Franchise Cricket

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Sydney Sixers consolidated their place in the Women's Big Bash League knockout places with a 16-run win over Melbourne Stars.

Ash Gardner struck a 31-ball 50 and Sophia Dunkley hit 41, with the pair putting on 55 for the third wicket as Sixers closed on 164-5.

Stars were 30-4 inside the powerplay of their reply, before Maia Bouchier reignited their innings.

The England batter hit 67 from 40 balls, adding 82 for the fifth wicket with Kim Garth.

Gardner, who finished with figures of 3-31, removed Garth, while Bouchier was caught off the bowling of Mady Villiers as Stars finished on 140-8.

The result moves Sixers up to third, level on points with their second-placed opponents with a game in hand, and they are now the only side who can overhaul league leaders Hobart Hurricanes.

In the day's later game, two sides out of contention for the knockout stages faced off, and Sydney Thunder condemned Brisbane Heat to their eighth defeat of the season, beating the bottom side by 23 runs.

Thunder's Phoebe Litchfield hit 61 from 43 from number three, and was the last wicket to fall as the seventh-placed side, who lost four of their top seven for single figures, closed on 153-7.

Heat found themselves on 63-5 in the 13th over, but didn't lose another wicket until Annie O'Neil (33) was caught by Litchfield off Georgia Voll's final ball of the match, ultimately finishing short of their target on 130-6.

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Defending champions Dubai Capitals suffered defeat in the opening match of the new International League T20 season, losing to Desert Vipers by four wickets.

Vipers, the losing finalists to Capitals in February, successfully chased down a target of 151 with an over to spare.

United States wicketkeeper Andries Gous struck 58 from 36 balls from the top of the order, putting on partnerships of 50 with opening partner Fakhar Zaman (26) and 35 with Max Holden (16).

Waqar Salamkheil struck twice in the 13th over to rock the confidence of the Vipers, bowling Gous and having Sam Curran caught for seven.

But Dan Lawrence steered Vipers home from that point, scoring a steady 19 from 16 balls before Khuzaima Tanveer struck the winning runs off the last ball of Scott Currie's penultimate over.

Capitals were 32-3 inside the powerplay after being put into bat, with Gulbadin Naib and Jordan Cox dismissed for zero and two respectively by English seamers Curran and David Payne.

David Willey was bowled by Noor Ahmad for 10, before Mohammad Nabi (29) helped push Capitals towards a respectable score, adding 34 with Rovman Powell (39) and 30 with Dasun Shanaka (12).

Captain Shanaka was the last wicket to fall, to Payne in the final over, as Capitals closed on 150-8, a total they were unable to defend.

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Perth Scorchers moved into the Women's Big Bash League knockout positions with a 30-run win against Melbourne Renegades.

Captain Sophie Devine top-scored with 40 after Scorchers were put into bat, adding 69 for the third wicket with Maddy Darke (36).

England seamer Issy Wong was the pick of the Renegades bowlers, taking 2-34 with the wickets of Darke and international team-mate Freya Kemp.

Paige Scholfield (10) added an unbroken partnership of 33 with Alana King (22) as Scorchers closed on 184-5.

Renegades were 2-2 and then 34-4 inside the powerplay, with Devine, who finished with figures of 4-25, taking three of those wickets, including that of England's Alice Capsey (12).

Georgia Wareham (43) and Nicole Faltum (28) helped the defending champions recover, putting on 65 for the fifth wicket, but both fell to King in successive overs, with Renegades ultimately finishing on 154-9.

The Melbourne side slip to sixth and will now need to beat fourth-place Sydney Sixers, who have two games in hand, in their final game and hope a string of other results go in their favour in order to qualify for the knockouts.

Meanwhile Scorchers now sit in third, with one match against bottom side Brisbane Heat left to play in the group stage.

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The fourth edition of the International League T20 starts in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

The T20 franchise tournament has been brought forward to avoid a clash with February's T20 World Cup and will run until 4 January.

There are 34 matches in total - 30 in the group stage and four in the knockouts.

Six teams are taking part: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates and Sharjah Warriorz.

Dubai Capitals are the defending champions after beating Desert Vipers by four wickets in last year's final.

The six sides play each other twice in the group stage, with the top four progressing to the knockouts, which work as follows:

30 December - qualifier 1: First v second (14:30 GMT)

1 January - eliminator: Third v fourth (14:30 GMT)

2 January - qualifier 2: Loser of qualifier 1 v winner of eliminator (14:30 GMT)

4 January - final: Winner of qualifier 1 v winner of qualifier 2 (14:30 GMT)

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A total of 31 England-qualified players will be taking part in the International League T20.

