BY SACNILK

Mumbai, June 10, 2021: The inaugural season of The Hundred will see as many as five Indian woman players' participation. The captain and vice-captain of India's T20I team, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana will headline India's participation along with Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, and Deepti Sharma. ## Harmanpreet will be part of the Manchester Originals while Mandhana has been signed up by Southern Brave. Deepti will represent the London Spirit and Rodrigues will play for the Northern Superchargers. Shafali replaces New Zealand all-rounder, Sophie Devine in the Birmingham Phoenix franchise. Devine has opted out due to logistical difficulties. ## Beth Barrett-Wild, Head of The Hundred Women competition expressed her joy at being able to get the Indian stars on board for what is undoubtedly ECB's most ambitious project to date.## "They're a hugely exciting group of players and they'll bring a lot to the competition," said Beth adding, "I can't wait for July 21, I can't wait for the whole competition, and I can't wait for fans to see these world-class players doing what they do best". ## Harmanpreet said, "It's very exciting that I'm going to get to play in the first-ever game of The Hundred. It will be special to make history, especially with a women's match on such a big ground. We've played in front of some large crowds in India and it's always a great experience for the players". ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, May 20, 2021: The 17-year old hard-hitting batter, Shefali, who recently received her maiden India Test call-up for a one-off Test against England, has been promoted from a Grade C to a Grade B central contract in the 2020-21 BCCI India Women contract list. ## Apart from Shafali, batter Punam Raut and spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad have also been promoted from Grade C to Grade B while the likes of Ekta Bisht, Veda Krishnamurthy, Dayalan Hemalatha, and Anuja Patel have been left out from annual contract.## This year, only 19 players have given the BCCI Women contract unlike 22 players in the last year. 17-year-old Richa Ghosh included for the first time and handed Grade C. She is one of six players on a Grade C retainer worth INR 10 lakh. ## All-rounder and limited-overs captain Harmanpreet Kaur, top-order batter Smriti Mandhana, and spinner Poonam Yadav are the three players to have earned a Grade A contract worth INR 50 lakh while the remaining 10 players on Grade B INR 30 lakh retainers. ## India Women contract list - ## Grade A (INR 50 Lakh) - Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Poonam Yadav## Grade B (INR 30 Lakh) - Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Deepti Sharma, Punam Raut, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Taniya Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues## Grade C (INR 10 Lakh) - Mansi Joshi, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Harleen Deol, Priya Punia, Richa Ghosh## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the playoffs dates of the Indian Premier League 2020. Dubai will host the final of the tournament on the 10th of November as well as serve as the venue for Qualifier 1 between the top two sides at the end of the league stage, on November 5. ## The Eliminator and Qualifier 2 will be held on November 6 and 8 respectively, in Abu Dhabi. All games will start at 19:30 [7:30 PM] IST.## IPL Playoffs Schedule -## Qualifier 1 - Team 1 vs Team 2, Dubai, on November 5 ## Eliminator - Team 3 vs Team 4, Abu Dhabi, on November 6## Qualifier 2 - Winner of Eliminator vs Loser of Qualifier 1, Abu Dhabi, on November 8## Final - Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2, Dubai, on November 10## Sharjah to host Women's T20 Challenge - Sharjah has been picked as the only venue to host the Women's T20 Challenge which will be played between November 4 and 9. The three teams --- Velocity, Supernovas, and Trailblazers led by Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Smriti Mandhana respectively, will play a game against each other on November 4, 5, and 7, and the top two teams will qualify for the final.