New Delhi, Nov 4: The mega player auction for the 2026 season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) will be held on November 27 in the national capital, sources aware of the development told Media on Tuesday.

Had previously reported on October 22 that New Delhi edged Goa to emerge as the top choice to be the host city of the mega auction set to be held for the first time in WPL’s history. “There was a toss-up between November 26, 27, and 28. But it has now been communicated to all five franchises by the BCCI that the auction will be on November 27,” further said sources.

In terms of the venue for the auction to be held for one day, Media understands that a plush hotel in Aerocity could be the venue for the WPL mega auction, especially after it emerged that the initial choice, Bharat Mandapam, will be busy hosting the India International Trade Fair (IITF) from November 14-27.

The player retention deadline for all five WPL teams – two-time winners Mumbai Indians, 2024 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru, three-time runners-up Delhi Capitals, UP Warriorz, and Gujarat Giants – is on Wednesday.

Each franchise will be allowed to retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and two uncapped Indian players. If a team chooses to retain five players, at least one must be an uncapped Indian player. The auction purse has been set at INR 15 crore.

Retention slabs have been defined as follows: INR 3.5 crore for Player 1, INR 2.5 crore for Player 2, INR 1.75 crore for Player 3, INR 1 crore for Player 4, and INR 50 lakh for Player 5. The Right to Match (RTM) option will enable franchises to buy back players who were part of their 2025 WPL squads, with a cap of five RTMs per team.

Depending on the number of retained players, the corresponding deductions from the purse will be: INR 9.25 crore for five players, INR 8.75 crore for four, INR 7.75 crore for three, INR 6 crore for two, and INR 3.5 crore for one.

The number of RTMs available will vary accordingly – franchises retaining fewer players will have more RTMs at their disposal. Teams using all five retentions will forfeit the RTM option entirely. The final date for WPL mega auction player registration is November 18, while the final list of players in the auction will be released on November 20.

Understands that India’s win in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup could have a late impact on WPL teams’ player retention strategies.

“A few franchises may have a relook at their retained players list to accommodate the ones who did well for India in winning the trophy. The same goes for a few overseas players who did well in the World Cup,” further said sources.

Mumbai, Nov 4: Tata Group’s hospitality arm, Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), on Tuesday reported a 48.6 per cent year-on-year (YoY) drop in net profit to Rs 285 crore for the quarter ended September 2025 (Q2 FY26).

The company had posted a profit of Rs 555 crore in the same quarter last financial year (Q2 FY25), according to its stock exchange filing.

Despite the fall in profit, IHCL’s revenue from operations rose 11.8 per cent to Rs 2,040.8 crore, compared with Rs 1,826 crore in the corresponding period of the previous financial year.

The company’s EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation) also showed improvement, rising 14.2 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 572 crore from Rs 501 crore a year ago.

The EBITDA margin improved slightly to 28 per cent, compared with 27.4 per cent in the same quarter last financial year.

On the market front, IHCL shares ended at Rs 743.75 on the BSE, down Rs 3.30 or 0.44 per cent on Tuesday.

Over the last five days, the stock gained Rs 2.35 or 0.32 per cent, while in the past month, it rose Rs 20.65 or 2.85 per cent.

However, over a longer period, the stock has faced some pressure. In the last six months, IHCL shares fell Rs 57.60 or 7.18 per cent, and on a year-to-date (YTD) basis, they are down Rs 129.40 or 14.81 per cent.

Still, over the past one year, the stock has gained Rs 77.65 or 11.65 per cent.

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) is South Asia’s biggest hospitality group. It was founded in 1903 by Jamsetji Tata, who started it with the opening of The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai.

The company is best known for its Taj hotels and its unique culture called “Tajness,” which combines Indian tradition with modern hospitality.

Today, IHCL runs more than 550 hotels across four continents and focuses on being both innovative and sustainable.

New Delhi, Nov 4: The NHRC has sought a report within two weeks from the Karnataka government and state police chief over the alleged collection of bribes from a grieving 64-year-old father of a woman who died after a brain haemorrhage, an official said on Tuesday.

The alleged harassment of the man started after the death of his daughter, an IIT Madras and IIM Ahmedabad graduate working in Bengaluru, who suffered a brain haemorrhage on September 18.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that, while mourning the death of his only daughter, the elderly man was made to pay bribes at every step, including an ambulance driver, police, crematorium staff and civic officials in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

According to the media report, carried on October 30, what should have been a solemn farewell turned into a nightmare of corruption, bureaucracy and inhumanity.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise serious issues of violation of human rights. Therefore, it has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Karnataka, calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.

When the father called an ambulance after the death of his daughter, the ambulance driver apparently overcharged for the services. When he reported his daughter’s death to the police, they not only displayed a lack of empathy but also gave copies of the FIR and post-mortem report only after a bribe was paid.

According to the media report, the deceased’s family donated the girl’s eyes before cremation. Money was again demanded at the crematorium, which the father paid.

There was also a considerable delay in issuing a death certificate from the Mahadevapura Municipal authorities. Despite intervention by a senior officer, the certificate was issued only after the father paid a bribe.

Earlier, the NHRC asked 19 state governments and 4 UT Administrations to take pre-emptive steps and implement relief measures for vulnerable people ahead of the upcoming winter season.

The Commission directed the State and UT governments to protect newborns, children, infants, poor, elderly, homeless, destitutes and people involved in beggary, who are at risk of exposure to cold waves due to lack of shelter and resources, said a statement.

The right body also called for Action-Taken Reports from the government on steps taken to deal with cold waves and stressed upon the need for sensitising the State/UT authorities concerned.