Gujarat Giants (GG) clinched a dramatic three-run victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 17th match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 at the BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara. In a contest that went down to the final delivery, Sophie Devine once again proved decisive, ensuring Gujarat held their nerve despite a spirited fightback led by Niki Prasad and Sneh Rana.

Gujarat Giants post competitive 174 despite late wobble

Batting first after Delhi Capitals won the toss and opted to bowl, Gujarat Giants rode on a solid opening effort from Beth Mooney, who top-scored with a fluent 58 off 46 balls. Mooney anchored the innings while wickets fell regularly at the other end.

Devine provided an early burst of intent with a quickfire 13, while Anushka Sharma added momentum with an aggressive 39. Captain Ashleigh Gardner struggled for timing, but late cameo from Tanuja Kanwer (21 off 11) helped Gujarat push their total to a competitive 174 for 9.

Delhi’s bowling effort was led by Shree Charani, who claimed four wickets, while Marizanne Kapp and Chinelle Henry provided useful breakthroughs to prevent Gujarat from crossing the 180-run mark.

Niki Prasad and Sneh Rana lead DC’s fightback

Chasing 175, Delhi Capitals began positively through Shafali Verma, but her dismissal triggered a steady loss of wickets. Senior batters Lizelle Lee, Laura Wolvaardt and captain Jemimah Rodrigues all got starts but failed to convert them into substantial scores.

The Capitals slipped behind the required rate as wickets continued to tumble, and at one stage the chase appeared to be slipping away from their grasp.

Just when the game seemed done, Niki Prasad and Sneh Rana mounted a sensational counter-attack. Niki played a fearless knock of 47 off just 24 balls, striking boundaries at will and reigniting Delhi’s hopes.

Also READ: WPL 2026 – Historic hundred by Nat Sciver-Brunt guides Mumbai Indians to victory against RCB

Sneh Rana matched her intensity, smashing 29 off 15 balls as the duo added a rapid 70-run partnership that turned the match on its head. With 8 needed off the final over, the Capitals were suddenly within touching distance of an improbable win.

With pressure mounting, Sophie Devine stepped up when it mattered most. She dismissed both  Sneh Rana and Niki Prasad in a tense final over, effectively sealing the contest for Gujarat Giants. Her figures of 4 for 37 underlined her impact with the ball after contributing earlier with the bat.

Support came from Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who bowled a superb spell of 3 for 20, applying constant pressure during the middle overs.

Delhi Capitals eventually finished on 171 for 8, falling heartbreakingly short by three runs.

Gujarat Giants pulls off a thriller against Delhi Capitals#cricket #DCvGG #WPL2026 pic.twitter.com/Q3Q3olys7C

— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) January 27, 2026

Also READ: WPL 2026 – Here’s why Danni Wyatt-Hodge not playing today’s DC-W vs GG-W match

This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.

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The Manipuri film ‘Boong’ has made waves by securing a BAFTA nomination for Best Children’s and Family Film, a remarkable milestone for Indian cinema. Under the banner of Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment, this coming-of-age tale, directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, narrates the touching journey of a young boy striving to reunite with his father.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced the nominations for the 2026 BAFTA awards ceremony today on January 27, 2026. And in that, the Manipuri film ‘Boong’ has been listed in the Best Children’s and Family Film category. The movie has been backed by actor-filmmaker-producer Farhan Akhtar‘s production house.The Manipuri film is racing against movies like ‘Arco’, ‘Lilo & Stitch’, and ‘Zootropolis 2’.

More about ‘Boong’

Directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, the film has been produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment. The film stars Gugun Kipgen as Brojendro aka Boong, Bala Hijam, Angom Sanamatum, Vikram Kochhar, Nemetia Ngangbam, Jenny Khurai, Hamom Sadananda, Thoudam Brajabidhu, Modhubala Thoudam, Idhou, Gurumayum Priyogopal, and R.K. Sorojini.The movie is a coming-of-age drama, which was released in India in September 2024.According to the NDTV report, the film’s story is about a young boy named Boong, hailing from the valley of Manipur, who has plans to surprise his mother with a gift. The young boy believes that if he brings back his father home, it will be a special gift for his mother. During his search, he finds an unexpected gift.The movie also premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.Last year, Boong was also named the Spotlight Film at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.

