Mumbai Indians players and Mitchell Marsh [Source: @mipaltan, @ICC/x]
Mumbai Indians steamrolled Gujarat Giants to storm into the final of the WPL 2025 season. Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is set to re-join Northamptonshire for a fresh County stint after representing Punjab Kings in IPL 2025. In other news, England fast bowler Mark Wood will likely be ruled out of the upcoming home Test series against India.
Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest cricketing news that emerged out of Thursday, March 13.
Yuzvendra Chahal To Return To Northamptonshire For County Cricket
Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is set to make his return to County cricket for Northamptonshire after the conclusion of the IPL 2025 season. The 34-year-old also played a handful of matches for the prestigious cricket club back in 2024 last year. Chahal will be available to play Rothesay County Championship and Metro Bank One Day Cup matches from June 22 onwards.
As of now, the senior Indian cricketer is bracing himself for the IPL 2025 season for the Punjab Kings franchise.
Mitchell Marsh Cleared To Play IPL 2025, But As A Batter
Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been cleared to play the upcoming IPL 2025 season for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise. The cricketer was recently ruled out of Australia’s 2025 ICC Champions Trophy squad owing to a back injury, which also raised speculations around his availability for the Indian T20 carnival.
While the 33-year-old has been cleared to play IPL cricket, he will be doing so purely as a batter. Marsh, who played for the Delhi Capitals back in IPL 2024 last year, was acquired by the LSG franchise during the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Mark Wood Likely To Miss England’s Home Tests Vs India
England fast bowler Mark Wood will likely miss his team’s upcoming five-match home Test series against India in June. Wood has been reportedly advised rest for at least four months following an operation on his left knee. The 35-year-old injured himself during England’s 2025 ICC Champions Trophy Group B match against Afghanistan in Lahore last month.
Mark Wood’s absence from India Tests will likely serve a crucial blow to England’s prospects, considering the speedster has emerged as one of his team’s pace spearheads off late, especially since the retirement of James Anderson.
Delhi Capitals To Name IPL 2025 Captain On March 14
The Delhi Capitals franchise is set to name its captain for the upcoming IPL 2025 season on the early morning of March 14. While several fans and cricket experts considered Axar Patel and new-recruit KL Rahul as the potential frontrunners, the latter of the two cricketers reportedly opted out of captaincy race earlier this week. Recent reports indicate that the franchise might choose between either Axar or former South African captain Faf du Plessis.
Hayley, Nat-Sciver Take Mumbai Indians Into WPL 2025 Final
Mumbai Indians ravaged Gujarat Giants by 47 runs in the Eliminator match of the WPL 2025 season at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Batting first, the Mumbai Indians accrued 213-4 courtesy of scintillating 77-run knocks from opening batter Hayley Matthews and in-form number three Nat Sciver-Brunt. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur also bludgeoned 36 runs from just 12 deliveries to pile on Giants’ misery during the slog overs.
In response, the Gujarat Giants folded up for 166 in 19.2 overs. Danielle Gibson, Phoebe Litchfield and Bharti Fulmali all cracked swift 30s each, while Simran Shaikh briefly threatened during her eight-ball knock of 17. Matthews, who scored a cracking 50-ball 77 with the bat, picked up three wickets with the ball to cap a remarkable all-round performance for herself.