The BCCI marketing committee headed by Union Minister Farooq Abdullah will meet here tomorrow to decide on the new title sponsors for the international matches in India after telecom major Airtel decided against renewing their contract.
     The BCCI will be inviting new tender bid documents from corporate houses who are willing to become series sponsor for India's home fixtures.
     Airtel had won the rights as series sponsors for all international and domestic matches played in India from September 1, 2010 to March 31, 2013 for a consideration of Rs 3.33 crore per match.
     As existing sponsors, BCCI gave Airtel three months' grace period to renew its contract. With the company opting not to renew its contract, a 23-member BCCI panel under chairmanship of Abdullah will now decide on the modalities of the tender invitation process.
     Airtel bid for series sponsorship after they lost out on the team's title sponsorship in July 2010. When the bid documents for the team's title ...

Marketing committee meet tomorrow for BCCI's new sponsor

PTI Automatic

The Indian Cricket Board's bid to change the existing rule of using two new white balls in One Day Internationals (ODIs) saw strong opposition from some of the other member Boards which led to ICC only agreeing to use one ball in a curtailed match.
     It is learnt that there was a voting amongst the representatives of the 10 Test playing nations at the ICC Chief Executives Meeting in Dubai and there were five countries that voted in favour of existing rule of the use of two new white balls from two ends.
     "There was a voting process and India along with Pakistan, Bangladesh voted against use of two new balls. Australia, New Zealand, England and Zimbabwe were among those in favour of using two new balls while West Indies and South Africa abstained from  voting. We have expressed our reservations about using of two new balls," BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel told PTI today.
     For any change in existing rule, the ICC constitution states that two third of the majority should vote in .

BCCI faces opposition on change of new ball rule at ICC Meet

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and elected to bowl in their Champions League Twenty20 Qualifiers against Faislabad Wolves here today.
     The Teams:
     Sunrisers Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan (capt), Parthiv Patel (wk), JP Duminy, Biplab Samantray, Darren Sammy, Thisara Perera, A Ashish Reddy, Karan Sharma, Amit Mishra, Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma.
     Faisalabad Wolves: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Ali Waqas, Ammar Mahmood, Asif Ali, Khurram Shehzad, Imran Khalid, Mohammad Salman (wk), Ehsan Adil, Saeed Ajmal, Asad Ali, Samiullah Khan.

Sunrisers elect to bowl against Wolves

Otago Volts enhanced their chances to qualify for the Champions League Twenty20 as Ryan ten Doeschate led the Kiwi side to a convincing six-wicket victory over Kandurata Maroons with his all round performance, here today.
     Doeschate (2/9) took two wickets when Volts restricted Maroons to 154 for nine and then smashed a stroke-filled 64-run knock to help his side overhaul the target with 12 balls to spare.
     The New Zealand side now has two victories from as many matches and they play their final match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday.
     After today's defeat, the doors have virtually been shut on the Maroons of advancing further in the League. They had lost their opening match to Hyderabad side yesterday.
     Maroons owed their total to splendid batting by Upul Tharanga, who scored a 56-ball 76. Other batsmen got start but could not convert those into big knocks.
     In Otago's chase, 33-year-old Dutch anchored his side's innings after they had lost top order batsmen ..

Doeschate seals 2nd successive win for Volts

Local lad Akshay Sharma fired a five-under-67 to emerge as the surprise leader in round two of the PGTI Players Championship at the Chandigarh Golf Club here today.
     Akshay thus moved into a two-stroke lead at his home course as his total score read eight-under-136. Kolkata's Rahil Gangjee occupied second place at six-under-138 after posting a 71.
     Akshay (69-67), who finished third at PGTI's Feeder Tour event last week, climbed from overnight tied fifth to the top of the leaderboard with his remarkable second round effort.
     He made an extraordinary recovery after finding the trees on the fifth. His second shot from 120 yards out stopped within a foot of the flag, leaving him an easy tap-in for birdie. The 23-year-old dropped a stroke on the seventh but was back in business with a flurry of birdies thereafter.
     Akshay's approach from 140 yards on the ninth left him with a three-foot birdie putt which he converted. The two-time runner-up on the Feeder Tour landed his ...

