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England did not need to win this game to reach the semis – they play Australia next on Wednesday, who look close to unbeatable, followed by New Zealand where they would be strong favourites.

But they did need the win to prove to themselves they could win games like this.

After removing Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol early, England were faced with one of the most formidable partnerships in Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur – and struggled.

Their partnership of 125 was a masterclass, Harmanpreet’s power combined with Mandhana’s finesse.

England bowled too wide to the left-handed opener, who scored heavily on the off-side, but the biggest difference between India and England’s other opponents so far is that they do not fear Sophie Ecclestone.

Mandhana was exceptional in sitting deep in the crease and playing the ball late, while Harmanpreet and later Deepti Sharma took the world number one bowler down the ground.

India threw the game away via their own mistakes but England deserve credit for how they closed it out, because until they needed nine from the last ball, victory was never certain.

But a notable difference from the past year is that England’s body language did not dip. They held their standards – the fielding fumbles did not creep in, they worked as a unit and fought until the last ball.

Ecclestone won the battle with Deepti, who slog-swept to Sophia Dunkley. The ball hung high in the air for what felt like an age, the crowd behind Dunkley roaring for it to be put down.

It was a straightforward chance but with the context of pressure, we have seen England drop many recently, with Alice Capsey and Emma Lamb also holding on to high-stakes chances earlier to dismiss Mandhana and Harmanpreet.

Basics, yes – but executing them has not always been the case for this side. This win is an important hurdle to overcome, one which should serve them well with the pressure cooker turning up a notch from now on.

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India suffered a heartbreaking loss at the hands of England in the ICC Women’s World Cup in Indore (Images via AP) Indore: What transpired here has to be one of the most heart-breaking defeats ever suffered by the Indian Womenâ€s cricket team, and it puts their qualification to the semifinals of the 2025 Womenâ€s ODI World Cup in real danger.Riding on fine half-centuries by senior batters Smriti Mandhana (88 from 84 deliveries), captain Harmanpreet Kaur (70 runs from as many balls) and Deepti Sharma, who produced a brilliant all-round performance (50 from 57 deliveries and 4-51 in 10 overs), India looked set to chase down 289, which wouldâ€ve been their highest-ever run chase in WODIs, but fell just four runs short on a smoggy night at the Holkar Stadium on Sunday.Pulling off a thrilling win by keeping their nerves, England became the third team after Australia and South Africa to qualify for the semifinals, while India, who suffered their third loss in a row, must now defeat New Zealand at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on October 23 to sneak in as the fourth semifinalists. This was also the first time that the Indian women’s team played a WODI at the Holkar Stadium.The star of Englandâ€s victory was their former captain Heather Knight, who was removed as the skipper last year after England exited the semifinals of the Womenâ€s T20 World Cup and lost the Ashes to Australia 16-0. Playing in her landmark 300th international match, Knight indeed proved to be England’s ‘Knight in shining armour’ as she smashed a splendid century (109 off 91 balls, featuring 15 boundaries and a six) which helped her team post a competitive 288 for eight against the hosts. India needed 14 off the last over with allrounders Amanjot Kaur and Sneh Rana in the middle, but left-arm spinner Linsey Smith, who conceded just 1-40 in 10 overs in a high-scoring game, gave away just nine. Chasing 289 under lights, India suffered two early blows when opener Pratika Rawal (6) was caught behind off Lauren Bell in the third over, who returned to action after missing the last match due to illness and number 3 batter Harleen Deol (24 off 31 balls) caught plumb in front while trying to play across to off-spinner Charlie Dean. The duo of Harmanpreet and Mandhana put on 125 in 122 balls for the third wicket to raise visions of an easy win, but India kept losing wickets at the wrong time. Trying to cut the ball repeatedly towards third man, Harmanpreet was caught at short third off England captain Nat-Sciver Brunt in the 31st over. Tiring due to cramps, Mandhana holed out to long off off Smith in the 42nd over. Sciver-Brunt then had Richa Ghosh (eight off 10 balls) caught at cover in the 46th over, and suddenly, India, falling behind the required run rate, had no one to force the pace. Once Deepti slog-swept Sophie Ecclestone to deep mid-wicket in the 47th over, the game was in Englandâ€s hands. Earlier, displaying her amazing prowess at sweeping the spinners, the 34-year-old Knight powered to her third ODI ton and highest-ever score in WODIs. Rotating the strike brilliantly while unleashing boundaries too, she stitched a 113-run stand off 106 deliveries with skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt.Earlier in the competition, against Bangladesh in Guwahati, England had slipped to a precarious 103 for 6, before their former captain took them home with an unbeaten 79.However, it wasn’t just Knight alone who stamped her authority on the game. At a time when India were searching for answers after ‘keeper-bat Amy Jones (56 off 68) and Tammy Beaumont (22 off 43) provided England with a steady 73-run start in 97 balls, Deepti brought India back in the game by scalping both the wickets. Deepti finished with her best-ever figures in ODI World Cups and with 13 sticks in five matches, stands apart as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament.After Knight was finally gone – run out due to a brilliant work at deep square leg by Amanjot Kaur, who recovered quickly after a misfield and fired in a pin-point accurate throw in the 45th over – India bounced back in sensational fashion, taking five wickets for 39 runs. In fact, all that England, with their middle-order frailties exposed once again, managed to score, was 42 runs in their last six overs, losing five wickets, with two of them being run outs. Things wouldâ€ve been worse for England had they not managed to take 11 off the final over of the innings, bowled by Shree Charani.

