Amid fears that the controversy surrounding three players had dampened the enthusiasm of fans for Pepsi IPL 2013, a packed house at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium saw the Sunrisers rise, sink and then rise again when it really mattered the most to beat the Knights by 5 wickets - a result ensured Sunrisers' qualification to the Play-offs besides exiting the spirited RCB, who were glued to this fourth Play-offs berth deciding battle, after out-batting Chennai yesterday night . At 89/0, in pursuit of 131, it was Sunrisers' game to lose. They almost lost the plot, slumping to 112-5 before Darren Sammy sealed the deal in typical Caribbean style!

Hyderabad enjoyed a rollicking start to the chase thanks to a flurry of fours. The diminutive Parthiv Patel, sporting the 'chief-aggressor tag', gave Yusuf Pathan a taste of his own medicine with full-blooded cuts. Soon after, Shikhar Dhawan stole the tag with breathtaking stroke-play- the one that stood out was the majestic six off Jacques Kallis over cover with both feet up in the air, reminiscent of Sanath Jayasuriya.

JP Duminy returns to the Proteas Castle Lager ODI squad for the ICC Champions Trophy Tournament to be held in England and Wales at the start of next month. Jacques Kallis has, however, made himself unavailable for personal reasons. It will be Duminy’s first selection since he suffered a severe ankle injury during the first Test match against Australia six months ago.

“JP is well on the way to a full recovery,” commented Cricket South Africa (CSA) selection convener Andrew Hudson. “The latest information is that he will be fully fit to play his part in all three disciplines by the end of the month. He is a very experienced limited overs cricketer and we don’t anticipate his lack of match practice being any kind of problem.

The Eden Gardens was subjected to an Irish feast, as the home team rode the Morgan-wave, cruising to a humongous 48-run victory and registering their second win in IPL 2013. Valuable contributions from Manvinder Bisla, Gautam Gambhir, Jacques Kallllis and Eoin Morgan ensured a victory for the home side in a must-win encounter with the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The decision to bench the million-dollar Brendon McCullum once again was a highly debatable one, however, Bisla and Gambhir dispelled any such doubts by propelling the Kolkata Knight Riders to a crisp start; they made 48 in the powerplay, keeping their wickets intact. Bisla perished soon after, for a well-made 28 off 24 balls, however, the skipper carried on, dispatching the spinners to the fence and notching his second consecutive half-century off 39 balls. Kallis – the subdued contributor – was happy to knock the ball around for singles, and managing to find that odd boundary. Gambhir’s dismissal was against the run of play, with Ashish Reddy’s persistence with the slower ball getting the skipper out for a 45-ball-53 – an innings that earned him the Man of the Match.

Another exceptional day of Test cricket saw 12 wickets fall in the battle of the heavyweights in the title decider at Perth on Friday. South Africa failed to make the most of their opportunity with the bat, crumbling to 75-6 in the first hour after lunch before a defiant Faf du Plessis denied Australia once again. The 1-test old batsman made an unbeaten 78 to help his side post a semi-respectable 225 in their first innings. South Africa's fast bowlers then made sure their side was far from out of the contest by taking two early wickets to set up the prospect of what should be a very entertaining weekend at the WACA.

The eagerly awaited third and deciding test match between hosts Australia and world no.1 test team South Africa got underway amidst high expectations on Friday. With both previous tests in the series having ended in stalemates, it was going to be a straight shootout in this one with the winner taking all. The South African captain Graeme Smith won the toss and chose to bat first with a view to put runs on the board in this crucial game.

Faf du Plessis produced one of the finest defensive innings in South African cricket history to secure an astonishing draw in the second Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Monday. Resuming on a precarious 77-4 and needing to bat the entire day to prevent the home team taking a one-nil lead, Du Plessis survived until the close moving from his overnight 19 not out to finish with a maiden Test century as South Africa closed on 248-8 from a mammoth 148 overs.

The Nashua Titans right-hander's unbeaten 110 was crafted from 376 deliveries faced over the course of seven hours and 44 minutes.

Vernon Philander and Jacques Kallis both went for MRI scans after picking up injuries on day one of the second Test against Australia in Adelaide. Philander was withdrawn from the playing XI after waking up with a stiff lower back, and Kallis left the field in the 17^th over with a hamstring injury.

Proteas Team Manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee commented on the results: “ Vernon's scan reveals nothing more than a lower lumbar muscle strain as initially suspected. He will receive treatment and undergo rehabilitation during the course of the current Test match and we are hopeful he will be fit for the final Test in Perth.

There has been a significant shake-up in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings after the conclusion of the Ahmedabad, Galle and Mirpur Tests, while the second Test between Australia and South Africa, starting in Adelaide on Thursday, may lead to changes at the top of the batting and bowling tables.

India defeated England by nine wickets in Ahmedabad, with Cheteshwar Pujara picking up the man of the match award. Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 10 wickets in Galle, with Rangana Herath collecting the player of the match award, and Kieran Powell was adjudged man of the match in Mirpur where the West Indies overpowered Bangladesh by 77 runs.