Andre Russell's all-round brilliance kept Kolkata Knight Riders in contention for a play-off berth as they recorded a comprehensive 54- run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in a must-win IPL game.
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.
Kolkata Knight Riders resemble a sinking ship ahead of a rather inconsequential IPL-15 match against bottom-placed Mumbai Indians who, even if already out of reckoning, will have their tails up in Navi Mumbai on Monday.
Mumbai Indians have so far looked like anything but IPL's five-time champions, losing both their opening games - against Delhi Capitals by four wickets, followed by a 23-run defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals.
Full list of players released, retained and traded by all ten teams in the IPL.
It will take a special effort from the struggling Sri Lankan side to pull one back against the rampaging visitors.
SunRisers Hyderabad has the biggest purse while Kolkata Knight Riders has the slimmest purse.
A look at the top performers in the IPL this year, who set the T20 tournament alight with outstanding performances this season.
The home team's bowlers will be wary of Chris Gayle's power-hitting.
IMAGES from the IPL 2022 game between Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday.
Images from Friday's IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, in Abu Dhabi.
Team India will have to choose between experimenting and continuing the winning combination
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings, in Dubai, on Friday.
IMAGES from the T20 World Cup warm-up match played between India and Australia in Dubai on Wednesday.
Dasun Shanaka is their 10th captain in nearly five years, and barring a classy batsman like Dhananjaya de Silva and a steady pacer in Dishmantha Chameera, this team lacks quality to challenge the might of the Indian team led by Shikhar Dhawan.
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.
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.
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.
Focus will now be on how Rabada would fare against the likes of Chris Gayle, Lokesh Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and David Miller.
List of players released by IPL teams ahead of next month's auction for 2020 season:
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders, in Sharjah, on Wednesday.
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'.
Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Varun Chakravarthy is still not fit for intense training after his recovery from COVID-19 as he is still experiencing 'weakness and dizziness'.
A look at how the teams stack up ahead of the mega auction.
A total of 62 players were sold at the auction for the 13th edition with the eight franchises spending a total of 1.403 billion rupees ($19.73 million). Australia's Pat Cummins became the most expensive overseas buy ever in the Indian Premier League when the Kolkata Knight Riders paid a staggering Rs 15.50 crore ($2.18 million) for the fast bowler in Thursday's auction in Kolkata on Thursday.
Architect-turned-cricketer Varun Chakravarthy, with a base price of Rs 20 lakh, went to Kings XI Punjab for a massive Rs. 8.4 crore, while Rajasthan Royals retained Jaydev Unadkat for the same amount.
India Test regulars like Cheteswar Pujara and Ishant Sharma have also thrown their hat into the ring with base prices of Rs 50 and Rs 75 lakh respectively.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances