Delhi Capitals (DC) made it 12-1 for chasing teams in WPL 2025 as they beat Mumbai Indians (MI) by nine wickets in Bengaluru. The win, coming with 5.3 overs to spare, also helped DC replace MI at the top of the points table. They now have eight points from six games and MI six from five.
After being sent in, MI looked positive at the start but once their openers fell, Jess Jonassen and Minnu Mani ran through the middle order, picking up three wickets each. Each of MI’s top five batters reached double digits but none of them crossed 22. Towards the end, Amanjot Kaur struck an unbeaten 17 off ten balls to push the side to 123 for 9.
With DC chasing a well-below-par total, Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning added 85 for the first wicket in 9.5 overs. Shafali fell for 43 off 28 but Lanning carried on. She brought up her second half-century of the season, off 40 balls, and stayed unbeaten on 60 off 49 balls.
MI were off to a quick start. Both Yastika Bhatia and Hayley Matthews opened their accounts with first-ball fours off Marizanne Kapp. When Jonassen came to bowl the fourth over, Matthews greeted her with two fours off her first two balls.
But DC applied the brakes on the scoring rate after that. In the sixth over, bowling around the wicket, Shikha Pandey had Bhatia caught behind for 11. Bhatia’s tally for WPL 2025 now stands at 38 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 84.44.
Soon after, Matthews miscued Annabel Sutherland to Shafali Verma at mid-off. DC could have had Harmanpreet Kaur as well, for 1. In the eighth over, she edged Titas Sadhu but the ball flew between the wicketkeeper and slip. At the end of nine overs, MI were 49 for 2.
In DC’s previous game, Jonassen was named the Player of the Match for her batting. Tonight, she showed why bowling remains her stronger suit. Harmanpreet, having got her eye in, was looking to up the ante. In the tenth over, she muscled Sadhu over wide long-on for a 79m six. Three balls later, she showed her touch game. She moved towards the off side and tapped the length ball to the left of short fine leg for four.
But Jonassen cut her innings short on 22, trapping her lbw with an arm ball. MI still had Nat Sciver-Brunt, the leading run-getter this season, in the middle. Before this match, she had three fifties in four innings. For her, Jonassen slowed down the pace and beat her in flight. Sciver-Brunt was early into the shot, ending up chipping it back to the bowler. With another flighted delivery, Jonassen bowled G Kamalini to finish with figures of 3 for 25.
In between, Mani dismissed S Sajana and Amelia Kerr in the space of three balls. Kerr’s wicket was as much Sutherland’s as it was Mani’s. Mani had got Kerr to top-edge a pull. Sutherland, who was at long-on, ran in diagonally to her right and dived full-length to complete the catch inches off the ground. Sanskriti Gupta also fell to Mani, her slog finding Jemimah Rodrigues at deep midwicket.
MI knew they needed early wickets and, therefore, set attacking fields. Lanning, who has not been at her best this season, took advantage and picked up two fours off Shabnim Ismail in the first over of the chase.
MI’s plan to bowl short to Shafali also backfired. Sciver-Brunt ended up conceding five wides, and when she got it right, Shafali dispatched her to the boundary. In the fourth over, she hit Sciver-Brunt for two fours and a six in four balls.
At the other end, Lanning hit back-to-back fours off Ismail before meting out the same punishment to Matthews in the next over. By the end of the powerplay, DC had raced to 57 for no loss and had brought down the required rate to 4.78.
Even after the field restrictions were relaxed, DC did not slow down. In the ninth over, Shafali hit Kerr down the ground for two sixes. Amanjot eventually broke the stand when she had Shafali caught at deep midwicket.
By then, though, the contest was over. Lanning and Rodrigues took just 28 balls to knock off the remaining 39 runs.
