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MI-W vs DC-W, Match 3 , Cricket Tips :It was a disappointing defeat in the tournament's opener for the defending champion, Mumbai Indians. The game was in their pocket, but an unreal batting from Nadine de Klerk stole the show. Now, MI-W will be up against the three-time finalists, Delhi Capitals Women, on Saturday. This contest will be played at Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy at 7:30 PM IST. MI-W missed Hayley Matthews at the top, but the all-rounder will be back for them in the second game. They

UPW-W vs GG-W, Match 2 , Cricket Tips :It was the best possible start to the fourth edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL 2026). The last-ball finish in the opening game raised the expectations of the fans more. Now, the second game will see UP Warriorz Women taking on Gujarat Giants Women on Saturday. This match will commence at 3:30 PM IST at Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy. Both teams will start their campaigns with this game. GG-W will be led by Ashleigh Gardner, and it has players like Be

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Thanks to a stunning late assault by Nadine de Klerk, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pulled off a dramatic three-wicket win over defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in the opening match of the 2026 Womens Premier League (WPL) at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Friday. After picking 4-26 and helping RCB keep MI to 154/6, the seam-bowling all-rounder smashed an unbeaten 63 off 44 balls, including 20 runs off the final four deliveries two fours and as man

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Sajeevan Sajana top-scored with a counter-attacking 45 off 25 balls and made the most of being dropped twice early on as Mumbai Indians (MI) posted a competitive 154/6 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening match of the 2026 Womens Premier League (WPL) at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Friday. On a tacky pitch, incisive new-ball spells by Lauren Bell, Linsey, and Nadine de Klerk had reduced the defending champions to 67/4 after 11 overs.

DY Patil Stadium: The fourth edition of the Womens Premier League (WPL) began with a star-studded opening ceremony at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Friday, with Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Honey Singh adding glitz to the pre-match entertainment. Harnaaz, the Miss Universe 2021 winner and actor, opened the evening with a monologue celebrating womens achievements across India, declaring, We are ready to set the tone for her performance. Jacqueline followed it up wit

DY Patil Stadium: Gujarat Giants (GG) head coach Michael Klinger said he was confident of the team having a successful time in the 2026 Womens Premier League (WPL) as the Adani Sportsline-owned franchise prepares to open their campaign against UP Warriorz at the DY Patil Stadium on Saturday afternoon. GG, who reached the playoffs for the first time in the 2025 WPL, have undergone an intensive pre-season camp in Mumbai and will look to build on that in the upcoming season. Qualifying for the play

DY Patil Stadium: Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Jonathan Batty said his side are raring to go and everything feels positive in their build-up to open their 2026 Womens Premier League (WPL) campaign against defending champions Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium on Saturday. DC will be led by new skipper Jemimah Rodrigues and are coming off after having an intensive pre-season camp in Goa. Its really nice to have a lot of familiar faces back in the squad from the last few years, and at the sa

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: England pacer Lauren Bell said the build-up to 2026 Womens Premier League (WPL) after joining 2024 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru has been a lot of fun, adding that shes just excited to turn out in the first game against Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium. Bell, who was picked up at the auction by RCB, was previously signed by UP Warriorz (UPW) for 2023 and 2024 season, though she pulled out of the later edition. Its definitely been different. Different fran

T20 World Cup: Following Englands 4-1 Ashes series defeat against Australia, Kevin Pietersen has called for changes in the national coaching setup and backed former head coach Andy Flower as a potential successor to Brendon McCullum. The 41-year-old England star made a post on X to support his ex-coach. Pietersen said that his wild thought was bringing Flower back into the fold, adding that the Zimbabwe legend has evolved, understands the modern-day player, and gets Test cricket. This is a WILD

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have won the toss and elected to bowl first against defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in the opening match of the 2026 Womens Premier League (WPL) at an electrifying DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Friday. This is the first time that the WPL is being held in the January-February window. After winning the toss, skipper Smriti Mandhana said their overseas players will be Grace Harris, Lauren Bell, Linsey Smith, and Nadine de K

