Talented allrounder Kanika Ahuja said it was a discussion with India batting great Virat Kohli which fired her up as she blasted a rapid 46 to help Royal Challengers Bangalore finally end their losing streak in the Women's Premier League.

The 20-year-old from Punjab smashed 46 off 30 balls, the highest score by an uncapped player in the WPL so far, as RCB chased down a tricky 136 to secure a five-wicket win against UP Warriorz on Wednesday.

"Virat sir told us there is nothing about pressure here, it is all about the pleasure,” Ahuja told media during the first press conference of her career.

Kohli did not attend Indian team's optional training session on Wednesday and instead met the RCB's squad which is competing in the WPL in Mumbai. 

"He told us to not put ourselves in pressure when we are out there in the middle. He said it is a matter of pleasure that we are getting to play here, not everyone gets similar opportunity," said Ahuja, who wants to bat 360 degrees like Suryakumar Yadav.

The RCB side was left in familiar doldrums when they were reduced to 60 for four, with top players - Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry - all back to the pavilion.

Ahuja then took charge of the proceedings and hammered eight fours and a six during her knock, adding 60 runs for the fifth wicket with Richa Ghosh (31) to help her side record their first win in six matches.

"The thing I had in my mind was that come whatever may, we have to win. The target was also low, hence there was time for us to take our time and play accordingly. We waited for loose balls to capitalise,” she said. 

Ahuja revealed that her mother was the driving force behind her becoming a cricketer, dedicating this knock to her.

Veteran Australia batter David Warner was on Thursday named as captain of Delhi Capitals for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season in the absence of Rishabh Pant, who is currently undergoing rehabilitation after a car crash.

India all-rounder Axar Patel will be the vice-captain of the Delhi team, a role he performed last year also. IPL 2023 begins on March 31.

DC also announced former India captain and Ex-BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly as the franchise's Director of Cricket. Ganguly has been associated with Delhi Capitals in the past too, in the role of mentor, during the 2019 season.

“Rishabh has been a terrific leader for Delhi Capitals, and we're all going to miss having him around. I would like to thank the management for the faith and trust they've always shown in me," Warner said in a release.

"This franchise has always been home for me, and I couldn't be more excited to lead such a supremely talented bunch of players. I can't wait to meet them all, and get cracking!"

The naming of Warner as DC captain was on expected lines after Pant -- who led the team from 2021 season -- met with a horrific car accident in late December and successfully underwent a knee ligament tear surgery in Mumbai.

Warner is currently in India for Australia's ODI leg of the tour which begins in Mumbai on Friday. He is one of IPL's most prolific batters with 5,881 runs from 162 matches in the 13 seasons that he has featured since 2009. He has an average of 42.01, strike rate of 140.69 and has hit four hundreds and 55 fifties.

Warner began his IPL stint with the Delhi franchise in 2009 -- when it was Delhi Daredevils then -- and remained part of the team till 2013. He was the interim captain of the team for a couple of matches in 2013, before being bought by Sunrirsers Hyderabad next year.

In 2016, Warner took the Sunrisers to IPL title as captain. He is the joint-fifth most successful captain, in terms of matches won. In 69 matches he led, Warner's teams won 35, lost 32 and tied two matches.

Warner returned to the Delhi franchise in 2022 after a fall-out with the Sunrisers management following a poor run in form in the 2021 IPL. He was the leading run-getter for DC in the last IPL, scoring 432 runs at an average of 48 and a healthy strike rate of 150.52, including five half-centuries.

The 36-year-old explosive opener struggled in the two Tests he played against India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring 26 runs from his three innings before being substituted out of the second match in Delhi due to concussion.

He then returned home to recover from a hairline fracture in his elbow. Meanwhile, Ganguly said he is excited to be back with the Delhi Capitals.

"My association with the women's team, and the Pretoria Capitals over the last few months has been fantastic, and I'm looking forward to the upcoming season of the IPL," he said.

"Delhi Capitals had done well as a team during my last stint with them. I've already been involved with the players this time around, and I'm keen to see them as a group. Hopefully, we will all have a great time over the next couple of months.”

Delhi Capitals will take on Lucknow Super Giants in their season opener in an away game on April 1.

