India’s Sanju Samson with his family strikes a pose during The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Final Cricket Match between India and New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli celebrate after winning the third ODI against Australia on October 25, 2025
| Photo Credit: Reuters

New Zealand players celebrate winning the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 match against Pakistan at Dubai International Stadium on October 14, 2024 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

India were eliminated from the Women’s T20 World Cup after New Zealand scripted a commanding 54-run victory over Pakistan in Dubai on Monday (October 14, 2024) to reach the semifinals for the first time since the 2016 edition.

India’s only chance to make the semifinals was depended on a Pakistan win with an inferior Net Run-rate compared to theirs.

Pakistan were very much in the game after restricting New Zealand to a meagre 110 for six in 20 overs.

However, Pakistan’s batting crumbled badly as they were shot out for 56 in just 11.4 overs as White Ferns entered the semifinals with three wins from four games in Group A.

Australia tops group

Australia topped the group with eight points while New Zealand came second with six points. The loss to New Zealand in their tournament opener effectively cost India a place in the last four.

Spinner Amelia Kerr took three wickets but it was seamers Lea Tahuhu (1/8) and Eden Carson (2/7) who opened the floodgates.

Pakistan were supposed to reach the target in less than 12 overs to qualify but they ended up being all out before that.

Earlier, Pakistan bowlers gave a good account of themselves restricting New Zealand to a modest total.

While openers Suzie Bates (28) and Georgia Plimmer (17) added 41 runs for the opening stand and just when it seemed that the duo has created a solid foundation, the Pakistani spinners suddenly applied the choke on the opposition.

The two spinners — off-break bowler Omaima Sohail (1/14 in 4 overs) and left-arm orthodox Nashra Sandhu (3/18 in 4 overs) — were brilliant through the middle overs with 21 dot balls and four wickets between them for only 29 runs.

File picture of India women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur
| Photo Credit: PTI

The big-hitting Harmanpreet Kaur will lead a 15-member Indian squad unveiled on Tuesday for the Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE from October 3.

Top-order batter Yastika Bhatia and spin all-rounder Shreyanka Patil were also included in the squad subject to fitness.

Star batter Smriti Mandhana has been named Harmanpreet’s deputy.

The ICC event was shifted to the UAE from Bangladesh following unrest in the South Asian nation owing to a students’ protest.

India, placed in Group A along with Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, will be aiming for their maiden T20 World Cup trophy.

India squad for Women’s T20 World Cup

Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk)*, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil*, Sajana Sajeevan.

In the recent past, Afghanistan have become the second favourite team of cricket fans (assuming their respective countries are the first) in international tournaments. If you asked them before the start of the T20 World Cup, “If not your country, which team would you like to see win?”, most would have answered, “Afghanistan” (at other times, and for different reasons, New Zealand or Sri Lanka have been second favourites).

And this is not just because of Afghanistan’s recent history of war and terror and human disasters — which are reason enough — but for the brand of joyful cricket and unexpected narratives they bring to the field of play too. And for the sheer spirit and togetherness in the team which now has some world class performers.

Thrill of participation

This support is in no way patronising, nor does it come from a position of superiority. There has always been, in this team, the palpable thrill of participation, and the augury of great possibilities, all communicated to the viewers unselfconsciously. Now they have two bowlers in the world’s Top 10 and a batter in the Top 15 as they prepare to take on South Africa in the semifinal of a World Cup. It is the most romantic cricket story of our times.

The three other semifinalists are the only teams in the top 10 that Afghanistan have not beaten yet. But that hardly matters. This World Cup is already theirs in a bigger sense.

“Cricket is the only source of happiness back home,” skipper Rashid Khan has said. Afghanistan’s cricket is a source of happiness the world over. But there’s more. Cricket spells hope for a country that has suffered for decades, giving the players a sense of purpose and the satisfaction of achievement.

On the other hand, the growth of cricket among Afghans has showed the significance of sport and its ability to mean something beyond itself. Afghanistan and cricket have been good for each other, both have gained from the relationship.

Significantly, Afghanistan beat Bangladesh the old-fashioned way, by claiming ten wickets. They didn’t need any help from a rain washout or the rules or the apparently dodgy cramps from a player. This means there will be no mental asterisks against their qualification, for they certainly deserve to be in the semifinals. They beat Australia and New Zealand at the World Cup. They have three of the five most successful bowlers and two of the three most successful batters in the tournament.

But statistics are merely reference points for future researchers. These say nothing of the excitement, the decisions under pressure or how close to the edge either team came.

