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Travis Head Century, SMAT Final And WPL 2025 Auction – December 15 Cricket Highlights

Aakash Saini

Travis Head with Steve Smith and Mumbai team [Source: @cricketcomau, @BCCIdomestic/x]Travis Head with Steve Smith and Mumbai team [Source: @cricketcomau, @BCCIdomestic/x]

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Travis Head and Steve Smith ransacked the visiting Indian bowlers in Brisbane with majestic hundreds on Day 2 of the third BGT 2024-25 Test. Bengaluru bore witness to Mumbai’s second-ever SMAT victory as well as the successful auction of the WPL 2025 season.

Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest news that emerged out of Sunday, December 15.

Travis Head, Steve Smith Punish India With Commanding Tons

Travis Head notched up his second successive century and the ninth of his career while Steve Smith regained his lost touch with a drought-ending 33rd Test hundred, both against India on Day 2 of the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test at The Gabba. The two cricketers brought up their landmark tons during their shared 241-run partnership to lift Australia from a precarious 75-3 to 316-4.

For India, Jasprit Bumrah picked up five wickets in the day, including that of both centurions, to seal figures of 5-72 from 25 overs. Bumrah also removed both Australian openers during the morning session of Day 2 and snapped Mitchell Marsh’s struggling stay at the crease. The hosts reached 405-7 by stumps and will resume their first innings on the third morning with Alex Carey (45*) and Mitchell Starc (7*) batting at the crease.

Mumbai Lift SMAT 2024 Title After One-Sided Final

The Mumbai cricket team walloped Madhya Pradesh in a one-sided final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024 season in Bengaluru. Rajat Patidar played a lone hand in Madhya Pradesh’s competitive 174-run total upon batting first after Shardul Thakur’s two-wicket burst with the new ball.

For Mumbai, senior men Ajinkya Rahane (37 off 30) and Suryakumar Yadav (48 off 35) shared a match-defining partnership after the early loss of Prithvi Shaw and captain Shreyas Iyer to Tripuresh Singh. Punjab Kings’ IPL 2025 recruit Suryansh Shedge bludgeoned three sixes and three boundaries in his 15-ball 36*-run cameo to blaze Mumbai to a five-wicket victory in just 17.5 overs. Lifting the 2024 trophy, the outcome marked Mumbai’s second SMAT title and the first since winning the 2022 edition.

WPL 2025 Auction Wrap Up In Bengaluru

The auction for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 season took place on Sunday, December 15 in Bengaluru. As many as 19 cricketers, including five overseas stars, were distributed among five franchises at the bidding event. Uncapped Indian player Simran Shaikh and West Indies’ all-round legend Deandra Dottin fetched the highest bids, generating ₹1.9 Cr and ₹1.7 Cr respectively through the Gujarat Giants women’s franchise.

G Kamalini and Prema Rawat were sold to Mumbai Indians and RCB respectively, while Nallapureddy Charani found her WPL 2025 home at the Delhi Capitals.

Jemimah Rodrigues Takes India 1-0 Up Over West Indies

Indian women opener Smriti Mandhana (54 off 33) and middle-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues (73 off 35) both cracked sparkling half-centuries against West Indies women in the first T20I of the three-match series at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium. Richa Ghosh (20 off 14) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (13* off 11) also carted quick runs to take India women to 195-4 after being invited to bat first.

In response, the visiting West Indies team managed to haul just 146-7 to fall 49 runs short of their target. Legendary all-rounder Deandra Dottin clobbered 52 of those runs from just 28 balls to top-score in the innings. For India, Titas Sadhu wrecked West Indies’ top-order with a sizzling three-wicket haul while Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav picked up two wickets each to take India 1-0 up in the T20I series.

New Zealand’s Resurgence Engulf England On Day 2

New Zealand’s final wicket pair of Mitchell Santner and William O’Rourke added 32 more runs to their overnight total to reach 347 on Day 1 of the third Test at Hamilton’s Seddon Park. Matthew Potts dismissed Santner to wrap up the New Zealand innings, and finished with astonishing figures of 4-90.

In response, England’s ‘BazBall’ approach fetched them just 143 runs this time around. Matt Henry (4-48), William O’Rourke (3-33) and Mitchell Santner (3-7) skittled the visiting Englishmen inside 36 overs to secure a huge 204-run lead at the halfway stage of the match. New Zealand opener Will Young and senior man Kane Williamson charted cunning half-centuries late on Day 2 to extend their lead to 340 runs by stumps on Day 2.