The action moves to the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground as Australia and India face off in the second T20I of the five-match series. After the opening match in Canberra was washed out due to persistent rain, both teams will be desperate for a full game tonight to take an early lead in the series.

India were left frustrated by the weather in the first T20I after dominating the first innings at 97 for 1 in just 10 overs when rain forced the players off. Captain Suryakumar Yadav and opener Shubman Gill looked in fine touch, setting a solid foundation before the heavens opened. Despite the washout, India would take confidence from the batting intent shown by their top order.

Australia win toss, elect to bowl first as rain threatens to disrupt play in the second T20I at the MCG

At the toss in Melbourne, Australia captain Mitchell Marsh won and opted to bowl first, hoping to take advantage of the conditions that might assist the pacers early on. He mentioned that the pitch looked good for cricket and expressed his team’s excitement to play at the historic venue. Australia made one change to their lineup, with Matthew Short replacing Josh Philippe.

ALSO SEE: From Kolkata’s Festive Lights to Navi Mumbai’s Glory: India storms into Women’s World Cup 2025 Final!

Suryakumar Yadav, on the other hand, said that losing the toss wasn’t a concern for India since they were prepared to bat first anyway. He reiterated that the team wants to stick with their aggressive brand of cricket, aiming to set a strong total and let their spinners take control later in the innings. India have gone in with the same XI that played in Canberra, continuing to back the combination of Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Axar Patel in the spin department.

Weather once again looms as a factor, with rain expected around the scheduled start time. However, forecasts indicate an improvement later in the evening, giving hope for at least a shortened contest.

If India can post around 170–180, it should be a competitive score given their spin options and Bumrah’s ability to control the death overs. Australia, meanwhile, will rely on their powerful middle order led by Marsh, Head, and Tim David to chase effectively under lights.

Playing XIs:

India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Matthew Short, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood.

It is another Sunday (October 5), as the India and Pakistan cricket teams are facing each other on the cricket field, which now makes the rivalry meeting for four straight Sundays. Now, India Women and Pakistan Women are taking on each other in the sixth game of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 at Colombo, where the IndIan skipper Harmanpreet Kaur maintained the no handshake strategy with the Pakistan captain Fatima Sana at the toss. 

Due to the present political tension between the two countries, India men's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav chose not to shake hands with the Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha in all three fixtures of the Asia Cup 2025 over the previous three Sundays. The Indian team also didn't shake hands with the Pakistan cricketers at the end of all three matches in the Asia Cup 2025. And we all know the late drama after India winning the Asia Cup 2025 trophy by beating Pakistan in the Final by five wickets with two balls to spare. 

See Also: "Bring the Trophy..."- Salman Ali Agha sends special message for Pakistan side for Women's World Cup 2025

ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: IND-W vs PAK-W - No handshakes between captains

Now, it's time for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025. While India Women and Pakistan Women are facing each other in the league stage, the skippers were far from a handshake at the toss. Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana chose to bowl first after winning the toss in cloudy weather. 

India Women Playing XI: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani

It is the India vs Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2025 Final, as both teams are meeting for the first time in the Final of any Asia Cup, which is now 41 years old. In this Final, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and chose to bowl first at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. 

It is the third meeting between India and Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. They previously met in the group stage and Super Fours, where India comfortably won both those matches by seven wickets and six wickets, respectively. 

See Also: "Let’s See What…" BCCI’s Stance on PCB Head Naqvi Handing Asia Cup Trophy as India Refuses Photo Shoot with Pakistan

Why is Hardik Pandya not playing Asia Cup 2025 Final India vs Pakistan?

Due to his injury in their last Super Fours fixture against Sri Lanka last Friday (September 26), the Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya is unfortunately missing the Asia Cup 2025 Final. During that match, three Indian cricketers left the field during the second innings of the match: Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Tilak Verma. After his batting in that match, where Hardik was out for only two runs, he delivered the first over of the Sri Lankan innings, where he also dismissed the Lankan opener Kusal Mendis for a golden duck. The all-rounder later felt discomfort in his thigh as he walked off the field. Unfortunately, he failed to recover on time, as India are playing the Asia Cup 2025 Final with the star all-rounder. 

Asia Cup 2025 Final: India vs Pakistan - Playing XIs

The 2025 UAE T20I Tri-Series kicked off with a bang as Pakistan clashed with Afghanistan in the opening match at the Sharjah Cricket Ground on Friday. In the toss update, Pakistan captain Salman Agha called correctly and chose to bat first, allowing his youthful side to test their batting powers against Afghanistan's established spin unit. 

For Pakistan, the tri-series has extra importance since it is their last rehearsal before the Asia Cup in 2025. The team has been in a state of transition since the last T20 World Cup and was trying out some new players, new combinations, and new strategies. Choosing to bat first indicates they want to put runs on the board and make Afghanistan chase under lights on a pitch that usually favours spin.

