so we'll try and make use of it first with the ball in hand. Hopefully we can restrict them."

"We have one change: Basil Thampi comes in for Bhuvneshwar. Great opportunity for Basil tonight. Hopefully we can adapt to conditions," he added. &nbsp

Bangalore, on the other hand, registered two big wins over Delhi and Punjab to save their chances of survival in Indian Premier League (IPL). &nbsp&nbsp

The 10 wicket victory over R Ashwin side brought the Virat Kohli’s team out of nowhere into the play-off contention.&nbsp

Talking about their strategy for today, Kohli said,"We wanted to bowl but SRH are not a bad side to bat first against, who bank on their bowling. Would be nice to test their batting with a score on board. We can play with freedom."&nbsp

"We will try to do well in whatever we are doing first. It's my 163rd IPL game, so not my first (when Morrison asked if he was nervous about where RCB were). We have been through these times before, so the key is to enjoy," he added.

"There's no reason to think too much now because we have two (consecutive) wins. Another day in life, so just enjoy. We have won two games, so we are playing with the same side. We'll try and replicate the same tonight," the Bangalore skipper concluded.&nbsp

Kohli has to defeat table-toppers Hyderabad to save Bangalore in IPL 2018.&nbsp

Team

Bangalore (Playing XI): Virat Kohli(c), Parthiv Patel(w), Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Hyderabad (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Alex Hales, Kane Williamson(c), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shakib Al Hasan, Shreevats Goswami(w), Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi 
&nbsp

Kohli has to defeat table-toppers Hyderabad to save Bangalore in IPL 2018.

Kane Williamson ton the toss and opted to bowl against Bangalore as the two teams clash at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. Talking after the toss, Williamson said," "We are gonna bowl. Hard to know how the surface will play, so we'll try and make use of it first with the ball in hand. Hopefully we can restrict them." "We have one change: Basil Thampi comes in for Bhuvneshwar. Great opportunity for Basil tonight. Hopefully we can adapt to conditions," he added. Bangalore, on the other hand, registered two big wins over Delhi and Punjab to save their chances of survival in Indian Premier League (IPL). The 10 wicket victory over R Ashwin side brought the Virat Kohli’s team out of nowhere into the play-off contention. Talking about their strategy for today, Kohli said,"We wanted to bowl but SRH are not a bad side to bat first against, who bank on their bowling. Would be nice to test their batting with a score on board. We can play with freedom." "We will try to do well in whatever we are doing first. It's my 163rd IPL game, so not my first (when Morrison asked if he was nervous about where RCB were). We have been through these times before, so the key is to enjoy," he added. "There's no reason to think too much now because we have two (consecutive) wins. Another day in life, so just enjoy. We have won two games, so we are playing with the same side. We'll try and replicate the same tonight," the Bangalore skipper concluded. Kohli has to defeat table-toppers Hyderabad to save Bangalore in IPL 2018. Team Bangalore (Playing XI): Virat Kohli(c), Parthiv Patel(w), Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal Hyderabad (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Alex Hales, Kane Williamson(c), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shakib Al Hasan, Shreevats Goswami(w), Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi

IPl 2018: Hyderabad won toss, opt to bowl first against Bangalore

Rishab Pant is one player who has impressed everyone with his impeccable batting in the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Though Delhi is out of contention for play-offs, Pant has proved his batting prowess by scoring 582 runs in 12 games played so far. &nbsp &nbsp

But as the tournament is still underway, Delhi will play its 13th game against Chennai &nbsp

The 'Yellow Brigade' have already qualified for the play-offs with eight wins from 12 games, while Delhi have missed the bus for knockouts after losing nine matches this season.

With very little riding on the Friday clash, players from both the teams were seen hanging out with each other.

Delhi's wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant was also seen hanging out with Chennai skipper MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina.

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi1DkHwnp4s/" style=" color:#000 font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px text-decoration:none word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">When you have seniors like these ✌️?@mahi7781 @sureshraina3 ??</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px margin-bottom:0 margin-top:8px overflow:hidden padding:8px 0 7px text-align:center text-overflow:ellipsis white-space:nowrap">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/rishabpant/" style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px" target="_blank"> Rishabh Pant</a> (@rishabpant) on <time datetime="2018-05-16T06:54:32+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px">May 15, 2018 at 11:54pm PDT</time>
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"When you have senior like these @mahi7781 @sureshraina3," Pant captioned the image.&nbsp

The highlight of Pant's campaign has been the 128 not out against Hyderabad.&nbsp

He now also holds the record for highest scoring Indian in the history of IPL.

Dhoni is also enjoying his time out in the middle this IPL.&nbsp

The former Indian cricket team captain is having his best season in the league with 413 runs from 12 matches so far.&nbsp

He's scoring the runs at an average of 103.25 and a strike rate of 162.59. 
&nbsp

Delhi is out of contention for play-offs in IPL 2018.

Rishab Pant is one player who has impressed everyone with his impeccable batting in the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Though Delhi is out of contention for play-offs, Pant has proved his batting prowess by scoring 582 runs in 12 games played so far. But as the tournament is still underway, Delhi will play its 13th game against Chennai The 'Yellow Brigade' have already qualified for the play-offs with eight wins from 12 games, while Delhi have missed the bus for knockouts after losing nine matches this season. With very little riding on the Friday clash, players from both the teams were seen hanging out with each other. Delhi's wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant was also seen hanging out with Chennai skipper MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina. When you have seniors like these ✌️?@mahi7781 @sureshraina3 ?? A post shared by Rishabh Pant (@rishabpant) on May 15, 2018 at 11:54pm PDT × "When you have senior like these @mahi7781 @sureshraina3," Pant captioned the image. The highlight of Pant's campaign has been the 128 not out against Hyderabad. He now also holds the record for highest scoring Indian in the history of IPL. Dhoni is also enjoying his time out in the middle this IPL. The former Indian cricket team captain is having his best season in the league with 413 runs from 12 matches so far. He's scoring the runs at an average of 103.25 and a strike rate of 162.59.

IPL 2018: Rishab Pant parties with Dhoni, Raina ahead of Delhi vs Chennai clash

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced the 13-member squads for the Women’s T20 Challenge match to be played ahead of the IPL 2018 qualifier 1 on May 22 at the Wankhede Stadium.&nbsp

The contest will pit IPL Trailblazers, captained by Smriti Mandhana, against IPL Supernovas, to be led by Harmanpreet Kaur.

The one-off match will feature 26 players, including 10 international cricketers from Australia, England and New Zealand.

As per reports, Australia captain Meg Lanning has recovered from her injury and is set to be a part of the Supernovas which also features England’s Danielle Wyatt, Mithali Raj, Ellyse Perry, Veda Krishnamurthy.&nbsp

Taniya Bhatia will be the wicketkeeper for Supernovas.&nbsp

On the other side, India’s left-handed opener Mandhana will lead the Trailblazers which has key members including Alyssa Healy (wicketkeeper), Suzie Bates, rising Indian sensation Jemimah Rodrigues and highest wicket-taker in ODIs Jhulan Goswami.

Committee of Administrators (CoA) member and former India captain, Diana Edulji had said at the time of announcement of the captains, “We are excited to announce the first-of-its-kind exhibition match involving our women cricketers. BCCI has been pulling out all stops to promote and nurture women’s cricket and this is a small yet significant step towards a prospective league involving women’s stars in the future."

"The IPL is the biggest and most popular league in the world and it has been a long-time endeavour to have a women’s league that can match the exuberance of IPL," she added.

IPL Trailblazers: Alyssa Healy (wk), Smriti Mandhana (c), Suzie Bates, Deepti Sharma, Beth Mooney, Jemimah Rodrigues, Danielle Hazell, Shikha Pandey, Lea Tahuhu, Jhulan Goswami, Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav, Dayalan Hemalatha

IPL Supernovas: Danielle Wyatt, Mithali Raj, Meg Lanning, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Veda Krishnamurthy, Mona Meshram, Pooja Vastrakar, Megan Schutt, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Anuja Patil, Taniya Bhatia (wk)

The T20 match will begin at 2 PM and will be followed by the IPL 2018 Qualifier 1 at 7 PM.