For the first time in their history, Liverpool conceded five in a European home game. The scousers will face a tough time in their return game against Real Madrid, who are now unbeaten in seven games between them.

Comebacks aren’t an alien thing in the Champions League, and Real Madrid have lost European home games by three-goal margins twice before - 4-1 against Ajax and 3-0 against CSKA Moskva, both in 2018/19. Something that Liverpool can take heart from.

The first leg saw the Reds lead the game within a mere four minutes as Darwin Nunez cheekily flicked it past Thibaut Courtois. They added to their lead when Mo Salah took advantage of a mistake by Courtois and smashed it into the net. But La Casa Blanca roared back in a menacing fashion, with the likes of Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema scoring two each and Eder Militao heading one in past Alisson Becker.

Madrid's ability to recover from two goals down to win by three has never happened in the Champions League before, but Carlo Ancelotti won't want a repeat at the Bernabéu. After the rollercoaster first leg, the Italian admitted he was still cautious of Liverpool's ability to pressure Madrid's lead. 'Steady as you go and 100 per cent focus' will be his pre-match orders.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was exhilarated after his side’s 7-0 victory over Manchester United. Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez scored twice and Roberto Firmino’s late strike signed off the rampant win.

It is evident that Liverpool are in fabulous form, and though they are the underdogs here, it just makes them more vicious and lethal. The Reds are no strangers to comebacks. The fans remain optimistic they can turn the tide in their favour and proceed to the quarterfinals of Europe’s elite competition.

They, however, failed to impress against AFC Bournemouth, who find themselves in the bottom five of the Premier League table. A bottom feeder stunning the giants of Anfield 1-0 is a definite blow to their morale and it may have an effect on their confidence against Madrid.

But Klopp is taking his steps one at a time. It shows that they are grounded and not intimidated by the Spanish giants.

Liverpool have the attack to achieve the seemingly impossible. Gakpo, Nunez and Salah have slid back into form and Firmino is back from a calf injury.

Also, while Ibrahima Konaté strengthens the defence as centre-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to effectively switch between attack and defence.

But, with Thiago Alcantara injured, the Reds’ chink in their armour remains the midfield. Despite their blusterous defence and lethal attack, the absence of a playmaker like him will hurt. Fabinho has been inconsistent in the previous matches. But Klopp still has some tactical bullets left. Stefan Bajcectic, 17, has lived up to Liverpool standards every time he has come off the bench.

No doubt, it is an uphill battle for the Reds. However, there was renewed optimism on the back of their victory over United. The shock defeat to Bournemouth may add fuel to the fire. Liverpool will certainly fancy their chances. Don’t write them off just yet, as stranger things have happened in football.

There was no historic comeback for Liverpool. Real Madrid's title defence in the Champions League rolls into the quarterfinals.

Liverpool never really came close to overcoming their three-goal deficit from the first leg against the titleholders at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday, losing 1-0 to end their hopes of another run to the final.

Karim Benzema scored late and Madrid advanced to the last eight for the third straight season with a 6-2 aggregate score following a 5-2 win from the first leg in England, when they rallied from two goals down early in the first half.

Liverpool were trying to pull off something never done before in the Champions League - erase a three-goal loss as a visitor. Only five times the team that lost at home rallied in the second leg in Europe's top club competition.

The only time Madrid failed to advance in the Champions League after winning the first leg on the road was in 2019, when they were eliminated by Ajax in the round of 16. They had won six of its last seven matches against Liverpool in the tournament, drawing another.

Napoli defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in the other round-of-16 match on Wednesday to join Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester City in the draw for the quarterfinals on Friday.

Benzema scored from close range after a pass by Vinicius Junior in the 79th minute. The France striker, who had missed Madrid's Spanish league win against Espanyol last weekend because of an injury, has scored 13 goals in his last eight Champions League knockout stage matches. He limped during the goal celebration but said afterward it was just a knock.

Liverpool came out with an attack-minded lineup and showed their intentions early, with Darwin Nunez forcing Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to make a tough save on a breakaway seven minutes into the match.

It was an open match at the Bernabeu and Madrid had their chances as well, with Eduardo Camavinga coming close to scoring in the 20th with a shot from outside the area that struck the crossbar after a deflection by Alisson Becker.

