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"It was brilliant to watch," Mandhana, who was out for 9 in the second over of the chase, said after the game. "They [Ahuja and Ghosh] have been doing that in the nets in the last seven to eight days to all our bowlers. So, really happy that things clicked on. But yeah, I think after the first innings we knew with the dew coming, it was going to be tough to bowl. So we always thought that we were in the game.

"The way Richa batted and Pez [Perry] batted was amazing to watch."

RCB had been up against it after Ashleigh Gardner dented the visitors with the bat first, smashing a 37-ball 79, and then with the ball, removing Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge in the second over. But from thereon Giants had an awful time in the field with dropped catches, misfields, a missed run-out chance, overthrows and a flurry of full tosses. Perry, who was out in the 13th over, had done a repair job with 57 off 34, before Ghosh (64 not out off 27) and Ahuja (30 not out off 13) proceeded to snatch the game away.

Ghosh took her time initially - she scored just 15 off her first 12 balls. A lot of match simulation before the tournament helped her deal with the high-pressure situation, she said later.

"The plan was to take some time, and see how the pitch is reacting," Ghosh said. "I wanted to take it deep, and I focused on my game. We [Ahuja and I] thought we could get to the total, and that we would play a positive game.

"The preparation we did with sir [head coach Luke Williams] really helped us. We had a lot of match situation during practice matches. We kept targets that if the situation is so and so then what should we be doing. That helped me a lot."

"Yes, the boundaries were uneven, but I didn't have that in mind. I knew I could clear [the boundaries] so I was just reacting as the ball came."

"I'm really happy as I'm playing after a year. All the visualisations and the rehab that I did seemed to have helped me mentally. I tried to become a better player."

Kanika Ahuja after missing last season due to injury

Ahuja, who missed the last edition due to injury, was elated. In addition to her match-turning knock, she had returned 1 for 19 from three overs with her offspin.

"It feels great. I'm really happy as I'm playing after a year," Ahuja said. "All the visualisations and the rehab that I did seemed to have helped me mentally. I tried to become a better player.

"I thought I'll go for whatever is in my reach. We were looking at a [required] run rate of 10 or 12 runs an over, and that worked out. Thankfully, we won."

RCB had lost key players like Sophie Devine (unavailable), Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana and Sophie Molineux (all injured) ahead of the season, so they had to dig deep into their squad here. This resulted in three debutants: Prema Rawat, VJ Joshitha and Raghvi Bist. The inexperience in the bowling unit showed, and sloppiness in the field did not help. Mandhana backed her young players but said there remained "a lot of things to work on" if they are to defend their title.

"I think we lost pretty much the top-three wicket-takers of last year," Mandhana said. "And we had to start, but luckily we had good options. And whoever came in for the injured people, I think they were all brilliant replacements.

"[But] I think definitely a lot of things to work on as a bowling unit and fielding unit. And we have two days off before the next match, so we'll have good discussions around it."

Philly fetes Eagles; Hurts finally takes Rocky steps

Published in Breaking News
Friday, 14 February 2025 12:45

PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia was awash in green on Valentine's Day to celebrate its Super Bowl champion Eagles.

Swooning fans screamed and cheered Friday as MVP quarterback Jalen Hurts and Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie took turns hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the start of the team's victory parade through the City of Brotherly Love.

Many fans camped out along the team's parade route overnight, huddling under blankets and inside tents to secure prime spots near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the Eagles took the stage on the "Rocky" steps.

"You know I told myself that when I got drafted, that I wouldn't come to the Rocky steps until I won a championship," Hurts told cheering fans. "And now we're here."

Others decked out in Eagles jerseys climbed trees and light poles, perched themselves atop ladders and clung to a statue of Benjamin Franklin near City Hall to get a glimpse of record-setting running back Saquon Barkley and Cooper DeJean, the rookie defensive back who ran an interception into the end zone on his 22nd birthday.

"This team is special. We can't be great without the greatness of others and that certainly applies to our fans," said head coach Nick Sirianni.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, his forehead seemingly cut from a beer can thrown his way, took the podium with the Lombardi Trophy in hand and proclaimed, "I bleed for this city!"

Barkley, along with many other players, hopped off the open-air buses to walk along the parade route and exchange high-fives with fans who pressed against teetering barricades.