President Mithun Manhas: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia met with the head of BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE). VVS Laxman and discussed the roadmap for the centre's future course. The meeting, held at the BCCI headquarters at the Stadium, was also attended by other BCCI office-bearers, including President Mithun Manhas and vice-president Rajeev Shukla. Had a fruitful meeting with VVS Laxman, Head of BCCI's Centre of Excellence, in the presence of BCCI

ICC T20 World Cup: Cricket Australia on Friday confirmed that the ongoing BBL 15 will receive an influx of talent, with multiple members of Australias Ashes-winning Test squad returning to action starting Saturday. Among those returning to play in BBL 15 for various teams are Alex Carey with the Adelaide Strikers; Brendan Doggett with the Melbourne Renegades; Josh Inglis with the Perth Scorchers; Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne with the Brisbane Heat; Todd Murphy and Steve Smith with the Sy

Kolkata Knight Riders: Bangladesh cricketers could soon be forced to switch bat sponsors after leading Indian sports manufacturer SG decided not to continue its association, amid escalating cricketing and diplomatic tensions between the two neighbouring nations. The turbulence between the two Asian nations started when IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders released Bangladesh premier bowler Mustafizur Rehman from their squad, following a directive from the BCCI. After the pacer's release, the Banglades

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) condoled the passing of the former Ranji player from Mizoram, K. Lalremruata, who died after collapsing during a local cricket match on Wednesday. Deeply saddened by the passing of Mizoram cricketer K Lalremruata. He proudly represented Mizoram in the Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The BCCI extends heartfelt condolences, thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and the Mizoram cricket community, BCCI Domestic

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: A blockbuster start awaits the Womens Premier League 2026 as defending champions Mumbai Indians clash with 2024 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening match at the DY Patil Stadium on Friday. Ahead of the El Clasico of the WPL, captains Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana laid out the paths that will guide their squads through the multi-franchise competition. Speaking on JioHotstars show Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur underlined the importance o

DY Patil Stadium: UP Warriorz begin their WPL 2026 campaign with their season opener against Gujarat Giants on Saturday at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, looking to start strong under newly appointed captain Meg Lanning and head coach Abhishek Nayar. The upcoming season marks a new chapter for the Warriorz with Lanning at the helm, alongside a refreshed squad blend of international experience and emerging domestic talent. The group features proven match-winners including Deepti Sharma, Sophi

U19 World Cup: Afghanistan have announced their 15-member squad for the U19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2026 with Mahboob Khan leading the side that boasts a host of talented players. Afghanistan had secured their spot in the marquee tournament by clinching the Asia Qualifier last year, during which they enjoyed an unbeaten run. They would squeeze past Nepal on net run rate to confirm their qualification. Later last year, Afghanistan got the better of Nepal at the U19 Asia Cup, with Uzairullah Niaza

England will limp home from Australia after a humbling 4-1 Ashes defeat but appear likely to stick with the regime of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, who have vowed to learn lessons from a painful tour. The tourists arrived in November with genuine hopes of a first Ashes series win in Australia since 2010/11 but were 3-0 down inside 11 days of action, with only pride left to play for. Despite their humiliation, it appears director of cricket Rob Key, coach McCullum and skipper Stokes are all se

New Zealand Cricket: New Zealands Vellore-born leg-spinner Adithya Ashok says he is excited to test his bowling against India batting greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the upcoming three-game ODI series starting in Vadodara on Sunday. Ashok, 23, was born in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, before moving to Auckland, New Zealand, at age four. The leg-spinner has played two ODIs and a T20I, and with New Zealand not having many regulars in the 50-over series, it offers Ashok the chance to bowl to two of c

MI-W vs RCB-W, Match 1 , Cricket Tips :The fourth edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL 2026) is all set to start. Mumbai Indians Women will put their title on the line against the other four opponents. The first game of the tournament will feature a contest between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. This contest will kick off at 7:30 PM IST on Friday at Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai at 7:30 PM IST. This will start another action-packed season of the WPL. RCB-W wi

ODI World Cup: Gujarat Giants (GG) appear more competitive heading into the 2026 Women's Premier League (WPL) season, but they need to solve dilemmas around their overseas players and opening combination, said former India captain Anjum Chopra. In last years mega auction, the Ashleigh Gardner-led GG invested heavily in New Zealands veteran all-rounder Sophie Devine at the auction, as well as in acquiring Georgia Wareham, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, and Kim Garth. After finishing at the bottom of the poin