Brief scores: Delhi Capitals Women 124 for 1 in 14.3 overs (Meg Lanning 60*, Shafali Verma 43, Jemimah Rodrigues 15*; Amanjot Kaur 1-12) beat Mumbai Indians Women 123 for 9 in 20 overs (Yastika Bhatia 11, Harmanpreet Kaur 22, Hayley Matthews 22, Nat Sciver-Brunt 18, Amelia Kerr 17, Amanjot Kaur 17*; Minnu Mani 3-17, Jess Jonassen 3-25, Shikha Pandey 1-16, Annabel Sutherland 1-21) by nine wickets
Scott Boland claimed the big wicket of Harry Brook (Cricinfo)
With the recriminations well underway from an Ashes defeat, compounded by the fallout from some rather embarrassing off-field shenanigans, England were momentarily feeling the Christmas cheer at a heaving MCG on the biggest day in Australian cricket.
But not for the first time this series, England could not capitalise on a position of strength as they trailed by 42 runs on the first innings – a seemingly sizeable deficit given the bowler-friendly conditions. By the end of a madcap opening day of the Boxing Day Test, England once again have their backs against the wall.
A ground record crowd of 94,119, surpassing the 2015 World Cup final for the biggest attendance, saw an astonishing 20 wickets fall – the most on an opening day at an Ashes MCG Test since 1901-02.
Reminiscent of the first Test in Perth, the match is moving at warp speed on a surface that is set to attract scrutiny. With 10mm of grass left on the pitch by curator Matt Page, the wickedly seaming conditions made batting extremely difficult with Usman Khawaja the only batter to face more than 50 deliveries. No England batter faced more than 40 balls with only three making more than five runs.
England’s bid to halt Australia’s push for a 5-0 whitewash did start well with Josh Tongue starring with 5 for 45. After being sent in, Australia were bundled out for 152 from just 45.2 overs amid overcast and cool morning conditions. It was their third-shortest innings in a home Ashes Test but the total was made to look formidable with England crashing to 16 for 4 when Joe Root walked off after a 15-ball duck.
Harry Brook then produced the most extraordinary counterattack, top-scoring with 41 off 34 balls as he audaciously danced down the wicket, reviving Bazball along the way amid an increasingly febrile atmosphere.
But his cavalier knock didn’t last long enough as recalled Michael Neser and hometown hero Scott Boland combined for seven wickets as England were bowled out just before stumps
To cap a whirlwind day, Australia had to face one over before the close with Boland opening alongside Travis Head in place of Jake Weatherald. He faced the entire over, but only just survived after Jacob Bethell dropped a tough chance at fifth slip before he hit a boundary to bring the curtain down on a dramatic day.
In seam-friendly, overcast conditions reminiscent of the 2010 Boxing Day Test – fond memories for England – one suspected that Ben Stokes was much more enthusiastic to win this toss compared to a couple of others earlier in the series.
But his mood soured quickly with 27 of Australia’s 72 runs in the session scored in the first six overs. Brydon Carse was the culprit with his forgettable opening spell starting off with a front-foot no-ball. Things did not improve with Carse wasting the new ball and conceding three boundaries in the fifth over.
England were in danger of wilting early before Gus Atkinson was rewarded for tight lengths when he had Head dragging onto his stumps in a similar dismissal to the backend of the second Test.
It was a tonic for Atkinson, who had been dropped for the third Test after a luckless start to the series – a selection decision that had raised the eyebrows of the Australia camp.
Atkinson received strong support from Tongue, who had a simple game plan that perhaps England’s quicks should have implemented earlier in the series – pitch the ball full outside off stump. His eight-over spell yielded 3 for 24 to put England well on top at lunch.
Tongue had initial good fortune when he had Weatherald strangled down the leg side. It continued a strange run of dismissals to start the Test career of Weatherald, who has not quite bedded down his spot despite a fluent 72 in Brisbane.
Tongue then removed Marnus Labuschagne and skipper Steven Smith, back in the side after being unwell to play the third Test, with top-shelf full-length deliveries. Labuschagne’s long Test century drought continued after edging a drive to first slip before Smith’s middle stump was knocked over having loosely attempted a booming drive.
It continued Tongue’s mastery over Smith across formats, having dismissed him in every innings from five games. Retaining his spot in the middle-order in favour of Josh Inglis, Khawaja and the in-form Alex Carey managed to get through to lunch in a session Stokes only deployed his three pace bowlers.
Stokes came into the attack after the interval as the ground suddenly became bathed in sunshine to suggest that batting might become slightly easier in the afternoon. Khawaja carried over his form from Adelaide and rolled past 8000 career Test runs before nicking off to Atkinson in an overturned decision – the latest example of him being troubled by quicks bowling around the wicket.
Carey has been a thorn for England through the series, but Stokes had him hitting straight to leg gully in a well-executed plan. Neser then dominated a 52-run partnership with Cameron Green, who entered under pressure having been demoted down the order after clinging onto his spot in the XI.
Green was mostly content with hanging in there, but Neser decided to counterattack and it was a plan that worked well as he clubbed Tongue for three consecutive boundaries in a rare period of batter dominance.
But Australia collapsed after Green ran himself out on 17, following a direct throw from a swift-moving Carse, who was perhaps fortunate to later dismiss Mitchell Starc after seemingly overstepping.
England were buoyed as they walked off the field but knew the job was not nearly done given the surface, Australia’s vaunted pace attack and also their own batting frailties.
Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley got through the first couple of overs unscathed before the mayhem started. Capping off a horror week amid the fallout from Noosa, Duckett gifted Starc another early wicket after tamely hitting straight to mid-on.
Recalled into the side – playing his fourth career Test match but first without the pink ball – Neser’s seam-bowling prowess saw him open the bowling to devastating effect.
He was all over Root and Bethell, who both were reduced to being lame ducks by the ball darting off the surface. Bethell’s much-hyped inclusion, finally replacing maligned No. 3 Ollie Pope, failed to materialise as he nicked off for 1 before Root also succumbed to Neser in similar fashion.
In the midst of all that, Starc added to his extraordinary series after Crawley edged to Smith at second slip before Brook for an hour had the fans in the palm of his hands.
There was drama on almost every delivery he faced, starting off from the very first ball when Brook charged Starc only to fail to connect. That did not deter him and he doubled down on the tactic in an effort to knock the bowlers off their lengths.
England finally had a batter in double-figures when Brook charged down the pitch and snicked Neser past Green’s outstretched arms at gully. He best stroke was a bludgeoning blow for six off Starc over extra cover and he also pulled Boland into the crowd.
But Boland got his revenge when he had Brook trapped plumb lbw to trigger another collapse. It was a field day for Australia’s quicks except for Jhye Richardson, who went wickletless from just four overs in his return to Test cricket since his last match in the 2021-22 Ashes series.
Atkinson added some invaluable runs to ensure England at least reached triple-figures, a landmark that was enthusiastically celebrated by the Barmy Army. But it was little solace for the embattled tourists who are again on the back foot in a match that might not last longer than two days.
Brief scores:
Australia 152 in 45.2 overs (Michael Neser 35; Josh Tongue 5-45, Gus Atkinson 2-28) and 4 for 0 lead England 110 in (Harry Brook 41; Michael Neser 4-45, Scott Boland 3-30) by 46 runs
BCB appointed former national captain Habibul Bashar as mentor while Mizanur Rahman Babul and Nafis Iqbal will act as team manager of the Chattogram Royals [BCB]
The Bangladesh Cricket Board took over the ownership rights of Chattogram Royals for the remainder of the Bangladesh Premier League season. BCB vice-chairman Shakhawat Hossain, a member of BPL Governing Council, confirmed the development to Cricbuzz on Thursday.
Royals owner Kayum Rashed submitted a written request to the BCB, citing difficulties in continuing to run the team under the current circumstances and asked the board to take over the operations.
“We have taken over the ownership right of the team, and now the board will run the team,” Shakhawat told Cricbuzz. “We will sit with the players and discuss the next steps.”
According to the letter submitted to the board, and seen by Cricbuzz, Royals failed to attract sponsors.