Jordan Jaindl, who couldn't make it to the 2018 parade after the Eagles won their first Super Bowl, wasn't going to miss this one, bringing his wife and three daughters from Binghamton, New York. This team, he said, was the embodiment of the city.

"Their work ethic," he said. "How they have to grind for each win. We have to grind here in Philly."

Fans showed up with grocery carts stocked with food and booze while a few stayed warm in a hotel, sipping champagne. One group roasted a pig with the number "15" carved into the side -- a final shot at Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The Eagles, despite being underdogs, dominated the Chiefs on Sunday, shutting them out in the first half before finishing with a 40-22 victory.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, who made an amusing gaffe when she mangled the spelling of the "Eagles" as she led a chant last month, corrected herself earlier this week by calling them the "N-F-L-C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N-S."

She and other city leaders implored the team's exuberant fans to stay safe and keep the mood festive for the Valentine's Day dinner crowd.

"Do not climb any light poles," the mayor said. "In the midst of all this beauty, all of the sacrifices this team has made to meet this moment, we don't want it to all go by the wayside."

Despite her admonitions, a few fans stood on top of port-a-potties and city trucks downtown.

City schools closed for the parade, along with city courts and other agencies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Fins to release veteran RB Mostert, agent says

Published in Breaking News
Friday, 14 February 2025 12:45

The Miami Dolphins have informed running back Raheem Mostert that he will be released, his agent said on social media Friday afternoon.

Mostert signed with the Dolphins in 2022 and made the Pro Bowl after rushing for a career-high 1,012 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2023. The undrafted running back led the NFL with 21 total touchdowns during his Pro Bowl season.

"Looks like my client Raheem Mostert will be playing elsewhere next season," Mostert's agent, Brett Tessler, wrote on X. "Very thankful for his time with the Miami Dolphins, and this gives them a chance to get younger and gives him a chance to pursue a ring elsewhere."

Mostert, 32, closes his tenure in Miami with 2,181 rushing yards and 28 total touchdowns.

His release leaves the Dolphins with De'Von Achane and 2024 fourth-round pick Jaylen Wright manning their backfield. Achane worked as the team's feature back last season and led all NFL running backs with 78 catches and 592 receiving yards.

Newton: Panthers comments 'aggressive' but 'true'

Published in Breaking News
Friday, 14 February 2025 12:45

Former Carolina star quarterback Cam Newton doubled down on recent comments that the Panthers had "a locker room of losers" before drafting him with the first overall pick in 2011, saying his remarks were "aggressive" but "true."

Newton said during Thursday's "4th and 1 with Cam Newton" podcast that he was referring to the team's performance as a whole and not individual players.

"When did we become so sensitive?" Newton said. "When did we become so sensitive to really speaking what the reality is? A locker room full of losers? Aggressive, but it's true."

Several former teammates, including star wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., took exception to comments Newton made during an appearance on a podcast with Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter leading up to the Super Bowl. He spoke about the pressure Hunter might face if he is drafted with the No. 1 pick.

Newton told Hunter he has "no way of impacting the game the way a quarterback does" and added: "I went into a locker room of losers. Just honest. Guys didn't know how to win; guys didn't know how to prepare. They didn't take themselves serious to realize we was 2-14. There was a lot of 2-14 in the mentality of those guys."

Those comments didn't sit well with Smith, the most productive receiver ever to wear a Panthers uniform and one of 15 finalists for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame. A member of that 2010 team, he made his feelings clear through several posts on X.

"53 man locker room -- 1 = 52 losers. Wow... breaking news to 89," Smith posted along with an angry-face emoji.

Newton said he has "no quarrel" with Smith and understands why he took exception. But he wasn't backing down.

"I'm not specifically talking about those guys," Newton said on his podcast. "I'm talking about the culture that was there prior to me coming into the locker room -- and it was a losers' mentality."

Newton said the Panthers still had it his first two seasons when they went 6-10 and 7-9. He also said he needed to learn how to win in the NFL.

Things started to come together in 2013, when Carolina went 12-4 before losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round. The 2015 team went 15-1 and made the Super Bowl, with Newton winning league MVP honors that season.

