Sports

Bumrah Among Injured Stars Set to Miss ICC Champions Trophy

Published

9 months ago

February 13, 2025

Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and Australia’s Mitchell Starc have joined the growing list of injured players as the countdown to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 begins, set to commence on February 19.

Ending the uncertainty over Bumrah’s participation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Tuesday that he will miss the tournament due to a back injury sustained during the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney earlier this year.

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Harshit Rana, who made his ODI debut in the ongoing series against England, will replace Bumrah on the squad. Additionally, Yashasvi Jaiswal has been omitted from the provisional roster, with Varun Chakravarthy stepping in as his replacement. Jaiswal, alongside Mohammed Siraj and Shivam Dube, has been reassigned to the non-travelling reserves.

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On the Australian side, Starc has opted out of the tournament, joining Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood on the injury list. The team also faced the loss of Mitchell Marsh due to injury, followed by Marcus Stoinis’s surprising retirement from ODIs just days before the tournament.

South Africa’s Anrich Nortje was the first player to withdraw from the tournament after preliminary squads were announced, with fellow fast bowler Gerald Coetzee now joining him on the injured list. Several other players remain uncertain for the competition due to recent injuries. Pakistan’s Haris Rauf has been sidelined for the remainder of the home ODI Tri-Series due to a muscular strain, while opening batter Saim Ayub is also set to miss the tournament due to a serious injury sustained last year.

New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson and Rachin Ravindra are also doubtful as they recover from injuries suffered in recent matches—Ferguson from a hamstring issue during the ILT20, and Ravindra from a blow to the face during a Tri-Series game against Pakistan.

England has also been affected, as young all-rounder Jacob Bethell picked up an injury during the white-ball series in India leading up to the Champions Trophy, which returns after an eight-year hiatus.

The ICC has set February 11 as the final deadline for participating teams to submit their rosters of 15 players for the Champions Trophy, with any subsequent changes requiring approval from the tournament’s technical committee.

India’s Champions Trophy squad includes: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, and Varun Chakravarthy.

Non-travelling reserves are: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, and Shivam Dube.

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Sports

India Creates History: Wins First-Ever Women’s World Cup Title

Published

6 days ago

November 3, 2025

Namma Kudla

Mumbai: At last, victory has finally come India’s way. The Indian women’s cricket team has won its first-ever Women’s World Cup title, making history and bringing joy to millions of fans across the country.

This is India’s maiden World Cup triumph after reaching the finals three times in the tournament’s history. The team defeated South Africa by 52 runs in the 2025 final to lift the coveted trophy.

India had earlier reached the finals in 2005 and 2017, but lost on both occasions. However, this time, they made history on home soil by clinching the long-awaited title.

Since the Women’s World Cup began in 1973, only three teams had won the tournament — England, Australia, and New Zealand. England won the first-ever World Cup by defeating Australia. Later, Australia dominated the competition, winning three consecutive titles.

England returned to glory in 1993, defeating New Zealand, while New Zealand became new champions in 2000 after beating Australia in the final.

After a gap of 25 years, the world has seen a new champion — India.

Australia went on to win again in 2005, 2013, and 2022, while England lifted the trophy in 2009 and 2017. Now, in 2025, host nation India has joined the elite list of World Cup winners.

In the semifinals, India created history by chasing down 338 runs against Australia, one of the highest successful chases in women’s cricket history.

The nation erupted in celebration as India’s women cricketers brought home the first-ever Women’s World Cup title, marking a golden chapter in Indian cricket.India had earlier reached the finals in 2005 and 2017, but lost on both occasions. However, this time, they made history on home soil by clinching the long-awaited title.

England returned to glory in 1993, defeating New Zealand, while New Zealand became new champions in 2000 after beating Australia in the final.

After a gap of 25 years, the world has seen a new champion — India.

Australia went on to win again in 2005, 2013, and 2022, while England lifted the trophy in 2009 and 2017. Now, in 2025, host nation India has joined the elite list of World Cup winners.

In the semifinals, India created history by chasing down 338 runs against Australia, one of the highest successful chases in women’s cricket history.

The nation erupted in celebration as India’s women cricketers brought home the first-ever Women’s World Cup title, marking a golden chapter in Indian cricket.

Sports

Shreyas Iyer Admitted to ICU After Spleen Injury in Sydney

Published

2 weeks ago

October 27, 2025

Namma Kudla

Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer has been admitted to the ICU in Sydney after suffering internal bleeding and a laceration to his spleen during the third ODI against Australia.

Iyer was injured while taking a stunning catch to dismiss Alex Carey and was rushed to the hospital after feeling severe pain in his left rib cage. The BCCI confirmed that scans revealed a spleen injury, but said he is “medically stable and recovering well.”

Doctors in Sydney and India are closely monitoring his condition. Sources told PTI that the injury could have been fatal, but Iyer is now stable and under observation for a few days.

The 30-year-old, who recently returned from a back injury, may face an extended recovery period before returning to action.

Sports

Virat Kohli’s Cryptic Post Ends Retirement Rumours

Published

3 weeks ago

October 16, 2025

Namma Kudla

Indian cricket star Virat Kohli has put an end to rumours about his retirement with a powerful message on social media. Just hours after landing in Australia for the ODI series, Kohli shared a cryptic post on X (formerly Twitter), saying: “Only time you fail is when you stop trying.”

This post comes amid growing speculation about his future in international cricket. Kohli, 36, recently retired from T20Is and also stepped away from Test cricket earlier this month. His latest post signals that he is not done with the game yet and is focused on the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, starting October 19 in Perth.

Kohli’s post was his first non-promotional tweet since September and has brought relief to fans who were concerned about his future. Both Kohli and Rohit Sharma remain part of India’s ODI plans, though their roles beyond the Australia series are still unclear.

BCCI officials, however, have confirmed that the duo will also feature in the upcoming home series against South Africa and New Zealand, as well as play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy later this year.