The Liverpool goalkeeper also stopped a chance by Madrid forward Vinicius Junior in the first half and another in the second in a one-on-one situation with midfielder Federico Valverde.

Klopp kept trying to push his team forward from the sideline, but as the minutes passed it became clear it wasn't going to be enough for the English team.

Liverpool had managed a big comeback at home in the 2019 semifinals, rallying against another Spanish club, Barcelona. It won 4-0 after losing 3-0 at the Camp Nou to keep alive a run that eventually ended with the team winning the trophy.

Madrid, who had beaten Liverpool in last year's final, played in their 300th Champions League game.

Keeping up with the state’s intent to promote a sporting culture in Uttar Pradesh, an International Tennis Federation (ITF) Tournament with prize money of US$25,000 will be organised from March 19 to 26 in Lucknow’s Ekana International Stadium.

This comes close on the heels of the state’s new Sports Policy, 2023- a comprehensive plan that has been prepared after a close study of the policies of different states.

The policy focuses on various aspects—physical fitness, training, support for the development of new institutions, a separate sports authority for the state, setting up of sporting excellence centres, and development of infrastructure on the public-private partnership mode.

The tennis tournament shall see participation from players around the world and those who have been ranked by the Association for Tennis Professionals (ATP).

Among the participants are world number 245 Nam Hoang Ly (Vietnam), 358-ranked Oliver Crawford (USA), Evgeny Donskoy, Vladyslav Orlov (Ukraine), Sasikumar Mukund (India), Dominik Palan (Czech), Arthur Weber (France), Eric Vanshelboim (Ukraine), Shuichi Sekiguchi (Japan), Blake Ellis (USA), Maxime Mora (France), Yusuke Takahashi (Japan), George Loffhagen (GBR), The Indian line-up includes Sidharth Rawat, Digvijay Pratap Singh, Manish Sureshkumar, S D Prajwal Dev and Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha.

The main draw of the tournament will commence on March 21 and qualifying rounds will begin on March 19. The main draw size is 32 while the qualifying is 48.

The winner will take away 25 ATP points and $3,600 (₹2.97lakh). The runners-up will get 16 ATP points and $ 2,120(₹1.75lakh).

The semi-finalists will get 8 points and $1,255 apiece, and the quarter-finalists will receive 3 points and $ 730. Second Round will get 1 ATP point and $430 and the round of 32 will get $260 each. Doubles winners will get $1,550, the runners-up $900, the semi-finalists $540, quarter-finalists $320 and the round of 16 will get $180 as prize money.

The Lucknow leg of the $25K series will be followed by an event worth $25K at Mysuru and then a $15K event in Chennai.

Navneet Sehgal, president, Uttar Pradesh Tennis Association said, “Uttar Pradesh is leading the way when it comes to sports in the country. This tournament will give an opportunity to Indian players to earn valuable prize money and ATP points. We are elated that previous year’s doubles winners Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni who formed their team in UP, are now in the top 75 on the ATP rankings this year. Due to Covid-19 we had a gap of a year but we are now committed to organising many more men’s, women’s, and junior events across the state in order to benefit our players.”

Gujarat Giants wicketkeeper-batter Sushma Verma has conceded that India and Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur is unstoppable with the bat at the moment, after she scored a quickfire 51 in their Women's Premier League (WPL) game.

Kaur hit seven fours and two sixes to turn around the game in the favour of Mumbai Indians, taking them to a competitive 162/8 in 20 overs. In reply, Gujarat Giants could manage just 107/9 in their quota of 20 overs, losing by 55 runs at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday.

Verma said even though Gujarat Giants executed their plans well against Kaur, it is difficult to stop batters like her when they are in form.

"It is difficult to stop batters like Harman when they are in such good form," Verma told the media after the match.

"We had planned on how to bowl at her and I do not think she would have found run-making that easy. From behind the wickets, I could see that the bowlers hit the right spot against Harman but she used the shorter part of the ground very well," Verma added.

"Harman is unstoppable right now, but it also matters how well you are able to execute your plans, which I thought was better in our case today," she said.

Verma said Gujarat Giants failed to build partnerships at the top which resulted in their second defeat against Mumbai in as many games.