The contest will pit IPL Trailblazers, captained by Smriti Mandhana, against IPL Supernovas, to be led by Harmanpreet Kaur.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced the 13-member squads for the Women’s T20 Challenge match to be played ahead of the IPL 2018 qualifier 1 on May 22 at the Wankhede Stadium. The contest will pit IPL Trailblazers, captained by Smriti Mandhana, against IPL Supernovas, to be led by Harmanpreet Kaur. The one-off match will feature 26 players, including 10 international cricketers from Australia, England and New Zealand. As per reports, Australia captain Meg Lanning has recovered from her injury and is set to be a part of the Supernovas which also features England’s Danielle Wyatt, Mithali Raj, Ellyse Perry, Veda Krishnamurthy. Taniya Bhatia will be the wicketkeeper for Supernovas. On the other side, India’s left-handed opener Mandhana will lead the Trailblazers which has key members including Alyssa Healy (wicketkeeper), Suzie Bates, rising Indian sensation Jemimah Rodrigues and highest wicket-taker in ODIs Jhulan Goswami. Committee of Administrators (CoA) member and former India captain, Diana Edulji had said at the time of announcement of the captains, “We are excited to announce the first-of-its-kind exhibition match involving our women cricketers. BCCI has been pulling out all stops to promote and nurture women’s cricket and this is a small yet significant step towards a prospective league involving women’s stars in the future." "The IPL is the biggest and most popular league in the world and it has been a long-time endeavour to have a women’s league that can match the exuberance of IPL," she added. IPL Trailblazers: Alyssa Healy (wk), Smriti Mandhana (c), Suzie Bates, Deepti Sharma, Beth Mooney, Jemimah Rodrigues, Danielle Hazell, Shikha Pandey, Lea Tahuhu, Jhulan Goswami, Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav, Dayalan Hemalatha IPL Supernovas: Danielle Wyatt, Mithali Raj, Meg Lanning, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Veda Krishnamurthy, Mona Meshram, Pooja Vastrakar, Megan Schutt, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Anuja Patil, Taniya Bhatia (wk) The T20 match will begin at 2 PM and will be followed by the IPL 2018 Qualifier 1 at 7 PM.

BCCI announce squads for Women's T20 Challenge

Bangalore registered two big wins over Delhi and Punjab to save their chances of survival in Indian Premier League (IPL).&nbsp

The 10 wicket victory over R Ashwin side brought the Virat Kohli’s team out of nowhere into the play-off contention.&nbsp

But the road is not that easy as they will gear up with table toppers Hyderabad who are perhaps enjoying their best season yet.&nbsp

Bangalore will hope that confidence pushes them towards another big win and increase their chances of finishing in the top four spot.&nbsp

The team haven’t had the best of seasons in the IPL, winning just 5 matches. But they are still hanging by the thread and require wins in both their last 2 games depending on other results.

The team is overly dependent on skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.&nbsp

Opener Parthiv Patel also played a superb knock in their last match against Punjab, but his inconsistency remains a big problem.&nbsp

It's important for him to provide a decent start to his team in order to further strengthen their chances. &nbsp

Hyderabad, on the other hand, is dependent quite a lot on opener Shikhar Dhawan (369 runs) and skipper Kane Williamson (544 runs) for inspiration.

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Williamson has been a top leader since David Warner was ruled out of the IPL due to his role in the ball tampering incident.

The New Zealand captain would look to consolidate the team's top spot and ensure a top-two finish at the end of the league stage.

Their bowlers have been incredibly consistent across all phases of the 20 overs but have bagged most of their wickets in the period between the seventh and the 15th over.&nbsp

So overall, as Hyderabad has already booked its spot in the play-offs, they have little to worry about. &nbsp

The 10 wicket victory over R Ashwin side brought the Virat Kohli’s team out of nowhere into the play-off contention.

Bangalore registered two big wins over Delhi and Punjab to save their chances of survival in Indian Premier League (IPL). The 10 wicket victory over R Ashwin side brought the Virat Kohli’s team out of nowhere into the play-off contention. But the road is not that easy as they will gear up with table toppers Hyderabad who are perhaps enjoying their best season yet. Bangalore will hope that confidence pushes them towards another big win and increase their chances of finishing in the top four spot. The team haven’t had the best of seasons in the IPL, winning just 5 matches. But they are still hanging by the thread and require wins in both their last 2 games depending on other results. The team is overly dependent on skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Opener Parthiv Patel also played a superb knock in their last match against Punjab, but his inconsistency remains a big problem. It's important for him to provide a decent start to his team in order to further strengthen their chances. Hyderabad, on the other hand, is dependent quite a lot on opener Shikhar Dhawan (369 runs) and skipper Kane Williamson (544 runs) for inspiration. × Williamson has been a top leader since David Warner was ruled out of the IPL due to his role in the ball tampering incident. The New Zealand captain would look to consolidate the team's top spot and ensure a top-two finish at the end of the league stage. Their bowlers have been incredibly consistent across all phases of the 20 overs but have bagged most of their wickets in the period between the seventh and the 15th over. So overall, as Hyderabad has already booked its spot in the play-offs, they have little to worry about.

IPL 2018: Match preview of Hyderabad vs Bangalore

"People have been saying that our team is quite aged, but you need experience. All credit goes to Dhoni as you can see he is playing freely. In the IPL, he has shown that he can still play very well despite being 35-36," said Suresh&nbsp;Raina, explaining the fact that why IPL team&nbsp;Chennai includes aged players.&nbsp;

As Chennai qualified&nbsp;for play-offs for the&nbsp;ninth time, since IPL's inception, &nbsp;Raina said&nbsp;it is equally important to have experience and cites team's performance in the ongoing league.&nbsp;

Currently, the 'Yellow Brigade' have players above 35 years of age which include&nbsp;— Mahendra Singh Dhoni (36), Shane Watson (36), Dwayne Bravo (34), Harbhajan Singh (37) and Imran Tahir (39).

When asked about their current performance and strategy for the upcoming games, the left-handed batsman said that&nbsp;half work is done by qualifying, but the ultimate goal is to take the golden trophy home.

"Nobody remembers the runner-up. Everybody looks up to the winner. If we win this time, then the harsh memories of the finals that we lost in previous editions of IPL will go away," said Raina.

Altogether in IPL, Chennai have made their way to finals six times, out of which only two times they managed to emerge victoriously.&nbsp;

The star cricketer heaped praise on&nbsp;his current IPL team's skipper MS Dhoni and Indian Cricket Team&nbsp;captain Virat Kohli.&nbsp;

"Having Dhoni with Virat changes the morale of the Indian cricket team. In South Africa, we won the T20s and ODI series. We even defeated them in one Test match," he said.

"Virat is a player, who does not like to lose. In the current scenario, the cricket community in India has become fearless," he added.&nbsp;

Other than Chennai, Hyderabad too qualified for semi-finals with 18 points in IPL.

The finale of IPL 2018 will be played on May 27&nbsp;at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Altogether in Indian Premier League(IPL), Chennai have made their way to finals for six times, out of which only twice they managed to emerge victoriously

"People have been saying that our team is quite aged, but you need experience. All credit goes to Dhoni as you can see he is playing freely. In the IPL, he has shown that he can still play very well despite being 35-36," said Suresh Raina, explaining the fact that why IPL team Chennai includes aged players. As Chennai qualified for play-offs for the ninth time, since IPL's inception, Raina said it is equally important to have experience and cites team's performance in the ongoing league. Currently, the 'Yellow Brigade' have players above 35 years of age which include — Mahendra Singh Dhoni (36), Shane Watson (36), Dwayne Bravo (34), Harbhajan Singh (37) and Imran Tahir (39). When asked about their current performance and strategy for the upcoming games, the left-handed batsman said that half work is done by qualifying, but the ultimate goal is to take the golden trophy home. "Nobody remembers the runner-up. Everybody looks up to the winner. If we win this time, then the harsh memories of the finals that we lost in previous editions of IPL will go away," said Raina. Altogether in IPL, Chennai have made their way to finals six times, out of which only two times they managed to emerge victoriously. The star cricketer heaped praise on his current IPL team's skipper MS Dhoni and Indian Cricket Team captain Virat Kohli. "Having Dhoni with Virat changes the morale of the Indian cricket team. In South Africa, we won the T20s and ODI series. We even defeated them in one Test match," he said. "Virat is a player, who does not like to lose. In the current scenario, the cricket community in India has become fearless," he added. Other than Chennai, Hyderabad too qualified for semi-finals with 18 points in IPL. The finale of IPL 2018 will be played on May 27 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

'You need experience:'Suresh Raina on Chennai being marked as 'aged team'

Kieron Pollard smashed a half-century to save Mumbai from drowning as the team ended their innings for 186 for 8, against Punjab at Wankhede stadium, on Wednesday.

The Trinidadian cricketer smashed five boundaries and three sixes to reach 50 in just 23 balls.

Suryakumar Yadav and Evin Lewis opened for Mumbai and the team lost its first wicket for 37 runs.

After Lewis departed, Yadav continued his attack along with Ishan Kishan.&nbsp

However, Kishan too lost his wicket after making just 20 runs.

Skipper Rohit Sharma again failed to fill up the gap and went back to the pavilion after making just six runs.&nbsp

Krunal Pandya, who failed to contribute in last match, made 32 runs in 23 balls before giving away his wicket to Marcus Stoinis.

Earlier, R Ashwin won the toss and opted to bowl against Mumbai in a must-win match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.&nbsp

Meanwhile, Mumbai will be desperate for a win also to keep their play-off hopes alive as they are almost on the edge of elimination.&nbsp

Talking after the toss, Ashwin said, "We are bowling first. Looks like there's dew here, we would like to bowl first and chase the total down. I expected some dip, that's what has happened, "

"We have lost three matches on the bounce, hopefully, we will stop that rot. Two changes for us - Yuvraj Singh and Manoj Tiwary are back, they replace Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair. Mujeeb is still not fit, hopefully, he will be back for the next match," he added.

