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 India pacer Pooja Vastrakar, who was grappling with an unspecified injury, was ruled out of the competition and has been replaced by slow left-arm orthodox bowler Parunika Sisodia, who was one of the main performers in India's title-winning campaign in the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup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.
World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev expressed concern over the rising number of injuries among Indian cricketers, attributing it to the demanding schedule.
Former Liverpool captain and Scotland defender Ron Yeats has died at the age of 86
India to face West Indies, South Africa in Women's T20 World Cup warm-up matches
England will be keen to overcome a lack of ideal preparation due to rain and hit the ground running when they face Scotland in their T20 World Cup opener
Opener Mohammad Shahzad top-scored with a sparkling 39-ball 61 as Afghanistan defeated Scotland by 14 runs in their ICC World Twenty20 qualifying game in Nagpur on Tuesday. Opting to bat, Afghanistan made a formidable 170 for five in the stipulated 20 overs, and restricted their opponents to 156 for five. Shahzad's breezy knock included five boundaries and three sixes. Skipper Asghar Stanikzai remained unbeaten on a steady 55 off 50 balls. He found the fence two times and cleared it once, dropping anchor at one end even though he looked far from convincing after the dismissal of Shahzad at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. The highlight of Afghanistan innings was undoubtedly the knock played by Shahzad and his 82-run second-wicket partnership with Stanikzai. While opener Noor Ali Zardan (17) missed out after getting a start, Gulbadin Naib (12) fell to an outstanding catch by Josh Davey. Shafiqullah then blazed his way to 15 off just five balls as Afghanistan reached a total that looked steep for Scotland, still seeking their first win over their rivals.
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Scotland shocked World Cup finalists France 1-0 while England were held to a goalless draw by Macedonia.
They beat Canada by an innings and 84 runs with more than a day to spare in the final at Sharjah.
Germany midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic will miss Euro 2024 with an illness and coach Julian Nagelsmann has called up Emre Can as his replacement
He will make his debut for the Saltires in the game against Hampshire at Edinburgh's Grange club on 1 June.
ICC chairperson Jay Shah has been inducted into the newly formed World Cricket Connects Advisory Board, an independent group that will discuss the future of cricket at the Lord's on June 7 and 8.
Bangladesh also got off to a winning start, beating New Zealand by 3 wickets on the opening day of the Under-19 World Cup.
Scots on Friday rejected independence in a historic referendum and decided to remain in a 307-year-old union with the United Kingdom, in a relief to Prime Minister David Cameron.
Rahul Dravid is keen to spend a second season playing cricket in Scotland as he prepares to play his last two matches in 2003 for the Saltires.
With a line-up of thrilling matches and intense competition, the ICC Women's T20 World Cup is sure to captivate fans around the globe. Stay tuned for updates and highlights as the tournament unfolds. Ahead of the tournament, here's everything you need to know about the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
The Nagpur shuttler was no match for Yamaguchi in the opening game as the Japanese took a massive eight-point lead at 12-4 before closing out the game at 21-10.
AB de Villiers scored an unbeaten 79 as South Africa trounced Scotland by 130 runs in their opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 at the Oval on Sunday. Chasing a huge 212 to win after South Africa amassed 211 for five, Scotland were all out for 81, the seventh lowest in Twenty20 internationals and second worst in the Twenty20 World Cup following Kenya's 73 against New Zealand in Durban two years ago.
The Scottish capital of Glasgow is set to be announced as the host city of a "scaled down" Commonwealth Games in 2026, a year after Australian state Victoria pulled out due to ballooning costs, according to reports.
When the Oracle at Delphi famously told Croesus, King of Lydia, that if he waged war on the Persians he would destroy a great kingdom, he was delighted.
Johnson sidelined for Aus tour of UK
He first led the side in a T20 against West Indies at Bay Oval in November 2020 and became New Zealand's 24th ODI captain when he led the side in the only ODI against Scotland in Edinburgh in 2022.
England manager Roy Hodgson appeared to play down the old rivalry between Scotland and England when he said Tuesday's friendly was just another game, despite the intense atmosphere likely at Celtic Park.
Australia will aim to secure a Super Eight berth when they face lower-ranked Namibia
The European Championship 2024 begins on June 15. Find everything to know about Euro Cup 2024 here
Images from the T20 World Cup Group B match between Oman and England in Antigua on Friday.
Penpix of the Scotland squad for the 2015 cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Delving further deep into the chances of the Harmanpreer Kaur-led side, Sthalekar said India have the wherewithal to beat Australia, their nemesis in global events over the years
The teams were awarded a point each after rain prevented the match from getting underway.
Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem left for a trial at Scottish Premiership club Motherwell FC. His training sting is starting from Thursday.
'Archer brings excitement and an X-factor to the team'
The Commonwealth Games organisers suffered another setback on Tuesday, with Scotland delaying the departure of their athletes for Delhi, earlier scheduled for Thursday, following health and safety fears. The decision comes after some Commonwealth officials, including CGF chief Michael Fennell, expressed 'shock' over the unhygienic conditions at the Games Village and top athletes pulled out due to safety and health concerns.
Lawmaker Bashir Ahmed took oath at a swearing in ceremony in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Cristiano Ronaldo insists he is focused on being the perfect team member at Saudi side Al Nassr rather than collecting more individual accolades in the twilight of his career.
Bangladesh will take on Scotland in the tournament opener in an afternoon fixture followed by a clash between Asian teams Pakistan and Sri Lanka later in the day at Sharjah.
Cricket's global showpiece has confirmed the Scots are a way from being able to compete with the top Test playing nations.
Rani Rampal believes the Asian Champions Trophy title was an important feat for the Indian women's hockey team as it kick started its preparation for the Los Angeles Olympics