Rashid Khan backs spin attack as Afghanistan eye strong start in UAE Tri-Series ahead of Asia Cup 2025

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan was pleased to bowl first, trusting in the team's ability with their spin-heavy arsenal to enforce pressure during the middle overs. Knowing they have beaten Pakistan in three of their last four T20I matches, Afghanistan will be confident with their record.

ALSO SEE: UAE Tri Series: AFG vs PAK Dream11 Prediction 1st Match match Fantasy Cricket Tips, Probable Playing XI

The tri-series between Afghanistan and Pakistan, along with the hosts U.A.E. will take place from August 29 - September 5, following a double round-robin format where the top two teams will advance to the finals on September 7; this will be a great opportunity for both teams to hone their skills ahead of the Asia Cup starting just two days after the final of this series.

Playing XIs

Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem.

Afghanistan XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (c), Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad.

South Africa will clash against Australia in the 2025 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final at the illustrious Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. Australia will play as the defending champions after defeating India in the 2023 WTC final at The Oval. For South Africa, this will be their first time playing in a WTC Final, a historic moment for the Proteas.

While Australia is considered the favorite with a strong record, South Africa is close behind and has a chance to make history. Both teams took some important decisions when they announced their respective playing XIs, especially regarding their bowlers. In South Africa, Ryan worked with Lungi Ngidi over Dane Paterson, while Australia chose Josh Hazlewood over Scott Boland, and the biggest talking points will be moving Wiaan Mulder and Cameron Green to No. 3 for their teams.

Australia will enjoy a dominant record in head-to-head matches with 54 wins compared to South Africa’s 26 wins. South Africa has had more consistency in recent years, and this could be an even contest.

SA vs AUS, WTC 2025 Final—Toss Result

South Africa won the toss and decided to bowl first in the final. Speaking after the toss, captain Temba Bavuma said:

"We will bowl first. The surface looks like a good one. Overhead conditions dictate that we will bowl first. We will look to make inroads early on. Happy. I think we have selected the best team for these conditions. Massive. All of us have been confident. Being in the final, that’s what we wanted to do. It should be a spectacle of a game."

Australian captain Pat Cummins stated that he was happy to bat first.

SA vs AUS, WTC 2025 Final - Match playing XIs

South Africa: Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (c), Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

SA vs AUS, WTC 2025 Final—Pitch Report

Nasser Hussain and Stuart Broad shared their assessment of the Lord’s pitch:

“It is cloudy, but there’s a very slight chance of rain. The pitch will play really nicely—it looks like a nice surface, and it should be great to bat on Day 2. It's a big decision to make at the toss for the captains, given the cloud cover.”

The initial cloudiness makes bowling first a logical option, but batting conditions are expected to improve from Day 2 onward, creating an intriguing balance for the rest of the Test.

Also Read: WTC Final 2025, Australia vs South Africa: Live streaming, timing, venue and squad details

SA vs AUS, WTC 2025 Final—Match players list 

South Africa squad: Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (c), Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Tony de Zorzi, Corbin Bosch, and Senuran Muthusamy.

Australia squad: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Josh Inglis, Sam Konstas, Matthew Kuhnemann.

Match Umpires and Officials

• On-field Umpires: Chris Gaffaney, Richard Illingworth
• TV Umpire: Richard Kettleborough
• Match Referee: Javagal Srinath

India vs England 2nd ODI Live Streaming Details

India and England are scheduled to clash in the second One Day International (ODI) on February 9, 2025. The game will be held at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. The cricketing world is excited about this game because both teams are strong and competitive.indvseng 2nd odi.
India vs England 2nd ODI Live Streaming Details

Match Details:

• Match: India vs England, 2nd ODI
• Date: February 9, 2025
• Day: Sunday
• Venue: Barabati Stadium, Cuttack
• Time: 1:30 PM IST
• Toss Time: 1:00 PM IST

Third ODI

• Date: 12th February, 2025
• Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
• Time: 1:30 PM IST

Toss own by :England opt to bat

Predicted Playing xi :India's Predicted Playing XI for 2nd ODI Against England.

Live Streaming:

IN INDIA:

TV Broadcast: Star Sports Network

• English Commentary:

• Star Sports 2
• Star Sports 2 HD
• Star Sports 3

• Hindi Commentary:

• Sports 18 1
• Sports 18 1 HD
• Colors Cineplex
• Colors Cineplex HD

• Online Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar (app and website)

In the United States and Canada

• TV Broadcast: Willow TV
• Online Streaming: Willow TV App

In the United Kingdom

• TV Broadcast: Sky Sports Cricket
• Online Streaming: Sky Go App

In Australia

• TV Broadcast: Fox Sports
• Online Streaming: Kayo Sports

Trending Highlights of the Match

Virat Kohli's Return: He's missed the first ODI and now the crowd wants him to come back to form.
Rohit Sharma's Form: The Indian captain comes into this match after some low scores and is looking to reclaim his form.
England's Need to Win: England is still at 0-1; win this and stay in the series.
Pitch Conditions at Barabati Stadium: The ground will be spin-friendly, so every strategy by a spin team will count.
Key battles: would be between Rohit Sharma and Jofra Archer, Virat Kohli and Mark Wood

