Asian markets inched higher on Friday amid holiday-thinned trading, with several exchanges remaining closed for the Boxing Day holiday. Regional stocks extended gains after Wall Street ended the week at record highs, while most global markets were shut on Thursday for Christmas.Markets in Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul and Taipei all posted gains. Japan’s Topix climbed to a record high and was last up 0.5%. South Korea’s benchmark index rose 0.6%, taking its annual gain to 72% and making it the world’s best-performing major stock market this year.China’s blue-chip index was up 0.27%, on track for an 18% gain in 2025, its strongest annual rise since 2020, Reuters reported. The move lifted MSCI’s broad Asia-Pacific index to its highest level since November 14. The index was last up 0.4% and has gained 25% so far this year.Markets in Australia, Hong Kong and much of Europe remained closed on Friday, keeping liquidity thin. Even so, investors continued to push for a year-end rally as risk appetite picked up this week.According to AFP, analysts said markets were extending year-end rallies on expectations of a “Santa Claus rally,” the tendency for prices to rise during the last five days of December and the first two days of the new year. Sentiment was also supported by Wall Street, where the S&P 500 hit an all-time high before the Christmas break after data showed the US economy expanded 4.3% in the third quarter.Precious metals remained strong. Silver surged past $75 per ounce for the first time, reaching a peak of $75.1515 on Friday. Spot gold also touched a fresh record at $4,531.04 per ounce, extending its move above $4,500. Analysts said rising geopolitical tensions, including between the US and Venezuela, and expectations that the Federal Reserve will continue cutting rates next year helped support prices.

There are few traditions in Australian sport as cherished as Boxing Day cricket, and this Friday, the SCG plays host to a blockbuster BBL|15 showdown between the Sydney Sixers and the Melbourne Stars. It is a battle of contrasting momentum: the Stars are flying high at the top of the table, aiming for a third consecutive win, while the Sixers are fighting to prove their recent resurgence wasn’t a fluke.

The Sixers enter this Match 11 clash with renewed confidence. After a shaky start against the Scorchers and Strikers, they emphatically turned a corner in the Sydney Derby. Their 47-run demolition of the Thunder was built on a batting masterclass from Josh Philippe and Babar Azam, who powered them to an imposing 198. However, it was Jack Edwards who truly stole the show, ripping through the Thunder lineup with a stunning fifer to prove the Sixers are back in business.

Standing in their way is a Stars outfit in formidable touch. They have been clinical so far, underscored by their recent six-wicket dismantling of the Strikers. Their bowling attack, led by the raw pace of Haris Rauf and the smarts of Tom Curran, restricted Adelaide to a sub-par 155. The chase was handled with ease, as Marcus Stoinis and Sam Harper guided the side home with six wickets in hand.

With the Sixers finding their groove and the Stars looking invincible, the SCG is set for a classic encounter.

SS vs MS, BBL|15: Match details

• Date and Time: December 26; 12:35 pm IST / 7:05 am GMT / 6:05 pm Local
• Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground

SS vs MS, Head-to-Head Record in BBL

Matches played: 24 | Sydney Sixers won: 15 | Melbourne Stars won: 08 | No result/Tied: 01

Sydney Cricket Ground Pitch Report

The SCG rarely disappoints, typically serving up a genuine contest between bat and ball rather than leaning too heavily one way. For the fast bowlers, there is usually some life in the pitch early on; expect the quicks to dictate terms with the new ball if they can find that early movement.

However, batters who respect that opening spell will find the surface settles down nicely. Once players get their eye in, the ball comes onto the bat well, and the lightning-fast outfield ensures full value for shots. As the ball softens in the middle overs, spinners often come into the game to control the tempo. With an average first-innings score hovering around 160, history suggests the pitch plays best early, making ‘bat first’ the likely strategy for the captain winning the toss.

