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Tuesday, 23 December 2025

IND W vs SL W 2nd T20I: Shafali Verma Stars as India Take 2-0 Series Lead

🇮🇳 India Women vs Sri Lanka Women 2nd T20I Highlights: Shafali Verma’s 69 Powers India to Big Win

Date: December 23, 2025

Venue: ACA-VDCA Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam

Series: 5-Match Women’s T20I Series

Result: India Women won by 7 wickets

Series Status: India lead 2-0

Match Summary

India Women continued their dominant run against Sri Lanka Women with a thumping 7-wicket victory in the 2nd T20I at Visakhapatnam. A sensational innings from Shafali Verma, who smashed 69 runs, helped India chase down the target with 49 balls to spare.

After restricting Sri Lanka to 128/9 in 20 overs, the Indian batters made light work of the chase, showing complete control from the start.

Sri Lanka Women’s Innings – 128/9 (20 Overs)

Sri Lanka struggled to build momentum against India’s disciplined bowling attack.

Top Performers (Sri Lanka)

Harshitha Samarawickrama: 33 (32)

Chamari Athapaththu: 31 (24)

Best Bowlers (India)

Shree Charani: 2/23 (4 overs)

Vaishnavi Sharma: 2 wickets

Sneh Rana: Economical spell with 1 wicket

India kept things tight in the middle overs, preventing Sri Lanka from posting a challenging total.

India Women’s Chase – 129/3 (11.5 Overs)

The chase was all about Shafali Verma’s explosive batting. She attacked from the very beginning and never allowed Sri Lanka to settle.

Top Performers (India)

Shafali Verma: 69 (dominant match-winning knock)

Smriti Mandhana: Provided steady support

Harmanpreet Kaur: Finished the game calmly

India reached the target in just 11.5 overs, showcasing their batting depth and intent.

Player of the Match

🏆 Shafali Verma

For her brilliant 69-run innings, setting up a co
mfortable victory for India.

Monday, 22 December 2025

IPL 2025 Mega Auction: Records Broken, Big Money Spent & History Made

The IPL 2025 Mega Auction turned out to be one of the biggest and most memorable events in IPL history. Held over two days (November 24–25, 2024) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the auction saw massive spending, intense bidding wars, and several new records being created.

With franchises having bigger purses and clear strategies, the auction reshaped team combinations ahead of IPL 2025.

📍 Auction Overview

Venue: Abadi Al Johar Arena, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Dates: November 24–25, 2024
Total Spend: ₹639.15 Crore
Players Sold: 182
- Indian Players: 120
- Overseas Players: 62

The total spending crossed ₹639 crore, making it one of the highest-spending IPL auctions ever.

🏏 Biggest Records from IPL 2025 Auction

💰 Most Expensive Player Ever

Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in IPL history after being bought by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a massive ₹27 Crore.
LSG showed complete faith in Pant’s leadership skills, batting ability, and match-winning potential.

👶 Youngest Player in IPL History

Vaibhav Suryavanshi, just 13 years old, made headlines by becoming the youngest player ever to be picked in an IPL auction.
He was signed by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for ₹1.1 Crore, highlighting RR’s trust in young talent and future planning.

🔥 Other Big Buys

Shreyas Iyer was picked up by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for ₹26.75 Crore, making him one of the top purchases of the auction.
Several Indian and overseas stars attracted high bids as teams fought hard to secure key players.

🧢 Team-wise Highlights (Examples)

🟦 Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

Biggest signing: Rishabh Pant (₹27 Cr)
Total players bought: 12
Focused on strengthening leadership and middle-order batting

🟨 Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Highlight signing: Vaibhav Suryavanshi (₹1.1 Cr)
Continued their tradition of backing young and emerging talent

🔴 Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Star purchase: Shreyas Iyer (₹26.75 Cr)
Aimed to rebuild the squad around experienced Indian players

📈 Key Trends from the Auction

Indian players dominated the auction spending
Teams showed strong interest in captains, wicketkeepers, and all-rounders
Younger players received attention like never before
Franchises were willing to spend big on proven match-winners

India U-19 Suffer Heartbreaking Loss Against Pakistan U-19 in ODI World Cup Final

Introduction

The Pakistan Under-19 cricket team delivered a dominant performance to defeat India Under-19 in the Asia Cup U-19 Final in Dubai. What was expected to be a closely fought title clash turned into a one-sided contest, as Pakistan registered a massive 191-run victory, leaving Indian fans stunned.

A sensational century from Sameer Minhas laid the foundation for Pakistan’s triumph, while India’s batting lineup collapsed under scoreboard pressure.

Sameer Minhas Steals the Spotlight

Batting first after winning the toss, Pakistan U-19 suffered an early setback when opener Hamza Zahoor was dismissed for 18. However, that wicket only brought out the best in Sameer Minhas, who took complete control of the innings.

Displaying remarkable composure and attacking intent, Minhas punished the Indian bowlers all around the park. He played a magnificent knock of 172 runs off 113 balls, smashing 17 fours and 9 sixes in a commanding innings that shifted the momentum firmly in Pakistan’s favor.

Minhas was eventually dismissed in the 43rd over, but by then, the damage had already been done.

Strong Support from the Middle Order

Minhas received solid support from the rest of the batting unit.

Ahmed Hussain contributed a well-made half-century
Usman Khan added a valuable 35 runs

Their partnerships ensured that Pakistan maintained the scoring rate and built a formidable total. By the end of 50 overs, Pakistan had posted a daunting 347/8, putting India under enormous pressure in the final.

India’s Batting Collapse in the Final

Chasing a target of 348 in a high-pressure final, India U-19 never found momentum. Captain Ayush Mhatre was dismissed early for just 2 runs, setting the tone for a disastrous chase.

One by one, Indian batsmen fell cheaply:

Aaron Varghese – 16
Vihan Malhotra – 7
Vedant Trivedi – 9
Abhigyan Kundu – 13

The only brief spark came from Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who scored a quick 26 off 10 balls, hitting one four and three sixes. However, even his aggressive cameo could not halt the collapse.

By the 20th over, it was evident that India were slipping out of the contest.

Late Resistance Comes Too Late

A small partnership for the final wicket between Deepesh Devendran and Kishan Kumar Singh added some respectability to the total. Deepesh played a fighting knock, but the target was far beyond reach.

India were eventually bowled out for 156, sealing a crushing 191-run victory for Pakistan.

Pakistan Crowned Asia Cup U-19 Champions

The emphatic win highlighted Pakistan U-19’s discipline, planning, and ability to perform under pressure. Sameer Minhas’ extraordinary innings will be remembered as one of the finest knocks in U-19 Asia Cup finals history.

For India, the loss was disappointing, especially after a strong tournament run, but such experiences are part of youth cricket and will serve as valuable lessons for the future.

Conclusion

The Asia Cup U-19 Final in Dubai ended in heartbreak for India and celebration for Pakistan. Sameer Minhas’ match-winning century and Pakistan’s relentless bowling proved too strong on the day. While India suffered a heavy defeat, the young squad will look to bounce back stronger in upcoming tournaments.