Speaking about their strategy for today, Rohit Sharma said, "We were bowling first as well. Dew is a factor, but we are not worried about it, we need to play some good cricket."

"I have been in this position over the last few years and I know how to handle the situation. The team has handled it better than me, I think we have done well considering how we played in the first half of the tournament," he added.

"We are not thinking about the Delhi match at the moment. Just one change for us, Kieron Pollard replaces JP Duminy," he concluded.

Teams: 
Mumbai (Playing XI): Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah

Punjab (Playing XI): Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Manoj Tiwary, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Ankit Rajpoot

The Trinidadian cricketer smashed five boundaries and three sixes to reach 50 in just 23 balls.

Kieron Pollard smashed a half-century to save Mumbai from drowning as the team ended their innings for 186 for 8, against Punjab at Wankhede stadium, on Wednesday. The Trinidadian cricketer smashed five boundaries and three sixes to reach 50 in just 23 balls. Suryakumar Yadav and Evin Lewis opened for Mumbai and the team lost its first wicket for 37 runs. After Lewis departed, Yadav continued his attack along with Ishan Kishan. However, Kishan too lost his wicket after making just 20 runs. Skipper Rohit Sharma again failed to fill up the gap and went back to the pavilion after making just six runs. Krunal Pandya, who failed to contribute in last match, made 32 runs in 23 balls before giving away his wicket to Marcus Stoinis. Earlier, R Ashwin won the toss and opted to bowl against Mumbai in a must-win match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Mumbai will be desperate for a win also to keep their play-off hopes alive as they are almost on the edge of elimination. Talking after the toss, Ashwin said, "We are bowling first. Looks like there's dew here, we would like to bowl first and chase the total down. I expected some dip, that's what has happened, " "We have lost three matches on the bounce, hopefully, we will stop that rot. Two changes for us - Yuvraj Singh and Manoj Tiwary are back, they replace Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair. Mujeeb is still not fit, hopefully, he will be back for the next match," he added. Speaking about their strategy for today, Rohit Sharma said, "We were bowling first as well. Dew is a factor, but we are not worried about it, we need to play some good cricket." "I have been in this position over the last few years and I know how to handle the situation. The team has handled it better than me, I think we have done well considering how we played in the first half of the tournament," he added. "We are not thinking about the Delhi match at the moment. Just one change for us, Kieron Pollard replaces JP Duminy," he concluded. Teams: Mumbai (Playing XI): Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah Punjab (Playing XI): Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Manoj Tiwary, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Ankit Rajpoot

IPL 2018: Pollard's fifty powers Mumbai to 186

R Ashwin won the toss and opted to bowl against Mumbai in a must-win match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Mumbai will be desperate for a win also to keep their play-off hopes alive as they are almost on the edge of elimination.&nbsp;

Talking after the toss, Ashwin said, "We are bowling first. Looks like there's dew here, we would like to bowl first and chase the total down. I expected some dip, that's what has happened, "

"We have lost three matches on the bounce, hopefully, we will stop that rot. Two changes for us - Yuvraj Singh and Manoj Tiwary are back, they replace Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair. Mujeeb is still not fit, hopefully, he will be back for the next match," he added.

Speaking about their strategy for today, Rohit Sharma said, "We were bowling first as well. Dew is a factor, but we are not worried about it, we need to play some good cricket."

"I have been in this position over the last few years and I know how to handle the situation. The team has handled it better than me, I think we have done well considering how we played in the first half of the tournament," he added.

"We are not thinking about the Delhi match at the moment. Just one change for us, Kieron Pollard replaces JP Duminy," he concluded.

With 10 points, the three-time champions are placed at the sixth spot in the IPL points table.

Teams:

Mumbai (Playing XI): Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah

Punjab (Playing XI): Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Manoj Tiwary, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Ankit Rajpoot

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Mumbai will be desperate for a win also to keep their play-off hopes alive

R Ashwin won the toss and opted to bowl against Mumbai in a must-win match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Mumbai will be desperate for a win also to keep their play-off hopes alive as they are almost on the edge of elimination. Talking after the toss, Ashwin said, "We are bowling first. Looks like there's dew here, we would like to bowl first and chase the total down. I expected some dip, that's what has happened, " "We have lost three matches on the bounce, hopefully, we will stop that rot. Two changes for us - Yuvraj Singh and Manoj Tiwary are back, they replace Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair. Mujeeb is still not fit, hopefully, he will be back for the next match," he added. Speaking about their strategy for today, Rohit Sharma said, "We were bowling first as well. Dew is a factor, but we are not worried about it, we need to play some good cricket." "I have been in this position over the last few years and I know how to handle the situation. The team has handled it better than me, I think we have done well considering how we played in the first half of the tournament," he added. "We are not thinking about the Delhi match at the moment. Just one change for us, Kieron Pollard replaces JP Duminy," he concluded. With 10 points, the three-time champions are placed at the sixth spot in the IPL points table. Teams: Mumbai (Playing XI): Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah Punjab (Playing XI): Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Manoj Tiwary, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Ankit Rajpoot

IPL 2018: Punjab win toss, opt to bowl against Mumbai

Some assumptions in the Surrey dressing room are sure to come crashing down when "proper big dog" Virat Kohli joins the side, said England all-rounder Moeen Ali as he reflected on the Indian captain's much-talked-about county stint next month.

While there aren't too many big local names in the Surrey squad, there are a few international stars in the line-up, headlined by South Africa's Morne Morkel, Tom Curran, Dean Elgar and Australia's Mitchell Marsh and Aaron Finch.&nbsp

Moeen and his compatriot Chris Woakes are playing under Kohli for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL.

"I know a few of the Surrey guys and they are not what people make them out to be a lot of the time. But if anyone in that dressing room does think they are a big dog, they will need to sit down for a little while because there is a proper big dog coming," Moeen was quoted as saying by 'The Guardian'.

Moeen and Woakes also rejected the perception that the Indian captain is intimidating and aggressive.

"You see him on the field and people might think he's arrogant but it is the complete opposite. He's so humble it is almost weird how nice he is. He's the biggest name in India but will ring me to check I'm OK or ask if I fancy lunch.

"Sometimes a player will invite the squad to their house for a meal and it would be easy for him to say no. But he would always go. I can say with certainty that anyone who has a bad word doesn't know the guy," he said.&nbsp

Endorsing Moeen's view, Woakes added: "You have your perceptions of someone like Virat, who is quite passionate, emotional, in your face and plays it hard. But off the field he's very calm and you can chat about anything.

"He's very down to earth and for someone who has such huge pressures and public focus in India, to see him go about his business in this way quite refreshing."

Woakes went to the extent of saying that any other player of the team is irrelevant when Kohli is around.&nbsp

"In my first year of IPL I found as an overseas player you get a lot of attention walking through airports in India. But having him in the team ? the No 1, the king ? we're almost irrelevant.&nbsp

"It makes you realise what his life is like. So county cricket will be much more chilled and he'll enjoy that. Playing at smaller grounds, that will be an experience too. Having spoken to him about it, he loves touring other countries ? it's a release."

The English paceman also spoke of how Kohli approaches a match.

"Around 30 minutes before the bus leaves for a match, he does what he calls a ?priming session' in the gym. It's like a short burst of Olympic weightlifting.

"It's certainly different but it works for him. Overall, his fitness work is having a serious impact on the next generation of Indian players. He's leaner, fitter, more agile than those before."

Moeen and his compatriot Chris Woakes are playing under Kohli for the Bangalore in IPL

Some assumptions in the Surrey dressing room are sure to come crashing down when "proper big dog" Virat Kohli joins the side, said England all-rounder Moeen Ali as he reflected on the Indian captain's much-talked-about county stint next month. While there aren't too many big local names in the Surrey squad, there are a few international stars in the line-up, headlined by South Africa's Morne Morkel, Tom Curran, Dean Elgar and Australia's Mitchell Marsh and Aaron Finch. Moeen and his compatriot Chris Woakes are playing under Kohli for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL. "I know a few of the Surrey guys and they are not what people make them out to be a lot of the time. But if anyone in that dressing room does think they are a big dog, they will need to sit down for a little while because there is a proper big dog coming," Moeen was quoted as saying by 'The Guardian'. Moeen and Woakes also rejected the perception that the Indian captain is intimidating and aggressive. "You see him on the field and people might think he's arrogant but it is the complete opposite. He's so humble it is almost weird how nice he is. He's the biggest name in India but will ring me to check I'm OK or ask if I fancy lunch. "Sometimes a player will invite the squad to their house for a meal and it would be easy for him to say no. But he would always go. I can say with certainty that anyone who has a bad word doesn't know the guy," he said. Endorsing Moeen's view, Woakes added: "You have your perceptions of someone like Virat, who is quite passionate, emotional, in your face and plays it hard. But off the field he's very calm and you can chat about anything. "He's very down to earth and for someone who has such huge pressures and public focus in India, to see him go about his business in this way quite refreshing." Woakes went to the extent of saying that any other player of the team is irrelevant when Kohli is around. "In my first year of IPL I found as an overseas player you get a lot of attention walking through airports in India. But having him in the team ? the No 1, the king ? we're almost irrelevant. "It makes you realise what his life is like. So county cricket will be much more chilled and he'll enjoy that. Playing at smaller grounds, that will be an experience too. Having spoken to him about it, he loves touring other countries ? it's a release." The English paceman also spoke of how Kohli approaches a match. "Around 30 minutes before the bus leaves for a match, he does what he calls a ?priming session' in the gym. It's like a short burst of Olympic weightlifting. "It's certainly different but it works for him. Overall, his fitness work is having a serious impact on the next generation of Indian players. He's leaner, fitter, more agile than those before."

