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 India pacer Pooja Vastrakar, who was grappling with an unspecified injury, was ruled out of the competition and has been replaced by slow left-arm orthodox bowler Parunika Sisodia, who was one of the main performers in India's title-winning campaign in the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup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.
Their pre-tournament decision to fill the squad with five spinners drew a lot of flak from all corners, but it is now proving to be a masterstroke on the slow pitches in Dubai.
A round-up of Tuesday's Champions League quarter-finals second leg between Barcelona and Dortmund, Aston Villa and Paris St Germain.
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Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal slipped to a shock 1-0 loss in the first leg of their Asian Champions League Elite last 16 clash with Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor in Tashkent on Tuesday after Brazilian Flamarion scored the only goal.
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Jharkhand, however, could not make the knockouts from the group as Gujarat topped it with Haryana being the second team to progress. Jharkhand finished third.
As Group B toppers, South Africa had to take the flight back to Pakistan to play their semi-final as the last-four clash involving India was to be staged in Dubai.
Steyn feels playing four-day first-class cricket could teach the Afghanistan players how to build their innings, which will also help them improve their game in the 50-over format.
Manchester City came from behind to beat Club Brugge 3-1 and secure their place in the Champions League playoffs
With the top two teams in each pool advancing to the semi-finals, the victor of Tuesday's clash in Rawalpindi will have one foot in the knockout rounds.
Sangakkara, who got to his hundred off a single, hit the winning runs with a six over long-on.
Ivan Toney came off the bench to score twice and earn Al-Ahli a 2-1 win over Al-Ain on Monday that moves the Saudi side into the knockout rounds of the Asian Champions League Elite and leaves the defending champions in danger of missing out on the last 16.
IMAGES from the WPL match played between Mumbai Indians and UP Warriorz on Thursday.
Denmark levelled seven minutes later, with Christensen making up for the deflection by blasting a powerful header past distraught French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
K L Rahul was on Monday named in the Karnataka squad to face table-toppers Haryana in their final league match of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's fairytale resurgent run will be up against the might of five-time champions Chennai Super Kings and the weather gods when the two sides clash in an epic do-or-die match to decide the fourth and final team for the IPL play-offs, in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Pacers Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal and Sumit Mohanta shared seven wickets to power Bengal to an innings and 13-run win over Punjab in their Elite Group C match of the Ranji Trophy.
Sanju Samson will miss Kerala's Ranji Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh, beginning on January 23, as he has been included in India's squad for the five-match T20I series against England. Samson may also miss the final Group C match against Bihar if he is not released from India's squad.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup F Group F match played between Morocco and Canada on Thursday.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead believes that Kane Williamson's ability to counter India's spin attack will be crucial in the Champions Trophy final.
New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson said his side have every chance of derailing India in a major final once again.
Shardul Thakur tore through Meghalaya's top order with deadly precision.
'Bellingham had a bruise from a knock and will not be available. Vinicius Jr. has been given an extra day to recover, but will be available for tomorrow.'
Allowing India to play all their matches in Dubai robbed Pakistan of the honour of hosting the final and disrupted the schedule of the knockout matches.
Real Madrid will play local rivals Atletico Madrid while Bayern Munich were drawn against Bundesliga title challengers Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.
So, will the members discuss the possibility of placing India and Pakistan in different groups in the league stage of the tournament to avoid Men in Blue's travel to the neighbouring country?
Karnataka ended the Ranji Trophy season with a draw against Haryana in their Elite Group C match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
India vice-captain Shubman Gill has dismissed speculation about the ODI future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, stating that there are no retirement discussions within the team.
Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal as well as Al-Ahli and Al-Nassr confirmed their berths in the knockout rounds in West Asia late last year, and the big-spending trio have since been joined by Qatar's Al-Sadd and Al Wasl of the UAE.
The United States' bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end
South Africa crushed England by seven wickets in their final group match to storm into the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy.
The real intention of the 'Tariff Man' (as Trump calls himself) may not even be to put the 'Tariff King' (as he describes India) on the mat with a knockout punch but to arm-twist the Indian leadership to agree to some multi-billion dollar mega arms deal, argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
India won their seventh ICC trophy, while registering their third Champions Trophy triumph.
'Pakistan can beat any team on any given day'
Disha Patani could be easily crowned the most glam celeb at The Elle List 2023.
The tournament was decorated with several impactful players and 12 of them have made it to the ICC Champions Trophy Team of the Tournament.
New Zealand and South Africa, both laden with world-class talent but often falling short in ICC tournaments, will face off in a tightly contested Champions Trophy semifinal.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes South Africa has a slight edge over New Zealand in their Champions Trophy semifinal clash.
'In such games, the team that handles pressure well and doesn't overthink the fact that they're playing a final ends up winning.'
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