Page 391 - Sports
MI have home advantage against in-form KXIP (Preview)
Having won their last three games at home, Kings XI Punjab will now head to the iconic Wankhede Stadium to take on Mumbai Indians in what is expected to be a mouth-watering clash in the Indian Premier League. Both teams have defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last games. While MI thrashed SRH by 40 runs, KXIP won by six wickets.
Figures don't do justice, Mujeeb bowled well: Ashwin
He might have conceded 34 runs from his four overs against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), but Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman picked up the all-important wicket of Jonny Bairstow at the top to derail the SRH batting. And skipper R. Ashwin was all praise for his young Afghanistan bowler.
World's top 10 all seeking first Masters green jacket
There's a major hole on the career accomplishments list for the world's 10 top-ranked golfers this week at Augusta National -- none of them owns a Masters champion's green jacket. It's the first time since the global rankings began in 1986 that the entire top 10 arrived at the year's first major tournament and none of them had ever won the Masters, including new world number one Justin Rose of England. "If you look at the skill sets of the guys at the top of the world rankings, Augusta really should suit most of us," Rose said. "So I would say that this year there's probably a very good probability that one of those guys will get it done." Third-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, a four-time major winner, needs a Masters win to become only the sixth golfer to complete a career Grand Slam. There's a trio of top-10 Americans with major wins lacking one at Augusta National, including second-ranked Dustin Johnson, three-time major winner Brooks Koepka (fourth) and 2017 PGA ...
Wanted to stretch game to last over: Bhuvneshwar
Having scored just 150, Sunrisers Hyderabad made Kings XI Punjab stretch till the second last ball of the 20th over before K.L. Rahul picked a double off Mohammad Nabi to win KXIP their third game at the I.S. Bindra Stadium this season.
Ronaldo's return vital to Juventus's Champions League success
Cristiano Ronaldo's return to fitness could be vital to Juventus's bid to end their Champions League drought going back 23 years as they head to Ajax on Wednesday with uncertainty over whether their superstar will play or not. Ronaldo hasn't played for the Serie A leaders -- who are just one point away from sealing an eighth Italian league title -- since scoring the sensational hat-trick that saw Juve come back from a 2-0 first-leg deficit to knock out Atletico Madrid last month. He was rested in the subsequent 2-0 league defeat at Genoa and then picked up a thigh injury on international duty with Portugal two weeks ago. But coach Massimiliano Allegri remains confident the 34-year-old will be ready for Wednesday's game in Amsterdam. "He (Ronaldo) always feels ready. We are confident of having him at Ajax on Wednesday," said Allegri after Saturday's 2-1 league win over AC Milan. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner joined his teammates for training on Monday and is expected to travel with
Suarez returns to England with much to gain and nothing to prove
His goal against Atletico Madrid on Saturday should prove Barcelona's knock-out blow in La Liga and now Manchester United are tasked with containing the might of Luis Suarez in Europe. The image of Lionel Messi's partner-in-chief has been defined by his darker side, a relentless, ferocious and, occasionally, misguided opponent, running defenders ragged for the best part of a decade. When Barca's coach Ernesto Valverde is asked about the threat posed by Suarez, the description he oftens reverts to is "un dolor de cabeza". A headache. Suarez's reputation as one of the game's arch-villains is entrenched, perhaps nowhere deeper than in England, where he was found guilty of racial abuse for calling United's Patrice Evra "negrito" in 2011 and, a season later, sank his teeth into the arm of Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic. Suarez was suspended for a combined 18 matches and there were two further bites, on Otman Bakkal in 2010 and Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup. Suarez returns to Old ...
Brazil football legend Pele released from hospital - report
Football great Pele has been released from hospital in Paris and will return to Brazil in the "coming hours," Brazilian media reported Monday, citing his spokesman. The 78-year-old's discharge came after Neymar paid him a visit in hospital in the suburbs of the French capital. The Paris Saint-Germain forward posted a photo on his Instagram account Monday of himself alongside a smiling Pele in his hospital bed with the two holding hands. "I want to thank you deeply for your positive thoughts and get-well wishes," Pele said in a statement cited by Brazilian news website Globo Sport. "Thanks to the great affection of the medical team at the American hospital of Paris, I am travelling home soon." The three-time World Cup winner was admitted to hospital with a urinary infection last Wednesday, the day after appearing at a promotional event with France striker Kylian Mbappe. Brazil's G1 reported that Pele had intended to come out of hospital on Saturday to return to Brazil but had been ...
Enjoyed my batting, happy to have won: Rahul
Coming into the game after losing against Chennai Super Kings from a position of strength, Kings XI Punjab batsman K.L. Rahul decided to stick it out and take his team home against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the I.S. Bindra Stadium in Mohali as KXIP registered a six-wicket win.