'Proper big dog' coming to County, Moeen Ali on Virat Kohli

Punjab and Mumbai will face each other at the Wankhede Cricket stadium in Mumbai on May 16.

Mumbai and Punjab could not have had a more contrasting start to their campaign, and yet, here they are on a collision path as the race for playoffs heats up.

So, let us take a look at the players expected to perform in today's big clash.

1. Suryakumar Yadav -Mumbai's Suryakumar Yadav is an aggressive batsman. In his last match against Rajasthan, he scored 38 runs off 31 balls. He has been a regular member of the side and has scored reasonably well in every season in the ongoing league. Yadav, who has scored 473 runs in the IPL so far, is amongst the performing batsmen for Mumbai's side this season and seventh in line for the orange cap.

2. Hardik Pandya - This young lad encapsulates the charisma of the modern-day Indian cricketer. The Mumbai all-rounder has scored 303 runs and has taken 18 wickets in his 12 innings so far. He stands second in line for the purple cap -- the bowler with the most wickets.

3. Lokesh Rahul - &nbsp;The 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has scored 558 runs in his 12 games. He stands second on the list of the top run scorer with a highest score of 95 runs this season. Although he scored just 21 runs off 15 balls for Punjab in his previous match against Bangalore, still&nbsp;we expect him to put his best today in the clash against Mumbai.

4. Chris Gayle - An explosive batsman who is known to wield his bat to either make or break a game.&nbsp;The Jamaican cricketer&nbsp;has scored 350 runs in nine games played. He has&nbsp;scored three 50's and a century this season. Renowned as one of the most brutal hitters of the cricket ball ever, he scored only 18 runs off 14 balls against Bangalore.&nbsp;

5. Andrew Tye - &nbsp;The Punjab bowler is capable of taking wickets at crucial times and can score&nbsp;to bail out the team on different occasions. With 18 wickets in his hand, he owns the 'Purple Cap' and has scored 385 runs in the league so far. One can expect a good bowling performance from the Australian pacer today.

It's an extremely crucial stage for both the teams. It has been a rather lopsided season for Punjab, notching up five wins in their first six games to make a home in the top-half of the points table. For Mumbai, a win on Wednesday, will propel them straight into the fourth slot, courtesy their better net run rate (NRR) which is an advantage over all the other teams in the competition fighting to book a berth in the play-offs. 
&nbsp;

For Mumbai, a win on Wednesday will propel them straight into the fourth slot, courtesy their better Net Run Rate (NRR) which is an advantage over all the other teams

Punjab and Mumbai will face each other at the Wankhede Cricket stadium in Mumbai on May 16. Mumbai and Punjab could not have had a more contrasting start to their campaign, and yet, here they are on a collision path as the race for playoffs heats up. So, let us take a look at the players expected to perform in today's big clash. 1. Suryakumar Yadav -Mumbai's Suryakumar Yadav is an aggressive batsman. In his last match against Rajasthan, he scored 38 runs off 31 balls. He has been a regular member of the side and has scored reasonably well in every season in the ongoing league. Yadav, who has scored 473 runs in the IPL so far, is amongst the performing batsmen for Mumbai's side this season and seventh in line for the orange cap. 2. Hardik Pandya - This young lad encapsulates the charisma of the modern-day Indian cricketer. The Mumbai all-rounder has scored 303 runs and has taken 18 wickets in his 12 innings so far. He stands second in line for the purple cap -- the bowler with the most wickets. 3. Lokesh Rahul - The 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has scored 558 runs in his 12 games. He stands second on the list of the top run scorer with a highest score of 95 runs this season. Although he scored just 21 runs off 15 balls for Punjab in his previous match against Bangalore, still we expect him to put his best today in the clash against Mumbai. 4. Chris Gayle - An explosive batsman who is known to wield his bat to either make or break a game. The Jamaican cricketer has scored 350 runs in nine games played. He has scored three 50's and a century this season. Renowned as one of the most brutal hitters of the cricket ball ever, he scored only 18 runs off 14 balls against Bangalore. 5. Andrew Tye - The Punjab bowler is capable of taking wickets at crucial times and can score to bail out the team on different occasions. With 18 wickets in his hand, he owns the 'Purple Cap' and has scored 385 runs in the league so far. One can expect a good bowling performance from the Australian pacer today. It's an extremely crucial stage for both the teams. It has been a rather lopsided season for Punjab, notching up five wins in their first six games to make a home in the top-half of the points table. For Mumbai, a win on Wednesday, will propel them straight into the fourth slot, courtesy their better net run rate (NRR) which is an advantage over all the other teams in the competition fighting to book a berth in the play-offs.

IPL 2018: Players to watch out for in Punjab vs Mumbai clash

Australian cricketer&nbsp;Aaron Finch missed its first match of Indian Premier League&nbsp;in 2018 as Finch's wedding clashed with the opening ceremony of the mega cricketing event.

Not only Aaron Finch, another Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell too missed his first IPL match because he played the role of an MC (Master of Ceremonies) at his mate&nbsp;wedding.

In a media interaction, Finch had said that he was not aware of the IPL’s new schedule as he was told earlier that the event will start on April 15 and according to that he had planned his wedding on April 7.

The two best friends were supposed to play against each other on their opener match on April 8 as Finch was purchased by the Punjab team for an amount of 6.2 cr on the other hand, Glenn Maxwell was bought by Delhi franchise for another expensive deal costing INR 9 Cr.

On April 8, Punjab faced Delhi Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali in the absence of their star players and the game was won by Punjab by six wickets.

Although, Delhi team has already been eliminated in the ongoing edition of IPL and Punjab are an inch closer to book its berth in the play-offs.

Australian cricketers Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell missed their opener IPL match

Australian cricketer Aaron Finch missed its first match of Indian Premier League in 2018 as Finch's wedding clashed with the opening ceremony of the mega cricketing event. Not only Aaron Finch, another Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell too missed his first IPL match because he played the role of an MC (Master of Ceremonies) at his mate wedding. In a media interaction, Finch had said that he was not aware of the IPL’s new schedule as he was told earlier that the event will start on April 15 and according to that he had planned his wedding on April 7. The two best friends were supposed to play against each other on their opener match on April 8 as Finch was purchased by the Punjab team for an amount of 6.2 cr on the other hand, Glenn Maxwell was bought by Delhi franchise for another expensive deal costing INR 9 Cr. On April 8, Punjab faced Delhi Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali in the absence of their star players and the game was won by Punjab by six wickets. Although, Delhi team has already been eliminated in the ongoing edition of IPL and Punjab are an inch closer to book its berth in the play-offs.

IPL 2018: Here is why Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell missed their first IPL match

Rajasthan locked horns with Dinesh Karthik-led side yesterday at Eden Gardens and lost by six wickets to be placed at number four in the IPL league table.

Upset with the loss, skipper Ajinkya Rahane slammed the batting line-up and said they failed to make it because of their batting.

"We lost because of our batting, even in the tournament we did not bat that well. Except Jos Buttler... his consistency was good to see. So many things the boys can learn from him. We thought 175-180 was a par score on this wicket," Rahane said.

Openers Rahul Tripathi and Jos Buttler gave Rajasthan a magnificent start but the downline failed to capitalise the start and succumbed to Kolkata's bowling attack.

"The thing is, start which we got with Rahul Tripathi and Jos Buttler that was magnificient... but I feel after that we did not get any partnership. It's not about any individual," Rahane said.&nbsp;

"We lost because we did not apply ourselves in the middle and we needed to get a partnership going, especially when you get a start like that you have to back yourself. (You need) to apply your mind even in T20 cricket," he added.

However, Rahane still believes his team can make it to the play-offs.

"We have to believe in ourselves. It's not about hoping but believing in your ability. Anything can happen in cricket, we all know that. It's a funny game. We have to learn from our mistake, we have just one league game left, if we can learn from this game and stay positive... we were too positive with our batting tonight but that's the way it goes."

Rahane was sent back to the pavilion after being clean-bowled by Kuldeep Yadav for just 11 runs.

