The three-match T20I series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan moves to its second fixture at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, with the visitors holding a 1-0 lead. Pakistan secured a clinical six-wicket victory in the opener, chasing down a modest target of 129 with 20 balls to spare, largely thanks to Shadab Khan’s all-round brilliance and Sahibzada Farhan’s composed half-century. For the Lankan Lions, this is a do-or-die encounter to keep the series alive. Their batting core, which struggled to capitalize on starts in the first game, must step up against a disciplined Pakistan attack that seems to have acclimatized to the local conditions rapidly ahead of next month’s World Cup.

SL vs PAK, 2nd T20I: Match Details

• Date and Time: January 9 (Friday); 7:00 pm IST / 1:30 pm GMT / 7:00 pm LOCAL
• Venue: Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla

Head-to-Head Record (T20Is):

Matches played: 28 | Pakistan won: 17 | Sri Lanka won: 11 | No results: 0

Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium Pitch Report

The pitch for the second T20I is expected to behave similarly to the first, offering a balanced contest with a slight tilt toward the bowlers. While the track is generally good for batting, the ball tended to stop a bit in the first game, making it difficult for the home side to hit through the line. Historically, teams batting first have won 60% of matches at this venue; however, Pakistan’s comfortable chase in the opener proved that dew can influence the second innings significantly. Given the result of the previous match, the captain winning the toss might strongly consider bowling first again to avoid the late-evening moisture affecting the grip for the spinners.

Also READ: Shadab Khan’s all-round show powers Pakistan to a dominant win over Sri Lanka in 1st T20I

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: Team Dynamics and Key Players

Sri Lanka: The hosts are under immense pressure to fix their batting woes. While Janith Liyanage showed resilience with a gritty 40 in the first match, the top order featuring Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis failed to fire. The bowling unit, led by the spin of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, was economical but lacked the wicket-taking spark needed to defend a low total. To level the series, Sri Lanka needs their ‘Big Three’ in the batting department to post a total in the 160-170 range, allowing their spinners to dictate terms in the middle overs.

Pakistan: Pakistan’s decision to test their bench depth is paying off, as the younger squad looks hungry and disciplined. Salman Mirza was the standout with the ball in the first T20I, taking 3/18, while Shadab Khan proved why his return is vital for the upcoming World Cup. Sahibzada Farhan continues to anchor the innings effectively, providing the platform for aggressive hitters like Saim Ayub. With the momentum of a 1-0 lead and a highly balanced bowling attack that exploited the Dambulla bounce, Pakistan looks poised to seal the series in this fixture.

SL vs PAK, 2nd T20I: Today’s Match Prediction

Case 1:

• Sri Lanka wins the toss and bowls first
• Pakistan powerplay score: 45-55 (6 overs)
• Pakistan total score: 155-170

Case 2:

• Pakistan wins the toss and bowls first
• Sri Lanka powerplay score: 40-50 (6 overs)
• Sri Lanka total score: 140-155

Match result: Pakistan is predicted to win the contest

Also READ: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 2025, T20I Series: Schedule, Squads, Broadcast and Live Streaming details

NEW DELHI: Several Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, including MPs Mahua Moitra and Derek O’Brien, were detained by Delhi police on Friday while protesting outside Union home minister Amit Shah’s residence and office. The protest was staged against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids conducted at the office of the political consultancy firm I-PAC in Kolkata on Thursday.TMC MPs gathered with placards reading “Bengal rejects Modi-Shah’s dirty politics”, highlighting their opposition to the ED action, which they termed politically motivated and aimed at intimidating the party ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.Speaking to the media during the protest, Mahua Moitra said, “Yesterday, entire India, Bengal witnessed how ED was misused by the Home Ministry. The ED was sent to steal our party’s political, strategic information. Mamata Banerjee is a lioness, she protected our party’s properties.”TMC MP Kirti Azad added, “They are acting undemocratically; even the raid was illegal. They loot and accuse us of scams. They took away our strategy and candidate lists. BJP’s internal survey shows they won’t get more than 25 seats. But Mamata Banerjee will secure a massive mandate as CM and go on to become the Prime Minister.”The protest comes ahead of a planned march in Delhi led by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Banerjee will lead the march from Jadavpur 8B Bus Stand to Hazra More at 2 pm to protest the ED raids, news agency PTI reported.The raids at I-PAC offices targeted two locations in Kolkata on Thursday. Apart from providing political consultancy to TMC, I-PAC manages the party’s IT and media operations, making the action sensitive for the party’s electoral preparations. Banerjee visited the I-PAC premises during the ongoing search, accusing the central agency of attempting to seize internal documents, hard disks, and digital data linked to the party’s election strategy.The TMC has described the ED action as politically motivated harassment, intensifying the standoff between the ruling party in West Bengal and the Union government ahead of the assembly elections.