## All the matches except the second match between Velocity and Trailblazers will begin at 7:30 PM IST. Match 2, which will be played on November 5, will be an afternoon match starting at 15:30 [3:30 PM] IST. ## The 2020 Women's T20 Challenge will begin with last year's finalist Supernovas taking on Velocity in the opening game. The complete schedule is as below.## Match 1: Supernovas vs Velocity, Sharjah, on November 4 at 19:30 IST## Match 2: Velocity vs Trailblazers, Sharjah, on November 5 at 15:30 IST## Match 3: Trailblazers vs Supernovas, Sharjah, on November 7 at 19:30 IST## Final: Team 1 vs Team 2, Sharjah, on November 9 at 19:30 IST## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Sunday (October 11), has announced the squads for the women's T20 challenge that will be played from 4th November to 9th November during the playoffs of men's IPL in the UAE.## Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Mithali Raj have been named the captains of Supernovas, Trailblazers and Velocity respectively. The three teams will compete in the upcoming Women's T20 Challenge. Each team will play two games with the top 2 to face in the final on 9th November. ## The best of Indian women's cricket will combine with some of the leading stars from England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh, and New Zealand in a four-match tournament.## Thailand's Natthakan Chantham, who scored her country's first Women's T20 World Cup half-century, adds another feather to her cap as she will become the first Thai cricketer to feature in the tournament.## The 2020 Women's T20 Challenge will begin with last year's finalist Supernovas taking on Velocity in the opening game. The complete schedule is as below.## Match No.DateTeamsTime (IST) 1. 4 November Supernovas vs Velocity 7:30 PM 2. 5 November Velocity vs Trailblazers 3:30 PM 3. 7 November Trailblazers vs Supernovas 7:30 PM 4. 9 November Final 7:30 PM ## Here are the complete squads - ## Supernovas - Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Jemimah Rodrigues (VC), Chamari Atapattu, Priya Punia, Anuja Patil, Radha Yadav, Taniya Bhatia (WK), Shashikala Siriwardene, Poonam Yadav, Shakera Selman, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Ayushi Soni, Ayabonga Khaka, and Muskan Malik## Trailblazers - Smriti Mandhana (C), Deepti Sharma (VC), Punam Raut, Richa Ghosh, D. Hemalatha, Nuzhat Parween (WK), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Harleen Deol, Jhulan Goswami, Simran Dil Bahadur, Salma Khatun, Sophie Ecclestone, Natthakan Chantham, Deandra Dottin, and Kashvee Gautam## Velocity - Mithali Raj (C), Veda Krishnamurthy (VC), Shafali Verma, Sushma Verma (WK), Ekta Bisht, Mansi Joshi, Shikha Pandey, Sushree Dibyadarshini, Manali Dakshini, Leigh Kasperek, Danielle Wyatt, Suné Luus, Jahanara Alam, and M. Anagha## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Former team India and one of the most successful captains in white-ball cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has turned 39 today (July 7). Fans and sports stars including team India captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravi Shastri, and others across the country are pouring birthday wishes on the captain cool.