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 India pacer Pooja Vastrakar, who was grappling with an unspecified injury, was ruled out of the competition and has been replaced by slow left-arm orthodox bowler Parunika Sisodia, who was one of the main performers in India's title-winning campaign in the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup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.
While India are on a high after a measured six-wicket win over a sprightly Bangladesh, Pakistan are evidently tense after the 60-run loss in the tournament-opener to New Zealand.
The airport had temporarily suspended operations on Saturday due to strong winds and heavy rainfall caused by cyclones.
Although India are playing a strong brand of 50-overs' cricket of late, they have some selection riddles to solve before they face Bangladesh in their opening match of the Champions Trophy.
The legendary Adam Gilchrist showered praise on Australia captain Pat Cummins for his outstanding performance in the Adelaide Test.
The start of India's two-day warm-up match against the Australian Prime Minister's XI on Saturday was delayed because of rain.
India are placed with Australia, Afghanistan and Bangladesh in Group 1 of the Super 8.
The ceremony, held at the famous St Peter's Basilica and attended by clergy and dignitaries from around the world, witnessed the induction of 21 new cardinals from various countries.
The barren run of skipper Rohit Sharma and the selection conundrum that Virat Kohli's possible return poses are the towering obstacles in India's quest for a series win against England in the second ODI in Cuttack on Sunday.
The series already in their pocket, India will look to address their batting woes against an England team gunning for revenge after feeling hard-done by a debatable concussion substitute when the two teams clash in the fifth and final T20 International in Mumbai on Sunday.
India is facing form concerns and selection dilemmas as they enter the final phase of their Champions Trophy preparations.
Virat Kohli's form in focus as India eye ODI clean-sweep over England
Since Suryakumar took over as captain last year, India have hardly put a wrong but his own form has dipped.
Germany expects 2.7 million people to attend matches in stadiums across the country and some 12 million in its fan zones for outdoor viewing, including on a long stretch of turf laid out in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.
Sanju Samson's technical weaknesses against express pace along with Rinku Singh's dip in form and fitness issues will be a concern for India
The ruling Democratic Party and the opposition Republicans have deployed hundreds of attorneys and thousands of volunteers to be part of the vote-counting process and be prepared to challenge and start the legal battle if necessary.
Captain Rohit Sharma was among the first ones to check out the pitch after play was called off on Day 1.
Following is India's schedule on Thursday, Day 1 of the Paris Paralympics: (All timings in IST):
Following is India's schedule on Friday, Day 2 of the Paris Paralympics: (All timings in IST):
England captain Jos Buttler is confident that the upcoming T20I series against India will not impact their preparation for the Champions Trophy.
India start as the big favourites in both the white ball series and it will take a Herculean effort from Sri Lanka to upset the odds.
At 6.23 am on 29.1.2025, the 50.9 metre tall and weighing 420.7 ton Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-F15 (GSLV-F15) is slated to blast off from the second launch pad carrying the 2,250 kg NVS-02 navigation satellite.
India's schedule on Day 7 of the Paris Olympics on Friday.
Check out India schedule on Sunday, Day 4 of competition at the Paris Paralympics 2024 where Nitesh Kumar and Sukant Kadam are one step away from Paralympic glory.
Youngsters Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy and Riyan Parag got the nod after their impressive performances in IPL 2024 earlier this year.
The second day's play of the second Test between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur on Saturday was called off without a ball being bowled because of rain and wet outfield.
India's schedule for Day 10 of competition at the Paralympics on Saturday.
Her acclaimed film All We Imagine As Light received two Golden Globe nominations in the Best Director (Motion Picture) and Best Motion Picture (Non English Language Film) categories. This marks the first time an Indian director has been nominated in the Director category.
The match has drawn extraordinary global interest but also criticism, with British promoter Eddie Hearn dismissing the bout as "dangerous, irresponsible and disrespectful to boxing."
India's schedule on Day 8 of the Paris Paralympics on Thursday.
India's women's cricket team will kick off their campaign against New Zealand on October 4 at the Dubai international stadium.
Varun Chakravarthy was the second highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024 with 21 wickets in 15 games as he played a major role in KKR's title triumph.
For the second day in a row, play was washed out without a ball being bowled because of a wet outfield on Day 3 of the second Test between India and Bangladesh.
Despite the challenging build-up, Gambhir said he is "extremely confident" of retaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The players will hope to be as confident as they prepare for the fight to keep their World Test Final chances alive.
Indian wrestlers have not missed a medal since the 2008 Beijing Games and the onus is now on Vinesh Phogat & Co to continue the trend.
Following is India's schedule on Tuesday, Day 11 of the Paris Olympics: (All timings in IST):
The new-look Indian team to be captained by Shubman Gill departed for their upcoming tour for Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
After months of uncertainty, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, travelling in the SpaceX Dragon capsule, successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday to bring back Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who had been stuck there since June 2024.
A positive outcome for Vinesh could overturn the disqualification and award her a joint silver medal.
The next three games wherein Gukesh will play with two whites and a solo black is perhaps the best opportunity for the Indian to go ahead in the match and put pressure.
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