In the second ODI match against Team India, New Zealand emerged victorious by seven wickets at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. During the match, Daryl Mitchell played a crucial role for the "Black Caps". Having faced 117 balls, Mitchell scored 131 runs, which was laced with 11 boundaries and two maximums. He said that practising on the dusty wickets in Lincoln helped him prepare for spin-friendly wickets in the sub-continent. "There's been plenty, plenty mornings in the marquee down in the South Island in Lincoln on some prepared dusty wickets to try and find ways to come up with game plans in this part of the world. That's the stuff that a lot of people don't see, the work that you put in, away from the shiny lights and the TV, but it's always nice I guess when you get the rewards from that," he told reporters. Currently, he is trailing by just one point in the ICC Men's ODI batting rankings to Team India's Virat Kohli. The New Zealander then said that he enjoys representing his country and playing cricket all across the world. "I just love playing for my country, I love travelling the world and playing international cricket and I am very lucky to do that across all three formats," said Mitchell. The 34-year-old has, in particular, enjoyed a lot of success in the Asian subcontinent, scoring 1,457 ODI runs at 56.03 with five centuries and six fifties. From 15 matches in India, he has garnered 801 runs at 66.75 with three tons and as many fifties. Further speaking, Mitchell said that in New Zealand, players are familiar to playing on bouncy and grassy wickets. "(For) us as New Zealanders, we don't grow up on these surfaces, we grow up on bouncy, grassy wickets and the nature of playing international cricket is you have to find ways to adapt your game. I'm comfortable with how I want to go about my batting in these conditions, trying to find ways to put the bowlers under pressure. Whether that's using feet, sweep (shot), using the crease, there are different ways that you try and find ways to put pressure on them (opposition)," said Mitchell. "For me, it's been a learning process over several years now," he added. (With PTI Inputs)
15 January,2026 04:11 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentLizelle Lee’s commanding strokeplay, backed by Shafali Verma’s all-round impact, laid the foundation for Delhi Capitals’ first win under captain Jemimah Rodrigues, as they survived another last-over scare to beat UP Warriorz by seven wickets in the seventh match of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 at the Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and open their account on the points table. Laura Wolvaardt's nerve-wracking finish proved ultimately calming, as she capped off the dramatic final ball of the chase with victory for Delhi. Delhi’s previous win came as a result of a disciplined bowling display this evening. Shafali Verma (2-11), Marizanne Kapp (2-14), and Shree Charani (1-29) performed exceptionally well in limiting UP Warriorz to just 154 for 8 runs. Meg Lanning, captain of Warriorz, had lost the toss, led her team best with 54 runs, while Harleen Deol scored 47 runs off 36 balls. Notably, UP Warriorz’ head coach Abhishek Nayar made a mistake by retiring Deol after the 17th over of the game. That decision ultimately backfired spectacularly, as UP leapt into a massive collapse after that point and did not have strong enough momentum to generate enough runs to be competitive. The Delhi Capitals came out firing in their chase of 155 runs. Both Lee and Verma wasted no time dismantling UP's new-ball bowlers and adding 94 runs in just over 11 overs before UP was left reeling. Verma scored a fast 36 off 32 balls, while hitting six fours, before Asha Shobana took her wicket in the 12th over after a fantastic catch by Deepti Sharma. Lee continued dominating the game, earning her half-century in just over 31 balls, but fell for an astonishing 67 off 44 balls after miscuing a delivery from Deepti Sharma to Kiran Navigire in the 15th over. Laura Wolvaardt took charge at No. 3, leading the chase with calmness. Jemimah Rodrigues added a quick 21 off 14 balls. With seven runs required from eight balls, Rodrigues tried to take on Deepti in the 19th over but ended up hitting a simple catch to Harleen Deol in the deep, pushing the game into another tense finish. Sophie Ecclestone had the final over to defend with six runs on the board. It started with a dot ball, followed by a full toss that Kapp sent to the boundary. Two dot balls—a yorker and a low full toss—kept UP in the game, but a failed LBW review resulted in a leg bye that levelled the scores on the second-to-last delivery. With one run needed off the last ball and the field in tight, Wolvaardt remained composed and hit a drive through the covers for four. She finished unbeaten with 25 off 24 balls. The Capitals finally bounced back after another last-over scare, securing a confident seven-wicket win. Brief scores:UP Warriorz 154/8 in 20 overs (Meg Lanning 54, Harleen Deol 47; Shafali Verma 2/16, Marizanne Kapp 2-24) lost to Delhi Capitals 158/3 in 20 overs (Lizelle Lee 67, Shafali Verma 36; Deepti Sharma 2-26, Asha Sobhana 1-20) by seven wickets. