Pandya's absence means that India will have to rejig their bowling attack. Jasprit Bumrah has already been rested for this series, as well as the tour of New Zealand, and this allows the think-tank to conduct one final experimentation with their bowling attack.
Full list of players released, retained and traded by all ten teams in the IPL.
Following the debacle in the New Zealand ODI series, the selectors finally lost patience with the under-performing Suresh Raina and Ishant Sharma and axed them from India's squad for the Asia Cup later this month. Cheteshwar Pujara, who played two ODIs in Zimbabwe in August, made a comeback to the ODI squad.
Harshal Patel and Glenn Maxwell led a clinical bowling performance to help Royal Challengers Bangalore register a 13-run win over Chennai Super Kings, pushing the defending champions to the brink of elimination.
'It's still a bit nerve-wracking when you're bowling at M S Dhoni, and there's not one red shirt in the crowd, only yellow shirts chanting his name.'
Pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar was promoted to Grade A, but Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir, who have lost favour with the selectors, were dropped from the list of BCCI's contracted players for 2014-15.
Check out the Mumbai Indians squad for IPL 2014.
Led by a determined showing from their bowlers, SRH restricted CSK to a below par 154/7 in their 20 overs before Abhishek Sharma's fluent half-century helped them outclass the defending champions by eight wickets.
The home team's bowlers will be wary of Chris Gayle's power-hitting.
Images from Friday's IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, in Chennai.
India again proved too strong for Zimbabwe, winning the second One-Day International by eight wickets in Harare, on Monday. After dismissing the hosts in 34.3 overs for a paltry 126, the tourists chased down the modest target in 26.5 overs and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, having won the opening ODI by nine wickets on Saturday.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was rested for the first three One-day Internationals against Sri Lanka next month and batting mainstay Virat Kohli will lead the side in his absence.
There could be some eye-popping deals for players, who would have struggled otherwise to attract attention in the mega auction.
India's assistant coach Sanjay Bangar termed out-of-form Shikhar Dhawan as a vital cog, saying the team management wants the right-left combination to fire at the top of the order with the World Cup round the corner.
IMAGES from the IPL season XI opener played between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday
Images from Thursday's Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, in Dubai.
Jason Holder could well turn out to be one of the most expensive buys at this edition of IPL
aptain Virat Kohli and premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, were both called back into a full-strength Indian squad, while Dinesh Karthik was left out of the five-match ODI series against Australia, starting in Visakhapatnam, on February 24.
Delhi Daredevils defeated Mumbai Indians by 10 runs in their IPL match at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag has taken a dig at Chennai Super Kings' faltering IPL campaign, saying that some of their batsmen think of the franchise as a "government job" in which remuneration is assured irrespective of performance.
Ahead of the three-match series, here's the schedule and key stats between the teams.
Chennai Super Kings prevailed over a weakened Sunrisers Hyderabad by four runs to consolidate their position at the top of the order
India's Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara started off the 13th edition of DY Patil T20 Cup with an uncharacteristic century to guide Indian Oil to an emphatic 10-wicket win over Air India. Pujara slammed an unbeaten 108 off 73 balls (14x4s, 2x6s) to register the commanding victory for his side. At the University Ground in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, Air India batted first to post 180 for four in their 20 overs.
Dhoni and Raina accumulated runs in singles and twos early in the partnership, then accelerated the scoring after the 10th over.
Pushed to the brink before managing a narrow win in the opening One-Day International, India will have to quickly sort out its middle-order batting woes when it takes on a spirited Zimbabwe in the second match in Harare, on Sunday.
Jadeja most tested Indian cricketer so far in 2023, 58 samples collected in first 5 months
Rajneesh Gupta figures out the Indian ODI and T20 sides for the South Africa series.
Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in an Indian Premier League match at the MA Chidambaram stadium.
Rajneesh Gupta presents the Chennai Super Kings record in the IPL over the years.
Delhi's strong batting line up of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith and Pant himself will look to fire on all cylinders right from the opening game.
Anushka Sharma is fast becoming a regular at the Indian Premier League match on Wednesday.
'All games from here are important for us'
Ahead of Chennai Super Kings final league game of the season, batting coach Mike Hussey said MSD's knee has been troubling him throughout the season.
Ricky Ponting, head coach of Delhi Capitals, believes that his team's inability to score runs during the middle overs cost them
India's stand-in-captain Virat Kohli feels that present field restriction rule is an advantage for batsmen only when they are playing in the sub-continent and it will be a completely different ball game during World Cup in Australia, next year.
Gujarat left-arm spinner Akshar Patel was recalled to the Indian squad for the last two One-Day Internationals against West Indies, while senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin continues to be rested.
Capitals were the best team in the league and their 20-point finish at the group stage was an indication of their consistent performances which didn't dip due to the COVID-19 forced break. CSK, over the years, have been in final eight times and won on three occasions which speak volumes of the team's ability to lift their game just when it's required most.
"An opportunity to play with some of the best players in the world" is what has made Ambati Rayudu join the Indian Cricket League.
For MI's top-scorer Kieron Pollard, it was Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga's 19th and 20th overs that made the difference.
Rajasthan Royals face tough challenge against in-form Chennai Super Kings