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How do you feel about India’s chances of qualifying for the semifinals after this loss?

Introduced into the attack in the 16th over, Deepti dislodged Beaumont’s leg stump after the batter missed a sweep, thus recording her 150th WODI scalp in her 117th WODI.Making a comeback at the expense of batter Jemimah Rodrigues, seamer Renuka Singh Thakur justified Indiaâ€s decision to play six bowlers by conceding 0-37 in eight overs, though she failed to make an early strike.

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India’s losing streak at the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup extended to three matches as they went down to England at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Sunday.

Half centuries from Smriti Mandhana, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, and Deepti Sharma went in vain as the hosts snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Having been asked to bowl first, India restricted England to 288/8 in their quota of 50 overs.

It was a brilliant comeback from the Indian bowling unit after the experienced Heather Knight blasted her way to a 91-ball 109.

The former England captain was well supported by opener and wicketkeeper Amy Jones, who scored a 68-ball 56 before falling to the off-spin of Sharma.

Sharma was the standout performer with the ball for India, finishing with figures of 4/51 in her ten overs. The young Sree Charani was expensive but picked up the other two wickets.

Asked to chase down what would have been a record Indian chase in Women’s World Cup history, India fell short by the barest of margins.

This was after Mandhana (88) and Harmanpreet (70) stitched a 125-run stand for the fourth wicket.

#News | India fall to third straight loss at 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup🇮🇳💔

Half centuries from Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Deepti Sharma in vain as the hosts fall short by 4 runs

ENG: 288/8 (50)
IND: 284/6 (50)#Cricket #CWC25 #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/1yRTWIOWPZ

— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) October 19, 2025

After Harmanpreet fell to Nat Sciver-Brunt, Mandhana found an able ally in Sharma (50).

But once Mandhana was snapped up by Linsey Smith in the 42nd over, the Indian chase derailed spectacularly.

India needed just 55 runs to win at the fall of Mandhana, but eventually fell short by four runs.

The win assured an unbeaten England of a semi-final spot, joining Australia and South Africa.

The loss for India, on the other hand, leaves them at a precarious spot with their next match against New Zealand on Thursday essentially turning into a quarter-final.

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England booked their place in the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup with a thrilling four-run win over co-hosts India in Indore.

Set 289 to win, India were cruising at 234-3 with opener Smriti Mandhana well-placed on 88.

But the opener’s soft dismissal, caught down the ground off spinner Linsey Smith in the 42nd over, was the turning point as the co-hosts completely threw away their winning position.

The run-rate climbed and although Deepti Sharma’s gritty half-century kept India hopes alive, the middle order buckled under the pressure and with 14 needed from the last over, Smith held her nerve with India finishing on 284-6.

England’s 288-8 was set up by former captain Heather Knight’s masterful 86-ball century, after they started cautiously, reaching 44-0 off the powerplay but crucially kept wickets in hand.