Warner records seven consecutive fifties against Kings XI Punjab
David Warner, the Australian cricketer, and current Sunrisers Hyderabad player scored 70 not out against Kings XI Punjab on Monday, recording seven consecutive fifties against Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL).Warner has scored 58,81,59,52,70*,51,70* in his last seven matches against Kings XI Punjab.The left-hander now becomes the first batsman in the history of the tournament to have seven consecutive fifty-plus scores against two teams.He had previously recorded seven consecutive fifties against Royal Challengers Bangalore, between 2014 to 2016.The 32-year-old, on Monday, however, scored his half-century off 49 balls, recording his slowest ever fifty in IPL surpassing his previous slowest fifty which was scored of 45 balls against Kings XI Punjab in 2017.Warner has scored 349 runs in the six matches of this year's edition of the IPL and he has the orange cap (Highest run scorer in the tournament) currently.With Warner's knock, SRH were able to post 150 runs on the ..
UAE announces squad for series against Zimbabwe
United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday announced a 15-member squad for the tour of Zimbabwe which is set to begin this week. The team will take on Chairman's XI in a warm-up match, before playing the ODI series against Zimbabwe.This will series be UAE's first bilateral ODI series against a full member nation.Mohammad Naveed will be the captain of the team which features veterans like Rohan Mustafa, Shaiman Anwar, and Imran Haider."This series is a testament to the quality of not only UAE's national side, but to the growing levels and abilities of Associate cricket," Waleed Bukhatir, chief selector and Emirates Cricket Board member said in an official statement."Such achievements can only happen by nurturing relationships with various Full Member boards, and through Emirates Cricket Board's vision and leadership we are very pleased to maintain and strengthen these relationships and see these milestones reached, we are very grateful to all involved," he added.Squad: Mohammad Naveed (c), ..
IPL 2019: All-round KXIP defeat SRH by 6 wickets
An all-round Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets here at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Monday.KXIP have moved up to take the third position in the IPL points table, with four wins and two losses, whereas SRH slid to the fourth place with three wins and as many losses.Top-order KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal scored match-winning fifties as Punjab chased down a tricky target of 151.Despite losing the big-hitter Chris Gayle (16) early in the PowerPlay overs, Rahul and Mayank punished Hyderabad bowlers, as they added 114 for the second wicket.Hyderabad pulled things back in a one-sided contest with the dismissal of Mayank (55), who was dropped by Yusuf on 40, leading to the loss of two wickets - David Miller and Mandeep Singh - in quick succession, off pacer Sandeep Sharma.With 11 required from the last over, Rahul shrugged off the pressure and took Punjab over the line with one ball to spare.Earlier, after being put to ...
There is scope for improvement, says Kings XI skipper Ashwin
Kings XI Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin Monday said his side has a lot of scope for improvement after they encountered yet another close game in the ongoing Indian Premier League. K L Rahul (71 not out) and Mayank Agarwal (55) struck fluent half-centuries to guide Kings XI Punjab to a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in a nail-bitting contest here. Chasing 151 for a win, Kings XI were coasting at 132 for one before three quick wickets took the game to the wire. "Too close to comfort. We have had really close games, the biggest positive for me is there is scope for improvement," Ashwin said at the post-match presentation ceremony. "It will be really harsh to say that we conceded 100 runs in the last 10 overs. The plans were held very well upon. There is enough ability to work on it." Ashwin backed Mujeeb Ur Rahman, saying the Afghan spinner was an asset who can be used upfront. "Mujeeb knows Mohali very well and as a spinner you need to know the lengths and speeds to bowl ...
Kings XI ride Rahul, Agarwal 50s to beat Sunrisers
Kings XI Punjab made heavy weather of an easy run-chase but in the end rode stylish half centuries from K.L. Rahul and Mayank Agarwal to edge-past Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here on Monday.
Rahul's unbeaten fifty guides Kings XI home against Sunrisers in a tense finish
K L Rahul and Mayank Agarwal struck fluent half-centuries to guide Kings XI Punjab to a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in a nail-bitting Indian Premier League match here Monday. Opting to bat, Kings XI first restricted Sunrisers to 150 for four and then rode on Rahul and Agarwal's knocks to chased down the target in 19.5 overs. Rahul (71 not out) and Agarwal (55) stitched 114 runs off 84 balls for the second wicket to take Kings XI close to the target. Chasing 151 for a win, Kings XI lost dangerous Chris Gayle (16) in the fourth over with their scoreboard reading 18. Gayle struck a four and a six each before Deepak Hooda took a brilliant catch at long-on boundary off Rashid Khan's (1/20) bowling to sent packing the West Indian. Rahul and Agarwal then complemented each other brilliantly as the duo mixed caution with aggression to literally take the game away from Sunrisers. While Rahul was the enforcer, Agarwal matched his Karnataka teammate with his timing and on the rise ...
