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 India pacer Pooja Vastrakar, who was grappling with an unspecified injury, was ruled out of the competition and has been replaced by slow left-arm orthodox bowler Parunika Sisodia, who was one of the main performers in India's title-winning campaign in the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup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.
Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde wondered whether Indira Gandhi was also anti-Constitution as she had praised Savarkar as a "remarkable son of India".
The Janata Dal (United) has demanded action against BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla for his comments targeting an AAP leader, which the regional party said has caused deep displeasure among people from Purvanchal. The JD(U) said Poonawalla's remarks, made during a TV debate, were offensive and demanded action from the BJP leadership. The incident comes ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, where the AAP is facing a tough challenge from the BJP.
Soorma Hockey Club clinch penalty shootout win over Delhi SG Pipers
India's U19 women's cricket team continued their impressive run at the ICC Women's U19 World Cup, securing an eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh in a Super Six encounter.
Rahul Gandhi made the statement on January 15, 2025, during the inauguration of the Congress Party's new headquarters at Kotla Road in Delhi.
The Meerut Conspiracy Case was aimed at curbing communist influence in India. However, it fueled nationwide sympathy, shaping the course of leftist politics in the country.
Mumbai police have informed a court that they need to conduct facial recognition of the Bangladeshi man arrested for allegedly stabbing Saif Ali Khan to ascertain if he is the person seen in CCTV footage. The accused, Shareeful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir, has been remanded in police custody till January 29. The police are also seeking to match Fakir's footprints and recover the missing part of the knife used in the crime. Fakir's lawyers have opposed the police's plea, raising doubts about the credibility of the incident and arguing that the remand of the accused is not required to recover the material.
The move drew criticism from the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad. Its president Mahant Ravindra Puri said that Mulayam Singh Yadav had always been "anti-Hindu and anti-Sanatan".
Gurjant Singh (10th minute) gave Soorma the lead early in the game while Jugraj Singh (56th) equalised for the Tigers towards the end.
Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi's competent performances barely elevate this romantic drama, which prefers patriotic thrills, observes Arjun Menon.
The Supreme Court of India granted bail to eight convicts in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case. The case involved the killing of 38 people by personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary. The court considered the fact that the convicts have been incarcerated for over six years following the Delhi High Court's reversal of their acquittal by the trial court.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and party's candidate from Kalkaji, Ramesh Bidhuri, has yet again courted controversy by allegedly saying that after victory in the Delhi assembly polls next month, he will develop smooth roads in the constituency like Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi's 'cheeks'.
The Supreme Court of India has ruled that it is mandatory to consider the twin conditions laid out in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) when deciding bail applications in money laundering cases. The court emphasized the seriousness of the crime and the need to comply with the rigorous requirements of Section 45 of the PMLA, which includes giving the prosecutor an opportunity to oppose bail and ensuring that the court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to believe the accused is not guilty and unlikely to commit another offense on bail. The ruling was made in response to an appeal filed by the Enforcement Directorate against a Patna High Court order granting bail to an accused in a money laundering case. The Supreme Court found that the High Court had granted bail without properly considering the requirements of Section 45 and remanded the case back for a fresh review.
Opener G Trisha produced a doughty fifty before the left-arm troika of Ayushi Shukla, Sonam Yadav and Parunika Sisodia spun a web around Bangladesh's batters as India scored a 41-run victory to emerge champions in the inaugural Women's T20 Under-19 Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
Amid heightened security measures, more than two crore devotees took a dip in the Sangam till 6 pm on Wednesday on the occasion of Maghi Purnima during the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.
Debutant legislator Rekha Gupta was sworn in as Delhi chief minister along with six ministers on Thursday in a grand show of strength full of colour and spectacle to mark the Bharatiya Janata Party's return to power in the city after more than 26 years.
February has some promising original content streaming on OTT.
Tamil Thalaivas registered their eighth win of the season with a convincing 42-32 win over Bengaluru Bulls in the Pro Kabbadi League in Pune on Sunday.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren expanded his cabinet on Thursday, inducting 11 new ministers, including six first-timers and two women. The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi. The new ministers include six from the JMM and four from the Congress. One minister is from the RJD. The expansion comes after the JMM-led alliance won the recent assembly elections with a comfortable majority. The cabinet expansion is expected to give the government a fresh impetus to push its agenda and accelerate development in the state.
