BHOPAL: A sweeping revision of Madhya Pradesh’s electoral rolls has led to the deletion of 42.7 lakh voters, or 7.4% of the electorate, following a 44-day special intensive revision (SIR) that officials said ranks among the largest voter list clean-ups undertaken in the state.The draft electoral rolls published on Tuesday show the voter count falling from 5.7 crore before the revision to 5.3 crore – a net reduction of 42.7 lakh names after door-to-door verification across 65,014 polling booths.Election officials said the deletions included 8.4 lakh voters found to be deceased, 31.5 lakh who had shifted from their registered addresses, and 2.7 lakh duplicate entries. The scale of deletions reflects extensive demographic churn over two decades, with the stated goal of producing clean, accurate and up-to-date electoral rolls, officials said.Alongside the deletions, poll officials identified about 8.4 lakh “unmapped” voters whose details could not be linked to records from the SIR in 2003. Their names remain in the draft poll rolls for now but will be reviewed.“The unmapped voters will have to produce the required documents within seven days of receiving the notice from the BLO (booth level officer),” joint chief electoral officer Ram Pratap Singh Jadaun said. Failure to respond could result in deletion when final rolls are published.The exercise ran from Nov 4 to Dec 18, following an extension granted by the Election Commission, with more than 65,000 BLOs conducting house-to-house checks across cities, towns and villages. Enumeration forms were received from 5.31 crore electors, covering over 92% of the electorate, officials said. The drive spanned 55 districts and involved 230 electoral registration officers, 532 assistant EROs, and large-scale support from panchayat secretaries, revenue staff, Gram Rojgar Sahayaks and volunteers. Six recognised national political parties took part through 1.3 lakh booth level agents.Officials stressed that deletions remain provisional. Under revision guidelines, no name can be removed without prior notice and a speaking order from an ERO or AERO. The claims and objections window opened Tuesday and runs until Jan 22, 2026, allowing voters to seek inclusion, correction or restoration of names. Appeals may be filed before the district magistrate and, subsequently, the chief electoral officer under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

Ranveer Singh is basking in the glorious momentum of Aditya Dhar directed ‘Dhurandhar’s blockbuster run. Trade experts have predicted that the action-packed thriller is on track to cross the Rs 600 crore nett by Thursday. Its fourth week looks set to deliver huge earnings, pushing the lifetime total toward Rs 700 crore nett. Now, buzz suggests Singh is leaving the much-awaited Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s ‘Don 3’.

According to Pinkvilla, with ‘Dhurandhar’s massive success, Singh is very clear about the kind of films he wants to do next. He is keen to collaborate with filmmakers like Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Lokesh Kanagaraj, and Atlee. At the same time, Singh doesn’t want to be seen in back-to-back gangster films, especially since ‘Dhurandhar’ is already established in that space. That’s one of the reasons he has asked Jai Mehta to prepone the shoot of ‘Pralay’. Ranveer is keen on fast-tracking the project and bringing it on floors sooner than planned.

About ‘Pralay’

Under the working title ‘Pralay’, Applause Entertainment’s zombie thriller unfolds a gripping human drama centered on a man’s relentless drive to rescue his family from utter chaos. As per the report, now that Ranveer has walked out of ‘Don 3’, Singh is now personally involved in aligning dates and schedules for Jai Mehta’s film to ensure the film moves quickly.

About ‘Don 3’

Reportedly, Ranveer was set to kick off preparations for ‘Don 3’ right after Dhurandhar’s release. But now, with the latest developments, producers are hunting for a fresh face to play Don, aiming to start shooting by late January 2026.

Kriti Sanon in ‘Don 3’

For the uninitiated, Farhan Akhtar and the ‘Don 3’ crew have confirmed Kriti Sanon as the leading lady in this action-packed thriller. The project promises a lavish production, with extensive filming planned across various European spots.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have entered a golden era of tactical precision, with their last two auction cycles being hailed as masterclasses in squad building. After finally breaking their title drought and entering the 2026 season as defending champions, the franchise continued its momentum with a highly successful mini-auction in Abu Dhabi.

