India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru pace-bowling all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar has been ruled out for at least two weeks of the ongoing Women’s Premier League due to a hamstring injury. The 26-year-old, who last played a competitive game in the T20 World Cup in October 2024, was bough for Rs 85 lakh at the auction. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2026 09:06 AM IST | Navi Mumbai | PTIRoyal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Smriti Mandhana passed on all the credit for their thrilling three-wicket win to all-rounder Nadine de Klerk, who starred with bat and ball against defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in the opening encounter of the Women’s Premier League 2026 on Friday. De Klerk hit a sublime 63 off 44 balls to clinch victory off the last ball of the match. Earlier, she also picked up 4-26 to restrict MI to a moderate total of 154-6. “It was a thriller. RCB are known for thrillers, and brilliant from Nadine [to win us this game]. Everyone was very positive, even when things were not going well. Nadine did all the work for us in the batting and bowling department,” said Mandhana. Nadine de Klerk. Pic/Atul Kamble Nadine, on her part, said it was all about making the most of the conditions and ‘cashing in.’ “If it is your day, you have to ensure you cash in. Glad to get the win,” said de Klerk, when asked if the feeling had sunk in.Just about coming in and backing your skills, and executing. Just sticking to my strengths... sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it does not. On these grounds, on these batting wickets, you just need to cash in,” said the South African. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2026 09:04 AM IST | Navi Mumbai | PTIMumbai Indians' Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur smashed unbeaten half-centuries, while pacer Nicola Carey ran through the middle order as the defending champions returned to winning ways, defeating Delhi Capitals by 50 runs in their Women's Premier League match here on Saturday. Sciver-Brunt hammered a 46-ball 70, while Harmanpreet -- smarting from a last-ball defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday -- slammed an unbeaten 74 off 42 balls as Mumbai Indians posted a fighting 195 for 4 on the back of fine form from the two stalwarts. Carey's (3/37) three-wicket haul in the middle overs, including the key dismissals of hard-hitter Shafali Verma (8) and Laura Wolvaardt (9) in the fifth over, reduced Delhi Capitals to 33 for 3, a collapse that soon worsened to 46 for 5 in the seventh over. DC finally folded up for 145 in 19 overs despite Chinelle Henry's rearguard 56 off 33 balls. England stalwart Sciver-Brunt, following her superb effort with the bat, also chipped in with two vital wickets giving away 29 runs, while Amelia Kerr, after disappointing with the bat, returned figures of 3/24 with the ball. Sciver-Brunt excels with bat A day after a below-par outing against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 33-year-old all-rounder Sciver-Brunt roared back to form, smashing 13 boundaries in a fluent 46-ball 70. Sciver-Brunt, who scored four runs against RCB on Friday, anchored the defending champions' innings alongside skipper Harmanpreet, who was equally belligerent, striking eight boundaries and three sixes. The pair's 66-run partnership for the third wicket became the cornerstone of MI's competitive total, steadying the innings after opener Amelia Kerr's first-ball duck. Kerr's woes continued as she was trapped off an unnecessary expansive shot, edging a ball moving away from her behind to Lizelle Lee. However, Sciver-Brunt quickly turned the tide. She took aim at West Indian pacer Chinelle Henry, scoring 10 runs in the second over and adding two more boundaries in the fourth. Sciver-Brunt's 49-run partnership with opener Gunalan Kamalini helped steady the Mumbai innings. Kamalini looked to capitalise on the momentum, hitting two boundaries in the seventh over, before young Delhi Capitals right-arm pacer Nandani Sharma came around the wicket and tempted her with an almost wide yorker, resulting in Kamalini being caught behind. Despite Kamalini's dismissal, Sciver-Brunt continued to dominate, reaching her half-century off just 32 balls, with Harmanpreet ensuring she held the strike. The England stalwart punished anything short of a length and DC off-spinner Sneh Rana found this out the hard way in the 10th over, conceding two boundaries. The onslaught continued till Sciver-Brunt was dismissed, caught by DC skipper Jemimah Rodrigues off the bowling of Shree Charani. Harmanpreet then took charge. Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 195/4 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 74 not out, Nat Sciver-Brunt 70; Nandani Sharma 2-26, Chinelle Henry 1-32) beat Delhi Capitals 145 all out in 19 overs (Chinelle Henry 56; Amelia Kerr 3-24, Nicola Carey 3-37) by 50 runs This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2026 08:47 AM IST | Navi Mumbai | PTIThough UP Warriorz (UPW) hold the record for the highest Women’s Premier League total — 225-5 (vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru) — they failed to chase Gujarat Giants’s 207-4 at the DY Patil Stadium in their WPL-4 opening game on Saturday. Skipper Ashleigh Gardner (41-ball 65, 6x4, 3x6) and debutant Anushka Sharma (44 off 30 balls, 7x4), backed by a combined bowling effort, helped GG seal a close 10-run win. Litchfield smashes 78 UPW’s one-drop batter Phoebe Litchfield (40-ball 78, 8x4, 5x6) tried her best, but couldn’t take her team home. GG leg-spinner Georgia Wareham (2-30), who also scored an unbeaten 27 off 10 balls, dismissed skipper Meg Lanning (26) and Harleen Deol (0) in her second over. After the first Powerplay, UPW were 46-1. They needed 76 from the last six overs, but could only manage 197-8 eventually. GG’s Georgia Wareham during her 2-30 on Saturday Earlier, after being put into bat, Australia’s experienced campaigner Gardner and debutant Anushka made life difficult for the UPW bowlers. Batting at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively, Anushka and Gardner shared 103 runs off just 63 balls. Though Madhya Pradesh batter Anushka, 22, missed out on a maiden half-century, she impressed everyone with her footwork, which helped her play cover drives, pulls and sweep shots with perfect timing. Even Gujarat coach Michael Klinger lavished praise on Anushka’s temperament. Michael Klinger “She’s still very young in her career. She’s had a good domestic season. This was her first WPL game and she played really well,” Klinger said at the post-match press conference. “From a batting coach’s lens, she’s got the game, temperament, attitude, characteristics and intent at the crease. If she keeps performing like this, playing for India, hopefully won’t be too far away, but she needs to keep putting in performances. She’s doing everything right at the moment. ‘Beautiful timing’ “I don’t want to make a big statement, but she’s going to be playing for India. She’s a fantastic cricketer, has time at the crease. She’s timing the ball beautifully and can hit both through and over the field,” he added. Meanwhile, UPW’s Litchfield felt the 208-run target was within reach. “It was definitely chaseable. There were a couple of moments where they [GG] strung a couple of dot balls together. When you have to go from Ball One at 10 [run per over], it went pretty quickly to 12 with our slow start. So I think potentially had we got off to a flyer in the Powerplay, it would have made it easier,” she said. 404Total number of runs scored in the match — the second-highest aggregate in WPL history OneThis is Gujarat Giants’s maiden win in an opening encounter, they lost their first match in last three editions Brief scoresGG 207-4 in 20 overs (A Gardner 65, A Sharma 44, S Devine 38; S Ecclestone 2-32) beat UPW 197-8 in 20 overs (P Litchfield 78, M Lanning 30; R Singh 2-25, G Wareham 2-30, Devine 2-55) by 10 runs
11 January,2026 08:43 AM IST | Navi Mumbai | Subodh MayureNew Zealand stand-in captain Michael Bracewell on Saturday said he would lean on all-rounder Kyle Jamieson to lead the pace attack and confirmed an ODI debut for 24-year-old Kristian Clarke in the first match against India. The top two ranked ODI teams India and New Zealand will face-off in the opening match here on Sunday. “We have Kyle Jamieson, who’s been around the game a long time and has plenty of experience. I’ll be leaning a lot on him as captain to lead the bowling attack. He’s a very skilful bowler,” Bracewell told the reporters here on the eve of the match. “We’re still working through the last of our [playing] XI, but I can confirm that Kristian Clarke is making his debut tomorrow [Sunday] so it’s an exciting chance for him. “We’re really excited about how he’s been bowling in domestic cricket in New Zealand and also in the build-up over here,” he added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2026 08:36 AM IST | Vadodara | PTIVirat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s prime form is expected to drive India’s progress in ODIs as the full-strength hosts take on a new-look New Zealand in the first match of the three-match series here on Sunday. Even as focus remains on the T20 World Cup, which is less than a month away, Kohli and Rohit will hog the limelight in the three ODIs over the next seven days. There has been no dearth of game-time for the two superstars who played a couple of matches each in the Vijay Hazare Trophy’s league round, piling up big runs to underline that they are not going away anytime soon. Focus on Gill But it remains to be seen how India captain Shubman Gill responds after being axed from the T20 World Cup side, with his form being a concern apart from the injuries that kept him out of the majority of the series against South Africa late last year. Gill’s return, however, is likely to take Yashasvi Jaiswal out of the top order where he scored his maiden ODI ton in the last match vs South Africa. The return of Shreyas Iyer should end a