"It was a chaseable target and it would not have been so difficult towards the end had we got partnerships in the top four. Our execution was good in order to stop Mumbai Indians (from getting a big total).

"The first innings went according to our plans which was a big positive, and it will also give confidence to the bowlers and fielders for the next matches," Verma said.

Verma is confident that Gujarat batters will be able to perform in unison.

"It is important for us to win the remaining three matches. Our batting has not fired yet but hopefully they are able to turn around things in the remaining games," she said.

Mumbai Indians and New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr heaped praise on captain Kaur for her match-winning knock.

"She is very experienced and knows her game. To bat alongside her takes pressure off you because you know you are going to score off most balls and build partnerships," Kerr said.

Talking about Nat Sciver-Brunt who played an all-round role with a solid 36 off 31 balls and 3/21 in four over, Kerr said, "I think she is the best player in the world so I am not surprised with the performances that she has put up. Bat, bowl or field, she does everything so well.

"Having her in the team and to see her go out and go about the way she does is outstanding. She is one of the best players in the world, if not the best."

Senior batter Steve Smith will lead Australia against India in the upcoming three-match ODI series as regular captain Pat Cummins, who lost his mother recently, will not return to the country for the white-ball contest.

Cummins had left for home after the second Test in Delhi to take care of his mother Maria, who died of breast cancer last week.

The first game of the three-match series will be played in Mumbai on Friday.

"Pat won't be coming back, he's still taking care of what's happened back home," Australia coach Andrew McDonald said.

"Our thoughts are with Pat and his family as they go through that grieving process," Donald was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

Cricket Australia has not named any replacement for Cummins in the 15-man squad. Smith had captained Australia in the last two Tests of the four-match series that India won 2-1 to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

India won the first two Tests while Australia emerged victorious in the third match in Indore. The Ahmedabad game ended in a draw.

Nathan Ellis was recently recalled to the ODI squad after Jhye Richardson made a late withdrawal having been forced to undergo a hamstring surgery.

A struggling David Warner, who has not been among the ODI squad members training in Ahmedabad in recent days, is set to return to the side after missing the final two Tests due to an elbow injury.

On the pace front, Josh Hazlewood, who also captained the ODI team during the England series when Cummins missed a match, is absent due to an injury.

Ashton Agar has returned after being sent home midway through the Test series and is likely to form a spin partnership with Adam Zampa.

The series will also mark the returns of Glenn Maxwell (broken leg) and Mitchell Marsh (ankle surgery).

"We've got a couple conversations around the balance of the team we want to play, we've gone in with a structure with eight batters to bat a little bit deeper, we've tried that," said McDonald.

"So, there'll be a mix of combinations as we lead into the World Cup.

"(There is) a lot of all-rounders picked in the squad and can they all play in the one team? So, we've got to answer a few of those questions."

The ODI series is important for Australia given that India is hosting the ODI World Cup in October-November.

Cummins took over the ODI job after Aaron Finch's retirement last year but has led the side in just two matches so far.

India's star batter Virat Kohli has admitted that not being able to make any substantial contribution to team India's cause for a long time was "eating him up" and he let the expectations overwhelm him a bit because he was desperate to score a big Test hundred.

Kohli hit a splendid 186 against Australia in the drawn fourth Test, ending a three-year wait to get his 28th Test century.

In a conversation with head coach Rahul Dravid, the 34-year old Kohli revealed that the weight of expectations became a bit tough to handle for him.

"Honestly, I've let the complications grow on me a bit because of my shortcomings," Kohli told Dravid in the chat, the video of which was posted by the BCCI on its website.

"The desperation to get to the three-figure mark is something that can grow on you as a batsman. I let that happen to me to a certain extent. But a flip side to it is, I'm not a guy who is happy with 40-45. I take a lot of pride in performing for the team.

"It's not like when Virat Kohli should stand out. When I'm batting on 40, I know I can get a 150. That was eating me up a lot.

"Why am I not able to get that big score for the team? Because I took pride in the fact that when the team needed me, I stood up, scoring in difficult conditions. The fact that I wasn't able to do that, was bothering me," he added.

