Sports World, December 10, 2023: India Vs South Africa 1st T20I Abandoned, IND-W Beat ENG-W, Manchester City Survive Luton Scare - As It Happened

December 10 was one action-packed day in the wordl of sports. While there was no action in the South Africa vs India men's 1st T20I - as it was abandoned without toss - Indian women's cricket team finally landed a win as they beat England women's by five wickets to end the series on a respectable note. England women's team sealed the T20I series by 2-1. In football, Manchester City beat Luton Town 2-1, despite no Erling Haaland in the squad. In PKL, Bengal Warriors beat Tamil Thalaivas 48-38. Here's what transpired today! (Cricket News | Football News | Hockey News | December 9 Highlights)

11:48 PM: And It's Curtains On What An Action-packed Day!

And with that, we call it a day on what was a fruitful day in the sporting world.

10:26 PM: Pro Kabaddi League 2023-24

Captain Maninder Singh dished out a fluent 16-point effort as Bengal Warriors rallied to beat Tamil Thalaivas in a Pro Kabaddi League match on Sunday. The Warriors won 48-38. 

10:11 PM: INDW Have Beaten ENGW By Five Wickets, End Series 1-2

Harmanpreet Kaur-led side have brought parity in the series as they beat England Women by five wickets in the third and final T20I in Mumbai on Sunday. England win the series 2-1.

9:49 PM: INDW At 93/2 After 15 Overs, Require 34 Off 30 Balls

Smriti Mandhana is unbeaten on 40 as India require 34 runs off the last five overs to bring some parity in the series.

9:32 PM: Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues Soldier On For INDW

India women's cricket team are going strong with 56/1 after 10 overs as Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana look to chase down the target of 127.

9:08 PM: INDW Lose Shafali Verma Early, Nicely Poised At 22/1 After 5 Overs

Indian Women's team lost Shafali Verma early but Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana are still the crease as the hosts require 105 runs from 90 balls.

8:54 PM: News Coming In From West Indies Cricket

Reportedly Nicholas Pooran, Kyle Mayers, and Jason Holder have declined central contracts for West Indies 2023-24

8:36 PM: Heather Knight's Fifty Leads England Women To 127 Against India In 3rd T20I

Heather Knight led from the front as she scored a valiant half-century to give England a fighting 127 against India in the third T20I in Mumbai. Saika Ishaque (3/22) and Shreyanka Patil (3/19) were the pick of the Indian bowlers.

8:16 PM: What Is Rackleton? Know More Here

Racketlon is a combination sport in which the competitors are required to play four racket sports: table tennis, badminton, tennis and squash. Britain's Luke Griffiths and India's Vikramaditya Chaufla won title in their respective categories at the Bombay Gymkhana International Racketlon Open.

8:14 PM: Shreyanka Patil, Saika Ishaque Rip Through England Women's Batting Line-up - Score 76/8 (15 Overs)

Shreyanka Patil and Saika Ishaque have ripped through the England middle-order as the visitors are 76/8 wickets at the end of 15 overs.

7:57 PM: India Vs South Africa 1st T20I Could Start Losing Overs After 8:10 PM

As the ground is still under covers, it has been announced that the overs will start getting deducted after 8:10 PM. 

7:53 PM: Bayern Munich Forward Serge Gnabry Injured, Set To Miss Manchester United UCL Tie

Bayern Munich forward Serge Gnabry faces another spell on the sidelines with a thigh injury sustained less than five minutes after coming on as a substitute. The Bavarian powerhouse said Sunday that Gnabry “suffered a muscle tendon injury in his left adductor area” during the team's 5-1 loss at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

7:47 PM: England Women Canter Along Despite Three Wickets Down - Score 62/3 (10 Overs)

England Women's cricket team have lost three wickets but the skipper Heather Knight and Amy Jones are at the crease as they look to up the run rate.

7:26 PM: England Women Lose Two Wickets, Renuka Singh Thakur Provides Breakthrough - Score 26/2 (5 Overs)

After England opted to bat first, India scalped two early wickets inside five overs as Renuka Singh Thakur continued her fine form with the ball. The visitors are 26/2 in five overs.

7:01 PM: India Vs South Africa 1st T20I Delayed Due To Rains

It's raining in Kingsmead, Durban as the start is delayed. We'll keep you covered for further updates. Catch our live blog here.

