Bengaluru: Captain Smriti Mandhana’s blitz and a disciplined effort by bowlers powered Royal Challengers Bangalore to a comprehensive eight-wicket win over sloppy Gujarat Giants in their Women’s Premier League match here on Tuesday.

Mandhana (43, 27b, 8×4, 1×6) and S Meghana (36, 28b, 5×4, 1×6), who added 40 runs for the second wicket, made light work of a 108-run target.

Royal Challengers finished their towelling of the Giants in a mere 12.3 overs for their second win on the bounce in this WPL.

They just had to build on the strong foundation laid by the RCB bowlers, who restricted Giants to 107 for 7. Pacer Renuka Singh (2/14) and left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux (3/25) did the star turn for the home side after it opted to bowl.

The RCB chase began with a bang as Mandhana slammed two fours in the first two balls off pacer Lea Tahuhu a drive past the point and a well-timed pull carrying the ball to the fence in a jiffy.

The graceful left-hander added another four through a pull a ball later as RCB amassed 13 runs in the first over.

With boundaries raining, the Bangalore outfit marched to 32 for no loss in the third over but lost Sophine Devine to Ashleigh Gardner in the fourth over.

But her dismissal did not slow down the scoring as Mandhana smoked a six over the head off Tahuhu to keep the momentum going.

A fifty was there for taking, but a tame push off left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar cut short her entertaining stint.

Her innings also put in perspective the early struggles of Giants’ batters, who limped without timing or power.

There was a certain tackiness on the pitch alright, but the RCB bowlers also hit the right length to keep the Giants batters on a tight leash.

The dismissal of Giants’ skipper Beth Mooney (8) was a perfect example for this.

Mooney had struck Renuka for two boundaries earlier, and she immediately changed the line coming around the wicket.

She was rewarded with the big wicket when Mooney failed to tackle a delivery that shaped in to beat her defensive prod.

Renuka soon ousted Phoebe Litchfield too when the Aussie batter failed to drag her feet back inside the crease before Richa Ghosh, standing up, completed her stumping.

The pacer bowled her full quota of four overs on the trot and returned with handsome numbers of 4-0-14-2.

From that point, the Giants kept on losing wickets, including generally quick scorers like Ashleigh Gardner, and it thwarted their attempts to give some steam to the innings.

Dayalan Hemalatha’s unbeaten 31 off 25 balls helped them go past the 100-run mark.

They ended the first 10 overs at 44 for two, and the back 10 too did not prove much different as RCB bowlers kept chipping away without conceding too many runs.

That the Giants managed a total of just 10 fours and two sixes in their entire innings underlined their tough time.

Bengaluru: Delhi Capitals crushed UP Warriorz by nine wickets in a one-sided Women’s Premier League match here on Monday.

After restricting UP Warriorz to a mere 119 for nine in the first half, Meg Lanning (51) and Shafali Verma (64 not out) knocked off the target without any hassle.

Chasing 120, Delhi Capitals scored 123 for one in 14.3 overs.

Delhi Capitals won the game with 5.3 overs to spare and moved to the second position in the five-team points table.

Earlier, Radha Yadav returned 4-0-20-4 after Marizanne Kapp (4-1-5-3) blew away UP Warriorz’s top order.

Shweta Sehrawat waged a lone battle of sorts scoring 45 from 42 balls with five fours and a six.

For Delhi, Arundhati Reddy and Annabel Sutherland chipped in one wicket apiece.

Brief scores:

UP Warriorz 119/9 in 20 overs (Shweta Sehrawat 45; Marizanne Kapp 3/5, Radha Yadav 4/20) 

Delhi Capitals 123/1 in 14.3 overs (Meg Lanning 51, Shafali Verma 64*; Sophie Ecclestone 1/ 31) by 9 wickets.

New Delhi: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Monday invited protesting grapplers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and retired Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik to come for the national trials in March to select the team for two top Asian competitions, including the 2024 Paris Games Qualifiers in Kyrgyzstan.

One of the conditions put by the United World Wrestling (UWW) while lifting the suspension on WFI earlier this month was that the three grapplers would not be discriminated against for protesting against former national federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

The three have been demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan for his alleged sexual harassment of women wrestlers. The sports ministry had also suspended the WFI last year in the wake of the serious allegations and instituted an ad-hoc panel to run the affairs of the sport.

The ministry had also ordered fresh elections, which were held in December last year, but the newly-elected body under Sanjay Singh was suspended by the ministry three days after its formation for not giving enough time to age-group wrestlers to prepare and travel before announcing the dates for the nationals.

The ministry again instituted a three-member ad-hoc panel to run the affairs of the sport.

The WFI, while announcing the trials on March 10-11, also included the names of Bajrang (65kg freestyle), Vinesh (55kg) and Sakshi (62kg), who had announced her retirement from the sport in “frustration” the day Sanjay Singh was elected president.