“Since the acquisition of the franchise, there have been persistent and widespread speculations in various media outlets regarding the team’s uncertainty in participating in the tournament, as well as repeated questions surrounding the franchise’s financial and operational credibility. These rumours included, but were not limited to, allegations that franchise fees, bank guarantees, and players’ payments had not been made-despite the fact that such payments were not contractually required at those early stages,” it was stated in the letter.
“Unfortunately, no formal clarification or reassurance was issued to the media to counter these claims. As a direct consequence, the rumors gained traction across multiple platforms, severely impacting the reputation of Chattogram Royals. Several potential and confirmed sponsors, questioning the franchise’s credibility and the certainty of its participation in the tournament, withdrew from their partnerships.
“The withdrawal of sponsorship support has resulted in significant financial challenges, directly hampering the team’s preparation and jeopardizing its future prospects within the tournament. This situation arose not from any failure on our part to comply with contractual obligations, but rather from unchecked misinformation and the absence of authoritative clarification.
“In light of the above circumstances, and considering the substantial reputational and financial damage already sustained, I respectfully request the Bangladesh Cricket Board to take over from this point forward and assume the necessary responsibilities throughout the remainder of the tournament. This includes providing clear, timely communication to stakeholders and ensuring the integrity, stability, and smooth operation of the franchise within the BPL framework.
“I trust the Board will appreciate the seriousness of this matter and act in the best interests of the league, the franchise, and all associated stakeholders. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your guidance and support.”
Another BCB official said that their connection with dubious characters from the start of forming the team hit them hard in the long run considering the activities of those characters in their team jeopardized their reputation in the sponsorship market.
It is learnt, BCB appointed former national captain Habibul Bashar as mentor while Mizanur Rahman Babul and Nafis Iqbal will act as team manager of the Chattogram Royals.
Bashar was initially appointed as mentor of the team but left the position citing family issues though many feel he was uncomfortable seeing dubious characters in and around the franchise set-up, and as a result took up the decision. The move to change the set-up was aimed at stabilizing the franchise and ensuring the smooth running of the team for the rest of the tournament.
Many cricketers of the Royals decided to leave the team hotel on Wednesday (December 25) as they failed to receive money from the franchise till last night. The BPL is all set to commence at Sylhet on December 26 and it started with the expected move made by Royals owner. He insisted that he will pull out from the competition if things don’t turn his way.
Let us uphold the true meaning of Christmas following the guidance of Jesus Christ, and work together towards the shared goal of building a new nation filled with peace and harmony – PM
Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya in her Christmas message, called upon everyone to uphold the true meaning of Christmas following the guidance of Jesus Christ, and work together towards the shared goal of building a new nation filled with peace and harmony
The full text of the PM’s Christmas day message:
“As the month of December dawns, Christian devotees prepare to celebrate Christmas. The message of peace that echoed from Bethlehem with the birth of the infant Jesus continues to be honoured and revered by Christians across the world.
However, this year, the month of December has arrived not with the usual joy and festivity. It comes amid the sorrow, pain, and quiet anguish of thousands of our people affected by a natural disaster that has shaken the entire nation.
Yet, in keeping with the true meaning of Christmas and guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ, the people of our country have set aside their differences and come together in unity and solidarity to support those affected by the disaster. Through their actions, they have demonstrated to the world the values of love, compassion, and the noble teaching of Christ to love one another.
At this moment, we stand at a critical juncture where all communities must unite with a shared purpose and collective responsibility to rebuild the country and work together for the future of our nation.
We will continue to work tirelessly towards the common goal of building the “new country” envisioned by the many who have placed their trust in our government, and to ensure that their hopes and aspirations are fulfilled.
On this Christmas Day, let us renew our commitment to act together as citizens, guided by unity, love, compassion, and responsibility, in pursuit of our shared dream of a better tomorrow.
I extend my heartfelt wishes for a Merry Christmas to all Christian devotees in Sri Lanka and around the world.”
