Toss Royal Challengers Bengaluru chose to bowl vs Gujarat Giants Smriti Mandhana called correctly at the toss as Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the defending champions, opted to bowl first against hosts Gujarat Giants in Vadodara. Mandhana was keen to “get in as many overs as possible before the dew kicks in.” RCB are depleted courtesy injuries to three key players – Sophie Molineux, Shreyanka Patil and Asha Sobhana – who were…
DC look to ride on in-form Shafali in rematch of 2023 final against MI
Who’s playing Delhi Capitals (DC) vs Mumbai Indians (MI)Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara, February 15, 2025, 7.30pm IST What to expect: All eyes on in-form Shafali The contest is not only a rematch of the 2023 WPL final, but also a repeat of the first match of last season which ended in a thrilling last-ball finish. MI may have come out victorious both times, but DC are two-time finalists who have also…
Hampshire sign Lhuan-dre Pretorius for Vitality Blast
Hampshire have signed 18-year-old South African opener Lhuan-dre Pretorius as one of their overseas players for this year’s Vitality Blast. Pretorius has yet to be capped at senior level by South Africa, but finished as the leading run-scorer at the recently completed SA20. He caught the eye of Hampshire’s coach, Adi Birrell, when scoring 97 off 51 in his first outing for Paarl Royals, against Sunrisers Eastern Cape at this…
MCC in discussions to rename London Spirit, change team colours
MCC have discussed renaming London Spirit and having them play in the club’s egg-and-bacon colours with their new Silicon Valley co-owners. MCC will enter into a joint-venture with Cricket Investor Holdings Limited, a consortium of US-based entrepreneurs who have been dubbed the “Tech Titans”, to run the Lord’s-based Hundred franchise from 2026. They were the highest bidders at a three-hour auction on January 31, which eventually valued London Spirit at…
Pakistan bat with Faheem back; Duffy, Smith in for New Zealand in tri-series final
Toss Pakistan choose to bat vs New Zealand Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat in the tri-series final in Karachi, five days before the two teams meet again in the Champions Trophy opener at the same venue. The hosts brought back seam-bowling allrounder Faheem Ashraf in place of fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain. This is Ashraf’s first international since the Perth Test in December 2023. His recent white-ball form…
Ireland bowl in ODI series opener; Campbell on ODI debut
Toss Ireland opt to bowl vs Zimbabwe Paul Stirling, the Ireland captain, decided to chase in the first ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare. Zimbabwe are looking to snap a losing streak, looking to avoid a fifth defeat in a row. Sikandar Raza slotted into the Zimbabwe XI after a successful campaign at the International League T20 (ILT20) tournament in the UAE where, as vice-captain, he won the title with Dubai…
Sears out of Champions Trophy with hamstring tear; Duffy named replacement
Ben Sears has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy with a hamstring injury. Sears, who was also part of New Zealand’s squad for the tri-series in Pakistan, felt pain in his left hamstring at the team’s training session in Karachi on Wednesday. A subsequent scan revealed a minor tear that would require at least two weeks’ rehabilitation, New Zealand Cricket said in a statement. That meant Sears would have…
Champions Trophy winners to get US$2.24 million as prize money
The winners of the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 will receive US$2.24 million as prize money along with the trophy they lift on March 9. The runners-up will get $1.12 million, and the losing semi-finalists will be awarded $560,000 each. The total pot is worth $6.9 million, a jump of 53% from 2017, when Pakistan had lifted the trophy at The Oval. The Champions Trophy continues to be an eight-team tournament,…
Head, Maxwell come in among five Australia changes after Sri Lanka bat
Toss Sri Lanka chose to bat vs Australia Travis Head, Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell will add considerable batting firepower for Australia in their final match before the Champions Trophy starts next week. Quick Ben Dwarshuis and legspinner Tanveer Sangha were also included for the second ODI in Colombo, with Cooper Connolly, Alex Carey, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson making way. Jake Fraser-McGurk shifted down to No.3 with…
McCullum rejects 'factually incorrect' criticism of England's preparations in India
Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, has rejected suggestions that his players did not take their preparation seriously on the tour of India, saying it was “factually incorrect” that the team had not done enough training during the T20I and ODI series, both of which ended in one-sided defeats. During a discussion on TV commentary for the third ODI between Ravi Shastri and Kevin Pietersen, it was claimed that, with the…