The intraday setup favors a sell-on-rise approach in the ₹1,37,800–₹1,38,000 range. (AI image)

Gold price prediction today: Gold price rally appears to be losing steam for now, says Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst – Commodity and Currency, LKP Securities.Gold February futures on MCX are trading near ₹1,37,800 after a sharp pullback from higher levels. The recent recovery attempt appears corrective in nature, with price facing strong resistance near the previous breakdown zone. Technical indicators suggest that upside momentum is losing steam, making higher levels vulnerable to fresh selling pressure. The intraday setup favors a sell-on-rise approach in the ₹1,37,800–₹1,38,000 range.Technical setupPrices are trading below the short-term EMA cluster, with EMA 8 failing to sustain above EMA 21. This indicates weak short-term structure and suggests that rallies are likely to be sold into rather than extended.Gold has moved back toward the mid-Bollinger band after testing lower levels, but the upper band near ₹1,38,000 continues to act as a firm resistance. This positioning supports the view of capped upside in the near term.Pivot Points (Previous Day): • Resistance Zone: ₹1,37,800 – ₹1,38,000 • Support Levels: ₹1,36,800 followed by ₹1,36,400Failure to sustain above pivot resistance keeps the intraday bias tilted to the downside.RSI is around 60, indicating a short-term recovery but not strong enough to confirm trend reversal. This level often precedes consolidation or pullback when price approaches resistance.MACD has shown a brief positive crossover, but histogram bars are flattening, signaling waning bullish momentum. This increases the probability of a rollover from higher levels.The recovery has been accompanied by moderate volume, while open interest remains soft, hinting that the move lacks strong long buildup and is prone to reversal.Intraday Trading View: • Strategy: Sell on rise • Sell Zone: ₹1,37,800 – ₹1,38,000 • Stop-Loss: ₹1,39,100 • Downside Target: ₹1,36,400 • Bias: Bearish below ₹1,38,000; strength only above ₹1,39,100.Conclusion:Gold’s intraday technical structure remains vulnerable as prices trade below key moving averages and momentum indicators fail to confirm sustained strength. The resistance band near ₹1,38,000 is likely to attract selling pressure. Traders are advised to sell on rise around ₹1,37,800–₹1,38,000, keep a strict stop-loss at ₹1,39,100, and look for a move toward ₹1,36,400 during the session.(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)

CUP OF JOY: RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana with her MI counterpart Harmanpreet Kaur

NEW DELHI: Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana were at the fulcrum of India’s greatest moment in women’s cricket. Just two months ago, the hard work they put in over the last decade paid dividends as they recorded the biggest triumph of their career by lifting the ODI World Cup. On Friday, they return to the site of that historic Nov night — the DY Patil Stadium — but this time as opposition skippers when defending champions Mumbai Indians square off against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) opener. A 4-3 win-loss record in favour of MI suggests there is not much that separates two of the most-followed outfits in the WPL, who have delivered some thrilling contests in the past. RCB may have won three of the last four contests, but this time they will be without the services of Ellyse Perry, who pulled out of the tournament for personal reasons. The Australian all-rounder played a crucial role in those victories over MI, including the Eliminator tie of the 2024 edition. RCB went on to win their maiden title that season.

While most teams underwent wholesale changes, MI managed to hold on to their key playing XI members, which brought them two titles. While they retained Harmanpreet, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Mat thews, Amanjot Kaur and G Kamalini, they spent more than half of their auction purse to buy back all-rounder Amelia Kerr, besides buying Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque, S Sajana, among others. UP Warriorz well-rounded Among the other three teams, there is a lot of buzz around UP Warriorz, who retained just one player. They used the RTM rule to buy back Deepti Sharma, Sophie Eccle stone, Kiran Navgire and Kranti Gaud. Will it be DC’s lucky season? Lanning’s previous team — Delhi Capitals — handed over the reins to Jemimah Rodrigues and added South African Laura Wolvaardt and Chinelle Henry to bolster their batting line-up, which now looks formidable. Giants look to go one step up After struggling for the first two seasons, Gujarat Giants showed signs of revival when they made it to the Eliminator in the last edition. This time, they are looking to go a step further, but for that they should not chop and change if things go south.