## Here is what people have to say on MS Dhoni's birthday -## Happy birthday @msdhoni !May God bless you with good health and happiness in life.Have a great year ahead. pic.twitter.com/pGLRQYGzTh— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 7, 2020 ## Happy b'day Mahi bhai. Wish you good health and happiness always. God bless you 🙏😃 pic.twitter.com/i9zR4Zb5A3— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 7, 2020 ## Cooling off with Mr Cool. Happy birthday @msdhoni. pic.twitter.com/fZQgGGRcD4— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) July 7, 2020 ## Once in a generation, a player comes and a nation connects with him, think of him as a member of their family, kuch bahut apna sa lagta hai. Happy Birthday to a man who is the world ( Dhoni-ya ) for his many admirers. #HappyBirthdayDhoni pic.twitter.com/T9Bj7G32BI— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) July 7, 2020 ## Happy Birthday Youngster! Have an absolute blast Legend 🙏 #mahendrasinghdhoni #MSDhonibirthday #HBDDhoni #Dhoni pic.twitter.com/B4lzLbPAdt— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) July 7, 2020 ## A small try to make your birthday little more special. My best friend, teammate and captain, Happy Birthday Mahi Bhai @msdhoni Thank You @InsideCricket07 for making it happen. #HappyBirthdayDhoni pic.twitter.com/xfiakfh8Ai— IamKedar (@JadhavKedar) July 7, 2020 ## Happy Birthday @msdhoni sir. Wish you lots of happiness on your special day. Have a great day and an even more successful year ahead! 🙂— Smriti Mandhana (@mandhana_smriti) July 7, 2020 ## One man, countless moments of joy! 🇮🇳🙌Let’s celebrate @msdhoni's birthday by revisiting some of his monstrous sixes! 📽️💪#HappyBirthdayDhoni— BCCI (@BCCI) July 6, 2020 ## Wish you a very happy birthday Dhoni bhai. Have a good one! 😊@msdhoni— Ajinkya Rahane (@ajinkyarahane88) July 7, 2020 ## Wishing a very Happy Birthday to the Captain cool, @msdhoni.Hope to see you soon on the field with those helicopter shots 😄#HappyBirthdayDhoni pic.twitter.com/VVaWWVSNWu— Kidambi Srikanth (@srikidambi) July 7, 2020 ## Birthday greetings to the legend of the game @msdhoni bhaiya. #MSDhonibirthday #DhoniBirthdayCelebrations pic.twitter.com/TEBko7FfMB— Hima (@HimaDas8) July 7, 2020 ## 🏆 2007 ICC Men's T20 World Cup 🏆 2011 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 🏆 2013 ICC Champions Trophy Happy birthday to one of India's greatest captains of all time, MS Dhoni 🤩 pic.twitter.com/XWRlV63D36— ICC (@ICC) July 7, 2020 ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Here is the list of the most followed Instagram profiles in India. As of now, Virat Kolhi has the most follower profile in India and it seems like no one can beat him in the coming years due to their immense popularity in the world. ## Top Indian Instagram followers Handle as of 26th July 2026: ## Highest followers on Instagram in India SNInstagram AccountFollowers [In Million]FollowingsInstagram Special Note 1. Virat Kohli 273315034 [273.32 M] 279 - Virat Kohli is the most followed person in India. - Virat Kohli is the most followed cricketer in the world. 2. Narendra Modi 101920818 [101.92 M] 0 - Naredra Modi is the most followed politician in India. 3. Shraddha Kapoor 93324219 [93.32 M] 796 - Shraddha Kapoor is the most followed woman/female in India. - Shraddha Kapoor is the most followed Bollywood celebrity in the world. - Shraddha Kapoor is the most followed actress in India. 4. Priyanka Chopra 92983274 [92.98 M] 647 5. Alia Bhatt 85705034 [85.71 M] 552 - Alia Bhatt is the most followed person who don't have indian citizenship but lives in India. 6. Katrina Kaif 78991051 [78.99 M] 647 7. Deepika Padukone 78384009 [78.38 M] 242 8. Neha Kakkar 76350212 [76.35 M] 0 - Neha Kakkar is the most followed Indian singer. *** 9. Salman Khan 72024710 [72.02 M] 47 - Salman Khan is the most followed actor in India. 