Page 349 - Sports
Spartans in Men's Volleyball C'ship quarters
Indias Chennai Spartans cruised into the quarter-finals of the Asian Mens Volleyball Championship after defeating Qatars Al-Rayyan Club in their last Pool C encounter of the 2019 Asian Mens Club Volleyball Championship at the University of Taipei (Tianmu) Gymnasium on Saturday.
Shiva Thapa makes winning start;Lovlina, Deepak enter quarters in Asian Boxing C'ships
Shiva Thapa inched closer to adding a record fourth medal by entering the 60kg pre-quarterfinals while World Championships bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Deepak (49kg) made it to the last-eight stage in the Asian Boxing Championships here on Saturday. Thapa secured a thrilling 4-1 win over Korea's Kim Wonho and is now a couple of wins away from a medal to add to the gold, bronze and silver he won in 2013, 2015 and 2017 editions respectively. The Assam pugilist will next take on Kyrgyzstan's Seitbek Uulu for a place in the quarter-finals on Sunday. Lovlina Borgohain, also of Assam, began her medal quest in an impressive fashion, outpunching Vietnam's Tran Thi Linh 5-0 to advance to the quarter-finals. Up next on Monday for the 2019 Strandja Cup bronze medallist is a stiff challenge in the form of Chinese Taipei's Chen Nien-Chin, to whom the Indian lost to in the semi-finals of the World Championships in New Delhi last year. National champion and Makran Cup gold medallist
AIFF plans internal meet before meeting I-League clubs
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is having a second thought about the much-awaited meeting between its President Praful Patel and the I-League clubs, which won't happen before the AIFF takes stock of the situation on its own about the future roadmap of Indian domestic football.
de Kock propels Mumbai to 161/5 vs Rajasthan
Opener Quinton de Kock's scintillating 65-run knock helped Mumbai Indians put up 161/5 against Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League (IPL) tie at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Saturday.
De Kock half-century propels Mumbai Indians to 161/5
Quinton de Kock continued his impressive run with another solid half-century as Mumbai Indians put up a decent 161 for 5 against Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League encounter here Saturday. De Kock smashed 65 off 47 balls with six fours and two sixes, adding 97 runs off 68 balls for the second wicket with Suryakumar Yadav (34 off 33 balls) that helped MI total gain a semblance of respectability. Reinstated as skipper in place of Ajinkya Rahane, Steve Smith introduced leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal (2/21 in 4 overs) in the third over. He deceived rival skipper Rohit Sharma( 5), who stepped out only to offer a return catch after failing to read a googly. Gopal could have got rid of De Kock off the last ball of the over but Jofra Archer dropped a difficult chance at long on. Making most out of this reprieve De Kock helped his team reach 50-run mark in 6.5 overs. He reached his own half-century in 34 balls and his partnership with Suryakumar was broken when latter was caught in deep ..
East Bengal extends Samad's contract for 3 years
East Bengal on Saturday handed full back Samad Ali Mallik a three-year contract extension, the club said in a statement.
Depleted India hope for substantial medals but unlikely to match 2017 success in Asian C'ships
A severely depleted Indian contingent is unlikely to repeat its unprecedented top-of-the-table finish in the last edition but is still expected to win a substantial number of medals when the Asian Athletics Championships begins here on Sunday. India had finished on top of the table with a record-breaking haul of 29 medals (12 gold, 5 silver, 12 bronze) in the 2017 Championships held in Bhubaneswar. China had finished second with 20 medals. But this time, the 42-member Indian team is not expected to achieve that kind of a success with several athletes, including star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, missing out of the continental flagship event due to various reasons, including injuries. The biggest name in Indian athletics, Neeraj has suffered an elbow sprain during practice in Patiala and he is not defending the title he had won in 2017. National record holders Dharun Ayyasamy (men's 400m Hurdles), M Sreeshankar (men's long jump) and Asian Games 800m gold medallist Manjit Singh were ...
Messi is best player in football history: Puyol
Former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol on Saturday said Lionel Messi is the best player in the history of football."He is playing at an incredible level. For me, he is the best ever player in the history of the game," Goal.com quoted Puyol as saying.The ex-Barcelona captain, who won three Champions League titles, praised the 31-year old for improving 'in every way'."Season after season, his game has evolved, all the things he does now. And you can see he's improving every year with new attributes he brought to his game," Puyol added."He has improved in every way and he is taking a step forward on a personal level. He has always been a leader on the field but now, you can see that he is a leader on and off the pitch," he said.Barcelona entered in the Champions League semi-finals as they defeated Manchester United in the quarter-finals with Messi scoring twice in the second leg at Camp Nou.Also, Messi is the top scorer in the competition with ten goals.Interestingly, in La Liga as well, .
IPL 2019: Steve Smith replaces Ajinkya Rahane as captain of Rajasthan Royals
Australia batsman Steve Smith is back in his captaincy role as Rajasthan Royals have given him the leadership duty for rest of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday.Till now, India's Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane was leading the team, but unfortunately, he couldn't produce good results in this season as the team is placed on the second last position with only two victories out of eight matches.Smith (29) just completed his year-long ban last month and found a spot in the Australia squad for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, which was announced on April 15.As far as IPL is concerned, Smith, who was leading the Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017, rallied his troop to the IPL final but could not win as Mumbai Indians won the title."Ajinkya is and will always be a true Royal. He led the team to the playoffs in 2018 in a very challenging scenario and that will go down as one of the great comebacks of the IPL. He remains a key part of our side and leadership team and will extend ...
