Sri Lanka's Bhanuka Rajapaksa smashed 50 to set up a seven-run win for Punjab Kings in their rain-hit opening Indian Premier League match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday.

Mustafizur Rahman has "safely landed" in India on Saturday after the Bangladesh "cutter master" rented a private jet to be with his Indian Premier League (IPL) side Delhi Capitals a day after being with the national side.

Fizz is not under a central red-ball contract, so he was allowed to leave ahead of the upcoming Test against Ireland, starting from April 4 in Mirpur

Punjab spent big on the England all-rounder Curran in the IPL auction as the 24-year-old became the most expensive player in the tournament's history at $2.23 million

The 16th edition also returns to its pre-Covid glory days, with 74 matches scheduled at 12 venues over eight weeks

Stokes was signed by the Chennai Super Kings for an impressive fee of $1.96 million in December

"Namaste, India. I've got some exciting news for you: I'm joining IPL 2023," Smith, 33, said in the video posted on his social media pages on Monday.

England's Jonny Bairstow has been ruled out of the upcoming Indian Premier League season, his team Punjab Kings said, after he failed to recover in time from a freak golfing injury.

Although Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha admitted the importance of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Sri Lankan advocates prioritising playing for the country ahead of the T20 franchise league. 

BCB cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus confirmed the news to the media as the two cricketers are willing to take a leave from the only Test against Ireland scheduled on April 4 in Mirpur.

Indian star Pant, a left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman, suffered multiple injuries when his Mercedes SUV crashed north of New Delhi in December

The IPL kicks off on March 31 and the final is scheduled for May 28, while the WTC decider begins at The Oval on June 7.

England Test captain Stokes skipped last year's IPL but was sold to Chennai Super Kings for a staggering $1.96 million in December's auction

Former England captain Andrew Strauss forecast Wednesday the Indian Premier League would eclipse American football's NFL to become "the biggest domestic sporting event in the world" as he praised it for sparking one of cricket's "great steps forward".

Indian opener Murali Vijay on Monday announced his retirement from international cricket.

India's Rishabh Pant will miss the cash-rich Indian Premier League because of his injuries in a road accident last month, former national cricket board chief Sourav Ganguly has confirmed.

Bangladesh opener Liton Das was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for his base price of 50 lakh rupees during the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in Kochi on Friday ahead of the 2023 season.

All three Bangladeshi cricketers -- Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, and Taskin Ahmed -- remained unsold while England all-rounder Sam Curran became the Indian Premier League's (IPL) most expensive ever buy in the players' auction in Kochi on Friday ahead of the 2023 season.

Some of the world's top cricketers will be among 405 players to go under the hammer at an auction on Friday for next year's money-spinning Indian Premier League.

T20 World Cup winning captain Jos Buttler and several of his England team mates have been retained by their Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises but Australia counterpart Aaron Finch and New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson were released.