Page 400 - Sports

Chennaiyin to face NorthEast in Super Cup quarters on Sunday

An upbeat Chennayin FC will take on injury-plagued NorthEast United FC in the last quarterfinal of the Hero Super Cup 2019 at the Kalinga Stadium here Sunday. Talking about his side's preparation for Sunday's clash, Chennaiyin head coach John Gregory said: "We have obviously been travelling. We have had one day to recover from the AFC Cup game. But our focus is now the game against NorthEast. The boys are ready and all of them are raring to go. "I've got a fit squad which has always been a benefit for me. I've got everybody to choose from. We've got no real injury doubts. It's brilliant to have Dhanpal Ganesh back after missing the Hero ISL season. To have him back at such a crucial time is a real pleasure." The Englishman, then, gave his opinion about the opposition and stated, "We had a poor Hero ISL season and NorthEast had a fantastic season. First time ever they qualified for the semifinals. The coach and his players should get a lot of credit for having such a great season. "But

Super Cup 2019: ATK beats Delhi in seven-goal thriller

Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) defeated Delhi Dynamos FC 4-3 on Friday in a thrilling Super Cup quarter-final encounter played at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.Steve Coppell, ATK's head coach sprung a surprise as he decided to swap Edu Garcia with Everton Santos in the playing XI.On the other hand, Josep Gombau, Delhi's coach decided to field a strong starting XI which included the likes of Lallianzuala Chhangte, Nandhakumar Sekar, Gianni Zuiverloon.Both the teams decided to play with an attacking mindset throughout the match. Delhi had the first big chance of the match as Narayan Das found Nandhakumar unmarked inside the ATK box. But he was unable to capitalise on the opportunity.The first goal finally came on the 15th minute through a set-piece. Mohammed Sajid Dhot scored for Delhi.ATK toiled hard for a quick equaliser and they were finally able to level the scoreline as Balwant Singh provided the team with a goal.Five minutes later, the Kolkata-based side struck again and took ...

Disappointed at clubs' pullout, what is the point in having meeting now, asks Praful Patel

Praful Patel saturday said his unprecedented election to the FIFA Council means more tournaments, international friendlies and exposure for India, besides a chance to operate in close proximity to the developed football nations. All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Patel won with a record-breaking margin, securing 38 out of the 46 votes at the 29th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) congress in Kuala Lumpur. "This signifies India's place in world football. This will give us more voice. We would look to get more tournaments, international friendlies, exposure for our kids," Patel told PTI during an interview. This will also help in terms of football education, coaching and providing exposure to India's players abroad. The 62-year-old, a member of parliament, at the same time, expressed disappointment at the I-League clubs' refusal to turn up for the Super Cup. "Despite my busy schedule because of the general elections back home and today's FIFA Council, I assured them that I .

Anand to meet Karjakin in round 6 of Shamkir chess tourney

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand will take on Russian Sergey Karjakin in the sixth round of Shamkir Chess tournament, also known as the Vugar Gashimov memorial here. The Indian ace has played a couple of brilliant games thus far in the first five rounds that has taken him to three points in all. The momentum should help Anand to finish on a high as he is currently behind world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who has 3.5 points in his kitty. Anand shares the second spot along with Karjakin while Ding Liren of China, Alexander Grischuk of Russia, David Navara of Czech Republic and local star Teimour Radjabov are closely sharing the fourth on 2.5 points apiece. With four rounds still to come, Anand is sitting pretty in the tournament but will have to probably win two more games in order to the win the tournament. So far the Indian defeated Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan and Anish Giri of Holland besides losing one game against Carlsen. Anand had winning position against

Aggression makes Warner a dangerous batsman, says Yusuf Pathan

The simmering 'aggression' of David Warner has found its release in the ongoing IPL and his desperation to play well on comeback makes him a dangerous batsman says his Sunrisers Hyderabad teammate Yusuf Pathan. Warner and Steve Smith were banned by Cricket Australia for a year for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa last year. On road to redemption, Warner has hit a purple patch, scoring two half-centuries and an unbeaten century in the four matches he has played. "A successful batsman is the one who comes back after a big match and scores again in the next. There is a lot of aggression inside Warner which is helping him play so well. It is reflecting in his batting even after not playing for a year he has the aggression to do well. Such aggression makes him a dangerous batsman," Pathan told PTI in an interview. "He is focussed and determined. Watching him bat is so entertaining. It's great for us and it's a plus point for Australia to have him perform like this .

Global T20 Canada League to begin in July last week

The power-hitters from the West Indies such as Andre Russell and Chris Gayle are expected to compete in the second edition of Global T20 Canada league, scheduled to begin in July in Brampton, the organisers announced Saturday. Some of the other marquee players like Darren Sammy, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Lynn, Lasith Malinga and David Miller are also expected to make a come-back this year. "We had to postpone the dates of the tournament due to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 which will surely give us more time to prepare the event in a better way. We are in talks with all the teams and players and hoping for most of the them to return in a most competitive way," said Gurmeet Singh from Bombay Sports Company, who is the promoter of the league. In the inaugural season, Vancouver Knights emerged Champions in had six-team League.