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia: India batter Tilak Varma has been ruled out of the first three T20Is against New Zealand after undergoing surgery for an abdominal issue in Rajkot, said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday. IANS had previously reported that Varma, 23, underwent an emergency surgery after scans suggested the need for the same at a super-speciality hospital in Rajkot on Wednesday evening, after experiencing acute pain in his abdominal region in the morning. V

The Harmanpreet Kaur: Two-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI) remain the team to beat in the 2026 Women's Premier League (WPL), but will face stronger challenges this season from other sides, said former India captain Anjum Chopra. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led MI are the reigning WPL champions and have won two of the three editions since the tournament's inception in 2023. Anybody can challenge. It's not that MI can't be challenged. We saw that in season two, also, where they were challenged by RCB and

Although Kashvee Gautam: Former India captain Anjum Chopra believes Jemimah Rodrigues will discover another side of herself when she leads Delhi Capitals (DC) in the upcoming Womens Premier League (WPL) season, starting in Navi Mumbai on Friday. Jemimah was the vice-captain to Australias multiple-time World Cup-winning captain Meg Lanning when DC finished as runners-up in three successive WPL seasons -- 2023, 2024, and 2025. But with Meg becoming the skipper of UP Warriorz (UPW), Jemimah steps i

Niranjan Shah Stadium Ground: Aaqib Dar produced a sensational unbeaten century to script a stunning turnaround as Jammu and Kashmir pulled off a thrilling three-wicket victory over Hyderabad in their final Group B match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 202526 at the Niranjan Shah Stadium Ground C in Rajkot on Thursday. Chasing a big total, J&K scripted a miraculous escape from a precarious position of 90/7 as Dar stood tall with a remarkable unbeaten 114 off 82 balls, smashing 10 fours and seven sixe

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be significantly impacted by star Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry's withdrawal from the 2026 Women's Premier League (WPL) season due to personal reasons, said former India skipper Anjum Chopra. Ellyse, the second-highest run-scorer in WPLs history, was retained by RCB for INR 2 crore for the upcoming season. But her withdrawal has meant RCB have a huge gap to fill in their line-up, though they have signed pace-bowling allroun

Like UP Warriorz: Former India captain Anjum Chopra believes UP Warriorz (UPW) look like the strongest team ahead of the 2026 Women's Premier League (WPL), starting in Navi Mumbai on Friday. At the same time, Anjum cautioned that on-field performance will ultimately determine the winner of the competition on February 5 in Vadodara. Before last years mega auction, UPW released all players and retained uncapped Delhi batter Shweta Sehrawat. With a new head coach in Abhishek Nayar, UPW have a new s

Cricket World Cup: Star batters Laura Wolvaardt and Shafali Verma, along with South Africas influential all-rounder Sune Luus, have been shortlisted for the ICC Womens Player of the Month award for December 2025 following outstanding performances in the last month of the year. Fresh off a commanding campaign in the ICC Womens Cricket World Cup 2025, Wolvaardt continued to showcase her brilliance, rounding off a remarkable year by registering three centuries across formats. Leading South Africa a

Mitchell Starc: The shortlist for Mens Player of the Month includes three top performers, Justin Greaves of the West Indies, Jacob Duffy of New Zealand, and Australia's Mitchell Starc, all of whom made a notable impact with bat and ball throughout a busy cricket month. West Indies all-rounder Greaves had a memorable month in New Zealand, amassing 283 runs at an average of 56.60 over three Tests. His exceptional performance was in the first Test at Christchurch, where he scored an unbeaten 202 in

T20 World Cup: Tristan Stubbs was a notable omission from South Africas squad for the T20 World Cup, but ex-batter JP Duminy believes the youngster has shown strong leadership skills by taking Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the top of the SA20 standings and has backed him to do amazing things in the ongoing tournament. Stubbs, 25, has been rated as one of the most exciting young batters in the cricketing world and has slowly become a mainstay in all formats for South Africa, as well as being a proven

