Author: Abhishek Shukla

Owner of Sports India Live.
by Abhishek Shukla

Rani & Saurabh Chaudhary bag Sports Person of the Year Awards at the FICCI India Sports Awards 2019

11 December 2019, New Delhi: Indian Women’s Hockey Team Captain Rani, and 2018 Asian Games Gold Medalist in shooting Saurabh Chaudhary, bagged the grandest honours at the FICCI India Sports Awards 2019 as they won the Sports Person of the Year Awards at the grandeur ceremony held at the FICCI Federation House in New Delhi on Wednesday evening.

The coveted FICCI India Sports Awards are an attempt by FICCI to acknowledge and recognize the contribution of sports persons and various stakeholders who deliver excellent results during the year. The event was graced by the presence of Honorable Minister of Sports, Government of Odisha Shri Tusharkanti Behera and Secretary-cum-Commissioner, Department of Sports & Youth Services, Government of Odisha Shri Vishal Kumar Dev, who presented the awards to the winners.

The FICCI India Sports Awards 2019 have been conferred by a jury headed by Mr. Mukul Mudgal, Retired Indian Judge, Delhi High Court, and Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Please find below the final list of awardees of the FICCI India Sports Awards 2019 –

Best Company Promoting Sports (Public Sector) –

Central Coalfields Limited

Railway Sports Promotion Board

Best Company Promoting Sports (Private Sector) –

Centre for Sports Science

Best NGO Promoting Sports –

Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society

Special Recognition NGO Promoting Sports –

My Angels Academy

Best Professional Services Company –

The Sports School

Best Sports Start-up –

FanCode Powered by Dream11

Best National Sports Federation –

National Rifle Association of India

Sports Person of the Year (Female) –

Rani Rampal

Sports Person of the Year (Male) –

Saurabh Chaudhary

Para-Athlete of the Year –

Sandeep Chaudhary

Special Recognition Para-Athlete of the Year –

Manasi Joshi

Breakthrough Sports Person of the Year –

Amit Panghal

Special Recognition Breakthrough Sports Person of the Year –

Esow Alben

Coach or Support Staff of the Year –

Satyanarayana

Lifetime Achievement Award (Administrator) –

Govindaraj Kempareddy

Lifetime Achievement Award (Athlete) –

Pankaj Advani

Best State Promoting Sports –

Odisha

Best Sports Journalist –

Kamesh Srinivasan

Special Recognition on the theme of Building New India Through Sports & Fitness –Chitharesh Natesam – India’s First Mr Universe

by Abhishek Shukla

Odisha inch closer to top half with Hyderabad win

Pune, December 11: A 10-man Odisha FC picked up their second win of the season as they overcame Hyderabad FC 3-2 in the Hero Indian Super League match at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Wednesday.

Carlos Delgado (27′) and Xisco Hernandez (41′) gave Odisha a first-half lead before Bobo (65′) scored from the spot to set up a nervy finish to the game. Odisha were awarded a penalty of their own at the other end, which Martin Guedes converted to secure the three points. Rohit Kumar (89′) pulled one back at the death for the home side.

Odisha had Vinit Rai sent off for a second bookable offence in the 65th minute but they soldiered on for the rest of the match.

After eight matches, Odisha are sixth on the table with nine points while Hyderabad are at the bottom with four points.

The hosts’ intent to get off the mark quickly was evident as they pressed high up the field in a bid to launch one attack after another. Aridane Santana flicked a good cross-field ball by Diawandou Diagne into the path of Nandhakumar Sekar who was dispossessed by Adil Khan with a brilliant tackle just before the winger could get a shot away.

The intensity bore fruit as Xisco, who was ever-present in midfield, set up the first goal with a dangerous in-swinging delivery from a corner. Goalkeeper Kamaljit failed to punch the ball away and Delgado made full use of the chance to head home the opening goal.

A curling effort from Robin Singh flew inches wide as Hyderabad attempted to equalise but it was the home team who struck again before the break. The creator turned scorer as Xisco initiated a threatening move from the centre and passed it to Jerry Mawihmingthanga who returned the favour with a pin-point cross that the Spaniard slotted home from inside the box.

Odisha continued to threaten to add to their tally. Xisco was afforded a great chance to put the game to bed soon after the break when he was fed through by Jerry. The Spaniard attempted a dipping strike that flew wide of the target. Nandhakumar latched onto a diagonal from the deep, cut inside from the left flank and struck powerfully only to be denied by the crossbar.

Odisha were jolted when Vinit Rai handled the ball inside the box, conceded a penalty and was sent off for picking up a second yellow. Bobo made no mistake from 12 yards to give his team a chance to get back into the game.

Hyderabad’s hopes of a comeback were soon ended as Giles Barnes fouled substitute Martin Guedes and conceded a spot-kick at the other end. The Argentine stepped up and coolly slotted into the net to take the game away from Phil Brown’s men.

Hyderabad reduced the deficit in the 89th minute when a hopeful cross into the box by Gurtej Singh was headed in by Rohit Kumar but it was nothing more than a consolation.

by Abhishek Shukla

Hockey India Disciplinary Committee takes stringent decisions during their two-day meeting in New Delhi

New Delhi, 10 November 2019: The Hockey India Disciplinary Committee Meeting chaired by Bhola Nath Singh, who is also the Vice President of Hockey India, on Tuesday unanimously decided to suspend players from Punjab Armed Police for a period of 12-18 months while players from Punjab National Bank have been suspended for 6-12 months respectively following the recent violence that broke out during the Final of 56th Nehru Senior Hockey Tournament (Men) between Punjab Armed Police and Punjab National Bank, clearly violating the Hockey India/ Hockey India League Code of Conduct. 

The two-day Hockey India Disciplinary Committee Meeting was chaired by Bhola Nath Singh and attended by Members of the Committee Harbinder Singh and Elena Norman, who is also the CEO of Hockey India, included invitees Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad, President Hockey India, and Rajinder Singh, Secretary General Hockey India. 

The Committee placed Punjab Armed Police players Hardeep Singh and Jaskaran Singh under an 18 months suspension while Dupinderdeep Singh, Jagmeet Singh, Sukhpreet Singh, Sarvanjit Singh and Balwinder Singh have been suspended for 12 months with effect from 11 December 2019 for their involvement the Level 3 offence under Hockey India/ Hockey India League Code of Conduct. Punjab Armed Police Team Manager Amit Sandhu was suspended for 18 months for a Level 3 offence and it was also recommended that the Punjab Police Team be placed under three months suspension and not be eligible to play in any of the All India Tournaments with effect from 10 March 2020 to 9 June 2020 (following the expiry of their suspension due to participation in an unsanctioned tournament). 

Players from Punjab National Bank Sukhjeet Singh, Gursimran Singh and Sumit Toppo have been suspended for 12 months while the team skipper Jasbir Singh has been suspended for six months as the Captain is also responsible for the team’s conduct while the Punjab National Bank Team Manager Sushil Kumar Dubey too has been suspended for six months due to his team’s inability to follow the Hockey India/ Hockey India League Code of Conduct and sanctions.  It was also recommended that the Punjab National Bank Team be placed under three months suspension and not be eligible to play in any of the All India Tournaments with effect from 11 December 2020 to 10 March 2020. 

After reviewing the report submitted by the Tournament Director and also having viewed the video evidence in the presence of players involved in the offence, Chairman of the Hockey India Disciplinary Committee Bhola Nath Singh expressed great disappointment over such an incident that reflects poorly on Indian hockey. 

Further it was unanimously agreed by the Committee that all the above players would be on further probation for a period of 24 months after the expiry of their sanctions and any breaches of Hockey India / Hockey India League Code of Conduct during this probation period would constitute an immediate Level 3 offence and the individual will automatically be suspended for a period of 24 months. 

Players from Hockey Rajnandgaon and Hockey Bilaspur too suspended 

On Monday, the Hockey India Disciplinary Committee unanimously decided to suspend players from Hockey Rajnandgaon for nine months and also reprimanded Hockey Bilaspur players with three months suspension with effect from 10 December 2019 following the on-ground violence that resulted in breach of Hockey India/ Hockey India League Code of Conduct during the recently held 4th Chhattisgarh Senior Men State Championship 2019-2020. 

