Page 1620 - Sports

Harmanpreet, Mandhana to lead teams for Women's T20 Challenge

Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana will lead the two teams that will play the Women's T20 Challenge game ahead of the Indian Premier League Qualifier 1 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the BCCI announced on Tuesday.

Keeper Neuer, uncapped striker Nils in Germany's provisional squad

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and uncapped striker Nils Petersen on Tuesday made it to Germany's 27-member provisional football squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, whereas attacking midfielder Mario Goetze and striker Sandro Wagner were excluded by head coach Joachim Löew.

MI has backed Kishan as he is talented, says Aditya Tare

Mumbai Indians reserve wicket-keeper Aditya Tare today had words of praise for young Jharkhand stumper Ishan Kishan saying the stumper has enormous talent and that's the reason why the IPL defending champions have backed him. "He is pretty young. 19-20 years old and the talent that he has is enormous. That's the reason Mumbai Indians have backed him as the first choice," said the Mumbai Ranji Trophy-winning captain ahead of MI's penultimate round robin game tomorrow against Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium here. "It is the start in his career, so it is a great opportunity for him playing for MI. A couple of games back he won a game for us, so it shows the amount of ability he has with the bat. This experience of playing all the games for a franchise like MI is going to help him going forward in his career," Tare told reporters. He also said that MI would be playing fearless cricket and the team knows that if they win their two games, they can still make it to ...

IPL: KKR ask Royals to bat first

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and elected to field against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a crunch Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Tuesday.

Hoffenheim sign attacking midfielder Bittencourt from Cologne

Hoffenheim have completed the transfer of attacking midfielder Leonardo Bittencourt from Cologne, the German football club announced.

England recall Buttler for first Pakistan Test

England recalled batsman Jos Buttler in a 12-man squad announced today for the first Test against Pakistan at Lord's on May 24. In the first England squad since former Test batsman Ed Smith took over as national selector, Somerset off-spinner Dom Bess was given a first call-up. But, after England's tour series losses in Australia and New Zealand, top-order batsman James Vince was dropped after a run of low scores at Test level despite the Hampshire batsman making an unbeaten 201 against Somerset on Monday. Buttler, widely regarded as one of the most talented English batsmen of his generation, last played Test cricket when he batted down the order. The 27-year-old has had a frustrating 18-match career in Test cricket, with his last appearance in the format against India at Chennai in December 2016. Having made an impact at international level as a wicket-keeper/batsman, Buttler has been selected for the first of a two-Test series against Pakistan purely as a batsman. Jonny Bairstow, ...

Smriti, Harmanpreet to lead teams in one-off Women's T20 before IPL Play-Offs

Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the two teams in the one-off Women's T20 Challenge on May 22 ahead of the IPL Qualifier 1 in Mumbai. The women's game has seen a wave of popularity in the country following the national team's run to the final of World Cup last year. With an eye on growing this wave, the BCCI is hosting the T20 Challenge to provide the women's game a platform alongside its most popular tournament. It is also a way to test waters for a women's IPL in near future. Rajeev Shukla, Chairman, IPL, said, Even as IPL continues to roll like a well-oiled machine, over the last couple of weeks, efforts were made to put in place a similar structure for women cricketers. "We were in talks with several Boards and I am pleased with the outcome. New Zealand skipper Suzie Bates, attacking batter Sophie Devine, who holds the record for fastest half-century in women's T20Is, Australia's all-rounder Ellyse Perry, wicket-keeper bat Alyssa Healy, Megan Schutt and Beth Mooney ..

Amittrajit set to become first Indian to compete in FIA European Rally Championship

Multiple National Racing and Rally Champion, Amittrajit Ghosh will become the first Indian to compete in the prestigious FIA European Rally Championship. Making the annoucement, Team RRPM today said their star driver will begin his campaign in Round 3 of the Championship, the EKO Acropolis Rally 2018, to be held around the city of Lamia in Greece from June 1 to 3. The Kolkata lad, who will have long time co-driver Ashwin Naik by his side, has decided to take part in a few carefully chosen rounds of the ERC to gain experience at this level of rallying. Speaking from London, Amittrajit, also a Team Mahindra Adventure driver in the MRF FMSCI INRC 2018, said, It is a proud moment for us to become the first Indian driver, co-driver and team to be competing in the ERC, second only to the World Rally Championship. He added, Our aim will be to gather valuable miles and experience through this year, in preparation for an all-out assault in the next. I want to thank RRPM for getting us here and

