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The Rajasthan Royals, perfect over seven games in Jaipur, go into their semi-final against the Delhi Daredevils with no reward whatsoever for that pristine home record

The irony of the Indian Premier League's first semi-final is that Delhi has Rajasthan to thank for their place in the final four

The first Australia-West Indies Test uncovered more issues than it dealt with and it is unlikely many of them will be solved definitively during the second game in Antigua

Australia were expected to dominate the three-Test series but the opening game was a tight contest and with two key West Indies players potentially returning from injury, the second Test should be another intriguing battle

A probable high-stakes contest has been nipped in the bud with the Chennai Super Kings edging out the Mumbai Indians in the semi-final race

Not only have Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab already made it to the semi-finals, but they've also ensured that, regardless of what happens in the remaining league games, they'll remain Nos. 1 and 2 in the points table

The match may be of little significance for the home side but, with one semi-final spot up for grabs and two teams in the fray, this is almost a quarter-final for Chennai Super Kings

If Mumbai win against Rajasthan Royals and follow it up with another victory in their final league game against Bangalore Royal Challengers on Wednesday, they will make the semi-finals

Considering their fellow semi-finalists, the Rajasthan Royals, have been virtually unstoppable, Punjab will want to maintain their winning streak. Their previous two games went down to the last over and Punjab will look to avoid that this time round

Both Bangalore Royal Challengers and Deccan Chargers went out of semi-final reckoning long back, which means the only incentive to win here is to give themselves the best chance to avoid the ignominy of finishing last in the IPL

The Chennai Super Kings will progress to the semi-finals if they can upset the rampaging Rajasthan Royals at home

With the IPL moving towards the last leg of league games, things are more desperate for Delhi Daredevils than they are for Mumbai Indians

This isn't quite a quarter-final, but it's as close as the league will get to one

With Kolkata Knight Riders' match against the Delhi Daredevils washed out, Kings XI Punjab find themselves in the semi-finals and now play for rankings in the top four

There is nothing to split England and New Zealand after a truncated opening Test at Lord's, but the visitors will have travelled north to Old Trafford heartened by their performance

With the fourth-placed Mumbai Indians having a game in hand, the Delhi Daredevils (also in fourth) aren't quite on the inside track for a place in the semi-finals

Since Australia captured the Frank Worrell Trophy in 1995, the West Indies has lost its cricket lustre to the point where Thursday's opening Test is no longer a major event

Australia have won 12 of their past 13 Tests against West Indies and they will aim to keep that trend going in the first Test in Jamaica

The fortunes of both Mumbai and Punjab have changed remarkably since their first meeting in the Indian Premier League. Back then, both teams had lost their first two games and the match in Mohali ended with Harbhajan Singh slapping Sreesanth

With two of their remaining matches being against the out-of-contention Bangalore Royal Challengers and Deccan Chargers, the Chennai Super Kings are poised to make it to the final four