Six players from England's last T20 series will feature in the tournament: Opener Phil Salt (Knight Riders), batters Jordan Cox (Capitals) and Tom Banton (MI Emirates), all-rounders Sam Curran (Vipers) and Liam Dawson (Giants), and spinner Adil Rashid (Warriorz).

Liam Livingstone (Knight Riders), Moeen Ali (Giants), David Willey (Capitals) and Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes (MI Emirates), who have all played for England in recent years, are also set to feature. Moeen will captain Giants.

Bowler Scott Currie (Capitals), who was named in England's squad for a series against Ireland in September, and promising batters James Rew (Warriorz) and Tawanda Muyeye (Vipers) will also have a chance to impress.

The tournament will act as another opportunity for some players to push their case to be included in England's squad for February's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: Phil Salt, Olly Stone, Liam Livingstone, Alex Hales, Michael Pepper, George Garton

Desert Vipers: Sam Curran, Dan Lawrence, Tawanda Muyeye, Max Holden, David Payne

Dubai Capitals: David Willey, Jordan Cox, Scott Currie, Tymal Mills, Toby Albert, Leus du Plooy

Gulf Giants: Liam Dawson, Moeen Ali (captain), James Vince, Chris Wood, Tom Moores

MI Emirates: Tom Banton, Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes, Jordan Thompson

Sharjah Warriorz: Adil Rashid, James Rew, Nathan Sowter, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Abell

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Australia's Tim David, West Indies' Nicholas Pooran and Pakistan's Naseem Shah are among the big-name overseas stars signed to play in the International League T20.

Batter David will play for Sharjah Warriorz, fresh off the back of impressing in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, and will be captained by New Zealand pace bowler Tim Southee and have India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik as a team-mate.

Wicketkeeper-batter Pooran returns to MI Emirates, after scoring 301 runs last year, and is joined by last year's leading wicket-taker in Afghanistan's Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Pace bowler Naseem has joined last year's beaten finalists Desert Vipers along with compatriot Fakhar Zaman and New Zealand pace bowler Lockie Ferguson, who will captain Vipers.

West Indies trio Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Jason Holder are at Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, with the latter appointed captain. Afghanistan pair Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Azmatullah Omarazi will represent Gulf Giants.

Bangladesh quick Mustafizur Rahman has signed as a replacement player for Dubai Capitals.

Selected players signed for the ILT20 2026

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: Sherfane Rutherford, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Jason Holder (captain), Piyush Chawla, Brandon McMullen

Desert Vipers: Fakhar Zaman, Lockie Ferguson (captain), Naseem Shah, Noor Ahmad, Qais Ahmad, Shimron Hetmyer

Dubai Capitals: Gulbadin Naib (captain), Jimmy Neesham, Mohammad Nabi, Rovman Powell, Dasun Shanaka, Mustafizur Rahman

Gulf Giants: Azmatullah Omarzai, Blessing Muzarabani, Kyle Mayers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Tabraiz Shamsi

MI Emirates: Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard (captain), Romario Shepherd, Andre Fletcher, Shakib Al Hasan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kamindu Mendis

Sharjah Warriorz: Tim David, Tim Southee (captain), Dinesh Karthik, Dwaine Pretorius, Jayden Seales, Johnson Charles, Sikandar Raza, Taskin Ahmed

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One thing to keep an eye on during the International League T20 is whether Chris Gayle's long-standing record as the leading run-scorer in T20s is finally broken.

The West Indies legend leads the way on 14,562 runs but West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard and England's World Cup winner Alex Hales are closing in.

Pollard is 325 runs behind in second (14,237 runs), while Hales is third on 14,200 runs, just 362 behind Gayle.

Pollard will captain MI Emirates, while Hales will represent Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.

There are 10 group games and up to three knockout matches for the pair to overtake Gayle.

Hales scored 405 runs in last year's tournament with Pollard managing 182.

It's not inconceivable that Gayle's record is beaten before the end of the tournament.

Top five run-scorers in T20s

1. Chris Gayle - 14,562 runs

2. Kieron Pollard - 14,237 runs

3. Alex Hales - 14,200 runs

4. David Warner - 13,595 runs

5. Shoaib Malik - 13,571 runs

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With eight games left in the league phase, the Women's Big Bash table is starting to take shape.