By retaining a powerhouse core and making surgical additions, the management has silenced critics who once questioned their auction strategy. This year’s proceedings were no different, as they navigated a limited purse to secure high-value targets that complement their existing championship structure. Now, in the aftermath of the event, veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has weighed in on the results, identifying one specific RCB signing that he considers to be an absolute steal of the tournament.

Ravichandran Ashwin hails RCB’s IPL 2026 auction buy as an ‘absolute steal’

According to Ashwin, the acquisition of New Zealand speedster Jacob Duffy for a base price of ₹2 crore is nothing short of a “absolute steal.” Ashwin pointed out that 2025 has been a transformative year for the 31-year-old pacer, who has recently ascended to the top echelons of global rankings.

Duffy’s form reached its zenith during the recent Test series against the West Indies, where he claimed a staggering nine-wicket haul in the final match at Mount Maunganui to secure the Player of the Series award. His performances have been so dominant that he recently broke Sir Richard Hadlee’s 40-year-old record for the most international wickets taken by a New Zealander in a single calendar year, finishing 2025 with 81 scalps. Ashwin noted that Duffy is currently ‘operating at peak efficiency,’ making him a dangerous addition to an already formidable RCB bowling attack.

“What a cricketer Jacob Duffy is turning out to be. 2025 has been his coming-of-age year. 23 wickets at 15.43, 40.3 Strike rate, and MOS in the tests against Windies. He’s also the current #2-ranked T20I bowler, with a sensational 2025 in T20s with 57 wickets at 18.9, 7.89 economy, and an elite 53.1% dot ball rate. At 31, he’s operating at peak efficiency. Absolute steal by RCB to pick him up at a base price of 2C. Sensational coup.” Ashwin wrote on X.

What a cricketer Jacob Duffy is turning out to be. 2025 has been his coming of age year.

23 wickets at 15.43, 40.3 Strike rate and MOS in the tests against Windies.

He’s also the current #2 ranked T20I bowler, with a sensational 2025 in T20s with 57 wickets at 18.9, 7.89… pic.twitter.com/Oda9LxdqxX

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) December 22, 2025

Also READ: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 full schedule: Which Delhi and Mumbai games will they be part of?

RCB’s tactical versatility by strengthening the championship defense ahead of IPL 2026 edition

Beyond the statistical brilliance, the signing of Duffy provides RCB with immense tactical flexibility as they attempt to defend their IPL crown. Ashwin highlighted that Duffy is not just a backup option but a legitimate frontline starter who can challenge for a spot in the playing XI alongside his compatriot Josh Hazlewood. In 2025 alone, Duffy claimed 35 wickets in 21 T20Is at a remarkable average of 15.08, proving his mettle in the shortest format on the international stage.

Duffy’s ability to maintain an elite dot-ball rate while taking wickets makes him a perfect fit for the high-scoring environment of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The RCB management, led by Mo Bobat and Andy Flower, appears to have prioritized injury cover and squad depth, ensuring that the team remains competitive even if key overseas players like Josh Hazlewood or Nuwan Thushara face availability issues.

Also READ: Ravichandran Ashwin faces accusations of revealing CSK’s IPL 2026 auction plans; breaks his silence

Shafali Verma (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: India continued their dominant run in the women’s T20I series against Sri Lanka with another authoritative win on Tuesday. Chasing a small target, India cruised to a seven-wicket victory in the second match, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The star of the night was Shafali Verma, who played a fearless and fluent knock to finish the game quickly. Sri Lanka were first asked to bat and struggled against India’s disciplined bowling attack. The visitors could only manage 128 for 9 in their 20 overs.