Asked by Dravid how tough it was, Kohli said, "If I've to be brutally honest, it does become a little difficult as the moment you step out of the hotel room, right from the guy outside, to the guy in the lift, the bus driver everyone is saying 'we want a hundred'.

"So, it does play on your mind all the time but that's also the beauty of playing for so long to have these complications come up and overcome these challenges," Kohli said.

Kohli dished out an uncharacteristic 364-ball innings, spanning more than eight hours and 30 minutes. It was his 75th international century across formats.

Dravid said he was also desperate to see former skipper score that big hundred but it was worth in the end since Kohli delivered a master class.

"I've seen him as a player, seen a lot of hundreds of him on TV and after I took over the coach about 15-16 months ago, was a bit desperate to see him score a Test hundred and really enjoy it from the comfort of the dressing room.

"To be able to enjoy and relax a Test hundred. It was a beauty. You made me wait a long time but it was an absolute privilege to watch an innings and the way you constructed it," said Dravid.

Before this match, Kohli's last Test century had come in India's maiden Day/Night Test against Bangladesh in November 2019.

Kohli insisted that he never thinks "about the milestones".

"A lot of people ask me, 'how do you keep scoring those hundreds'. And I always say a hundred is something that happens along the way within my goal, which is to bat as long as possible for my team."

Kohli credited his fitness to be able to bat in different ways which help him excel in all formats.

"I can bat four sessions, I can bat five sessions, that's where the fitness and physical preparation comes into play for me.

"I go into the field relaxed because I know I can bat in many ways. I am not desperate if I play three sessions and feel like I am breaking down and I need to get fast runs otherwise I won't be able to stay out there for long," he said.

".....I am pretty happy scoring 30 runs in a session and not hitting a boundary and absolutely not be desperate because I know that boundaries will come and even if I have to play like this I can bat six sessions and get a 150. I have no issue doing that.

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowler Megan Schutt has admitted that her side has not been good enough in the Women's Premier League (WPL) as they remained rooted at the bottom after five straight defeats in the tournament.

RCB remained winless in the WPL so far as they suffered a six-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals at DY Patil stadium on Monday.

“Yeah it hurts, I am not going to lie. We improved in a lot of areas today and showed a lot of fire which is something we have not done in previous matches,” Schutt said after the match.

“The change of venues was nice to be honest but unfortunately not enough runs on the board today. A few big overs changed the game a bit,” she added, talking about the Brabourne Stadium where the team lost the first four matches.

Invited to bat, RCB posted 150 for 4 with Ellyse Perry top-scoring with a 52-ball 67 not out, but DC chased down the target with two balls to spare.

It will now be very difficult for RCB to qualify for the knock-outs though they still have a mathematical chance.

Schutt, who took one wicket for 24 runs in the match, said the pitch was a tough one to bat on and Delhi bowlers, led by Marizanne Kapp (4-0-17-0) did well.

“It was a big toss to lose. Even in my warm-up overs prior to the game I could tell there was a little bit of tack in the wicket,” said the star Australia pace bowler.

“It was a tough wicket to begin with, Kappy is a world-class bowler as are a few others in their squad. Got to give credit to that as well, they bowled some terrific lines, the cutters were really holding in the wicket there. I think the intent was there, unfortunately we hit (to the) fielders too many times and (played) too many dots,” she added.

Schutt refused to put the blame on captain Smriti Mandhana whose lack of runs at the top has been one of the main reasons for RCB's poor show so far.

“It has been a whole team effort in a way. We have leaked too many runs in the field while bowling and fielding and probably are not putting enough on the board. I think we cannot put it down to any single person's performance,” she said.

“Richa (Ghosh) was short of runs and today she batted like the way I have seen her bat for India so many times, so again that is short-format cricket. It is fickle, you cannot come off performance in every single game. (I am) not going to pin that on one player alone but I think we need to be collectively 10-15 per cent better,” Schutt added. 

The unprecedented walkout by Kerala Blasters in the ISL playoff match against Bengaluru FC on March 3 in protest against a controversial goal has cast a shadow on their participation in the Super Cup.

Kerala Blasters FC's demand for a replay of their controversial Indian Super League play-off match against Bengaluru FC was on Monday "quashed" by the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) disciplinary committee.

