The paceman had injury problems in the recent ICC Champions Trophy in England, forcing him to miss the semi-final defeat by the hosts, and that has weighed heavily on the minds of the selectors with Test series coming up against Pakistan, India and Australia.
Mumbai get the money-spinning tournament rolling in Chennai on Friday, just four months after claiming their second successive title, with a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by India captain Virat Kohli.
West Indies edged out South Africa by three wickets in their World Twenty20 Super 10 thriller on Friday at Nagpur to book their spot in the semi-finals from Group One. Requiring nine runs off the last over, all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite smashed a six off Kagiso Rabada to seal a famous victory for the Caribbean side. The Proteas are most-likely knocked out of the tournament and will now have to beat Sri Lanka by a handsome margin and hope that England lose to them on Saturday to qualify for the semi-finals.
Smith top-scored with 73 not out for Rajasthan Royals in their relatively meagre total of 139 for three in Jaipur.
SunRisers Hyderabad beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 16 runs (via Duckworth/Lewis method) in their rain-curtailed Indian Premier League match in Visakhapatnam.
It will not be the first time that the competition has had to be held outside India.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji identify the 60 Most Valuable Players in the IPL so far.
Images from Sunday's IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, in Hyderabad.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2021's Most Valuable Players up to Game 21.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2020's 50 Most Valuable Players after the league phase.
With 10 points from 11 games, it is a must-win encounter for Dinesh Karthik and his men if they want to keep their play-off chances alive.
Nathan Coulter-Nile slammed 92 from 60 deliveries to register the highest score by a No 8 batsman in a World Cup.
Dhoni has turned back the clock with his last three innings, two of them half centuries, adding to the fine run of imposing all-rounder Shane Watson.
He might have landed in trouble for his on-field aggressive behaviour but South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada says the perception that he is short-tempered is not true and it is just passion which drives him as a bowler. The 25-year-old was suspended for the series-deciding fourth and final Test against England earlier this year after collecting a fourth demerit point in a 24-month period for celebrating too close to visiting captain Joe Root after claiming his wicket in the third Test.
Only the top ten teams will be taking part in this World Cup and they all will play each other in a round-robin format before the semi-finals stage.
Australia thrashed Afghanistan by 275 runs in their Pool A match of the ICC World Cup at the WACA in Perth. Images from the match.
'That was quite an empty period in this club with no evolution in areas that are important'
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2021's 50 Most Valuable Players up to Game 29.
Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis, reflecting on the humiliating defeat to the West Indies, lauds the showing of pacer Mohammed Amir, saying it was probably the only positive for the team from the match.
Their morale on the upswing after back-to-back victories, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will aim to continue the winning run when they take on the inconsistent Sunrisers Hyderabad in their fifth IPL cricket match in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
Brilliant bowling by the pace duo of Umesh Yadav and Morne Morkel, followed by skipper Gautam Gambhir's superb half-century, powered Kolkata Knight Riders to a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Saturday.
Raja Sen lists his favourite moments.
Pumped up after a thrilling win over the smooth-sailing Chennai Super Kings, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will take on the resurgent Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The UK became the first country to exit the economic bloc after 47 years of membership following the vote in favour of Brexit in June 2016.
In charge of a house in complete disorder, Virat Kohli will hope that Royal Challengers Bangalore play in the manner that defines his cricket when they meet Delhi Capitals in the IPL match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
New England manager Sam Allardyce believes it is just the right time in his career for him to be taking on what some have called the impossible job.
Dhoni, who turned a year older Sunday, shook a leg with daughter Ziva in the presence of wife Sakshi as his teammates, in his preferred minimalistic manner.
The 71st Emmy Awards have been announced, and there have been quite a few surprises and some expected nods.
Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to earn two valuable points and move up to second spot in the points-table when they take on struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore.
While the likes of Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and Jos Buttler are already big hits with the fans, others like Rishabh Pant and Vijay Shankar will be looking for attention with some good performances.
The 86th Annual Academy Awards have been announced. Here's a quick glance at the winners.
Rohit Sharma won the prestigious Maruti Suzuki ESPN Cricinfo award for the third year in a row.
The 31-run victory in Adelaide was India's first series-opening win on Australian soil.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji analyse Week 3 of IPL-11 in Rediff.com's Most Valuable Players ratings.
The Emmy nominations for 2018.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2020's 50 Most Valuable Players up to Game 34.
Delhi Capitals assistant coach Mohammad Kaif has pointed out that IPL teams are replacing poor fielders with agile ones during games and hoped that the umpires will take notice of this unfair practice.
Indian Premier League 2016 gave the cricket lovers many memorable moments to cherish for long. Take a look.
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