BCCI ombudsman asks Ganguly to give written submission
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Ombudsman D.K. Jain on Saturday met Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President and Delhi Capitals advisor Sourav Ganguly as well as the complainants here in a conflict of interest matter against the former India skipper. After a three and half hour long discussion, Jain asked all parties to give written submissions ahead of his verdict.
SRH aim to maintain winning momentum against under-pressure KKR
A top-heavy Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to tame an Andre Russell-reliant Kolkata Knight Riders in a high pressure clash of the Indian Premier League here on Sunday. Both teams have eight points though SRH have played one match less. The hosts snapped their three-match losing streak with a win over table leaders CSK and KKR now need to do the same having lost their last four games. The race to play-offs is heating up and both sides know the value of a win on Sunday. A rampaging Russell and Nitish Rana almost pulled off a miraculous win on Friday night after the KKR top-order left them with too much to do in the death overs. Russell even questioned the team's decision to send him lower down the order when the likes of Robin Uthappa struggled. There is little doubt that the KKR think tank will be working overtime to get back to winnings ways. The hosts too have concerns of their own, mainly their over-reliance on openers David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, who will be leaving at the end ..
Former Davis Cupper Vijay Amritraj's mother dead
: Maggie Amritraj, mother of former Indian Davis Cup players Vijay Amritraj and Anand Amritraj, passed away here Saturday after prolonged illness. She was 92. She is survived by three sons (Anand, Vijay and Ashok) and their families. Vijay Amritraj is currently the president of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association. Her husband Robert Amritraj predeceased her. Anand Amritraj told PTI his mother suffered a stroke on March 21 and was in hospital for three weeks. She had been discharged Monday last. She passed away at around 6.15 am Saturday. "She had been the motivating force behind us, in our lives and in general. We owe everything to her," Anand said while paying tribute to his mother. Maggie was a woman entrepreneur of her time and ran a business, while her husband was among the seniormost officers in the Railways. She helmed the well-known Britannia Amritraj Tennis Academy (BAT) started here by Vijay Amritraj in 1985. She piloted the academy for two decades, which produced ..
Rajasthan names Smith skipper, BCCI surprised
Placed seventh on the points table in the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League, Rajasthan Royals have removed Ajinkya Rahane as the captain and handed the armband to former skipper Steve Smith. The team has managed to win just two games of the eight that they have played and the management believes that bringing him back at the helm might change their fortune.
Rajasthan ask Mumbai to bat (Toss)
Rajasthan Royals' skipper Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bowl against Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, here on Saturday.
Punjab bank on home support vs Services in final
Punjab will bank on home support at the Guru Nanak Stadium when they face-off against Services in the Santosh Trophy final here on Sunday.
Punjab bank on home support in Santosh Trophy final against Services
After 12 rigorous days, Punjab and Services are set to lock horns in the final of the national football championship for the Santosh Trophy here Sunday. Being the home side, Punjab have enjoyed support of the local fans, something that propelled them to gain the last-gasp win in their previous two games against Karnataka in Group B and against Goa in the semi-final. "Of course, playing in our home ground brings its own advantages. We will have the support of the local people behind us which gives a lot of motivation to the players," said Punjab assistant coach Bikramjit Singh on the eve of the match. Services head coach Parshuram Salwadi echoed Bikramjit's feelings, saying that having a packed stadium behind them would be a key advantage for Punjab. "Playing a team like Punjab will be very tough in the Final, especially with the home support. We faced them in 2015, but it will be different this time as they are the home team. This is their biggest strength," said Salwadi. The two ...
Bairstow to leave IPL for England World Cup camp
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Johnny Bairstow on Saturday confirmed that he will leave the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after his team's game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on April 23 to join England's camp for the World Cup.
Hopefully we're in position to make play-offs before I leave on April 23: Bairstow
Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Jonny Bairstow on Saturday expressed his desire to help the team win the next two games and take few steps closer to making the IPL play-offs before heading back to join England's World Cup camp. Bairstow will play two more games for the Sunrisers -- against Kolkata Knight Riders here on Sunday and against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings in Chennai on April 23. After that he will go back home to prepare for the World Cup, beginning May 30 in UK, with the rest of the England ODI squad. "So far it has gone well. To be in the top five leading run scorers...it is really very pleasing. Hopefully I can finish on a high in the next two games as well and we could be in the position to make the play-offs by the time I leave," said Bairstow during a round table conference here on the eve of the home game against Kolkata Knight Riders. All the English players featuring in the ongoing IPL are suppose to be back in England. Currently placed fifth on the ...
Nadal advances to Monte Carlo semi-finals
Spain's Rafael Nadal managed to eke out a 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 win against Guido Pella of Argentina to secure a berth in the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters, an event he has won 11 times.
Rahane sacked as Royals captain in middle of IPL, Smith given leadership charge
Former Australian captain Steve Smith on Saturday replaced Ajinkya Rahane as Rajasthan Royals skipper, hoping the mid-season switch will revive their disappointing campaign so far in the IPL. Smith, who is back in action after serving a one-year ban for his role in the ball-tampering scandal, has been made the leader of the team once again. The announcement was made ahead of Royals' clash against Mumbai Indians here. The hosts, who have lost six out of their eight games, need to win at least five of their remaining six matches to have any chance of making the play-offs. Smith was also named captain before the start of the 2018 edition but in the wake of the ball-tampering incident, it was decided that Rahane would lead the team in the Australian's forced absence. "Rajasthan Royals will be led by the Australian batsman Steven Smith for the upcoming matches of the IPL. Ajinkya Rahane did a fantastic job in leading the team to the playoffs last year, however, the franchisee now thinks a