10. Urvashi Rautela 67995906 [68 M] 74 11. Anushka Sharma 67817490 [67.82 M] 680 12. Jacqueline Fernandez 66897039 [66.9 M] 1272 13. Akshay Kumar 65411785 [65.41 M] 4 14. Disha Patani 60532060 [60.53 M] 122 15. Kriti Sanon 58108639 [58.11 M] 427 16. Sunny Leone 55210519 [55.21 M] 123 17. Jannat Zubair 51661355 [51.66 M] 96 18. Rashmika Mandanna 51636988 [51.64 M] 348 19. Sachin Tendulkar 51629093 [51.63 M] 60 20. Mahendra Singh Dhoni 50569110 [50.57 M] 4 21. Kartik Aaryan 50482632 [50.48 M] 1284 22. Hrithik Roshan 48969372 [48.97 M] 569 23. Shah Rukh Khan 48763728 [48.76 M] 6 24. Shahid Kapoor 48571582 [48.57 M] 255 25. Ranveer Singh 48029005 [48.03 M] 1637 26. Nora Fatehi 46589848 [46.59 M] 640 27. Rohit Sharma 46426673 [46.43 M] 113 28. Varun Dhawan 45260474 [45.26 M] 590 29. Sara Ali Khan 44986537 [44.99 M] 138 30. Kapil Sharma 44619705 [44.62 M] 2 Kapil Sharma is the most followed comedian in India. 31. Parineeti Chopra 41921597 [41.92 M] 231 32. Tiger Shroff 39426759 [39.43 M] 622 33. Team India 38976875 [38.98 M] 96 34. Madhuri Dixit 38360830 [38.36 M] 296 35. Samantha Ruth Prabhu 38050944 [38.05 M] 967 36. anushka sen 37902350 [37.9 M] 170 37. Amitabh Bachchan 36520635 [36.52 M] 100 38. Kiara Advani 35918570 [35.92 M] 613 39. Guru Randhawa 35275812 [35.28 M] 0 40. Hardik Pandya 34902542 [34.9 M] 353 41. Shreya Ghoshal 33741080 [33.74 M] 923 42. Mr Faisu 33547112 [33.55 M] 347 43. Sonam Kapoor 33108193 [33.11 M] 5491 44. Mouni Roy 33089318 [33.09 M] 378 45. Shilpa Shetty 33055581 [33.06 M] 480 46. Sidharth Malhotra 31646412 [31.65 M] 246 47. Filmy Gyan 31233948 [31.23 M] 406 48. Nidhhi Agerwal 30988054 [30.99 M] 737 49. Avneet Kaur 30630665 [30.63 M] 413 50. Awez Darbar 30306167 [30.31 M] 577 51. Arishfa Khan 29240327 [29.24 M] 65 52. Tamanna Bhatia 28476116 [28.48 M] 1657 53. Sonakshi Sinha 28354406 [28.35 M] 536 54. Rohit Zinjurke 28126393 [28.13 M] 193 55. Sonu Sood 28062126 [28.06 M] 298 56. Pooja Hegde 27913992 [27.91 M] 210 57. Allu Arjun 27874168 [27.87 M] 1 - Allu Arjun is the most followed south indian actor. 58. Suresh Raina 27559981 [27.56 M] 1189 59. Riyaz Aly 26873600 [26.87 M] 529 60. Janhvi Kapoor 26804612 [26.8 M] 811 61. Diljit Dosanjh 26761904 [26.76 M] 0 62. Ananya Pandey 26367082 [26.37 M] 1668 63. Kajal Aggarwal 26288817 [26.29 M] 1133 64. Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya 25290116 [25.29 M] 244 65. Angel Rai 25228837 [25.23 M] 278 66. Ram Charan 24453391 [24.45 M] 47 67. Rakul Preet Singh 23850903 [23.85 M] 567 68. Riteish Deshmukh 23719865 [23.72 M] 86 69. Shruthi Haasan 23711245 [23.71 M] 5245 70. Vijay Deverakonda 23342737 [23.34 M] 0 71. Ajey Nagar (CarryMinati) 21521345 [21.52 M] 169 - Ajey Nagar is the most followd Indian Youtuber. 72. Elvish Yadav 21106237 [21.11 M] 756 73. Vicky Kaushal 21093800 [21.09 M] 473 74. Sanju Samson 20940971 [20.94 M] 177 75. Bhuvan Bam 20815340 [20.82 M] 303 76. Yuvraj Singh 20778237 [20.78 M] 666 77. Yo Yo Honey Singh 20753286 [20.75 M] 881 78. Neha Sharma 20051522 [20.05 M] 659 79. Shikhar Dhawan 20046083 [20.05 M] 151 80. Yami Gautam 19968748 [19.97 M] 48 81. Taapsee Pannu 19806785 [19.81 M] 324 82. Kashika Kapoor 19384603 [19.38 M] 416 83. Hina Khan 19384440 [19.38 M] 431 84. Shehnaaz Kaur Gill 18983396 [18.98 M] 187 85. Kajol 18655703 [18.66 M] 19 86. Keerthi Suresh 18597488 [18.6 M] 1343 87. Malaika Arora 18544455 [18.54 M] 826 88. Darshan Raval 18316622 [18.32 M] 144 89. Badshah 18263344 [18.26 M] 529 90. Jennifer Winget 18222126 [18.22 M] 871 91. Sidhu Moosewala 17810195 [17.81 M] 4 92. Ashish Chanchlani 17780834 [17.78 M] 1513 93. Harbhajan Singh 17739935 [17.74 M] 735 94. Karan Johar 17588865 [17.59 M] 13 Karna Johar is the most followed filmmaker in India. 