Mumbai Indians enter the match high on confidence following successive victories over holders Chennai Super Kings and last edition's finalists Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Coming off heartbreaking losses, the Indian Premier League game between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab will be a test of character for both sides as they look to get back to winning ways, in Abu Dhabi, on Thursday.
Smith was handed a one-year ban along with his then deputy David Warner exactly a year ago for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
The match, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, will also be a face-off between skippers KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, both seen as future India captaincy material.
A restructured Kings XI Punjab have all the required ingredients to achieve success in the upcoming IPL but they have to ensure that good starts are not squandered and their overseas combination is apt.
Punjab Kings buried Royal Challengers Bangalore under a deluge of runs as they kept their play-off hopes alive with a thumping 54-run victory, riding on superb half-centuries from Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone.
Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore have won only three games out of 10 in IPL-12 so far.
SunRisers Hyderabad has the biggest purse while Kolkata Knight Riders has the slimmest purse.
Sunrsiers' middle-order has hardly been tested and when the opportunity came against Mumbai Indians, the likes of Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda and Yusuf Pathan fell flat.
The home team's bowlers will be wary of Chris Gayle's power-hitting.
While Kings XI's biggest star Chris Gayle scored a 47-ball 79 in the Jaipur match, his Jamaican compatriot Andre Russell also looked in blistering touch for KKR in the match against Sunriserrs Hyderabad. Their rivalry will be one of the sub plots of Wednesday's clash in Kolkata.
With a debate raging over the run out, it remains to be seen how Ashwin and Co. start afresh in what will be their first away match of the season.
A win for Punjab will elevate them to the top four, while a victory for KKR will take them to 14 points
A desperate Sunrisers Hyderabad would seek inspiration from skipper David Warner to arrest any further slide when they take on Punjab Kings in an IPL match, in Chennai, on Wednesday.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians, in Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday.
Rohit is confident that he would come good and has asked both critics and media to spare him the constant scrutiny.
Chennai Super Kings will aim to maintain their pole position with a victory over a struggling Kings XI Punjab
The two teams are languishing at the bottom half of the table and need a win to keep alive their remote Play-off chances.
Seeking home comforts after multiple reverses at the Ferozshah Kotla, Delhi Capitals will be desperate to buck the trend when they take on a rejuvenated Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, in Delhi, on Saturday.
Focus will now be on how Rabada would fare against the likes of Chris Gayle, Lokesh Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and David Miller.
Both KXIP and the Royals would look to build a winning momentum after starting the tournament as underdogs.
The duo of Vyas and Desai took the opposing bowlers to the cleaners throughout the innings while stitching a massive first-wicket partnership of 282 runs.
India would be looking to sort out issues such as the opening blues, the middle-lower order conundrum and also the bowling strategies during the three-match T20 series against West Indies.
A roundup of the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day matches played on Tuesday.
In other big movements, Punjab Kings have released their last edition's captain Mayank Agarwal, while West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Sreesanth, who was part of the triumphant Indian squads in the 2007 World T20 and the 2011 World Cup, was earlier named in one of the squads for a local T20 tournament to be conducted by Kerala Cricket Association in Alappuzha from December 17.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings, in Dubai, on Tuesday.
Last season, Punjab finished 6th, narrowly missing on the playoffs.
RCB have been inconsistent in their first six games in IPL-12, with both their bowling and batting faltering on many occasions.
KXIP are riding a roller-coaster ride, having to endure a controversy involving their captain Ravichandran Ashwin who 'Mankaded' Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler in their first match, an act which was legal but criticised by some as against the 'Spirit of Cricket'.
Woman lawyer Suman Pattanayak was also recommended as a judge of the Orissa high court by the collegiums on July 25, a statement said.
Here is a look at the team that will open its campaign against Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai on April 12.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2021's 50 Most Valuable Players up to Game 39.
The R Ashwin-led Kings XI slipped to the fifth spot after suffering back-to-back losses against Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively. Overall, the hosts have registered four wins from eight matches this season.
The left-hander smashed a 113-ball 151 (8x4, 10x6) to power Madhya Pradesh to victory.
Shami will be given adequate rest in between matches, said Kings XI Punjab coach Mike Hesson
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2021's 50 Most Valuable Players up to Game 29.
A look at how the teams stack up ahead of the mega auction.
Azharuddin, whose nomination was rejected two years ago, submitted his papers to former Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath on Wednesday.
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