BBC Sport looks at what each side needs to reach the knockouts.

Hobart Hurricanes (14 points) became the first team to progress with a win over Melbourne Stars on Monday. A win in their final game secures top and a place in the final.

Despite that defeat Stars (11 points) are sitting nicely in second and one win in their final two matches sees them through. They would finish top if they win both games and Hurricanes lose their last match.

Sydney Sixers (nine points) have three games remaining and two wins guarantees their progression.

Defending champions Melbourne Renegades (eight points) currently occupy the final knockout spot and realistically need to win both matches and even then may need to rely on net run-rate.

It is the same for Adelaide Strikers (eight points) and Perth Scorchers (eight points) in fifth and sixth.

Sydney Thunder (five points) and Brisbane Heat (one point), who are winless, are both eliminated.

• Women's Big Bash fixtures & table

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England batter Danni Wyatt-Hodge hit her second successive half-century as Hobart Hurricanes consolidated their place at the top of the Women's Big Bash League with an 81-run win over second-placed Melbourne Stars.

The 34-year-old struck 71 from 47 balls, putting on partnerships of 61 with Lizelle Lee (32) and 63 with England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt (31).

The opener departed in the 12th over, caught by Georgia Prestwidge off the bowling of Sophie Day, having made her sixth score of 40 or more in nine innings this season and extended her lead at the top of the tournament's run-scoring chart.

With the match reduced to 17 overs a side following a rain delay, Hurricanes finished on 176-4, losing Sciver-Brunt and Elyse Villani from successive deliveries just before the close.

Set an adjusted target of 180 for victory and a place at the top of the table, Stars failed to fire as spinners Linsey Smith and Molly Strano dominated.

Off-break bowler Strano removed England's Amy Jones (19), one of three catches for Wyatt-Hodge, and Dani Gibson (1) on her way to figures of 5-16.

Meanwhile England's left-armer Smith took 2-29, breaking the stumps of former Australia captain Meg Lanning for nine in the second over, before returning to end the match with the dismissal of Maisy Gibson as Stars were bowled out for 98 with seven balls to spare.

Hurricanes now move three points clear of Stars at the top of standings, having played one game more.

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West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League.

Russell, 37, has played in 13 editions of the IPL - two for Delhi Daredevils and then 11 for Kolkata Knight Riders.

He has played 140 games in the competition and scored 2,651 runs and taken 123 wickets.

"This is the best decision. I don't want to fade out," said Russell, who has won two IPL titles with KKR.

"I want to leave a legacy and it is best to retire when fans ask why?"

Russell, who will continue to play in other leagues, will be part of KKR's support staff for the 2026 season.

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Australia's Tim David crashed a stunning 98 from 30 balls as UAE Bulls won their first Abu Dhabi T10 League title with an 80-run win over Aspin Stallions.

After being put in to bat, James Vince retired hurt early for Bulls, before Phil Salt (18) fell in the third over.

From there it was the David show. He had hit 57 off 18 balls earlier in the day to lead Bulls to the final, but this was even better.

He hit three fours and 12 sixes as he shared an unbroken 128-run stand with Rovman Powell (24* off 20) to power Bulls to 150-1.

Stallions, who were playing in the competition for the first time, never got going in reply and were 10-1 after two overs and already well behind the required run-rate.

They finished on 70-4 with Rahmanullah Gurbaz top-scoring with 18.

David finishes the tournament as the leading run-scorer (393), with England's Salt second on 256.

Australia's Andrew Tye was the leading wicket-taker with 13.

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Australia's Tim David powered an unbeaten 57 off 18 balls to take UAE Bulls into the Abu Dhabi T10 League final with a seven-wicket win over Quetta Qavalry.

Chasing 105, Bulls slipped to 8-2 after two overs and David initially played second fiddle in a stand 56 for the third wicket with James Vince (37 off 18).

Vince's wicket saw David take over and he hit 35 - including five sixes - from Khuzaima Tanveer's seventh over.

Bulls then completed the routine victory in the next over when David picked up three off Abdul Ghaffar.

Earlier, Qavalary, who won their first six matches and topped the group-stage table, recovered from 49-5 to post 104-8.

United States' Andries Gous made 25 and West Indies all-rounder gave them late momentum with an unbeaten 25.

Muhammad Rohid and Qais Ahmad were the pick of the bowlers with 3-12 and 3-21 respectively.