Tammy Beaumont was again scratchy for 22 from 43 balls but Amy Jones found valuable form with her 56, before Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt set a platform with a fluent stand of 113.

Knight was the aggressor, whacking 15 fours and a six in her third one-day international century, and they put England in a brilliant position at 211-3 with just over 11 overs to go before Sciver-Brunt fell for 38.

England looked to be a few runs short, however, as they could not capitalise on the partnership with another middle-order wobble, losing three wickets for eight runs in the space of 12 balls.

Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb and Alice Capsey all fell cheaply to spin again, which looked like it might be costly once Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur started to cruise through the middle overs, notching a similarly flawless partnership of 125 which had a raucous crowd roaring for every run.

Mandhana’s knock was sublime and looked certain to eclipse Knight with a match-winning century but her one lapse in concentration cost India, who need to win their last two games to confirm a semi-final spot, having suffered three consecutive defeats.

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You wait four years for a World Cup, but if you’re a player or fan in Colombo then you may have spent most of this tournament staring at the rain rather than enjoying some much-anticipated cricket.

Five of the nine matches staged in the Sri Lanka capital have been affected by rain – with four ending in no result – causing former England spinner Alex Hartley to say the conditions had “ruined” the World Cup.

October is monsoon season on the island, with 300-370mm of rain anticipated in the month.

“I don’t really know what anybody was expecting to be completely honest. You have a tournament in Sri Lanka during monsoon season, it pretty much rains at the same time every single day,” Hartley, who won the tournament in 2017, told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“It’s ruined this World Cup – it’s been a real shame.”

All bar two of Sri Lanka’s group games are being staged at the R. Premadasa Stadium, as are all of Pakistan’s matches because of the ongoing political tensions with India, who are hosting the majority of the tournament.

Fatima Sana’s side sit bottom of the tournament standings and are facing elimination having seen their past two games washed out, including one against England where they looked well placed to win.

“You don’t want to come into a 50-over World Cup going ‘oh, well let’s hope we get a T20 tonight if it rains a little bit’. It’s been a little bit too predictable and really disappointing,” added Hartley.

“I toured Sri Lanka 10 years ago in October and every single one of our training sessions got rained out every single afternoon.

“The games in Sri Lanka could have, and should have, started earlier – that’s the only way you could have got the games unaffected.”

All matches are being played as day-nighters, with a 10:30 BST start and 15:00 local.

New Zealand have also seen their past two games in Colombo rained off, and the T20 World champions currently sit out the qualification places for the knockout stages.

“It’s extremely frustrating, let’s be honest. You wait four years for a World Cup and to have suffer through the rain,” said New Zealand captain Sophie Devine, who at 35 is likely to be playing in her last 50-over World Cup.

“I hope in future editions, they think of playing earlier in the day. We have seen the rain comes in the evening so play at 10 or 11. For the game, to be scuppered by rain is a real shame for me.”

BBC Sport has approached the International Cricket Council (ICC) for comment.

England’s sole fixture in Colombo was the game against Pakistan, where they slipped to 133-9 but saw the game called off during their opponents’ chase.

Nonetheless, England coach Charlotte Edwards has also been critical of the situation in Sri Lanka.

“You want to play as much cricket as you possibly can. I don’t know if things could have been changed that the games start earlier because of the monsoon season.

“I just hope that the teams that are playing there get some cricket this week, because you want to be playing games in the tournaments like this and it’s very frustrating that they’re not at the moment.”

If Pakistan were to qualify for the knockout stages then their matches would be held in Colombo, but given they are unlikely to qualify there are likely to be just two further matches staged there – between Pakistan and South Africa on Tuesday and Sri Lanka and Pakistan on Friday.

The weather for both days?

Rain.

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Pakistan are on the brink of elimination from the World Cup after their match against New Zealand was abandoned because of rain.

The tournament’s bottom side are yet to win in five games, and suffered their second successive abandonment in Colombo.

In contrast to the first abandoned match, where they were well placed to beat England, Pakistan were struggling in this fixture, finding themselves at 92-5 at the 25-over mark, after which the covers came on for good.

