Page 1786 - Sports
CWG: India blank Sri Lanka, Pakistan in badminton team event
Indian shuttlers were off to a flying start in the mixed team championship as they blanked both Sri Lanka and Pakistan with identical 5-0 margin in lop-sided preliminary clashes on the opening day of the Commonwealth Games here today. Spearheaded by Saina Nehwal and K Srikanth in singles, India expectedly dominated the tie as they dumped their Sri Lankan opponents 5-0. The only match where India were pushed to a degree was the mixed doubles. India later trounced Pakistan by a similar margin but world no 2 Srikanth was made to work hard by a hitherto-unknown Murad Ali in men's singles. Pranaav Chopra and Ruthvika Gadde earlier opened the proceedings against Sachin Dias and Thilini Pramodika and the Indian pair had to toil a little more than anticipated to prevail 21-15 19-21 22-20 in the mixed doubles match, which lasted nearly an hour. However, Srikanth brought the momentum back by dispatching Niluka Karunaratane in straight games. The men's singles top seed won 21-16 21-10. The men's
Star bags India's home series rights for nearly 1 billion dollar
Broadcasting giants Star India today bagged the media rights of Indian cricket team's bilateral home series as well as domestic cricket for a record Global Consolidated Rights (GCR) bid of Rs 6138.1 crore (USD 944 million approx) for a period of next five years, till 2023. With the India home cricket rights, Star now has a virtual monopoly in the cricket broadcasting world having bagged the IPL rights for a record Rs 16,347 crore (USD 2.55 billion) bid. They also own the rights for all ICC Tournaments (men's and women's 50-over World Cup, World T20). The GCR comprise TV broadcast rights as well as digital rights for the Indian sub continent as well as the Rest of the World (RoW). Star once again outbid Sony and Reliance Jio as BCCI laughed all the way to the bank, having clinched another billion dollar deal. The bidding went for three days with the first day ending at Rs 4442 crore while yesterday, it breached the Rs 6000 crore mark.
Ponting on ball tampering: Cultural thing is blown out of proportion
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting is not convinced with assertions that ball tampering and sledging are deep-rooted in his country's cricketing culture but is relieved that the embarrassing episode of South Africa is coming to a close with the disgraced trio deciding against challenging their bans. Steve Smith, Cameron Bancroft and David Warner have announced that they have accepted the sanctions imposed on them by Cricket Australia for their role in ball tampering during the South Africa series. Cricket Australia is reviewing whether issues like ball tampering and sledging have been part of country's cricketing culture but the straight-talking Ponting refused such perception. "Cultural issue is a really interesting thing for me. If we wind the clock a couple of months back, when Australia won the Ashes like they did, there was no talk about cultural problems or issues whatsoever," Ponting answered to a query from PTI. "But I think a lot of times, cultural things can be blown out
DTDC signs up as logistics partner of Delhi Daredevils in IPL
Logistics major DTDC Express today said it has joined hands with Delhi Daredevils as its official logistics partner for the upcoming eleventh season of IPL T20 cricket tournament. The DTDC logo will be present on the trouser of the team players throughout the tournament, it said in a statement. The latest edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is scheduled to begin on April 7 and continue till May 27, 2018. "We aim to reach out to a wider customer base and strengthen our connection with the loyal fans of the team from the capital and its surrounding regions," DTDC Executive Director Abhishek Chakraborty said. The team will will play its first match against Kings XI Punjab on April 8. The team is led by Gautam Gambhir and coached by Australian legend Ricky Ponting.
CWG: Boxer Manoj Kumar advances to Round of 16 in men's 69kg
Star boxer Manoj Kumar advanced to the round of 16 in men's boxing 69 kilogram category after convincingly thrashing Osita Umeh of Nigeria 5-0 by unanimous verdict at the Commonwealth Games here on Thursday.
CWG: Indian eves lose to Jamaica in basketball
Jamaica defeated Indian eves 66-57 in a preliminary round Pool B match of the Commonwealth Games here on Thursday.
Rohit, Mahela hail DRS, mid-season transfer window in IPL
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma and chief coach Mahela Jayawardene today hailed the introduction of the Decision Review System (DRS) and a mid-season football-style transfer window at this season of the IPL. A provision has been made for a short transfer window midway through the campaign for uncapped players and those who have played no more than two matches till the halfway stage of the tournament. "This is the evolution for the franchise model going forward. It's a great option. The opportunity is there and it's quite new to all franchises to go through the season half-way and discuss how best we can address that," said Jayawardene. "The mid-season transfer window will give the teams an opportunity to see what they need in the squad and other teams will also be looking at what players they can get. It completely depends on the franchise if a situation comes when we need to get a player or give a player. It is good for the tournament and will add even more value to the ...
