Page 1710 - Sports
Pro Star League's national-level mentorship camp begins today
Pro Star League, an under-16 cricket tournament which aims to identify and nurture talent at the grassroots, begin its hunt today for the best upcoming cricketers in India through a national-level mentorship camp. The camp, which will go on till the first week of May, is supported by School Games Federation of India (SGFI) and in partnership with the VVS Sports Academy, Sourav Ganguly Foundation and Yuvraj Singh Center of Excellence, and Zaheer Khan. Twenty-Six teams from the four zones north, south, east, west, qualified for the mentorship phase. The city phase level of the league was simultaneously contested in 10 cities (Mumbai, Jaipur, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Bengaluru) where over 900 schools battled for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be mentored by the legends. The mentors will select the top 8 teams, who will compete for the Pro Star League title, by heading into the national rounds. Top talent from the camp will also be scouted .
Warne lambasts Cricket Australia's 'ridiculous' BBL greed
Former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne has lashed out at Cricket Australia's (CA) decision to extend the next summer's Big Bash League (BBL), saying that greed is the main reason behind the board's move.Next season, the BBL will see an increase in fixture from 35 to 43 games in mid of February, with the games also to be played at four new venues.The expanded format, where each of the eight franchises will lock horns with each other twice in the competition, is expected to offer more value to broadcasters.Taking to his Twitter account, Warner said that a rush for cash is the main reason behind the increase in the number of BBL games, including finals, as Cricket Australia has clinched a new overall $1.2 billion broadcast rights deal."Australian Cricket should be an equal partnership between the players & the board, then everyone would be on the same page, sure they won't always agree - but if both parties attitude is what's best for Australian Cricket & not themselves, then .
Krishiv Tekchandani wins Maharashtra Jr Boys Golf Championship
City-based young golfer Krishiv Tekchandani has won the IGU YES Bank Maharashtra Junior Boys Golf Championship held at Pune. The 16-year-old golfer won in the play-off on the third hole after first square and second square. The championship, held at Oxford Golf Club, witnessed a close fight from the ninth hole onwards, a release said. The championship was organised by the India Golf Union from April 16 to 20, it said.
Lynn powers KKR to 191/7 vs KXIP
Opener Chris Lynn smashed 74 off 41 balls as Kolkata Knight Riders scored 191 for 7 against Kings XI Punjab in an IPL encounter, here today. Apart from Lynn, skipper Dinesh Karthik contributed a quickfire 43 off 28 balls and his deputy Robin Uthappa scored 34 off 23 balls. Aussie Lynn hit six boundaries and four sixes in his innings. For KXIP, Andrew Tye 2 for 30 was the most successful bowler. Barinder Sran also picked up two wickets but went for 50 runs. Brief Scores: KKR 191/7 in 20 overs (Chris Lynn 74 off 41 balls, Dinesh Karthik 43 off 28 balls, Robin Uthappa 34 off 23 balls, Andrew Tye 2/30, Barinder Sran 2/50) vs KXIP.
Fletcher should get credit for Indian cricket's smooth transition: Kirsten
Handling a transition phase for any successful unit is a challenge in itself and that's why the Indian cricket team's most successful former head coach, Gary Kirsten, feels that Duncan Fletcher played a "huge role" during his four-year tenure, which has now become a footnote. Fletcher took over from Kirsten after India's 2011 World Cup triumph and in the next four years saw doyens of Indian cricket such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan walk into the sunset. "I think Duncan Fletcher and MS Dhoni played a huge role in creating an environment for young players to thrive. This has really helped younger players to deal with the trials and tribulations of international competition," Kirsten told PTI during an interaction. Statistics are normally the yardstick to judge on-field or coaching performances and Kirsten feels often a lot of intangibles are not taken into account. "Not every environment is suited to one's coaching style and philosophy. .
Europa League trophy stolen and recovered in Mexico
The Europa League trophy was stolen after being displayed at a publicity event in Mexico, only to be recovered a few hours later, authorities in the state of Guanajuato said today. The trophy had been on display at the football stadium in the city of Leon on Friday night, only to be taken from a car after the event. "We recovered the Cup after receiving information that it had been stolen from the car transporting it," said a post on the Twitter account of the Guanajuato public prosecutor, alongside a picture of the trophy in a case. No other information was given about who took the trophy, where it was found or whether any perpetrators had been identified. The event had been organised by one of European football governing body UEFA's sponsors.