The first day of the meeting on 9 December 2019 attended by Hockey India Disciplinary Committee Chairman Bhola Nath Singh and Members Elena Norman, Harbinder Singh and included invitee Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad, President Hockey India.

Hockey Rajnandgaon Captain Mithlesh Pandiya is placed under three months suspension while Sandeep Yadav, Taufik Ahmad, Sukhdev Niramalkar have been suspended for nine months. Rajesh Nirmalkar (who also officiated as umpire) was let-off with a warning for playing and officiating in the same tournament while Sabbir Solanki, Team Manager of Hockey Rajnandgaon was placed under 3 months suspension for a Level 2 offence. 

Bilaspur Hockey Captain Omkar Yadav and Team Manager Ikhlak Ali have been suspended for three months for committing Level 2 offence while Louis Tirkey has been suspended for six months as he committed a Level 3 offence under the Hockey India/ Hockey India League Code of Conduct. 

The Tournament Director Kishore Dihwar too was punished with a three months suspension for failing to perform his duties, Umpire Shakeel Ahmad was awarded 12 months suspension.

Further it was unanimously agreed that all the above involved players, officials and state member unit would be on probation for a period of 12 months after the expiry of their sanctions and any breaches of the Hockey India / Hockey India League Code of Conduct during this probation period would constitute an immediate Level 3 offence and the individual will automatically be suspended for a period of 12 months.

Warning against Hockey Jammu & Kashmir 

In another hearing, the Hockey India Disciplinary Committee issued a warning against Hockey Jammu & Kashmir for not managing the State in proper manner in respect of Sarbat Daa Bhalaa Hockey Tournament held from 20 October to 26 October in Jammu since the conduct of the tournament was in violation of the Hockey India Policy on sanctioned and unsanctioned tournaments. All the teams and coaches who took part in the Sarbat Daa Bhalaa Hockey Tournament too faced the brunt of a 3 months sanction while the officials have been awarded 6 months sanction under the FIH/ Hockey India Policy for Sanctioned and Unsanctioned Tournaments. 

Teams that were sanctioned for 3 months due to participation in this unsanctioned tournament include:

Punjab Armed Police, Jalandhar
Gurdaspur Hockey, Punjab
Khadur Sahib Academy, Punjab
SGPC Academy, Amritsar
CoachSurjeet Academy, Jalandhar
Punjab & Sind Bank, Jalandhar
EME, Jalandhar
Peaks Auto Ltd. (Peaks XI Jammu)
J&K Police
Pathankot XI, Punjab
Punjab State Power Ltd., Patiala
Khalsa Club, Gole Gujral, Jammu
BSF, Jammu
Guru Nanak Club Nanak Nagar, Jammu

Technical Officials that were sanctioned for 6 months due to participation in this unsanctioned tournament include:

Mr. Satvir Singh SattiTournament Director, Sarbat Da Bhalaa Hockey Tournament
Mr. Ashwani Bhatti (EME Jalandhar)Match Official,Sarbat Da Bhalaa Hockey Tournament
Mr. Jagjit Singh Kheera (EME Jalandhar)Match Official,Sarbat Da Bhalaa Hockey Tournament
Mr. Manjit Singh (Punjab State Electricity Board)Match Official,Sarbat Da Bhalaa Hockey Tournament
Mr. Manjit Singh(J&K Police)Match Official,Sarbat Da Bhalaa Hockey Tournament
Mr. Iqbal Singh(J&K Police)Match Official,Sarbat Da Bhalaa Hockey Tournament
Mr. Charanjit SinghCoach,J&K Police
Mr. Gurjit SinghAssistant CoachJ&K Police
Mr. Jagjit Singh(J&K Sports Council)Match Official,Sarbat Da Bhalaa Hockey Tournament
Mr. Dalbir Mehta(J&K Sports Council)Match Official,Sarbat Da Bhalaa Hockey Tournament
Mr. Dalvinder Singh(J&K Sports Council)Match Official,Sarbat Da Bhalaa Hockey Tournament
Mr. Karanjit Singh(Youth & Services Sports Department, J&K)Match Official,Sarbat Da Bhalaa Hockey Tournament
Mr. Jagjit Singh Reen(Youth & Services Sports Department, J&K)Match Official,Sarbat Da Bhalaa Hockey Tournament

Committee calls on RSPB & Northern Railways Sports Association to take action in long-pending disciplinary issue 

After reviewing the complete details provided regarding the case of player Ajay Yadav and RSPB in breach of the Code of Conduct as the player participated in the 96th All India Trades Cup Hockey Tournament 2018, held from 17 June – 24 June 2018 under a forged name of Akhilesh Yadav DOB 16/04/1996, the Committee unanimously agreed that since RSPB and Northern Railways Sports Association have now commenced appropriate action against the individuals that have breached the Code of Conduct that no further action will be taken against RSPB or Northern Railways Sports Association as long as due process in completed in regards to the disciplinary action initiated as per the letter of Northern Railways Sports Association dated 9 December 2019. The action of RSPB and Northern Railways Sports Association is required to be intimated to Hockey India by or before 8 June 2O2O in order for Hockey India to close the matter.

by Abhishek Shukla

Odisha to host Hyderabad, both looking for a second win

Pune, December 10:  Odisha FC and Hyderabad FC will eye their second win in the Hero Indian Super League as the two sides come face-to-face at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Wednesday.

The teams have not exactly hit the ground running and find themselves in the wrong half of the table. While Odisha have six points from seven games and are placed seventh, Hyderabad are rock-bottom with just four points.

The teams have struggled in front of goal as they have only two goals to show from their last four outings.

In their last four matches, Odisha FC have only managed to garner a single point which was away to Chennaiyin FC. Coach Josep Gombau has time and again spoken of his preference to play an expansive brand of football and not giving importance to yielding results through a pragmatic approach.

“Tomorrow is a crucial match. It is a massive game for us. It’s all or nothing. We are with a chance to get to nine points and we are close to fighting for the play-offs as well. It is important to take this mentality and not add pressure on yourselves,” said Gombau.

The Spanish coach would take heart from their performance against Bengaluru FC last week where they created numerous chances to not just equalize but pick three points. However, as has been their story, they have been wasteful in front of goal. The likes of Xisco Hernandez, Jerry Mawihmingthanga have created chances galore but the conversion rate has not been great.

Set-pieces have been an issue for the home side as four out of the nine goals they have conceded have come through free-kicks or corner-kicks.

Hyderabad FC coach Phil Brown has his hands full as he needs to get his team up and running following their 1-0 defeat to FC Goa. What would make matters worse is that Marcelinho, their star performer, is suspended for the tie after having accumulated four yellow cards.

Their away form is nothing to be proud of. Of the 14 goals against them, 10 have come on the road. But Brown projects a confident picture ahead of the Odisha game, emphasising that his team is about to turn a corner.

“We respect Odisha, their coach and players, but we are just round the corner from a good run. As a coach, it’s my responsibility to make sure that players don’t get frustrated with results because of the way we play but I don’t think they are [frustrated].

“Odisha enjoy keeping possession in their games but possession doesn’t necessarily win you games, taking the opportunities certainly does and that’s what we will be trying to do tomorrow (Wednesday) night,” said Brown.

The good news for Brown is that centre-back Gurtej Singh and left-back Sahil Panwar are back in contention for a start. But influential midfielder Marko Stankovic will miss the game after suffering a hamstring tear in Hyderabad’s previous game against FC Goa.

It’s a battle between the underdogs and a win is something the teams desperately seek.

by Abhishek Shukla

ISL 2019/20: Chennaiyin tread tricky waters for first away win

Guwahati, December 11: NorthEast United will be keen to get back to winning ways when they face the Chennaiyin FC challenge at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati on Thursday evening.

