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 India pacer Pooja Vastrakar, who was grappling with an unspecified injury, was ruled out of the competition and has been replaced by slow left-arm orthodox bowler Parunika Sisodia, who was one of the main performers in India's title-winning campaign in the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup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.
He will be back-up for Australia's regular wicketkeeper Alex Carey until Inglis returns to the squad for the rest of the five-Test series against England.
Jofra Archer rates himself "about 80 percent" fit ahead of his long-awaited England return, but the fast bowler is determined to get himself back in the kind of shape that saw him play a starring role in the 2019 Ashes and Cricket World Cup.
Captain Ben Stokes and Harry Brook helped England stretch their lead over Australia to 189 on day three of the crucial fourth Ashes test at Old Trafford, with the hosts moving on to 506-8 at lunch.
As the prestigious Ashes gets underway, here's a look at the milestones that can be achieved.
Alongside old war horses James Anderson and Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer, Matthew Potts, Saqib Mahmood, Ollie Robinson, Sam Curran and Olly Stone are also likely to fight for a place in the team for the Ashes, which will begin with the first Test at Edgbaston on June 16.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second ODI against England on Sunday?
With the Ashes set to get underway, Australian players reflected on the prestigious series and their aim for the upcoming tournament.
He felt Australia will get better as the series progresses.
A superb 75 from Harry Brook and some big hitting from tailender Mark Wood earned England a pulsating three-wicket victory in the third Ashes Test.
On Wednesday, Australia selector Tony Dodemaide refused to comment on Warner's Test future.
Five years after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of a much younger Jagan Mohan Reddy, Telugu Desam Party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday was on course to lead his party towards a landslide victory in the Andhra Pradesh assembly polls, with allies Bharatiya Janata Party and Janasena Party (JNP) in tow.
'It's been over a year now since I made some comments about the over-rates to the match referee and umpires, and to this day we're yet to hear any response back from the ICC.'
Legendary pacer Glenn McGrath has slammed England for playing casual cricket against Australia in the ongoing Ashes.
Warner has also taken aim at his Ashes nemesis England veteran pacer Stuart Broad, implying that he will not be the force that derailed the opening batter's 2019 trip this time.
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.
England batter Joe Root advocated for more flexibility in playing regulations and questioned for stopping the game early in the evening.
Edgbaston Cricket Ground will turn 'Blue for Bob' on Saturday, Day 3 of the opening match of the Ashes to commemorate England's legendary cricketer.
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.
AB de Villiers feels the criticism that has come South Africa's way is unwarranted and they have rather done well to reach the WTC final despite experiencing "so many changes" in the last three to five years.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the fourth Ashes Test between England and Australia at Old Trafford in Manchester on Thursday.
At the grassroots level, CA reported an increase in registered participation in community cricket from 627,793 to 661,161, although there was a 3% drop in the number of junior cricketers.
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.
Aryna Sabalenka will battle American 19th seed Madison Keys in the final on Saturday looking to become the first woman since Martina Hingis from 1997-99 to win the Australian Open title three times in a row.
In a setback for England, Moeen Ali was penalised for applying spray on his finger towards the end of day two.
Glimpses of the State funeral for Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Hazlewood termed England batsman Joe Root as a 'class player' and said that the 28-year-old does not have any weakness in his game.
Batting maestro Virat Kohli hogged the front pages with the Hindi headline Yugon Li Ladai (Fight For The Ages), while young batting sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal was hailed as Navam Raja (The New King) in Punjabi.
'I know we've got a big series but we can worry about that in a couple days' time. You only get a few of these moments in your career where you can sit back, acknowledge a pretty special achievement and that's one of these times.'
The Australian team spoke about the challenges of playing in India.
India's assistant coach also Ryan ten Doeschate also lauded Starc for his excellent display with the pink ball.
Smith said the IPL has helped him get used to play alongside rival international players and he is eager to play alongside Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been leading Sussex this season.
England's all-rounder Chris Woakes desperately wants to be a part of the English side in the fourth Ashes Test starting from July 19 in Manchester.
Former Australia wicketkeeper and captain Tim Paine doesn't regret sledging Ravichandran Ashwin during the third Test of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Hazlewood has been replaced in the squad by Riley Meredith
'It is about finding ways to score runs and contribute to the side in as many games as I can.'
Leach was ruled out of the five-match series on Sunday due to a stress fracture in his back
England's exhilarating run chase to battle back into the Ashes series was even too much for captain Ben Stokes!
Though Zanjeer is credited as Amitabh's breakthrough film, it didn't immediately enthrone him. Rajesh Khanna countered with a huge hit in Daag that year. But Deewar upended audience's cinematic taste and filmland hierarchies at the very start of 1975. Bachchan emerged as a one man industry, the angry young man who could regulate the thermostat of the entire film industry, recalls Dinesh Raheja.
Steve Smith scored an unbeaten 85 to guide Australia to 339/5 as England wasted favourable bowling conditions on the first day of the second Ashes Test.
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