As the incessant downpour refused to cease in Durban, a disappointing thought settled into the minds of those who had made the trip to the Kingsmead Stadium to watch India Men's Cricket Team take on South Africa. Those musings of the worsts soon came to pass as what would've been the first T20 International between the two nations in their latest bilateral series was called off without a single ball being played. (Cricket News | Football News | Hockey News | December 11 Sports Blog)
Back home, over the course of the week, India Women's Cricket Team played England, aiming to put a stop to their run of series losses against the second-best-ranked T20I side in the world. England, however, claimed the victory in Mumbai by winning the first two matches of the three-game contest, before India pulled one back to end with a flourish amid defeat.
December 9, 2023, Saturday, witnessed the second-ever auction for the Women's Premier League with some of the world's best on offer. There were surprises aplenty, key among them Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Giants' INR 2 crore splurges on Annabel Sutherland and Kashvee Gautam. The likes of Deandra Dottin, Amy Jones, and Chamari Athapaththu, touted to fetch big sums pre-auction, went through the process without securing a deal.
The week of December 4-10 also witnessed the FIH Junior Hockey Men's And Women's World Cups in action, with India a keen participant in both. The Indian Junior Women's Hockey Team secured a ninth-place finish after beating Australia in the Classification Final, while the Indian Junior Men's Hockey Team sealed passage to the Knockout Rounds with wins over South Korea and Canada.
The latest edition of Guwahati Masters occurred within the week, with Indian shuttlers Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa securing gold in the Women's Doubles category.
In the Indian Super League, FC Goa continued their reign at the top of the table with their latest win but Bengaluru FC succumbed to yet another loss, leading to the dismissal of head coach Simon Grayson. In the Premier League, meanwhile, Manchester United lost at home to Bournemouth by an unflattering 3-0 scoreline, while Aston Villa beat Arsenal by a sole goal. Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham registered a win each, but Chelsea lost again, this time to a resurgent Everton.