Crucial call

When Naveen-ul Haq came on to bowl what turned out to be the final over, there was consternation that Afghanistan might have got it wrong. Shouldn’t Fazalhaq Farooqi, the leading wicket-taker of the tournament and a left arm seamer, be the one to bowl it? If the match went into the 19th over, surely it would be the end for Afghanistan?

It needed some magic, perhaps two wickets in two deliveries so opening batter Litton Das would be left stranded at the non-striker’s end. Naveen-ul Haq provided the magic. Two wickets off successive deliveries. Then he took off, arms outstretched, and in danger of achieving lift-off. It was magnificent, a startling reminder of why some people play a sport, other people write about it, and how one hour of crowded glory is worth an age without a name!

Importance of Nabi

Mohammad Nabi, a few months short of his 40th birthday, was less demonstrative than the bowler. He had seen it all while taking Afghanistan from the World Cricket League division 5 to the semifinals of a World Cup. It was his century against a touring MCC that suggested Afghanistan might be a future Test candidate. Much like C.K. Nayudu’s century against the MCC hastened India’s entry into the big league.

Nabi has played 127 of Afghanistan’s 137 T20 internationals — his book, when he writes it, will have some of the most fascinating human stories you can hope to read anywhere.

But all that’s for the future. For the moment, it is celebration time. For Afghanistan, and for the rest of the world (barring perhaps Australia and Bangladesh).

Somnath Zende, 39, a police sub-inspector (PSI) in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune’s largest satellite city, says he trains at the gym for two hours, before work begins at 9 a.m. To build his body, he spends ₹600 daily on protein shakes and other supplements, besides his expenditure on the gym membership.

About three months ago, as chatter about the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup grew through media channels and across dining tables, his brother, Ganesh, 26, downloaded Dream11, a fantasy sports app, on Zende’s budget smartphone. Zende himself ‘invested’ ₹1,500 on creating Dream11 teams over the next few months, a great deal less than what he spends on bodybuilding each week.

But on October 10, when he won ₹1.5 crore for assembling a ‘fantasy’ winning cricket team for the England-Bangladesh match in Dharamshala, Zende was suspended for “promoting” real-money gaming, as a senior officer in the Pimpri-Chinchwad police says. The officer adds that playing these games is “not socially correct”.

The suspension laid bare the continuing tension between governments and law enforcement officials concerned about Indian citizens’ mental health on one hand, and fantasy sports gaming companies concerned about revenue, on the other. A Deloitte report from 2022 values the nascent industry at ₹34,000 crore.

Euphoric from the win, Zende, in uniform, had given media interviews — including to the BBC — that went viral, speaking in Marathi about how he had assembled the team that led to the win. The reason for his suspension on paper was that he had violated Maharashtra State Police’s code of conduct by a) playing the online game without permission from his unit commander, b) giving media interviews about his personal victory in uniform, and c) potentially being on the app while on duty.

An inquiry was opened into whether he was playing the game on duty as a PSI of the riot control police. “We would have been very happy if he had won in the real team 11,” says one of the officers on the investigation team.

App happy

Fantasy gaming apps allow users to deposit money in-app to build a virtual team or teams of players, and pit them against others. Users may win different amounts, depending on players’ actual on-ground performance. Those who top the leaderboard win the maximum cash, with a few others also reaping in some benefit. Many simply lose their money; some get back just what they had put in.

Much like mutual funds and stock market investment firms do with all advertising, companies in the real-money gaming app space declare the cash people put in as “financially risky”. However, these companies have successfully resisted the “betting and gambling” label in India’s courts. In fact, Dream11, which calls itself a strategy-based game, and others like it, have been upheld in various judgments as centred around skill that cannot be prohibited by State governments. This makes earnings from these apps taxable, and Zende will get roughly two-thirds of the ₹1.5 crore after fees and tax deductions.

In the past though, the concern of at least four State governments — reflected in various court proceedings in the High Courts — is that real-money gaming is in essence, gambling.

Dream11, one of the official partners for the ongoing ICC World Cup, raked in over ₹4,000 crore in annual revenue in 2021-22. Founded in 2008 as a free-to-use fantasy league for cricket fans, it began in-app purchases in 2012, and has grown to be the biggest fantasy sports league in India, with over 20 crore registered users playing across live cricket, football, and kabaddi, according to its website. “In the fiscal year 2022, Dream11 had the highest ad spend among fantasy sports and real-money gaming companies in India, with around 21.6 billion Indian rupees,” says an article on Statista, a data intelligence service.

Legal eagle

Recalling the day he won, Zende says, “A friend called me up and told me my name was flashing on TV. I was so happy. I told my wife immediately, and she said, ‘That’s not possible; things like this don’t happen’.” But it had. After two weeks, he talks about the win with a certain nonchalance, to some extent because of all that has happened since: the indefinite suspension from service, the viral reach of his win, and the media circus around both.

