The 2025 IPL is set to start on March 21, with Eden Gardens hosting both the tournament opener as well as the final on May 25. It is also understood that the 2025 WPL will be held between February 7 and March 2.

Ahead of the mega auction in November, the IPL, in an unprecedented move, had shared with the franchises the windows for the next three seasons (2025-27). For 2025, the window was earmarked between March 15 and May 25. However, with the 2025 Champions Trophy final scheduled for March 9, the IPL has decided to keep close to a two-week gap between the tournaments. in March 21 as the start date. The full IPL schedule is expected to be out later this month.

As has generally been the case, the home venue of the defending champions will host the opener and final, which this time will be Eden Gardens, home base of Kolkata Knight Riders who won the 2024 IPL. While Eden Gardens will also host Qualfier 2, the first two matches in the playoffs - Qualifier 1 and Eliminator - will be played in Hyderabad.

Four venues shortlisted for WPL

The BCCI has also decided to add two new venues for the WPL. Along with Mumbai and Bangalore, the WPL will also be played in Baroda and Lucknow this year. The exact number of matches at each venue is not known as the WPL schedule is not yet out.

"Mujeeb Ur Rahman was not available for the selection as he has been advised by his doctor to focus on T20s for a while to ensure his full recovery before returning to ODIs," Ahmad Suliman Khil explained. That was also the reason he missed on the recently concluded ODI series against Zimbabwe."

"Conditions in Pakistan are similar to those in Afghanistan and the UAE, where we usually play. We will conduct a preparation camp in multiple phases before embarking on our journey for the big event. The expectations are high, and I hope the team will prepare well and deliver some excellent performances, just as they did in the last two World Cups."

"The appointment of mentors has proven to be quite beneficial for us in both of the last two events," ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf said. "Given this success, we have appointed Mr. Younis Khan, who has extensive international and local experience, and we look forward to making full use of his expertise during the event."

Ace spinner Rashid Khan will lead the spin attack along with Noor Ahmad. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai, meanwhile, can operate with the new ball. Abdul Malik, Darwish Rasooli, Nangyal Kharoti and Bilal Sami, who were all named in the squad for Afghanistan's most recent ODI assignment in Zimbabwe, have been excluded from the main squad for the Champions Trophy.

Rasooli, Kharoti, and Sami, however, will travel with the squad as reserve players.

Afghanistan will open their Champions Trophy campaign with a clash against South Africa in Karachi on February 21 before they will head to Lahore for their last two league matches against England and Australia.

Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik

Rajshahi had elected to bowl in the game and it seemed like a sound decision when Dhaka got to 22 for 0 after four overs. But then Tanzid took 21 off a Sunzamul Islam over, and Dhaka never looked back. By the end of this over, the fifth, Litton was 10 off 9, but he got going in the next, the last of the Powerplay, hitting SM Meherob for 4, 6, 4 off consecutive deliveries.

Litton brought up his fifty in the ninth over, with a six off a no-ball. By the end of ten overs Dhaka were 115 for 0 and they just kept going. Tanzid also brought up his fifty with a six, off Ryan Burl to end the 11th. Litton continued the pair's pattern of bringing up their landmarks with a boundary, getting to his hundred in the 16th with a four off Shafiul Islam.Tanzid completed the set in the final over, taking four first ball to bring up his hundred, before hitting Shafiul for six more and then holing out for 108 off 64 balls (six fours, eight sixes, strike rate 168.75).

By then Dhaka already had the record for highest total in the BPL, and the wicket hardly slowed them down with Sabbir Rahman and Litton hitting one more six apiece to close out the innings on a dazzling 254 for 1.

In response, Rajshahi quickly wilted, falling to 34 for 5 before an unbeaten 47 from Ryan Burl held off the inevitable. Eventually, they were bowled out for 105 in the 16th over, falling short of their target by 150 runs.

"Feels great, it was a long-awaited one, and glad I could do it for the team today," Rodrigues said. "I just tried to keep small targets and just kept achieving it. And I like the way that I shifted gears today. Initially I showed a lot of patience, which was again a big positive for me because it was important for me to spend time there to get those runs. And you know, I was getting the runs. But I was not spending enough time to make it bigger. So I was happy I could do that today."

"I got angry with myself [the way I got out in the first ODI]," she said. "I needed to be positive towards myself because that works for me. If I keep being too harsh on myself, I go very low. But it was important for me to keep being positive rather than thinking, 'okay, I got out but next match what could I do better'. I tried to get back to Under-19 where I've scored a lot of 100s, I've scored a 200 too. I tried to get back to what I used to do then and today I try to apply it, and it came off well."

Regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur's absence meant it was "an added responsibility" for her to contribute, more so because she's been pushed up the order to play at No. 4. While Rodrigues took time to settle in, bringing up her half-century off 62 deliveries, she shifted gears in the last ten overs taking just 28 balls to her ton. On her way, she also raised a 183-run stand with Harleen Deol, who scored an 89. Before their partnership, openers Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal had put together a total of 156 runs.

"If your openers give you that kind of a start, you know it's always much more easier for us to handle the middle overs and take it well," Rodrigues said. "[There were] two back-to-back wickets, so Harleen and I had to just give ourselves some time because I think Ireland bowlers are also on top at that time. So I think one thing about 50-over matches, you know we can take a little bit of time and that's what we did. We calculated well. We settled the 40s, just play risk-free cricket and we know we can always make up for it."

Rodrigues mimicked playing a song on her guitar with her bat after reaching her milestone, a celebration she'd been waiting to do "for the last seven years". While she was relieved to have finally been able to do that, she hoped it was the first of many hundreds for her. Her next goal is also to help India get to the 400-run mark.

"It feels good. But there are lot of places we can still improve as a team because we always look to keep improving. We've spoken that when we do well try and be a little more critical about how we can get better than that. So yeah, next game hopefully 400."

"I am honoured that the team has reposed its faith in me. I am looking forward to working again with coach [Ricky] Ponting," Iyer was quoted as saying in a release. "The team looks strong, with a great mix of potential and proven performers. I hope to repay the faith shown by the management to deliver our maiden title."

"Shreyas has a great mind for the game. His proven capabilities as captain will enable the team to deliver," PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting said. "Shreyas has a great mind for the game. His proven capabilities as captain will enable the team to deliver. I have enjoyed my time with Iyer in the past in IPL, and I look forward to working with him again. With his leadership and the talent in the squad, I am excited about the seasons ahead."

Ponting also dropped strong hints about appointing Iyer as captain after the mega auction. "I wanted to work with Shreyas," Ponting told Star Sports after the auction. "I've worked with him before and he is a great guy and a great player. He'll be a great leader for our team if we decide to go that way, which I'm pretty sure we probably will. And obviously, he was the championship-winning captain last year. So there are lots of great things about bringing him to Punjab."