The Highlanders have been winless in their last three games and were taken to the cleaners by league leaders ATK with a 3-0 drubbing on home soil. The manner in which Roy Krishna and David Williams exposed NorthEast’s problems at the back, especially in the left-back slot would leave coach Robert Jarni worried.

It must be mentioned that on each of the three times NorthEast have conceded the first goal, they have failed to pick three points.

Jarni will likely be without star striker Asamoah Gyan for this fixture which would mean Maximilliano Barrero would be handed a rare start alongside Martin Chaves.

“Gyan is very important to us but we have many players. I don’t know if he will play the next game but we have other good players in the team,” said the Croatian.

Chennaiyin FC would be just one training session old since their 1-1 draw to Jamshedpur FC. Coach Owen Coyle still hasn’t had enough time to inculcate or communicate his ideas to the players which also means that the John Gregory hangover would continue for another game.

They have made it a habit of conceding late goals, a trend which has been going for the last four matches. Each time, they concede the first goal, Chennaiyin FC have gone on to lose.

Masih Saighani picked up a knock in their last game and Coyle may replace the Afghanistan midfielder with Germanpreet Singh. They would continue to rely on Nerijus Valskis who has scored four goals in his last three matches.

What Coyle needs is for his team to not lose focus in the final quarter of the game and that they make better decisions when in good attacking positions.

“We do not fear anyone, we are respectful towards anyone. If we give our best, we can win a game,” said the former Wigan manager.

Guwahati hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Chennaiyin FC who have won just once in five attempts. Coyle would certainly look for a turnaround in their fortunes if they are to move upwards on the table.

by Abhishek Shukla

Indian women’s Squash wins Gold at South Asian Games

Kathmandu: India added one more gold and a silver to the medal’s tally on Tuesday at the end of the Squash events in the South Asian Games being held here.

On the final day, the men’s and women’s teams played their final and decisive round robin league matches and while the women beat Pakistan 2-1 for the gold, the men counterparts went down to Pakistan 1-2 to settle for the silver. The highlight of the women team’s triumph was the resolute show of Tanvi Khanna, who came on to the court with the tie score 1-1. Though a touch of uncertainty caught up with her briefly, Tanvi defeated Faiza Zafar over four games to signal India’s second gold in squash. The first gold had come through Tanvi in the singles event held prior to the team event competition. For India, Sunayna Kuruvilla played the first match and she put India 1-0 up after beating Moqadaas Ashraf. However Sanya Vats failed against Madina Zafar and went down fighting. The stage was then set for Tanvi to take the lead role and she turned the star performer.

Later in the men’s competition, Harinder Pal Sandhu could not stand up to Tayyab Aslam and put India in the defensive. Even though Abhishek Pradhan then made amends by beating Muhammad Asim Khan over five well contested games. The win did not inspire Abhay Singh coming next and he lost to Farhan Mahboob and India’s quest ended.

India thus ended its squash campaign with two golds, three silver and one bronze.

The results: Men: India lost to Pakistan 1-2 (Harinder Pal Sandhu lost to Tayyab Aslam 11-5, 6-11, 4-11, 10-12; Abhishek Pradhan beat Muhammad Asim Khan 11-9, 4-11, 11-4, 5-11, 11-4; Abhay Singh lost to Farhan Mehboob 8-11, 10-12, 5-11); Women: India bt Pakistan 2-1 (Sunayna Kuruvilla bt Moaqadaas Ashraf 11-5, 11-8, 11-9; Sanya Vats lost to Madina Zafar 9-11, 11-13, 7-11; Tanvi Khanna bt Faiza Zafar 11-5, 4-11, 11-4, 11-5)

by Abhishek Shukla

FICCI all set to organize its 9th Global Sports Summit “TURF 2019” Powered by FIT INDIA

9th  December 2019, New Delhi: After the successful execution of the summits previous 8 editions, FICCI returns with the highly prestigious Global Sports Summit “TURF” which is slated to be held at the FICCI, Federation house New Delhi on the 11th December, 2019.  This will be the 9th edition of the Global Summit which will witness esteemed sports personalities, administrators and members from the Indian sports fraternity be a part of the event.

These awards are an attempt by FICCI to acknowledge the contribution and felicitate sports achievers and the various stakeholders who co-create the evolving sports ecosystem. This is going to be a platform for strategic dialogue to bring together senior decision-makers and the who’s who of Indian and international sports industry to deliberate on profitable promotion and grassroots development of the sports in the country.

“I would like to congratulate FICCI for their outstanding effort in bringing together the entire sporting fraternity via this platform each year. We are progressing by leaps and bounds as a sporting nation, and it is essential that all stakeholders from the industry come together to discuss the roadmap ahead and galvanize all efforts in making India a sporting superpower,” said the honorable Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju.

“We are happy to be associated with the 9th Global Sports Summit as the official state partner. FICCI Turf has made tremendous efforts to build a strong sports ecosystem in India and as Odisha makes great strides in developing sports talent and infrastructure we are proud to be an integral part of the summit. With all the stakeholders coming together at one place, Indian sports will definitely build on fresh and innovative ideas in the upcoming years,” said Vishal Kumar Dev, Secretary-cum-Commissioner, Department of Sports & Youth Services, Government of Odisha.

“We are extremely delighted to host the 9th edition of ‘TURF’. At FICCI it has been our endeavor to offer a platform to all stakeholders from the sporting community, to come together and discuss the future of the industry and  innovation opportunities to build a robust and self-sustainable sports ecosystem in India,” said Deepak Jacob, Chair FICCI Sports Committee.

FICCI is successfully carrying forward its agenda of promoting sports and sports business development in India. The day-long seminar will include sessions on the Fit India movement, sports infrastructure & governance, building fan engagement, sports science and technology amongst others. The session will conclude with the coveted, India Sports Awards honoring excellence in the field of sports across catagories. The awards have been conferred by a jury headed by Mr. Mukul Mudgal retired Indian judge, Delhi High Court and Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The event is powered by FIT INDIA, Partner State: Odisha Government, Summit Partner: Star India, Brand Partners: Tata & Edelweiss

INDIA SPORTS AWARDS –

The Award categories for industry include

·        Best Company Promoting Sports (Public Sector)

·        Best Company promoting sports (Private Sector)

·        Best NGO

·        Best Professional Services Company

·        Best Start-up

The Award categories for federations / players include

·        Best National Sports Federation

·        Sports Person of the Year

·        Para sports person of the year

·        Breakthrough Sports person of the year

·        Comeback of the year

·        Coach or support staff of the year 

·        Team of the year

·        Life time achievement award

by Abhishek Shukla

X1 Racing League | Mumbai Falcons soar high with a double

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZv9Bk5bQt4

Chennai, December 8: Mumbai Falcons, represented by Kush Maini and Mikkel Jensen (Denmark), won two of the three races while Bangalore Racing Stars tandem of Arjun Maini and Oliver Webb (England) took the honours in the other outing as the curtains came down on the inaugural franchise-based XI Racing League at the MMRT, here today.

The first race of the day, won by Bangalore, took a heavy toll with six cars packing up due to mechanical reasons. It left a six-car grid for the second and third races, but that did not take anything away from Mumbai’s double.

The Race-1 was interrupted by a Safety Car period after one of the cars blew the engine. Bangalore started fourth on the grid behind Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, but with some smart tactics managed to pull ahead. The teams were required to make a mandatory driver change between ninth and 14th minutes window and Bangalore, powered by Arjun Maini and England’s Oliver Webb got it spot on and then held off a late charging Mumbai (Kush Maini and Mikkel Jensen) to win the race. Hyderabad (Vitantonio Liuzzi-Gosia Rdest) completed the podium.

The second race began on reverse grid of the previous race standings. As such, Delhi’s Gaurav Gill, the three times Asia Pacific Rally champion, started from pole and led until he pitted for Raghul Rangasamy to take over. Rangasamy maintained the track position to finish second behind Mumbai Falcons (Kush Maini and Jensen). Bangalore Racing Stars who had started fifth, came in third.