"Is it me saying that, 'Oh when I came, I made everything [better]?'" he said. "No. I never said that. What I said was if you're getting drafted No. 1, you're going to a bad football team. That's facts. And that's the point that I was trying to tell Travis Hunter. You see what I'm saying? For me, everybody is so taken aback, like, 'Oh, Cam said this.' Bro, it's the truth. It's the truth."

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The entire gym froze at the whistle.

"Listen!" screamed Alabama head coach Nate Oats, as he catapulted onto the court from the sideline, refusing to take his foot off the gas at a recent practice. "There should not be any 3-pointers against this defense! None!"

Three hours southeast, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl was in a similar state.

"This doesn't work!" he yelled at his players during a mid-February session, his hands thrown up in the air. "This doesn't work unless our big men step up! Do it again!"

Every time the Tigers and the Crimson Tide meet in a rivalry that dates back to 1893, there are fireworks. Throughout its history, the pinnacle of this in-state conflict has taken place on the football field, in the Iron Bowl. But Saturday's marquee matchup between No. 1 Auburn and No. 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa (4 p.m. ET, ESPN) will place basketball center stage in the first 1 vs. 2 meeting in the history of the SEC -- not just these two teams.

The stakes have elevated the contest to another threshold.

"That's definitely a big game," said Grant Nelson, the Alabama forward who is averaging 12.7 points per game. "That's what everyone talks about. That's what all of my friends want to come out and watch because they want to catch that game."

Saturday's matchup will be the first between the top two teams in college basketball since Gonzaga and UCLA met in Las Vegas during the 2021-22 season, and the first in-conference meeting involving the No. 1 and No. 2 teams since Kansas and Oklahoma battled in a triple-overtime affair in 2016, according to ESPN Research.

The rise of these two teams also represents a shifting hierarchy in college basketball that is challenging the traditional definition of a "blue blood." Pearl and Oats, respectively, have led Auburn (2019) and Alabama (2024) to the first Final Four appearances in each program's history. Despite being known as football schools, Alabama and Auburn enter Saturday as two anchors of an SEC primed to break the men's NCAA tournament record for most conference bids by securing more than a dozen on Selection Sunday.

The programs have reached this moment with distinct approaches.

Mark Sears (17.8 PPG, 4.9 APG) leads the Tide, who play at the fastest pace in America. Under Oats, they launch 3-pointers almost half the time they have the ball -- and they score in barrages (they've reached 100 points in seven games this season).

At Auburn, Johni Broome, a top candidate for national player of the year, is the dominant force guiding a Tigers squad that turns every game into a heavyweight bout. It's the most balanced team in America, ranking No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency and inside the top 20 in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom. The Tigers are also one of the nation's most experienced crews (nine seniors) and, arguably, the deepest (10 players average at least 10 minutes per game).

Fans who have lived through past chapters of the Alabama-Auburn rivalry expect an intense battle, but they also caution rankings alone don't mean everything in this matchup.

Backers of the Tide and Tigers tussle over, well, anything -- and, at any time.

"I wish they'd just leave us alone," Michael Floyd, self-proclaimed Auburn superfan and former vice president of The Jungle, the Tigers' basketball student section, told ESPN. "Let us have something for once. We get good [at] basketball and now they want to finally invest in it? Come on.

"I don't want to say this, but you have to give credit where credit is due: What they're doing over there is crazy as well, which makes what we're doing here even more special. Because we want to win it when our rival is good. No one wants to see what we saw last weekend when Duke just blew the brakes off North Carolina. We want to see a good, old-fashioned, neck-and-neck rivalry."

This rivalry featured a version of that kind of energy on the hardwood as early as 2011 -- before either team was this good -- and it nearly caused a fight.

As Cam Newton -- with the Heisman Trophy he had just won in hand -- and his teammates gathered near the court at then-Auburn Arena for their official Iron Bowl victory celebration and pregame reception, then-Alabama point guard Trevor Releford braced for trouble.

The Auburn football players crowded the Alabama men's basketball team at the arena entrance just before the Tide ran onto the floor ahead of tipoff. Releford, an All-SEC first-team guard during his time at Alabama, wouldn't name names. But he also wasn't surprised. That's just the fiery nature of the Alabama-Auburn rivalry, he said.

