Page 347 - Sports

Ashwin fined for slow over-rate against Delhi Capitals

Kings XI Punjab captain R. Ashwin was fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during their five-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Saturday.

We need to catch momentum now: Ashwin

After succumbing to a five-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals on Saturday, Kings XI Punjab captain R. Ashwin said his team needs to catch momentum and come back on the winning track in the remaining games of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

Dhawan's fearless cricket helping us: Shreyas Iyer

After securing a much-needed win against Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals skipper Shreyas Iyer heaped praise on Shikhar Dhawan, saying that the "fearless cricket" played by the senior batsman is helping the team in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Destiny is in our own hands, says KXIP coach Hesson

The loss to Delhi Capitals notwithstanding, Kings XI Punjab coach Mike Hesson reckons that "destiny is in our own hands" as far as making the IPL playoffs is concerned. The visiting Kings XI Punjab suffered a five-wicket defeat at the hands of Delhi Capitals in the return leg match. The mid-table team now has five wins and as many reverses from 10 outings in the ongoing 12th edition of the league. "We played good cricket and there was probably only one game, in which we were a bit disappointing, and that was against RCB when we were below our own standards, but outside of that we have actually played very well, I think," Hesson said at the post-match press conference on Saturday night. The former New Zealand coach added, "The destiny is in our own hands and, when we come to the back end of the tournament, that's what you want. "And you know that if you play well you give yourself good chance of winning. We gave ourselves a decent chance tonight. And I am very proud in terms of the way

I have to prove myself every time I get a chance: Lamichhane

Opportunities in the IPL have been few and far between for Sandeep Lamichhane and Nepal's teenage spinner says he has to "prove" himself every time he gets a chance. His three wickets, including that of Chris Gayle, played an influential role in Delhi Capitals' five-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab, which broke their jinx at home here on Saturday night. "I have always wanted to do my job. I have to prove myself every time I get my chance," the 18-year-old leg-spinner said at the post-match press conference. This was Delhi's second win in five outings here, with one coming in the Super Over, and sixth overall. Considering the talent and the results, he may not have played as many matches as he would have loved to, but Lamichhane has no complaints. "Sometimes it feels disappointing (being not picked in the playing XI), but at the end of the day, you need good reserves and I think they have got much more knowledge on cricket. "They have plans in their minds and that's why they chose ..

Vikas, Neeraj notch up wins in pro circuit fights

Vikas Krishan remained unbeaten, while his close friend Neeraj Goyat also notched up a victory, rounding off a fine outing for Indian boxers in the professional circuit. Vikas, a Commonwealth and Asian Games gold-medallist in his amateur days, claimed a unanimous verdict against American Noah Kidd in a six-round super welterweight bout at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York. In Toronto, WBC Asia welterweight title-holder Neeraj also defeated Mexico's Carlos Lopez Marmolejo via a unanimous decision in a six-round contest at the Danforth Music Hall. Vikas has been training in Newark, New Jersey under veteran boxing coach Wali Moses, who is also the grandfather of 2016 Olympic silver-medallist Shakur Stevenson. He is also a former World Championships bronze-medallist. Both the boxers have trained together in the past and are close to each other in the circuit. While Vikas is signed up with the legendary Bob Arum's Top Rank Promotions, Neeraj is handled by Lee Baxter ...

Barca on cusp of La Liga triumph after win over Real Sociedad

Barcelona are closing in on their eighth La Liga title in 11 years after Clement Lenglet and Jordi Alba both scored in a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday. Victory means Barca only have to beat Alaves on Tuesday and then Levante next Saturday to be crowned champions at Camp Nou, while three points against Alaves will be enough on its own if Atletico Madrid then lose to Valencia on Wednesday. Whether in three days or seven, it is now surely only a matter of when rather than if Ernesto Valverde's side successfully defend their trophy, despite Atletico keeping the gap to nine points after they edged past Eibar earlier on Saturday. "We have to get it out of our heads that we are nine points clear," Valverde said. "We now have three days until we play again and it will be difficult." Wrapping it up early though would allow Barcelona the luxury of focusing completely on the Champions League, which could give them an advantage over their semi-final opponents Liverpool, who seem to be ...