Yadav bowled a fantastic spell and took four wickets to end Rajasthan's inning for mere 142 runs. 
&nbsp;

Upset with the loss, skipper Ajinkya Rahane slammed the batting line-up

Rajasthan locked horns with Dinesh Karthik-led side yesterday at Eden Gardens and lost by six wickets to be placed at number four in the IPL league table. Upset with the loss, skipper Ajinkya Rahane slammed the batting line-up and said they failed to make it because of their batting. "We lost because of our batting, even in the tournament we did not bat that well. Except Jos Buttler... his consistency was good to see. So many things the boys can learn from him. We thought 175-180 was a par score on this wicket," Rahane said. Openers Rahul Tripathi and Jos Buttler gave Rajasthan a magnificent start but the downline failed to capitalise the start and succumbed to Kolkata's bowling attack. "The thing is, start which we got with Rahul Tripathi and Jos Buttler that was magnificient... but I feel after that we did not get any partnership. It's not about any individual," Rahane said. "We lost because we did not apply ourselves in the middle and we needed to get a partnership going, especially when you get a start like that you have to back yourself. (You need) to apply your mind even in T20 cricket," he added. However, Rahane still believes his team can make it to the play-offs. "We have to believe in ourselves. It's not about hoping but believing in your ability. Anything can happen in cricket, we all know that. It's a funny game. We have to learn from our mistake, we have just one league game left, if we can learn from this game and stay positive... we were too positive with our batting tonight but that's the way it goes." Rahane was sent back to the pavilion after being clean-bowled by Kuldeep Yadav for just 11 runs. Yadav bowled a fantastic spell and took four wickets to end Rajasthan's inning for mere 142 runs.

IPL 2018: 'We lost because of our batting,' says Rajasthan skipper Rahane

With eight wins and four defeats, the two-time champions Chennai are second on the points tally and also became the second team to qualify for the play-offs.

Ahead of their clash against Delhi, skipper MS Dhoni along with other teammates celebrated Suresh Raina daughter Gracia's birthday, who turned two on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Dhoni, along with all-rounder Dwayne Bravo turned up to wish Raina's daughter.

The franchise also uploaded a video on their Twitter handle where Dhoni and Bravo were seen singing Happy Birthday for the little girl.&nbsp;

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Here is your midnight dose of cuteness to begin a super happy Wednesday! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhistlePodu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhistlePodu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GraciaTurns2?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GraciaTurns2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ImRaina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImRaina</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/_PriyankaCRaina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_PriyankaCRaina</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/msdhoni?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@msdhoni</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DJBravo47?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DJBravo47</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Geeta_Basra?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Geeta_Basra</a> ?? <a href="https://t.co/UbIRi7m0F6">pic.twitter.com/UbIRi7m0F6</a>
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Off-Spinner Harbhajan Singh and his wife were also in attendance.

Dhoni led the yellow brigade to two title wins - 2010 and 2012.&nbsp;

Dhoni is in tremendous form in the ongoing tournament.He has played 12 matches in the tournament so far and scored 413 runs at an average of 103.25. He has three half-centuries to his name.

On the other hand, Raina has scored 315 runs in 11 matches at an average of 35.00.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Dhoni, along with all-rounder Dwayne Bravo turned up to wish Raina's daughter.

With eight wins and four defeats, the two-time champions Chennai are second on the points tally and also became the second team to qualify for the play-offs. Ahead of their clash against Delhi, skipper MS Dhoni along with other teammates celebrated Suresh Raina daughter Gracia's birthday, who turned two on Wednesday. Dhoni, along with all-rounder Dwayne Bravo turned up to wish Raina's daughter. The franchise also uploaded a video on their Twitter handle where Dhoni and Bravo were seen singing Happy Birthday for the little girl. Here is your midnight dose of cuteness to begin a super happy Wednesday! #WhistlePodu #GraciaTurns2 @ImRaina @_PriyankaCRaina @msdhoni @DJBravo47 @Geeta_Basra ?? pic.twitter.com/UbIRi7m0F6 — Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 15, 2018 × Off-Spinner Harbhajan Singh and his wife were also in attendance. Dhoni led the yellow brigade to two title wins - 2010 and 2012. Dhoni is in tremendous form in the ongoing tournament.He has played 12 matches in the tournament so far and scored 413 runs at an average of 103.25. He has three half-centuries to his name. On the other hand, Raina has scored 315 runs in 11 matches at an average of 35.00.

Watch: Dhoni, Bravo celebrate Suresh Raina daughter's birthday

Kolkata defeated Rajasthan by six wickets to save their chances of making it to the play-offs in the ongoing Indian premier league (IPL).

Skipper Dinesh Karthik remained unbeaten on 41 as Kolkata moved to third place with 14 points in their kitty.

Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine opened for the franchise and gave them the required start.

Narine smashed 21 runs in just 7 balls which included two boundaries and two sixes.&nbsp

However, it is Ben Stokes who had put a full stop to his inning today.

Chris Lynn continued the attack and made 45 runs before being dismissed by Stokes.

It was then that Karthik played a skipper's knock and took his team to victory side. &nbsp

Earlier, Kuldeep Yadav bowled a fantastic spell and took four wickets to end Rajasthan's inning for mere 142 runs at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Put into bat, Rajasthan got a great start as openers Jos Buttler and Rahul Tripathi began attacking the Kolkata bowlers from the first ball.&nbsp

They together established a partnership of 63 runs before Rahul Tripathi lost his wicket to Russell after making 27 runs.&nbsp

In-form Buttler continued his attack but also lost his wicket soon to &nbspKuldeep Yadav after contributing 39 runs in just 22 balls.

His inning included five boundaries and two huge sixes.

However, it was the downline which failed to capitalise the start as skipper Ajinklya Rahane was clean bowled by Yadav on 11 runs.

Yadav struck again and dismissed Ben Stokes and Stuart Binny for 11 and 1 respectively.

Apart from Yadav, Andre Russell and Prasidh Krishna took two wickets each.&nbsp

Shivam Mavi and Sunil Narine managed to take one wicket apiece.

Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to field against Ajinkya Rahane-led side.&nbsp

Karthik believed that his team has performed well while chasing the targets in previous clashes, so taking advantage of the toss would benefit the Knights.

On the other hand, Anjinkya Rahane said that he is happy to bat first in the do-or-die match.

For Rajasthan, Ish Sodhi, Anureet Singh and Rahul Tripathi have included in the squad.

For Kolkata, Shuvam Mavi is fit and healthy but Piyush Chawla is out over some health issues. 
&nbsp

Skipper Dinesh Karthik remained unbeaten on 41 as Kolkata moved to third place with 14 points in their kitty

Kolkata defeated Rajasthan by six wickets to save their chances of making it to the play-offs in the ongoing Indian premier league (IPL). Skipper Dinesh Karthik remained unbeaten on 41 as Kolkata moved to third place with 14 points in their kitty. Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine opened for the franchise and gave them the required start. Narine smashed 21 runs in just 7 balls which included two boundaries and two sixes. However, it is Ben Stokes who had put a full stop to his inning today. Chris Lynn continued the attack and made 45 runs before being dismissed by Stokes. It was then that Karthik played a skipper's knock and took his team to victory side. Earlier, Kuldeep Yadav bowled a fantastic spell and took four wickets to end Rajasthan's inning for mere 142 runs at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Put into bat, Rajasthan got a great start as openers Jos Buttler and Rahul Tripathi began attacking the Kolkata bowlers from the first ball. They together established a partnership of 63 runs before Rahul Tripathi lost his wicket to Russell after making 27 runs. In-form Buttler continued his attack but also lost his wicket soon to &nbspKuldeep Yadav after contributing 39 runs in just 22 balls. His inning included five boundaries and two huge sixes. However, it was the downline which failed to capitalise the start as skipper Ajinklya Rahane was clean bowled by Yadav on 11 runs. Yadav struck again and dismissed Ben Stokes and Stuart Binny for 11 and 1 respectively. Apart from Yadav, Andre Russell and Prasidh Krishna took two wickets each. Shivam Mavi and Sunil Narine managed to take one wicket apiece. Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to field against Ajinkya Rahane-led side. Karthik believed that his team has performed well while chasing the targets in previous clashes, so taking advantage of the toss would benefit the Knights. On the other hand, Anjinkya Rahane said that he is happy to bat first in the do-or-die match. For Rajasthan, Ish Sodhi, Anureet Singh and Rahul Tripathi have included in the squad. For Kolkata, Shuvam Mavi is fit and healthy but Piyush Chawla is out over some health issues.

IPL 2018: Kolkata cruise to six-wicket win against Rajasthan

Kuldeep Yadav bowled a fantastic spell and took four wickets to end Rajasthan's inning for mere 142 runs at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Put into bat, Rajasthan got a great start as openers Jos Buttler and Rahul Tripathi began attacking the Kolkata bowlers from the first ball.&nbsp;

They together established a partnership of 63 runs before Rahul Tripathi lost his wicket to Russell after making 27 runs.&nbsp;

In-form Buttler continued his attack but also lost his wicket soon to &nbsp;Kuldeep Yadav after contributing 39 runs in just 22 balls.