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2026 09:07 AM IST | Navi Mumbai | IANSMumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (71 not out off 43 balls) praised youngsters for taking responsibility after the two-time champions thrashed Gujarat Giants by seven wickets at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday. Harmanpreet praised the younger players for embracing responsibility, crediting their preparation and readiness to contribute whenever the team required them. “Good to see all these girls taking the responsibility and doing their bit for the team. They are always ready to do whatever the team requires. It’s only the preparation. Good to see them preparing really well and wherever the team need them, they are ready,” said Harmanpreet Kaur. After opting to field, the MI endured a blistering start from the Gujarat Giants, who surged to 62-1 in the Powerplay and reached 99-3 at halfway, led by Beth Mooney and Kanika Ahuja. Live TodayMI vs UPW: Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD & JioHotstar app, 19.30 This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2026 09:04 AM IST | Navi Mumbai | IANSDnyandeep Seva Mandal (Nerul) entered the final of the Dream Sports-Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) Giles Shield inter-school cricket tournament, beating VN Sule Guruji English Medium School (Dadar) on the third and final day of the semi-final at the Parsee Gymkhana, on Wednesday. Dnyandeep sealed the contest by virtue of a first-innings lead of 109 runs, marking their second consecutive Giles Shield final. On the third day, Dnyandeep posted 218 for 7 in the allotted 40 overs. Neil Naik (89 runs off 110 balls) anchored the innings, striking 11 boundaries. He got good support from Lavish Singh (66 off 76). Jay Mhatre (3-16) was the pick of the bowlers for VN Sule. He was well supported by Aaradhya Kadam (2-15) and Sparsh Palhkude (2-25). In response, VN Sule were restricted to 149-7. Devang Koli (63 not out) top-scored for them. For Dnyandeep, Atharv Kalel (2-17) and Aryan Chauhan (2-17) stood out for their performances with ball.
15 January,2026 09:03 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamThe decision of the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Apex Council to institute an inter-collegiate tournament in the name of Dilip Vengsarkar will be sweet music to the former India and Mumbai captain’s ears. For long now Vengsarkar has been harping on the need for inter-college cricket to be revived in the city. Having represented Podar College in the 1970s, Vengsarkar knows what an important role this level of cricket plays in the emergence of talent in Mumbai cricket. And when the cream of inter-college cricket was picked to represent Mumbai University, it provided a significant addition to a cricketer’s CV. “Naming the inter-college tournament after Dilip Vengsarkar reflects the values of excellence and leadership that we want young cricketers to aspire to,” said MCA president Ajinkya Naik in a statement. A press release also announced central contracts for players and a T20 talent scouting tournament. “Central contracts are a step towards empowering players with stability and confidence, while the T20 scouting tournament will ensure that Mumbai continues to identify and nurture talent suited for the future of the game,” added Naik.
15 January,2026 09:00 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentFavourites India will look to flaunt their superabundance of talent as they begin the quest for a record-extending sixth U-19 World Cup title with what is expected to be a rather easy outing against USA in the ICC showpiece beginning here on Thursday. Champions in five of the 16 editions, India are by far the most dominant team in the history of the competition, which started back in 1988 with Australia emerging winners in the inaugural event. The squad looks balanced and formidable on paper, and 13 wins in their last 16 matches clearly show that the team know how to win, more importantly away from home. Spearheading the Indian challenge will be wonderkind Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, skipper Ayush Mhatre, vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra, and top-order player Aaron George, who was the top-scorer for his side with 228 runs in the last U-19 Asia Cup, where arch-rivals Pakistan stunned them in the summit clash. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2026 08:59 AM IST | Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) | PTIIndia produced two great match-winning off-spinners in recent times, R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh, who have claimed 765 and 711 international scalps respectively. However, Harbhajan feels that now currently “no one wants to be an off-spinner.” “People think that bowling off-spin is the easiest thing. But it’s an art where people are lacking. People need to understand that it requires a lot of hard work. If anyone could do it, we would have one lakh off-spinners. But today, no one wants to be one,” Harbhajan said.