Opposition parties in India have demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after a stampede at New Delhi railway station killed 18 people. They blamed the government for "gross mismanagement" and accused them of "covering up" the death toll. The stampede occurred on Saturday night as passengers rushed to board trains for the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj. The Congress, the Left, Trinamool Congress, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal have all criticized the government's handling of the situation, while BJP leaders have defended the government. The incident has highlighted the failure of the Railways and the government to make adequate arrangements for the large number of devotees travelling to Prayagraj.
A look at some of India's key performers in the Under-19 T20 World Cup.
Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi threatened to resign from the cabinet, alleging that his Hindustani Awam Morcha was not getting a fair deal in the NDA ahead of the Bihar assembly polls. Manjhi, the lone MP of his party, said he wanted 40 seats for his party in the upcoming elections, adding that he was not pursuing any personal ambitions but seeking a better deal for the "Bhuiyan-Musahar" Dalit community.
Ashwin was seen taking bowling lessons of the support staff in an indoor net facility.
The Supreme Court has sought a report from the Uttar Pradesh Police regarding allegations that Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra, influenced witnesses in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. The court directed the Lakhimpur Kheri superintendent of police to file the report after a complaint was made by advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the complainants. Bhushan claimed to have an audio recording of an attempt to influence witnesses and alleged that Mishra attended a public meeting in violation of his bail conditions. Mishra, through his lawyer, denied the allegations and stated that he was being targeted unnecessarily. The court has also asked for the authenticity of the material presented to be verified.
State-owned mining giant, Coal India, is hoping to recover around 75-80 per cent of its liabilities from customers with whom it has long-term fuel supply agreements (FSAs) after the Supreme Court (SC) allowed states to recover dues retrospectively. A legal recourse, however, is underway. "We are impacted in two states - Jharkhand and Odisha.
Just 18 months after pairing up, the young mixed doubles pair of Sathish Kumar Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath rise to World No 33.
'I should make a Rs 1,000 crore film with you.'
Such was India's domination that only two Sri Lankan batters -- Sumudu Nisansala (21) and captain Manudi Nanayakkara (33) -- could manage double-digit scores.
Save Jasprit Bumrah, whose injury-prone body and exceptional skills demand workload management, questions are now being raised as to why the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja opted out of Duleep Trophy.
The maiden Test ton celebration in Salaar style was a tribute to his father Mutyala, who watched his son rescue India from the stand behind team's dug-out.
A 15-member delegation from the Samajwadi Party (SP) will travel to Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday to investigate violence that occurred following a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid complex. The visit comes after tensions escalated in Sambhal due to the survey, which was ordered by a local court based on a petition claiming the mosque was built on the site of a demolished temple. The violence on November 24 resulted in four deaths and numerous injuries, prompting the SP to postpone its initial visit. The delegation, led by SP state president Shyam Lal Pal, includes prominent party figures, including the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly and the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council. The district administration has imposed prohibitory orders, barring outsiders from entering Sambhal until Saturday. However, the SP delegation is expected to proceed with its visit, aiming to gather information about the violence and submit a report to party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Prithvi Shaw expressed his frustration after being dropped from Mumbai's squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy beginning on December 21.
On Friday, a four-member team of the ASI surveyed the recently-discovered Shri Kartik Mahadev temple, five pilgrimage sites and 19 'koops' (wells).
Kumar visited the Paras Hospital, where Prasad has been admitted since Monday, a day after he had a fall at his home and fractured his shoulder.
Andhra Pradesh's Jyothi Yarraji and Tejas Shirse of Maharashtra won their third successive gold medals in the women's 110m hurdles and men's 100m hurdles respectively at the National Games in Dehradun.
'The BJP should identify those involved in the protest against singing Gandhiji's bhajan and take action against them.' 'Such people should be removed from the party because they harm the BJP's image.'
Two members of a three-member judicial commission formed by the Uttar Pradesh government to investigate the November 24 violence in Sambhal arrived in Moradabad on Saturday and are expected to visit the violence-hit town on Sunday. The commission, headed by retired Allahabad High Court judge Devendra Kumar Arora, has been tasked with determining if the clashes were spontaneous or a planned conspiracy and assessing the police and administration's response. The commission will also analyze the events leading to the violence and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Moein Shafaghi and Himanshu dished out superb performances as Tamil Thalaivas thrashed Bengal Warriorz 60-29 in their Pro Kabaddi League match in Pune on Wednesday.
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