When an administrative oversight by Gujarat Giants deprived Mahika Gaur a place in the first Women’s Premier League, it was a mixed blessing for the UAE teenager.
It meant the 16-year-old left-arm pacer would miss out on playing in the WPL, whose inaugural edition was completed last week when Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals in the final.
The female version of the Indian Premier League has already altered the landscape of the women’s game, and is likely to become the franchise event in which players most want to feature, much like the IPL in the men’s sphere.
Gaur was the subject of a bid by the Giants on auction day back in February, only for the team to be told they had exhausted their overseas player quota.
So no party for the towering seam bowler, but at least it meant she did not have to ask for any more time off school.
“When I found out I had been picked up for the auction I was really excited,” Gaur said. “I didn’t actually watch the auction as we had training that day, but I checked my phone after.
“My sister had sent a message saying, ‘You won’t understand, just watch the video.’ I watched the video and saw that a team had bid for me but they had already done their quota of international players.
“That was a bittersweet moment for me. It gave me great confidence to see a team had bid for me, so I didn’t take it in a negative way. Hopefully I can play in that at some point in the future.
“Everyone thought [the WPL] would be big, but not on the scale that it was. For sure, it is a goal of mine to play in that at some point in the future.”
For both male and female players in the UAE, the path to leading franchise competitions is becoming increasingly navigable.
The men’s players benefited from the advent of the DP World International League T20 this year, by which they can advertise their abilities to other franchise leagues around the world.
Similar can be said for the FairBreak Invitational for women. When Covid restrictions in Hong Kong meant the first season of that event was brought to the UAE last year, many locally-based players benefited.
Esha Oza, Kavisha Kumari, Chaya Mughal and Theertha Satish all played alongside some of the stars of the world game. Other UAE internationals, such as Gaur, Vaishnave Mahesh and Samaira Dharnidharka were recruited as reserves during the season, but did not play.
The second season of the tournament starts in Hong Kong next week, and Gaur has been drafted this time, with Oza, Kumari and Theertha again involved.
“I was happy for them but at the same time, I really wanted to be part of it,” Gaur said of missing out on playing last year.
“Seeing the exposure that they got, seeing them playing with such big names, that was really motivating for me to continue training as hard as I can.
“This year when I got the call up, obviously I was really happy. All of them said it was a great experience and they didn’t stop talking about it. I have heard lots of stories about what they learnt.”
Gaur was invited to tour Australia with a FairBreak squad during the winter, but had to turn down the opportunity. She had already missed a large chunk of the school term while playing for UAE at the Under 19 World Cup in South Africa.
The English-born bowler returned to the UK last year to attend boarding school on a sports scholarship, but her home remains Dubai.
Picking which cricket commitments to pursue among her academics is not an easy task, but she is glad of the chance to be heading to Hong Kong for FairBreak.
“The fact Associate players get so much exposure playing alongside players from Test-playing nations, it’s letting women who might not otherwise be recognised to be seen,” Gaur said.
“If you are from an Associate nation, bowling to players from Test-playing nations and getting them out, then with Women’s Premier League, the Hundred, and so many other franchise leagues, it will be great for people to spot potential talent.
“Last year, there were a lot of new people who hadn’t been heard about, and because of FairBreak, people got to see them.
“There are more franchise leagues, which is amazing, and more women’s matches are being telecast. Even the U19 World Cup.
"It was so well broadcast, and the ICC Instagram account was putting out so much stuff. It was great. It is really exciting for the future.”
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Racecard
6pm: Mina Hamriya – Handicap (TB) $75,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
6.35pm: Al Wasl Stakes – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.10pm: UAE Oaks – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,900m
7.45pm: Blue Point Sprint – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,000m
8.20pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (T) 2,810m
8.55pm: Mina Rashid – Handicap (TB) $80,000 (T) 1,600m
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan
Match info
Manchester United 1
Fred (18')
Wolves 1
Moutinho (53')
Racecard
%3Cp%3E6pm%3A%20The%20Madjani%20Stakes%20%E2%80%93%20Group%202%20(PA)%20Dh97%2C500%20(Dirt)%201%2C900m%3Cbr%3E6.35pm%3A%20Graduate%20Stakes%20%E2%80%93%20Conditions%20(TB)%20Dh100%2C000%20(D)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E7.10pm%3A%20Longines%20Dolcevita%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(TB)%20Dh82%2C500%20(D)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E7.45pm%3A%20Longines%20Legend%20Driver%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(TB)%20Dh82%2C500%20(D)%201%2C600m%3Cbr%3E8.20pm%3A%20Longines%20Master%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh105%2C000%20(D)%201%2C200m%3Cbr%3E8.55pm%3A%20Longines%20Record%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh87%2C500%20(D)%202%2C200m%3Cbr%3E9.30pm%3A%20Longines%20Spirit%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh87%2C500%20(D)%201%2C600m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now