The R. Premadasa Stadium is playing host to all of Pakistan’s fixtures and the majority of Sri Lanka’s, but Colombo has been blighted by rain, with this match the fourth of nine staged there to fail to reach a result.

The abandonment means an India win against England on Sunday will ensure Pakistan cannot qualify for the knockout stages despite having two group games left to play.

Even if England are victorious, Pakistan will still need to defeat both South Africa and Sri Lanka and hope a large number of fixtures fall in their favour.

Meanwhile, New Zealand move level with India, who occupy the fourth knockout spot, on four points but having played one game more, with the two sides set to meet on Thursday.

Sophie Devine decided her side would bowl after winning the toss, and New Zealand removed openers Omaima Sohail and Muneeba Ali in the space of four balls to leave Pakistan 30-2 in the seventh over.

Sidra Amin then cut straight to Eden Carson off Lea Tahuhu, with the players coming off for rain immediately afterwards.

Resuming after 90 minutes on 52-3, Natalia Parvaiz holed out to Devine off Carson’s bowling, while Melie Kerr bowled Fatima Sana.

Aliya Riaz, top-scorer with an unbeaten 28, began to rebuild with Sidra Nawaz, but the umpires were forced to call the covers on again and, after almost three hours of waiting for the rain to subside, the match was abandoned.

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England coach Charlotte Edwards says they “got away with it” after the washout against Pakistan, but insists their best is still to come.

Pakistan, who are bottom of the Women’s World Cup table, reduced England to 79-7 and then reached 34-0 in pursuit of 113 to win before rain rescued Nat Sciver-Brunt’s side from a shocking defeat.

Edwards says they have reflected and moved on from that match in Colombo, but is hoping for an improved performance as they take on co-hosts India in a crunch fixture on Sunday.

“We haven’t played our best cricket, which is think encouraging for us as a group and we get to play now against some of the best teams in the world,” Edwards told BBC Sport.

“So I think we’re ready to take that challenge on.

“We were outplayed against Pakistan and we know that, we’ve spoken about it. We did get away with it, but we’ve got to move on.”

England are in a commanding position to reach the semi-finals, likely to only need one win from their last three to confirm their spot, but their results so far have flattered them, particularly in the batting department.

Since the dominant opening win against South Africa, England were 78-5 against Bangladesh, a standalone Sciver-Brunt masterclass ensured a comfortable win against Sri Lanka and then came the lucky escape against Pakistan.

“We probably weren’t as adaptable as I’d have liked,” Edwards added.

“I think there’s been some concerns around our batting, but I haven’t got many. When I came into this role it was about winning first and foremost, and the only game that we haven’t played well is against Pakistan.”

The real test begins now. India have been inconsistent so far but are expecting a sellout crowd in Indore, and impressed beat England away from home this summer.

On Wednesday is the tantalising grudge match, with England face defending champions Australia – the first time they have played one another since the Ashes humiliation at the start of this year before Edwards took charge.

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Oct 18, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

The third iteration of the Emirates NBA Cup is set to start on Halloween night, Oct. 31 — a little over a week after the 2025-26 NBA regular season tips off.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were able to win the inaugural in-season tournament trophy in 2023, with James claiming the honors of tournament MVP. Last season, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks raised their NBA Cup banner over the eventual NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

But which team will claim its stake over the hardware in Las Vegas this year, and can it continue that tournament momentum into the postseason?

Here’s what you need to know about the in-season tournament, including rule changes for this year and the schedule.

Jump to a section:
FAQ |Schedule

FAQ (by Tim Bontemps)

The NBA unveiled the six groups for the third edition of its in-season tournament — now called the Emirates NBA Cup. Here’s a look at everything you’ll need to know about the return of the competition.

What is the format?

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has had a long-standing fascination with European soccer. Establishing an in-season cup competition within the NBA schedule came from soccer leagues having both a regular-season title, won by the team with the most points over the full year, and a separate tournament (or, in some leagues, multiple tournaments) that runs concurrently with the league season. In England, for example, there are the various divisions — led by the Premier League — and also the FA Cup competition. But unlike those European leagues, which play their cup competitions outside of their league schedules, the NBA Cup is built into the regular-season slate. The 30 NBA teams are split into six five-team groups — three featuring Eastern Conference teams, and three comprising Western Conference teams — with each team then playing one game against the other four in its group. The winner of each group, plus the team with the best record among the non-group winners, will then advance to the knockout stage of the competition.

How will this impact the regular-season schedule and standings?

Typically, the NBA sends out a full 82-game schedule in mid-August. Now, the league sends out only 80 games and leaves a gap for roughly a week to fill in later, depending on how the group stage of the NBA Cup plays out.

The two teams from the East and West that lose in the quarterfinals will play their 82nd game against one another on one of four dates: Dec. 11, 12, 14 or 15. Meanwhile, the 22 teams that fail to qualify for the knockout rounds will have their final two games scheduled — one at home and one on the road — on Dec. 11 or 12 and 14 or 15 against others eliminated in the group stage.

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The teams that reach the NBA Cup’s finale will actually play 83 games — though the championship game won’t count toward the standings or any statistical markers. All four teams that make it to Las Vegas for the semifinals will have completed their 82 games, and won’t need anything else added. The additional wrinkle added to this year’s schedule is the possibility that a few dates on the calendar may move around. On Dec. 8, there are currently three games scheduled: the Sacramento Kings at the Indiana Pacers; the Phoenix Suns at the Minnesota Timberwolves; and the San Antonio Spurs at the New Orleans Pelicans. If any of those teams are playing in the quarterfinals, taking place on Dec. 9 and 10, those games would move to Dec. 7 (a decision that would be made by Nov. 29, the day after the end of the group stage). This also would only be an issue if one of the teams were playing on Dec. 9. If they’re playing Dec. 10, nothing will change. The other scheduling quirk is that there are currently eight teams — the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards — scheduled to play on Dec. 17, the day after the championship game in Las Vegas.

Any team that makes it to the semifinals in Las Vegas would have that game moved later into the schedule to avoid back-to-back games. The NBA made this change in an effort to avoid having empty days on the calendar while attempting to minimize back-to-back games for all teams as much as possible.

Are the semifinals and finals still being played in Las Vegas?

For this season, yes. Next year, however, the semifinals — like the quarterfinals — will be played at home sites. Having teams go to Sin City for a week (and, more importantly, trying to get fans there for two games over several days on short notice) hasn’t gone the way the league initially believed that it would.

What is new about the tournament this year?

Most of the games are being shown on Amazon Prime, including the knockout rounds. The schedule is also primarily on Fridays, beginning on Halloween, rather than bouncing back and forth from Tuesday to Friday throughout November as it did during the first two years of the tournament.

Why does the NBA Cup include regular-season games?

Before its launch, one of the main questions surrounding the in-season tournament was why any team would be incentivized to compete in it. The NBA ensured teams will be motivated by making every game part of the season — and, being in-conference, potentially important from a playoff-tiebreaker standpoint. If this had been set up like the cup tournaments in European soccer, there would have been nothing stopping NBA teams from opting out, literally or figuratively — sitting their top players for extra rest.

What teams make up the groups?

To create the groups, the NBA put all 15 teams in each conference into five pots, separated by their finish in last season’s standings. Pot 1 included the teams that finished 1-3 in regular-season record, teams 4-6 went into Pot 2, teams 7-9 into Pot 3, teams 10-12 into Pot 4, and teams 13-15 into Pot 5. As a result, the following groups were drawn:

• East A: Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards

• East B: Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers

• East C: New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets

• West A:Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz

• West B: Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans

• West C: Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs

Does one group stand out the most from the others?

This one is easy: West Group C. Three of the top four teams in the Western Conference — Houston, Denver and Golden State — are in the group, plus a Blazers team that excelled down the stretch last season. Oh, and don’t forget about Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, too. West Group B is also competitive, but Memphis is already dealing with injuries, Dallas is missing Kyrie Irving and the Pelicans are expected to be well outside the playoff picture.

What do players get for winning?

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In 2023, the first year the tournament was held, the players on the winning team received $500,000 each, while those on the runners-up got $200,000. The losing players of the semifinals each got $100,000, and those ousted in the quarterfinals each got $50,000. Now, in each subsequent year, the prizes will be slightly higher, as a result of negotiated raises year over year to keep pace with increases in the salary cap and basketball-related income as part of the most recent collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association.

Will anyone earn individual honors for their play in NBA Cup games?

There will be an MVP award, as well as an all-tournament team.

Will this have any impact on the playoffs?

Not beyond the games counting in the regular-season standings (and toward tiebreakers). The only playoff impact comes from the wins and losses accrued throughout the tournament. Though there was debate among league insiders about guaranteeing a playoff berth for winning the tournament, ultimately, that idea (or any other to further incentivize teams) was not enacted.

Why is it called the Emirates NBA Cup?

The league struck a sponsorship deal with Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, to sponsor the tournament after its initial run. The NBA said last year that it went with the most basic titles for both the tournament and its trophy — the “in-season tournament” and “NBA Cup” — as a way to introduce the concept to fans. However, using such nondescript names had another clear advantage: It gave the league a blank slate in case the tournament and cup became properties it ended up selling to a sponsor, and avoided the complications that could arise by naming them after someone (for example, the late NBA commissioner David Stern, one possibility that had been floated before the tournament was officially unveiled).

2025 Emirates NBA Cup schedule:

All times Eastern

Group Play

Oct. 31

• Atlanta Hawks at Indiana Pacers, 7:00 p.m.

• Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers, 7:00 p.m. (Prime)

• Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m.

• New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls, 8:00 p.m.

• Los Angeles Lakers at Memphis Grizzlies, 9:30 p.m. (Prime)

• Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns, 10:00 p.m.

• Denver Nuggets at Portland Trail Blazers, 10:00 p.m.

• New Orleans Pelicans at LA Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

Nov. 7

• Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards, 7:00 p.m.

• Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic, 7:00 p.m.

• Detroit Pistons at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m.

• Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs, 7:30 p.m. (Prime)

• Toronto Raptors at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m.

• Charlotte Hornets at Miami Heat, 8:00 p.m.

• Utah Jazz at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8:00 p.m.

• Dallas Mavericks at Memphis Grizzlies, 8:00 p.m.

• Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks, 8:00 p.m.

• Oklahoma City Thunder at Sacramento Kings, 10:00 p.m.

• Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets, 10:00 p.m. (Prime)

Nov. 14

• Brooklyn Nets at Orlando Magic, 7:00 p.m.

• Miami Heat at New York Knicks, 7:00 p.m. (Prime)

• Philadelphia 76ers at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m.

• Charlotte Hornets at Milwaukee Bucks, 8:00 p.m.

• Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets, 8:00 p.m.

• Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Pelicans, 8:00 p.m.

• Sacramento Kings at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8:00 p.m.

• LA Clippers at Dallas Mavericks, 8:30 p.m.

• Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs, 9:30 p.m. (Prime)

Nov. 21

• Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:00 p.m. (Prime)

• Washington Wizards at Toronto Raptors, 7:30 p.m.

• Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics, 7:30 p.m.

• Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls, 8:00 p.m.

• New Orleans Pelicans at Dallas Mavericks, 8:30 p.m.

• Minnesota Timberwolves at Phoenix Suns, 9:00 p.m.

• Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets, 9:30 p.m. (Prime)

• Portland Trail Blazers at Golden State Warriors, 10:00 p.m.

• Oklahoma City Thunder at Utah Jazz, 10:00 p.m.

Nov. 25

• Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards, 7:00 p.m.

• Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers, 8:00 p.m. (Peacock)

• LA Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers, 11:00 p.m. (Peacock)

Nov. 26

• Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics, 5:00 p.m. (ESPN)

• New York Knicks at Charlotte Hornets, 7:00 p.m.

• Indiana Pacers at Toronto Raptors, 7:30 p.m.

• Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma City Thunder, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

• Milwaukee Bucks at Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m.

• Memphis Grizzlies at New Orleans Pelicans, 8:00 p.m.

• Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors, 10:00 p.m. (ESPN)

• San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers, 10:00 p.m.

• Phoenix Suns at Sacramento Kings, 10:00 p.m.

Nov. 28

• Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m.

• Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets, 7:30 p.m.

• Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. (Prime)

• Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m.