CWG: Indian TT teams move into knockouts
India's men's and women's table tennis teams topped their respective groups to advance to the knockout stages at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Thursday.
We don't consider ourselves as favourites: Jayawardene
: Three-time winners and defending champions Mumbai Indians do not want to be tagged as favourites in the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League, insisted coach Mahela Jayawardene here today. "We are going to start from scratch. We are proud to be the defending champions, but we don't see ourselves as favourites. We see ourselves as equally good and striving to be better than the others. We will take it one game at a time," said the former Sri Lanka skipper at a press conference. "The combinations have changed after the (mega players') auction in all franchises. Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab - all these teams have gone in with new players which we have to be aware of, mindful of," pointed out the former Lanka batting stylist. MI are to open their campaign against arch-rivals and two time winners Chennai Super Kings - who are making a return to the tournament after serving a two-year suspension - at their home, Wankhede Stadium, here on April 7. Talking about ..
Shubman Gill inks bat deal with CEAT
Young batsman Shubman Gill, who was lauded for his consistent performance in the U-19 World Cup, signed a bat endorsement deal with CEAT today. With this bat endorsement Shubman joins the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishan Kishan and women cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur. He will now be seen playing with a bat prominently displaying CEAT insignia in all formats of the game. "I feel privileged to be part of the CEAT cricketing family, which is home to some of the finest names of Indian Cricket like Rohit Sir and Ajinkya Sir. I look forward to playing a long innings with CEAT!" Shubhman said in a release. Shubman was bestowed with the ICC World Cup player of the tournament award in the U-19 World Cup. Born in Fazilka, Punjab, Shubhman moved from his hometown to Mohali as a boy to work on his cricket. His remarkable performances since 2014 earned him awards such as the Best Junior Cricketer for consecutive years in 2013-14 and 2014-15 and Man of the series trophy for his performance
Samsung signs up as principal sponsor for Mumbai Indians
Electronics major Samsung India today said it has signed up as the Principal Sponsor of Mumbai Indians, the defending champions of the T20 cricket tournament Indian Premier League (IPL). The eleventh edition of the popular cricket series is scheduled to begin on April 7 and continue till May 27, 2018. "Following this tie-up, fans will be able to see their cricketing heroes such as Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard donning team jerseys with Samsung on the front," Samsung said in a statement. It, however, did not disclose the financial details of the partnership. "We are excited to be the principal sponsor of Mumbai Indians and are sure the coming together of two top brands will bring even more excitement to the IPL and to all cricket lovers around the world," Samsung India Chief Marketing Officer Ranjivjit Singh said. The branding of Samsung will also be seen on the perimeter boards and the player dugout. At the Wankhede Stadium, the home ground of Mumbai Indians, the ...
RED FM signed as principal IPL sponsor of SunRisers Hyderabad
Radio network 93.5 RED FM today announced its association with SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) team as principal sponsor for the 11th season of IPL. Announcing its association with the team for the sixth consecutive year, RED FM said the team will sport its branding on their jerseys. As a part of the tie up, RED FM, will do content for both radio and digital with the SRH team, among others. The 11th season of IPL will kick off from April 7. "We are the only media brand across the country to be on the jersey of any IPL team; infact we have the most premium jersey position," RED FM COO Nisha Narayanan said.
IOA congratulates medal winners, says tally will only go up
The Indian Olympic Association today expressed happiness at the strong performance of the country's contingent on the opening day of competitions in the Commonwealth Games and said that the medal count will only go up in the coming days. A record-smashing Mirabai Chanu and a perseverant P Gururaja claimed gold and silver respectively as weightlifters lived up to to the pre-event hype and delivered opening day medals for India. "I want to congratulate Mirabai Chanu and P Gururaja for giving India the medals on the opening day. I am sure the other athletes in the Indian contingent will do their best and win more medals in the coming days," IOA President Narinder Batra said. IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta said: "It is just the beginning in the Games and our athletes are doing very well. We won a gold and a silver today and the medal count will only go up from here." Indian contingent's Chef-de-Mission Vikram Sisodiya said a "good beginning has been made and the country's medal tally .
