The inaugural edition's winner Mumbai Indians will bank on their core group of players while two-time finalists Delhi Capitals will expect fireworks from Shafali Verma when they face-off in the second game of the Women's Premier League here on Saturday. The finalists of the first WPL in 2023, both Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals made it to the knockouts in the second edition last year but lost to the eventual champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the eliminator and the final respectively. Those defeats were certainly not reflective of how well MI and DC had fared until the knockouts stage, with Harmanpreet Kaur's side finishing second in the points table with five wins in eight matches and Meg Lanning's team topping it with six wins in as many outings. The winners of WPL 2023, Mumbai Indians tend to lean on their core group of players both overseas and Indian and a similar approach can be expected this year, with only a few changes taking place in terms of squad composition. India pacer Pooja Vastrakar, who was grappling with an unspecified injury, was ruled out of the competition and has been replaced by slow left-arm orthodox bowler Parunika Sisodia, who was one of the main performers in India's title-winning campaign in the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup recently. Mumbai Indians have let go of England's Issy Wong, who took the first-ever WPL hat-trick in 2023, after the player lost form and the franchise found the leader of their attack in South Africa's Shabnim Ismail. Among domestic talents, another member of the U-19 T20 World Cup winning squad G Kamalini would be one to watch out for, having finished as the third highest scorer in the competition with 143 runs in seven matches. Apart from a strong leader in Harmanpreet, MI have strong figures from other international sides such as Nat Sciver-Brunt (England), Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Amelia Kerr (New Zealand), as well as South Africans Nadine de Klerk, Shabnim Ismail and Chloe Tryon. While Yastika Bhatia is MI's No 1 wicketkeeper-batter, other Indian players in Saika Ishaque, Sajana Sajeevan, uncapped Akshita Maheshwari and Amanjot Kaur will be expected to play their roles to perfection. On their part, Delhi Capitals will be keen to do one better after finishing as runner-up for two times in a row ever since the competition began. One of the most consistent teams in the competition, the Lanning-led Delhi have strong talent base across departments but the key will be to deliver in crucial matches. All eyes will be on the explosive Indian batter Shafali who has responded to her exclusion from the Indian side with runs in domestic cricket. She forms a lethal opening pair with Lanning at the top, while the likes of Australia's Annabel Sutherland, England's Alice Capsey and India's Jemimah Rodrigues form the core of their middle order. All-rounder Sutherland will hope to draw inspiration from her recent success of having struck 163 in the only Test of the women's Ashes followed by winning the highest individual honour in Australian cricket. While Delhi boasts of three wicketkeeper-batters in India's Taniyaa Bhatia, Nandini Kashyap and Scotland's Sarah Bryce, their bowling looks settled with Marizanne Kapp as the leader of the attack, backed by Australia's Jess Jonassen, India's Radha Yadav and Shikha Pandey as well as Titas Sadhu.
Indian cricket has produced a generational superstar in Yashasvi Jaiswal and will remain in good health even when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma decide to call time on their careers, said former Australia World Cup winner Darren Lehmann.
Indira Gandhi was murdered by her bodyguards on the morning of October 31, 1984. Her death sparked off horrific anti-Sikh riots, killing over 3,000 innocent Indians.
The push for a two-tier system gained traction following Australia's blockbuster series against India, which set attendance records.
Nasser Hussain believes England should replace Moeen Ali with either speedster Mark Wood or Chris Woakes.
Australia trail 1-0 in the five-Test series against India after being thrashed in the Perth opener by 295 runs.
Stokes ruled out discarding that 'Bazball' approach in the Ashes opener at Edgbaston from Friday.
Chhaava deserves 2 stars for the historically half-baked film that it is, but 4 stars just for its attempt on making a film on Sambhaji, observes Prasanna D Zore.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the fourth Ashes Test between England and Australia at Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday.