Delhi Capitals are set to lock their horns against Punjab Kings in the second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on March 23, Saturday. It will be the first match of double-header day on Saturday. Punjab Kings have won the toss and have opted to field

Rishabh Pant’s Much-Awaited Comeback

Rishabh Pant, the dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman, is set to return to professional cricket after a challenging rehabilitation following a road accident in December 2022. His anticipated comeback match in IPL-17 between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals has cricket enthusiasts excitedly buzzing.

See Also: Hopefully, I don’t have to face Starc: Cummins ahead of match between KKR and SRH

Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings had lacklustre performances in the previous IPL season, standing ninth and eighth, respectively. The teams are eager to put their past struggles behind them and start afresh in the upcoming season.

Team Overview: Delhi Capitals

Under the guidance of coach Ricky Ponting, Delhi Capitals have been undergoing rigorous training sessions to refine their skills and strategy. With a strong lineup of players, including Rishabh Pant, the team is poised to make a strong comeback in the upcoming season.

Team Overview: Punjab Kings

Led by captain Shikhar Dhawan, Punjab Kings are determined to showcase their potential this season. Despite facing challenges, the team boasts talented players like Jitesh Sharma and Jonny Bairstow and a formidable bowling lineup comprising Rabada, Arshdeep, and Harshal Patel.

IPL 2024: PBKS vs DC, Match 2: Who said what at the toss?

Pant: We would have batted first. The wicket looks a little on the slower side. Really emotional time for me. Just want to enjoy the moment. Not thinking much. I think not worried about last season. Really exciting times. We have been preparing well. Four overseas batters for us. Hope, Marsh, Warner, Stubbs.

Shikhar Dhawan: We are gonna field first. It is a new pitch. We will look to come up with new strategies. We have made some changes. We are used to this ground now. We had a practice match. We will look for some luck on this venue. Our four foreign players are Bairstow, Livingstone, Curran and Rabada.

Playing XIs

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan(c), Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Shashank Singh

Punjab Kings Subs: Rilee Rossouw, Prabhsimran Singh, Tanay Thyagarajan, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Vidhwath Kaverappa

Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ricky Bhui, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Sumit Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Ishant Sharma

Delhi Capitals Subs: Abishek Porel, Mukesh Kumar, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Vicky Ostwal, Praveen Dubey

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 has reached a crucial juncture, and today’s eliminator match promises fireworks as Mumbai Indians Women take on Royal Challengers Bangalore at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. The stakes are high, and both teams are hungry for victory to make the place in the final of WPL 2024. RCB won the toss and decided to bat first.

Led by the formidable Harmanpreet Kaur, the Mumbai Indians boast a talented squad. Players like Amelia Kerr, Hayley Matthews, and Natalie Sciver-Brunt have been in top form. Their explosive batting lineup, coupled with a disciplined bowling attack, positions them as strong contenders for the title. Having reached the final in the previous season, they are eager to replicate their success and secure a spot in the championship match once again.

Meanwhile, under the leadership of Smriti Mandhana, RCB aims to upset the odds. With stars like Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, and Indrani Roy, they have the firepower to challenge any opponent. With an aggressive playing style and versatile players capable of making impactful contributions, they pose a significant threat to the defending champions.

See Also: CSA announces 16-year-old star sensation for T20I series against Sri Lanka

The winner of this Eliminator match will advance to the finals, and the loser’s campaign will come to an end. Brace yourselves for an intense battle under the Delhi lights! Stay tuned with us for live updates.

Women’s Premier League: Who said what at the toss?

Smriti Mandhana – Today, we would prefer to bat first. As an eliminator, runs on board are definitely important. Hopefully, it will start to quiet down in the second inning. Today, we have not changed. There were many highs and lows during the competition. We are going to gain a lot of benefits from the last game.

Harmanpreet Kaur: In addition to being quite perplexed, we also wanted to bat first. Yastika is returning for Bala today. The last time we batted first, we had a terrific powerplay. After that, we didn’t go any farther. Much has been learned by us. In certain areas, even the bowling was good. It’s a fresh day, so maybe we accomplish what we had planned. It’s critical to remain present in the moment. We wish to give it everything we have since this game is crucial.

Playing XIs

Royal Challengers Bangalore Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana(c), Sophie Molineux, Ellyse Perry, Sophie Devine, Richa Ghosh(w), Georgia Wareham, Disha Kasat, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Shraddha Pokharkar, Renuka Thakur Singh

Mumbai Indians Women (Playing XI): Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia(w), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, S Sajana, Humaira Kazi, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque