India was and remains a cricket-crazy nation. A huge number of fans follow the game religiously and have informed opinions about how it should be played. They even do their bit in taking their favorite stars to the level of divinity. Their passion, though, hasn’t been limited to the television sets. They implement their cricketing skills in each and every corner of the Indian streets. However, with the advent of the internet and online gaming cricket has found a new outlet. Youngsters now do not just limit their skills to the field. They also resort to their mobile phones or laptops to play cricket online. `
With the advent of online fantasy cricket games a new avenue has been added to the passion for cricket. Falling in the category of online gaming, fantasy cricket is different from ordinary online gaming. It gives you the opportunity to enjoy the thrills and chills of online gaming in addition to giving you the chance of winning exciting prizes. It is larger in scope given that it gives you the opportunity to create your own team and lead them to winning a match. It gives you the feeling that you are playing the match on the field.
So what are the basic reasons behind this growing popularity of fantasy cricket and why is it gaining an edge over other online cricket games?
Enjoy the Action in the Comfort of Your Home
Gone are the days when fans had to travel miles to enjoy the thrills of cricket from the stands. Even drawing room watching has taken a new meaning with the inception of fantasy cricket. Here, all you need to do is download a fantasy cricket app, log in with your credentials and start creating a team consisting of 11 players allotted specific points. It doesn’t require much effort. Just a few strategic decisions and a good knowledge of the game would be adequate.
Feeling a Sense of Responsibility
Once you create a playing 11 from the 22 available players participating in a particular match, your responsibility as a fan grows. You are no longer just a passive watcher. You are responsible toward your own team just like a coach is in an actual match. The runs your players score and the wickets your players take could make or break your day. It thus gives rise to an adrenaline rush and helps you win cash prizes if you take part in a particular fantasy cricket competition. The amount of the prizes increases with the increase in the overall number of competitors.
Helps Build a Team Spirit
Fantasy cricket teaches you the value of patience, discipline and endurance. Learning from your past mistakes, you can make improvements to your game and increase your chances of winning. It prepares you for the best and worst scenarios. While playing live with real people, you can learn a lot of things. Being the coach of the team, you learn leadership skills and the value of team spirit.
Uninterrupted Action
Unlike other online cricket games, there are no real-time interruptions in fantasy cricket. It is always meant to keep you on your toes and keep your excitement levels high.
Challenges Create More Excitement
Fantasy cricket can often be tricky and challenging. You need to have all the odds aligned in your favor in order to win a particular competition. In the process of overcoming all these challenges you would feel more excited and develop a zeal that would double your motivation of spending time in creating your team in a fantasy cricket app.
Plenty to Be Won
Fantasy cricket’s key excitement factor is the prizes it offers to the winners. There are multiple prizes to be won. When you log in to a fantasy cricket app, you have the option to choose from multiple matches. Once you make that selection, you are required to pick your team. Remember, in most such apps the captain is the one that earns you 2X points while the vice-captain fetches 1.5X points. The more runs they score or the more wickets they take, the more the chances of your winning.
Once the team selection is done, you need to put your team up against others in different competitions. There are plenty to choose from. Some of the competitions are one-on-one. Here you face a single opponent with both participants entering the pool with a certain amount of money. The one finishing with more points takes away all the money as the prize while the opponent finishes with nothing.
Likewise, there are competitions as well where the number of participants is higher. The prize money there is high as well, given that each player enters the competitions with a certain amount of money and often there are multiple winners.
There are additional benefits of investing in the certified and most trusted Howzat app as well. Once you make a minimum of ₹100 deposit, you can refer your friends to the app and win cash prizes. You get ₹500 for free when that friend that you invited makes a deposit of ₹100.
Fantasy Cricket Is Completely Legal
Fantasy Cricket falls in the category of skill gaming. Therefore, it is not part of betting or gambling. Hence it is completely legal and fans can play it without any worry.
Given the advent of the Indian T20 League, the popularity of fantasy cricket is only going to grow. The industry is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 17.9% over the course of the next five years. Online Fantasy games are certainly the next big thing in the market and it would be hard to keep yourself immune to it.
