UP Warriorz have named seasoned all-rounder Deepti Sharma as their captain for WPL 2025 after regular skipper Alyssa Healy was ruled out of the League because of a foot injury.
She has never been dismissed for below 25 by India in women's ODIs.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was at a loss for words after her team stormed into the Women's ODI World Cup final but she did make a point to say that the players have already set their sights on the summit clash and are determined to "give their best" against first-timers South Africa.
Jemimah Rodrigues played the innings of her life, slamming a century for the ages as India pulled off a record chase to storm into the Women's World Cup final after a five-wicket victory over defending champions Australia in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.
The seasoned duo of Meg Lanning and Sophie Devine were also among the marquee picks. Giants bought Devine for Rs 2 crore, while UP Warriorz landed Lanning for Rs 1.90 crore.
Alyssa Healy arrived at the ground on crutches ahead of the team's final Group A clash against India on Sunday.
Players including Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, and Alyssa Healy highlighted the controversy in a playful, teasing manner.
India will search for a spark of magic reminiscent of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur's legendary knock eight years ago as they take on the mighty Australia in the World Cup semi-final on Thursday.
Harmanpreet, Mandhana, Rodrigues among players retained for WPL 2026: Report
India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur rued a stunning lower-order collapse as world champions Australia chased down a record 331 to seal a three-wicket win in the Women's World Cup, Visakhapatnam, on Sunday.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain on Friday said Harmanpreet Kaur boasts of a fantastic World Cup record and it's time the Indian women's team skipper delivered like her Australian counterpart Alyssa Healy.
Kranti Gaud, from Ghuwara in Chhatarpur, Bundelkhand, played a crucial role in leading the Indian women's cricket team to the World Cup final with her bowling performance.
WPL 2026 auction to be held on November 27 in New Delhi
Australia expecting tough contest, under no illusions given India's depth of batting: Nitschke
Backed by the pace of Annabel Sutherland and spin of Sophie Molineux, who has shaped up well for the slow sub-continent wickets, Australia will take the match against Pakistan to further streamline their strategy before taking on tougher teams like England, India and South Africa in the competition.
Perry hailed India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues for batting India into the World Cup final, saying their composure under pressure earned applause even from their dressing room.
GS Lakshmi of the ICC International Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction as Australia were ruled to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.
Australia will also play a three-match ODI series against India ahead of the 50-over showpiece event.
Batting stalwart Alyssa Healy has acknowledged that Australia will have to negotiate the spin challenge in a big way to stake claim to the World Cup for a record-extending eighth time in the Indian subcontinent.
The franchise chose to retain only former Under-19 World Cup winner Shweta Sehrawat as part of a fresh approach for the upcoming season.
India opener Smriti Mandhana has extended her lead at the top of the ICC ODI ranking for women batters following her fine run at the ongoing Women's Cricket World Cup.
Jemimah Rodrigues struck a sensational century as hosts India reached the ICC Women's World Cup Final with a magical run-chase against Australia
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates on Wednesday visited the Mahakaleshwar temple to offer prayers ahead of their Women's World Cup fixture against England at Indore's Holkar Stadium on Sunday.
India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur knows that fans have placed heaps of expectations on her side ahead of the upcoming ICC Women's ODI World Cup at home, and she wants to enjoy the moment without succumbing to the pressure to land a maiden title.
Australia A bowlers, led by pace-bowling stalwart Kim Garth, wreaked havoc as India A suffered a demoralising 114-run defeat in the second unofficial T20I in Mackay as the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The four dropped catches let Australia, who would be India's toughest opponents apart from England in the women's World Cup scheduled later this month, off the hook and they managed to finish the task of chasing 281 runs in double-quick time.
Stand-in-skipper Tahlia McGrath lauded "world-class" Annabel Sutherland and Ashleigh Gardner for bailing Australia out of early wobble and guiding them to a six-wicket win over England in the Women's World Cup match, in Indore, on Wednesday.
Jemimah Rodrigues produced a sensational knock that included 14 fours as India pulled off the biggest successful chase in women's ODI history with nine balls to spare.
Fine half-centuries by Yastika Bhatia, Radha Yadav and Tanuja Kanwar propelled India A to a thrilling series-clinching two-wicket victory over Australia A, after Alyssa Healy's brilliant knock set the bar high for the visitors, in the second women's one-dayer, in Brisbane, on Friday.
Smriti Mandhana's second-fastest hundred in women's ODIs went in vain as India's quest for a world-record chase in the series-deciding third game against Australia ended in a 43-run defeat, in New Delhi on Saturday.
14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi set a new world record, taking his tally to 39 sixes in only 10 innings in Youth ODIs.
Seasoned all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner's commanding century and disciplined effort from the bowlers helped defending champions Australia thrash trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand by 89 runs in their ICC Women's World Cup opening match in Indore on Wednesday.
Seamer Deepesh Devendran impressed with a five-wicket haul to help India Under-19 bowl out Australia U-19 for 243, on Day 1 of the first Youth Test.
Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma guided India to a historic 52-run victory over South Africa which saw the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 hosts lift the trophy for the first time.
Suryavanshi, Mhatre give India U19 unassailable 2-0 lead over Australia in Youth ODI series
After being outplayed in the opener, Harmanpreet Kaur and her team roared back with a stunning 102-run victory, which was Australia's heaviest defeat in terms of runs. It was also India's first win over them in 12 matches.
Star batter Beth Mooney struck a magnificent hundred and led a remarkable Australian fightback along with tailender Alana King to set up a crushing 107-run win over Pakistan in their ICC World Cup match, in Colombo, on Wednesday.
'I think we have got a very settled batting lineup. Would not like to shuffle it around too much but when the need arises, you know we are flexible about it.'
The Indian women's cricket team will look to end a 47-year wait for its maiden ICC title when it takes the field at the ODI World Cup starting with a clash against Sri Lanka.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led India will be playing an ODI World Cup final for the third time, having finished runners-up in 2005 and 2017 to Australia and England, respectively. This will be South Africa's maiden appearance in the final.
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