Shashank Manohar re-elected unopposed as ICC Chairman

International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Shashank Manohar has been re-elected for a second term, after he was the sole nominee put forward by the ICC Board.Manohar, who became the first independent ICC Chairman in 2016, will continue for a second two-year term following his unopposed election.During the last two years, Manohar has led significant reform of the sport, reversing the resolutions of 2014, introducing a revised governance structure, including the appointment of the ICC's first independent female Director and the development of international cricket structures that bring context to the global game and provide more opportunities for more Members to compete.Commenting on his re-appointment Manohar said, "It is an honour to be re-elected as the Chairman of the International Cricket Council and I would like to thank my fellow ICC Directors for their continued support. Together we have made big strides over the last two years, fulfilling promises I made to the sport when I ..

Women's T20 Challenge to be played in Mumbai on May 22

An Indian Premier League-(IPL) style women's T20 challenge match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium on May 22, ahead of the opening play-off game of the IPL.India internationals Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the two teams in a match that will showcase some of the most talented women cricketers.Leading stars from Australia, New Zealand and England will be in action as they join their Indian counterparts for this match.The women's game has seen a wave of popularity in the country following the national team's run to the final of World Cup last year.With an eye on growing this wave, the BCCI is hosting the T20 Challenge to provide the women's game a platform alongside its most popular tournament.Speaking about this T20 Challenge game, Rajeev Shukla, Chairman, IPL, said, "Even as IPL continues to roll like a well-oiled machine, over the last couple of weeks, efforts were made to put in place a similar structure for women cricketers. We were in talks with several ...

Bhutia backs France, Germany or Spain to lift World Cup

Former India football skipper Baichung Bhutia is backing reigning champions Germany and former champions France and Spain to lift the FIFA World Cup beginning on June 14 in Russia. But Belgium could be the dark horse, he thinks. "Surprise, for me, it could be Belgium. It is one thing that I feel they have the talent. Big names like France, Germany are the favourites to win it, but teams like Belgium (can spring a surprise)," Bhutia told reporters here today. The 'Sikkimese Sniper' was speaking after official broadcasters Sony Pictures Networks India launched a promotional campaign, "Meri Doosri Country", ahead of the mega event. Bhutia also said that hosts Russia could go past the Group stage while Spain are also capable of lifting the Cup. "They will go past the group stages - the Russians would do well. They have the players to take them to the pre-quarters. Spain is always a team that is a favourite to win, but again, the World Cup is a tournament where you can have a

Aizawl to play for pride and maiden win in AFC Cup

Already out of contention for a knock-out berth, Aizawl FC would play for pride and look to end their AFC Cup campaign on a high when their take on New Radiant SC of Maldives in their last group match here tomorrow. Without a win so far, Aizawl's performance in their maiden AFC Cup participation have been disappointing. They have lost four matches and drawn a match -- against Abahani Limited Dhaka 1-1 in the first leg -- and they are at the bottom of Group E with just one point. The Aizawl based side, playing their matches here as their home ground in Mizoram is not eligible to host AFC matches, have nothing at stake except hoping for their maiden win at the continental stage. Aizawl will still end at the bottom of the group even if they win tomorrow at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium. The match will, however, have an impact elsewhere and Aizawl can do a favour to their fellow Indian side Bengaluru FC -- who take on Abahani Limited in Dhaka tomorrow -- if they beat the Maldivian ..

Germany coach Joachim Low inks contract extension till 2022

Germany coach Joachim Low has signed a contract extension till 2022, the German Football Association announced on Tuesday.

Imam-ul-Haq keeps Ireland at bay

Pakistan debutant Imam-ul-Haq was doing his best to deny Ireland victory in their maiden Test as a dramatic match at Malahide headed towards a thrilling conclusion today. Pakistan collapsed to 14 for three in pursuit of a seemingly modest victory target of 160 on the fifth and final day in a match where they had made Ireland follow on. But at lunch Pakistan were 52 for three, still needing a further 108 runs to win, with left-handed opener Imam -- the nephew of selection chief and former Pakistan batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq -- 33 not out and Babar Azam nine not out. Just four balls into their chase, Pakistan saw experienced opener Azhar Ali edge Tim Murtagh to Paul Stirling at first slip. Haris Sohail (seven) fell next, well taken in the gully by Ed Joyce off towering fast bowler Boyd Rankin as Ireland's two former England internationals combined. The umpires checked for a no-ball but Rankin had bowled a legal delivery, albeit only just. And 13 for two became 14 for three in 4.3 overs when