Squads

Melbourne Stars: Joe Clarke, Sam Harper (wk), Campbell Kellaway, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis(c), Hilton Cartwright, Thomas Fraser Rogers, Tom Curran, Mitchell Swepson, Haris Rauf, Peter Siddle, Liam Hatcher, Hamish McKenzie, Jonathan Merlo

Sydney Sixers: Daniel Hughes, Babar Azam, Josh Philippe (wk), Moises Henriques (c), Jack Edwards, Joel Davies, Jordan Silk, Ben Dwarshuis, Kane Richardson, Sean Abbott, Jafer Chohan, Ben Manenti, Lachlan Shaw, Jake Scott

Also WATCH: Tom Curran knocks over Jason Sangha’s stumps with an absolute ripper in BBL|15

SS vs MS, BBL|15: Today’s Match Prediction

Case 1:

• Sydney Sixers wins the toss and bats first
• Sydney Sixers’ powerplay score: 50-55 (6 overs)
• Sydney Sixers’ total score: 170-180

Case 2:

• Melbourne Stars wins the toss and bats first
• Melbourne Stars’ powerplay score: 45-50 (6 overs)
• Melbourne Stars’ total score: 160-170

Match result: Team batting first to win the contest.

Also READ: Ricky Ponting takes swipe at ₹25.20 crore IPL signing of Cameron Green

Stock market today (AI image)

Stock market today: Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, the Indian equity benchmark Indies, opened in red on Friday on lacklustre global and domestic cues. While Nifty50 was just above 26,100, BSE Sensex was down over 140 points. At 9:16 AM, Nifty50 was trading at 26,101.30, down 41 points or 0.16%. BSE Sensex was at 85,267.87, down 141 points or 0.16%.Indian equity markets are expected to move in a narrow range as investors remain cautious in the absence of any major domestic economy triggers.Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited says, “With only four more trading days left for the year 2025, what looked like a Santa rally, appears to be running out of steam. In the absence of fresh triggers like a US-India trade deal, the market is likely to consolidate around the present levels. Higher US GDP growth of 4.3% for the third quarter of 2025 is imparting resilience to the US market. The high and rising profitability of US companies, including the AI ones, might nudge other FIIs, particularly the fleet footed hedge funds, to increase selling in India in the near-term.” “The sustained buying by the cash rich DIIs will support the market and prevent a sharp pull back. The ideal investment strategy for investors now is to remain invested in high quality large caps and slowly accumulate them on declines. A rally in the market in the early stage of 2026 is on the cards. Investors should give high weightage to value while deciding to invest. Irrational valuations in some of the IPOs and the willingness of the newbie investors to buy stocks at excessive valuations are reflections of exuberance in the market.”Asian markets saw modest gains on Friday amid thin trading conditions. Japanese and South Korean equities advanced, while several other regional markets remained closed for holidays. In the commodities market, silver surged to a record high, while gold traded close to its all-time peak.Oil prices edged higher on Friday after the United States stepped up economic pressure on Venezuelan oil exports and carried out airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of the Nigerian government.On the institutional front, foreign portfolio investors were net sellers of Indian equities worth Rs 1,721 crore on Wednesday, while domestic institutional investors provided support by purchasing shares worth Rs 2,381 crore.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)

MUM vs UT Live Score: Context, Contrast, and the Bigger Picture

While Rohit owned Jaipur, the Vijay Hazare Trophy delivered plenty elsewhere too.

Virat Kohli starred for Delhi with a commanding 131, becoming the fastest to 16,000 List A runs, while Punjab piled on 347 against Maharashtra thanks to Naman Dhir’s 97.

Yet none of that quite matched the theatre in Jaipur.

Sikkim’s Ashish Thapa fought with a 79, but the contest was never really one. This was a day that underlined why Indian cricket still thrives on its stars — why a weekday can feel like a festival, why stadiums fill on promise alone.

Rohit Sharma didn’t just win a match; he reminded everyone why crowds still come for the man, not just the game.