CSK win the toss against KXIP, will bat first (Toss)

Chennai Super Kings have won the toss and decided to bat first against Kings XI Punjab in their Indian Premier League match at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.

CSK win toss, elect to bat against Kings XI

Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat first against Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier League match here Saturday. CSK made three changes, handing Scott Kuggeleijn his IPL debut besides bringing in Harbhajan Singh and Faf du Plessis in place of injured Dwyane Bravo, Mohit Sharma and Shardul Thakur. Kings XI have brought back Chris Gayle and Andrew Tye in place of Hardus Viljoen and Mujeeb ur Rahman. Teams: Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Scott Kuggeleijn, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir. Kings XI Punjab: Ravichandran Ashwin (C), KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, David Miller, Sam Curran, Murugan Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Mohammed Shami.

CSK win toss, elect to bat against Kings XI

Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat first against Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier League match here Saturday. CSK made three changes, handing Scott Kuggeleijn his IPL debut besides bringing in Harbhajan Singh and Faf du Plessis in place of injured Dwyane Bravo, Mohit Sharma and Shardul Thakur. Kings XI have brought back Chris Gayle and Andrew Tye in place of Hardus Viljoen and Mujeeb ur Rahman. Teams: Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Scott Kuggeleijn, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir. Kings XI Punjab: Ravichandran Ashwin (C), KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, David Miller, Sam Curran, Murugan Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Mohammed Shami.

Ranveer Singh trains with Kapil Dev for '83'

Bollywood powerhouse Ranveer Singh is leaving no stone unturned to get into his character for his upcoming film '83'.The actor is gearing up to portray the role of cricketer Kapil Dev in the film and is training with none other than the former Indian skipper himself!Ranveer shared pictures from the training camp, set up in Dharamshala, on his Instagram account.In the first picture, both Kapil and Ranveer can be seen wearing blue Indian jerseys and walking on the field, with the Dhauladar mountains in the background. He captioned the snap, "Becoming the Hurricane #KapilDev #Legend #JourneyBegins@83thefilm @kabirkhankk ."The second image is quite similar to the first one but gives a closer look at the two. Ranveer captioned the image, "LEGEND! #KapilDev@83thefilm #blessed #journeybegins@kabirkhankk."A few days back, Ranveer had shared pictures with the film's entire star cast on the photo-sharing application. From Ranveer, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Saqib Saleem and Ammy Virk, Jiiva to Sahil ...

It's pretty brutal for coaches in IPL: Brad Hodge

Brad Hodge, the former Australian cricketer believes that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is pretty brutal for the coaches. Hodge previously coached Gujarat Lions and Kings XI Punjab in the tournament."It is pretty brutal (for coaches) in this part of the world (IPL). If you do not make the finals here, you pretty much pack your bags and walk out the door," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Hodge as saying.Hodge played for three different IPL teams before shifting to the coaching role. He was able to take the Gujarat Lions to the playoffs of the tournament in 2016 but failed to repeat the feat with the team in the following year.He then took on the coaching role of Kings XI Punjab in 2018. Under his coaching, the team failed to produce an inspiring performance and they finished seventh on the points table."Look, it is pretty cut-throat here actually... I sort of said to the Kings XI Punjab (owners), 'How do you define success? What do you actually want to do?' You haven't won in ten years, so if ..

KXIP physio reveals Gayle's secret for longevity

While cricketers like India skipper Virat Kohli are regularly seen hitting the gym and lifting weights to work on their fitness, someone like Universe Boss Chris Gayle is hardly seen doing weight training. But at 39 years and 197 days, he is one of the oldest players plying his trade in the Indian Premier League. So how does he match the fitness of players who are almost 8-10 years younger to him?

Anup Kumar new head coach of Pune

Puneri Palton has appointed ex-India captain Anup Kumar, as the new head coach for the upcoming season 7 of Pro Kabaddi League. Anup Kumar, who had led India to the men's kabaddi team golds in the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games, retired as a player in season 6 of the league, a media release said on Sunday. Anup, who made his India debut in 2006 at the South Asian Games, had also led the country to the Kabaddi World Cup title in 2016. "Kabaddi is my first love and I have given everything for the sport. As a coach, this will be my first stint and I will concentrate on improving our team's skills, fitness and presence of mind on the mat," said Anup. Speaking on the appointment Kailash Kandpal, CEO of Puneri Paltan, said, "Anup is vastly experienced in the PKL format and known for his cool and calm composure. We are banking on his expertise to implement new tactics this season for our team.

