National
IPL 2023: Rohit is a fantastic player and leader, looking forward to interacting with him, says coach Boucher
Appointed as new head coach of five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians, Mark Boucher is looking forward to the upcoming season and interacting with skipper Rohit Sharma, the most successful captain in IPL.
Ahead of his first season in charge, former South Africa coach Mark Boucher spoke to MumbaiIndians.com on his equation with the team captain Rohit Sharma, the pressure of expectations and the MI Paltan.
Mark Boucher highlighted the similarities between him and captain Rohit Sharma and said he is looking forward to speaking to the skipper in detail.
“Rohit is a fantastic player and leader. I have played against him before. I think we have got 1-2 things in common, he likes conservation so I think that it will be an interesting chat with him as well. I am really looking forward to just sitting down with him and having a chat about many things. There are certain ways that I coach and I think we will have many interesting conversations,” he was quoted as saying by Mumbai Indians in a release on Thursday.
Boucher, on his previous visits to India, was thrilled to see the MI Paltan, and the #OneFamily ethos and is looking forward to speaking with Mahela Jayewardene, Global Head of Performance to understand the #OneFamily culture.
“I have seen #OneFamily signs all over and that for me is very interesting as well. I will sit down with Mahela at some stage and he will tell me what it’s all about. But yeah, I have seen it from the outside and looks like it’s quite an exciting little project that was put together. Looking forward to becoming one of those family members as well.” said Boucher.
Boucher has had a long and illustrious career with the Proteas as a player and coach. Now with his stint at MI, he believes that at the helm of affairs at the five-time champions and one of the most successful sporting franchises in world sports, expectations will be high and he is looking forward to the challenge.
He further added, “Yes, there are always expectations. It is one of the best franchises in world sports. And with that comes a lot of responsibility. So, I am a quiet guy who is driven by results, I am very result-oriented as well. So, I know that I have got to perform and the players have to perform as well. I am really looking forward to that challenge.”
Boucher assured the fans that the team will play a good brand of cricket. Mumbai Indians had a poor season in IPL 2022 as they finished towards the bottom of the table.
“I think the fans are always important and especially with the IPL, Mumbai Indians fans they’ve been very successful. Hopefully, we can bring the trophy but, there’s one thing that we will do, we will have fun and play a good brand of cricket.”, Boucher commented.
Also, Mumbai holds a special place for the former South African star as it was the first place in India that he visited during his U-19 days and thus the buzz around the city.
“I’ve always really enjoyed Mumbai. It is the first place that I ever went to when I came to India on the Under-19 tour and I was amazed by the buzz and hype around Mumbai. I’m sure when I get back there I’ll feel the same sort of space as well.” said Boucher.
Boucher’s first major task with Mumbai Indians would be steering them through the IPL Auction that will be held in Kochi on Friday with 405 cricketers all set to go under the hammer.
National
Market volatility over Greenland issue to continue due to ‘few sticking points’: Report

New Delhi, Jan 24 : Investors are likely to remain on edge over the proposed US framework on Greenland, and near-term volatility related to this issue can continue, a report has said.
The report from Bank of Baroda said that market participants are awaiting more details that could determine whether negotiations succeed or unravel.
“Going ahead, investors are likely to await more details of the deal, as there are a few sticking points which can derail the negotiations. Hence, some volatility can be expected,” the report said.
Several analysts expect the arrangement to resemble an update of the existing security agreement between the US and Denmark, which was signed in 1951, the report noted.
Further negotiations will follow in due course which will cover areas such as US military presence in Greenland, as well as use of its mineral resources and sovereignty, said Aditi Gupta, Economist, Bank of Baroda.
US President Donald Trump has framed Washington’s interest in Greenland as driven by national security concerns, but the island’s largely unexplored mineral wealth including oil, gas and rare earth elements is of interest to US, the report said.
“The announcement of a framework deal between the US and NATO has helped to soothe investors’ nerves, however the details of the deal are still fuzzy,” it added.
Geo-political tensions escalated and markets went into turmoil after the US President intensified rhetoric to annex Greenland and threatened economic measures against European countries that oppose US plans. In response, several European nations, including France, Germany, Sweden amongst others increased military deployment in Greenland, further escalating tensions.
Trump had announced a 10 per cent additional tariff on goods from the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Netherlands and Finland from February 1, 2026. The rate was expected to increase to 25 per cent by June 1, 2026.
Later, he backed off from his threat of imposing tariffs on European countries along the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.
Crime
Two Held With ₹68 Lakh Cash Near India-Myanmar Border In Mizoram; Heroin Worth ₹78 Lakh Seized

Aizawl: Two persons were arrested with Rs 68 lakh in cash near the India-Myanmar border in east Mizoram’s Champhai district, officials said on Thursday.
Acting on a tip-off, the Assam Rifles intercepted a vehicle at Zote village on August 11, they said.
Upon thorough checking, Rs 60 lakh in cash was recovered from two persons in the vehicle.
The duo, identified as Joseph Lalthansanga and Vanlalruati, could not state any proper reason why they were carrying such a huge amount of cash. They were subsequently handed over to the police for legal action, officials said.
In another operation, the Assam Rifles recovered 94.6 gram of heroin, worth Rs 78 lakh, from the village on Wednesday.
The drugs were handed over to the Excise and Narcotics Department, officials said.
National
India’s AI Tech Spending Projected To Reach Rs. 92 Thousand Crore By 2028: Report

India’s AI technology spending is projected to grow at an annualised rate of 38 per cent from 2023 to reach $10.4 billion (approximately Rs. 92 thousand crore) in 2028, a report said on Thursday.
Around 40 per cent of organisations in India have already implemented agentic AI, and close to 50 per cent are planning to use the technology within the next 12 months, IDC InfoBrief and UiPath said in a joint report.
In 2025, AI investments are focused on building the foundational infrastructure required to power transformative, high-value use cases.
According to the report, the adoption is surging, fueled by a tech-savvy workforce, expanding digital infrastructure, and government-backed initiatives.
Organisations’ spending on enterprise automation, multilingual AI models, and agentic deployments is driving this momentum further.
The benefits are already visible, as 80 per cent of Indian companies say agentic AI boosts productivity, while 73 per cent say it improves decision-making, the report said.
According to the report, agentic AI is gaining strong traction across the manufacturing, retail and wholesale, healthcare, and life sciences industries, which heavily rely on data and repetitive decision-making cycles.
“Agentic automation is rapidly redefining business operations across India. While enterprises in this region are embracing the full potential of AI agents to streamline workflows and autonomously execute complex business processes, trust and security remain barriers to widespread implementation,” said DebDeep Sengupta, Area Vice President, South Asia, UiPath.
Our agentic automation platform directly addresses these challenges, breaking down barriers to enterprise AI adoption by enhancing security and compliance, improving accuracy and reliability for agentic outcomes, Sengupta added.
About 69 per cent of Indian organisations are using agentic AI to enhance productivity, 59 per cent to drive personalised customer engagement, while 57 per cent apply it to risk and fraud detection, highlighting how agentic AI is being applied across front and back-office functions, the report highlighted.
“Becoming an AI-fueled business is no longer an option in today’s unpredictable climate. For many organisations, it’s fast becoming a strategic necessity,” said Deepika Giri, Associate Vice President, IDC Asia/Pacific.
Across the region, organisations are embracing agentic AI and agentic automation at scale, Giri added.
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