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: India batter Sarfaraz Khan created history on Thursday with a breathtaking innings, smashing the fastest fifty by an Indian in List A cricket during Mumbais Vijay Hazare Trophy clash against Punjab at the Jaipuria Vidyalaya Ground. Playing for Mumbai, Sarfaraz reached his half-century in just 15 balls, surpassing the previous record held by Ajith Sheth, who had achieved the feat in 16 deliveries against Chhattisgarh while representing Baroda. Sarfaraz came to the crease

Sri Lanka Cricket Board: Sri Lanka Cricket Board has appointed Vikram Rathour as their batting coach as they step up their preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will start on 7 February. Rathour previously served as Indias batting coach from 2019 to 2024. Under his tenure, the team performed well in ICC tournaments, including winning the T20 World Cup in 2024. After his exit from the Indian setup, Rathour joined Rajasthan Royals as batting and assistant coach. He has been appointed o

Chief Executive Officer Richard Gould: Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has bashed the English side, saying that a team with brain isnt good enough to compete against either Australia or India. His comments have come after Englands dismal performance in their 1-4 Ashes drubbing on Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Ground as they lost the fifth and final Test of the series by five wickets. After the loss, the England and Wales Cricket Boards Chief Executive Officer Richard Gould stated that a

Two-time Asian Indoor champion in men's shot put, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, will lead the 17-member Indian team at the 12th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, scheduled to take place from February 6 to 8 in Tianjin, China. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) announced the 17-member Indian contingent on Thursday, which includes promising shot putter Samardeep Singh Gill. The team will depart for the continental indoor meet on February 3. Toors gold medal-winning performance at the 11th Asian

U19 Cricket World Cup: India's Virender Sharma, Prakash Bhatt have been named among the 21 match officials announced for the upcoming ICC Under-19 Mens Cricket World Cup, set to be staged across Zimbabwe and Namibia from January 15. A total of 17 umpires and four match referees from the ICC International Panels of Umpires and Referees have been appointed for the upcoming ICC Men's U19 Cricket World Cup, with officials representing 13 different nationalities for the tournament kicking off on Janu

In November 2025 when WPL retentions were being finalized, one of the surprising news was that Australia's Meg Lanning is set to enter the auction pool as she was released by Delhi Capitals. She is not an ordinary player as she led Delhi Capitals to three straight finals in the first three editions of WPL. Probably not winning any one of them, went against her. In the mega auction, Delhi Capitals did attempt to bring her back but failed to acquire her and she was signed by the UP Warriorz for Rs

Chief Executive Officer Richard Gould: England head coach Brendon McCullum indicated that he is open to adjusting his approach somewhat but emphasised that he is not for being told what to do after the teams loss in the Sydney Test on Thursday. England suffered a 4-1 defeat in the Ashes series, with only a single Test win in Melbourne. However, that win was merely a consolation, as they lost the first three Tests in Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide, allowing the Aussies to reclaim the urn in just 1

Sydney Cricket Ground: Australias talismanic fast bowler Mitchell Starc reached another milestone in his illustrious red-ball career on Thursday as he etched his name alongside the greats during the fifth day of the final Ashes game at the Sydney Cricket Ground, equalling Rangana Heraths record for the most wickets taken by a left-arm bowler in Test cricket history. The Australian legend has now taken 433 wickets in 105 matches, while Sri Lanka's Herath reached the same total in just 93 matches.

Ben Stokes vowed Thursday to stay on as England captain and said he believes coach Brendon McCullum will too, while admitting there were wrongs to put right after a crushing 4-1 Ashes defeat. England arrived for their long tour in November confident of a first series win in Australia since 2010-11. But they quickly imploded, despite facing a depleted attack missing key quicks Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. A two-day defeat in Perth by eight wickets and another by the same margin at the pink-bal

Harry Brook: An umpiring error has come to light following Harry Brooks dismissal in Englands second innings, which reportedly stemmed from an illegal delivery by Australian all-rounder Beau Webster that went unnoticed. On Day 4 of the Sydney Test, with England at 219/3, Webster trapped Brook lbw for 42, a wicket that handed the tourists a slender 36-run lead. However, replays later showed Webster had overstepped, with his back foot clearly outside the return crease. Third umpire Kumar Dharmasen