15 January,2026 08:56 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureThough India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav is struggling with his form, former India off-spinner and 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team member Harbhajan Singh reckons the Mumbai man is saving his best for the upcoming T20 World Cup that begins on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. Suryakumar, 35, who has represented the country in 99 T20Is, scoring 2788 runs, has four centuries to his name in the shortest format. However, his last half-century (75 vs Bangladesh at Hyderabad in October 2024) came 23 innings ago. “He [Suryakumar] may be saving it [big runs] for the World Cup. Surya is a class player. There is no doubt about it. I still believe he’s probably the No. 1 player in this format. People often talk about how great [former South Africa captain] AB de Villiers is, but we have our own guy who does the same job. And I back him to come good for India in this World Cup, not just as a captain, but as a batter. I’m hoping for some big runs from him,” Harbhajan, who has claimed 711 international wickets in 367 international games for India, told reporters on the sidelines of an event announcing the partnership between Mumbai Indians and Malaysia Airlines on Wednesday. Harbhajan, who led MI to their first title, the 2012 Champions League, also played a key role in India’s triumph at the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa, claiming seven wickets. According to him, playing a big tournament like the T20 World Cup in front of their home crowd is a big plus for the Indian team. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team beat South Africa by seven runs to win the 2024 T20 World Cup in Bridgetown. “Playing international cricket itself is pressure. It doesn’t matter where you play. It’s a blessing to play in front of your home crowd, in your backyard. You know your conditions better than the others, and the support you get is unbelievable. “Wherever the Indian team plays in the world, at times, it does feel like we are playing in India. But the support at we get at home is totally different. I hope that our team will play well here. I think this team has got everything. You see the batting line-up, the bowling line-up, and on top of that, every player is in their own league. All are match-winners. We hope this trophy stays in India,” concluded Harbhajan. FourNo. of single-digit scores for Suryakumar Yadav in his last 10 T20I innings
15 January,2026 08:53 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureIndia’s star cricketer Virat Kohli has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings for batters, replacing Rohit Sharma, after scoring a brilliant half-century against New Zealand in the first match of the three-game series in Vadodara. At 37, this marks his return to the No. 1 position for the first time since July 2021, while former skipper Rohit has slipped to third spot. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2026 08:49 AM IST | Dubai | PTIIndian spinners were out-bowled on home turf once again and KL Rahul’s unbeaten ton was eclipsed by Daryl Mitchell’s splendid 131 not out as New Zealand levelled the three-match series 1-1 with a seven-wicket win in the second ODI here on Wednesday. New Zealand not only adapted, but also executed better than India on a sluggish wicket here at the Niranjan Shah Stadium to keep the hosts to 284-7 despite Rahul’s 91-ball 112 not out (9 fours, one six), and overhauled the target in 47.3 overs to end at 286-3. NZ’s Will Young during his 87 on Wednesday. Pic/PTI The series-deciding third ODI will be played in Indore on Sunday. Young and Mitchell, among the architects of New Zealand’s 3-0 Test series win over India on their previous visit, batted with poise and control even as the asking rate hovered over six an over. India’s KL Rahul after getting to his century against NZ. Pic/BCCI They cruised at a little above five during their second-wicket association, which consumed 152 balls for 162 runs, and there wasn’t any late hiccup to prevent a turnaround. Young’s (87 from 98 balls; seven fours) solidity in the middle was complemented by the adroitness of Mitchell, who brought out almost all kinds of sweep shots to notch up his third ton against India. Earlier, KL Rahul held a faltering innings together on a sluggish surface with a gutsy hundred. New Zealand had seized control with discipline and some stroke of luck as India had slipped from 99-1 to 118-4 before the halfway mark. The other major contribution came from captain Shubman Gill (56 off 53). 286-3Runs scored by NZ on Wednesday — their highest-ever chase against India in India, surpassing their previous best (281 at Wankhede in 2017) Five No. of 50-plus scores for Daryl Mitchell in his last six ODIs ThreeNo. of centuries for Mitchell in his last four ODIs vs India in India This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2026 08:47 AM IST | Rajkot | PTIIndia batter Shreyas Iyer said he only realised the severity of his spleen injury picked up during the third ODI against Australia after being admitted to hospital, describing the ordeal as ‘excruciatingly painful’. After that injury, Iyer made a successful return to action by making 49 in India’s ODI series opening win over New Zealand in Vadodara. “It was painful, excruciatingly painful. I didn’t realise how tough that injury was until I got to know that the spleen is an important part of our body and it’s an organ and I didn’t even know about the word. “Then the next day, when I was admitted to the hospital, after that I realised, ‘Wow, okay, this was a severe injury’,” said Iyer in a chat with broadcasters ahead of the second ODI here. Iyer also said the recovery process forced him to slow down and reflect. “This process, I felt that I had to give myself a little bit of time not to over-exert myself because I’m someone who can’t sit in one place. I want to keep doing one thing or another. “But this injury especially gave me time to reflect upon myself, rejuvenate and also relax as much as possible because it’s not that you can get up and start working out straight away. You need to give yourself a lot of time and I was told that within six to eight weeks, you will be back to normal and then you can start training. So I just followed the proper guidelines,” he elaborated. 184No. of runs scored by Shreyas Iyer in his last four List A matches since his return from injury @ 46.00 This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2026 08:43 AM IST | Rajkot | IANSADVERTISEMENT