His inning included five boundaries and two huge sixes.

However, it was the downline which failed to capitalise the start as skipper Ajinklya Rahane was clean bowled by Yadav on 11 runs.

Yadav struck again and dismissed Ben Stokes and Stuart Binny for 11 and 1 respectively.

Apart from Yadav, Andre Russell and Prasidh Krishna took two wickets each.&nbsp;

Shivam Mavi and Sunil Narine managed to take one wicket apiece.

Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to field against Ajinkya Rahane-led side.&nbsp;

Karthik believed that his team has performed well while chasing the targets in previous clashes, so taking advantage of the toss would benefit the Knights.

On the other hand, Anjinkya Rahane said that he is happy to bat first in the do-or-die match.

For Rajasthan, Ish Sodhi, Anureet Singh and Rahul Tripathi have included in the squad.

For Kolkata, Shuvam Mavi is fit and healthy but Piyush Chawla is out over some health issues. 
&nbsp;

Rajasthan got a great start as openers Jos Buttler and Rahul Tripathi began attacking the Kolkata bowlers from the first ball.

Kuldeep Yadav bowled a fantastic spell and took four wickets to end Rajasthan's inning for mere 142 runs at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Put into bat, Rajasthan got a great start as openers Jos Buttler and Rahul Tripathi began attacking the Kolkata bowlers from the first ball. They together established a partnership of 63 runs before Rahul Tripathi lost his wicket to Russell after making 27 runs. In-form Buttler continued his attack but also lost his wicket soon to Kuldeep Yadav after contributing 39 runs in just 22 balls. His inning included five boundaries and two huge sixes. However, it was the downline which failed to capitalise the start as skipper Ajinklya Rahane was clean bowled by Yadav on 11 runs. Yadav struck again and dismissed Ben Stokes and Stuart Binny for 11 and 1 respectively. Apart from Yadav, Andre Russell and Prasidh Krishna took two wickets each. Shivam Mavi and Sunil Narine managed to take one wicket apiece. Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to field against Ajinkya Rahane-led side. Karthik believed that his team has performed well while chasing the targets in previous clashes, so taking advantage of the toss would benefit the Knights. On the other hand, Anjinkya Rahane said that he is happy to bat first in the do-or-die match. For Rajasthan, Ish Sodhi, Anureet Singh and Rahul Tripathi have included in the squad. For Kolkata, Shuvam Mavi is fit and healthy but Piyush Chawla is out over some health issues.

IPL 2018: Kuldeep Yadav's four-wicket haul ends Rajasthan's inning for 142

Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to field at the Eden Gardens stadium on Tuesday.

Karthik believed that his team has performed well while chasing the targets in previous clashes, so taking advantage of the toss would benefit the Knights.

On the other hand, Anjinkya Rahane said that he is happy to bat first in the do-or-die match.

For Rajasthan, Ish Sodhi, Anureet Singh and Rahul Tripathi have included in the squad.

For Kolkata, Shuvam Mavi is fit and healthy but Piyush Chawla is out over some health issues.

Playing XI:

Rajasthan: Jos Buttler(w), Ajinkya Rahane(c), Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tripathi, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jaydev Unadkat, Ish Sodhi, Anureet Singh

Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Javon Searles, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

For Rajasthan, Ish Sodhi, Anureet Singh and Rahul Tripathi have included in the squad

Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to field at the Eden Gardens stadium on Tuesday. Karthik believed that his team has performed well while chasing the targets in previous clashes, so taking advantage of the toss would benefit the Knights. On the other hand, Anjinkya Rahane said that he is happy to bat first in the do-or-die match. For Rajasthan, Ish Sodhi, Anureet Singh and Rahul Tripathi have included in the squad. For Kolkata, Shuvam Mavi is fit and healthy but Piyush Chawla is out over some health issues. Playing XI: Rajasthan: Jos Buttler(w), Ajinkya Rahane(c), Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tripathi, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jaydev Unadkat, Ish Sodhi, Anureet Singh Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Javon Searles, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

IPL 2018: Dinesh Karthik opts to bowl against Rajasthan

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata will host Ajinkya Rahane-led Rajasthan at the Eden Gardens stadium on Tuesday.

Hyderabad and Chennai have already qualified for the play-offs and the fight is for the other two empty spots.

No doubt Kolkata won the previous match but the team lacks consistency especially the team's performance in previous few clashes.

The team is hugely dependent on the overseas trio of Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn and Andre Russell. Although, skipper Dinesh Karthik has bailed the team out in most of the crucial situations.

Robin Uthappa has been on and off, also Shubman Gill hasn't played a match-winning inning so far.

Eden Garden stadium is a batsmen paradise, hence, a high scoring match is expected between Kolkata and Rajasthan.

On the other hand, even Rajasthan have faced issues with middle batting order but the team has bounced back in the ongoing tournament and emerging as one of the top contenders to march past into the play-off.

All thanks to the star batsman Jos Buttler, Rajasthan have won the previous three matches and currently riding high on confidence.

The pitch will support the spinners and little bit showers are expected at the Eden Gardens stadium.

Playing XI (TBC):

Kolkata: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Tom Curran, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Mavi and Piyush Chawla, Prasidh Krishna.

Rajasthan: D'Arcy Short, Jos Buttler (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (c), Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni.

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata will host Ajinkya Rahane-led Rajasthan at the Eden Gardens stadium

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata will host Ajinkya Rahane-led Rajasthan at the Eden Gardens stadium on Tuesday. Hyderabad and Chennai have already qualified for the play-offs and the fight is for the other two empty spots. No doubt Kolkata won the previous match but the team lacks consistency especially the team's performance in previous few clashes. The team is hugely dependent on the overseas trio of Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn and Andre Russell. Although, skipper Dinesh Karthik has bailed the team out in most of the crucial situations. Robin Uthappa has been on and off, also Shubman Gill hasn't played a match-winning inning so far. Eden Garden stadium is a batsmen paradise, hence, a high scoring match is expected between Kolkata and Rajasthan. On the other hand, even Rajasthan have faced issues with middle batting order but the team has bounced back in the ongoing tournament and emerging as one of the top contenders to march past into the play-off. All thanks to the star batsman Jos Buttler, Rajasthan have won the previous three matches and currently riding high on confidence. The pitch will support the spinners and little bit showers are expected at the Eden Gardens stadium. Playing XI (TBC): Kolkata: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Tom Curran, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Mavi and Piyush Chawla, Prasidh Krishna. Rajasthan: D'Arcy Short, Jos Buttler (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (c), Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni.

IPL 2018: Match preview of Rajasthan and Kolkata

Chris Gayle was promised that he would be retained but that call from Bangalore never came. He waited but there was no communication after that assurance.

He went unsold twice in the January IPL auction, before being purchased by Preity Zinta-owned Punjab.

In the eleventh edition, the 'Universal Boss' blasted two half-centuries and a hundred after being picked him at base price.

However, the West Indian legend has struggled since that week-long break. Gayle would have hoped to make a mark against Bangalore, however, that did not happen when he was dismissed cheaply by Umesh Yadav.

His dismissal triggered a collapse and Punjab succumbed for mere 88, the lowest total in the ongoing IPL.

Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel opened and blazed away to unbeaten 48 and 40 not respectively as Bangalore got home in 8.1 overs.

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As comprehensive a victory as it can get for the <a href="https://twitter.com/RCBTweets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RCBTweets</a>.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KXIPvRCB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KXIPvRCB</a> <a href="https://t.co/dyCLvftjlY">pic.twitter.com/dyCLvftjlY</a>
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/996072765772845057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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With Bangalore celebrating their fifth win in this year's edition, there was one smiling face in the Punjab camp - Gayle.

The smile was followed by a scene which won hearts. Gayle and Kohli, old friends and former teammates, got together for their famous celebration and there was a loud roar from the crowd.

It brought back memories of the two partying and celebrating, when in Bangalore.

The two shook hands in their own style and later Gayle congratulated by hugging Kohli.

The gesture showed that Kohli is a friend forever, it also displayed Gayle is a friend for life and the bromance would forever remain intact.

Gayle and Kohli have huge respect for each other. And that was what won hearts at the end of a bitterly disappointing night for King XI Punjab.

&nbsp

Gayle was promised that he would be retained but that call from Bangalore never came

Chris Gayle was promised that he would be retained but that call from Bangalore never came. He waited but there was no communication after that assurance. He went unsold twice in the January IPL auction, before being purchased by Preity Zinta-owned Punjab. In the eleventh edition, the 'Universal Boss' blasted two half-centuries and a hundred after being picked him at base price. However, the West Indian legend has struggled since that week-long break. Gayle would have hoped to make a mark against Bangalore, however, that did not happen when he was dismissed cheaply by Umesh Yadav. His dismissal triggered a collapse and Punjab succumbed for mere 88, the lowest total in the ongoing IPL. Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel opened and blazed away to unbeaten 48 and 40 not respectively as Bangalore got home in 8.1 overs. As comprehensive a victory as it can get for the @RCBTweets.#KXIPvRCB pic.twitter.com/dyCLvftjlY — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 14, 2018 × With Bangalore celebrating their fifth win in this year's edition, there was one smiling face in the Punjab camp - Gayle. The smile was followed by a scene which won hearts. Gayle and Kohli, old friends and former teammates, got together for their famous celebration and there was a loud roar from the crowd. It brought back memories of the two partying and celebrating, when in Bangalore. The two shook hands in their own style and later Gayle congratulated by hugging Kohli. The gesture showed that Kohli is a friend forever, it also displayed Gayle is a friend for life and the bromance would forever remain intact. Gayle and Kohli have huge respect for each other. And that was what won hearts at the end of a bitterly disappointing night for King XI Punjab.