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor (PTI file photo)

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday once again appeared to strike a balanced tone. While expressing respect for the country’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and calling him the founder of Indian democracy, Tharoor also said it was necessary to acknowledge Nehru’s mistakes, adding that blaming him alone for India’s problems is unjustified.Speaking at the fourth edition of the Kerala Legislative Assembly International Book Festival (KLIBF), Tharoor spoke on the BJP government’s treatment of Nehru’s legacy.

“I am a fan of Jawaharlal Nehru, but not an uncritical fan. I greatly admire his mind and outlook, and I have deep respect for him, though I cannot support all his beliefs and policies 100%. Many of the things he did deserve the highest appreciation. Most importantly, it was Nehru who firmly established democracy in India… I would not say that they (the Modi government) are anti-democratic, but they are certainly anti-Nehru. Nehru has been turned into a convenient scapegoat,” he said.Recalling the 1962 India–China war, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said, “In some cases, their (Modi government’s) criticism may have a basis. For instance, the 1962 defeat against China can partly be attributed to some of Nehru’s decisions.”He then turned his focus to the ruling BJP, adding, “But what they do now is blame Nehru for everything, regardless of the issue.”In recent times, Tharoor’s stance and political alignment have come under close scrutiny. Unlike many other party leaders, he does not always adhere to strict partyline statements, often appearing less comfortable with unquestioned loyalty to the Congress high command.Reflecting on his journey as a writer, Tharoor said his love for reading began in childhood due to asthma. With no television or mobile phones, books became his constant companions.He revealed that he wrote his first novel at a very young age, though it was later lost to an ink spillage. His biography of Sree Narayana Guru marks his 28th book.Tharoor also mentioned that while reading habits are declining globally, Kerala continues to lead in reading culture. He said he wrote “The Great Indian Novel” in 1989 as a satirical work, a genre that was largely absent in India at the time.Addressing the younger generation, Tharoor suggested that shorter books with fewer pages may be more appealing to readers who struggle to find time. He also fondly recalled his college days at St Stephen’s College, Delhi, remembering a stage production where he played Antony while filmmaker Mira Nair portrayed Cleopatra.

Polymarket traders currently give Jesus Christ’s return before the end of 2026 a roughly three percent chance/ AI Illustration

Christians have long awaited the Second Coming, a belief grounded in the Gospels themselves. Jesus speaks of his return, but he also issues a caution that has echoed through centuries of theology: “No one knows the day or the hour.” According to scripture, even he did not claim knowledge of when it would happen. The unknowability is part of the belief. What is new is the attempt to translate that uncertainty into a tradable probability and that such odds exist at all is what has drawn attention.The unusual wager is now playing out on a prediction market better known for pricing elections, court rulings and geopolitical flashpoints, where traders are placing money on a far older and more elusive question: whether Jesus Christ will return to Earth before the end of 2026.

The current wager strongly favors no, with traders assigning only a small chance to Jesus Christ’s return.

The contract sits on Polymarket, a platform where users buy and sell “Yes” or “No” shares tied to future outcomes. In this case, a “Yes” share pays out $1 if the Second Coming occurs by 11:59 PM ET on 31 December 2026; otherwise, it settles at zero. At present, the market prices that outcome at roughly 3%, implying a potential return of more than 5,700% for anyone backing it successfully.

A sequel to last year’s wager

This is not the first time Polymarket users have traded on the question. In 2025, a nearly identical contract asked whether Jesus Christ would return by the end of that year. Over the course of the market’s life, bettors committed close to $3.3 million, with the overwhelming majority backing “No”. During the spring of 2025, the implied probability briefly climbed to around 4%, before drifting lower as the year wore on. By December, support for a “Yes” outcome had fallen below 1%. When the calendar turned on 1 January 2026, the market was formally resolved against it. The contract’s terms offered little room for interpretation. “The resolution source for this market will be a consensus of credible sources,” Polymarket stated. Once the year elapsed without incident, the outcome was recorded accordingly. For traders who entered the “No” side during the brief period of heightened interest in April, the wager delivered an estimated annualised return of about 5.5%, before fees, a figure that quietly outperformed US Treasury bills over the same period, often treated as the baseline for low-risk returns.