largely unsuccessful run of experiments in the batting order, with the 31-year-old set to claim his No. 4 spot back. KL Rahul’s continued role as a lower-order batter and wicketkeeper is set to keep Rishabh Pant out of the XI, with the latter remaining second choice in the 50-overs format. While Iyer, Pant and Mohammed Siraj were not part of the preparations for the ODI series here in Kotambi until Saturday, Ravindra Jadeja trained at full tilt on Friday, signalling his availability. NZ seek experiments For New Zealand, their loss to India in last year’s Champions Trophy final carries little significance, as this series presents an ideal opportunity to test new and second-line players. Whether they have their preferred players available or not, the Black Caps will stick to the team mantra, which worked wonders in their last visit to India in 2024-25 when they hammered India 3-0 in the Test series. SixConsecutive 50-plus scores for Virat Kohli in List A matches. He has scored 584 runs in his last six innings, including three centuries and three half-centuries @ 146.00 2022The year New Zealand last won an ODI against India. Since then India have emerged victorious in seven consecutive matches while two games were washed out This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2026 08:31 AM IST | Vadodara | PTILeft out of next month’s T20 World Cup, India’s ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill on Saturday said he respects the selectors’ decision and remains focused on giving his best whenever the opportunity arises. The 26-year-old was not considered for next month’s T20 World Cup despite leading India in the longer formats. He has played 36 T20Is for India, scoring 869 runs at an average of 28.03 with a strike-rate of 138.59. “My belief is that in my life, I am right where I have to be and whatever things are written in my destiny, no one can take those things from me,” Gill told reporters ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand here on Sunday. “Obviously as a player, you have a belief that if you play in the World Cup, you will win [it for] your team, [and] you will win [it for] your country.“Having said that, I respect the selectors’ decision and [I am] wishing the T20 team all the very best and I really hope that they win the World Cup for us,” he added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2026 08:24 AM IST | Vadodara | PTIGujarat Giants captain Ashleigh Gardner displayed strong batting as the team put on a massive 207 against UP Warriorz in the second match of the ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 on Saturday. Having been asked to bat first, Gujarat saw a good start. Sophie Devine slammed 14 runs in the second over against UPW speedster Shikha Pandey. After the first four overs, the Giants were 40/0. However, Warriorz got the much-needed breakthrough as veteran spinner Sophie Ecclestone clean bowled Beth Mooney (13 off 12 balls, including one four) during the fifth over. In the very next over, pacer Pandey dismissed Sophie Devine for 38 off 20 balls. Devine's innings included five fours and two sixes. Gujarat reached 56/2 at the end of six overs. Giants also registered their third-best score in the power play in WPL. Captain Gardner and Anushka Sharma stabilised the innings as the Giants reached 90/2 in 10 overs. During the 13th over, speedster Kranti Gaud conceded 18 runs as Garnder and Sharma slammed boundaries. In the very next over, Anushka slammed two fours, and Gardner hit two sixes against leg-spinner Asha Sobhana with Gujarat reaching 139/2 in 14 overs. Gardner reached her sixth WPL fifty during the third ball of the 15th over as Giants crossed the 150-run mark. Gardner also became the batter with the most fifty-plus scores for Gujarat Giants, surpassing Beth Mooney (5), and Laura Wolvaardt (3). During the 16th over, Deandra Dottin broke the 100-run stand after she dismissed Anushka for 44 runs. She had made the runs from 30 balls with help of seven fours. Anushka Sharma's 44 is the highest by a Gujarat Giants batter on WPL debut. The previous highest was Dani Gibson's 34 runs last year. In the very next over, Ecclestone removed captain Garnder, who smashed 65 off 41 balls and the innings included six fours and three sixes. Towards the end, Bharti Fulmali's unbeaten 14 and Georgia Wareham's blistering unbeaten knock of 27 helped Gujarat post a mammoth 207/4 on the board. Sophie Ecclestone (2/32), Deandra Dottin (1/47) and Shikha Pandey (1/29) were among the wicket-takers. GG: 207/4 (Ashleigh Gardner 65, Anushka Sharma 44, Sophie Ecclestone 2/32) vs UPW. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