Watch: Chris Gayle-Virat Kohli bromance on ground wins hearts

Virat Kohli opened with wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel and easily took Bangalore to victory side in just 8.1 overs.

Without giving away any wicket, the two achieved the target of 89 runs, with Kohli making unbeaten 48 runs in 28 balls and Patel contributing 22-ball-40. &nbsp &nbsp

The half-century stand between Parthiv and Kohli came in the fifth over.

Kohli smashed a boundary to register their fifth win in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

After failing in batting department, Punjab bowlers were also depleted by Bangalore as they failed to take any wickets. 
&nbsp 
Earlier, Bangalore bowled their best of IPL 2018 today to all-out Punjab for a paltry 88 runs at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore.

Umesh Yadav bowled a fantastic spell to dismisses three crucial players of Punjab including both openers Chris Gayle and KL Rahul.

He later dismissed Andrew Tye to take his wicket count to three.

In the fours over bowled, Yadav gave away only 23 runs to put his economy rate at 5.75

Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Colin de Grandhomme and Moeen Ali took one wicket apiece.&nbsp

Skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bowl against &nbspPunjab, at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, on Monday.&nbsp

Speaking after the toss, Kohli said, "No brainer. We will have a bowl first. It is a very difficult ground to defend here. They are also one mystery bowler short and that gives us an advantage to start off anyway. "

"The wicket is pretty hard and there is a nice grass covering, it will be a very tough ground to defend on. Look in every team it would be very tough for all six batsmen to perform in every game, there would be two or three stand out performances throughout the tournament."

In the last match against Delhi, Kohli and AB de Villiers established a 118-run partnership to help Bangalore register their fourth win in this year's IPL.

"Me and AB have tried to take that responsibility but there have been contributions from others as well. KL and Gayle have played well for them. Those guys also get to face the most number of balls as well, so we have to take that into consideration as well. We are playing with the same team. We are going to go out there play fearless cricket," Kohli said.

"Nobody gave us a chance a week back and after the win in the last game, we have some momentum. We will try and not look too ahead of ourselves," he concluded.

When asked Ashwin about Punjab's strategy today, he said, "Obviously, it is a ground where it is very difficult to defend. So, we would have bowled first. But then we chose to bowl first in the last game and our fate was very different. I mean the T20 format is very unforgiving. Having said that, this ground is very small as well. There are no excuses."

"Hopefully, whatever experience we have garnered from the last three games, we will put into use. Unfortunately, we have lost Mujeeb from the last game, who got injured and Marcus Stoinis comes in," he added.

Teams:

Punjab (Playing XI):&nbspLokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohit Sharma

Bangalore (Playing XI):&nbspParthiv Patel(w), Moeen Ali, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

This is Bangalore's fifth win in the ongoing IPL.

Virat Kohli opened with wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel and easily took Bangalore to victory side in just 8.1 overs. Without giving away any wicket, the two achieved the target of 89 runs, with Kohli making unbeaten 48 runs in 28 balls and Patel contributing 22-ball-40. The half-century stand between Parthiv and Kohli came in the fifth over. Kohli smashed a boundary to register their fifth win in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). After failing in batting department, Punjab bowlers were also depleted by Bangalore as they failed to take any wickets. Earlier, Bangalore bowled their best of IPL 2018 today to all-out Punjab for a paltry 88 runs at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore. Umesh Yadav bowled a fantastic spell to dismisses three crucial players of Punjab including both openers Chris Gayle and KL Rahul. He later dismissed Andrew Tye to take his wicket count to three. In the fours over bowled, Yadav gave away only 23 runs to put his economy rate at 5.75 Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Colin de Grandhomme and Moeen Ali took one wicket apiece. Skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bowl against &nbspPunjab, at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, on Monday. Speaking after the toss, Kohli said, "No brainer. We will have a bowl first. It is a very difficult ground to defend here. They are also one mystery bowler short and that gives us an advantage to start off anyway. " "The wicket is pretty hard and there is a nice grass covering, it will be a very tough ground to defend on. Look in every team it would be very tough for all six batsmen to perform in every game, there would be two or three stand out performances throughout the tournament." In the last match against Delhi, Kohli and AB de Villiers established a 118-run partnership to help Bangalore register their fourth win in this year's IPL. "Me and AB have tried to take that responsibility but there have been contributions from others as well. KL and Gayle have played well for them. Those guys also get to face the most number of balls as well, so we have to take that into consideration as well. We are playing with the same team. We are going to go out there play fearless cricket," Kohli said. "Nobody gave us a chance a week back and after the win in the last game, we have some momentum. We will try and not look too ahead of ourselves," he concluded. When asked Ashwin about Punjab's strategy today, he said, "Obviously, it is a ground where it is very difficult to defend. So, we would have bowled first. But then we chose to bowl first in the last game and our fate was very different. I mean the T20 format is very unforgiving. Having said that, this ground is very small as well. There are no excuses." "Hopefully, whatever experience we have garnered from the last three games, we will put into use. Unfortunately, we have lost Mujeeb from the last game, who got injured and Marcus Stoinis comes in," he added. Teams: Punjab (Playing XI):&nbspLokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohit Sharma Bangalore (Playing XI):&nbspParthiv Patel(w), Moeen Ali, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

IPL 2018: Virat Kohli-led Bangalore beat Punjab by 10 wickets

Bangalore bowled their best of IPL 2018 today to all-out Punjab for a paltry 88 runs at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore.

Umesh Yadav bowled a fantastic spell to dismiss&nbspthree crucial players of Punjab including both openers Chris Gayle and KL Rahul.

He later dismissed Andrew Tye to take his wicket count to three.

In the fours over bowled, Yadav gave away only 23 runs to put his economy rate at 5.75

Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Colin de Grandhomme and Moeen Ali took one wicket apiece.&nbsp

Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bowl against &nbspPunjab, at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, on Monday.&nbsp

Speaking after the toss, Kohli said, "No brainer. We will have a bowl first. It is a very difficult ground to defend here. They are also one mystery bowler short and that gives us an advantage to start off anyway. "

"The wicket is pretty hard and there is a nice grass covering, it will be a very tough ground to defend on. Look in every team it would be very tough for all six batsmen to perform in every game, there would be two or three stand out performances throughout the tournament."

In the last match against Delhi, Kohli and AB de Villiers established a 118-run partnership to help Bangalore register their fourth win in this year's IPL.

"Me and AB have tried to take that responsibility but there have been contributions from others as well. KL and Gayle have played well for them. Those guys also get to face the most number of balls as well, so we have to take that into consideration as well. We are playing with the same team. We are going to go out there play fearless cricket," Kohli said.

"Nobody gave us a chance a week back and after the win in the last game, we have some momentum. We will try and not look too ahead of ourselves," he concluded.

When asked Ashwin about Punjab's strategy today, he said, "Obviously, it is a ground where it is very difficult to defend. So, we would have bowled first. But then we chose to bowl first in the last game and our fate was very different. I mean the T20 format is very unforgiving. Having said that, this ground is very small as well. There are no excuses."

"Hopefully, whatever experience we have garnered from the last three games, we will put into use. Unfortunately, we have lost Mujeeb from the last game, who got injured and Marcus Stoinis comes in," he added.

With high dependency on batting, Ashwin will hope to get his team back on track by defeating Bangalore.

