Page 399 - Sports

IPL matches to be used to create awareness among voters

In a bid to create awareness among voters in Maharashtra where Lok Sabha elections will be held in four phases beginning April 11, the election commission is targetting IPL matches that attract a large number of people. The experiment has already started with a match played between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings which took place at Brabourne Stadium here on April 3. "At that cricket match, all relevant material was displayed for creating awareness amongst the voters," he said. The initiative was taken following a suggestion by the Election Commission of India which had asked the office of the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer to contact the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for arranging a voter awareness campaign, an official has said. The poll official said representatives of the BCCI were contacted and the relevant material and literature delivered to them. "Voters will also be appealed in a similar fashion during upcoming IPL matches to be

We have plans for Russell, says Gowtham

Kolkata Knight Riders' Andre Russell is the flavour of the ongoing IPL, but Rajasthan Royals spinner Krishnappa Gowtham Saturday said they have plans in place to counter the hard-hitting West Indian batsman. Russell stole the limelight this season so far with his hard-hitting abilities and is currently placed third in the run-getters list with 207 runs from four games at a staggering strike rate of 268.83. But Gowtham said Rajasthan has already done their homework on how to counter Russell at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here Sunday. "He has been in very good form. He has been hitting a lot of sixes and he is doing well for his team. We do have a plan set for him and hopefully it comes out," he said. Rajasthan didn't have a very good start to the season and are currently lying seventh in the eight-team competition with just a win out of eight games, which came against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last match. And Gowtham said they want to carry on the winning momentum from here .

IPL 2019: Chennai Super Kings defeats Kings XI Punjab by 22 runs

Chennai Super Kings defeated Kings XI Punjab by 22 runs in the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday. With this win, CSK reached the top off the charts in IPL standings.Chasing a total of 161, Kings XI Punjab got off to the worst start possible as they lost both Chris Gayle (5) and Mayank Agarwal (0) in the second over of the innings. Harbhajan Singh provided CSK with the key breakthroughs.After losing two early wickets, KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan retrieved the innings for Punjab and both the batsmen brought up their respective half-centuries.Despite not taking a wicket for more than 14 overs, CSK maintained a tight grip on the match as the bowlers did not leak runs. The spinning trio of Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, and Imran Tahir choked the runs for Punjab and Punjab required 46 off the final three overs for the win.The duo of Rahul and Sarfaraz put on a 110-run stand before Kuggeleijn induced a top edge from Rahul (55) which ...

One knock of 99 will not put me in the World Cup squad: Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw, the Delhi Capitals opener on Saturday said that one knock of 99 will not put him up for World Cup contention so he would rather not think about it."I don't think one knock of 99 will change this much for me, so I rather not switch over there. I would rather do my job over here in the IPL and try to win as many games for the Delhi Capitals. I'm a type of person who goes match by match, I am not thinking about the World Cup as of now," Prithvi Shaw told reporters.Delhi Capitals have Ricky Ponting, the former Australian captain as their coach and they have Sourav Ganguly, the former Indian captain as their advisor. The right-handed Shaw said that having these two legends as a part of management helps the youngsters."I think it has been fantastic. Ricky Sir and Sourav Sir have played 15-20 years of international cricket and they know how to handle a youngster. They have seen a lot of things, they know how to handle pressure. They know how to mentally prepare the youngster. I

Hyderabad opt to field against Mumbai (Toss)

Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Bhuvneshwar Kumar won the toss and opted to bowl against Mumbai Indians in the 19th Indian Premier League (IPL) contest at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Saturday.

Spinners help CSK defend 160; reclaim top spot

Led by seasoned Harbhajan Singh, Chennai Super Kings spinners put on a dominating show to help the side reclaim the top position with a 22-run win over Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match, here Saturday. Defending 160 for three, CSK restricted Punjab to 138 for 5 despite half centuries from K L Rahul (55) and Sarfaraz Khan (67). The visitors scored at a low pace and required to score 26 off the last over, bowled by IPL debutant Scott Kuggeleijn. The Kiwi paceman had no trouble defending those runs and also dismissed Sarfaraz. Harbhajan was the best bowler for the hosts with the figures of 4-1-17-2. In a brilliant spell, he bowled a maiden and grabbed two wickets, including that of the 'universal boss' Chris Gayle. Ravindra Jadeja (4-0-24-0) and Imran Tahir (4-0-20-0) also helped CSK put the brakes on the rival batsmen. They, along with Harbhajan, conceded only 61 runs in 12 overs even as the required run-rate kept mounting. Kuggeleijn did not start very well, being hit for a six off his ..