Patel addresses AFC congress on behalf of president Salman

If his election to the FIFA Council was not unprecedented enough, India's Praful Patel Saturday also addressed the delegation for the 29th Asian Football Confederation congress on behalf of its president. After becoming the first Indian to be inducted into the prestigious FIFA Council, Patel addressed delegates on behalf of the AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who was mourning the demise of his mother. "I am extremely honoured at the level of support and trust that you have invested in me to lead the Asian football family again in the next four years," Patel said on behalf of Shaikh Salman. "I am sure that with your continued support and solidarity, we can all take Asian football to even greater heights. "And to all those elected for the various roles FIFA Council, AFC Vice President, Female representatives and AFC Executive Committee congratulations." The Congress re-elected Shaikh Salman by acclamation as AFC president for a second four-year term until ...

Canada T20 league's Indian owner ready for Euro bait

After the success of the Global T20 Canada, league owner Gurmeet Singh is now set to take up the challenge of popularising the game in Europe. The man behind getting the big names to ply their trade in Canada will be a part of the Euro T20 slam -- co-hosted by Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland and Cricket Netherlands.

Ahead of World Cup, Ross Taylor to play in Royal London One Day Cup 2019

New Zealand cricketer Ross Taylor will feature in the Royal London One-Day Cup with Middlesex ahead of the making his fourth appearance in the International Cricket Council (ICC) men's Cricket World Cup.Taylor will make his debut against Surrey at The Oval on 25 April and is expected to play at least five matches in the tournament. However, Taylor will not play the final which is scheduled on 25 May at Lord's Cricket Ground.Bryan Stronach, the New Zealand GM of high performance, is of the opinion that his participation in the tournament will enhance his World Cup preparation."It's a good opportunity for Ross, and both Gary Stead [coach] and I agree playing competitive cricket in English conditions will only enhance his World Cup preparation," ICC quoted Stronach as saying."Ross is a very experienced player who knows what works best for him and in turn will be best for the BLACKCAPS," he added.New Zealand will commence their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka in Cardiff on June 1.

Won't break promise to meet I-League clubs: Patel

Newly-elected FIFA council member Praful Patel, on Saturday said he will use his position in the world body for the greater good of Indian football.

I will always carry that: Ben Stokes on Bristol incident

England all-rounder, Ben Stokes has expressed his fear of losing his career after the Bristol incident, in September 2017, where he was involved in a fight outside a nightclub and said that he will always carry that."No matter what happens in life with me now, the Bristol thing will always be there. It's something I'll always carry with me. It'll always be there. Always," ESPN cricinfo quoted Ben Stokes as saying.Stokes missed last year's Ashes tour of Australia after being suspended by the ECB and the case concluded in December last year.While expressing his fear of losing his career, the 27-year old said, "I was that close to my career ending and being thrown away just like that."Stokes is also looking at the positives from the fight as he said that the incident could have been the best thing that has happened to him, in terms of the way he thinks."It sounds silly but, could Bristol have been the best thing that could have happened to me? Who knows. But maybe in terms of my way of ..

Praful Patel becomes the first Indian in FIFA Executive Council

Praful Patel, president of All India Football Federation (AIFF), has become the first Indian to be elected as a member of FIFA Executive Council.Patel got 38 votes out of the total 46 votes, which only shows how highly he is regarded by the fellow Asian nations.Patel, who serves as a Senior Vice President at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), was one of the eight candidates vying for the spot in the election, which was held during the 29th AFC Congress in Kuala Lampur in Malaysia on Saturday."Mr Patel's victory is a landmark for Indian Football. Congratulations to Mr Patel as he fully deserves this honour. His leadership has taken Indian football to higher heights. Asian Football will immensely benefit from his presence as a FIFA Council member," Goal.com quoted Subrata Dutta, senior Vice-President of the AIFF, as saying.Patel's presence in the FIFA Executive Council will give India a much stronger voice at the International stage. Also, it will improve India's relation with the .

Rajasthan to battle it out with rampaging Knight Riders

High on confidence after their maiden victory, Rajasthan Royals will look to carry the momentum by exploiting familiar conditions when they host a rampaging Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL here Sunday. The visitors will also be brimming with confidence with their batsmen Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Robin Uthappa and Shubhman Gill in top form. Rajasthan bowlers Jofra Archer, Jaidev Unadkat and Ben Stokes have leaked runs in the death overs. They will have to rethink their strategy after Russell's sensational display of power hitting (48 off 13 balls) against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The biggest positive for the Royals has been Sherays Gopal, who, with his googlies, deceived the likes of Virat Kohli, A B Dvilliers and Shimron Hetmyer, finishing off with 3 for 12. Despite the victory against RCB, Royals will still look to iron out certain flaws which have plagued them recently.They have often failed to grab moments losing to Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super ...