Tough but not impossible to make round two of Asia Cup: Bhutia

Former India football skipper Bhaichung Bhutia reckons that it will be tough for India in the 2019 AFC Asia Cup, but not impossible for them to advance from Group A into the next stage of the competition. India are placed in Group A along with Bahrain, Thailand and hosts United Arab Emirates in the tournament slated to be held from January. "We are still happy and lucky with the group that we have got, because we have been able to reach in that ranking bracket to get that group. So, credit to the team that has gone on to reach that ranking to get that group," Bhutia told reporters here today. "We are lucky not to have got any super-powers of Asian football (in the group) that have gone to qualify for the World Cup like Korea, Iran, Iraq, Japan," said the 41-year-old Bhutia, who spoke after Sony Pictures Networks India launched their campaign 'Meri Doosri Country' for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Russia. Although it was still a difficult task, Bhutia felt it looked ...

BFC need win over Abahani, favour from Aizawl to advance in AFC Cup

Bengaluru FC will need to beat Abahani Limited Dhaka in their last group match of the AFC Cup here tomorrow and hope that Aizawl FC do a favour to them elsewhere in another encounter if they have to advance to the knock-out stage of the tournament. A win against Abahani Limited at the Bangabandhu National Stadium will not be enough for Bengaluru FC as a similar result for the Maldivian side New Radiant against Aizawl FC in Guwahati tomorrow will see the Male-based side through to the next round as Group E toppers. In that situation, both Bengaluru and New Radiant will be on same 15 points but the Maldivian side will progress further as they have a better goal difference in the head-to-head comparison between the two sides. Bengaluru had beaten New Radiant 1-0 at home while the Maldivian side emerged 2-0 victorious in the second leg, thereby giving them a better goal difference which will the deciding factor in such a situation under the tournament rules. Thus, Albert Roca's men will ..

IOA signs Li-Ning as apparel partner till Tokyo 2020

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Tuesday announced Asia's leading sports apparel brand Li-Ning as the Indian contingent's official sports apparel partner till the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

No Coentrao, Renato in Portugal squad

Fabio Coentrao and Renato Sanches were missing from Portugal's 35-strong pre-World Cup squad named today by coach Fernando Santos. The squad, which will be cut to 23 before the June 14-July 15 tournament in Russia, included Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo and other mainstays of the team that won Euro 2016, such as Pepe, William Carvalho, Joao Moutinho, Nani and Ricardo Quaresma. Sanches, who became the youngest player to lift the Euro title, has endured a disappointing season, the 20-year-old loaned to Swansea, who were relegated from the English Premier League, from Bayern Munich. Coentrao, one of the revelations of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and currently on loan at Sporting from Real Madrid, had ruled himself out of selection on Monday, saying he had had an "exhausting" season. Portugal will face Spain, Morocco and Iran in Group B, and will play warm-up matches against Tunisia, Belgium and Algeria. Portugal squad: Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes (Lyon/FRA), Beto Goztepe/TUR),

Nigeria unveils 30-man provisional list for FIFA World Cup

Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr has named the country's league leading top scorers Junior Lokosa and Simeon Nwankwo as the new faces in the 30-man provisional list for the FIFA World Cup.

Pro Kabaddi: Puneri Paltan sign new coach for Season 6

Puneri Paltan has roped in their new coach Ashan Kumar for the upcoming Season 6 of the Pro Kabaddi League.Ashan Kumar is an established Kabaddi player and a coach. His career as a player has also been a glorified one. Ashan Kumar was a former services Kabaddi coach and has worked closely with Nashik Army sports unit. He is also a Grade A diploma holder in Kabaddi coaching from National Institute of Sports.As a player, he had his stints with the national team representing India at international tournaments as a captain. He has captained the ever-solid Indian Kabaddi side to Gold during Beijing XIth Asian Games,2nd, 4th and 6th South Asian Games and Jaipur 2nd Asian Kabaddi Championship, to name a few tournaments.Ashan Kumar was the coach of the Haryana team in the 64thKabaddi Senior Nationals where Haryana reached the semi-finalsof the tournament. He was bestowed with the esteemed Arjuna Award in 1999 by the President of India, Bhim Award in1994 by Haryana Governor and Bharat Gaurav ..