Local lad Akshay Sharma emerges surprise leader in round two

Amid speculation over Sachin Tendulkar's future, former India wicket-keeper Syed Kirmani today said that the senior batsman should be allowed to decide when to quit the game.
     "I don't know where all these reports crop up from. For God's sake, let Sachin Tendulkar decide on his retirement. Let him play the game as long as he enjoys it," Kirmani said while reacting to reports claiming that Tendulkar has been told to consider his career plans after his 200th Test.
      The 40-year-old champion batsman was reportedly told by chief selector Sandeep Patil that after the 200th Test, which would be completed during the two-match series against the West Indies in November, his place in the team would depend on the runs that he scores.
     However, Patil himself refuted it, saying that he had not met Tendulkar for 10 months, while the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) was also quick to deny such a development.
     Responding to former England opener Geoffrey Boycott's comments that ...

Kirmani says let Tendulkar decide on his future

The BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel today termed his meeting with Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO Haroon Lorgat as a "cordial one" but at the same time said that there were "no discussions" about India's tour to South Africa at the end of the year.
     "I had a very cordial meeting with Mr Lorgat (in Dubai). I assured him that BCCI still shares a very good and friendly relationship with Cricket South Africa as it has been the case for the past 22 years. But any discussion on the South Africa series will only happen after BCCI AGM on September 29," Patel told PTI today.
     Patel was categorical in pointing out that there was no discussion whatsoever on the length of the series.
     "Let me clarify, there was absolutely no discussion on India's tour to South Africa, so the duration and the number of matches do not arise. Any discussion in that regard will be taken by the president of the two boards (BCCI and CSA) when they meet post Chennai AGM," Patel added.

I had no discussions with Lorgat on SA tour: BCCI secy Patel

Trinidad & Tobago skipper Denesh Ramdin is in awe of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and called the Indian captain a "great leader".
     "He is one of the great leaders in terms of captain, batsman and keeper... A very difficult job," Ramdin, himself a wicketkeeper-captain of his team, said here today.
     "He has won the World Cup, Champions League and IPL. He is a great leader," Ramdin, whose team is here to play in the Champions League T20, said.
     He said it is a big tournament for players like Ravi Rampaul, Darren Bravo and himself.
     "We have come here and (will) give out a good show," he said, agreeing that the CLT20 meet would help them ahead of the West Indies tour of India.
     On his team's chances in the tournament, he said they have a good squad comprising spinners, seam bowlers and a good opening batting pair.
     Ramdin was optimistic that the glorious era of the West Indies cricket would return, and that playing with big teams like India and South Africa would ...

Dhoni is a great leader, says Ramdin

Chasing 155 to win, Otago Volts defeated Kandurata Maroons by six wickets in their Champions League Twenty20 Qualifying match, here today.
     Brief Scores:
     Kandurata Maroons: 154 for 9 in 20 overs. (Upul Tharanga 76; Ian Butler 3/21, R Ten Doeschate 2/9).
     Otago Volts: 157 for 4 in 18 overs. (Ryan ten Doeschate 64, James Neesham 32 not out; L Dilhata 3/20).

Volts beat Maroons by six wickets

Teams will be allowed two additional reviews after 80 overs of an innings in Test matches from October 1, the International Cricket Council announced today.
     The ICC said a team's referrals will be topped-up to two reviews after 80 overs in Test matches where the Decision Review System (DRS) is used. Currently, a team is allowed up to two unsuccessful reviews per innings.
     The decision to introduce the new trial was taken at the two-day ICC Chief Executives' Meeting which also decided to form a Working Group to review the objectivity of the DRS system.
      "A trial will be conducted whereby a team's referrals will be topped-up to two reviews after 80 overs of an innings. This trial will start from 1 October 2013 in all Test matches in which the DRS is used, with the results being monitored and considered by the Working Group," the ICC said in a release.
      With the DRS generating a lot of controversies in the recent Ashes series between Australia and England, the ICC has .

Teams to be allowed two additional reviews after 80 overs

Sportswear firm Nike, the official kit sponsor of the Indian cricket team, has launched new uniform for the India-Australia limited over series next month.
     Team India's kit is made for the first time with 100 per cent recycled polyester fabric that is lightweight, reinforced with increased stretchability and enhanced moisture-wicking capabilities. Improved ventilation zones provide additional comfort and cooling, Nike said in a statement issued here.
     "The jersey has a dynamic fit tailored to the athlete's body, a result of 3D body mapping of the world's top athletes and insights gleaned from collaboration with the Indian cricket team. Players expressed the desire for a jersey that moves with them and is comfortable enabling a complete focus on their game. The jersey is accented with a cutting edge graphic on the shoulders," it added.
     The Team India kit and off-pitch collection will be available starting September 20 through Nike stores.

