Ahead of the mini-auction, scheduled to be held in Doha on December 26, the 10 franchises have released their list of retained and released players.
The series promises a fascinating duel between the two modern-day pace greats.
But the 28 year old wasn't done. After his stupendous effort with the bat, he had more entertainment to offer in the field.
Gujarat Titans on Thursday named Sri Lankan all-rounder Dasun Shanaka as a replacement for injured New Zealand cricketer Glenn Phillips for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Finn Allen has been ruled out of the tournament after suffering a foot injury while representing the San Francisco Unicorns in the Major League Cricket in the United States.
The New Zealand all-rounder, who has returned home, "sustained a groin injury during the IPL match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 6", according to a statement from the Titans.
San Francisco's Allen hits record 19 sixes in MLC season opener
Virat Kohli's innings was abruptly cut short at a mere 11 runs off 14 balls.
Pakistan were all out for 260 in 47.2 overs with Babar Azam (64) and Khushdil Shah (69) scoring half-centuries but the hosts never looked in the hunt.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy Group A match played between Pakistan and New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.
Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill, both in strong form after their Champions Trophy triumph with India, look to lead their respective teams, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans, to IPL glory in the 2025 season.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has picked India as the favourites in Sunday's Champions Trophy summit clash against New Zealand, but hastened to add that the advantage will be miniscule, given that the Black Caps are a formidable side.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, reeling from three consecutive defeats, will face a resurgent Gujarat Titans in their fifth IPL encounter on Sunday.
Star India opener Shubman Gill has been named the ICC Men's Player of the Month for February, following his impressive performances, including his contributions to India's Champions Trophy title win. Gill beat out competition from Steve Smith (Australia) and Glenn Phillips (New Zealand) for the award.
Pandya's inclusion obviously adds firepower to batting and he can also open the bowling if necessary.
The Impact Player rule in the Indian Premier League is working at the moment but it could pose issues for the development of all-rounders at some stage, reckons New Zealand and Gujarat Titans all-rounder Glenn Phillips.
India captain Rohit Sharma moved up two places to third in the latest ICC ODI batter rankings following his stellar performance in the Champions Trophy final, while teammate Shubman Gill held on to the top spot.
New Zealand batter Glenn Phillips played down any talks of India getting an advantage by playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai.
Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene on Friday said star pacer Jasprit Bumrah was still recuperating from a back injury and that the team was waiting for him to be cleared by the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
Gill hit a purple patch in the three-match series against England, scoring 87 (in Nagpur), 60 (in Cuttack), and 112 (in Ahmedabad) as he was adjudged the 'Player of the Series' in the hosts' 3-0 clean sweep.
New Zealand called up two local left-arm wrist spinners to bowl to left-handers Tom Latham and Michael Bracewell at their nets in Dubai on Saturday.
Thrown into the spotlight in just his second ODI, Varun Chakaravarthy made the opportunity count in spectacular fashion.
In the bowling rankings, Keshav Maharaj and Matt Henry have broken into the top five
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy final played between India and New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday.
New Zealand and South Africa, both laden with world-class talent but often falling short in ICC tournaments, will face off in a tightly contested Champions Trophy semifinal.
Virat Kohli is the seventh Indian player to achieve the feat after Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rahul Dravid, Mohammed Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh.
The tournament was decorated with several impactful players and 12 of them have made it to the ICC Champions Trophy Team of the Tournament.
ICC ODI Player of the Year Afghanistan's Azamatullah Omarzai would be able to join Punjab Kings only on March 20.
Phillips' remarkable reach and agility on the field can be attributed to genes and his stint as a gymnast in his younger days.
Gujarat Titans will aim to tighten their grip on the top spot and move closer to securing a play-off berth when they take on a faltering Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League match in Jaipur on Monday.
Successful in keeping opponents and vitriol at bay so far, India will have to rise above traditional bugbear New Zealand and a rigmarole of emotions surrounding stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to reclaim the Champions Trophy after 12 years in Dubai on Sunday.
Michael Bracewell, who was one of the main performers for New Zealand in the Champions Trophy, will lead the side in the absence of Mitchell Santner.
Gujarat Titans will look to bounce back from the carnage that wonder boy Vaibhav Suryavanshi inflicted on them when they face a stuttering Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL match in Ahmedabad on Friday.
New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips praised Virat Kohli's legacy in cricket, calling his 300th ODI a 'big feat' in the modern era.
The Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals will hope their struggling bowling units can find their form on an Ahmedabad pitch that has produced high scores in the last four matches.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy second Semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Wednesday
'We were 20 or 25 under to what we were looking for.'
India's spinners were the key architects of the bowling performance. Varun Chakravarthy (2/45) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) were the standout performers, while Jadeja (1/30) and Axar Patel (0/29 in 8 overs) kept the pressure on with their economical spells.
A seemingly invincible India will be eager to sharpen their game against spin and give a run to second-line players ahead of the semi-final when they take on New Zealand in their last group match of the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday.
On paper, the squad may not create too much optimism among fans but it still has a balanced look with a good mix of young players and experienced international names.
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