Ricky Ponting won't assess Virat Kohli's form on the basis of his performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy because the pitches have been a "nightmare" for all batters in the contest so far.

Kohli, who has not scored a fifty in his last 14 innings, has managed just 111 runs in three Tests against Australia but Ponting is not worried about lack of runs.

"I'm not looking at anybody's form in this Test series because, for a batsman, it has just been an absolute, it's been a nightmare," Ponting told ICC Review.

"For Virat, I've said it before I say it over and over. Champion players always find a way, and yes, it might seem like he's in a bit of a drought at the moment and he might not be scoring the runs that we all expect him to score."

"And certainly, you know, he's a realist as well. And we all know as batsmen, when you're struggling and not scoring runs, you don't need anybody else to tell you. You're pretty aware of it yourself.

"But no, I'm every day of the week putting my hand up and not even showing any sort of concern to Virat Kohli. Because I know he will bounce back."

Having played in England multiple times as part of the Ashes, Ponting is aware that the conditions in England in June will be vastly different to what the teams are currently facing in the sub-continent.

The 48-year-old, who occupies the third place in the list of cricketers with most number of international centuries, said India should also consider tweaking their batting order should they qualify for the ICC World Test Championship Final at The Oval in June.

"With someone like K.L. Rahul having gone out of this side and Shubman Gill having come in, both these guys have played a bit of Test match cricket and you could potentially have both of those guys in the same team," Ponting said.

Gill was included in the playing XI for the third Test ahead of Rahul, who scored just 38 runs in three innings of the first two Tests in Nagpur and Delhi.

However, Rahul has scored two of his seven Test hundreds in English conditions and Ponting feels there could be a way to play both him and Gill at The Oval.

"Maybe Shubman could start at the top and KL could potentially move down into the middle order, because he's played cricket in those (English) conditions before, albeit at the top of the order.

"But one thing we know about the UK is that the ball swings for long periods of time during the day. And if the overhead conditions are suitable, then the ball tends to swing right through an innings."

India will have to assess the conditions and adapt quickly to the English conditions and also ensure they have the best XI during the one-off Test showpiece.

"Because it's just a one-off Test match, it will be really important to pick the team that you think is going to have the most success in those conditions," Ponting said.

"The Oval can be a really, really good place to bat as long as the sun is out, it's probably as good a wicket as any in the UK. So I think that's what it would come down to for India. It would just come down to assessing the conditions and then maybe forgeting about this last series that's just been played.

"The conditions that we're seeing here (in India) are quite extreme. If it was Australia and India, they would both look at the conditions and pick the team that they think was best to win that one-off game."

Steve Smith will lead Australia in the fourth and final Test against India as regular captain Pat Cummins remains with his unwell mother back home.

Smith had captained the side in Indore in Cummins' absence. Cummins had flown back home after the Delhi Test to be with his mother who is in palliative care.

Cricket.com.au reported that Cummins will remain in Sydney.

Three ODIs follow the final Test and a decision on Cummins' participation in those games will be taken later. Smith had captained Australia to a nine-wicket win in Indore last week. India leads the series 2-1 and need a win to qualify for the World Test Championship final.

With the win in Indore, Australia secured their qualification for the WTC summit clash in London in June.

Smith, who captained Australia to their first win in India in six years, had enjoyed leading the side but said it was very Cummins' team.

"My time is done. It's Pat's team now. I've obviously been able to stand in this week, obviously in tough circumstances with Patty going home. Our thoughts are still with him back home.”

"But India is a part of the world I love captaining ... it's probably my favourite place in the world to captain. Every ball is an event and therefore can dictate what happens after, which is something that I really love and you've got to be ahead of the game.”

"So, I thought I did it well this week and it was good fun," Smith had said after the nine-wicket in Indore.

The website also reported that Nathan Ellis has replaced injured Jhye Richardson in the Australia squad for ODIs beginning on March 17.

In the Premier League match that held at Anfield on Sunday, a lethal Liverpool crushed Manchester United 7-0. Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah all scored twice in a record smashing match.

"It was one of the best performances for a long, long time. Everybody saw what the boys can be..The second half couldn't start better. From that moment on we were flying and it was really difficult to play against us," said Juergen Klopp, manager of Liverpool.

Since the season start, Erik ten Hag's Manchester United had a brilliant run and they had even reportedly began to put pressure on Manchester City and Arsenal at the top as well.

The first 43 minutes strart of the games looked better for the United only to get crushed by Gakpo's finish from Liverpool's attempt on target to give them the halftime lead.

In the second half Nunez made a 2-0 with a header and Salah scoring goals for the team. Roberto Firmino came off the bench to score the final goal for team.

United's sobering defeat, described by Sky Sports and their former defender Gary Neville as a 'disgrace', left them in third place on 49 points and surely out of the title race, reported Reuters.

Liverpool's fourth win in five league matches lifted them over Newcastle United into fifth on 42 points, three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, reported Reuters.

"It was a fantastic day for everyone...The performance level from every single player was top quality today which is something that we've been missing for a while of course," Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson told Sky Sports.

"Today you could see the energy levels and everything was back, although to be fair the last few Premier League games had shown we were on the right path," he added.

Earlier, the biggest win for Liverpool over United was 7-1 back in 1895 when both the clubs were in second tier.

"We've had setbacks in the past and we have to come back again because this is what Manchester United is about. We can go down but we have to get back up because we know how good we are," United's Bruno Fernandes told Sky Sports.

"We know that today we didn't show and we didn't perform at our level, but we know this team is really good and can do really good things...We have done much better than today in the past and we will do much better in the future," Fernandes added.

Australian all-rounder Grace Harris played an inspired innings as she guided UP Warriorz to a thrilling three-wicket win against Gujarat Giants in the Women's Premier League on Sunday.

Chasing 170 for victory, the Warriorz were in dire straits at 88 for six, but Harris (59 n.o. of 26 balls) and Sophie Ecclestone (22 n.o.) changed the complexion, unleashing a flurry of fours and sixes as they helped the team eke out a memorable win.

Earlier, Gujarat Giants pace bowler Kim Garth (5/36) had brought Gujarat Giants at the doorsteps of victory with a five-wicket haul by reducing the Warriorz to 88 for 6.

But Harris singlehandedly turned to game on its head to seal the win in the penultimate ball.

Brief scores: Gujarat Giants 169/6 in 20 overs (Harleen Deol 46, Ashleigh Gardner 25; Sophie Ecclestone 2/25, Deepti Sharma 2/27).

UP Warriorz: 175/7 in 19.5 overs (Kiran Navgire 53, Grace Harris 59 n.o.; Kim Garth 5/36) 

Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning slammed attacking fifties, while left-arm pace bowler Tara Norris grabbed a five-wicket haul as Delhi Capitals thrashed Royal Challengers Bangalore by 60 runs in their Women's Premier League opener, here on Sunday.

Norris destroyed the RCB lineup, returning figures of 5/29 after Delhi Capitals had put up an imposing 223 for two at the Brabourne Stadium. Chasing the mammoth 224, the Smriti Mandhana-led side was restricted to 163 for eight in 20 overs.

Earlier, thanks to opener Shafali and Australian skipper Lanning's fine knocks of 84 and 72 runs respectively, DC posted WPL's second successive 200-plus score. Mumbai Indians notched 207 for five before bowling Gujarat Giants out for 64 in the inaugural WPL fixture on Saturday.

While the young India opener played some breathtaking power-packed strokes in her 84-run knock, which came off just 45 deliveries (10 fours, and four sixes), Australia skipper Lanning was more clinical in her shots, smashing 72 off 43 balls (14 fours) as the duo destroyed left RCB bowling in a tailspin.

The duo's 162-run partnership ended in an equally dramatic manner, with both getting dismissed in the 15th over, with England off-spinner Heather Knight accounting for the two off the third and fifth deliveries of her second over. Their departure off the third and fifth ball of the 15th over though did not slow the scoring rate, with Marizanne Kapp (39 not out) and young India player Jemimah Rodrigues (22 not out) helping the side cross the 200-run mark.

Brief scores: 

Delhi Capitals 223/2 in 20 overs (Meg Lanning 72, Shafali Verma 84, Marizanne Kapp 40 not out, Jemimah Rodrigues 22 not out; Heather Knight 2/40).

