The IPL will have a new champion for the first time since 2016 after Punjab Kings (PBKS) beat Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Sunday night to set up a summit clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). 

Neither team has won the IPL before.

The IPL final will play today in Ahmedabad. Sri Lankan paceman Nuwan Thushara is among the RCB squad and he will fight to enter the final eleven.

RCB will be playing an IPL final for the fourth time, having finished runners-up in 2009, 2011 and 2016 to Deccan Chargers, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, respectively.

PBKS have been in IPL final only once before, in 2014, when they were known as Kings XI Punjab and lost to Kolkata Knight Riders. 

The 2014 season was also the only time that PBKS had made the playoffs since the concept was introduced in 2011. 

Their captain Shreyas Iyer is the first IPL player to lead three different teams to the finals. 

He was the captain of Delhi Capitals in the 2020 final and led KKR to the title in 2024.

PBKS and RCB had finished Nos. 1 and 2 in the league stage, with nine wins, four defeats and one no-result each in 14 games. 

There was very little difference between their net run rates too. 

PBKS had beaten RCB in Bengaluru, RCB won the reverse fixture in Mullanpur.

They met in Qualifier 1 on May 29 in Mullanpur, where RCB dismissed PBKS for 101 and won with ten overs to spare to book their place in the final first. 

PBKS had to travel to Ahmedabad to play MI in Qualifier 2, and they beat them for the second time in the span of a week to qualify for the final.

RCB surely have the upper hand for the final match as they have more time to plan and recover for the crucial clash, having not played a match since May 29. 

It has been an eventful and thrilling season for IPL which saw many records being broken this year.

While RCB booked their place in the final by beating Punjab Kings in the Qualifier 1 convincingly in Mullanpur, it was a tough road for PBKS who had to play an extra game against 5-time champions MI in order to book their spot in the final.

For Punjab, it will be their ability to shrug off the memories of the Qualifier 1 defeat against their final opponents that will help them in overcoming a team that has been on top of their game for most of the tournament.

 (Agencies)

The ICC have confirmed dates and venues for this year’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.

The 13th edition of the Women’s 50-over World Cup will feature 08 teams namely India, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The tournament will run from September 30 – November 02, with five venues across India and Sri Lanka.These venues will be M. Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru), ACA Stadium (Guwahati), Holkar Stadium (Indore), ACA-VDCA Stadium (Visakhapatnam), and R. Premadasa Stadium (Colombo).

The tournament will kick off in Bengaluru on September 30.

The first semi-final will take place in either Guwahati or Colombo on October 29, with the second semi-final to be played the following day on October 30 in Bengaluru.

The two finalists will then have at least two days to prepare for the title decider, with the final of the 2025 Women’s World Cup to be held in either Bengaluru or Colombo on Sunday November 02.

The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka has donated five 12-person international-standard dragon boats to the Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

The donation was formally made on May 31 at the 2025 Dragon Boat Festival China-Sri Lanka Friendship Cup Dragon Boat Championship.

The championship was held at the Diyawanna Oya Amateur Rowing Association of Sri Lanka (ARASL) Rowing Center. Participants included school teams, university crews, clubs, members of the tri-forces, as well as Chinese teams. It was notable that the event also featured 05 teams from Jaffna.

The regatta was hosted by Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of Sri Lanka, and co-organized by National Association for Canoeing and Kayaking in Sri Lanka, CICT (Colombo International Container Terminals Ltd.), Sri Lanka Overseas Chinese Association and Chinese Chamber Of Commerce In Sri Lanka.

Expressing gratitude for the donation, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports – S.K. Gamage said, “This is not merely a sports event, it is a powerful symbol of friendship, culture, and cooperation between our two nations.”

Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka – Mr. Qi Zhenhong said the championship was “a new starting point to further deepen sports and cultural exchanges between China and Sri Lanka and to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between our peoples.”

Rear Admiral HNS Perera, President of the National Association for Canoeing and Kayaking in Sri Lanka, described the event as a bridge between tradition and modernity.

Sri Lanka Navy and Visakha Vidyalaya powered their way to victory by clinching the top honours in the Men’s and Women’s Open Championships. Visakha Vidyalaya also grabbed the top spot in the Junior Girls’ final.

The Junior Boys’ final saw Thambaddy GTMV from Jaffna winning the gold medal, ahead of J/Delft M.V and D.S. Senanayake College Colombo.

In the Masters Women’s race, Ceylong team took top spot, while Wave Breakers and Pink Dragon followed closely.

The University of Sabaragamuwa won the Mixed Category final, pushing Chinese Team 03 and Chinese Team 01 to second and third places.

(Pics : Shanika Jayasekara)