Bulls will meet Aspin Stallions in the final from 13:45 GMT.

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England's Tammy Beaumont made 64 to set up Adelaide Strikers' six-wicket win over Brisbane Heat in the Women's Big Bash League.

Chasing 150, Beaumont, who hit eight fours and three sixes in her 40-ball innings, shared 99 for the first wicket with Laura Wolvaardt (49 off 45) before she was dismissed in the 13th over.

Maddie Penna fell in the next over but Wolvaardt shared 32 with captain Tahlia McGrath to settle any nerves.

South Africa skipper Wolvaardt and Bridget Patterson were dismissed but McGrath (24 not out) saw Strikers over the line with two balls to spare.

They sit fifth, just outside the knockout spots on net run-rate, while Heat remain winless and are bottom of the table.

Sunday's other game saw Ellyse Perry strike an unbeaten 77 off 44 balls to give Sydney Sixers a six-wicket win over city rivals Thunder.

Chasing 175, Perry initially played second fiddle to England's Sophia Dunkley, who made 44 off 35 balls in an opening stand of 58.

It was the same in a partnership of 54 with Alyssa Healy (33 off 22) before Perry went through the gears.

She hit 34 off 16 balls in a stand of 41 with Ash Gardner (three off eight) and then calmly got Sixers over the line with five balls left once Gardner and Maitlan Brown were dismissed.

Thunder had earlier posted 174-6 with former England captain Heather Knight making 65 off 47 balls.

Sixers sit third in the table and know two wins in their final three games will see them progress. Thunder are seventh and need two wins and other results to go their way.

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Aspin Stallions booked their place in their first Abu Dhabi T10 League final with a seven-wicket win over Quetta Qavalry.

Qavalry, who qualified top of the group after wins in their first six matches, were asked to bat first and posted 102-6 with United States' Andries Gous making 26 and England's Liam Livingstone 25.

Stallions, who are playing in the tournament for the first time, slipped to 13-2 but a stunning innings from Sherfane Rutherford saw them over the line.

The West Indies batter crashed 66 not out off 22 balls, with six fours and six sixes, as Stallions booked their place in Sunday's final with seven balls to spare.

Qavalry will have a second chance to reach the final in Sunday's Qualifier 2 against UAE Bulls.

Bulls booked their place in that game with a comfortable 47-run win over Ajman Titans in the Eliminator.

After being put in, Bulls posted a joint tournament record high-score of 162-3 with England's Phil Salt top-scoring with 59 off 26 balls.

Australia's Tim David also crashed 40 off 13, while Rovman Powell finished unbeaten on 32 from 10 balls.

Titans openers Alex Hales (35 off 18) and Aneurin Donald (37 off 18) put on 68 for the first wicket but the former was dismissed by Junaid Siddique off the first ball of the sixth over, before he removed Rilee Rossouw first ball.

At this stage Titans were well behind the required run-rate and were unable to recover with former England all-rounder Moeen Ali out for eight.

Sunday's Abu Dhabi T10 League schedule

Qualifier 2: Quetta Qavalry v UAE Bulls (11:30 GMT)

Final: Apsin Stallions v winner of qualifier 2 (13:45 GMT)

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South Africa batter Faf du Plessis has opted not to enter the Indian Premier League auction for 2026 so he can "take on a new challenge" in the Pakistan Super League.

The 41-year-old has played in the past 12 IPLs, and only missed the 2013 edition since making his debut in the tournament in 2012.

The right-hander has scored 4,773 runs, at an average of 35.09, for four sides - Chennai Super Kings (2012, 2014-2015 and 2018-2021), Rising Pune Supergiant (2016-2017), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2022-2024) and Delhi Capitals (2025).

He has won the tournament twice with Chennai Super Kings and was man of the match for his 59-ball 86 in the 2021 final.

In a statement on Instagram, external, Du Plessis, who has played six games in the PSL previously, said: "It's a big decision, and one that comes with a lot of gratitude when I look back.

"This league [the IPL] has been a massive part of my journey. India has given me friendships, lessons and memories that have shaped me as a cricketer and as a person.

"This year I've chosen to take on a new challenge and will be playing in the upcoming PSL season.

"It's an exciting step for me - a chance to experience something new, to grow as a player and to embrace a league filled with incredible talent and energy.

"A new country. A new environment. A new challenge. I'm looking forward to the Pakistan hospitality. See you all soon."

The dates for both the 2026 IPL and PSL are yet to be announced, but the two tournaments are expected to overlap.