95. Esha Gupta 17393258 [17.39 M] 439 96. Ayushmann Khurrana 16856989 [16.86 M] 1311 97. Shakti Mohan 16815960 [16.82 M] 495 98. Shreyas Iyer 16719116 [16.72 M] 615 99. Shreyas Iyer 16719116 [16.72 M] 615 100. Mika Singh 16197982 [16.2 M] 4125 101. Dulquer Salmaan 15859222 [15.86 M] 1153 102. KL Rahul 15634638 [15.63 M] 294 103. Silambarasan TR 15475370 [15.48 M] 0 104. Smriti Mandhana 15427841 [15.43 M] 173 105. Arjun Kapoor 15365388 [15.37 M] 3540 106. Zareen Khan 15321451 [15.32 M] 356 107. Mohammed Shami 15321092 [15.32 M] 314 108. Genelia Deshmukh 15168716 [15.17 M] 63 109. Ileana D'Cruz 15064050 [15.06 M] 89 110. Armaan Malik 15005214 [15.01 M] 1077 111. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan 14882740 [14.88 M] 1 112. Sonam Bajwa 14609692 [14.61 M] 1837 113. Yash Gowda 14089004 [14.09 M] 1 114. Garima Chaurasia 13988040 [13.99 M] 346 115. Kareena Kapoor Khan 13850491 [13.85 M] 317 116. Prabhas 13783503 [13.78 M] 28 117. Bipasha Basu 13700647 [13.7 M] 322 118. Preity Zinta 13553633 [13.55 M] 347 119. Manisha Rani 13157411 [13.16 M] 151 120. Sadhguru 13134717 [13.13 M] 3 121. Amy Jackson 13125437 [13.13 M] 999 122. Sai Pallavi 12925334 [12.93 M] 77 123. Raghav Juyal 12878112 [12.88 M] 876 124. Rupesh Dewasi 12718872 [12.72 M] 134 125. Jubin Nautiyal 12692539 [12.69 M] 275 126. Anjali Arora 12665444 [12.67 M] 310 127. Remo D'Souza 12647227 [12.65 M] 231 128. Sania Mirza 12591314 [12.59 M] 0 129. Hasnain Khan 12314728 [12.31 M] 250 130. Sushant Singh Rajput 12264449 [12.26 M] 5961 131. Beauty Khan 12183151 [12.18 M] 263 132. Abhishek Bachchan 12175541 [12.18 M] 326 133. Ajay Devgn 12095321 [12.1 M] 26 134. Gautam Gambhir 11686306 [11.69 M] 133 135. Rashi Khanna 11682128 [11.68 M] 793 136. Mahira Khan 11653058 [11.65 M] 519 137. Adnaan Shaikh 11565862 [11.57 M] 575 138. Himanshi Khurana 11409086 [11.41 M] 343 139. John Abraham 11158868 [11.16 M] 16 140. Aditi Rao Hydari 11145019 [11.15 M] 1496 141. Nita Shilimkar 11092332 [11.09 M] 125 142. Riva Arora 10904904 [10.9 M] 464 143. Sameeksha Sud 10783060 [10.78 M] 1173 144. Yuzvendra Chahal 10766020 [10.77 M] 590 145. Suriya 10659461 [10.66 M] 8 146. Siddharth Nigam 10621373 [10.62 M] 290 147. Nani 10478139 [10.48 M] 53 148. Vidya Balan 10189851 [10.19 M] 114 149. Shivangi Joshi 10148960 [10.15 M] 157 150. Surbhi Jyoti 10035784 [10.04 M] 223 151. Surbhi Jyoti 10035784 [10.04 M] 223 152. Adah Sharma 9938342 [9.94 M] 913 153. Kangana Ranaut 9814958 [9.81 M] 238 154. MC Stan 9375871 [9.38 M] 0 155. Bhumi Pednekar 9345940 [9.35 M] 2056 156. Vishal Pandey 9314928 [9.31 M] 682 157. Tara Sutaria 9263371 [9.26 M] 2152 158. Sneha Reddy 9241572 [9.24 M] 737 159. Neeraj Chopra 9114407 [9.11 M] 545 ## *** Priyanka Chopra and Shraddha Kapoor also sung few songs. But Neha Kakkar's main profession is singing so that why we considered her as most followed Indian singer on Instagram. ## Alia Bhatt, Jacqueline Fernandez, Akshay Kumar, and Katrina Kaif do not have Indian citizenship, but they work and live in India that why we included them in this list. ## Followers: The total number of Followers of a specific Instagram Profile ## Following: The total number of Profiles followed from a specific Instagram Profile ## Special Achievement List FollowersList of Handles that achieved this 50 MillionVirat Kohli (1st)Priyanka Chopra (2nd)Deepika Padukone (3rd)Shraddha Kapoor (4th)Alia Bhatt (5th)Narendra Modi (6th)Neha Kakkar (7th)Akshay Kumar (8th)Jacqueline Fernandez (9th)Anushka Sharma (10th)Katrina Kaif (11th)Salman Khan (12th)Sunny Leone (13th)Disha Patani (14th)Urvashi Rautela (15th)Kriti Sanon (16th) 60 MillionVirat Kohli (1st)Priyanka Chopra (2nd)Shraddha Kapoor (3rd)Neha Kakkar (4th)Deepika Padukone (5th)Narendra Modi (6th)Katrina Kaif (7th)Jacqueline Fernandez (8th)Alia Bhatt (9th)Akshay Kumar (10th)Anushka Sharma (11th) 70 MillionVirat Kohli (1st)Priyanka Chopra (2nd)Shraddha Kapoor (3rd)Neha Kakkar (4th)Narendra Modi (5th)Deepika Padukone (6th) 80 MillionVirat Kohli (1st)Priyanka Chopra (2nd) 90 MillionVirat Kohli (1st) 100+ MillionVirat Kohli (1st) ## For more and the latest news about Instagram, stay tuned to us.