IPL: Chennai outsmart Punjab by 22 runs

Opener K.L. Rahul (55 off 47) and Sarfaraz Khan's (67 off 59) laborious efforts went in vain as Chennai Super Kings held their nerves to beat Kings XI Punjab by 22 runs in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Saturday.

Hyderabad opt to bowl, Mumbai drop Yuvraj

Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and opted to bowl against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League here on Friday. Hyderabad named an unchanged eleven while Mumbai Indians dropped Yuvraj Singh for Ishan Kishan. Lasith Malinga, who has gone back to Sri Lanka to play in a domestic event, made way for West Indian Alzarri Joseph. Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow(w), Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar(c), Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul. Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Jason Behrendorff, Rahul Chahar, Alzarri Joseph, Jasprit Bumrah.

India's Sandhu, Rashid finish 2nd and 3rd in Dhaka

Ajeetesh Sandhu and Rashid Khan dropped a crucial bogey each on the Par-5 17th hole to finish second and third respectively at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open, here Saturday. They had raised vision of a one-two finish for India but allowed rookie Sadom Kaewkanjana to sneak ahead and win in his first Asian Tour appearance this season. Sadom had led for most part of the tournament but gave away three bogeys in a row from 13th to 15th and fell to third position as Sandhu (65) and Khan (70) overtook him. Then it was Sandhu and Rashid's turn to give in to pressure. The Indians bogeyed the Par-5 17th, while Sadom birdied 16th and 17th to get to the 18th tee with a one-shot lead. The three played the 18th in par and Sadom was home as champion. Among other Indians Karandeep Kochhar (70) was T-12th, Veer Ahlawat (67) and Udayan Mane (70) were T-25th, Honey Baisoya (69), Viraj Madappa (77) and Abhijit Chadha (67) were T-35th. Jeev Milkha Singh (71) had rounds of 74-67-71-71 and was T-41. It was ..

Support staff plan, but captains must execute: Dahiya

They have Gary Kirsten as the head coach and Ashish Nehra as the bowling coach. Despite the presence of these stalwarts, Royals Challengers Bangalore have failed to win even one of the five games that they have played in the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League.

Pitches in Delhi were not as per expectations: Prithvi Shaw

The pitch preparation continues to evoke criticism this IPL with Delhi Capitals' Prithvi Shaw Saturday questioning the slow nature of the Feroze Shah Kotla track for their home matches. While the young batsman said the wicket was not of their liking, he scored a 99 against KKR in a recent match in New Delhi. "The wickets weren't good as we were expecting it to be. The new ball was moving slow off the track and turning from ball one. Nevertheless, we are just keeping those things besides and looking forward to next game," he said ahead of clash against struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore. The slow pitch in Chennai also invited criticism from CSK skipper MS Dhoni and RCB skipper Virat Kohli. Asked if batting second will be an advantage on the Chinnaswamy pitch, Shaw said the wicket remains the same throughout the match. "I don't think it matters too much if you are batting or bowling first on this pitch. The wicket remains the same throughout the 40 overs. There is only the dew ...

Sathiyan stuns World No 14, a step away from World Cup berth

G Sathiyan placed himself well within reach of a World Cup spot after the top-ranked Indian upset World No. 14 Chun Ting Wong of Hong Kong in positions 5-8 match at the ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup here on Saturday. The 28th-ranked beat Wong 12-10, 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 in a gruelling contest. The win against Hong Kong's No. 1 player means that Sathiyan will take on Lin Yun-Ju of Chinese Taipei on Sunday to grab the fifth position. The 17-year-old left-hander, who is seven places ahead of Sathiyan in the ITTF rankings, recently won his first men's singles title at the Challenge Plus Oman Open when he beat top-seeded Falck Mattias in the final. In the same tournament, Sathiyan had entered the semifinals. But it was a tough ask for Sathiyan this morning as the Indian failed to go past the second-seeded Chinese Ma Long in the quarterfinals when he lost 1-4 (5-11, 5-11, 11-6, 6-11, 3-11). Yet he managed to take a game off the reigning world and Olympic champion. In the classification match, ...

