Suzhal: The Vortex 2 is a compelling watch with a tightly woven narrative, elevated by powerful performances, notes Divya Nair.
National record holder in women's javelin throw, Annu Rani would consider herself to be lucky to make it to the squad as she has been struggling for some time to reach the 60m mark.
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 India pacer Pooja Vastrakar, who was grappling with an unspecified injury, was ruled out of the competition and has been replaced by slow left-arm orthodox bowler Parunika Sisodia, who was one of the main performers in India's title-winning campaign in the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup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.
However, according to the latest developments, the WFI have now returned to Brij Bhushan's house after their failure to get a new premise because of the ban imposed by the Sports Ministry.
She had got 849th rank in the 2014 civil services exam and was allotted the Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise).
Gujarat Giants, on the other hand, have been heavily reliant on Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner, who has been their standout performer.
The many episodes in which the characters quarrel, sulk and rehearse would have been boring were it not for the music, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be determined to give their home fans a parting victory when they take on a fatigued Delhi Capitals in Bengaluru on Saturday, before the Women's Premier League moves to Lucknow for its third leg.
Nandini Reddy is ready with her directorial debut.
Powered by the all-round brilliance of Nat Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews, Mumbai Indians head into the Women's Premier League final as favorites to claim their second title, while Delhi Capitals hope to break their title jinx in what promises to be a thrilling showdown in Mumbai on Saturday.
'WFI must reverse all amendments made during its suspension and ensure checks and balances in decision-making within four weeks.'
'It all feels surreal, but seeing the happiness in my parents' eyes fills me with gratitude.'
The Sports Ministry on Tuesday lifted its suspension on the Wrestling Federation of India, paving the way for the organisation of domestic tournaments.
Celeb-inspired ways to make you Independence Day celebrations a memorable one.
Dev Kumar Meena bettered the previous National record of 5.31m set by Subramani Siva while winning the gold in the 2022 Games in Gujarat.
Like most rom-com shows, this one lives up to the feel-good factor to a large extent despite getting a bit boring here and there, observes Namrata Thakker.
A pro at bargaining, a skill she takes great delight in, 20-year-old Femina Miss India World 2023, loves to street shop.
Rising sprinter Animesh Kujur and star hurdler Jyothi Yarraji picked up their third and second gold medals respectively at the National Games.
What makes temple jewellery so special?
Amid the ongoing controversy over Tirupati laddu, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on Monday said her department will consider additional measures to monitor ghee quality in the market only after receiving the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) report.
All-rounder Dottin, who is currently in India with the West Indies team for the white-ball series, was the costliest among overseas players and was bought by the Giants for the second time in the auction.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday urged the junior doctors protesting the rape and murder of their colleague at R G Kar Hospital to end their fast-unto-death stir, stating that most of their demands have been addressed while rejecting their insistence on removing the state health secretary.
'Younger people are taking steps to prevent lifestyle diseases.'
'It is fascinating to partner with consumers on the journey of self-discovery and to help shape people's preferences -- that is what I find most exciting,' Nandini Piramal tells Abhineet Kumar and Aneesh Phadnis.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur backed the Indian women's team to regain confidence in home conditions during the three-match T20I series against the West Indies.
Without naming anyone, in a now deleted tweet, Swapna, gold medallist at the 2018 Asian Games who finished in 4th place in the heptathlon event on Sunday, alleged Nandini is transgender.
GaneshUtsav has begun and social media is flooded with pictures of celebrities welcoming Lord Ganesha home.
India's Swapna Barman on Thursday tendered an "unconditional apology" for her sensational allegations that she lost out on a bronze medal in the women's heptathlon competition of the ongoing Asian Games to a "transgender" athlete.
The chief minister said after consultation, the government will take its decision with respect to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, the official custodian of world-renowned Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati.
Agitating junior doctors, whose nine representatives are on a fast-unto-death demonstration, termed talks with senior officials of the West Bengal government as 'the most disappointing meeting so far'.
Who is Femina Miss India Nandini Gupta?
To keep the flames under check, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the supply of Nandini ghee to make Tirupati laddus was suspended one-and-half years ago, during the BJP government's tenure.
The ensemble cast of Mani Ratnam's Ponniyan Selvan 2 got together to promote their film ahead of its April 28 release.
Brij Bhushan's comments came soon after his meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda following Sports Ministry's suspension of the WFI till further orders.
Amul's move is being seen by many, especially opposition parties, as a threat to KMF's famed dairy brand 'Nandini'.
When they are not on the ramp, what do India's gorgeous models do?
The Tirupati Laddu row intensified on Friday with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which is managing the super-rich temple, backing Chief Minister N Chandra Babu Naidu's claim that the famous 'prasadam' had animal fat and Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy dubbing the accusations as 'atrocious'.
The controversy has sparked reactions across states. The famous Mankameshwar temple in Uttar Pradesh has now banned offerings of 'prasad' bought by devotees from outside and said they can offer homemade 'prasad' or fruits.
An FIR was lodged against DU Professor Nandini Sundar for the murder of Shamnath Baghel, based on the complaint of his wife on Saturday.
The complainant had claimed that Sundar and others had visited Nama village and asked Shamnath to support the naxal cause
