Ahead of Saturday's event, here's a lowdown of ready references for the auction.
The Bombay high court on Tuesday allowed the Board of Control for Cricket in India to host Indian Premier League matches in Maharashtra only till April 30 after which it has asked the organisers to shift the matches outside the state.
However, Hyderabad had clearly done their homework as Rashid grabbed the top wicket-taker's 'purple cap' on Sunday after his 3-19 set up a comprehensive win over Gujarat Lions.
Australia captain Aaron Finch's recovery after knee surgery in August has been ahead of schedule and he will be available for the T20 World Cup warm-up game against India on October 20.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to release the 'Playing Conditions' for the WTC final. Also, before boarding the flight to London, for the England tour, every male and female member needs to carry six RT-PCR negative results.
A look at the major names who were not retained by the IPL franchises.
Sixty matches (including the four play-offs) will be played over 47 days in the cash-rich T20 tournament.
Tulsidas Balaram, who passed into the ages last week, was a member of the Indian football team which reached the semis at the Olympics and won an Asian Games gold medal.
Bombay High Court-appointed arbitrator retired Justice CK Thakkar delivered the verdict on July 17 and told BCCI to pay Rs 4,800 crore as compensation by September 2020.
The secretary of the unrecognised Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) Aditya Verma has shot off another letter to International Cricket Council, urging the highest cricket body to take instant action against the suspended BCCI president.
On Tuesday, Sunrisers Hyderabad wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and Delhi Capitals veteran spinner Amit Mishra also tested positive for the dreaded virus as BCCI announced the postponement with immediate effect.
'It is no accident that politicians strive to control sports bodies, and get their names associated with popular sports, sometimes by renaming stadiums after themselves,' observes Devangshu Datta.
Featuring Virat, Suryakant Yadav, Mustafizur Rehman, David Warner, AB, Krunal Pandya...
Rising Pune Supergiants now face an uphill task of taming the rampaging Gujarat Lions in an Indian Premier League clash, in Pune, on Friday.
Depleted by the absence of high-profile names, Indian Premier League 2014 champions Kolkata Knight Riders have a tough task on hand when they lock horns with formidable Chennai Super Kings in the opening Group 'A' match of the Champions League T20, in Hyderabad, on Wednesday.
Delhi Capitals advisor Sourav Ganguly described Shikhar Dhawan as one of the best opening batsmen in the world while revealing that his franchise was "desperate" to rope in the left-hander after he left Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Mohammad Azharuddin's rehabilitation from life ban is more than complete in many ways but the former India captain says he "doesn't really know the reasons" for banning him in the first place. In December 2000, Azharuddin was handed a life ban by the BCCI for his involvement in match-fixing. However, after a long drawn out legal battle, Azharuddin saw the Andhra Pradesh High Court revoking the ban and terming it "illegal" in 2012.
Vihari said he has been preparing for the South Africa series at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
The former India wicketkeeper said he was picked for the national team despite coming up with 'stellar performances' in domestic arena from 1986 to 1993.
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik rued his side's inability to defend the 179-run target they set Delhi Capitals in Friday's IPL match, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, saying they fell short by 10-20 runs and also did not bowl.
Former West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar was on Thursday sworn in as the 14th Vice President of India.
Home interiors company HomeLane on Monday said it has entered into a three-year strategic partnership with ace cricketer, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as an equity partner and brand ambassador. As part of the partnership, Dhoni will own equity in HomeLane and will be its first brand ambassador, a statement said. Details of Dhoni's investment were, however, not disclosed.
The dinner Jill Biden and her husband US President Joe Biden hosted for Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, June 22, at the White House brought together, Indians and Americans from so many firmaments.
Kolkata Knight Riders left-arm seamer Pradeep Sangwan has failed a random dope test in the Indian Premier League, it was reported on Thursday.
IPL Season 10 saw the likes of Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana and Rashid Khan grab the spotlight. Let us check out what they did.
A round-up of all the Ranji Trophy matches played on Friday.
Telangana Badminton Association vice president V Chamundeswarinath on Tuesday gifted a high-end car to Indian women's cricket team Captain Mithali Raj for becoming the highest run-getter in the women's ODIs.
KB Arun Karthick struck a vital unbeaten 115 to help Assam garner three crucial points against defending champions Karnataka after their Group 'A' Ranji Trophy match ended in a tame draw, Guwahati, on Sunday.
A round-up of all the Ranji Trophy matches played on Thursday.
Lungi Ngidi was full of praise for the Pune surface where he wrecked Kings XI Punjab on Sunday in a stellar display of pace bowling in the batsman-dominated format.
Facing an early exit after their sixth loss in eight games, bottom-placed Delhi Daredevils, under new skipper Shreyas Iyer, will have to treat each upcoming IPL game as a virtual knock-out, starting with their clash against Rajasthan Royals, in Delhi, on Wednesday.
Glenn Maxwell, Dale Steyn, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Marsh and Angelo Mathews have been shortlisted at the highest base price of Rs. 2 crore for the upcoming IPL auction, in Kolkata on December 19. Robin Uthappa, who was released by Kolkata Knight Riders last month, is the sole Indian player in the auction list with a base price of Rs 1.5 crore. As many as 332 cricketers will go under the hammer at the auction.
The Committee of Administrators (COA) wants BCCI to appoint an Ombudsman and an Ethics Officer at the earliest to deal with any disputes leading up to its much-awaited Annual General Meeting and elections.
The world's No.3 ODI bowler, leaked 110 runs off nine overs as England racked up a gigantic 397 for six after electing to bat against Afghanistan.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Sunday
Holders Vidarbha thrashed Mumbai by an innings and 145 runs to knock out the 41-time Ranji Trophy champions.
The instant stardom associated with impressive performances in the Indian Premier League has not changed Rashid Khan's ultimate cricketing dream -- to bowl lethal googlies to the best in the world while donning Afghanistan whites.
Medium pacer Krishnakant Upadhyay's inspiring spell helped Railways restrict defending champions Karnataka in their Ranji Trophy match in New Delhi. A summary of the day's play in the Ranji Trophy matches.
A summary of Day 2 action in the Ranji Trophy matches, played at various venues across the country.