Mumbai Falcons went on to complete a double later in the evening, finishing on top in Race-3 ahead of Bangalore Racing Stars and Blackbirds Hyderabad.

The results (Provisional):

Race-1: 1. Bengaluru Racing Stars (Arjun Maini / Oliver Webb) (27mins, 23.458secs); 2. Mumbai Falcons (Kush Maini / Michel Jensen) (27:24.018); 3. Blackbirds Hyderabad (Vitantonio Liuzzi / Gosia Rdest) (27:28.969).

Race-2: 1. Mumbai Falcons (28:02.222); 2. AD Racing Delhi (Gaurav Gill / Raghul Rangasamy) (28:21.637); 3. Bangalore Racing Stars (28:25.847).

Race-3: 1. Mumbai Falcons (27:59.175); 2. Bangalore Racing Stars (28:03.838); 3. Blackbirds Hyderabad (Luizzi / Akhil Rabindra) (28:28.382).

by Abhishek Shukla

Vikram Malhotra won his 11th PSA title in Florida

Florida: India’s Vikram Malhotra annexed his 11th PSA title after winning the $ 12000 Life Time Betty Griffin memorial squash tournament, a PSA challenger event here late on Sunday. The top seeded Indian beat the sixth seeded Jesus Camacho of Mexico in the final 11-6, 11-6, 11-4.

Interestingly it was here in Florida that Vikram had won his first PSA title back in 2015. With his latest success, Vikram has also the highest number of PSA titles for an Indian male player. Ncidentally both Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal Karthik have 11 titles each in the women’s category.

The Indian had a comfortable start in getting past Anthony Rogal of England in the first round, then struggled a little against Leandro Romiglio of Argentina next in the quarters before winning in four games. Third seed Mazen Gamal of Egypt did not prove a push over in the semi-final, with the 84 minute match ending 11-9, 12-14, 11-3, 11-9 in Vikram’s favour.

by Abhishek Shukla

India bag a gold, two silver and a bronze in squash individual

Kathmandu: India finished with a gold, two silver and a bronze medal in the squash individual events which concluded on Sunday in the South Asian Games being held here. The team events get underway later in the day.

The gold medal for India came in the women’s singles which in any case was not a surprise with both the finalists being top seed Sunayna Kuruvilla and second seed Tanvi Khanna. The surprise was that it was Tanvi who won, after a dramatic reversal of form. Where Tanvi, ever keen to put in her best, seemed her usual self, Sunanya for a change looked a touch overawed by the occasion. Sunayna looking a little lethargic in the front helped Tanvi to make the most of the rival’s discomfiture. Playing her shots with confidence and pushing Sunayna around, Tanvi grabbed the chance to script a 11-8, 9-11, 12-10, 11-5 win and cover herself with glory. Sunayna took the silver medal.

In the men’s match involving the Pakistani top seed Tayyab Aslam and India’s Harinder Pal Sandhu, the Indian looked a touch jaded after the long match overnight. Though his characteristic fight surfaced, Tayyab looked lot more agile to dictate the tempo leaving Harinder to do all the retrievals. Even though Harinder grabbed the first game, the fortunes swung from there in favour of Tayyab. The Pakistan player ensured a 8-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-8 win for the gold. Harinder settled for the silver medal. As the losing semi-finalist, Abhay Singh earned the bronze medal.

The team events in both sections are to be played on a round robin basis.

by Abhishek Shukla

Team events in Squash of the SAG got underway today

Kathmandu: India began its campaign on a positive note, winning its opening matches in the round-robin league in both the men’s and women’s section in the Squash team event of the South Asian Games here on Sunday.

The men beat Nepal 3-0 and the women too chalked out an identical margin win over Nepal again.

The results: Men: India bt Nepal 3-0 (Abhay Singh bt Arhant Simha 11-6, 11-4,11-8; Abhishek Pradhan bt Amir Belinda 11-3, 11-5, 11-1; Abhishek Agarwal bt Dipak Thapa 11-3, 11-1, 11-1); Women: India bt Nepal 3-0 (Tanvi Khanna bt Krishna Thapa 11-2,11-5, 11-6; Sanya Vats bt Bhavana Sunuwar 11-4, 11-2, 11-3; Urwashi Joshi bt Bipana Bhlon 11-4, 11-5, 11-2)

by Abhishek Shukla

Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team win 3-Nations Tournament despite 1-2 loss to Australia

Canberra (Australia), 08 December 2019: The Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team on Sunday won the 3-Nations Tournament in Australia as they finished top of the points table despite suffering their first loss of the competition. The Indian team lost 1-2 to hosts Australia in their fourth and final match of the competition which saw India’s Gagandeep Kaur score in the 53rd minute to cancel out Abigail Wilson’s strike in the 15th minute. However, the Australian youngster scored yet again in the 56th minute to give her team a 2-1 win.

It was a difficult first period for the Indian team as they were constantly put under pressure by the hosts. The visitors had some chances of their own inside the first 15 minutes but the chance of the first quarter fell to the hosts, who managed to make the most of it. It was in the 15th minute that Australia were awarded a Penalty Corner, and it was Abigail Wilson who stepped up for the hosts to make it 1-0.

India tried to make up ground in the second quarter, but some resolute defending by the home team meant that the visitors could not equalize inside the second quarter. The Indians had a Penalty Corner in the 22nd minute, but could not force it on target. Another Penalty Corner for India in the 26th minute saw Australia’s Hannah Astbury make a diving save to help her team retain their one-goal lead. Two minutes later, Australia had a glorious chance of extending their lead to two goals through a Penalty Stroke, but India’s Goalkeeper Bichu Devi Kharibam made a fine save to keep the score down to 0-1 at the half-time break.

A similar story unfolded in the third quarter with neither side able to score. Both the teams had chances through Penalty Corners in the third period, but some good defending by both the sides meant that the outcome of the match would be decided in the last period. India had a couple of Penalty Corners in the third period but were denied by Australia’s Astbury.

However, the start of the fourth quarter was different for India as they put the hosts under pressure from the start, and that resulted in the visitors winning themselves a Penalty Corner in the 53rd minute. It was India’s Gagandeep Kaur who stepped up to take the execution, and scored past Astbury to equalize for India. But India could not stay on level terms for too long as three minutes later, it was Australia’s Abigail Wilson who scored her second goal of the match through a Penalty Corner to snatch a 2-1 lead. India tried to equalize for the second time during the remaining four minutes, but could not make the most of their chances as Australia registered a 2-1 win.

Despite suffering their first loss of the 3-Nations Tournament, the Indian team won the competition by finishing top of the points table with a tally of seven points from four matches, ahead of hosts Australia on goal difference, with New Zealand finishing third with only three points from their four matches.

by Abhishek Shukla

“Grateful to be ending 2019 with a very positive mindset,” says Indian Men’s Hockey Team’s drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh

Bhubaneswar, 06 November 2019: With the year coming to a close, it has been a positive one for Indian Men’s Hockey team’s drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh, who made a comeback to the side when he took part in the team’s Tour of Belgium and then the crucial FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Odisha held in November. With a return of two goals and some brilliant defending, the drag-flicker returned to the side with some impressive performances, and helped his team qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“I think 2018 was a relatively tough year for me because I was not getting into the side, and missed some major tournaments. It was a really difficult experience but these tough phases transform you into a better player, and a wiser human being. I realized that I needed to work on some areas after I had sustained a major injury, but I am really grateful to be ending 2019 with a very positive mindset, and looking forward to achieving great things with this bunch of players in the next 7-8 months,” said the 29-year-old.

“It was a journey of constant hard work on the ground and in the gym, and I am really pleased with the way I have been able to make a comeback. The most important thing for me was to make sure that I contribute to the team performing to the best of our abilities, and I think we are gradually getting to a level which can help us compete for the top prizes. It is an important year in the lives of a lot of players in the world because we have the Olympic Games this upcoming year, and I am really looking forward to making my country proud,” added the drag-flicker. 