"Those guys on the football team -- they had a little entryway for us into the gym -- they let us feel that physicality a little bit," Releford said about the game Alabama won 68-58 before later sweeping that season's series when Auburn visited Tuscaloosa. "It's Alabama. It's Auburn. They gave us a little banter. They didn't rough us up because we're [tough]. But it was good to spice that game up."

Recent matchups haven't required any extra hype.

The success of both teams has pushed the "Iron Bowl of basketball" -- a phrase frowned upon by the two schools -- into a different dimension. Yes, bragging rights are always the main prize in this rivalry. But this Saturday's outcome could impact the national profiles of both schools, with the winner primed to earn an easier path to San Antonio and the national championship.

"There are no pro sports in the state of Alabama," Pearl said. "We are it. There was a time when, if you were from this part of the country -- Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi -- you had to go to Kansas or Kentucky or North Carolina or Duke because you couldn't come to these schools, win championships, become a pro and stay home. Now, you can."

That shift in status has coincided with an upgrade in the SEC's overall coaching pedigree. Both Oats and Pearl have turned their programs into appealing hubs for transfers and elite recruits. They have combined to produce nine first-round picks in the NBA draft since 2018; four for Auburn and five for Alabama. They have established themselves as perennial NCAA tournament teams -- and, now, national title contenders.

Since Pearl arrived at Auburn in 2014 and Oats joined Alabama in 2019, they have altered expectations at their schools and kept up with the country's best teams at a transformative stage for the sport. Now, they'll meet to determine the best team in America.

"The good thing is we get to play against the best team in the country, twice here in the last month of the season," Oats said. "So, we'll get to test ourselves."

And it will be a test, for both teams.

Alabama and Auburn will play the most pivotal game in the history of their rivalry -- perhaps in any sport, football included -- in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, then they'll do it again on March 8 in Auburn.

Fans who have been raised in this rivalry know that 24 hours after Valentine's Day, one of these teams will have its heart broken.

"I do know we got up a little more for that game," Releford said. "It's Alabama, Auburn. You don't want to be on the losing side. I don't care if it's football, gymnastics, whatever. It's a pride throughout the university that we want to go and get them. You want to get a win, no matter what it is. It could be a canned goods competition. We want to win. We want to have the most."

Brewers' Woodruff: Return better than expected

Published in Baseball
Friday, 14 February 2025 10:52

PHOENIX -- Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff said he exceeded his expectations Friday when he faced hitters for the first time since late in the 2023 season.

The two-time All-Star, who injured his shoulder Sept. 23, 2023 against the Miami Marlins, threw 20 pitches of batting practice.

"Obviously, I was nervous and jittery," Woodruff said. "It's the first time in a year and a half, but I felt good. I think it went a lot better than I expected it to. I needed this. I needed to face hitters."

Woodruff said his immediate focus was to build on this process, and he didn't know when he might face batters in spring training games.

"Or if I will," Woodruff said. "But it's a good sign I made it through today and it felt good, and that's what's important. I'll take tomorrow for what it is, and we'll build out something. It'll be a little bit slower, but I'm happy with where I'm at right now."

Woodruff was 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA at the time of the injury.

Whether the 32-year-old will be ready by the March 27 opener at the New York Yankees is unclear.

"I miss it," Woodruff said. "I've still got a long ways to go. Today was another hurdle to get over in this process. I think I've done a good job on the front end of taking my time to get to this spot. It's a good day."

Ostapenko hands Swiatek heavy loss to reach Qatar final

Published in Tennis
Friday, 14 February 2025 08:23

Iga Swiatek suffered her worst defeat in two years as Jelena Ostapenko breezed past the world number two in straight sets to reach the Qatar Open final.

Ostapenko needed just and hour and eight minutes to wrap up a 6-3 6-1 victory over the five-time Grand Slam champion in Doha.

The last time Swiatek was on the wrong end of such a one-sided match was a 6-2 6-2 loss to Elena Rybakina at Indian Wells in March 2023.

The 23-year-old Pole was on a 15-match winning streak at the Qatar Open and chasing a fourth successive title.

Ostapenko, ranked 37th in the world, has now won all five of her meetings with Swiatek.

"I feel like this court has a special energy," said the Latvian, 27.

"I was pretty confident that I would beat her because we've played a lot of matches and I kind of know how to play against her.