Rahil Gangjee is Tied-2nd; Ajeetesh Tied-7th in Japan
Indian golfer Rahil Gangjee shot three-under 69 to lie tied second after the third round of the Panasonic Open Golf Championship here today. Gangjee, who is trying to win his second Asian Tour win, 14 years after his first in 2004 in China, was one behind Korea's Hyungsung Kim, who birdied the 18th and final hole to go to the top of the leaderboard. Kim's three-day total of 12-under-par 201 gave him a slender shot lead over Gangjee, at the Ibaraki Country Club at the USD 1.37 million event co-sanctioned by Asian and Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO). Among other Indians in fray, Arjun Atwal had a superb round with four birdies, an eagle and a double bogey in his five-under 66. Along with 73-69 on first two days, he is now six-under and Tied-14th. SSP Chawrasia also had a fine third round of 67 and he is now five-under and Tied-21st and Shiv Kapur (68), who won the Panasonic Open event in Delhi, is T-34. Gangjee, who has been winless on the Asian Tour since 2004, fired his first ...
Aditi Ashok Tied-16th at Los Angeles Open
Aditi Ashok, who had a brilliant first round with a three-under 68 that included 14 out of 14 fairways, slipped in the second with a card of 73, placing her at tied 16 after 36 holes in the HUGEL-JTBC Los Angeles Open. Aditi, who has been having a modest season with four cuts in six starts and a best of T-14 at the Kia Classic, has been hitting very well and finding the fairways well. Aditi had three birdies, but she gave away far too many bogeys - five in all - and ended at 2-over 73. Moriya Jutanugarn (68-66) at 8-under and Marina Alex (67-68) at 7-under occupy the first two places. They will be chasing a first win on the LPGA Tour. Interestingly, they will be chased by three major champions in So Yeon Ryu (71-65), Inbee Park (66-71) and Eun-Hee Ji (68-69).
Solid Lahiri makes amends at Texas Open but Shubhankar misses cut
India's Anirban Lahiri played a solid four-under 68 that propelled him from way behind on the leading board to tied 46th, helping him make the cut comfortably at the Valero Texas Open. Lahiri, who missed a huge number of short putts in windy conditions in the first round, had six birdies against two bogeys as he hauled himself from four-over 76 to even par 144 after 36 holes at the TPC San Antonio AT&T Oaks Course. However, Shubhankar Sharma, despite a much-improved card of 73 in the second round ended five-over 149 and missed the cut. It was his third missed cut on the PGA Tour, following such results in Houston Open and the Masters. He was T-9 at the WGC-Mexico. The weather was mostly cloudy and the wind went up to as much as 25 mph. A total of 80 players at 1-over 145 from a field of 156 professionals made the cut. Zach Johnson, who made a massive turnaround after being three-over through 12 in the first round, added a 7-under 65 to his first round 2-under 70 and at 9-under he
IPL: Punjab elect to field against KKR
Kings XI Punjab skipper R Ashwin won the toss and decided to field against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) clash here at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.
Leg-spinners have stolen thunder in IPL: Kapil Dev
Wrist spinners have become the toast of the Indian Premier League (IPL) so much so that a successful off-spinner like Ravichandran Ashwin, too, has been keen to try bowling leg breaks, feels cricket legend Kapil Dev. "Everybody has a different bowling attack, depending on which pitch they are playing. But what we have come to know from the first or second IPL (till) now, is that the most successful bowler to come out is the leg-spinner," Kapil Dev told PTI here. The 1983 World Cup-winning captain spoke on the sidelines of a live cricket comedy show, which is co-produced by Greymatter Entertainment. "Every team has their leg-spinner. Even a bowler like (Ravichandran) Ashwin, he likes to bowl more leg spin than off spin. That shows the leg-spinners are more successful than anybody else," Kapil said to buttress his point. Ashwin is leading Kings XI Punjab this IPL season, after having turned out for Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiants in past editions. In the ..
Espanyol sack coach Flores
La Liga football club Espanyol has sacked coach Quique Sanchez Flores and sporting director Jordi Lardin.
Telangana CM felicitates CWG medal winners Nehwal, Sindhu among others
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Saturday felicitated 2018 Commonwealth Games medallists Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu among others here at Pragathi Bhavan on Saturday.On the last day of the Games, ace Indian shuttler Nehwal defeated her compatriot Sindhu by straight games 21-18, 23-21 in a high-octane clash to grab gold medal in the all-Indian finals to clinch gold in the badminton competition.As a result, Sindhu had to settle with a silver medal.It should be noted that Nehwal had also guided the star-studded Indian badminton team to their maiden gold in the mixed-team event of the prestigious multi-sport Games.Along with Saina and Sindhu, the Chief Minister also met and greeted 16 other Indian winners who participated in the recently-concluded quadrennial games at Gold Coast, Australia.These athletes belong to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Karnataka.Rao not only felicitated each and every participant with a bouquet and shawl but also complimented ...