Teams:

Punjab (Playing XI):&nbspLokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohit Sharma

Bangalore (Playing XI):&nbspParthiv Patel(w), Moeen Ali, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Umesh Yadav bowled a fantastic spell to dismiss three crucial players of Punjab

Bangalore bowled their best of IPL 2018 today to all-out Punjab for a paltry 88 runs at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore. Umesh Yadav bowled a fantastic spell to dismiss&nbspthree crucial players of Punjab including both openers Chris Gayle and KL Rahul. He later dismissed Andrew Tye to take his wicket count to three. In the fours over bowled, Yadav gave away only 23 runs to put his economy rate at 5.75 Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Colin de Grandhomme and Moeen Ali took one wicket apiece. Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bowl against &nbspPunjab, at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, on Monday. Speaking after the toss, Kohli said, "No brainer. We will have a bowl first. It is a very difficult ground to defend here. They are also one mystery bowler short and that gives us an advantage to start off anyway. " "The wicket is pretty hard and there is a nice grass covering, it will be a very tough ground to defend on. Look in every team it would be very tough for all six batsmen to perform in every game, there would be two or three stand out performances throughout the tournament." In the last match against Delhi, Kohli and AB de Villiers established a 118-run partnership to help Bangalore register their fourth win in this year's IPL. "Me and AB have tried to take that responsibility but there have been contributions from others as well. KL and Gayle have played well for them. Those guys also get to face the most number of balls as well, so we have to take that into consideration as well. We are playing with the same team. We are going to go out there play fearless cricket," Kohli said. "Nobody gave us a chance a week back and after the win in the last game, we have some momentum. We will try and not look too ahead of ourselves," he concluded. When asked Ashwin about Punjab's strategy today, he said, "Obviously, it is a ground where it is very difficult to defend. So, we would have bowled first. But then we chose to bowl first in the last game and our fate was very different. I mean the T20 format is very unforgiving. Having said that, this ground is very small as well. There are no excuses." "Hopefully, whatever experience we have garnered from the last three games, we will put into use. Unfortunately, we have lost Mujeeb from the last game, who got injured and Marcus Stoinis comes in," he added. With high dependency on batting, Ashwin will hope to get his team back on track by defeating Bangalore. Teams: Punjab (Playing XI):&nbspLokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohit Sharma Bangalore (Playing XI):&nbspParthiv Patel(w), Moeen Ali, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

IPL 2018: Bangalore bowl out Punjab for paltry 88

Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bowl against &nbspPunjab, at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, on Monday.&nbsp

Speaking after the toss, Kohli said, "No brainer. We will have a bowl first. It is a very difficult ground to defend here. They are also one mystery bowler short and that gives us an advantage to start off anyway. "

"The wicket is pretty hard and there is a nice grass covering, it will be a very tough ground to defend on. Look in every team it would be very tough for all six batsmen to perform in every game, there would be two or three stand out performances throughout the tournament."

In the last match against Delhi, Kohli and AB de Villiers established a 118-run partnership to help Bangalore register their fourth win in this year's IPL.

"Me and AB have tried to take that responsibility but there have been contributions from others as well. KL and Gayle have played well for them. Those guys also get to face the most number of balls as well, so we have to take that into consideration as well. We are playing with the same team. We are going to go out there play fearless cricket," Kohli said.

"Nobody gave us a chance a week back and after the win in the last game, we have some momentum. We will try and not look too ahead of ourselves," he concluded.

When asked Ashwin about Punjab's strategy today, he said, "Obviously, it is a ground where it is very difficult to defend. So, we would have bowled first. But then we chose to bowl first in the last game and our fate was very different. I mean the T20 format is very unforgiving. Having said that, this ground is very small as well. There are no excuses."

"Hopefully, whatever experience we have garnered from the last three games, we will put into use. Unfortunately, we have lost Mujeeb from the last game, who got injured and Marcus Stoinis comes in," he added.

With high dependency on batting, Ashwin will hope to get his team back on track by defeating Bangalore.

Teams:

Punjab (Playing XI): Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohit Sharma

Bangalore (Playing XI): Parthiv Patel(w), Moeen Ali, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

With high dependency on batting, Ashwin will hope to get his team back on track by defeating Bangalore.

Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bowl against &nbspPunjab, at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, on Monday. Speaking after the toss, Kohli said, "No brainer. We will have a bowl first. It is a very difficult ground to defend here. They are also one mystery bowler short and that gives us an advantage to start off anyway. " "The wicket is pretty hard and there is a nice grass covering, it will be a very tough ground to defend on. Look in every team it would be very tough for all six batsmen to perform in every game, there would be two or three stand out performances throughout the tournament." In the last match against Delhi, Kohli and AB de Villiers established a 118-run partnership to help Bangalore register their fourth win in this year's IPL. "Me and AB have tried to take that responsibility but there have been contributions from others as well. KL and Gayle have played well for them. Those guys also get to face the most number of balls as well, so we have to take that into consideration as well. We are playing with the same team. We are going to go out there play fearless cricket," Kohli said. "Nobody gave us a chance a week back and after the win in the last game, we have some momentum. We will try and not look too ahead of ourselves," he concluded. When asked Ashwin about Punjab's strategy today, he said, "Obviously, it is a ground where it is very difficult to defend. So, we would have bowled first. But then we chose to bowl first in the last game and our fate was very different. I mean the T20 format is very unforgiving. Having said that, this ground is very small as well. There are no excuses." "Hopefully, whatever experience we have garnered from the last three games, we will put into use. Unfortunately, we have lost Mujeeb from the last game, who got injured and Marcus Stoinis comes in," he added. With high dependency on batting, Ashwin will hope to get his team back on track by defeating Bangalore. Teams: Punjab (Playing XI): Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohit Sharma Bangalore (Playing XI): Parthiv Patel(w), Moeen Ali, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

IPL 2018: Virat Kohli wins toss, opts to bowl against Punjab

After facing a defeat by Kolkata in their last match, Punjab will host Virat Kohli-led Bangalore at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore on Monday.&nbsp

R Ashwin-led team faced a setback when they fell 31 runs short while chasing a mammoth target of 246 runs set by Kolkata.

Despite losses, the franchise is in the top half of the league with 12 points while Bangalore are still languishing at the second last place in the table.&nbsp

Kohli-led side brought their campaign back on track after they defeated Delhi by five wickets with both AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli smashing a half-century each.

The two established a 118-run partnership to help the team recover from the early loses as both openers fell cheaply.

Both the teams are overly dependent on their batting with Kohli and De Villiers holding the fort for the Bangalore while Punjab outfit looks up to KL Rahul and Chris Gayle for a great score.&nbsp

Despite blowing 'hot and cold' throughout the season, skipper kohli is team's top scorer by a distance with 466 runs from 11 games.

De Villiers has made 358 runs so far and is just 108 runs behind his skipper.

For Punjab, Rahul has been in a different league with five half-centuries and a strike-rate of 162 plus and an average of nearly 60.&nbsp

Rahul will be desperate to get some support from Gayle, who has gone quiet after the initial carnage.&nbsp

However, it is the bowling which has let both the teams down on many occasions.

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For Punjab, the standout bowler has been Andrew Tye with 20 wickets at an economy rate of 8 per over while teenage mystery spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman has been exceptional with 14 wickets at an economy rate of 6.99 per over.

The problem area has been skipper R Ashwin's inability to get breakthroughs with only six scalps from 11 games at 8.13 runs per over.

In case of Bangalore, &nbsponly India internationals Yuzvendra Chahal (10 wickets from 11 games at an economy rate of 7.57) and Umesh Yadav (14 wickets from 11 games at an economy rate of 8.23) have played all the games.

The next specialist bowler who got to play more than five games is Mohammed Siraj (8 wickets from 8 games at an economy rate of 9.13).

With a high dependence on batting, Ashwin will hope to get his team back on track by defeating Bangalore. 
&nbsp

R Ashwin-led team faced a setback when they fell 31 runs short while chasing a mammoth target of 246 runs set by Kolkata.

After facing a defeat by Kolkata in their last match, Punjab will host Virat Kohli-led Bangalore at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore on Monday. R Ashwin-led team faced a setback when they fell 31 runs short while chasing a mammoth target of 246 runs set by Kolkata. Despite losses, the franchise is in the top half of the league with 12 points while Bangalore are still languishing at the second last place in the table. Kohli-led side brought their campaign back on track after they defeated Delhi by five wickets with both AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli smashing a half-century each. The two established a 118-run partnership to help the team recover from the early loses as both openers fell cheaply. Both the teams are overly dependent on their batting with Kohli and De Villiers holding the fort for the Bangalore while Punjab outfit looks up to KL Rahul and Chris Gayle for a great score. Despite blowing 'hot and cold' throughout the season, skipper kohli is team's top scorer by a distance with 466 runs from 11 games. De Villiers has made 358 runs so far and is just 108 runs behind his skipper. For Punjab, Rahul has been in a different league with five half-centuries and a strike-rate of 162 plus and an average of nearly 60. Rahul will be desperate to get some support from Gayle, who has gone quiet after the initial carnage. However, it is the bowling which has let both the teams down on many occasions. × For Punjab, the standout bowler has been Andrew Tye with 20 wickets at an economy rate of 8 per over while teenage mystery spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman has been exceptional with 14 wickets at an economy rate of 6.99 per over. The problem area has been skipper R Ashwin's inability to get breakthroughs with only six scalps from 11 games at 8.13 runs per over. In case of Bangalore, &nbsponly India internationals Yuzvendra Chahal (10 wickets from 11 games at an economy rate of 7.57) and Umesh Yadav (14 wickets from 11 games at an economy rate of 8.23) have played all the games. The next specialist bowler who got to play more than five games is Mohammed Siraj (8 wickets from 8 games at an economy rate of 9.13). With a high dependence on batting, Ashwin will hope to get his team back on track by defeating Bangalore.

IPL 2018: Match preview of Punjab vs Bangalore

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