All-rounder Hardik Pandya is one of the notable promotions to Grade A, which is worth Rs 5 crore, while rookies Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj got their maiden central contracts, worth Rs 1 crore, in Grade C.
Siraj's brilliance saw KKR reduced to 14 for 4 inside 4 overs -- the lowest score by any team inside the Powerplay this season. The Hyderabad lad became the first bowler to bowl two maidens in an IPL game.
"Besides, three para shooters -- Singharaj, Rahul Jhakhar and Deepinder Singh (all para pistol shooters) and two coaches Subhas Rana (national coach) and Vivek Saini (assistant coach) did not get their visas.
Australia have been in good form in the five-day format and having won a one-day tournament in India last year will be confident and will be looking to do an encore as they face India in the first of the three-match ODI tournament in Mumbai on Tuesday.
With two senior pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar (thigh injury) and Ishant Sharma (side strain) all but ruled out, Navdeep Saini will certainly be the fourth pacer after Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav.
FIXTURES (Start at 14.40 local, 0910 IST, 0340 GMT)
India concluded the two-match US leg of the series by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead after notching up a 22-run win in the second game on Sunday.
Fit again Ravindra Jadeja and Hanuma Vihari made their way back into the Indian Test squad, while all-rounder Hardik Pandya was left out for next month's IIC World Test Championship final against New Zealand and the five-match series against England.
Punjab Kings kept their prospects of making the play-offs alive after a a five-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Dubai on Friday. They are placed fifth with 12 points, after five wins and seven defeats. Victory in Sunday's outing will certainly enhance their chances.
Whether he is batting in the middle or fielding at the boundary line, Virat Kohli's every move will be tracked, though some of that attention will now be on skipper K L Rahul.
Following is the list of players who have been released by the different franchises ahead of the auction for the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League.
Dhoni's contract not being renewed is not exactly a surprise as he has not played a competitive game since that World Cup semifinal on July
K L Rahul has been named vice-captain of the squad, which also has Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harshal Patel, Venkatesh Iyer, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel.
Sri Lanka beat India by four wickets to draw level in the three-match series.
Pilot's demand to order a probe and take action in the alleged mining scam during the previous BJP government and other corruption allegations was supported by state cabinet minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas.
Natarajan was added to the Test squad for the remaining two Test matches against Australia on January 1.
Should Shikhar Dhawan open with Mayank Agarwal or Shubman Gill? Should India continue with K L Rahul in the middle order?
Nadda also met Chandrashekar Kambar, a Jnanpith award recipient as part of the BJP's ongoing nationwide campaign on the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Making the announcement at a press conference in Chandigarh, Sidhu, however, said he will assume charge the day Punjab will get a new advocate general.
Suresh Raina and Yusuf Pathan also wished their former India teammate.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson and Manish Pandey have been dropped from the side while pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been rested.
Debutants Gujarat Titans will start as favourites against spin-heavy former champions Rajasthan Royals when the two teams face-off in the first IPL Qualifier, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on Tuesday.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji list India's Most Valuable ODI Players in the 2020-2021 season.
Virat Kohli anchored a tricky chase before Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur played useful cameos with the bat to power India to a series-winning four-wicket victory over the West Indies in the third ODI, in Cuttack, on Sunday. IMAGES from the third and final ODI in Cuttack on Sunday.
When Mizoram batted, Shreevats Goswami (31) was the only significant scorer but the seasoned Mumbai attack led by Dhawal Kulkarni kept the minnows under check.
Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna, all-rounder Krunal Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav earned their maiden ODI call-ups on Friday as selectors picked the trio in India's 18-member squad for the upcoming three-match series against England.
The 34-year-old was India's number one Test wicket-keeper until a career-threatening shoulder injury ruled him out of action for almost a year.
Having outsmarted England in challenging conditions, a confident India will back themselves to win the series-decider in Ahmedabad on Saturday and take another firm step towards finalising their core for the T20 World Cup.
India are unlikely to tinker with the winning combination save the return of star white-ball opener Rohit Sharma
Controversial keeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha, who has been dropped from the Test team, will still earn Rs 1 crore in annual income after being demoted from group B to C.
India will surely fancy their chances of an encore, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
India showed commendable character in Rajkot to level the series, proving that the panic buttons were pressed prematurely following the 10-wicket loss in Mumbai.
It will not be an easy task for a struggling Punjab side to stand up to the challenge thrown by a RCB team
The onus would be on their famed batting line-up of Kohli, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell to start firing once again and put pressure on the KKR batsmen.
The convincing win gave India an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
India go into the game 0-1 down after Australia registered a 10-wicket win in the lung-opener at Mumbai
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI in the second T20 International against England on Sunday?
Gujarat opener Priyank Panchal is likely to lead India 'A' in three four-day 'Tests' against New Zealand 'A'
National selection committee will pick India's Test and ODI teams for the New Zealand tour after a few days.
Rohit Sharma will certainly leave a gaping hole at the top of the order, something that skipper Virat Kohli wouldn't have fancied at the onset of a gruelling two-month tour.