CARLOS ALCARAZ will look to win his third consecutive Wimbledon title this year, reinforcing his position as the leading player on all surfaces. Jannik Sinner, who lost to Alcaraz in a closely fought French Open final, heads to London hoping to reverse the result.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic will also be in contention. At 38, this could be his best chance to win a record 25th Grand Slam title. Djokovic lost the last two Wimbledon finals to Alcaraz and will aim to reclaim the trophy at the All England Club.
With Andy Murray retiring, Jack Draper takes on the responsibility of leading British hopes. Other players in the mix include Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz, both chasing their first Grand Slam title and looking to break the recent dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner.
Alcaraz aims to join elite group with hat-trick
Alcaraz won the longest French Open final in the Open Era, maintaining his hold on the title. Between him and Sinner, they have won seven of the last eight majors. If Alcaraz wins this month, he will become only the fifth man in the Open Era to claim three straight Wimbledon titles. He would join Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and Djokovic.
Transitioning from clay to grass is often difficult, but Alcaraz has adapted well. He described the shift as "enjoyment and suffering" in equal measure.
"It's a bit of everything," Alcaraz said. He improved his win-loss record on grass to 29-3 after winning the Queen’s Club title.
"Ultimately it's a surface we don't play many matches on each year, and you have to learn from every experience on it, from every match you play.
"Every player is different with a different style on grass. You have to keep learning and getting to know yourself ... even when the numbers are in your favour."
Sinner still adapting to grass
Although Sinner has achieved more success than Alcaraz on hard courts, his grass record remains mixed. He exited early at Halle after losing to Alexander Bublik and now heads to Wimbledon with limited preparation. Last year, he reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
Sinner, who served a three-month ban earlier this year for doping violations, said he needed rest before the Championships begin Monday.
"I gave it my all after the Roland Garros defeat, it wasn't easy. Despite everything, I'm happy enough," Sinner said. He had three championship points in the five-set French Open final loss to Alcaraz.
"I played two matches before Wimbledon, if there had been more, it would have been better. Now I've got to boost myself both mentally and physically, that takes a little time."
Gentlemen's Singles - Projected Quarter-finals by Seeding
(1) Sinner vs (7) Musetti (4) Draper vs (6) Djokovic
(5) Fritz vs (3) Zverev (8) Rune vs (2) Alcaraz #Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 27, 2025
Djokovic hopes to bounce back
Novak Djokovic heads into Wimbledon after reaching the French Open semi-final in a year that has otherwise not lived up to his usual standards. He has not played any warm-up events on grass but remains a strong contender.
Djokovic is aiming to match Roger Federer’s eight Wimbledon titles and surpass Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slams.
"I'm going to do everything possible to get myself ready," Djokovic said after losing to Sinner in Paris.
"My best chances maybe to win another Grand Slam are Wimbledon, or a faster hard court, maybe Australia."
Zverev, Fritz and others look to challenge
World number three Alexander Zverev is also in the hunt, still chasing a maiden Grand Slam after three final losses. Taylor Fritz enters the tournament with momentum from winning in Stuttgart.
Others to watch include Daniil Medvedev, who finished runner-up in Halle, and Bublik, who defeated him there. Bublik’s unconventional playing style could pose a challenge for some top players over the next two weeks.
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The Rugby Premier League (RPL) features six franchises and brings together top players from the World Sevens circuit with Indian players. (Photo: Rugby Premier League India)
NEARLY 150 years after the closure of the Calcutta Football Club led to the creation of rugby's oldest international trophy, a new sevens-format league has been launched this month to help revive the sport in India.
The Rugby Premier League (RPL) features six franchises and brings together top players from the World Sevens circuit with Indian players. The tournament follows rule variations suited to television broadcasts.
Organisers hope to grow the sport locally to the point where India qualifies for the Olympics. They also see potential for the format to influence rugby’s development globally.
‘People have not seen it’
“Rugby in India is not so popular and not because it's not played, it's played in more than 250 districts in India and there's a lot of talent pool available, but because people have not seen it,” said Satyam Trivedi, chief executive of GMR Sports, which is co-organising the league.
“It has not been commercialised, originally or globally. It is a very aspirational sport. In countries like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, it's a private schoolboy sport, which is not how it is seen in India.
I'm sure with the league getting commercials, going on broadcast, some of the finest athletes of the world coming and participating, the audiences will see it and the sport will catch up.”
The launch of the RPL comes as sevens rugby, which grew in popularity after being included in the 2016 Rio Olympics, faces challenges. Budget constraints have led Ireland to end its men’s programme, while Britain’s men’s and women’s teams are set to go part-time by the end of July.
