Sports

Week Ahead, December 4-10, 2023: India Begin South Africa Tour With T20I; Manchester United Meet Chelsea In EPL - Sports Action To Look Forward To

Sporting action will continue in the Indian Super League and Pro Kabaddi League, while India will play their first T20I against South Africa. Check out the schedule of what's coming your way from various arenas from Monday, December 4 to Sunday, December 10, 2023

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Suryakumar Yadav will lead India in the T20Is against South Africa.
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The week that went by saw a potpourri of sporting action. In international cricket, India needed one win to clinch the five-match T20I series against Australia and they ended up with two, clinching the series 4-1. Domestically, the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023 continued its march toward the knockout stages with many of the usual suspects on top of their respective groups. (Sports News)

In football, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal closed their weeks with wins in the English Premier League 2023-24 season while Manchester United suffered a torrid time both in midweek and on the weekend. The Indian Super League action resumed with FC Goa maintaining their lead on top of the table as one of three unbeaten sides in the competition.

The week ahead of us - Monday, December 4 to Sunday, December 10 - promises a wide range of adrenaline-pumping sports events too. Buckle up, and check out what's coming your way from various arenas.

Cricket
After a fresh-faced Indian men's team registered a comprehensive 4-1 series victory over Australia, the full-strength national cricket team will head to South Africa for an all-format sojourn involving three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests. The tour commences this week on the night of Sunday, December 10, with the first T20I in Durban. 

Elsewhere, the Indian women's cricket team will take on England for three T20Is at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday (December 6), Saturday (December 9) and Sunday. The T20 games will be followed by a one-off Test at the DY Patil Stadium next week.  

In West Indies, the ODI series will continue after a rollicking start on Sunday night. The hosts chased down England's target of 326 with seven balls to spare and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second and third ODIs will be played on Wednesday and Saturday, and the five-match T20I series will begin the following week.  

Back in the subcontinent, Bangladesh will seek a memorable Test series triumph against New Zealand when the two sides face off for the second and final Test, starting on Wednesday. Bangladesh had won the first Test by 150 runs and a draw will suffice for them to clinch the series.

Meanwhile, Ireland's tour of Zimbabwe will begin with the three-game T20I series in Harare. The first T20I will be played on Thursday (December 7), and the second and third ones on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Down Under, Pakistan's critical Test tour of Australia will begin with a four-day warm-up match against the Prime Minister's XI in Canberra starting Wednesday.   

Football
High-octane action will continue In the Indian Super League 2023-24 season. East Bengal (EBFC) will take on NorthEast United (NEUFC) on Monday night, followed by Mohun Bagan facing Odisha on Wednesday, Jamshedpur meeting Chennaiyin FC on Thursday and Bengaluru FC locking horns with Mumbai City on Friday. The weekend will see EBFC taking on Punjab on Saturday and NEUFC up against Hyderabad on Sunday.

The English Premier League will see two key clashes on Thursday - one between big names Manchester United and Chelsea, and another between fourth-placed Aston Villa and third-placed Manchester City. On Friday, Everton will take on Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur will face West Ham. Arsenal will meet Aston Villa on Saturday, while Sunday will see Everton vs Chelsea and Tottenham vs Newcastle encounters.  

Kabaddi
The season 10 of Pro Kabaddi League will head into its second week, with each day seeing at least one encounter. The week will begin with Puneri Paltan  facing Jaipur Pink Panthers in Ahmedabad on Monday, and end with Dabang Delhi taking on Haryana Steelers in Bengaluru on Sunday.