Kante warns Chelsea to curb their second half slumps

N'Golo Kante has warned Chelsea to cut out their sloppy second halfs as the Blues look to boost their bid to finish in the Premier League's top four against Burnley on Monday. Maurizio Sarri's side advanced to the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday with a 4-3 win over Slavia Prague. But what should have been a stroll into the last four after the hosts raced into a 4-1 half-time lead ended up as a tense finish when Chelsea let Slavia score twice early in the second half. It is not the first time Chelsea have shown a lack of concentration after the interval this term, with Liverpool scoring twice in the second half to beat them 2-0 just days earlier. Everton did exactly the same in another Chelsea defeat in March and France midfielder Kante admits his team can't afford to continue that alarming trend if they are to qualify for next season's Champions League via a top four finish. Fifth-placed Chelsea are behind fourth placed Arsenal on goal difference, leaving the west Londoners with

If not for football, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp prefers staying home

Jurgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool on Saturday (local time) said that he prefers to stay indoors as the club closes in on a potential Premier League title win.Klopp-managed-Liverpool are currently placed on the second position and they are a point behind the defending champions Manchester City."I don't go out -- apart from football. Why should I? I have enough pairs of jeans to last me for the next 20 years, so I'm alright. I don't go to the shops. I don't do any of that. I can imagine the mood in the city is pretty good but I don't need to hear it, I don't need to see it," goal.com quoted Klopp as saying."But it's football, and for most of my life I have been a pure football supporter, so if my team was doing this I know what I would have been like. My favourite thing would have been a situation like we have now, where it is buzzing. I can imagine people want to go out and celebrate, talk about it, but we are not part of that. We have to make sure it stays like this - and that's .

Ravichandran Ashwin fined for slow over rate

Kings XI Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin has been fined for slow over-rate in the team's Saturday match against Delhi Capitals in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).Ashwin has been fined Rs 12 lakh as it was his team's first offence of the season under the IPL's code of conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences.Kings XI Punjab lost their fifth match of the season as they suffered a five-wicket defeat against Delhi Capitals at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi.Punjab posted a target of 164 runs, owing to Chris Gayle's knock of 69 runs off just 37 deliveries. But Delhi had no problem in chasing down the total as both Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer scored half-centuries to guide the team over the line.Kings XI Punjab, however, continue to remain in fourth place in the league standings.The team will next face Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 24 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Fognini upsets Nadal in Monte-Carlo semis

Italy's Fabio Fognini has pulled off a big upset here, ending Rafa Nadal's bid for a record-extending 12th Monte Carlo title with a straight set win over the Spaniard in the semifinal.

Delhi Capitals vanquish Kings XI Punjab by 5 wickets

Delhi Capitals defeated Kings XI Punjab by 5 wickets in the ongoing Indian Premier League here on Saturday.Chasing a target of 164, Delhi Capitals openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw, provided their side a steady start but because of lack of coordination Shaw gave away his wicket when he got run out in the fourth over.Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer then came out to bat and both the on-field batters smashed some scintillating shots and formed a 92-run partnership before Dhawan gave a simple catch to R Ashwin off Hardus Viljoen's delivery and brought his 56-run inning to an end. Rishabh Pant too was sent back to the pavilion immediately which brought Colin Ingram to the field.Ingram stitched a 27-run partnership with skipper Iyer, who scored an unbeaten 58 runs off 49 balls which helped his side chase down the target set by the visitors. With this knock, Iyer also completed his 1500 runs in IPL.Earlier, Kings XI Punjab were sent to bat first. Punjab faced a quick blow as KL Rahul lost .

Ronaldo '1,000 percent' committed as Juventus win eighth successive title

Cristiano Ronaldo said he was "1,000 percent committed to staying" with Juventus next season as he claimed his first Serie A title and Juventus their eighth in a row on Saturday. Massimiliano Allegri's side had needed just one more point for a 35th Scudetto and their latest title triumph helped ease some of the pain of their shock Champions League exit at the Juventus Stadium to Ajax on Tuesday. And a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Fiorentina was enough to give them a 20-point lead on nearest rivals Napoli with five games to play. Serbian defender Nikola Milenkovic put Fiorentina ahead after less than six minutes. But Alex Sandro's diving header on 37 minutes and an own goal from Fiorentina defender German Pezzella after a Ronaldo cross in the 53rd minute sealed another title to ease their European disappointment. "It was a great season and I adapted well. We won the Scudetto and the Italian Super Cup, which is not easy to achieve," said Ronaldo. "It didn't go well in the Champions ...

Dhawan laid foundation for our win: Iyer

Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer Saturday praised senior batsman Shikhar Dhawan for laying the foundation of his side's five wicket win over Kings XI Punjab here. "We got a good start from Shikhar today, it made it easier for the batsmen to follow. He (Dhawan) has been giving us brilliant starts. If you get 50 in the Powerplay it's really good and we got 60 today," Iyer said of Dhawan who made 56 off 41 balls at the top of the order. Iyer, who remained not out on 58 off 49 balls, said it was satisfying to see his team through. Really satisfied on winning this one after losing three home games. The way we played, it was really good to see. Losing them was really disappointing at the start but we recovered well," he said. "Very satisfying to stay till the end. One of the top four has to stay till the end. I took the responsibility today and hopefully continue through the rest of the matches." He said the Kotla pitch was not suited for the kind of players his team has. "The kind of ...