Nike launches new limited overs uniform for Team India

Invited to bat, Kandurata Maroons scored 154 for nine against Otago Volts in their Champions League Twenty20 Qualifiers, here today.
     Brief Scores:
     Kandurata Maroons: 154 for 9 in 20 overs. (Upul Tharanga 76; Ian Butler 3/21, R Ten Doeschate 2/9).

Maroons set Volts 155 to win

His exploits in fifth edition of IPL helped Kolkata Knight Riders clinch the title and West Indies spinner Sunil Narine is hoping the experience of playing in the sub-continent will hold him in good stead when he represents Trinidad and Tobago in the Champions League T20.
     In his maiden IPL season in 2012, Narine took 24 wickets to sign off as the second best wicket-taker behind Morne Morkel of South Africa. He continued his good run to scalp 22 wickets this season.
     "Having played in India and learning a lot with Kolkata (Knight Riders), I think I can use the Indian conditions to my best ability," Narine was quoted as saying in media reports here.
     "Playing in the IPL is a plus I have and having won the T20 (World Cup) crown with the West Indies last year, I think I'm equipped for this challenge."
     T&T's Red Force will play one warm-up game against Perth Scorchers before opening their campaign on Sunday against the Brisbane Heat in Ranchi, which was Kolkata's ...

Narine banking on IPL experience for CLT20 performance

Indian Grandmaster S P Sethuraman crashed through the defenses of Russian Andrey Stukopin to score an impressive win and join Yu Yangyi of China in lead on 4.5 points after the end of the fifth round of World Junior Chess Championship here.
     Playing the black side of a Sicilian Najdorf, Sethuraman capitalized on his chances in the middle game and launched a direct attack on the king that resulted in his winning a piece for a couple of pawns. Stukopin hung in there trying to find some counter play but the Indian came up with a startling manoeuvre to force checkmate after a knight sacrifice.
     It turned out to be a good day for Indian boys as GM Sahaj Grover outplayed Muhammad Luthfi Ali of Indonesia to jump to joint third spot on four points.
     Grover was at his technical best in another Sicilian Najdorf of the day and got a passed pawn on the queenside with some precise calculation. Ali was at sea in figuring out the best defense with his clock ticking away and Grover's ...

Sethuraman jumps to joint lead after impressive show

India were today handed an easy draw for next year's Davis Cup campaign in the Asia/Oceania Group I as they were pitted against Chinese Taipei in their first round tie, here.
     It will be a home tie for India as they had played Taipei in Kaohsiung in 2009, eking out a 3-2 win over the hosts when the two teams played for the first time against each other.
     Uzbekistan and Korea are the seeded teams this year and they have got a bye in their first rounds.
     India are in the bottom half of the draw and if they win against Taipei in the first round, slated for January 31 to February 1, they will travel to Korea for the second-round tie.
     AITA President Anil Khanna said they will decide on the venue shortly.
     "It is a good draw for us. We will discuss the venue and announce that shortly," Khanna told PTI.
     After a players' revolt early this year, AITA had agreed to consult players before deciding on the venue and surface for the Davis Cup home ties.
     AITA is also ..

India to host Taipei in Davis Cup first round

Five-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has been asked by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association to prove his claim that Stephen Lee may not be the only top-level cueist to be involved in match-fixing, or face possible sanction over his response.
     Former world number five Lee was yesterday found guilty of fixing seven snooker matches in 2008 and 2009 by the disciplinary committee of the WPBSA.
     England's Lee faces a lifetime ban after the verdict was confirmed by Nigel Mawer, the chairman of the disciplinary committee. The sanction will be announced at a separate hearing on September 24.
     Following comments made by O'Sullivan on Twitter, World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn today said, "We take these type of allegations very seriously. We have written to Ronnie asking him to explain his comments and to provide details of any match fixing and the names of the players that he is referring to.
     "Clearly, to make these type of allegations without ...