Currently in Bhubaneswar for the Indian Men’s Hockey Team’s Training and Conditioning Camp, Rupinder says that the focus on the current camp has been on individual improvements rather than plotting out strategies for the FIH Hockey Pro League or Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. “We had these four weeks of camp to focus on our individual development, improvement and growth. The coaching staff has been putting in all the hard work to make sure that all the 34 players in the National Camp are working on specific areas of concern for each player – starting from the basics of the game. It is a great process because this is the only time we get to focus on individual players and improving skills, in the lead up to the Olympics. The next camp will be aimed at getting ready for the FIH Hockey Pro League, and then we will focus on strategies to face Netherlands,” said Rupinder.

Having made his debut in 2008, Rupinder was also a part of the Indian side that finished 8th at the Rio Olympics 2016, and the 29-year-old recalled the experience, “It was a great feeling to have finally represented the country at the Olympic Games. It had always been my dream to play at the Olympics, and the feeling I got playing in that atmosphere was just surreal. It is true that we did not have the best of tournaments, but that experience is something that can help us next year in Tokyo. We have improved a lot in these four years, and I believe that our team is one of the top teams in the world right now,” said the Indian who hails from Faridkot, Punjab.

The ongoing Training and Conditioning Camp of the Indian Men’s Hockey team will conclude in Bhubaneswar this Sunday, after which the team will go on a three-week break before joining the National Camp back at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium from 29th December 2019 onwards to prepare for their FIH Hockey Pro League 2020 campaign.

by Abhishek Shukla

India sweeps GOLD and Silver medal at South Asian Games Table tennis event

Jammu, December 6: Anthony Amalraj defeated compatriot Harmeet Desai 4-3 to claim the men singles title, while Sutirtha Mukherjee downed Ayhika Mukherjee 4-2 for the women singles crown to make a clean sweep of gold medals and silver medals in the 13th SAF Games in Kathmandu today.

With today’s sweep, Indian paddlers have won the maximum medals on offer at the Games—seven gold and five silver medals—to lead the medal chart.

It was a difficult start for Amalraj, who was 0-3 down in the final before overcoming Harmeet, who has had a fantastic form, 6-11, 9-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7. This was the finest comebacks in recent times for Amalraj, including on the domestic circuit. In fact, Harmeet had beaten Amalraj in the final of the Indonesian Open recently and the latter would have relished the gold won at Kathmandu after having avenged that loss.

Sutirtha, too, did not have an easy flow of things as began badly against Ayhika but soon after they won alternate games until Sutirtha pulled up her socks to take the last three games to push Ayhika to be satisfied with the silver. Sutirtha won 8-11, 11-8, 6-21, 11-4, 13-11, 11-8.

Earlier, in the semifinals, top-seed Harmeet defeated Purushottam B of Nepal 11-5, 11-4, 11-1, 11-4 and Amalraj accounted for Santoo Shrestha 11-4, 12-10, 11-8, 11-2, also of Nepal. In women’s semifinals, Sutirtha and Ayhika beat their Sri Lankan opponents, Ishara Madurangi (11-7,11-4, 11-7, 11-5) and Erandi Dilushika (11-7, 11-9, 11-4, 11-5), also in straight games to stamp their authority.

by Abhishek Shukla

Setback to Volleyball Federation of India -Status Quo to be maintained

In a serious setback to the Volleyball Federation of India, the Madras High Court, acting upon the injunction application by Baseline Ventures in Madras High Court, ordered a status quo as of 4th Dec, 2019 and gave two weeks for the two parties to come to an amicable solution. Baseline Ventures is reliably learnt to have already sent a letter to the Executive Committee of VFI asking for time & date for a meeting.

On the 18th of November, VFI had terminated the 10 year agreement with Baseline Ventures at their AGM at Jaipur and announced that they were looking to do their own volleyball league. This Madras High Court order therefore has come as a huge setback to the VFI as they will have to maintain the status quo and will not be able to approach or hold discussions with any franchises, sponsors or broadcasters for the next two weeks as they have to first strive to find a solution with Baseline. VFI had been trying to reach out to the existing franchise owners & almost all of them have shown their reluctance to do anything with VFI.

Sources at Baseline said that the order was a vindication of their stance on the totally unilateral and unjustified termination of the contract by VFI and Baseline were prepared to do whatever was best to take the PVL forward. It is a victory for volleyball lovers and players as the league had excellent reviews and engagement in its very first season in Feb 2019. The first season of the PVL had created a lot of interest in the global volleyball community and the President of the FIVB, Dr Ary Graca had even announced his presence in the final for Season 2 before the VFI had unilaterally terminated the Baseline contract.

by Abhishek Shukla

Bangalore Racing Stars and Mumbai Falcons impress in the inaugural leg of X1 Racing League held in Greater Noida

Buddh International Circuit (Greater Noida), 03 December 2019: The inaugural leg of the X1 Racing League, Powered by JK Tyre; a concept started by Indian racers Armaan Ebrahim and Aditya Patel, hit the Buddh International Circuit over the weekend, which saw team Bangalore Racing Stars, comprising of Arjun Maini, Oliver James Webb, Michelle Gatting, Nayan Chatterjee and Vishnu Prasad, win two out of the four races. The Mumbai Falcons won the other two races at the inaugural leg after brilliant performances by their team comprising of Kush Maini, Mikkel Jensen, Pippa Mann, Sohil Shah and Karthik Tharani.

The pulsating inaugural leg was summed up by Bangalore Racing Stars’ Arjun Maini, who helped his team impress during the first leg of the X1 Racing League. He said, “The X1 Racing League experience over the weekend was amazing for our team. It was the first time this unique format was put to the test, and we had to get used to this innovative style of racing which needs a very calculated approach. It gets over very quickly from a driver’s point of view, because you are not on the track for a long amount of time individually, so it is all about team strategy. There was a lot to learn from this opening weekend, and things are already looking bright for our team. I am looking forward to get back on track with the upcoming Chennai leg and maintain our lead.”

On the other hand Arjun’s brother, Kush Maini, who represented the Mumbai Falcons, did the lap record and contributed to his team bagging the fastest lap in 3 out of the 4 races. The 19-year-old said, “It was a good Day 2 for our team as things fell into place for us after a slightly disappointing Day 1. I think we deserved more wins during this opening leg of the X1 Racing League. However, we learned a lot about ourselves and adjusted our strategy accordingly over the four races, and now we are really looking forward to racing in Chennai next weekend.”

India’s first-ever Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan, who owns the NK Racing Chennai, said. “The X1 Racing League is a great concept and makes it one of the most unique racing competition in the world with the franchise-based format. I am really excited with how the first leg panned out here in New Delhi, even though our team could only produce one podium finish. However, going back to Chennai is always great and I’m really looking forward to the next leg of this great innovation in  motor-sport,” said the 42-year-old veteran.

With close to 35,000 spectators present at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida to witness the X1 Racing League on Sunday, it turned out to be a memorable opening act for co-founder Armaan Ebrahim, who expressed his delight. “All of us at the X1 Racing League are overwhelmed by the response we have received over the weekend. With extremely passionate teams and racers, we started the league with a long-term vision to develop and build motorsports in India, and I am really pleased to see how the audience has responded. We had some very close encounters during the four races, and I would like to thank and congratulate all the teams for making it an action-packed weekend,” said Armaan.

The franchise-based X1 Racing League has a total of six teams comprising of four drivers and two cars in each team. Of the four drivers in each team, there is one international male, one international female, one India international and a domestic racer involved. Each race lasts for 30 minutes and has three unique team-based race formats per day. The X1 Racing League will now continue into its second leg which will be held at the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai.

by Abhishek Shukla

Chennaiyin FC announce Owen Coyle as Head Coach

Chennai, December 3, 2019: Chennaiyin FC are happy to announce that 53-year-old Scotsman Owen Coyle has joined the Hero Indian Super League club as their new Head Coach.

