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PKL 12 trophy represents collective effort of squad, says Delhi captain Anshu

New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season 12 winning captain Anshu Malik credited the title glory to his entire squad of Dabang Delhi K.C., including coach Joginder Narwal’s dream of becoming a championship-winning coach.

Dabang Delhi K.C. were crowned champions after an exciting 31-28 win against Puneri Paltan at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium on Friday. This was their second PKL title, having previously been crowned champions in Season 8, when current head coach Joginder Narwal was their captain.

Dabang Delhi also became the first home team since U Mumba in Season 2 to lift the trophy.

“This trophy represents the collective effort of our entire squad. Our Coach Joginder Narwal realised his dream of becoming a championship-winning coach, and I fulfilled my ambition of leading a team to PKL glory. But most significantly, this victory is for Surjeet bhai, who has been like an elder brother to all of us. After ten long seasons of perseverance, this moment finally fulfills his lifelong dream of becoming a PKL champion,” Anshu said on JioStar’s ‘KBD Live’.

Meanwhile, Fazel Atrachali also became the most successful foreign player in the history of the PKL. Sharing his thoughts on the win, the Iranian said, “I am extremely happy because nobody believed in our team at the start of this season. People called Dabang Delhi an ordinary team, but we demonstrated our unity and championship mentality. This second title is a special achievement, and now is the perfect time to celebrate our success together.”

Experienced defender Surjeet Singh reflected on the team’s mindset heading to the final. “After our final practice session, coach Joginder Narwal told me we were playing this final to win the trophy for me and that I had to lift it by any means. Against Puneri Paltan, we executed that vision perfectly, and my teammates and coach made it possible. I thank the entire team, management, and God for this opportunity to finally win the PKL Trophy after ten long seasons in the league,” he said.

–IANS

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Result wasn’t what we had hoped for but we’ll be back stronger: Jaiswal

New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS) India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal vowed that the team will make a strong comeback after their 1-3 Border-Gasvakar Trophy defeat against Australia in Sydney on Sunday. India lost the final Test of the series by six wickets which ended their hopes of qualifying for the third consecutive World Test Championship (WTC) final.

It was also India’s first Test series defeat to Australia in a decade. They last lost the Test series in Australia in 2015. India successfully retained the Border-Gasvaskar Trophy in the last four series including two in Australia.

However, this time the result was not in India’s favour as their batters struggled to score runs on Australian soil. Jasprit Bumrah was the only saving grace with memorable performances on the tour. He finished as the leading wicket-taker with 32 scalps and was named Player of the Series.

On the other hand, Jaiswal was the top performer with the bat for India accumulating 391 runs including a century and two fifties at an average of 43.44. Despite his outstanding effort, Jaiswal was not happy to finish on the losing side and was stressed to continue working hard. “Learnt a lot in Australia… Unfortunately, the result wasn’t what we had hoped for but we’ll be back stronger. Your support means everything,” Jaiswal wrote in a social media post.

Australia opener Usman Khawaja, who had a dismal run in the series, heaped praise on his Indian counterpart and said “Love your work brother”.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan also commented on the post and wrote, “You are a superstar…love watching you play”.

On Sunday, youngsters Jaiswal and Nitish Kumar Reddy received huge backing from legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar following his great tour Down Under.

“If we talk about the macro picture like we saw with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Yashasvi Jaiswal- they are hungry. They are hungry to earn a name for India. They are hungry to earn a name for themselves. Such players are needed. You need such players who will protect their wicket like their life. You need such players. You can play with them on stroke. But the commitment I want to see,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

–IANS

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WPL 2026: Gardner and Anushka cause havoc as Gujarat Giants post 207/4 against UP Warriorz

Navi Mumbai, Jan 10 (IANS) A blistering 103-run partnership between captain Ashleigh Gardner and debutant Anushka Sharma powered Gujarat Giants to a commanding total of 207/4 in 20 overs against UP Warriorz in the second match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.

Asked to bat after losing the toss, Gujarat Giants openers Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney struggled in the first over, with Kranti Gaud bowling a tight length to the opponents. Devine finally got the momentum in the next over, where she scored 14 runs off Shikha Pandey’s bowling. She continued her attack in the next three overs as the Warriorz kept changing the bowlers.

Meg Lanning’s team finally got their first breakthrough in the fifth over, with Mooney (13) completely missing Sophie Ecclestone’s delivery, which hit the top of the off stump. Her partner Devine (38) also fell in the final over of the Power-play when she was caught at midwicket by Phoebe Litchfield off Shikha Pandey’s cross-seam delivery.

Batting at number three in her first match, Anushka did not let the momentum shift after the two wickets, hammering a boundary towards square-leg on her fourth ball. The young batter then struck three more fours and crossed the 30-run mark in just 20 balls. The Madhya Pradesh batter also rotated the strike consistently with captain Gardner to keep the scoreboard moving.

Anushka’s innings ended on the first ball of the 16th over when she lofted a pitched-up delivery from Deandra Dottin, but the shot lacked power and went straight into the hands of Harleen Deol at long on. She narrowly missed a well-deserved half-century, scoring 44 runs off 30 balls.

Captain Gardner started her innings at a measured pace, focusing on building a partnership with the young debutant. She changed gears in the 13th over by striking three fours off four balls from Kranti Gaud. The 28-year-old then smashed four sixes and one boundary in her next eight balls to complete her first fifty of the season in 31 deliveries.

The Warriorz finally managed to dismiss Gardner in the 18th over when she was bowled by Sophie Ecclestone’s tossed-up delivery on leg stump that drifted into the right-hander. Gardner scored 65 runs off 41 balls, an innings that included four boundaries and three sixes.

Georgia Wareham and Bharti Fulmali ensured Gujarat finished on a high note, adding 34 runs in the final two overs. Wareham struck at a rate of 270, remaining unbeaten on 27 off just 10 balls, while Bharti scored 14 runs off seven deliveries.

For Warriorz, Ecclestone was the most successful bowler with two wickets to her name, followed by Shikha Pandey and Deandra Dottin, who took one each.

Brief scores:

Gujarat Giants 207/4 in 20 overs (Ashleigh Gardner 65, Anushka Sharma 44, Sophie Devine 38, Georgia Wareham 27 not out; Sophie Ecclestone 2-32) against UP Warriorz

–IANS

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