“I would like to inform all affiliated units of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) that the selection trials to select the teams for participation in the following events are being conducted on 10th and 11th March 2024 at K.D. Jadhav Wrestling Indoor Stadium, IGI Sports Complex, New Delhi,” said Sanjay Singh in a statement.

The trials are being held to select the teams for the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) from April 11-16 and the Asian Olympic Games Qualifier Tournament at the same venue from April 19-21, the statement added.

“All state units are requested to intimate the wrestlers as per list attached to participate in the said trials,” added the statement.

The three wrestlers did not take part in the nationals organised by the suspended WFI in Pune and instead competed in the national championships conducted by the ad-hoc committee in Jaipur earlier this month.

The UWW lifting the suspension on WFI on February 13 has made things confusing in the Olympic year.

While the WFI continues to remain suspended by the ministry and the reins have been given to the ad-hoc panel, the WFI is the only body which can send teams abroad because they are recognised by the international body.

The suspension was imposed by UWW on August 23 last year after the national federation failed to hold elections in time.

Sakshi and Bajrang have also accused WFI of using devious means to get the UWW suspension lifted and threatened fresh protest.

The trials will be conducted in all the weight categories — Olympic and non-Olympic — in free-style and greco-roman.

Haryana’s Vishal Kaliraman, who could not go to the Hangzhou Asian Games last year despite winning the trials, would be Bajrang’s main opponent in the 65kg category if the Olympic medallist decides to come for the trial next month.

Several khaps had then supported Kaliraman and criticised Bajrang for going to the Asian Games despite not appearing for trials.

Antim Panghal, the only Indian to have qualified for the Paris Olympics so far, will be appearing for trials in the 54kg category.

RANCHI: The India head coach and former India No.3 had embraced the current No. 3 with a tight hug.

The emotions, understandably, were running high. And why not, less than 48 hours after being almost down and out, India has bounced to win, not just the Ranchi Test, but also seal the five-match series against England with a 3-1 lead.

Watching Dravid embrace Gill, and then Dhruv Jurel, it was hard not draw parallels to Adelaide’s 2003 victory. The current No. 3 walked in at a tricky situation, wearing a cap, watched Rohit Sharma, Rajat Patidar, Ravindra Jadeja and Sarfaraz Khan walk back with India still needing 72 runs to win with five wickets in hand. The pitch was not easy to bat on and things could either way in the blink of an eye.

Gill, along with Jurel, showed no nerves, worked singles as they kept the scoreboard moving. There were the occasional appeals and reviews, but the No. 3 batter provided the solidity the team needed. To put into context, Gill’s first boundary came off the 120th ball he faced when India needed just 20 runs. From thereon, it was only a matter of time as the young batters added an unbeaten stand of 72 to get India home. The celebrations as they ran the final two, hands aloft, high-fiving in the middle of a run with Gill in a cap will stay with everyone. It will be remembered with fondness by those who have witnessed the famous Adelaide 2003 win as well.

In many ways, it was only fitting that Gill (52 n.o) and Jurel (39 n.o) were the ones to rescue India and seal the series with a five-wicket win. This series has been about India’s transition. And in Ranchi, from staring at a huge first innings deficit after day two to winning the match on day four afternoon sums up their bench strength. “In the next five years, some of these players are going to play for India regularly in this format,” Rohit would say after the match.

Among other things, this series is also proof of what India are made of in home Tests and why they continue to remain giants, and the team to beat.

Ranchi: India reached 219 for seven at stumps against England on the second day of the fourth Test, trailing the visitors by 134 runs here on Saturday.

England were all out for 353 in their first innings earlier in day, having resumed from their overnight score of 302 for seven.

In-form young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scored in the home team’s first innings with a 73 off 117 balls.

Dhruv Jurel (30) and Kuldeep Yadav (17) were unbeaten at stumps, having helped India recover from 177 for seven.

Among England bowlers, off-spinner Shoaib Bashir shone the most and ended the day with figures of 4/84.

For England, Joe Root remained not out on 122 after breaking his lean run with the bat, and Ollie Robinson contributed a useful 58.

Ravindra Jadeja picked up 4/67, and pacer Akash Deep grabbed 3/83 in an impressive debut.

Brief scores:

India 1st innings: 353 all out in 104.5 overs (Joe Root 122, Ollie Robinson 58, Ben Foakes 47; Ravindra Jadeja 4/67, Akash Deep 3/83)

England 1st innings: 219/7 in 73 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 73; Shoaib Bashir 4/84).

Chhattisgarh actor-director-producer Manoj Rajput

Durg: Chhattisgarh actor-director-producer Manoj Rajput was held for allegedly raping a close relative for the past 13 years after promising to marry her, a police official said on Saturday.

He was held from his office in the state’s Durg district on Friday on the complaint of the 29-year-old victim, the official said.