O'Sullivan asked to explain on match-fixing following Lee ban

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today announced to double the prize money of the medal winners at World Cups and World championships besides raising rewards for those who get Bhim and Arjuna Awards.
     Hooda said that Bhim awardees would now get award money of Rs five lakh instead of Rs two lakh.
     Similarly, Arjuna awardees belonging to the state would be given cash prize of Rs five lakh as against Rs two lakh earlier.
     Bhim award was given by the state government in recognition of outstanding performance by state players whereas Arjuna awards were conferred by the central government.
     The chief minister said that prize money for those winning gold, silver and bronze medals in World Cup or World championships for both general and para athletes would be awarded with Rs 10 lakh, Rs 8 lakh and Rs 6 lakh respectively as against Rs 5 lakh, Rs 4 lakh and Rs 3 lakh until now.
     While congratulating the budding wrestlers Amit Kumar and Bajrang who bagged silver ..

Haryana doubles prize money for worlds medallist

Otago Volts skipper Brendon McCullum won the toss and elected to bowl against Kandurata Maroons in the Champions League Twenty20 Qualifiers, here today.
     The Kiwis have brought in Ryan ten Doeschate while the Lankans included spinner Suraj Randiv in their playing XI.
     Teams:
	Kandurata Maroons: Lahiru Thirimanne (C), Shehan Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara,  Chamara Silva, Thilina Kandamby, KS Lokuarachchi, L Dilhara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suraj Randiv and Ajantha Mendis.
     Otago Volts: Brendon McCullum, HD Rutherford, Neil Broom, James Neesham, Ryan ten Doeschate, Nathan McCullum, Derek de Boorder, Ian Butler, Neil Wagner, Nick Beard and James McMillan.

McCullum invites Maroons to bat

Just two matches shy of playing his 200th Test, Sachin Tendulkar's future today became a subject of intense speculation after a media report claimed that he has been told to consider his career plans after the milestone game, forcing the BCCI to issue a denial.
     The 40-year-old champion batsman was reportedly told by chief selector Sandeep Patil that after the 200th Test, which would be completed during the two-match series against the West Indies in November, his place in the team would depend on the runs that he scores.
     However, Patil himself refuted it, saying that he had not met Tendulkar for 10 months, while the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) was also quick to deny such a development.
     "There is no truth in the report. We have spoken to both Tendulkar and Patil, no such conversation ever took place. It is for the player to take a call on retirement, and the BCCI has always followed this policy", senior Board official Rajeev Shukla told PTI.
     "It's always a pleasure .

Tendulkar's future focus of speculation ahead of 200th Test

A 23-year-old Dutch cyclist has pedalled his way to a world record, hitting more than 133.78kph as he sped through a US desert, to become the planet's fastest cyclist.
	Sebastiaan Bowier reached a rip-roaring 133.78 kph in the high-tech recumbent bike developed by students from Delft University of Technology and VU University Amsterdam.
	This set a new world record, making him the world's fastest cyclist travelling 0.6 kph faster than the previous record holder, Canadian Sam Wittingham.
	"We knew that both the technical and human aspects were right today: it is highly gratifying that the potential for success ultimately became reality, even though we faced a pretty strong strong headwind," team leader Wouter Lion said in a statement.
	In addition to Sebastiaan's record-breaking speed, another cyclist in the Delft/Amsterdam team, Wil Baselmans secured third place in the world record ranking with a speed of 127.43 kph, just behind Bowier and Wittingham.
	The speeds were achieved on a ...

Dutch cyclist breaks world land speed record

Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath might have been named in the Kandurata Maroons team for the Champions League Twenty20 but he is yet to get clearance to play in the tournament, the Sri Lanka Cricket said today.
     CL technical committee is yet to take a call on Herath's participation as his entry could be tantamount to flouting of the rules of player participation.
     Herath was rested by the SLC during the Super 4 domestic T20 competition despite he was billed to play for North Yellows, one of the four teams.
     "We are awaiting CL approval for Herath," SLC CEO Ashley de Silva said.
     Herath is currently in India with the Maroons team after he was named as replacement for injured fast bowler Dhammika Prasad overlooking the reserves of the Maroons.
     The SLC was keen to include its top spinner in the Maroons squad to bolster their chances in the CLT20 after the Sri Lankan representative teams in the previous editions had been knocked out in the preliminary rounds, sources ..

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