2% quota for sportspersons in govt. jobs in Telangana
In a major boost to sports infrastructure in Telangana, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Saturday announced 2 percent reservation in state government jobs for sportspersons.The announcement came after the Chief Minister met a team of 18 members who participated in the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games 2018 at Gold Coast Australia at Pragathi Bhavan earlier today.These athletes belong to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Karnataka.Rao not only felicitated each and every participant with a bouquet and shawl but also complimented them for their achievements in the Commonwealth Games and bringing laurels to the country.The athletes who met the Chief Minister include Saina Nehwal (Badminton), PV Sindhu (Badminton), Srikanth Kidambi (Badminton), Rankireddy Satwik Sairaj (Badminton), N Sikkireddy (Badminton), G Ruthvika Shivani (Badminton), Hasamuddin Mohammed (Boxing), Aruna Budda Reddy (Gymnastics), Meghana Gundlapally (Gymnastics), Kynan Darius Cheni (Shooting),
IPL: Confident Chennai up against Hyderabad (Preview)
Fresh from a thumping win over Rajasthan Royals (RR), a confident Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 20th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Sunday.
Hockey India names 61 players for senior women national camp
Hockey India on today named 61 players for the senior women national coaching camp that commences tomorrow at the Sports Authority of India, Bengaluru. The 61-member group, which features all the 18 players of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games squad, was picked on the basis their recent performances in tournaments that include the Hockey India Senior Women National Championship. This group will be further pruned down to 48 players on May 2. Under chief coach Harendra Singh, the Indian team finished fourth in the Commonwealth Games after losing to Australia in the semifinals and to England in the bronze medal match. "I have stated earlier too that we are disappointed as we did not finish on the podium but there are a lot of positives which we can take from the CWG performance barring the game against England in the bronze medal match," said Harendra. He added that the team will go back to the drawing board to make a comprehensive plan based on the CWG outing for the future ...
Sunrisers seek to bounce back in clash against CSK
Their unbeaten run in the tournament snapped by the 'Gayle Storm', Sunrisers Hyderabad would look to bounce back when they take on Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here tomorrow. Both the Sunrisers and the Super Kings have six points each from four matches, having lost just one game so far, and a win by either side at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Uppal will take them to the top of the table. The Sunrisers began their IPL campaign with three wins on the trot before they were stopped on their tracks by West Indian swashbuckler Chris Gayle, who played a special innings of 104 not out off 64 balls at Mohali on Thursday. The Kane Willamson-led side will have to forget the battering of his bowlers by Gayle and quickly regroup against the Super Kings who, despite having to shift their home venue to Pune due to the Cauvery water dispute, have been doing very well. After winning their first two matches, the Super Kings slumped to a defeat against Kings ..
MI look to continue momentum against Rajasthan Royals
Having finally found the winning touch, Mumbai Indians will look to continue in similar vein when they lock horns with beleaguered hosts Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League (IPL) game here tomorrow. Two-time champions Mumbai Indians were off to a horrible start this season, suffering three successive reverses, before skipper Rohit Sharma came to the team's rescue with a blazing 94 against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The 46-run drubbing of RCB has raised the morale of the players, and Mumbai Indians are seeking a similar outing against Rajasthan Royals, at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium tomorrow. Sharma was the reason behind the team breaking the run of losses and he is again going to be a key man for Mumbai Indians. West Indian Evin Lewis played his part with the bat, scoring 65, and then there are the likes of Kieron Pollard and the Pandya brothers - Hardik and Krunal. That Pollard has recovered from an injury is definitely good news for MI. Another positive development is ...
Chongqing's top sponsor 'positive' of signing Iniesta
The top sponsor of Chinese club Chongqing Dangdai Lifan has said he is "positive" of signing Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta for next season. The 33-year-old Spain midfielder would be a major coup for the little-known Chinese Super League side and the latest in an influx of top-tier foreigners following record-shattering signings in recent years. I am "positive on introducing Iniesta," Gong Daxing, chairman of the club's title sponsor SWM, told the state-run Xinhua news agency. "Iniesta's arrival would be beneficial for Chongqing and a great bonus for our brand," Gong said. The club has yet to comment on the report. Iniesta was earlier linked with Tianjin Quanjian, although the Chinese Super League club declared the rumours "false" last month and threatened legal action. The Spanish midfielder came up through the youth system at Barca and has made over 400 appearances for the club. He was one of the stars of the Spanish team that won the 2010 World Cup, scoring the winning goal in ...
Nadal hails performance after win over Thiem
Spanish star Rafael Nadal said after his 6-0, 6-2 victory over Dominic Thiem in the Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-finals that he had been sharp in every aspect of the game.