Prolific Indian opener Abhishek Sharma has been hospitalised with an upset stomach ahead of the group match against Namibia at the T20 World Cup, a cricket board official said on Wednesday.

The explosive left-hander is key to India’s chances of defending their title at the 20-team tournament and is doubtful for the Group A fixture on Thursday in New Delhi.

The 25-year-old was admitted to a Delhi hospital on Tuesday after he missed training with a stomach issue he carried from the opener in Mumbai, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate acknowledged the concern on Tuesday, saying the batsman had “still got a few issues with his tummy”.

“We hope that he’ll be available for the game in a few days’ time.”

Abhishek was out for a duck in India’s win over the United States but has been a strong performer in the lead-up to the tournament.

India play arch-rivals Pakistan in a blockbuster on Sunday.

On Monday, the Pakistani government announced it was withdrawing its decision to boycott the match with India, which had been taken previously in the wake of Bangladesh’s replacement by Scotland in the tournament, following their refusal to tour India.

Pakistan’s decision to move forward with the much-anticipated game came after protracted negotiations between the ICC and the cricket boards of Pakistan and Bangladesh, consultations among national leaders, and interventions by friendly nations such as Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.

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The first-ever player auction for the 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is underway in Lahore, with fast bowler Naseem Shah sold to Rawalpindi for Rs86.5 million.

The eight franchises have started bidding on wicket-keepers.

Last month, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that the upcoming season of the country’s premier cricket league would adopt an auction model, replacing the previous draft system.

The bidding on wicket keepers began with Azam Khan — at the base price of Rs11m.

With the final bids of Rs31.5m by Sialkot Stallions and Rs32.5m by Karachi Kings, the latter managed to secure Khan.

Team Rawalpindi bags Naseem Shah; Haris Rauf with Lahore Qalandars

At the outset of the bidding for fast bowlers, Muhammad Ali was sold off to Hyderabad Houstan Kingsmen in a last-minute bid of Rs21.5m against Rawalpindi’s Rs20.5m.

Next up was Chris Jordan, who went unsold after receiving zero bids.

Lahore Qalandars regained fast-bowler Haris Rauf at Rs76m against the Rawalpindi team’s Rs74.5m bid.

Muhammad Hasnain, at the base price of received no bids.

Karachi Kings put in the first bid for Naseem Shah at Rs65m, followed by Islamabad United bidding Rs66.5m.

After a series of back-and-forth bids between the two, Rawalpindi came in at a bid of Rs86.5m, following which Karachi Kings bowed out.

David Warner goes to Karachi Kings

The second round began with Barbadian cricketer Kyle Mayers at the base price of Rs11m, who went unsold after no bids were made.

New Zealand’s Colin Munroe went unsold as well. Karachi Kings bagged Australian batsman David Warner at Rs79m after a round of back-and-forth bidding with Peshawar Zalmi.

South African batsman Rilee Rossouw was sold off to Quetta Gladiators for Rs55m.

Islamabad United bags all-rounder Faheem Ashraf

The auction began with bidding on all-rounders, starting with Faheem Ashraf at the base price of Rs42m, with Islamabad United putting in the final bid at Rs85m.

The second all-rounder to be auctioned was Imaad Wasim at Rs42m, followed by Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz at the base price of Rs11m; however, no bids were made by any of the teams.

All-rounders Hussain Talat, Asif Afridi, Danish Aziz, and Muhammad Zeeshan at the base price of Rs11m received no bids as well.

At the outset of the ceremony, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) PSL Salman Naseer addressed the audience.

“When the HBL PSL X ended, and the euphoria died down a little, and we looked ahead at the path in front of us, all commercial contracts had come to an end…monumental challenges lay ahead,” he said.

“PSL and PCB team have burnt out midnight oil day in and day out to get us where we are today,” Naseer said.

PCB, in a statement issued today, said that over 800 players have registered for the auction.

In January, the cricket board shared the base prices for players, with the top bracket set at Rs42 million (platinum), followed by Rs22m (diamond), Rs11m (gold), and Rs6m (silver and emerging).

The cricket board said the minimum incremental bid for each base price would follow as:

• Rs250,000 for bid amounts under Rs11m
• Rs500,000 for bid amounts under Rs22m
• Rs1m for bid amounts under Rs42m
• Rs1.5m for bid amounts above Rs42m

“The franchises are free to bid higher than the above-mentioned minimum incremental bid for each base price,” the PCB said.

Each squad will have a “minimum of 16 players and a maximum of 20 players per franchise”, while the number of foreign players would be five to seven, depending on the squad size.

PCB said that it would be mandatory for the franchises to include a minimum of three and a maximum of four foreign players in the playing XI.

Furthermore, it said that the teams would also be required to have a minimum of two uncapped Under-23 players in the squad and one in the playing XI.

The cricket board said, “Players either retained or picked in the HBL PSL 11 Players Auction will be engaged for two-year contracts with their respective franchise teams. After the HBL PSL 11, the franchise teams will be able to retain a maximum of seven players for the 12th edition of the tournament.”

“Following the HBL PSL 12, there shall be a grand auction whereby each franchise is allowed a maximum of five retentions. Any released player will return to the player auction pool,” it added.

PCB said that the franchises would also be entitled to directly sign one foreign player for the upcoming season, who has not played in the previous edition.

“The franchise team’s purse of Rs450m would be extendable to Rs505m to include the directly signed foreign players.”

“The PCB will also contribute towards the procurement of elite foreign players,” the statement said.

The tournament is scheduled to be held from March 26 to May 3. The forthcoming PSL will also feature two new franchises — Hyderabad and Sialkot — raising the total number of teams to 8.

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