PRAMOD TIWARI’S BIZARRE DEMAND

the Mumbai Indians suffered a few early jolts and at 27/2 they had their second worst power-play of the WPL season. But a crucial partnership of 72 between Sciver-Brunt who hit a half-century and Harmanpreet, who got a vital 37, set MI on the road to victory.

Besides the grand finale, the WPL made a captivating debut and promised a bright future for young, aspiring female cricketers in India.

Mumbai Indians’ Saika Ishaque who took 15 wickets was the outstanding find among Indian talents. Though she lost the Purple Cap by just one wicket to her MI teammate Hayley Matthews, leftarm spinner Ishaque took the scalps of some of the world’s finest batters through the season though she had a modest spell in the final.

ongress leader Pramod Tiwari made a preposterous demand after Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha MP who has not been a favourite of the Gandhis, said that the Gandhi family should be treated differently by the law because of the sacrifices the family has made for the country. The law must give minimum punishment. The BJP appropriately hit back with the charge that the Congress wants a separate set of laws for the Gandhi family and freedom for Rahul to abuse anyone he deems fit. By no yardstick can Tiwari’s demand be justified. On the contrary, BJP’s assertion that the Gandhi

The inaugural season of the WPL ended with a thrilling finale as Mumbai Indians emerged victorious, claiming the title despite facing a tough challenge from the Delhi Capitals. The fiveteam competition culminated on Sunday with India and Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur finally leading a side to triumphant glory as Mumbai crossed the line with 7 wickets and 3 balls to spare

While WPL did not throw up a huge number of young talents, Shreyanka Patil and Kanika Ahuja of Royal Challengers Bangalore made their mark on the big stage. While 20-year-old Ahuja showed raw talent at a young age with her explosive batting, Patil’s energy and enthusiasm in the field was quite impressive. Also, Yastika Bhatia from Mumbai became the emerging player and won Rs 5 lakhs in prize money.

However, there was a clear gap between those from the Indian domestic circuit and the world’s best players who dominated the WPL. As Harmanpreet rightly acknowledged, little-known Indian players did not get many roles and opportunities to play in the first season of WPL. But experts believe

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari made a preposterous demand after Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the LS. The RS MP who has not been a favourite of the Gandhis, said that the Gandhi family should be treated differently by the law because of the sacrifices the family has made for the country family considers itself “class apart, elite and above the Constitution” makes sense in the light of Tiwari’s statement.

The Congress has been observing satyagrah in several parts of the country to protest Rahul’s disqualification

Beyond young talents, some senior domestic players have also grabbed at the opportunity afforded by the WPL to showcase their skills and give their careers a boost. Among these, 33-year-old pacer Shikha Pandey was the most notable. The veteran pacer has often been ignored quite inexplicably but her 10 wickets for Delhi Capitals were seven more than the next-best Indian pace bowler. In addition, her power-hitting in the last wicket partnership in the WPL final, reflected Pandey’s huge utility. RCB’s 32-year-old spinner Asha Joy and 30-yearold wicket-keeper-batter Sushama Verma, who last played for India in 2020, are some of the other nearly-forgotten players for whom the WPL offered a great chance to show the selectors what they are missing and keep their national hopes alive!

The women’s version of the Indian Premier League has been a massive commercial success and the WPL has become the second-most lucrative domestic women’s sports competition after US professional basketball. The way the tournament was conducted, the response to the matches and the superb TV ratings made the WPL seem like a festival for women’s cricket. Now, the effort should be that this momentum is maintained going further so that the league can be a ‘game changer’ for women’s cricket in the years to come.

Interestingly, it was just 3 years after the IPL in 2008 that the Indian Men’s team lifted the ODI World Cup in 2011. Cricket pundits believe that IPL exposure had a huge role in getting the team ready for tense situations. Indian Women’s team would also hope that WPL gives them the much needed edge, both in terms of unearthing fresh talent from within the country and making them mentally stronger for knockout games in ICC championships, one which has been their Achilles heel in the last few years!

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL from the Lok Sabha. In Parliament, ruckus over the issue has led to proceedings being disrupted and adjournments of the two Houses on a daily basis. The BJP asserts that neither the party nor the government has anything to do with his disqualification. Even the Lok Sabha has no discretionary power “as the law is clear on the matter”.

Taking the issue to the street and disrupting Parliament may not benefit the Congress or Rahul. The institution which can grant reprieve to Rahul is the court but so far there’s no move to seek judicial redress. The Congress appears to be depending on sympathy, if any, for Rahul. Barring words of support from other parties, the Congress is alone in its fight.

How strong democracy is in Israel is to be seen in the response to a strike call given by its largest trade union Histradut asking all government employees to stay away from work. Instantly, all Israeli missions came to a halt and all consular services were shut until further notice. Histradut decided to give the strike call to mount pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to drop his judicial reforms plan which, it is feared by millions of Israelis, will sound the death knell of democracy. Histradut has more than 700,000 members across various sectors. Over the last few months the Jewish state has witnessed unprecedented backlash over the proposed reforms. On Sunday Netanyahu fired defence minister Yoav Gallant for calling to halt the plan to overhaul the judiciary for giving the government greater control in judges’ appointment. Jews account for 81 percent of the population while Muslims constitute 14 percent and Christians 2 percent. Almost all are united against judicial reforms.

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Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNadda

Congratulations to Lovlina Borgohain on her spectacular win at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in the 75 kg category! Your passion, hard work, and focus have made all of us proud! Keep inspiring and shining!