World Rugby plans to introduce a three-division format in 2026 to increase the number of events and improve the sport’s cost-effectiveness and competitiveness.
Franchise model and international talent
RPL squads differ from national team-based World Sevens tournaments. Each franchise consists of five top-tier “marquee” players, five Indian players, and three international “bridge” players.
Scott Curry, who has played 321 matches for New Zealand’s All Blacks Sevens and now represents the Bengaluru Bravehearts, said the franchise model may offer a new path for the sport.
“The World Series has been changing a lot and there's a little bit of uncertainty there but to see something like this, a franchise league ... I think it could be the future of the game going forward for sure,” Curry said.
“Having franchises where players from all over the world can come and play together along with local Indian players is really exciting for our sport.”
Eyes on Olympic entry
Rugby India is also co-organising the league. Its president Rahul Bose believes the RPL could help raise the sport’s profile ahead of a potential Indian bid for the 2036 Olympics.
“After Indian hockey, we want to be the second team, and by that time (2036), it'll be 80 years that there's no other team that's gone to the Olympics from India,” Bose said.
“I'm not counting cricket, which is coming into the Olympics through a different route. But certainly when it comes to sports that have 100-plus nations playing it, like soccer and rugby, we've trained our eyes on that.”
Opportunities before 2036
Manuel Moreno of Spain, who featured in the World Sevens Series dream team last season and is playing for Hyderabad Heroes in the RPL, believes Olympic qualification could come sooner than 2036.
“It's a long way to try to compete with the best teams in the world ... the World Rugby Series, maybe is too far from now but maybe (India can qualify) for the Games as qualification is from the continent,” Moreno said.
“They (India) can do it in the next Olympic cycle. There are only two or three big teams in Asia. So I think they have a real possibility to be in the Los Angeles Games in 2028.”
India’s men finished seventh in the Asian qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and the women placed sixth. However, organisers and players believe that exposure to international talent like Curry and Moreno can help local players develop faster.
It may not be long before Indian rugby is known for more than being the origin of the trophy contested annually by England and Scotland.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Beckham’s arm surgery linked to an old injury from a 2003 football match
David Beckham had surgery on his right arm following years of discomfort from a 2003 injury.
Victoria Beckham posted a hospital photo with the caption “Get well soon Daddy.”
Doctors removed a pin that failed to dissolve from an earlier procedure.
Fans flooded social media with support as Beckham begins recovery.
David Beckham has undergone surgery on his right arm after enduring years of pain from an old football injury. The former England captain was admitted to hospital this week, where doctors corrected a long-standing issue stemming from a 2003 match against South Africa. Beckham is now recovering, with his wife Victoria offering fans a glimpse into his post-op condition through an Instagram update.
Victoria Beckham's story Instagram screengrab/victoriabeckham
Victoria Beckham shares intimate post-surgery moment
Victoria posted a photo of David in a hospital gown and blue arm sling, lying in bed and smiling faintly at the camera. “Get well soon Daddy,” she wrote, along with a white heart emoji. In another story, she showed a friendship bracelet gifted to him with the message “Get well soon” spelled out in beads.
The public gesture quickly drew attention, prompting fans to ask questions and offer well-wishes across social media. With comments turned off on Instagram Stories, many took to Twitter to express their concern and admiration.
Victoria Beckham's story Instagram screengrab/victoriabeckham
Surgery linked to 2003 wrist injury, say sources
According to a source quoted by The Sun, the surgery was required due to complications from an old wrist injury Beckham sustained over two decades ago. A metal pin inserted at the time had not dissolved as expected and had started causing intense pain.
David Beckham of England feels the pain in his arm after being tackled and upended by Thabang Molefe of South AfricaGetty Images
“David had been in pain for years but didn’t think much of it,” said the source. “It got worse recently, so he went for a scan, which revealed the pin had not dissolved. The operation went well, and he’s in great spirits now.” Victoria reportedly stayed by his side throughout the procedure.
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Carlos Alcaraz plays a forehand against Novak Djokovic in the Gentlemen's Singles Final on July 14, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)
CARLOS ALCARAZ will begin his attempt to win a third straight Wimbledon title against Italian Fabio Fognini, while women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka opens her campaign against Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine.