More about Lakshmipriya Devi

According to the report, Lakshmipriya Devi has worked as the first assistant director of Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s production ventures like ‘Luck By Chance’ and ‘Talaash’. She has worked as an assistant director for ‘PK’, starring Aamir Khan, and Mira Nair’s series adaptation of ‘A Suitable Boy’.

More about ‘BAFTA Awards 2026

Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is leading the nominations with getting listed in 14 categories. Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’, starring Michael B. Jordan, has bagged 13 nominations.The 79th BAFTA awards ceremony is set to take place on Sunday, February 22, 2026, at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Scottish actor, writer, and host Alan Cumming will be taking over the hosting duties for the BAFTA awards show this year.

Jos Buttler of England (Photo by Sameera Peiris/Getty Images)

England stalwart Jos Buttler added another landmark to his glittering career on Tuesday, becoming only the second player from his country to feature in 400 international matches. The milestone came during the third ODI against Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. At 35, Buttler now sits just behind legendary fast bowler James Anderson on England’s all-time appearances list. Anderson remains the most-capped England cricketer across formats with 401 international games and an extraordinary haul of 991 wickets.

Buttler’s contribution has come with the bat. Across formats, the wicketkeeper-batter has piled up 12,291 international runs, including 14 centuries, establishing himself as one of England’s most influential white-ball players of his generation. In Tests, Buttler has scored 2,907 runs from 57 matches and 100 innings, averaging 31.94. His red-ball record includes two hundreds and 18 half-centuries. In the 50-over format, he has accumulated 5,515 runs in 198 ODIs at an average of 39.11, striking 11 centuries and 29 fifties. T20Is remain Buttler’s strongest suit. In 144 matches, he has amassed 3,869 runs at an average of 35.49, with one century and 28 half-centuries to his name. A two-time ICC white-ball title winner, Buttler is set to feature in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which begins on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. England have already named their squad for the tournament, with Harry Brook taking over the captaincy. The Three Lions will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Nepal on February 8, with Buttler expected to play a key role once again.

NEW DELHI: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, January 27, participated in the traditional Halwa Ceremony, marking the start of the final phase of preparations for the Union Budget 2026–27, scheduled to be presented on February 1.The ceremony was held at the Budget Press in North Block, New Delhi.At the ceremony, Sitharaman was accompanied by Secretaries of all departments under the ministry of finance and senior officials associated with the Budget-making process. Union minister of state for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary was also present.As part of the event, the Finance minister toured the Budget Press, reviewed preparations and extended her best wishes to the entire Budget team.“All Union Budget documents, including the Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill will also be available on the ‘Union Budget Mobile App’ for hassle-free access of Budget documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the general public in a digital accessible mode,” a finance ministry release said.The documents will be accessible on the mobile app and the official website after the completion of the Budget Speech by the Finance Minister in Parliament, it added.

What is the Halwa Ceremony?

The Halwa Ceremony is a long-standing pre-Budget tradition in which “halwa” is prepared and served to officials and staff involved in compiling the Budget.The Halwa Ceremony precedes the mandatory ‘lock-in’ period for officials involved in Budget preparation. During this phase, officers remain confined to North Block without access to mobile phones or external communication to ensure confidentiality and prevent any leaks ahead of the Budget presentation.The upcoming Budget will be Sitharaman’s ninth, setting a new record and surpassing former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, who presented five annual Budgets and one interim Budget between 1959 and 1964.

US treasury secretary Scott Bessent attacked the India-EU free trade agreement set to be announced on Tuesday, accusing Europe of indirectly funding the Russia-Ukraine war through energy trade routed via India. The pact has been dubbed as “mother of all deal,” by both Indian and European leaders. The senior aide to President Trump said European governments were undermining their own security stance by buying refined oil products from India that originate from Russian crude, while Washington continues to impose punitive tariffs on New Delhi for the same reason.

Speaking to ABC News, Bessent defended the Trump administration’s decision to slap steep tariffs on Indian goods, linking them directly to India’s energy trade with Moscow.“We have put 25 per cent tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. Guess what happened last week? The Europeans signed a trade deal with India,” he said.Bessent added, “And just to be clear again, the Russian oil goes into India, the refined products come out, and the Europeans buy the refined products. They are financing the war against themselves.”Also read: India, EU finalise FTA, deal set to be announced today The remarks came as leaders from India and the EU are set to formally announce the conclusion of negotiations on a comprehensive free trade agreement at a high-level summit on Tuesday, marking the end of talks that lasted for 18 years. The announcement is being made as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa are in India on a state visit and were also the chief guest at the country’s 77th Republic Day celebrations.Bessent framed the issue as a mismatch in burden-sharing between the US and its allies, arguing that while Washington has pushed for energy decoupling from Moscow and imposed tariffs, Europe continues to benefit from what he described as loopholes in global oil trade. He said President Trump had borne a disproportionate economic and political cost while working to negotiate a settlement to the Russia–Ukraine conflict, adding that under Trump’s leadership, “we will eventually end the war.”Earlier at Davos during World Economic Forum, Bessent had made a similar argument calling Europe buying refined products from India “ an act of stupidity.”

India–EU trade deal near finish line

India’s commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal confirmed on Monday that India and the EU have concluded negotiations on a free trade agreement covering goods, services and other areas of cooperation.“It will be a balanced, forward-looking deal for better economic integration with the EU. It will propel trade and investment between both sides,” Agrawal said.

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal in January had said the free trade agreement between India and EU, where negotiations are in the final phase, will be the “mother of all deals” signed by the country so far. Later, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in an address at the World Economic Forum in Davos last Tuesday called the potential deal between India-EU as “mother of all deals.”“I will travel to India. There is still work to do. But we are on the cusp of a historic trade agreement. Some call it the mother of all deals. One that would create a market of 2 billion people, accounting for almost a quarter of global GDP,” she said. Officials said the agreement, which got fresh momentum in 2024 amid global trade realignments, including Trump’s reciprocal tariff policies, would provide zero-duty or preferential access for a wide range of Indian exports. These include textiles, leather, marine products, chemicals, gems and jewellery, electrical machinery, footwear and automobiles. In return, India is expected to offer concessions in sectors such as automobiles, wines and spirits.European commissioner for trade and economic security Maros Sefcovic said the aim was to achieve full or partial tariff reductions on 97–99 per cent of goods, while accounting for sensitivities in agriculture and dairy. He said the EU was seeking a combination of lower tariffs on a specified number of vehicles along with phased reductions, noting that the auto sector was complementary for both sides.“We are looking at the way which would help us find solutions, create new supply chains and make an even better business case for European car makers, while opening new possibilities for cooperation,” Sefcovic said, underlining the agreement’s strategic goal of building resilient supply chains and reducing risky dependencies. The deal is expected to take several months to be legally vetted and ratified by the European Parliament and could come into force in early 2027.EU’s top diplomat and vice-presidnet, Kaja Kallas, on Tuesday while holding delgation level talks with defence minister Rajnath Singh to finalise India-EU security and tarde partnership said, “Thank you very much for welcoming us and yesterday, Republic Day was quite an experience. Thank you for that as well…It was a proud moment to see that our operations were also a part of this parade. It shows how we have been able to work together. The signing of the security and defence partnership is a milestone, and we can build on that. There is so much more we can work together on in the multilateral fora, as well as bilaterally, to further develop defence cooperation. I really look forward to our discussions today and further cooperation in the future.”

Tariffs and possible relief

The Trump administration has imposed tariffs of up to 50 per cent on Indian goods, including a 25 per cent levy linked directly to India’s purchases of Russian oil, with measures doubled in August. However, Bessent has recently suggested there could be a path to easing these tariffs. Speaking to Politico on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, he said Indian refinery purchases of Russian crude had fallen sharply. “Indian purchases by their refineries of Russian oil have collapsed. So that is a success. The tariffs are still on, 25 per cent tariffs for Russian oil are still on. I would imagine there is a path to take them off,” Bessent said.Reuters data shows India’s Russian oil imports in December fell to their lowest level in two years, while the share of oil sourced from OPEC producers rose to an 11-month high.