AFC Olympic Qualifiers: Indian eves to battle against Myanmar
On the verge of securing qualification in the Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 with only Myanmar standing in its way, Indian senior women's national team will battle against the host in the decider on April 9.The match will kick-off at 2:30 pm (IST). The Maymol Rocky-coached team India secured qualification in the Round 1 in Myanmar in November 2018."We know it's a must-win match for us. That's it. This is the big moment that we've all been waiting for when we started our preparation in December last year for the Round 2 qualifiers, and we aim to make it count," Maymol said.Only a win for India will take it through to the next round of qualifiers, with just one team progressing from the Group A of Round 2 AFC Olympic Qualifiers.Although both teams have six points each, Myanmar have a goal difference of +8, as compared to +4 of India in the two matches played so far, which means it is a do-or-die battle for India."We've always taken one match at a time. We'll do so against Myanmar too. We're
CSA approves plans to restructure domestic cricket
Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Monday approved plans to expand six domestic franchises to 12 provincial teams from May 2020.The plan would bring a fundamental change to the domestic cricket as it would effectively be the death of the franchise system.CSA CEO Thabang Moroe confirmed that the South Africa board's revised losses sit at R350 million for the last four years and that the proposed restructure was part of the solution to turn the tide in the next four years, Sport24 reported.The board will now consult with the franchises as well as the South African Cricketers Association (SACA) before moving forward with the plan."We have a three-phased process where we'll see CSA go back to 12 provinces and we plan in the third year to either have Limpopo, Mpumalanga -- or both -- become part of the first-class structure, which will take us to the 14-member competition," Moroe said."Franchise cricket has been a huge burden to CSA's coffers. We're pinning most of our work and commercial ...
Nadal rival Almagro retires at hometown event
Nicolas Almagro chose his hometown tournament in Murcia to announce his retirement from tennis on Monday. Once ranked in the top 10 and an earner of over $10 million (8.8 million euros) in career prize money, the 33-year-old has struggled badly with injury in recent seasons. "I quit. Because in the past few years I have not been able to enjoy the sport that gave me so much, that gave me so many wonderful moments and that has made my dreams come true," he wrote on Twitter. Almagro was overshadowed for much of his career by countryman Rafael Nadal, to whom he lost in three French Open quarter-finals. "I'm happy that the end comes here at a tournament which means so much to me," he said of the clay-court event on the secondary ATP Challenger circuit. Almagro won 13 tournaments and also helped Spain to a Davis Cup triumph in 2008.
Warner scores fifty as Sunrisers labour to 150/4
David Warner struck an unbeaten half-century but Kings XI Punjab bowlers put in a disciplined effort to restrict Sunrisers Hyderabad to 150/4 in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the PCA I.S. Bindra Stadium here on Monday.
Warner hits fourth fifty of the season to guide Sunrisers to 150/4
David Warner struck his fourth fifth of the season before Deepak Hooda played a cameo in the final over to lift Sunrisers Hyderabad to a challenging 150 for four against Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match here Monday. Opening the batting, Warner carried on his bat for an uncharacteristic 70 not out off 62 balls balls to anchor Sunrisers' innings but it was Hooda's unbeaten 14 off three deliveries that provided the late thrust to the visitors' innings. Warner struck six boundaries and one six during his knock, but it was Hooda who stole the limelight, smashing Mohammed Shami for two fours and one hit over the fence to pick up vital 15 runs off the last over. Sunrisers suffered an early blow in the form of Jonny Bairstow (1) after being sent into bat. Bairstow failed to control a flick off Mujeeb Ur Rahman's (1/34) bowling as Kings XI skipper Ravichandran Ashwin took a smart catch at short midwicket in the second over. The early dismissal, together with some disciplined bowling from Kings .
Kynan top Indian in men's trap at Al Ain Shotgun World Cup
Olympian Kynan Chenai on Monday emerged as the top Indian after scoring 49 out of 50 on day one of qualifying in the Men's Trap event at the ISSF World Cup stage in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The 28-year-old, who compete at the Rio Olympics, missed one bird to shoot a score of 49 out of 50. With three more rounds to go on Tuesday, day three of competitions, the Hyderabad lad will fancy his chances. His teammate Prithviraj Tondaiman shot 48, while the third Indian in the competition Zoravar Singh Sandhu shot 47. Eleven competitors out of 142 shot a perfect 50, which meant that Kynan was in 12th spot, while Prithviraj and Zoravar were placed 43rd and 57th respectively. Carole Cormenier of France won the Women's Trap gold at the end of day two, while Shagun Chowdhary was the best placed Indian, finishing in 26th position with a score of 115. Rajeshwari Kumari shot 109 for 50thspot while Varsha Varman shot 92 to end in 69th place. The two available quota places in the women's ...