"I'm really happy with the way I'm handling my emotions this week. I'm just so happy to be in the final."

Ostapenko will play Amanda Anisimova in Saturday's final after the American beat Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3 6-3.

Raducanu takes Dubai wildcard amid losing run

Published in Tennis
Friday, 14 February 2025 00:46

Emma Raducanu has taken a wildcard into the Dubai Tennis Championships main draw, where she will seek to end the worst losing run of her career.

The 22-year-old Briton lost a fourth consecutive match for the first time when she was beaten in straight sets by Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Qatar Open last week.

The 2021 US Open champion will be joined by mentor Jane O'Donoghue and fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura, as she was for that WTA 1000 event in Doha.

Raducanu accepted wildcard entries into the main draw of the Abu Dhabi Open and Qatar Open in February but lost in the first round on both occasions.

Defeat by Alexandrova followed a straight-set loss to former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in Abu Dhabi.

The world number 60 lost to Spain's Cristina Bucsa in the opening round of the Singapore Open in January, after winning just one game in her Australian Open defeat by Iga Swiatek that marked the start of her winless streak.

As the Dubai tournament is a WTA 1000 event, Raducanu faces the prospect of another tough draw with the world's top 10 players all scheduled to play.

The draw takes place on Saturday, before the main draw begins on Sunday.

The journey to the  ITTF Singles World Cup 2025 in Macao begins tomorrow, with a month-long series of Continental Cups promising high-stakes competition and World Cup qualification opportunities across five regions.

Each tournament offers players a critical pathway to secure their spots in the prestigious ITTF Mens and Womens World Cup, set to take place from 14-21 April 2025 in Macao, China. With World Cup berths on the line, athletes from around the globe will compete with unprecedented intensity.

ITTF-Oceania Cup

  • Date: 15-16 February 2025
  • Venue: LOOPS Table Tennis, Melbourne, Australia
  • Players: Full list available here*.
  • Livestream: ITTF Oceania YouTube Channel
  • Admission: Free for all spectators

ITTF Pan American Cup

  • Date: 18-22 February 2025
  • Venue: 888 Table Tennis Centre, Burlingame, California, USA
  • Players: Full list available here.
  • Livestream: ITTF Americas App

34th ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup

  • Date: 19-23 February 2025
  • Venue: Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen, China
  • Players: Full list available here.
  • Livestream: To Be Confirmed

2025 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup

  • Date: 20-23 February 2025
  • Venue: Salle Omnisport du Pierrier, Montreux, Switzerland
  • Players: Full list available here.
  • Livestream: ETTU TV

ITTF-African Cup

  • Date: 25-27 February 2025
  • Venue: El Menzah Multi-Purpose Stadium, Tunis, Tunisia
  • Players: Full list available here.
  • Livestream: ITTF Africa YouTube Channel

* Qualified players are subject to eligibility.

Wales hooker Elias fit for Scarlets bench at Munster

Published in Rugby
Friday, 14 February 2025 04:00

Munster: Ben O'Connor; Shane Daly, Tom Farrell, Rory Scannell, Diarmuid Kilgallen; Billy Burns, Ethan Coughlan; Josh Wycherley, Diarmuid Barron, Oli Jager, Tom Ahern, Fineen Wycherley, Jack O'Donoghue (capt), Alex Kendellen, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Niall Scannell, Kieran Ryan, John Ryan, Brian Gleeson, John Hodnett, Paddy Patterson, Tony Butler, Shay McCarthy.

Scarlets: Ioan Nicholas; Ellis Mee, Joe Roberts, Johnny Williams, Steff Evans; Ioan Lloyd, Gareth Davies (capt); Kemsley Mathias, Marnus van der Merwe, Archer Holz, Max Douglas, Sam Lousi, Taine Plumtree, Dan Davis, Vaea Fifita.

Replacements: Ryan Elias, Alec Hepburn, Sam Wainwright, Alec Craig, Jarrod Taylor, Archie Hughes, Charlie Titcombe, Macs Page.

Referee: Federico Vedovelli (FIR)

Assistant referees: Robbie Jenkinson & Paul Haycock (IRFU)

TMO: Stefano Roscini (FIR)

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  • FIFA

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    Association of Tennis Professionals
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    International Table Tennis Federation
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    Nactional Football Leagues
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