“On February 22, she lodged a complaint at the Old Bhilai railway police station about Rajput sexually exploiting her since 2011 on the pretext of marriage. After he reneged on his promise, she approached police,” Station House Officer (SHO) Rajkumar Borjha said.

Rajput was charged under Indian Penal Code sections for rape, unnatural sex, criminal intimidation and other offences as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act since the victim was a minor when the alleged exploitation began, Borjha said.

A local court where Rajput was produced, however, quashed the provisions of POCSO Act citing the law did not exist in 2011 (when the exploitation allegedly started), he added.

Bengaluru: Well-timed fifties by Richa Ghosh and Sabbhineni Meghana pushed Royal Challengers Bangalore to a par 157 for six on a slightly tacky pitch against UP Warriorz in their WPL match here on Saturday.

Meghana (53, 44b, 7×4, 1×6) and Richa (62, 37b, 12×4) added 71 runs for the fourth wicket in 50 balls as the Royal Challengers recovered from a shaky 54 for three in 7.5 overs after being asked to bat first.

Sensing the situation, both Meghana and Richa took their time to settle into their partnership, but once they got their eyes in, the RCB pair did not look back.

Meghana, who was dropped on 20 and 22, made full use of those let-offs to play some stunning shots around the ground.

Her thumping loft over extra cover for a six off left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad was good enough to watch in loop.

She reached her fifty in 40 balls, and Richa, who hammered pacer Saima Thakor for 16 runs in the 14th over, reached her own mark soon off 31 balls with a four off Tahlia McGrath.

The partnership was broken when Gayakwad had Meghana stumped by Alyssa Healy.

But before that steady stand, RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry struggled to come to terms with the sluggishness of the track, perishing in their attempt to force the pace.

New Delhi: Star India batter Virat Kohli on Tuesday announced that he and his actress wife Anushka Sharma were blessed with a baby boy on February 15.

Kohli and Anushka are already proud parents of a three-year-old daughter Vamika.

“With abundant happiness and our hearts full of love, we are pleased to inform everyone that on 15th February, we welcomed our baby boy Akaay & Vamika’s little brother into this world!,” Kohli informed in an instagram post.

“We seek your blessings and good wishes in this beautiful time in our lives. We request you to kindly respect our privacy at this time.”

Kohli had opted out of the ongoing Test series against England, citing personal reasons.

India are leading the five-match series 2-1.

New Delhi: The much-anticipated Indian Premier League is set to begin on March 22 and will be held entirely in the country despite the coinciding general elections, league chairman Arun Dhumal told PTI on Tuesday.

The elections are expected to be held in April and May and that is the main reason why the schedule for the IPL’s 17th edition has not been unveiled yet.

Speaking to PTI, Dhumal said to begin with, only the schedule of the first 15 days will be announced and the roster for the remaining games will be decided after the announcement of the general election dates.

The dates of the Lok Sabha polls are expected to be announced early next month.

“We are looking at a March 22 start for the tournament. We are working closely with the government agencies and we will first release the initial schedule. The entire tournament will be held in India,” said Dhumal.

Only in 2009, the IPL, in its entirety, was held overseas (South Africa) while the 2014 edition was partially held in the UAE due to the general elections.

However, in 2019, the tournament was held in India despite the elections.

Considering the T20 World Cup begins within days of the cash-rich league’s conclusion, the final is likely to be held on May 26.

India will play their opening World Cup fixture against Ireland in New York on June 5 while the ICC showpiece begins with the USA and Canada clash on June 1.

As is the norm, the IPL opener will be played between the last year’s finalists, the winners Chennai Super Kings in this case and runners-up Gujarat Titans.

The players’ auction for the 2024 season was held in December last year and Australian pacer Mitchell Starc became the most expensive player in the history of the league after being bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 24.75 crore.

Rajkot: India beat England by a whopping 434 runs in the third Test to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series here on Sunday.

This was India’s biggest Test win in terms of runs, surpassing the 372-run victory over New Zealand in 2021.

Set an improbable victory target of 557, England collapsed to 122 all out in 39.4 overs on day four.

Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers for India, taking five wickets for 41 runs in 12.4 overs.

It was easily England’s worst batting effort of the series with no batter able to cross the 20-run mark barring number 10 Mark Wood (33).

On the same pitch, India amassed 445 and 430 for four declared in their two innings respectively.

The massive win was set up by Yashasvi Jaiswal who remained unbeaten on 214 in India’s second innings. The other centurions of the game were Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja.

Sarfaraz Khan scored back-to-back fifties on his debut.

The fourth Test will be played in Ranchi from February 23.

Brief Scores:

India: 445 and 430 for 4 in 98 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 214 not out, Sarfaraz Khan 68 not out, Shubman Gill 91; Rehan Ahmed 1/108)

England: 319 and 122 all out in 39.4 overs (Mark Wood 33; Ravindra Jadeja 5/41, Kuldeep Yadav 2/19).