NEW DELHI: A Congress MP-headed parliamentary committee, whose move to call a meeting on VB-G RAM G bill and comparing it with Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme had drawn protest from the panel’s BJP members, has revised the agenda of its Dec 29 sitting and omitted any direct reference to the new law. The original subject of the meeting of the standing committee on the rural development and panchayati raj was a briefing by the rural development department on “Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission-Gramin Bill and its comparison with the MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme)”. However, some BJP members of the panel saw red in the reference to the bill, now a law after assent from the President and gazette notification, as its provisions are yet to be rolled out.That Congress and other opposition parties have stridently criticised the new law which replaces the UPA-era Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) meant that BJP members believed the meeting’s agenda, which is generally a discretion of chairman, was aimed at political point-scoring.In an apparent attempt to defuse any row, the agenda is now revised as “briefing by the representatives of the department of rural development on the subject ‘MGNREGA and other issues relating thereto”, deleting any direct reference to the G RAM G law. However, the change may not preclude political confrontation in the Dec 29 meeting as the committee’s chairman Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, a Congress MP from Odisha, insisted that they will still discuss the new law as it has now received President’s assent, which was not the case when the initial agenda was circulated. “We will discuss it,” he told TOI. Signalling differences with the chairman BJP MP Vivek Thakur, a member of the committee, was dismissive of the changed agenda. “The improvisation of the agenda is meaningless still. Once G RAM G bill is gazetted and the date of implementation is announced through it, it makes sense to discuss the new law. But right now, this smacks of an intent to politicise the agenda of a standing committee.” The ‘VB G RAM G’ bill had drawn strong protest from opposition members, and Ulaka had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that it should be referred to his committee for scrutiny, a drmand not accepted by the govt.

Industrialist Sunjay Kapur passed away this year in June. Sunjay was married to Karisma Kapoor and the duo got divorced in 2016. Sunjay had two children with Karisma – Samaira and Kiaan. This is their first Christmas without their father who they seem to be missing, and hence both of them were seen wearing jersey’s of their father’s polo club. Kareena Kapoor Khan who is on a vacation with Karisma, her children and Saif Ali Khan, shared a picture of Samaira and Kiaan. she first shared a photo of a placard with a Santa on it which read, “Christmas with the Pataudi’s.” She then shared this picture of Samaira and Kiaan. One could see Aureus Polo team written on their jerseys, which has clinched championships across India, the US and the UK. As Kareena shared their photo, her caption for them was ‘My Christmas Angels’ with rainbow emojis. Sunjay was the captain and founder of the Aureus Polo team.

Sunjay had also passed away during a polo match. He collapsed at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor, UK. He was 53. According to The Telegraph, he suffered an anaphylactic shock after accidentally swallowing a bee, which stung him inside his mouth. Kapur was the chairman of Sona Comstar and a well-known polo enthusiast.

This picture of Sunjay and Karisma’s children, comes a day after the Delhi High Court completed the proceedings of the late industrialist Rs 30,000 crore estate dispute. For those not in the know, Karisma’s children moved the Delhi High Court, alleging that Priya Sachdev (Sunjay’s widowed wife) had forged his Will. Sunjay’s mother, Rani Kapur, also raised concerns, accusing Priya of underreporting her son’s bank balances. On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court concluded hearings in the civil case and reserved its order on the interim injunction plea, a decision that is expected to shape the future course of the inheritance battle.Though, despite concluding the proceedings, the court has reserved its order still.