Royal Challengers Bangalore (Ellyse Perry 31; Tara Norris 5/29). PTI AM TAP TAP 03051858

In a mismatch of epic proportions, Mumbai Indians crushed Gujarat Giants by 143 runs to stamp their authority with an all-round show as the Women's Premier League got underway here on Saturday.

After posting a mammoth 207/5, powered by captain Harmanpreet Kaur's sensational 30-ball 65 laced with 14 boundaries, Mumbai Indians' bowlers led by Saika Ishaque (4/11) produced a superb show to restrict Gujarat Giants to just 64/9 in 15.1 overs and make a dream start to the competition.

Gujarat Giants captain Beth Mooney suffered an injury in the first over and retired hurt after initial checkup on the field, and could not return to bat again.

Mumbai Indians not only dominated Gujarat Giants right from the start but also showcased their aggressive style of play both with the bat and the ball in the first game itself, delighting a fairly-packed crowd.

India and Mumbai Indians captain Kaur recorded the first-ever half-century of WPL with stunning strokeplay and added 89 runs from just 42 balls with New Zealand's Amelia Kerr (45 not out from 24 balls, 6x4s, 1x6) after Hayley Matthews provided the initial fireworks.

Kaur's innings was straight out of textbook for all the domestic players watching in her team, competition and beyond. She found gaps at will, connected the ball perfectly, and did not give a single chance to the opposition bowlers to capitalise.

But before Kaur's onslaught, it was the aggressive West Indies batter Matthews who looked set to score the first fifty of the tournament but unfortunately fell just three runs short.

Matthews smoked 4 sixes and 3 fours to make 47 from 31 balls and added 54 runs for the second wicket with Nat Sciver-Brunt, an association that laid the platform for a strong first-innings total for the winning side.

England star Sciver-Brunt was in her elements on Saturday night as after smoking 5 fours for her 18-ball 23, she returned an opening spell of 2-0-5-2 that helped derail the Gujarat Giants off the track.

It was certainly a forgettable first outing for Gujarat Giants who did not have much to cheer about.

After their bowlers were hammered all over the park for a grand total of 31 fours and 6 sixes by the Mumbai Indians, the wheels came off completely when they were left tottering at 23/6 after 7.1 overs.

With the pounding received in the first half of the game, the matters became worse for the Gujarat Giants as soon as their chase began.

In the first over, Gujarat Giants' captain and arguably the best batter in the side, Mooney retired hurt after facing only her third ball. She is believed to have injured her left knee after making a few paces for a run but deciding against it.

On the final delivery, Nat Sciver-Brunt drew the first blood getting Harleen Deol caught at deep third man for a two-ball duck.

The England player returned in the third over to hurt Gujarat Giants further, this time cleaning up opening batter Sabbhineni Meghana for a 4-ball 2.

But before they lost Meghana, Gujarat Giants had suffered a huge blow in the form of Ashleigh Gardner, with Hayley Matthews taking a sharp catch at the first slip off the right-arm pacer Issy Wong to walk back for a golden duck.

Saika Ishaque removed Annabel Sutherland (6) in the fifth over, and returned in the seventh over of the innings to clean up Georgia Wareham (8), making the most of the pressure created by the impressive right-arm seamer Wong from the other end, who gave no room for scoring in her first spell (3-0-7-1).

The left-arm orthodox spinner Saika returned with 3.1-1-11-4.

The pair of Dayalan Hemlatha (29 not out) and Mansi Joshi (6) did their best to delay the inevitable, but Mumbai Indians completed the win with 29 balls to spare.

Earlier in the game, Gujarat Giants' skipper Mooney decided to take up wicketkeeping duties something which she hasn't done regularly in her career and invited Mumbai Indians to bat after winning the toss.

Mooney's side made plenty of errors in the field, with the bowlers straying down the leg side more often than not in the first half and fielding poorly, which in a way highlighted the lack of time and opportunity that the WPL teams have got in the lead-up to the tournament.

But before all of that, WPL began with the familiar razzmatazz of a glittering opening ceremony featuring Bollywood actresses Kiara Advani and Kirti Sanon, who performed alongside singer AP Dhillon and the evening sky was lit up by spectacular fireworks.