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England batter Jordan Cox has signed as a replacement player for the injured Saqib Mahmood at Pretoria Capitals in the SA20.

Capitals announced that Mahmood has been ruled out of the tournament, but did not specify what injury the 28-year-old had.

Cox, 25, will join up with Pretoria after representing Dubai Capitals in the International League T20, which runs until 4 January.

The right-hander has played six T20s for England, scoring 88 runs in four innings. His previous experience in the SA20 was with Sunrisers Eastern Cape, but he struggled and only scored 44 runs in seven innings.

The fourth edition of the SA20 runs from 26 December to 25 January.

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England batters Nat Sciver-Brunt and Danni Wyatt-Hodge hit half-centuries to help Hobart Hurricanes secure a seven-wicket win over Perth Scorchers and reclaim top spot in the Women's Big Bash League.

Chasing 187 for victory, Sciver-Brunt and Wyatt-Hodge combined for a superb partnership of 135 after the early dismissal of opener Lizelle Lee.

England captain Sciver-Brunt fell for 81 off 48 balls late on and Wyatt-Hodge was dismissed for 55 off 38 shortly after.

But Nicola Carey and Hurricanes captain Elyse Villani steered their side home with five balls to spare.

The Scorchers posted 186-5 at Ninja Stadium in Hobart, with Australia star Beth Mooney hitting 75 off 55, while England pair Freya Kemp (34 off 22) and Paige Scholfield (26 not out off 13) boosted the visitors' total.

But an excellent chase by the Hurricanes ensured they again top the eight-team league by one point over Melbourne Stars.

The Stars had overtaken Hobart earlier in the day following a comprehensive 45-run win over the Renegades in the Melbourne derby.

The Stars posted 160-5 thanks to former Australia captain Meg Lanning's unbeaten 73 off 58 and England wicketkeeper Amy Jones adding 43 off 33.

Defending champions the Renegades could not get going in the chase, collapsing to 115 all out in 16.3 overs, with leg-spinner Maisy Gibson taking 3-17.

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Vista Riders missed out on a place in the knock-out stages of the Abu Dhabi T10 after they lost by 19 runs to Deccan Gladiators in the final group game.

Namibia's David Wiese smashed 40 from 16 balls for Gladiators as they scored 134-6, while Riders' 66-run fourth wicket partnership between Ben McDermott (43*) and Dwaine Pretorius (38) was not enough in reply, as they finished on 115-4.

Had Riders won they would have overhauled UAE Bulls, who took the final qualifying spot with the best net run-rate of four teams who finished on six points.

They beat Ajman Titans, who also progress from third in the table, by three wickets in the day's opening fixture.

Bulls were 15-3 after eight balls, chasing 127, having lost England opener Phil Salt for four and Rovman Powell and Tom Moores for ducks.

However Australia batter Tim David hammered 40 from 12 balls, while the West Indian trio of Kieron Pollard (27*), Sunil Narine (26) and Romario Shepherd offered support to see the Bulls home with an over to spare.

Top triumphed over bottom in the second match of the day, with Royal Champs finishing their season with back-to-backs victories, beating Quetta Qavalry by 14 runs.

United States wicketkeeper Andries Gous cracked 62 from 33 balls for Qavalry, but it wasn't enough as they finished on 97-4, having seen Vishen Halambage (41 off 19) top-score for Champs in their 111-8.

Quetta, who suffered their first defeat of the season, had already secured a place in the knock-out stages alongside Aspin Stallions, who remain in second after Titans' defeat.

The tournament concludes with knock-out matches and a final on Saturday and Sunday.

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Sydney Thunder were agonisingly denied by the rain in their game against Adelaide Strikers in the Women's Big Bash League.

Thunder were chasing 46 in five overs to beat Strikers and were 43-0 when the rain returned 2.5 overs into their innings.

Phoebe Litchfield had smashed eight fours in an unbeaten 38 off 15 balls, while Georgia Voll was five not out.

Strikers' innings was delayed by rain, with the match shortened to five overs per side.

They posted 45-2 with Laura Wolvaardt making 22 off 13 balls and Tahlia McGrath 12 not out off six.

Both sides take a point but remain outside of the knockout places with Strikers sixth and Thunder seventh.

Friday's other game between Sydney Sixers and Brisbane Heat was washed out with a ball bowled.

Sixers are fifth, and Heat, who are yet to win, are bottom.

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