The Japanese government on Friday approved a record budget for the upcoming fiscal year, to pay for everything from bigger defence spending to ballooning social security costs as inflation persists.The 122.3-trillion-yen ($782 billion) budget for the fiscal year from April 2026 will include some nine trillion yen for defence spending, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aims to accelerate Tokyo’s sweeping upgrade of its military in the face of worsening relations with China.The defence ministry said in a briefing document that “Japan faces the most severe and complex security environment since the end of the war,” stressing the need to “fundamentally strengthen” its defence capabilities. At the core of its request is 100 billion yen for the so-called SHIELD coastal defence system, which would marshal drones to block any invasion by foreign troops. Japan is hoping that SHIELD — Synchronised, Hybrid, Integrated and Enhanced Littoral Defence — will be completed by March 2028, with no details yet on which part of Japan’s coastline it will be linked to. The 122-trillion-yen figure compares with the 115 trillion yen sought for the current fiscal year to March, which was also a record. The expanding budget comes as the market worries about Takaichi’s big spending policies adding to Japan’s public debts.Japan already has the biggest ratio of debt to gross domestic product (GDP) among major economies, projected to reach 232.7 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.Earlier this month parliament approved a massive extra budget, to pay for a 21.3-trillion-yen stimulus announced a month earlier.The market has reacted by driving down the value of the yen while the benchmark yield rose for Japanese government bonds. Some observers have drawn comparisons to the UK’s 2022 bond market turmoil under then-premier Liz Truss.Takaichi has advocated big government spending to spur economic growth.“What Japan needs right now is not the undermining of our strength as a nation through excessive austerity fiscal policies, but rather the bolstering of our national strength through proactive fiscal policies,” she told a press conference last week.In an interview Tuesday with the influential Nikkei business daily, Takaichi stressed her commitment to Tokyo’s fiscal health, rejecting any “irresponsible bond issuance or tax cuts.”The current size of the budget is unlikely to shock the bond market, Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at Nomura Research Institute, wrote in a note ahead of Friday. But an increase to around 125 trillion yen or more, he said, would cause the “turmoil in the bond market, already in crisis mode, to deepen further”. Kiuchi noted that, under Takaichi, the extra budget quickly ballooned, reaching $18 trillion yen.“Financial markets are likely on high alert for a similar occurrence. Should the fall of the yen and bond prices further accelerate due to the size of the budget, it would increase worries about adverse effects on the economy and people’s lives.”A weaker yen raises prices of imports for resource-poor Japan, which relies heavily on foreign food, energy and raw materials to power its economy. Takaichi came to power in October with a pledge to fight inflation after anger over rising prices. Another challenge facing the country is its ageing population, caused by chronically low birth rates and a cautious approach to immigration. The draft budget needs to be approved by parliament.

England opener Ben Duckett‘s viral footage of being drunk sent waves of insecurity through the English dressing room. However, a former England captain, Michael Vaughan, has asked the ECB to prioritize broader concepts that are actually affecting England’s on-field performance rather than focusing on such minor incidents.

England have already lost the Ashes series, and the ECB and England management have been held responsible for the reckless attitude of the cricketers on show. On several occasions, the Noosa vacation of the English team has been blamed for the circumstances.

The England head coach Brendon McCullum and the skipper Ben Stokes have repeatedly explained that the Noosa vacation was always in plan and with such a huge break between the matches, the players needed to shift their focus away from the game and return afresh.

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Ben Duckett is feeling the pressure of the ECB’s fact-finding exercise

England’s rocky Ashes campaign continued to turn further uneven as Ben Duckett was seen heavily drunk in one of the viral videos from England’s Noosa vacation. Reports also claimed that many England players drank heavily during the break.

With the Boxing Day Test just around the corner, this was a very bad time for the video to come out in public. The England managing director, Rob Key, promised to look into the accusations, and Ben Duckett could probably be feeling the heat of the incident at this moment.

The England opener has also lacked form during this entire Australian tour. While Zak Crawley has shown sheer form at times, Duckett has failed to put on a single dominant innings.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has come in support of Duckett and the English players with a tricky remark. He has turned the outrage towards something he considers the main reason for concern, that any player is sipping alcohol.

“I am not going to criticise England for what they got up to in Noosa. I criticise what they do on the cricket field, the way they play, and the way they prepare to play cricket.”

“I am not going to point the finger at a group of young people who have had a few beers on a couple of days off. I did exactly the same as them when I played for England, although I did at least know when it was time to go home, and that is probably what Ben Duckett needs to learn,” said Michael Vaughan in a column for the Telegraph.

“The game of cricket has created this drinking culture” – Ben Duckett

The former England skipper also claimed that singling out a single player misses the bigger point, because such behaviour of relaxation has been normalised over decades in the game of cricket.

“Duckett should not be reprimanded at all on the evidence we have seen, and neither should the other players, because it is a wider issue: the game of cricket has created this drinking culture.”

“England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa all have the same culture. You give a group of young people three or four days off to relax, and they’re going to something like this,” he concluded.

ALSO READ: Ben Stokes issues official statement on Ben Duckett drunk video as ECB disciplinary action looms