Indian Women's League, a platform for players to showcase talent
Indian women's football team head coach Maymol Rocky has revealed that she has been keeping a keen eye on the ongoing Indian Women's Football League for talent identification."There has been a huge change in the scenario of Women's football in the nation since the first edition of the IWL and the second edition is a testament of that," said Maymol. "More girls have come into the sport and more girls have taken up playing football from a young age. That means, there are more talented girls playing in the Women's League and much more talent to choose from.""One can see how talented the girls are. The wider the base of the player pyramid structure, the easier it is for a coach. The IWL will act as a pipeline for the Indian Women's National Teams and help churn out even much more talented players in the future," she stated.Maymol further noted that the IWL also provided a competitive atmosphere to posterity."A lot of young girls were lacking a competitive platform to play their trade on. .
Mirabai Chanu was going for gold from first lift: Karnam Malleswari
After weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu made India proud by handing the country its very first gold in the ongoing 2018 Commonwealth Games, former Olympic Bronze medalist Karnam Malleswari on Thursday heaped praise on her saying that weightlifter's each lift was perfect and that she was going for the gold from the very first attempt.Talking to ANI, Malleswari said that Chanu passed all her six lifts quiet confidently and that she handled the pressure quiet well."She was going for the gold from the very first lift. Her each lift was perfect. She handled it really well. She passed all the six lifts very confidently. I was watching her performance. Chanu is doing pretty well," the former weightlifter said.Following Chanu's spectacular display at Commonwealth Games, Malleswari believes that they could now expect a better performance from her in 2020 Tokyo Olympics."I was very upset with her performance in Rio Olympics. She could have done really well in Rio, but she washed out. However, .
Kings XI Punjab aim for change of fortune in IPL 2018 (Team Profile)
Even as the Kings XI Punjab prepare for the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) under new skipper Ravichandran Ashwin, they will hope for a turn around in their fortunes after failing to live up to expectations which they raised at the start of each of the past 10 seasons.
IPL-2018: Sans Smith, Rahane-led Royals aim to return with a bang (Team Profile)
Back after serving a two-year ban due to a spot-fixing scandal, inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Rajasthan Royals will definitely miss the star power of beleaguered former Australian captain Steve Smith but will look to Ajinkya Rahane for inspiration and hope their good-looking squad can deliver in the upcoming edition starting on Saturday.
PM congratulates Chanu, Gururaja for CWG medals
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today congratulated weightlifters Saikhom Mirabai Chanu and P Gururaja for winning India's first medals in the Commonwealth Games, saying India is delighted by the achievements. "Congratulations to Saikhom Mirabai Chanu for winning India's first gold at the #GC2018 games and breaking three CWG records. India is delighted by these achievements," he tweeted. In another tweet, he congratulated Gururaja for bagging India's first medal, a silver, in the Games. Mirabai Chanu (48kg) smashed snatch, clean and jerk and the overall Games records today to claim India's first gold of the ongoing edition, while P Gururaja (56kg) overcame a few nervy minutes to clinch a silver in the men's competition.
Lifting spirits: record-breaking Mirabai, Gururaja put India on medal
A record-smashing Mirabai Chanu and a perseverant P Gururaja claimed gold and silver respectively as weightlifters lived up to to the pre-event hype and delivered opening day medals for India in the 21st Commonwealth Games here today. Chanu smashed the Games records in 48kg category snatch, clean and jerk and overall en route her gold-medal winning performance, which fetched her a thunderous applause from Australian fans, who queued up to take her autograph after the medal ceremony. Chanu managed to 196kg (86kg+110kg) in a remarkable effort. "I was not expecting to break records but I certainly wanted to break them when I came here. I can't put in words, how it feels right now," an exhausted but jubilant Chanu told PTI. Earlier, Gururaja survived a few anxious moments after two failed attempts in clean and jerk to claim a silver medal. The 25-year-old son of a truck driver equalled his personal best of 249kg (111kg+138kg) to finish second in the event and ensure that India woke up ..
Warner too accepts punishment, says he won't challenge ban
Considered the 'plotter-in-chief' in the ball-tampering scandal, David Warner today said he has "fully accepted" the sanction imposed on him by Cricket Australia, ending speculations that he may challenge the punishment. Warner, captain Steve Smith and young Cameron Bancroft were handed bans up to one year by CA last week following the ball-tampering scandal during their disastrous South Africa tour, which ended in an embarrassing 1-3 series defeat. CA had charged Warner for developing the plot and announced the 31-year-old won't be considered for team leadership positions in the future. "I have today let Cricket Australia know that I fully accept the sanctions imposed on me. I am truly sorry for my actions and will now do everything I can to be a better person, teammate and role model," Warner tweeted. Earlier, facing the media for the first time since the ball tampering conspiracy Warner broke down in tears several times as he apologised for his actions and said he had resigned to .