Confident Kolkata up against Rajasthan (Preview)

High on confidence after their magnificent victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will eye another dominant show when they take on Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Sunday.

Dhoni takes CSK to 160/3 after Ashwin picks three

It looked like smooth sailing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with the score reading 98/1 in the 13th over. But Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) skipper Ravichandran Ashwin had other ideas as he picked up two wickets in the 14th over to put the brakes on CSK during their Indian Premier League match at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday.

ITBP organises first National Sky Running Championship

Border guarding force Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) along with Sky Running Association of India organised the National Sky Running Championship at Mountaineering and Skiing Institute of ITBP at Auli in Uttarakhand.This is the first time such championship was organised at a high altitude of up to 4000 metres. The high altitude marathon was organised for both junior and senior categories from April 4 to April 5, 2019.Various athletes from ITBP, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Uttarakhand participated in the championship.The marathon was held in two phases. In the first phase, the marathon covered 10 kilometres through Hathi Parvat, Marwadi bridge to Toli Nala chai ranging from 1500 metres to 3000 metres MSL.Mayank Dimri of Uttarakhand won the race while ITBP's constables Vinod Singh and Padna Tundup finished at second and third places.On the second day of the championship, a 16 to 20 kilometres stretch was identified from Rock climbing area Auli to ...

Du Plessis' fifty, Dhoni's late burst help CSK post 160/3

Faf du Plessis hit a fine half-century up the order while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu provided the late flourish to help Chennai Super Kings post a competitive 160 for three against Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match here Saturday. Opening the batting, Du Plessis made 54 off 38 balls with the help of two fours and four hits over the fence and together with Shane Watson (26) added 56 runs for the first wicket after opting to bat. But it was some late hitting by Dhoni (37 not out, 23 balls, 4X4s, 1X6) and Rayudu (21 not out, 15 balls, 1X6, 1X4) and their unbeaten 60-run fourth wicket partnership in 30 balls that helped the defending champions reachable a respectable total. Thanks to Dhoni and Rayudu, CSK scored 52 runs in the last five overs after a rather quiet middle period. Kings XI skipper Ravichandran Ashwin was the best bowler for the visitors, picking up three wickets for 23 runs from his four overs. He was on a hat-trick in the 14th over after getting ...

India clinch 12 medals at Ghana Junior & Cadet Open

Indias young paddlers have made another killing in the Ghana Junior & Cadet Open, a ITTF Junior circuit event, clinching a bagful of medals -- seven gold, three silver and two bronze medals.

Training in India was always Plan B for me: Bindra

During his time as an active athlete, training at home was always Plan B for Abhinav Bindra, but India's lone Olympic individual gold medallist is trying to make the facilities at home match global standards. "Training in India was always a Plan B for me, but to progress we need to make the facilities at home the Plan A for our athletes," Bindra was quoted as saying by 'olympic.org'. Shooter Bindra created history when he claimed the gold medal in 10m air rifle event of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. For long frustrated by the lack of access to high-quality training facilities in his homeland, the champion shooter has been dedicating a lot of his time to developing sport across India, building new facilities in underprivileged communities and bringing elite sports centres to major cities through the Abhinav Bindra Foundation. "These communities lack access to many of the basic things in life," he said. "So we funded the construction of playing fields, and provided them with basic ...

Mena finishes third at Merzouga Rally

Hero MotoSports team driver Oriol Mena bagged his first ever podium, finishing third in the 2019 Merzouga Rally here Saturday. Teammate Joaquim Rodrigues was also not far behind as he finished just shy of a spot inside the top 3, at fourth position, helping the Hero MotoSports team claim their first podium of the season. As Stage 5 brought the curtains down on the 2019 edition of the Merzouga Rally, Oriol and Rodrigues delivered solid and consistent performances to keep the team in the hunt for the podium. The Erg Chebbi dunes played the theatre to the final battle for the standings. In a short but certainly the most spectacular stage The Grand Prix Dunes the competitors made a final stretch of 49 kms of pure dunes to claim the final spoils for their efforts over the past week. "It was a crazy stage today, typical of any last stage of the Merzouga Rally. I started really good leading the stage for a bit and riding well with the lead group. But a few kms into the stage I had to break

Anup Kumar to coach Puneri Paltan in PKL 7

India's former kabaddi captain Anup Kumar, who retired from the game midway through Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season six, is set to start a new innings as the head coach of Puneri Paltan.