BY SACNILK

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has been given an A grade contract after finding himself without a contract last time while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shikhar Dhawan who were in the A+ category have been dropped to A in latest central contract released by BCCI's Committee of Administrators (CoA).## Murli Vijay found himself without a contract this time around. He was dropped from the Test series during the England tour after his poor runs. However, he was brought back into the team for Australia tour but soon was dropped again as his poor show with the bat continued and hence, he will be without any central contract for the upcoming season.## Some of the players like Axar Patel, Karun Nair, Parthiv Patel and Jayant Yadav who all had contracts in the previous cycle have been left out of the current one while Khaleel Ahmed and Hanuma Vihari who have been awarded the central contract for the first time and have earned a Grade C contract.## Wriddhiman Saha, who had a Grade A contract last time sees himself drop down two categories to Grade C after missing a large part of cricket due to injury. He is currently out from the Test. Dinesh Karthik too dropped a category to Grade C.## Grade A+ (INR 7 Cr):## Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah## Grade A (INR 5 Cr):## Ravichandaran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant## Grade B (INR 3 Cr):## KL Rahul, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya## Grade C (INR 1 Cr):## Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Hanuma Vihari, Khaleel Ahmed, Wriddhiman Saha## Women's contract## The highest wicket-taker in ODIs, Jhulan Goswami who has been retired from T20Is, moved to Grade B while Poonam Yadav earned Grade A contract. All-rounders Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, and D Hemalatha have been awarded a Grade C contract for the first time.## Grade A (INR 50 Lakhs):## Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Poonam yadav## Grade B (INR 30 Lakhs):## Ekta Bisht, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues## Grade C (INR 10 Lakhs):## Radha Yadav, D Hemalatha, Anuja Patil, Veda Krishnamurthy, Mansi Joshi, Punam Raut, Mona Meshram, Arundhati Reddy, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Taniya Bhatia, Pooja Vastrakar## Follow for more...