As videos featuring interviews of Zende went viral on WhatsApp, and Pimpri-Chinchwad, an emerging industrial hub, came into the limelight, a local politician took note. Amol Thorat, who was until recently the city’s BJP general secretary, shot off a letter to the police commissioner and to other top officials in the State government. Forwarded interview clips made it look to him like Zende was promoting online gambling, Thorat’s aide says. “He took up this issue and gave a letter to the commissioner saying it’s against the law. And the pressure started building up.”

On his part, Zende, who has not broken his routine of going to the gym from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., refuses to speak about the suspension while he is being investigated. He has busied himself visiting relatives in and around Pimpri. “My philosophy in life is just to be happy, no matter what,” says the family man, with two children, aged 7 and 3, as he breaks into a faint smile. When the term “online gambling” comes up, he quickly clarifies, “Not online gambling, skill gaming.”

Vinayak (first name withheld on request), a police constable, who works under Zende, says, “He doesn’t take tension (sic) at work. Outside the station, he freely speaks his mind.”

Born to farmers in Jejuri — a part of the Pune district and home to the Shaivite Khandoba Temple, a pilgrimage destination — Zende moved to Pimpri in 2011 and started work as a constable in 2012. After three years of preparation and obtaining a B.A. degree, he cleared the Maharashtra Public Service Commission’s entrance examination to join as a PSI in 2016. He had started working out around this time.

Concerns of States

States have been worried about the rise in people landing in financial trouble, and worse, taking their lives from the trauma of losing lakhs of rupees when they play real-money games online. Gaming disorder is a mental health condition, after all. In Tamil Nadu alone, a four-member committee found that 17 people in the State had killed themselves after they had lost money on these apps. States such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu tried to prohibit these games, but the bans were overturned in their respective High Courts.

Some States decided that enough was enough. Zende’s was one of them. A Group of Ministers (GoM) chaired by Maharashtra was formed at the GST Council, the powerful body that decides the rates and terms of sales taxes. The plan was simple: instead of taxing firms like Dream11 on the 5-20% commission they imposed, charge the entire amount that users deposited.

“Activities detrimental to social well-being should not be encouraged or promoted,” Sudhir Mungantiwar, a Maharashtra Minister, who headed the GoM, said in its final meeting. Minutes of that meeting, released in October, say that he took a “resolute stance” on the issue. The tax, which kicked in on October 1 this year, is 28% of the ‘face value’ of bets. This means that if a user puts ₹100 into their wallet on the app, ₹28 will be taxed, against the earlier ₹4 or less.

Sanjay Malhotra, the Union government’s Revenue Secretary, went even further: people were being taxed less when they were risking their money than when they were buying essential food items, he complained. Whether something was a game of skill or chance wasn’t the determining factor anymore. Everything was taxed: from casinos and horse races to real-money games and lottery tickets.

The industry has been quiet since the tax was announced, after briefly expressing anguish at its imposition. “We are deeply distressed,” one firm lamented in a press statement. Real-money gaming began internationally in the late 1990s, with India picking it up in the early 2010s. It boomed as Internet prices fell and smartphones became cheaper and apps more accessible.

A top office-bearer of the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports, of which Dream11 is a founding member, declined to discuss either the current legal situation or Zende’s dismissal. Another top official from the All India Gaming Federation, with 56 member companies on its membership rolls, did not respond to calls. A Dream11 spokesperson declined to comment too.

Zende hasn’t decided what he will do with the money yet, not even if he will pay off his ₹30-lakh home loan for a house he has bought in Pimpri-Chinchwad. As he waits for the inquiry report, due in about six months, he’s clear about one thing: he won’t quit his job, even though he has won far more than his salary will amount to over his police career. “I won’t leave this job,” he says. “I’ve worked very hard for it.”

If you are in distress, please reach out to these 24×7 helplines: KIRAN 1800-599-0019 or Aasra 9820466726.

New Zealand’s Mitch Santner leaves the ground after losing his wicket during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match between New Zealand and South Africa in Pune, India, on November 1, 2023
| Photo Credit: AP

New Zealand leave Pune sore and sorry after notching up their third World Cup defeat in succession against South Africa and with a mounting injury toll weighing on their chances of reaching the semi-finals.

Pace bowler Matt Henry is unlikely to feature in Saturday’s crunch match against Pakistan after injuring his right hamstring in the 190-run thumping by the Proteas on Wednesday.

Kyle Jamieson has been called up from New Zealand as cover for Henry and should arrive with the squad late on Thursday, the team said.