Coyle, a former English Premier League manager with Burnley and Bolton Wanderers, joins CFC on a contract till the end of the season.
“I am incredibly proud to join Chennaiyin FC as Head Coach. It will be my immense privilege to join a club with so much success already in its early history with two ISL titles. I believe we possess a squad with great potential and the hunger to do well, complimented by an ardent fanbase always backing us. I can’t wait to get started,” said an elated Coyle on the phone to the CFC media team. 

“Owen (Coyle) is a renowned name in British football, with a fantastic career as both player and coach. We are really happy and excited to have him onboard. Our conversations with Owen have been really promising and we are certain he will steer us back to glory. I wish him the very best as he begins his tenure with us,” said the Chennaiyin FC co-owners jointly.
Coyle enjoyed a long and impressive career as a striker with the likes of English Premier League Bolton Wanderers along with Dundee United and Motherwell in the Scottish top flight among other clubs. A Scot by birth and an Irishman by descent, Coyle has scored more than 300 goals in his entire playing career and has also appeared at the international level with the Republic of Ireland. 

His initial coaching assignments were in Scotland with Falkirk, St. Johnstone and former club Airdrie United before moving to Burnley in the English Championship. He won them promotion to the English Premier League in his first season in-charge, beating Sheffield United in the 2008-09 Play-Off Final at Wembley.

After a two-and-a-half years at Burnley, Coyle went on to become Bolton manager in January 2010. A tenacious EPL outfit under Coyle, Bolton also reached the FA Cup semis in his first season in-charge. Awarded the Premier League Manager of the Month thrice, he later moved to Wigan Athletic in the English Championship in 2013, followed by a first stint outside Europe with Houston Dynamos in USA’s Major League Soccer (MLS) in December 2014.

He then returned to the English Championship with Blackburn Rovers in 2016. That was followed by a short spell at Ross County in Scotland before his first move now to Asia in 2019, at the helm of the two-time Hero Indian Super League champions Chennaiyin.

Coyle’s CFC journey begins with a challenging trip to Jamshedpur FC on Monday 9th December 2019 at the JRD Tata Sports Complex.

by Abhishek Shukla

Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team face New Zealand in their opening match of the 3-Nations Tournament on Wednesday

Canberra (Australia), 03 December 2019: An upbeat Indian Junior Women’s Hockey team will aim to start their 3-Nations Tournament campaign with a win when they face New Zealand in their opening match here on Wednesday. The 3-Nations Tournament taking place in the Australian Capital Canberra will see the hosts, New Zealand and India play four matches each from 03 – 08 December 2019. The Indian team, under Coach Baljeet Saini, will be aiming to utilize the much-needed exposure of playing two top teams in different conditions.

The team is scheduled to take part in the AHF Women’s Junior Asia Cup next year to be held in Japan, and Saini is expecting his team to make the most of their opportunities of playing competitive hockey. “Our target in the next year is to perform well at the AHF Women’s Junior Asia Cup which will take place in 2020. This group of players has been training with us for a fair amount of time now, and to have the opportunity of playing in Australia against two top teams is a great way to prepare for the upcoming year,” said Saini.

“We are also hoping that these four matches will give us a good idea of how the team is shaping up in terms of dealing with different scenarios that you face during a match. We have a very talented bunch of players, some of which have even represented the Senior team recently, and I am really looking forward to starting the tournament tomorrow against New Zealand,” said the Coach.

The Indian Junior Women’s Team has not played against New Zealand recently, and the Coach will be keeping his eyes on the Australia – New Zealand fixture on Tuesday to get a better idea of their opponents. “We have not come across New Zealand in any tournaments that we have participated in, in the past 3-4 years. Therefore, I will be watching the opening match between Australia and New Zealand today, and will analyse their style of play, and then speak to my team during our meetings this evening and tomorrow morning before the match. I am expecting a good run of four matches against these two sides, and it will be a good test,” he said.

With their sights set on the AHF Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2020 and the next FIH Junior Women’s World Cup, the Indian Junior Women’s Hockey team will end their year with the four matches here which will take place on December 4 against New Zealand, December 5 against Australia, December 7 against New Zealand and December 8 against Australia.

For live updates on the 3 Nations Tournament, please visit https://tms.fih.ch/competitions/1148

by Abhishek Shukla

Tough draws beckon junior title contenders in TT

Jammu, December 3: It won’t be a cakewalk for both Maharashtra A and Uttar Pradesh, the top two seeds, as they are expected to meet some of the hot contenders in each of their halves during the second stage in the 81st UTT Junior and Youth Nationals at the Indoor Hall of the M.A. Stadium here today.

Maharashtra girls, the title holders, placed in the top half can have a smooth passage up to the semi-final but could run into a rough weather if they happen to clash either Tamil Nadu or the winners of Karnataka and Maharashtra B teams. The open draw taken after the completion of group engagements suggest the top-seeded team would have to work really hard to go past the semi-final stage.

The squad would largely look up to Diya Chitale to shoulder the burden, expecting her to win both singles, and give them a semblance of chance with the support cast they have in their arsenal, including Pritha Vartikar.

Equally alarming is the situation for the No. 2 seeded squad, Uttar Pradesh, as they will have to overcome teams like either Delhi or Bengal A and Haryana, a hot favourites for the title, along with Bengal B.

UP would be banking on Radhyapriya Goel, their No. 1 player and talenten Ambika Gupta to see them through, while Haryana has two fine offensive and defensive players in Suhana Saini and Anjali Rohilla, respectively, to come up with unexpected results against their opponents. Similarly, Bengal A has the all-weather players in Poymantee Baishya and Munmun Kundu to help them go past the semi-final and even win them the gold.

As for the Junior Boys, holders and top-seed Delhi will have an envious task of arresting the progress of Bengal B, who they are expected to meet at the quarterfinal stage and Tamil Nadu during the bronze medal round. But before that they run into Telangana in the pre-quarters which have a good squad, comprising Kesavan Kannan, Sai Krishna and Sainath Reddy.

But they have the likes of Aadarsh Om Chetri, Payas Jain and Yashansh Malik to do the job. Payas, who returned only today from the Junior World Championships in Thailand—India reached the main draw there—will have no time to relax and has to get down to business straightaway.

Gujarat, who are seeded No. 2, could face Karnataka in the quarters and they would have to contend with Sujan Bharadwaj, K.J. Akash and Srikanth Kashyap, who on their day, can send the best of teams into a tizzy. If they manage to cross the last-eight hurdle, they are expected to take on Mizoram, who have two solid players in Jeho and Alberto capable of turning the tables on them.

One round each of all main draw events will begin later this evening after the Youth Boys and Youth Girls final group rounds get over.

Results (Team Events):

Junior Boys (Round 3):

Group A: Chhattisgarh bt Punjab 3-2; Group B: Gujarat bt Andaman & Nicobar 3-0; Group C: Mizoram bt Bihar 3-0, Tamil Nadu bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0; Group D: Bengal A bt Pondicherry 3-0, Maharashtra A bt Jharkhand 3-0; Group E: Karnataka bt Madhya Pradesh 3-0, Haryana bt Himachal Pradesh 30; Group F: Telangana bt Meghalaya 3-0, Uttar Pradesh bt Rajasthan 3-0; Group G: Bengal B bt Chandigarh 3-0, Goa bt Odisha 30; Group H: PSPBA bt Jammu and Kashmir 3-0, Assam bt Uttarakhand 3-0.

Junior Girls (Round 3):

Group A: Odisha bt Goa 3-0; Group B: Gujarat bt Kerala 3-1; Group C: Andhra Pradesh bt Uttarakhand 3-1; Group D: Chandigarh bt Madhya Pradesh 3-2; Group E: Haryana bt Bihar 3-0, Maharashtra B bt Himachal Pradesh 3-0; Group F: Tamil Nadu bt Meghalaya 3-0, Bengal B bt Pondicherry 3-0; Group G: Telangana bt Jharkhand 3-0, Rajasthan bt Chhattisgarh 3-1;Group H: Assam bt Jammu and Kashmir 3-0, Bengal A bt Punjab 3-1.

by Abhishek Shukla

Indian teams grab gold medals yet again in South Asian Games

Jammu, December 3: The Indian men and women paddlers claimed team gold medals for yet another time, stamping their authority in the ongoing 13th South Asian Games at Kathmandu today.