BY SACNILK

After the Mithali Raj and head coach Ramesh Powar's controversy, India's T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana came in support of Ramesh Powar who was ready to axed from head coach role and want him continue as coach as both the players feel that India improved a lot under the coaching of former Indian all-rounder.## Significantly, India's ODI captain Mithali Raj surprisingly was benched in the semi-final of the World T20 a few days ago against England and it cost India's exit from the tournament. However, Raj blamed coach Powar for her exclusion and wrote a letter to BCCI and made serious allegations on him saying he was out there to "humiliate and destroy" her.## After the incident, Powar didn't receive an extension of his contract with the BCCI sending out an invitation for fresh applications for the position. However, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana came out in support of him and writing to the BCCI about his positive contributions as head coach of the team and said Raj's exclusion from the playing XI was purely team management's decision (confirmed by CRICBUZZ).## "I am writing to bring it under your notice that how tremendously our team has gone under positive changes in the past few months and has set a benchmark in the world's top teams. Our defeat in the semi-finals was very disheartening and it brings us all to feel more miserable to see how the controversies have stained our image and questioned the entire cricket fraternity," wrote Harmanpreet in an email published by Hindustan Times.## "(sic) Ramesh Powar not only improved us as players but did motivate us to set targets and challenge our own limits. He has changed the faced (sic) of Indian women's cricket team both technically and strategically. He has inculcated in us the sense of winning."## "The decision was entirely based on the cricketing logic and observations from the past. Keeping in mind the need of the hour, me, Smriti, selector Sudha Shah and the coach together in the presence of our manager felt that we should go ahead with the winning combination," the letter further added before urging the BCCI to allow Powar to continue as coach.## "Cutting the conversation short, I, as the T20 captain and ODI vice-captain is appealing before you to allow Powar to further continue as our team coach. There are hardly 15 months for the next T20 World Cup and a month to go for the New Zealand tour. The way he has transformed us into a team, I feel no reason to replace him."## Mandhana added, "It is important for Indian cricket's growth that everybody is on the same page and I believe that any difference can be amicably resolved via discussion."## Ramesh Powar hit back on Raj saying she "blackmailing and pressurising coaches and puts her selfish interests ahead of the team." after she accused him of humiliating and destroy her. The support of Kaur and Mandhana came out as a boost for him as he could reapply for the post.## For more updates and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

BY SACNILK

The government of India has honored Indian Men's Cricket Team captain Virat Kohli with India's most prestigious sporting honor Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratan while Women's T20I vice-captain Smriti Mandhana received Arjun Award. The awards were given by President Ramnath Kovind on Tuesday, 25 September.## Virat Kohli is the only third cricketer to be received India's top sporting award. Weightlifter Mira Bai Chanu also honored with Khel Ratan with Indian skipper. Mandhana is the only 10th woman cricketer to win Arjun Award. Harmanpreet Kaur was the last woman cricketer to awarded with Arjun Award in 2017.## Virat Kohli has been in imperious form in last few years. He was the ICC Cricketer of the year 2017 and also swept most of the BCCI award this year. The No.1 Test and ODI batsman show excellent runs in South Africa and England this year across all formats. He was the top scorer in SA and England in Test series'.## "The Khel Ratna award is yet another feather in Virat Kohli's cap. He was named the ICC Player of the Year in 2017, he swept the BCCI awards and has now been conferred with the highest sporting award, which is truly a remarkable feat. His hunger for runs is insatiable and I am sure under his leadership, the Indian team will be a top-ranked side in all three formats," BCCI acting honorary secretary, Amitabh Choudhary, said.## "We are extremely proud that Virat Kohli and Smriti Mandhana are being conferred with top honors by the Government of India. Virat is just the third Indian cricketer to receive the prestigious Khel Ratna award. This is a testimony to his work ethic, dedication, and unwavering focus. He has led India with distinction and at the same time, set new records with the bat. Playing different formats of the game, Virat has shown amazing consistency leading the side by example. This Indian team is one of the fittest sides in world cricket and a lot of credit must go to the Indian captain for bringing about this transformation," Vinod Rai, Chairman of the Committee of Administrators, said.## On the other hand, Mandhana has been India's best player since World Cup 2017. Since World Cup, she is India's leading run-getter in both T20Is and ODIs. After her remarkable run, she named a deputy to Harmanpreet in T20I. In recently concluded England's Women Kia Super League, she topped the charts with 421 runs and a blitzing strike rate of 175. She is only Indian player to win player of the tournament award in the history of WKSL and WBBL (Women's Big Bash League).## Talking about Virat Kohli, it was yet another feather in his cap. The 29-year old is the first cricketer since Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2007) to be honored with this most respectable sporting award. The great Sachin Tendulkar was the first cricketer to receive this honor in 1997.## For more and latest news about Cricket, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

