Sports

Here’s a polished, newspaper-ready English version of your news article: The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 is set to begin on 9th January, with the title clash scheduled for 5th February. The 22-match tournament will feature five teams competing across two venues. Opening Match:The league will open with a high-voltage clash between defending champions Mumbai Indians and 2023 winners Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The match will take place at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, a venue where India had previously lifted the Women’s World Cup. The first 11 matches of the tournament will be played at this stadium. The remaining 11 matches, including eliminator and final, will be hosted at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara. Double-Headers:WPL 2026 will feature two double-header matc...

The Indian cricket team is all set to take on South Africa in a two-match ODI series, following their recent Test series. The first encounter will be played on 30th November at JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi. South Africa had dominated the two-match Test series, winning it 2-0. Now, both teams are gearing up for the ODI leg of the tour. KL Rahul will lead India in the absence of captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, both of whom are sidelined due to injuries. South Africa will be captained by Temba Bavuma on the field. Both teams enter this series looking to recover from recent defeats. India lost to Australia, while South Africa was beaten by Pakistan in the last season. Match Details: Venue: JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi Date: 30th November 2025 ...

New Delhi: The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction concluded with 67 players being bought by five franchises, including 23 international stars. A total of 277 players—194 Indians and 83 foreigners—were part of the bidding. While many top players secured contracts, several international stars surprisingly went unsold. Here’s a look at five such players whose performances speak volumes in international cricket: 1. Tazmin Brits (South Africa) Opening batter for South Africa, Tazmin Brits has scored 1,719 runs in Women’s T20 Internationals at an average above 32, including 14 fifties in 65 innings. Despite her impressive record, no franchise picked her in the WPL 2026 auction. 2. Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka) Sri Lanka’s captain and one of the finest all-rounders in women’s...

New Delhi: The India vs South Africa ODI series kicks off on 30 November, and fans are eagerly anticipating thrilling contests between the two cricketing giants. Ahead of the series, here’s a look at the top five run-scorers in ODIs between India and South Africa. 1. Sachin Tendulkar – 2001 Runs The Little Master leads the charts for India. Over 57 matches, Sachin amassed 2001 runs against South Africa, averaging 35.73, including 5 centuries and 8 fifties. Notably, his tally includes a double-century. 2. Jacques Kallis – 1535 Runs South Africa’s legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis is the highest run-scorer for his side against India. In 34 matches, Kallis scored 1535 runs, including 2 centuries, before playing his final India encounter in 2013. 3. Virat Kohli – 1504 Runs ...

New Delhi: The 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) is shaping up to be eventful even before the auction. Amid controversies surrounding Sanju Samson’s trade during the window leading up to the players’ auction, reports have now emerged that another IPL franchise is set to be sold. Businessman Harsh Goyanka, elder brother of Sanjiv Goyanka, owner of the Lucknow Super Giants, claimed that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) is looking for new owners ahead of the next IPL season. Harsh Goyanka Sparks Frenzy on Social Media On Thursday evening, Harsh Goyanka tweeted: “I’ve heard that not one but two IPL teams, RCB and RR, are up for sale. Clearly, people want to cash in on high valuations. Now, two teams and 4–5 potential buyers. Who will succeed? Will they come from Pune, A...

Kolkata: Ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, star opener Prithvi Shaw delivered a sensational performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, captaining Maharashtra to a comfortable win over Hyderabad. Shaw smashed a 23-ball fifty, scoring 66 runs and setting the tone for his team’s dominant chase. Captain’s Explosive Knock Shaw, who is playing for Maharashtra after remaining unsold in the previous IPL auction, led from the front in his first match as captain. Opening the innings, he struck nine boundaries and three sixes, completing a 50 off just 23 balls. His aggressive start, combined with a 117-run opening partnership with Arshin Kulkarni, made the chase look effortless. Shaw eventually fell to Rakshet Reddy after a quickfire 66, but his innings had already set Maharashtra on course fo...

Brisbane: Cricket Australia has announced the squad for the second Ashes Test against England, scheduled at The Gabba, Brisbane. Captain Pat Cummins will miss the match, continuing his recovery from a lower-back stress fracture. Cummins, who led Australia to a comfortable victory in the first Test at Perth, has been given rest by the team management to avoid any risk of aggravating his injury. Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is also sidelined due to a hamstring injury. Squad Remains Largely Unchanged Australia has made no changes to the squad for the second Test. Usman Khawaja remains included despite not being fully fit during the Perth Test. Steve Smith will lead the team in Cummins’ absence, having previously captained Australia in Ashes matches. While Cummins will travel with the t...

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian Women’s Blind Cricket Team on their historic victory at the Women’s Blind T20 World Cup 2025, defeating Nepal by 7 wickets in the final. To honor the team, PM Modi hosted a dinner at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the evening of 27 November. During the event, a lighter moment went viral when PM Modi asked the team’s captain, Deepika TC, about her singing habits. Surprised by the question, Deepika sang a Shiv Stuti for the Prime Minister. With a humorous remark, PM Modi said: “You know, I am the MP from Kashi, so you reminded me of Shambhu.” The remark had everyone in splits, and a video of the moment quickly spread across social media. Captain Shares Her Experience Deepika shared her excitement with ANI, saying, “...

Indian women’s cricket team vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and film producer Palash Muchhal were scheduled to tie the knot on 23 November in Sangli, Maharashtra. Fans had been eagerly awaiting the ceremony, but both families abruptly announced that the wedding had been postponed, citing health reasons. Soon after the announcement, sharp-eyed fans noticed that Smriti had removed all her Instagram posts related to the wedding — including her engagement and proposal photographs. The sudden silence and the deleted posts triggered a storm of speculation across social media. Rumours Spread on Social Media Amid the frenzy, an anonymous Reddit post claimed that two choreographers — Nandika Dwivedi and Gulnaaz — were somehow involved in the postponement.Both had been hired to choreograph the...

Cricket has witnessed many legendary fast bowlers, but when it comes to sheer pace, Shoaib Akhtar still reigns supreme. The Pakistani pacer bowled a record 161.3 km/h against England in the 2003 ICC World Cup, a milestone that has remained unbeaten for 22 years. The list of the top five fastest deliveries in cricket history is dominated by Australia, with four of the five bowlers hailing from the country. Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan) – 161.3 km/h in 2003 against England. Shaun Tait (Australia) – 161.1 km/h in 2010 against England. Brett Lee (Australia) – 161.1 km/h in 2005 against New Zealand. Jeff Thomson (Australia) – 160.6 km/h in 1975 against West Indies. Mitchell Starc (Australia) – 160.4 km/h in 2015 against New Zealand. These bowlers are celebrated not only for th...