10 January,2026 06:22 PM IST | Navi Mumbai | ANIIndia batter Shreyas Iyer had a brief scare off the field after narrowly avoiding a dog bite while interacting with fans at an airport, just days ahead of his expected return to international cricket. The incident, captured on video and widely shared across social media platforms, shows the 31-year-old narrowly avoiding a dog bite while interacting with fans at an airport. In the viral clip, Iyer is seen patiently signing autographs before being introduced to a fan’s white pet dog. As he leaned forward to pat the animal, the dog suddenly reacted aggressively, forcing Iyer to swiftly pull his hand away. The fan restrained the dog immediately, and Iyer, visibly startled but unharmed, laughed it off and moved on, much to the relief of those around him. Meanwhile, Iyer has received clearance from the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru to join the Indian squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, starting January 11. His participation had earlier been subject to fitness clearance following a spleen injury sustained during the ODI series against Australia in October. The injury occurred while attempting a full-length diving catch, after which he was rushed to hospital with internal bleeding. The seriousness of the injury ruled him out of domestic and international action, including the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the home ODI series against South Africa Iyer, who is India’s ODI vice-captain, has since returned to competitive action, captaining Mumbai in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, and is set to bolster India’s middle order in the upcoming series. (inputs taken from NDTV Sports and ANI)
10 January,2026 05:39 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIndia star Jemimah Rodrigues, now prepared to take on her role as captain, is eager to lead Delhi Capitals, who have reached the finals three times, in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 and anticipates a successful season. Jemimah, one of the stars of India's triumph in the ICC Women's ODI World Cup a few months ago, with a majestic century against Australia in the semi-finals, has been a standout performer for Delhi Capitals since the start of the WPL, helping them reach three successive finals. The 24-year-old right-handed batter has been promoted to the captaincy for WPL 2026, with the franchise deciding to let go of Australian great Meg Lanning, their captain for the first three editions of the event. Jemimah discussed her leadership role at Delhi Capitals on Jiohotstar, recognising Lanning’s enduring influence. She mentioned that taking over the position from Lanning will be an inspiring experience. Ahead of Delhi Capitals' opening match in the WPL 2026 against defending champions Mumbai Indians, Jemimah shared her thoughts on replacing a legend like Lanning and embracing the leadership role. "I met Meg Lanning, and it felt weird to see her wearing the yellow jersey of the UP Warriorz. I have to say the impact Meg had on our franchise, the Delhi Capitals, and the standards and culture she set was huge. I learned so much from her. I even picked her brain about captaincy," said Jemimah. She also said that her experience of leading her state side will be useful while leading Delhi Capitals, and added that the extra responsibility brings out the best in her. "This new role as captain is exciting. I am also a little nervous because it is new. But I have led my domestic side for a while. I love leading because that extra responsibility brings out my best. My message to the Delhi Capitals is the same. We have played amazing cricket and have an amazing support staff. We just keep working hard and doing the right things, and I know things will fall into place. That is our energy," Jemimah added. Delhi Capitals will open their WPL campaign against the Mumbai Indians and have a lot to look forward to, having lost to them in two finals of the first three editions of the competition. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
10 January,2026 02:12 PM IST | Navi Mumbai | IANSThough the Mumbai Indians (MI) top-order failed to provide a dominating start against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), their No.5 and No. 6 batters, Nicola Carey (29-ball 40, 4x4) and Sajeevan Sajana (25-ball 45, 7x4, 1x6) did well to help the defending champions post 154-6 in the Women’s Premier League-4 opening encounter at the DY Patil Stadium on Friday. Put in to bat, MI lost their top three batters, including opener Gunalan Kamalini (28-ball 32, 5x4) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (20, 1x4, 1x6), by the halfway mark with the scoreboard reading 63-3. However, Sajana and left-hander Carey shouldered the responsibility well, stitching a vital 82-run stand off just 49 balls. At the time of going to press, RCB were 82-5 in 11.4 overs. RCB’s India wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh showcased some exemplary glovework when she dismissed MI’s one-drop batter Nat Sciver-Brunt (4) with a quick stumping off medium pacer Nadine de Klerk (4-26). Ghosh played a key role again when she took a sharp catch to dismiss Harmanpreet off De Klerk.
10 January,2026 08:27 AM IST | Navi Mumbai | Subodh MayureADVERTISEMENT
-1768047908273_d.png "Gujarat Giants. Representational image")
-1768034005362_d.png "Jemimah Rodrigues takes over as captain of Delhi Capitals for WPL 2026. File Pic")