India’s spin unit did most of the damage, led by experienced off-spinner Sneh Rana and well supported by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani. They bowled with control and patience, not allowing Sri Lanka to build any real momentum.While chasing, India lost vice-captain Smriti Mandhana early for 14. However, Shafali Verma looked in complete control from the moment she arrived at the crease. Full of confidence after her strong showing in the World Cup final, she attacked the bowlers and took the game away from Sri Lanka. Shafali remained unbeaten on 69 from just 34 balls, hitting 11 boundaries and one six, as India wrapped up the chase in only 11.5 overs.Left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bore the brunt of Shafali’s attack. Whenever the ball was tossed up, Shafali stepped out and struck cleanly over extra cover. Her footwork against spin was impressive, whether coming down the track or playing from the back foot. Seeing her confidence, newly appointed Delhi Capitals captain Jemimah Rodrigues joined the assault. Rodrigues scored a quick 26 off 15 balls, and together they added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs. By the time Rodrigues got out, the result was already decided.Earlier, Sneh Rana made full use of her opportunity after Deepti Sharma missed out due to fever. She returned excellent figures of 1 for 11 in four overs, including a rare maiden in T20 cricket. Shree Charani picked up 2 for 23, while Vaishnavi Sharma finished with 2 for 32. India’s fielding also stood out, with sharp efforts resulting in three run-outs after a below-par show in the previous match.Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu showed some fight with a quick 31 but was kept quiet by Rana’s smart bowling. Once she fell, Sri Lanka lost wickets quickly and never recovered.

NEW DELHI: India has moved closer to inking deals to export BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to Vietnam and Indonesia, which collectively will be worth over Rs 4,000 crore ($450 million).Russia, the joint developer of BrahMos missiles that fly at almost three times the speed of sound (Mach 2.8), has assured India that it has no objection to the precision-strike weapon being sold to Vietnam and Indonesia, defence sources said.

With the assurance being given during the delegation-level meeting between defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov on Dec 4, a formal no-objection certificate is now awaited from Moscow. “Both Vietnam and Indonesia, after agreeing to the initial deals, may go for more orders in the future,” a source said.Once the deals are inked, Vietnam and Indonesia will become the other Asean countries after the Philippines to buy the air-breathing missiles. India had inked a $375 million contract to supply three anti-ship BrahMos coastal batteries to the Philippines in Jan 2022. “Manila, too, is likely to order more BrahMos missiles,” the source said.All three countries, incidentally, have major concerns over China’s strong-arm tactics and expansionism in the South China Sea, with confrontations escalating, especially between Manila and Beijing, over the last couple of years.India, on its part, had successfully deployed the BrahMos missiles, whose range has been increased to 450 km from the original 290 km, from Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets for targeted strikes deep into Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May.Over the years, Indian armed forces have inked deals worth around Rs 60,000 crore with Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace, with the missiles becoming the prime conventional (non-nuclear) precision-strike weapons for IAF, Navy and Army.India also plans to begin inducting the new 800-km BrahMos from 2028 onwards, with tests currently underway for the extended-range missiles with a modified ramjet engine and other upgrades, as was earlier reported by TOI.Apart from Brahmos missiles, India wants to sell the indigenous Akash air defence missile systems, which can intercept hostile aircraft, helicopters, drones and subsonic cruise missiles at a 25-km range, and Pinaka multi-launch rocket systems to the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam as well as other “friendly countries” like the UAE and Brazil.While India is still in the strategically vulnerable position of being among the top three arms importers in the world, it exported a wide range of arms, ammunition, defence sub-systems and components, worth nearly Rs 24,000 crore, to around 80 countries in the 2024-25 fiscal.In this, Armenia is one of India’s biggest clients of ‘finished’ weapon systems like Akash air defence missile systems, Pinaka rocket systems and 155mm artillery guns, as was reported by TOI earlier.

The Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 kicks off on December 24 as India’s premier domestic List A competition featuring 38 teams divided into elite and plate divisions. This edition gains massive attention with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma making rare comebacks after over a decade marking their return to domestic white-ball cricket. Karnataka enter as defending champions while centrally-contracted players face BCCI mandates to participate in at least two matches boosting the tournament’s prestige.​

Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26: Tournament format and star players

Organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) the tournament runs until January 18 2026 across venues in Ahmedabad Bengaluru Alur Jaipur and Rajkot. The elite category includes 32 teams split into four groups of eight where each plays a round-robin with top two per group advancing to quarterfinals followed by semifinals and final; the plate group has six teams with its winner promoted next season.​ All matches start at 9:00 AM IST (3:30 AM GMT) under a points system awarding four for wins two for no results and zero for losses factoring net run rate for ties.​

Star attractions headline the squads with Kohli representing Delhi in Group D after his last appearance in 2010 targeting his 16000th List A run against Andhra Pradesh. Rohit too joins Mumbai in Group C for openers versus Sikkim and Uttarakhand in Jaipur fulfilling BCCI’s participation rule.​

Rishabh Pant will also play for Delhi alongside Kohli aiming to revive white-ball form post his August 2024 international hiatus while Shubman Gill captains Punjab in Group C with Arshdeep Singh and Abhishek Sharma. Suryakumar Yadav features for Mumbai KL Rahul bolsters Karnataka and young talents like 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi vice-captains Bihar in plate.​

Selectors eye pacers such as Gurjapneet Singh (Tamil Nadu) Gurnoor Brar (Punjab) Yudhvir Singh (J&K) Anuj Thakral (Haryana) and emerging allrounders amid no major fast-bowling breakthroughs recently.​

Elite Group Teams

Plate: Nagaland, Bihar, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh.​

Also READ: KL Rahul, Prasidh Krishna bolster Karnataka squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy defense

Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26: December 24 and 26 Schedule

The Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite 2025-26 features 119 List A matches from December 24, 2025, to January 18, 2026, across multiple venues in India. All games start at 9:00 AM IST (3:30 AM GMT). Below is the schedule matchdays December 24 and 26.​

December 24 Matches

December 26 Matches

Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26: Broadcast and Live streaming details

Live telecast airs select matches on Star Sports Network with streaming on JioHotstar app & website and WB Suite. This star-infused edition spotlights India’s white-ball depth ahead of international commitments blending experience with youth in high-stakes 50-over battles.

Also WATCH: Virat Kohli elevates training intensity ahead of his historic Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 return

SG Pipers clinch GCL season 3 title (GCL Photo)

NEW DELHI: SG Pipers pulled off a stunning upset to win the third edition of the Global Chess League (GCL) on Tuesday, defeating two-time defending champions Continental Kings in the final.The Pipers had barely made it to the final, edging past Ganges Grandmasters by just one game point.

But once they reached the title clash, they looked confident and in control. They won the first rapid match 4-2 while playing with the black pieces and followed it up with an even stronger 4.5-1.5 victory with white to seal the championship. Alaskan Knights finished third after winning a dramatic tie-break against Ganges Grandmasters.Continental Kings entered the final as favourites, but the momentum was clearly with the Pipers, who had hit form late in the league stage. Key contributions came from Nino Batsiashvili and young Indian talent Leon Luke Mendonca. Batsiashvili defeated Alexandra Kosteniuk in a long bishop-knight endgame, while Mendonca forced Marc’Andria Maurizzi to resign after 52 moves.Although Continental Kings’ star Alireza Firouzja beat Fabiano Caruana on the icon board, Anish Giri’s win over Wei Yi ensured the Pipers took the first match. In the second match, R Praggnanandhaa gave the Pipers an early edge by defeating Vidit Gujrathi. Giri then beat Wei Yi again, putting the result beyond doubt.“Yesterday I had mixed feelings because I had a terrible match, but the team reached the final. But today there is no mixed feeling,” said Giri after being named Player of the Match.Caruana later beat Firouzja, who ran out of time. Firouzja was named Male Player of the Tournament, while Hou Yifan was praised for her crucial role in helping the Pipers reach the final.“It feels great. The last two times, we were quite close to making the final. This time, we barely made it. But in the final, everyone showed up with their best gam,e and it is a great feeling,” said Praggnanandhaa.Earlier, PBG Alaskan Knights secured third place in a thrilling playoff. World champion D Gukesh defeated Viswanathan Anand when it mattered most, winning in 49 moves and sealing the third-place trophy for his team after a tense blitz tie-break.