In the men’s team final, India beat hosts Nepal 3-0, while their counterparts defeated Sri Lanka, also by an identical 3-0 verdict.

In the men’s team events, Nepal grabbed the silver medal while the bronze medals were shared by both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Among women, Sri Lanka finished second while Nepal and Maldives ended with bronze medals.

Santoo Shrestha gave some torrid moments to Anthony Amalraj before the latter overcame him 12-10, 14-16, 11-5, 11-8 to put India in lead. Soumyajit Ghosh, representing India for the first time in a year, accounted for Shiva Sunder Gothe 11-3, 11-2, 12-10 and Harmeet Desai finished it off in style with a 11-4, 11-4, 11-8 score against Purushottam Borjacahrya.

Earlier in the semifinals, Indian men had trounced Sri Lanka 3-0 with a different combination—Sanil Shetty, Harmeet Desai and Sudhanshu Grover. But except for Harmeet who dropped two games, Sanil, the winner of singles title at the Institutional championships at Ajmer, and Sudhanshu dropped a game each against their Sri Lankan opponents.

Sanil beat Udaya Ranasinghe 11-7, 11-7,9-11, 11-7, Harmeet dropped the first game but recovered to lead 2-1 against Cahmeera Ginige who took the fourth game 11-9 to equal the score. In the decider, Harmeet stopped him way ahead to win 9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 11-3. With a comfortable 2-0 lead, Sudhanshu downed Krishan Wickramathune 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-5.

In women’s final, Sutirtha Mukehrjee gave a good opening beating Lanka’s Ishara Madhurangi 11-9, 11-7, 11-3 which Krittiwika Sinha Roy consolidated with a 11-6, 11-4, 11-2 win over Erandi Waruswithana before Sreeja Akuka accounting for Hansini Piumila 11-5, 11-5, 11-3.

In the semifinals, India beat Nepal 3-0 when Ayhika Mukherjee downed Nabita Shreshtha 11-4, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8 to put India 1-0 up. Madhurika Patkar cashed in on the weak opposition with a 11-7, 11-4, 11-3 triumph against Sikka Suwal and, finally, Sreeja defeated Elina Maharjan 5-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-5.

by Abhishek Shukla

Puja Tomar to face World Champion Stamp Fairtex in ONE CHampionship

4 December 2019 – Bangkok, Thailand: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced the complete card for ONE: A NEW TOMORROW, set for the Impact Arena in Bangkok on Friday, 10 January 2020. ONE Championship’s first event of the new year brings together an exciting ensemble of the world’s greatest martial arts talent, who are set to take the global stage and showcase their incredible skills.

In the main event, reigning ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon of Thailand will take on England’s Jonathan “The General” Haggerty in a highly-anticipated rematch for the ONE World Title.

Like many Thai warriors before him, Rodtang started training in Muay Thai when he was a young boy, competing in his first professional bout at the age of 10. Initially training at a small camp in his hometown of Pattalung, Rodtang eventually made the permanent move to Bangkok to hone his skills at the famed Jitmuangnon camp. 

By the time he turned 21, Rodtang had already garnered over 250 wins, capturing the prestigious Omnoi Stadium World Title twice. He joined ONE Super Series not long after, and lifted the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship last August after earning a hard-fought Majority Decision over Haggerty. He then successfully defended the belt with a Split Decision win over Brazil’s Walter Goncalves.

Haggerty, on the other hand, stormed into ONE Super Series with victories over Joseph Lasiri and Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, showcasing his unique striking style in the process. The win over Sam-A earned him the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title, which he surrendered to Rodtang in his first defense.

The first meeting between Rodtang and Haggerty was extremely close. This rematch aims to settle the dispute and determine the rightful owner of the ONE World Title.

ONE: A NEW TOMORROW also features a series of compelling mixed martial arts contests that offer interesting matchups.

ONE Atomweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion Stamp Fairtex of Thailand continues her quest for the mixed martial arts World Title when she takes on India’s Puja “The Cyclone” Tomar.

Stamp is 3-0 in mixed martial arts competition, recently winning both of her bouts in 2019 over tough opponents. Stamp has expressed her commitment to focus on her mixed martial arts career. Against Tomar, she will be facing an experienced veteran who poses a solid challenge.

Also on the card is Maira Mazar of Brazil who takes on Japan’s Ayaka Miura in a three-round bout.

Mazar is making her ONE Championship debut, bringing power and a penchant for spectacular knockouts to the table. Miura, conversely, is riding a five-bout winning streak with two of those wins coming under the ONE banner.

Vietnamese-American rising star Thanh Le is back in action against Japan’s Ryogo “Kaitai” Takahashi.

Le has impressed so far in his time inside the ONE Circle, putting together a pair of thrilling knockouts against Yusup Saadulaev and former ONE Lightweight World Champion Kotetsu Boku. Le hopes for a similar result against Takahashi, a Shooto Pacific Rim Featherweight Champion who has won his last eight bouts.

A battle between rising stars ensues when featherweights Ma Jia Wen of China and Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg of Mongolia collide.

Ma is 6-2 in his ONE Championship career so far, showcasing tremendous finishing ability having ended four of his wins within the distance. Meanwhile, Zoltsetseg, a ONE Warrior Series contract winner, has won his last three bouts including two scintillating knockouts, setting up his ONE Championship main roster debut.

Finally, a welterweight showdown transpires when Russia’s Raimond Magomedaliev faces ONE Championship newcomer Joey “Mama’s Boy” Pierotti of the United States. Meanwhile, Ramon “The Bicolano” Gonzales of the Philippines takes on Elipitua “The Magician” Siregar of Indonesia.

Also featured at ONE: A NEW TOMORROW is a plethora of highly-anticipated ONE Super Series Muay Thai matchups for striking enthusiasts.

Former ONE World Title challenger Han Zi Hao of China makes his return to the global stage to face ISKA and WBC World Champion Mehdi “Diamond Heart” Zatout of France. Looking to build off his impressive ONE Championship debut is Thailand’s Sangmanee “The Million Dollar Baby” Sathian MuayThai who locks horns with WBC Muay Thai Japan Champion Kenta Yamada of Japan. Also from Thailand, multiple-time Muay Thai World Champion Muangthai “Elbow Zombie” PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym puts his reputation at stake when he throws down with former ONE World Title challenger Brice “The Truck” Delval of Algeria. Eight-time Muay Thai World Champion Liam “Hitman” Harrison of England squares off with Malaysia’s Mohammed “Jordan Boy” Bin Mahmoud.

Last last but not least, Victor Pinto takes on Adam Noi in a kickboxing bout.ONE: A NEW TOMORROW
Friday, 10 January
Impact Arena, Bangkok, Thailand

Main Event
ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship
Rodtang Jitmuangnon (C) vs Jonathan Haggerty
Muay Thai: 61.2kg

Stamp Fairtex vs Puja Tomar
Mixed Martial Arts: 52.2kg

Maira Mazar vs Ayaka Miura
Mixed Martial Arts: 56.7kg

Raimond Magomedaliev vs Joey Pierotti
Mixed Martial Arts: 83.9kg

Ramon Gonzales vs Elipitua Siregar 
Mixed Martial Arts: 56.7kg

Thanh Le vs Ryogo Takahashi
Mixed Martial Arts: 70.3kg

Ma Jia Wen vs Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg
Mixed Martial Arts: 70.3kg

Han Zi Hao  vs Mehdi Zatout
Muay Thai: 65.8kg

Sangmanee Sathian MuayThai  vs Kenta Yamada
Muay Thai: 65.8kg

Muangthai PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym vs Brice Delval
Muay Thai: 65.8kg

Liam Harrison vs Mohammed Bin Mahmoud
Muay Thai: 65.8kg

Victor Pinto vs Adam Noi
Kickboxing: 65.8kg
by Abhishek Shukla

Team has grown steadily in the past year, says Indian Men’s Hockey Team Skipper Manpreet Singh

Bhubaneswar, 02 December 2019: With Hockey India announcing Bhubaneswar and Rourkela as the host cities for the 2023 FIH Men’s World Cup, India Captain Manpreet Singh expressed excitement about the prestigious quadrennial event returning to the spectacular Kalinga Stadium. “There is no doubt that the Kalinga Stadium is one of the world’s best venues we have ever played in. It’s not only the Indian team who enjoy playing here but other teams like Belgium and the Netherlands too enjoy the crowds, the atmosphere and the infrastructure here. It is the first time that India will be hosting back-to-back World Cups and it is a matter of great pride for us. It will also be 75 years since Indian Independence in 2023 and it would be incredible if we can add to the celebrations by lifting the World Cup title,” stated Manpreet expressing his aspirations for the team.  