BY SACNILK

Smriti Mandhana continued to shine in limited overs as India Women crushed Sri Lanka Women by 9-wickets in the first of the three ODIs at the Galle International Stadium, Galle on Tuesday, September 11. This series is the part of ICC Championship.## It was an easy outing for the Indian Women as they comfortably won the first ODI. The foundation of this win was set up by the bowlers who bowled out Sri Lankan Women on a modest total of 98 in 35.1 overs. ## Right-arm pacer Manshi Joshi was the most successful bowler for India as she took 3 for 16 in 6.1 overs. ## Jhulan Goswami and Poonam Yadav took two wickets each while Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Dayalan Hemalatha grabbed a wicket each.## Sri Lanka never looked in the game as the biggest partnership was 29 between the skipper Chamari Athapaththu and Sripali Weerakkody. ## Athapaththu was the highest scorer for her side with 33 off 93 balls while Weerakkody made 26 off 32 balls.## The chase was never going to be trouble Indian Women and openers Smriti Mandhana and Punam Raut made it even more. easier with a 96-run partnership. Raut caught out by Manodara off Ranaweera before 3 runs from reaching the target. ## She made 24 off 41 balls with the help of 2 boundaries. But it was Mandhana who showed her class once again with an unbeaten knock off 73 off 76 balls as India chased down the target in 19.5 overs.## Mandhana has been in sensational form since the South Africa series. She was the top run-getter in recently concluded Women's Kia Super League with 421 runs in 9 innings with a century and two half-centuries. ## She averaging 60.14 with a strike rate of 174.68 in that tournament. She has been India's best player in recent times.## For more and latest news about Cricket, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

BY SACNILK

Looks like there is no stopping India's swashbuckling left-hander Smriti Mandhana in women's Kia Super League in England. After hammering the fastest fifty of the tournament a few days ago, she followed up with a sizzling 102 off 61 balls against Lancashire Thunder at Old Trafford, Manchester on Friday, August 3.## With the help of Mandhana's first T20 hundred, Western Storm beat Lancashire Thunder by 7-wickets. Mandhana single-handedly took his side home with a comfortable win in the end. ## She has been in great touch since the start of the tournament. In five matches so far, she has scored 48, 37, 52*, 43*, and 102 with the strike rate of more than 200.## Coming to this match, Western Storm's skipper Heather Knight had won the toss and opted to field first. New Zealand's Amy Satterthwaite played a brilliant inning of unbeaten 85 off 57 balls. India's Harmanpreet Kaur run herself out without scoring a single run off the first ball after playing a heroic knock in the last match.## Despite Amy Satterthwaite, no other player could score big. Nicole Bolton (13), Eleanor Threlkeld (15), and Emma Lamb (13) could not capitalize on their start and therefore, Thunder made 153 for 7 after 20 overs. Anya Shrubsole took 2 for 36 while Freya Davies and Naomi Dattani grabbed one wicket each.## In reply of 154, Storm lost Rachel Priest (5) and skipper Heather Knight (8) on 47 but Mandhana and Stafanie Taylor (33*) put on a match-winning partnership of 102 off 77 balls. Mandhana dismissed just before reaching the target but she made sure that her team won the match. The Storm chased down the target with 10 balls to spare.## Kate Cross, Emma Lamb, and Amy Satterthwaite took a wicket each but they never looked troubling Mandhana at any stage of the game. Mandhana awarded Player Of The Match for her match-winning hundred.## For more and latest news about Cricket, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

BY SACNILK

Smriti Mandhana will be the first Indian to play in Women's cricket Super League in England as she signing up with the defending champion Western Storm for the upcoming season.## Mandhana has been a consistent performer for India in limited overs cricket since 2017 World Cup. She has scored 402 runs in 12 T20I innings with four half-centuries and 531 runs scored in 9 ODI innings with five half-centuries and a career-best 135 against South Africa in 2018.## Mandhana was delighted after signing up with the defending champion.## "I am very excited to be playing for the Kia Super League champions. To be the first Indian player to appear in the tournament is a real honour and I hope that I can help Western Storm to more success,".## Mandhana is the only second overseas player to signing up with the Western Storm as New Zealand's wicketkeeper batter, Rachel Priest is the first and will play her third stint with the club.## "We are really excited that Smriti will be joining us. She is one of the brightest young talents in the game at the moment. Although she is still young, she has a great deal of experience of the game at the highest level and we believe that she will prove to be an excellent signing," Storm head coach Trevor Griffin said.## This is not the first instance when Smriti Mandhana is will be playing franchise cricket. She has been the part of Brisbane Heat in Big Bash League 2016-17 and most recently she captained IPL Trailblazers in a one-off T20 exhibition match on 22nd May ahead of IPL qualifier 1 in Mumbai.## For more updates and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.