Jimmy Neesham is nursing a bruised right wrist after being struck by the ball while bowling in the first innings.

While an X-ray cleared him of broken bones, selectors may have little choice but to play the all-rounder given injury queries over Mark Chapman (calf) and Kane Williamson (thumb), who were ruled out of the South Africa game.

Paceman Lockie Ferguson, meanwhile, is nursing a right Achilles injury, though he was cleared of significant damage by a scan and selectors hope he will be available for Pakistan.

“It’s sad to see guys get injured but at the same time it gives people other opportunities as well,” all-rounder Daryl Mitchell told reporters.

“We’re a pretty close group and we back each other and we’ve done it for a long period of time now.”

After winning their first four games in a perfect start, the Black Caps have crumbled against India, Australia and the Proteas. They now cling to fourth place in the standings, two points ahead of Pakistan.

The top four reach the semi-finals.

The heavy defeat to South Africa has also seen their run-rate take a major hit and another big loss against Pakistan could see the south Asians leapfrog them into the top four.

Having won the toss against South Africa, captain Tom Latham surprised by electing to field against opponents that often struggle to chase down totals.

Not that Glenn Phillips was questioning the captain’s call after South Africa put 357 for four on the board.

“Obviously South Africa are incredibly strong batting first, but we’ve got an incredibly good bowling line-up and there was no reason that we couldn’t have restricted them to a total that could have been a lot easier to chase on there,” said the middle order batsman.

New Zealand can ill afford to slip up again but are confident their World Cup fate remains in their hands.

Wins in the last two matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka should be enough for the semi-finals.

“We’ve got our own brand and if we stick to it, we know that we’re fighters, we keep coming back time and time again, and when it matters most, we really put the foot down,” said Phillips.

File picture of Australia’s Mitchell Marsh during a World Cup match.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Australia will be without Mitchell Marsh for their World Cup game against England this week after the all-rounder returned home to Perth for personal reasons, the country’s cricket board said on Thursday.

Cricket Australia said a timeline on Marsh’s return to the squad “is to be confirmed” and it was not immediately clear if a replacement player would be called up to the squad should his absence be prolonged.

The five-times champions face holders England in Ahmedabad on Saturday before pool stage encounters against Afghanistan and Bangladesh later this month.

Australia are third in the table after six matches as they look to shore up their position for a semi-final spot.

The news of Marsh’s unavailability comes after fellow all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was ruled out of the England match due to concussion after he fell off a golf cart this week.

All-rounder Marcus Stoinis is set to return to the line-up after shaking off a calf problem while Cameron Green is likely to step in for Marsh.

Australia’s Marcus Stoinis, during a practice session at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru
| Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K.

A fitness freak who is very particular about his food intake, Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis is travelling across India with a personal chef to ensure that he is getting a low carb diet during the ODI World Cup.

The 34-year-old all-rounder is on a ketogenic diet (high-fat, low-carb) with baked oats infused with protein one of his favourites, according to a report in cricket.com.au.

Mumbai-born Velton Saldanha, a chef trained in French cuisine, travels with Stoinis while he is in India and cooks him meals out of the Australian team’s hotel kitchens, according to the report.

“Quite a few of the Indian boys do it, that’s where I got the idea,” Stoinis told cricket.com.au’s ‘Unplayable Podcast’.

“I’ve always been quite strict with my food and all that stuff in my preparation.”

No garlic naan

The Australian team has its own chef, who oversees food preparation as they move around the country, but Stoinis has gone a step further in his pursuit of peak performance.

“Garlic naan is out. Gluten-free banana bread and shepherd’s pie with roasted cauliflower mash are in. A roast butter chicken, the intersection of Saldanha’s French training and his Indian heritage, has also been a hit,” the report said.

“Stoinis is getting by on baked oats – at least for the small carbohydrate portion of his meticulously curated diet,” it said.

“By the end of the World Cup, Saldanha might be able to sell the ‘Stoinis Oats’ as a standalone dish.”

K.L. Rahul’s recommendation

Stoinis had met Saldanha, who who has worked in fine-dining restaurants in Chicago and New York, during this year’s Indian Premier League on a recommendation from his Lucknow Supergiants teammate and India star K.L. Rahul.

Saldanha founded Mumbai’s Chutney Collective during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stoinis has struggled to play consistently in this tournament. He missed the opening match with a hamstring and quad concern. His scores in the three matches he has played so far are 5, 20 not out and 21.

“I want to play for as long as I can. I want to take control of as many things as I can through my cricketing career,” said Stoinis.