The draw, held on Friday at the All England Club, featured several notable first-round matchups.
Sinner, Djokovic face Italian, French opponents
Top men’s seed Jannik Sinner, who lost to Alcaraz in the French Open final, has been drawn to face fellow Italian Luca Nardi. Sixth seed Novak Djokovic, who is aiming to match Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon singles titles, will begin against Alexandre Muller of France, ranked 40th in the world.
In the women’s draw, defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, seeded 17th and recently withdrawn from the Eastbourne tournament due to a thigh strain, will face Alexandra Eala of the Philippines.
Second seed Coco Gauff starts her campaign against Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska. Third seed Jessica Pegula, a potential semi-final opponent for Gauff, plays Italian qualifier Elisabetta Cocciaretto. Fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, last year’s runner-up, will meet Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova. Sabalenka is seeded to face Paolini in the semi-finals.
Big home presence for Britain
Britain has 23 players in the singles draws, its largest representation since 1984. Fourth seed Jack Draper leads the men’s challenge after a rapid rise in form. Draper begins against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez, ranked 38th. If he progresses, he could face 2017 runner-up Marin Cilic in the second round, and Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik in the third round – a player he lost to at the French Open.
Draper’s projected path to the title may include matches against Djokovic in the quarter-finals, Sinner in the semi-finals, and Alcaraz in the final.
Raducanu faces Xu in British clash
Emma Raducanu, Britain’s top-ranked woman, will take on fellow Briton Mingge (Mimi) Xu in the first round. Xu is one of three British teenage wildcards in the women’s draw. If Raducanu wins, she may face 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova or 32nd seed McCartney Kessler next.
Branstine, Sabalenka’s first-round opponent, advanced through qualifying by defeating former U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu. In the third round, Sabalenka could face either Raducanu or Vondrousova.
Key early matchups and returns
A possible second-round highlight could be Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, seeded five, taking on Japan’s Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner.
Alcaraz, who won Queen’s Club in preparation for Wimbledon, opens against Fognini. The 38-year-old Italian was once ranked as high as ninth but has not replicated that form in recent years. If Alcaraz advances, he could face British qualifier Oliver Tarvet in the next round. Tarvet, ranked 719, will meet Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi in the first round.
Alcaraz could face third seed Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. Zverev begins his campaign against France’s Arthur Rinderknech.
Centre Court schedule
As the defending men’s champion, Alcaraz will play the opening Centre Court match on Monday. That day will feature matches from the bottom half of the men’s draw and the top half of the women’s draw. Krejcikova will begin Centre Court action on Tuesday.
(With inputs from agencies)
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The 30-year-old fast bowler has struggled with injuries throughout his career and has played just 13 Tests, the last of which was in February 2021.
JOFRA ARCHER has been named in England's squad for the second Test against India, marking his return to the Test side after more than four years.
The 30-year-old fast bowler has struggled with injuries throughout his career and has played just 13 Tests, the last of which was in February 2021.
Archer last appeared for England in March during a one-day international against South Africa at the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
He returned to first-class cricket on Sunday, playing for Sussex for the first time in four years. He took one wicket in a drawn match against Durham.
Speaking to the BBC, Archer said it had been a mental challenge to return to red-ball cricket but confirmed he was ready for Test matches.
"Yeah. I guess so," he said. "I just want to get through the game. I'm glad I've finished a day of four-day cricket."
England won the first Test at Headingley on Tuesday with a five-wicket victory over India. Archer was added to the squad on Thursday as the only change ahead of the second Test in Birmingham.
Archer, who was born in Barbados, made an immediate impact after his debut in 2019, providing England with pace and accuracy. He bowled the decisive super over in the World Cup final against New Zealand that year and later took 22 wickets in four Tests during the Ashes series against Australia, which ended in a draw.
Since then, he has dealt with recurring injuries. An elbow injury first suffered in 2020 required multiple surgeries. He also had to recover from a stress fracture in his back in 2022.
He was recently ruled out of England's ODI series against the West Indies due to a thumb injury sustained while playing for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
Archer has taken 42 wickets in 13 Tests at an average of 31.
Jacob Bethell, Sam Cook and Jamie Overton, who were part of the squad for the first Test but did not play, have retained their places for the second Test at Edgbaston, which begins on July 2.
England squad: Ben Stokes (capt), Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wkt), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury