Dubai, Dec 30: India’s premium fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is nominated for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Men’s Cricketer of the Year. Alongside Indian ace, who is also nominated for the Test Cricketer of the year, Australia’s Travis Head and the English batting duo of Joe Root and Harry Brook also made the list for the prestigious honour.

Bumrah nabbed 15 wickets from eight outings, including a couple in the final against South Africa, as India went unbeaten at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

India’s spearhead also had a memorable year in the longest format by picking 71 wickets in 13 Tests, the most scalps taken by a bowler this year.

In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, Bumrah is leading the wicket-takers charts with 30 wickets at an average of 12.83. He also completed 200 Test wickets and became the first bowler to achieve the feat with an average less than 20.

Indian bowling attack’s nemesis Head also made the list after shining across all formats for his country. After playing a vital role in the 2023 ICC World Cup final, Head continued his form as he was the third highest scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup with 255 runs in seven innings, with his highest score being 76 against India. The left-hander is also the leading run scorer during the ongoing BGT helping Australia get in a good position to solidify their spot in the 2025 WTC final.

Root, England’s premier batter, made 1556 runs from 17 Tests at an average of 55.57, his second-best annual run tally in Tests after amassing 1708 runs in 2021. It was also the fifth instance of Root scoring over 1000 Test runs in a calendar year.

With six Test hundreds to go alongside five fifties, Root’s impressive run saw him become the joint-fifth highest century maker in Tests (36) alongside Rahul Dravid. In addition to his batting exploits, Root impressed by picking a four-wicket haul in the Test series against India.

His teammate Brook scored 1100 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 55, comprising three fifties and four hundred-plus scores, including a maiden triple century coming in Pakistan, and became England’s breakthrough batter in the format.

Rourkela, Dec 27: The highly anticipated return of the Hockey India League (HIL) 2024-25 is set to become a reality with a clash between Delhi SG Pipers and Gonasika on Saturday, promising a spectacular showcase of world-class hockey and fierce competition.

The Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela will host the eight men’s teams till the Final on February 1 while, four Women’s teams will compete against each other from January 12 to January 26, in Ranchi.

The men’s HIL will kick off in Rourkela, with Phase 1 spanning from December 28 to January 18, where all eight teams will play against each other once. Phase 2, beginning on January 19, will see the teams divided into two pools: Pool A (Delhi SG Pipers, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, Soorma Hockey Club, Vedanta Kalinga Lancers) and Pool B (Gonasika, Hyderabad Toofans, Tamil Nadu Dragons, UP Rudras). Each team will face others in their respective pool, with the top four teams advancing to the Semi Final on January 31.

“All our players excited to play against Gonasika and are looking forward to beginning the league. We have prepared well for the last two weeks and we have had a few bonding sessions as a team as well in this period. There is a bit of pressure that comes with it but all the players in our squad are well trained and aware of the demands at this level, so we will play the match with the aim to do our best. We have to execute the strategy set by our coaches and take it game by game. Every match is important and the but it is also important to take the first step in the right direction tomorrow,” Delhi SG Pipers Captain Shamsher Singh commented.

Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, Delhi SG Pipers, Soorma Hockey Club and Odisha Warriors are the four teams in the Women’s HIL. Their matches will commence on January 12 at Ranchi’s Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Astro Turf Stadium, with each team playing against the others twice. After a competitive pool stage, the top two teams will meet in the Final on January 26. Both men’s and women’s teams will also play one of their matches at the alternate venue to bring the HIL excitement to fans in both locations.

“HIL is returning after seven years and everyone in the team is excited for the match against Delhi. We have a good understanding amongst each other in the team and a good mixture of youngsters, Indian seniors and foreigners. We will look to implement the things that we have trained on so far in the match tomorrow. We have also played with and against these players before, so we will look to play our game and do our best to minimise their goalscoring opportunities,” Gonasika Captain Manpreet Singh shared.

Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker feels she has erred on filing for the nominations for the Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, breaking silence on reports of being excluded for the list. However, the 22-year-old said she remains motivated to perform well on the biggest stage, regardless of whether she wins the award or not.

“With regards to ongoing issue for my nomination for the most prestigious Khel Ratna award – I would like to state that as an athlete my role is to play and perform my country. Awards and recognition keeps me motivated but are not my goal. I believe there has been a lapse maybe on my part while filing for the nomination which is being corrected. Irrespective of the award, I remain motivated to win more medals for my country. It is a request to everyone, please do not speculate more on this matter.”