Faith, probability and an old idea revisited

Applying odds to religious belief is not a modern provocation. In the 17th century, Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher, proposed what later became known as Pascal’s Wager. His argument was pragmatic rather than theological: if God exists, belief offers infinite reward; if God does not, belief costs only finite earthly pleasures. Framed that way, belief represented the rational gamble. Pascal was not offering proof of God’s existence, nor suggesting belief could be priced or traded. He was describing belief as a life-defining bet made under uncertainty. The Polymarket contract does something narrower. It does not ask participants to believe or disbelieve. It asks them to assign a probability to a specific outcome within a defined time frame and to risk money on that assessment.

Why people still trade it

Polymarket hosts no shortage of unconventional contracts, including bets on alien disclosure, symbolic geopolitical events and unlikely catastrophes. What sets the Jesus wager apart is not its improbability but its subject. A belief held by billions, framed by scripture as unknowable, has been reduced to a price that ticks up and down in real time.Prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi promote themselves as tools for aggregating information, with supporters arguing that financial stakes sharpen judgment. The Jesus contract, however, has drawn criticism even from those otherwise sympathetic to the model. “People buy lottery tickets despite astronomical odds,” John Holden, an associate professor of business law and ethics at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, told Bloomberg, noting that participation does not necessarily reflect belief in the outcome. Others are less charitable. Melinda Roth, an associate professor at Washington and Lee School of Law, described the wager as “distracting,” arguing that it “diminishes the value of actual prediction markets that provide insights and useful information.” Online, reactions have ranged from dismissal to discomfort, with users calling it absurd or questioning whether anything should be tradable.Among traders, however, the appeal is largely mechanical rather than theological. The contract offers a clearly defined resolution date, an overwhelmingly favoured outcome, and relatively low price volatility on the “No” side. That combination makes it attractive to participants seeking a place to park capital, hedge positions, or exploit small pricing inefficiencies rather than express belief.In that sense, the wager functions less as a statement of faith than as a financial instrument. The improbability is not a deterrent but an asset: the more unlikely the event, the more predictable the trade appears, and the more the market rewards those willing to bet against it.

Where the market now stands

Despite reports circulating on social media of heavy liquidity, including claims that millions of dollars have been committed across both sides of the trade, the market itself remains overwhelmingly one-sided, with roughly 97% of positions still sitting on “No”.The rules governing the contract have not changed, the deadline is clearly defined, and the outcome will be determined in the same way as last year’s wager, through the simple passage of time rather than any declaration, revelation or recognised authority.For now, traders continue to monitor small movements in the odds, watching prices shift by fractions of a percentage point as the contract counts down toward its expiry.(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)

HAPUR: A shocking incident has come to light from Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur district, where the burnt, semi-naked body of a woman, believed to be around 30 years old, was found in a sugarcane field behind brick kilns in Lahadra village under the Bahadurgarh police station limits, police said to news agency ANI on Thursday. The woman’s face was badly charred, making identification difficult. Villagers reportedly spotted the body in the field and raised an alarm, following which local farmers and residents gathered at the site and informed the police. Police teams rushed to the spot and attempted to ascertain the woman’s identity but could not succeed. Prima facie, the circumstances suggest that the woman may have been raped and murdered, after which her body was set on fire to destroy evidence. Officials suspect the crime was committed elsewhere and the body was later dumped in the sugarcane field to conceal the victim’s identity. The woman’s clothes were partially burnt, and multiple parts of her body bore severe burn injuries. No suspicious objects were found in the vicinity. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and police said the exact cause of death will be known once the report is received. Further investigation is underway. Earlier, a routine rent collection visit turned tragic in the Rajnagar Extension area of Nandgram in Ghaziabad. On December 18, the body of a woman was discovered inside a suitcase kept in a property she owned at Aura Chimaera, Raj Nagar Extension. The victim, 47-year-old Deepshikha Sharma, was found dead inside her own rental apartment on Tuesday night. She had left home earlier that morning to collect monthly rent from her tenants but failed to return or respond to calls, raising concern among family members. Suspicion was first raised by her domestic help following her prolonged absence. A search of the premises was then conducted, leading to the recovery of her body stuffed inside a large red suitcase. Police were informed immediately and rushed to the scene. Subsequent investigation and questioning led authorities to her tenants, identified as Ajay and Akriti Gupta. “Upon receiving the information, the police immediately arrived at the crime scene. Further investigations and questioning led them to the tenants, who are identified as Ajay and Akriti Gupta,” stated Upasana Pandey, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Nandgram. Officials confirmed that both suspects are in police custody and are being interrogated. The victim’s family is in the process of filing a formal First Information Report (FIR). The crime scene has been secured, and the body was sent for post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause and time of death. Further legal proceedings are underway