• Philadelphia 76ers at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m.

• Washington Wizards at Indiana Pacers, 7:30 p.m.

• Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder, 9:30 p.m.

• Sacramento Kings at Utah Jazz, 9:30 p.m.

• San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets, 9:30 p.m.

• Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers, 10:00 p.m. (Prime)

• Memphis Grizzlies at LA Clippers, 10:00 p.m.

Knockout

Dec. 9 and 10: Quarterfinals

• TBD vs. TBD, (Prime)

• TBD vs. TBD, (Prime)

• TBD vs. TBD, (Prime)

• TBD vs. TBD, (Prime)

Dec. 13: Semifinals

• TBD vs. TBD, (Prime)

• TBD vs. TBD, (Prime)

Dec. 16: Championship

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David Beckham gave England fans some unforgettable World Cup moments without ever bringing home the trophy – but now he is trying to help the Class of 2026 take the final step.

The former Three Lions captain played in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 editions of the tournament, experiencing some memorable highs and crushing lows.

Who can forget Beckham’s red card for kicking out at Argentina’s Diego Simeone at France 98 – or his cathartic, match-winning penalty against the same opponents in Japan and Korea four years later?

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How David Beckham could be England’s key to success in North America

David Beckham is co-owner of Inter Miami (Image credit: Getty Images)

‘Goldenballs’ is ranked no.5 on FourFourTwo’s list of the best English midfielders ever but never went beyond the quarter-finals of a major tournament with England, reaching the last eight under Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2002 and 2006 following his red card during the second-round defeat in 1998.

Since retiring in 2013, Beckham has invested in League Two side Salford City and MLS club Inter Miami – and it is his role as president and co-owner of the latter that could help England in North America next summer.

England have already qualified for the World Cup under Thomas Tuchel (Image credit: Getty Images)

England booked their place at the World Cup with Tuesday’s 5-0 win over Latvia, which sealed top spot in Group K and automatic qualification.

And preparations for next summer’s tournament are already well under way, with Sky Sports News football correspondent Rob Dorsett revealing that the FA are in touch with Beckham about using Inter Miami’s base ahead of the finals.

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Dorsett wrote on X: “FA in discussion with David Beckham and his reps about England possibly using his Inter Miami training centre as warm-weather base in the build up to the World Cup. With qualification now guaranteed, FA will ramp up their prep, tho no final decisions til the draw on Dec 5.”

Inter Miami train at the Florida Blue Training Center, which has six natural grass fields and one turf field and sits next to the club’s home ground, Chase Stadium, in Fort Lauderdale.

Legendary duo Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are among Inter Miami’s stars (Image credit: Getty Images)

Acclimatising to the heat will be a big factor in what England can achieve at the tournament, with some kick-off times likely to be changed to prevent teams playing in high temperatures.

The Three Lions will be aiming to end their 60-year wait for a major trophy, having reached successive European Championship finals under Gareth Southgate.

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As Pratika moved up through the age groups, she caught the attention of former India player Deepti Dhyani, who became her coach.

“I saw her play a few drives and realised she had the capabilities. Most state-level players have talent; the challenge is transforming it for professional cricket. That’s where we as coaches step in,” Deepti says.

“She stood out because whenever you asked her to work on something, she would tick every box, even if you weren’t watching.”

Deepti also emphasised fitness, something Pratika had embraced since childhood.

“We often think gym work means building bulky muscles, but it’s really about staying injury-free. Thankfully, Pratika understood that well and worked on her fitness seriously,” says Deepti.

Even as cricket became her focus, Pratika didn’t neglect her studies. She pursued a degree in psychology, which helped her understand the mental side of the game.

“She was in ninth standard when she got interested in psychology, so she decided to study it in college,” says her father.

“In cricket, psychology plays a major role. When you’re batting, trying to read what a bowler is thinking or why they’ve set a certain field, it helps you dissect situations better. It’s been really useful for her.”

It’s that out-of-the-box thinking which gives Pratika a useful skill off the field: she can solve a Rubik’s cube.

“It has an algorithm to it,” Pratika said, in a social media video. “The centre pieces don’t move, so you need to move everything around those.”

Easy, or so Pratika makes it seem.

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