6:48 PM: India U-19 Lose To Pakistan U-19 In ACC U-19 Asian Youth Cup

Pakistan have beaten their Indian U-19 counterparts by eight wickets in the ACC U-19 Asian Youth Cup.

6:44 PM: No Erling Haaland For Manchester City For Their Trip To Luton Town

EPL champions Manchester City will be without their key striker Erling Haaland for the game against Luton Town. Here is their Playing XI - Ederson, Walker (C), Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Kovacic, Bernardo, Foden, Grealish, Alvarez. SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Phillips, Stones, Gomez, Akanji, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis 

6:34 PM: England Women Win Toss, Opt To Bat

England skipper Heather Knight has won the toss and opted to bat first against India Women in the third and final T20I in Mumbai.

Teams:

India Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh(w), Shreyanka Patil, Titas Sadhu, Amanjot Kaur, Renuka Thakur Singh, Saika Ishaque

England Women (Playing XI): Sophia Dunkley, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Heather Knight(c), Amy Jones(w), Danielle Gibson, Bess Heath, Freya Kemp, Sophie Ecclestone, Charlotte Dean, Mahika Gaur

6:19 PM: Rain Threat Looms For The Start Of 1st IND Vs RSA T20I

India vs South Africa 1st T20I might be disrupted by rains as the pitch at Kingsmead in Durban is covered at the moment.

6:07 PM: Khelo India Para Games 2023 Update

Maharashtra's Tulika Jadhao who was born with cerebral palsy, is one of the participants at the marquee event. She said, “I am just so excited to be here for the Khelo India Para Games and wear this jersey. It’s really a great platform for young people like me to embrace whatever challenge they may have and move forward. I am lucky to have parents who are very supportive and help me every step of the way. I am looking forward to the matches and enjoy every moment of being here,” she concluded.

5:16 PM: Union Sports Minister Shri Anurag Thakur to inaugurate first-ever Khelo India Para Games 2023

Anurag Thakur, Hon’ble Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports and Department of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, will formally inaugurate the Khelo India Para Games 2023. More than 1400 players from 32 states and Union Territories and Services Sports Board are participating in these Games between December 10 and 17 at three venues in Delhi.

15:50 PM: BBL 2023-24: Match Called Off Due To Bad Pitch

The Big Bash League (BBL) 2023 match between Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers was called off on Sunday because the umpires determined the field was unfit for use. The ball bounced sharply on multiple occasions, endangering the hitters' safety. The umpires opted to pause the game after the Renegades bowled 6.5 overs to the Scorchers and discussed the situation with the organisers.

15:15 PM: IND U-19 Finished On 259/9 (50)

Indian team is playing Pakistan in the ICC Youth Asia Cup Cricket 2023. Batting first, India made 259 runs after Captain Uday Saharan, Adarsh Singh and Sachin Dhas hit the fifties and helped India put a defendable total on the board. Pakistan, now need 260 runs in 300 balls.

14:12 PM: RSA Vs IND At 19:30

India's tour of South Africa 2023-24 kicks off today with the first T20I in Durban. Here's a look at the three key battles which can decide the clash.

Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Tabraiz Shamsi; Ravi Bishnoi vs David Miller; Rinku Singh vs Gerald Coetzee.

Read match preview HERE and how to watch HERE

13:52 PM: A Look At WPL Squads

Delhi Capitals: Alice Capsey, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniya Bhatia, Titas Sadhu, Annabel Sutherland, Aparna Mondal, Ashwani Kumari

Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Phoebe Litchfield, Meghna Singh, Trisha Poojitha, Kashvee Gautam, Priya Mishra, Lauren Cheatle, Kathryn Bryce, Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy, Tarannum Pathan

Mumbai Indians: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong, Jintimani Kalita, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia, Shabnim Ismail, S Sajana, Amandeep Kaur, Fatima Jaffer, Keerthana Balakrishnan

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux

UP Warriorz: Alyssa Healy, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, S Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Danni Wyatt, Vrinda Dinesh, Poonam Khemnar, Saima Thakor, Gouher Sultana

13:30 PM: Haney Now T20-Division Champ

Earlier, Devin Haney overwhelmed his American compatriot Regis Prograis 120-107 for a unanimous decision to win the WBC Super Welterweight title at Chase Center in San Francisco. All three judges scored 120-107 in Haney’s favor. Haney, now 31-0, remained unbeaten with a dominant showing in his division debut. This was Prograis's (29-2), first defeat since October 2019. Haney was the undisputed lightweight champion before vacating all four of his belts in late November.