On Rourkela being another host city, Manpreet said, “This is great initiative taken up by Odisha Government and Hockey India. Rourkela and its surrounding region has a rich hockey culture with many of my teammates and senior players emerging from there. Hosting a major event like the World Cup there will not only boost the hockey scene further, it will also show the real hockey belt of Odisha to the world.” 

Speaking about India’s performance, Manpreet said the team is steadily improving and Hockey Pro League will test their consistency. “I think the team has grown steadily in this past year with a number of youngsters getting very good international exposure. We have a good pool of players who can be further tested during the Hockey Pro League. Although we have maintained our world ranking at No.5, our consistency will be put to test during the Hockey Pro League where we play top teams like Netherlands, Belgium and Australia in the first three months of the season,” added the midfielder.  

The Indian Men’s Hockey Team are currently based out of Bhubaneswar for the ongoing National Coaching Camp that concludes on 8 December 2019. 

by Abhishek Shukla

Rajasthan Royals’ off season camp gets underway today

Nagpur, December 2, 2019: Rajasthan Royals’ Indian cricketers have gathered at the Royals new training facility at Talegaon in Nagpur to participate in the first pre season camp ahead of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League.

8 Indian cricketers who are part of the Rajasthan Royals’ squad for the upcoming season will undergo training for three days under the watchful eyes of Head of Cricket, Zubin Bharucha supported by Batting coach Amol Mazumdar, Spin Bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule and UK Academy Director Sid Lahiri.

“This camp is an opportunity to review the level of development of our players over the last 7 months. We will be reviewing both their technical and physical progress to set clear plans for the build up to the IPL. Furthermore after the trading window this will be an extremely beneficial few days to integrate our new players into the Royals Family and get a closer look at their outstanding skills.” said Bharucha. 

Over the course of three days, the boys will sweat it out in open net sessions, followed by match scenarios. Coaches will be spending time with players sharing development plans with each one of them to help them prepare for the season.

The new training facility includes a full ground with the same soil used in Jaipur to aid preparation, a fully equipped recovery centre, and the ability to house all players and coaches on site enabling the family atmosphere that the Royals are so well known for.

The Royals physiotherapist John Gloster is also a part of this camp to ensure the fitness and energy levels is of the players is measured and tested, along with a review of their nutrition. The Indian cricketers present at the camp are Shreyas Gopal, Mahipal Lomror, Varun Aaron, Shashank Singh, Rahul Tewatia, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag and Ankit Rajpoot.

by Abhishek Shukla

Assam CM, Union Sports Minister launch 3rd Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati

The third edition of the ambitious Khelo India Youth Games will take place on a larger and grander canvas in the picturesque locales of Guwahati, starting from January 10, 2020 and ending 13 action-packed days later.


This was announced today at the launch ceremony event, attended by Honourable Chief Minister of Assam, Shri. Sarbananda Sonowal and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge), Government of India, Shri. Kiren Rijiju. The event marked the unveiling of the composite logo of the 3rd edition of the Games, the players jersey, the Games Mascots and the theme song at the Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium, Sarusajai. Athletes Hima Das, Swapna Burman and Lovlina Borgohain joined the ceremony, which was attended by a host of dignitaries from the world of sport.


Envisioned by the Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri. Narendra Modi, the Khelo India Games was launched in 2018 to imbibe a culture of sports in the country and to fortify it at the grassroots level with the eventual goal of making India a sporting powerhouse.


The Host state, Assam is confident that the Khelo India Youth Games will enthuse its kids and youngsters to take up sports in a big way, consolidating their dream of emerging as a hub for sports talent in India. At the same time, they will want to showcase their culture and emerge as a tourist destination.

This year, over 10,000 participants from across the country will compete in 451 medal events and the coveted purse in 20 sport disciplines, two more than last year, making it one of the largest sporting initiatives for Indian youth ever undertaken. This year, Cycling and Lawn Bowls have been added to the list of competing sport events.


“I am delighted to welcome the Khelo India Youth Games to Assam. The Games will surely inspire all the children in the state as well as the entire North-East region to take up sports and bring glory for themselves, our state and indeed our country,” Honourable Chief Minister, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal expressed at the launch.


“We assure each participating athlete a wonderful experience in our state which is known for its rich culture and hospitality. We are equipped with state-of -the-art infrastructure to make it a memorable experience for all the participants ,” he promised.


Honourable Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (I/C), Government of India, Shri Kiren Rijiju, a resident of Arunachal Pradesh, too believes that the Games can spark a revolution across the North-East region.


“The Khelo India Youth Games is one of the most empowering initiatives of the Indian Government that hopes to not only give a platform to youngsters from all over the country to make a future in sport, but also to build India into a sporting nation,” Shri. Kiren Rijiju said at the launch ceremony here on Saturday.


“I invite every sports-loving and talented youngster to grab this opportunity and begin his or her journey towards excellence. Playing sport is also a great way to build one’s character and have a fitter body and mind”, he added.

Hima Das, one of the most celebrated athletes from Assam, was also present at the launch ceremony event to unveil this year’s Games jersey.


“This is the biggest boost for us athletes not just in terms of scholarships but also in terms of moral encouragement and motivation. I thank the Government for its vision and want to urge every youngster interested in sport to make the most of this golden opportunity,” said Hima.


Pugilist Lovlina Borgohain, another jewel in Assam’s crown, expressed her delight at being the hosts for the Khelo India Youth Games. “We are all so excited that the Games are taking place in our home state. I believe that this is going to spark a huge interest for sports amongst children and youngsters, who are already showing signs of dominating on the national sporting platform,” she said.


The Games have already turned into a movement with most of the states investing huge sums in identifying, grooming and training youngsters with an eye on the overall champions trophy. Last year, Maharashtra bagged the winners’ mantle, bagging 85 Gold, 62 Silver and 81 Bronze medals. Maharashtra, Haryana and Delhi have been amongst the top three in the previous editions, with Haryana emerging as the winners in the inaugural year. Close to 3,000 promising and talented athletes have already benefitted from the Khelo India Scheme, each of them winning a scholarship of Rs 5 lakh per annum, with Rs 1.2 lakh going directly into their account, annually for eight years.


The Games will be telecasted live on Star Sports and Doordarshan, with a minimum of 7 hours earmarked for each day.

by Abhishek Shukla

Abhay Singh lost to Second seed Jan Van Den Herrewegen of Belgium in PSA challenger event

London: Second seed Jan Van Den Herrewegen of Belgium showed perfect control over proceedings to douse the enthusiam out of the Indian seventh seed Abhay Singh in three straight games 11-5, 12-10, 11-7 to enter the final of the Aston and Fincher Sutton Coldfield International, a PSA challenger event here late on Friday.

It was a repeat of the semi-final last year with one difference, Abhay had the last laugh then in what was a five-game battle. Jan had learnt the lesson and played with clear haste to start with to unsettle the Indian. Showing variety in his strokes, Jan forced Abhay to mistakes. However in the second game Abhay gave glimpse of a possible turn around as he made short of an early 1-5 arrears to force the Belgian to err. Abhay even had a game ball but Jan was able to wriggle out to win on extended points and that virtually sealed the match for him. He cruised through the next to win the match.