“We travel a lot and we’re obviously away from our comfort zone. We’re in different time zones. we’re in different beds, we’re in different hotels – we’re not exactly by the beach in Perth, having a coffee and that sort of stuff.”

He does not consider investing on a personal chef as waste of money.

“So I’m more than happy to invest in myself and in my environment. I don’t see that stuff, which some people do, as a waste (of money).

“I’m happy to invest in my own chef or invest my own batting coach or invest my own sports psychologist – that’s just the way I see things.”

A Constitution Bench led by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud hears the electoral bonds case on October 31, 2023. Photo: YouTube/@supremecourtofindia5950

Supreme Court flags possibility of electoral bonds being used to trade favours

A Constitution Bench on October 31 raised the scenario of influential entities covertly setting up persons with verified accounts to purchase electoral bonds for them through the regular banking route in order to curry favour or anonymously enter into a quid pro quo with ruling political parties.

Suspected extremists kill police officer in Moreh; Manipur CM vows action

Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh has vowed action against extremists who gunned town a sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) in the India-Myanmar border town of Moreh on Tuesday. Chingtham Anand Kumar, the SDPO, was on duty overseeing the cleaning of the grounds of a school when suspected Kuki militants opened fire on him. He succumbed to his injuries at a local primary health centre.

India to choose between Bangladesh and Nepal candidates for WHO regional chief

India, along with other South Asian and South East Asian countries, will choose between candidates from Bangladesh and Nepal for the post of Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), bringing a bitterly fought campaign to an end.

The vote will take place on November 1, the third day of the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia being hosted by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Delhi.

Kalamassery blast accused Martin sent to judicial custody till November 29

Martin V.D., the sole accused in the Kalamassery Jehovah’s Witnesses convention centre blast case, was on October 31 remanded in judicial custody till November 29.

Martin informed the court that he would argue his case as the party in person and declined to receive legal aid provided by the State. Though a lawyer engaged by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority was present at the court, the accused said he wanted to present his case in his voice.

October rain in southern India ‘sixth lowest’ since 1901

The northeast monsoon, which replaced the southwest monsoon in October, and brings vital rain to several parts of southern India, has been the “sixth lowest” since 1901 so far, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General, M. Mohapatra said at a briefing on October 31.

Apple warns Opposition MPs about ‘state-sponsored’ attacks on their iPhones; government assures probe

Over a dozen Opposition leaders and journalists received email alerts from U.S.-based tech giant Apple on Monday night, informing them that their digital devices were being targeted by “state-sponsored attackers”. On Tuesday, the Union government said it would launch an investigation into the alerts, though the Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw described Opposition claims of snooping as “vague”.

List anti-pollution steps: SC to Delhi, 4 States

The governments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan were on Tuesday directed by the Supreme Court to file affidavits within a week enumerating measures initiated by them to control air pollution in the national capital.

A three-judge Bench of Justices S.K. Kaul, Sudhanshu Dhulia, and P.K. Mishra said the city is now marred by worsening air quality and it is difficult to even step outside the house, adding that stubble burning is a major cause of the rising pollution. It posted the matter for hearing on November 7.

Maratha quota stir | Jarange Patil issues fresh ultimatum, lashes out at State government

With no let-up in the Maratha quota stir, beleaguered Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde called for an all-party meeting on November 1 in a bid to defuse the situation even as quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil issued a fresh 24-hour ultimatum to the government on Tuesday to grant immediate reservation to the Marathas via a special session of the State Legislature.

Trains involved in accident not fitted with Kavach but have Vigilance Control Device, says Waltair Divisional Railway Manager

Train no. 08532 Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger and the 08504 Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger, which were involved in the rear collision in Vizianagaram district, do not have the anti-collision device – Kavach. While railway officials suspect overshooting of the signal as the cause of the accident, they do not rule out other possibilities.

Canada bans WeChat and Kaspersky on government phones

Canada on Monday banned popular Chinese messaging app WeChat and Russian platform Kaspersky from government smartphones and other mobile devices, citing privacy and security risks.

Two dead as Bangladesh garment workers protest low pay

Thousands of garment workers in Bangladesh walked off the job in protest at low wages Monday, sparking clashes with security forces and damaging multiple factories in unrest that left at least two people dead, police said.

ICC World Cup | New Zealand and South Africa cross swords in a key clash

Even before the Men’s World Cup began, November 1 clash was supposed to be among the matches to watch out for in the league stage. The manner in which the tournament has progressed makes it a tantalising affair.

After all, New Zealand and South Africa are among the rank favourites to enter the semifinals. The winning outfit at the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium will set one foot in the last-four, while the losing team may well have to face the table-topper in the semifinal.