13:03 PM: U-19 Asia Cup Cricket

Both Pakistan and Nepal opted to bowl first against India and Afghanistan in their respective ACC U-19 Asia Cup 2023 group matches. India were 82/2 in 22 overs at ICC Academy Ground, Dubai. Afghanistan crossed the 100-run mark in the 24th over after losing three wickets at Academy Ground 2. 

12:45 PM: NBA Cup Final

Anthony Davis and LeBron James inspired the Los Angeles Lakers to a historic win against the Indiana Pacers. Davis scored 41 points to help Lakers win the NBA's first in-season tournament final. Davis also registered 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks, while James added 24 points and 11 rebounds in a 123-109 win.

11:48 AM: Record USD 700m For Ohtani

Baseball sensation Shohei Ohtani has joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in the biggest deal in the sport's history. The $700m (£558m) 10-year contract is the largest ever in US Major League Baseball (MLB) and makes the Japanese one of the world's highest-earning athletes. The 29-year-old from Ōshu, in Iwate Prefecture, left Los Angeles Angels as a free agent after his contract expired following a six-year stint.

11:12 AM: Dre Russ Is Back

Andre Russell has returned to the West Indies T20I squad for the first time in two years. The star all-rounder will feature in the upcoming five-match series against England at home. The 35-year-old last played for the Windies in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Yes, the next World Cup is in the Caribbean & USA next year. Windies, meanwhile defeated England by four wickets (DLS method) in the 3rd and final ODI to seal the series 2-1.

Brief Scores
England: 206/9 (40 overs) - Ben Duckett 71 (73), Liam Livingstone 45 (56); Matthew Forde 3/29
West Indies: 191/6 (31.4 overs) - Keacy Carty 50 (58), Alick Athanaze 45 (51); Will Jacks 3/22

10:47 AM: Columbus Crew Win MLS Cup

First-half goals from Cucho Hernandez (33' penalty) and Yaw Yeboah (37') helped Columbus Crew beat Los Angeles FC 2-1 in the MLS Cup 2023 final. Denis Bouanga pulled one back in the 74th minute. The Crew, winners in 2008 and 2020, are now behind LA Galaxy (five) and DC United (four). Los Angeles were looking to become the fourth MLS team to win consecutive titles.

10:20 AM: Unwanted Firsts 

Manchester United's torrid, inconsistent season continued with a home loss against AFC Bournemouth. Bournemouth beat the Red Devils 3-0, courtesy of goals from Dominic Solanke, Philip Billing, and Marcos Senesi. Manchester United, meanwhile, broke a series a unwanted record in their latest home loss. 

Read more here. 

9:00 AM: Cricket Bonanza! 

Today is a day for Indian cricket fans to savour. At 11:00 AM, the India U-19 team will take on rivals Pakistan in the ACC Under-19 Asia Youth Cup. Then, later in the day, both the Indian senior men's and women's team will be in action, the former taking on South Africa - should the weather allow it - in Durban, while the latter hosting England at home.

8:00 AM: Late-Night Recap

Aston Villa registered a club-record 15th home win on the bounce when they beat Arsenal 1-0 in the Premier League on Saturday, December 9. Manchester United, meanwhile, lost their seventh league game of the season at home against Bournemouth; an embarassing 3-0 defeat left Erik ten Hag with an uncertain future. 

Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt thrashed Bayern Munich 5-1 in one of the surprises of the weekend, while AC Milan lost a five-goal thriller against Atalanta. 

Preview

Hello and welcome to our live blog coverage of today's sports news and events. India begin their South African sojourn with the 1st T20I in Kingsmead, Durban. India take on Pakistan in the ACC U-19 Asian Youth Cup 2023 group game in Dubai. Manchester City travel to Luton Town in the English Premier League. India women's cricket team look to avoid a whitewash when they face England in the third and final T20I. Khelo India Para Games kick-off in Delhi starting today