Dhawan, Iyer lead show as DC beat KXIP by 5 wickets

Opener Shikhar Dhawan (56) and skipper Shreyas Iyer (58*) led from the front as Delhi Capitals turned their poor home record with a convincing 5-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Saturday. They reached 166/5 with two balls to spare. With the win, DC now have 12 points from 10 games and have moved one step closer to qualifying for the play-offs.

Delhi Capitals exact revenge with five-wicket win over KXIP

Delhi Capitals avenged their shocking first-leg defeat with a five-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab, brightening their prospects of making the play-offs of the Indian Premier League here Saturday. Chasing 164 for a win, senior opener Shikhar Dhawan laid the foundation with a fluent 56 of 41 balls, while skipper Shreyas Iyer contributed an unbeaten 58 off 49 balls to complete the job with two balls to spare. Iyer hit five fours and a six. In the first leg in Mohali, DC lost seven wickets for eight runs to gift KXIP victory after sitting pretty at 144 for three in the 17th over while chasing 168. On Saturday, the home side were 141 for three at the end of the 17th over with 23 needing off 18 balls. Colin Ingram found the fence twice in the next over to ease the nerves and pushed DC closer to the target. Dhawan struck seven fours and a six before Ravichandran Ashwin ran from mid-on to the midwicket region to compete a fine catch while avoiding a collision with an onrushing Chris ...

Kirti Azad files nomination as Cong nominee for Dhanbad

Three-time BJP MP Kirti Azad Saturday filed his nomination papers as a Congress candidate for Dhanbad Lok Sabha constituency. Azad, the sitting MP of Darbhanga, is a former India cricketer and a member of the 1983 World Cup winning team. After submitting his papers to the returning officer, he alleged that Dhanbad lost the opportunity of getting an AIIMS, an airport and some other major projects due to the "slackness" of PN Singh, the BJP MP of Dhanbad. "I am one of the two fortunate sons of Jharkhand to have brought the World Cup to the country. I won it as a player in 1983 while M S Dhoni did it as the captain in 2011," said Azad who joined the Congress on February 18. He was elected to the Lok Sabha on BJP ticket in 1999, 2009 and 2014. However, Azad was suspended by the BJP in 2015 after he targeted Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).

'Worst clay match in 14 years': Nadal crashes to Fognini in Monte Carlo shocker

Rafael Nadal crashed out to Fabio Fognini in the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals on Saturday with the Spanish star admitting his 6-4, 6-2 loss was his "worst clay court match in 14 years". The shock result leaves Italian 13th seed Fognini facing unseeded Serb Dusan Lajovic in Sunday's unscripted final. "I played one of my worst matches on clay in 14 years," said Nadal. "It's difficult to find any positives -- I deserved to lose." Fognini, who beat Nadal twice on clay in 2015, stopped a 25-set win streak in the principality for the world number two. "The vision is clear," added 32-year-old Nadal who was playing his first tournament in a month after opting to rest his troublesome knees. "I played a very bad match against a good player. In that situation, you have to lose. "I had a bad feeling, it was a tough day. I'm coming from low moments in terms of injuries, and in terms of the mental side it has not been easy to accept all the things that have been going on during recent ...

I was surprised, Smith on getting back captaincy charge

Steve Smith, who recently replaced Ajinkya Rahane as the Rajasthan Royals captain, said that he was a bit surprised when management told him to lead the team."It is always an honour and privilege to captain the (Rajasthan) Royals ... the management called me yesterday and said that they wanted me to captain the rest of the season, I was bit surprised by it at the time but that is there decision," Smith told reporters during the post-match press conference here on Saturday.Moreover, Smith did not shy away from praising Rahane and called him a "terrific guy.""Ajinkya is a terrific guy, he said 'whatever is the best for the team, I (Rahane) will support'. I think you just have to look at the way he came out today. It is never easy being told those kinds of things but he came out and played some really nice cricket shots at the start," Smith said.Smith invigorated Rajasthan as he scored an unbeaten 59 runs which helped his side to subjugate the visitors and won the match by five ...

Riyan Parag has a great future: Smith

Newly-appointed Rajasthan Royals captain Steve Smith was all praise for the 17-year-old Riyan Parag who was associated in a 70-run fourth wicket partnership with him to lay the foundation of the five-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in an IPL match here Saturday. "He (Parag) played with cool head, he is calm, cool and composed. In the previous matches he had batted the same way, he works very hard, he is big and strong young kid. He came out and played with that freedom, saw the ball and hit the ball did not worry about anything, just played the game," Smith said after his side's victory. "I think he has got some terrific skills with the ball too. He bowled really in his first game against Chennai and bowled pretty well today also. The kid learns really quickly and that is sign of a really good player and someone who has a great future," said Smith about the Assam youngster who showed great application. Smith also praised Ajinkya Rahane from whom he took over the captaincy on ...