Rain washed out the final day of the fourth Ashes Test, forcing a draw which ensured England, trailing 2-1 with one match to go, cannot win the series and leaving Australia, as holders, guaranteed to return home with the Urn.
In the absence of the injured Ollie Pope, big-hitting Harry Brook has been promoted to No 3 in what is a must-win Test for the hosts.
England batted with positive intent to take control of the final Ashes Test at The Oval on Saturday, moving on to 389-9 at the close on the third day with a 377-run lead over Australia.
The Maha Kumbh, billed as the world's largest gathering, concluded on Wednesday after 45 days, with lakhs of devotees taking a dip in the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers. Despite a stampede that killed at least 30 people, millions continued to visit the Kumbh, seeking salvation through the ritual bath. The event saw a mix of faith, tradition, and technology, drawing pilgrims and tourists from across the globe.
Smith will look to reprise his performance from the 2019 Ashes series in England, where he amassed 774 runs in his four Tests
Atul Subhash, who worked for a private firm in Bengaluru, left behind a 24-page death note, giving extensive details of what he alleged was years long of emotional distress of marital issues; multiple cases filed against him and harassment by his wife, her relatives, and a judge based in Uttar Pradesh, police said.
Amid opposition call for his resignation over the Beed sarpanch murder case, Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde on Wednesday said he is ready to quit if asked by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis or deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
James Anderson, who turns 41 on Sunday, is England's leading wicket taker in Tests with 690 dismissals.
Having made their Test debuts in the same year, Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin will face each other for the eighth time in the longest format during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India's mind games played a pivotal role in the dismissal of Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne.
The all-time attendance record at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was smashed on Monday when the total attendance for the fourth Test touched an unprecedented 350,700.
England have named an unchanged squad for the first two Tests of the five-match Ashes series against Australia.
Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood claimed the Men's Test Player-of-the-Year award. It marked his first Australian Cricket Award, with Hazlewood taking 30 wickets at just 13.16 in Tests against the West Indies, New Zealand, and India.
Tongue is the only change to the side that lost the first Ashes Test
Images from Day 4 of the first Ashes Test between England and Australia at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on Monday.
As the prestigious Ashes gets underway, here's a look at the milestones that can be achieved.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second ODI against England on Sunday?
Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood hopes to play in at least three Ashes Tests after declaring himself fit.
England captain Ben Stokes suffered a left hamstring injury during the third Test against New Zealand in Hamilton on Monday and will not field again for the remainder of the match, the team said.
The Times newspaper reported Yorkshire have hired a team of "sprinter stewards" to prevent protesters from breaching initial perimeter security.
Forty years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, 377 tons of hazardous waste has been shifted from the defunct Union Carbide factory for its disposal, an official said.
England, chasing 251 to win the must-win third Ashes Test, closed the rain-delayed day three on 27/0.
'Siraj is now getting flak from the same 'saints' of Australian cricket who once prided themselves on their on-field aggression.'
Seers from various 'akharas' took the first 'Amrit Snan' at the Maha Kumbh on Makar Sankranti on Tuesday as an unbroken stream of people converged at the Triveni Sangam on the occasion with around 3.5 crore devotees taking a dip.
'I was rooting for you to break my record.'
Heinrich Klaasen will captain South Africa in three Twenty20 matches against Pakistan next week.
Ahead of the Basant Panchami Amrit Snan at the Maha Kumbh, top officials are emphasizing the implementation of "zero error" directives to prevent a repeat of the deadly stampede that occurred during a previous snan. The Uttar Pradesh government has deployed senior IAS officers with experience in crowd management and inter-agency coordination to oversee the event.
England pacer Jofra Archer will continue to prepare for the Ashes while playing in the IPL, and once the lucrative T20 tournament is over, he will straightaway get into the gruelling five-Test series against Australia, according to his country club coach.
Stuart Broad picked up the final two wickets in his last appearance for England to guide the hosts to a series-levelling 49-run victory in the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia.
The fifth Test could be David Warner's final outing, says McGrath
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