Wales Cricket Board: The England and Wales Cricket Boards Chief Executive Officer, Richard Gould, has stated that a 'thorough review' has already been underway following England's 4-1 Ashes defeat. He added that Ben Stokes and Co. will draw lessons from this tour and focus on regaining the Ashes in 2027. This Ashes tour began with significant hope and anticipation, and it is therefore deeply disappointing that we have been unable to fulfil our ambition of winning the Ashes in Australia. While th

ODI World Cup: Australian cricket great Damien Martyn has been discharged from the hospital after coming out of an induced coma on Thursday and is recovering after being diagnosed with meningitis just over a week ago. Martyn, who represented Australia in 67 Test matches, fell ill on Boxing Day and was taken to hospital on the Gold Coast late last month, where he was placed in an induced coma amid a bout of meningitis. He woke from the coma last week and began talking again. It's terrific and won

World Test Championship: Australias stand-in captain Steve Smith reflected on his sides 4-1 Ashes series triumph with pride and perspective, describing the fifth Test as a fitting end to the hard-fought campaign. He also stated that the team knows how crucial every Test is in terms of WTC, with the side continuing to dominate at the top of the rankings. It was nice to finish on a high note, and we know the importance of every Test match in terms of WTC. It was a good game of Test cricket and it

The Shooting League: With the Shooting League of India (SLI) set to introduce a franchise-based, mixed-team format to the sport, Indian rifle shooter and 2022 Asian Games gold medallist Akhil Sheoran believes the league could mark a turning point in how shooting is experiencedboth by athletes and fans. For Sheoran, the league arrives at a moment when Indian rifle shooting is at its highest-ever competitive level. The Shooting League can change the way people connect with our sport. It has the po

Sydney Cricket Ground: Australias five-wicket win in the fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday meant the most for Usman Khawaja, who walked off the field for one last time in his career, having announced his retirement a couple of days before the game began. When the 88-Test veteran walked into the field on Day 5 of the SCG Test, his teammates held themselves back as Khawaja led them onto the field. Later, the England team formed a guard of honour near the pitch when he w

Sydney Cricket Ground: The fifth and final Ashes Test between Australia and England that concluded at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday scripted history as it attracted a record number of crowd to become the highest-attended SCG Test, breaking the record set in the 1946-47 Ashes. While the 1946-47 SCG Test of the Ashes series witnessed a total of 195,253 people attending the game over the course of five days, the fifth game of the 2025-26 Ashes, held at the same venue, recorded a crowd of 21

Niranjan Shah Stadium Ground: India batter Tilak Varma has undergone emergency surgery in Rajkot and is likely to miss the upcoming five T20Is against New Zealand, sources familiar with the matter told IANS on Thursday. Varma, 23, experienced acute pain in the abdomen after breakfast on Wednesday morning in Rajkot, a day before Hyderabad were to play their final Vijay Hazare Trophy league-stage game against Jammu and Kashmir at the Niranjan Shah Stadium Ground C. Varma was subsequently taken to

Pakistan underlined their credentials as serious contenders for the upcoming T20 World Cup with a commanding six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the opening match of the three-game series in Dambulla on Wednesday. Touted as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, which Sri Lanka will co-host with India, the series holds added significance for Pakistan, who will play all their tournament matches on the island owing to political tensions with their nuclear-armed neighbours. Pakistan ticked most boxes on

World Test Championship: Australia claimed a 4-1 Ashes series win after securing a five-wicket victory in the fifth Test at the SCG, as Usman Khawaja bowed out as a winner in his farewell Test. After bowling England out for 342 early on day five, Australia set themselves a 160-run target to win. Chasing 160, the hosts made a brisk start, with Travis Head and Jake Weatherald putting on a 62-run opening partnership to set up Australias run chase. The tourists, however, spoiled Usman Khawajas hopes

Australia won the final Ashes Test against England by five wickets on Thursday to seal a dominant 4-1 victory after a gruelling series, sending the retiring Usman Khawaja out on a high. The nervy hosts saw wickets tumble as they chased their 160 target, which they reached after lunch on day five with Cameron Green not-out 22 and Alex Carey on 16 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. For England it was the final chapter in a miserable series. That's Ashes cricket. Everyone got tense, said Carey, who hit