Author: Abhishek Shukla

Owner of Sports India Live.
by Abhishek Shukla

Virat to lead India against Windies in both ODI and T20I in December

Virat Kohli to lead the Indian cricket team in both T20I and ODI against WINDIES.

ODI Squad: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

T20I Squad: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami.

by Abhishek Shukla

One Championship: Rahul Raju to fight Furqan Cheema in ONE: EDGE OF GREATNESS

22 November 2019 – Singapore: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just released the official ONE: EDGE OF GREATNESS Final Weight and Hydration Results.

Complete ONE: EDGE OF GREATNESS  Final Weight and Hydration Results

MAIN CARD

ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship (61.3 KG – 65.8 KG): 
Nong-O Gaiyanghadao (65.8 kg, 1.0248) vs. Saemapetch Fairtex (65.2 kg, 1.0074)

Mixed Martial Arts Lightweight (70.4 KG – 77.1 KG):
Amir Khan (77.05 kg, 1.0074)  vs. Ev Ting (77.1 kg, 1.0053)

Muay Thai Catchweight (68.5 KG):
Troy Worthen (65.35 kg, 1.012)  vs. Chen Lei (68.45 kg, 1.0049)

Mixed Martial Arts Lightweight (70.4 KG – 77.1 KG):
Rahul Raju (78.85 kg, 1.000)  vs. Furqan Cheema (80.95 kg, 1.0132)

Mixed Martial Arts Strawweight (52.3 KG – 56.7 KG): 
Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke (56.7 kg, 1.0168) vs. Muhammad Imran (56.7 kg, 1.0124)

Mixed Martial Arts Flyweight (56.8 KG – 61.2 KG): 
Colbey Northcutt (60.6 kg, 1.0074) vs. Putri Padmi (59.85 kg, 1.0036)

Mixed Martial Arts Strawweight (52.3 KG – 56.7 KG): 
Alex Silva (56.65 kg, 1.0044) vs. Peng Xue Wen (56.7 kg, 1.0187)

 
PRELIMINARY CARD

Muay Thai Featherweight (65.9 KG – 70.3 KG): 
Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy (70.3 kg, 1.0057) vs. Charlie Peters (69.75 kg, 1.0066) 

Muay Thai Flyweight (56.8 KG – 61.2 KG): 
Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat (60.85 kg, 1.0199) vs. Yuta Wantanabe (60.7 kg, 1.0099)

Mixed Martial Arts Bantamweight (61.3 KG – 65.8 KG): 
Bruno Pucci (65.7 kg, 1.0222) vs. Shuya Kamikubo (65.45 kg, 1.0023)

Muay Thai Featherweight (65.9 KG – 70.3 KG): 
Brown Pinas (69.9 kg, 1.0066) vs. Liam Nolan (70.05 kg, 1.016) 
*Hydration values less than or equal to 1.0250 earn a passing mark, while values greater than or equal to 1.0251 earn a failing mark. Athletes who failed weight and hydration tests on Day 1 or Day 2 are given another chance to clear tests on the morning of the event.

by Abhishek Shukla

Saurav Ghosal’s show in a PSA world tour gold event in England

London: Saurav Ghosal who opened his campaign in the second round showed good touch to oust Tom Richards of England 11-3, 11-5, 11-5 to move into the quarterfinal of the Channel VAS Championship, a PSA world tour gold event being held at the St George’s Hill LTC in Surrey.

The seventh-seeded Indian is once again pitted to face the top seed Mohamed ElShorbagy of Egypt next. The two had only a few days ago met in the World Championship where ElShorbagy won but after getting a feel of the Indian ace’s fighting qualities.

by Abhishek Shukla

Tamil Nadu enter both doubles finals in Junior National Table Tennis Championships

Dharamshala, November 21: Tamil Nadu will look to add a couple of more titles as their Sub-Junior Boys and Sub-Junior Girls have entered the finals of the UTT 81st Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Indoor Stadium here today.

Tamil Nadu’s Preyesh Raj Suresh and Navaneeth Kutty, who will take on Delhi’s Aadarsh Om Chetri and Aditya Jain in tomorrow’s final, defeated Karnataka’s K.J. Akash 11-1, 11-5, 11-9, while the Delhi boys downed Uttar Pradesh duo of Divyansh Srivastava and Sarth Mishra 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5.

In Sub-Junior Girls final, the Tamil Nadu’s girls—Kavyashree Baskar and Nehal Venkatasamy—will clash with Maharashtra’s Taneesha Kotecha and Pritha Vartikar as the former accounted for Haryana’s Suhana Saini and Preksha Vohra 11-8, 11-3, 11-3 while the latter sent packing their B team, consisting of Ananya Chande and Arya Songadkar, 11-9, 11-6, 6-11, 11-4 in the extended semi-final.

But for a couple of semi-finals that got extended a bit, the favourites sailed through without a hassle.

On the penultimate day of the championships, the second stage singles events in Sub-Junior Boys, Sub-Junior Girls, Cadet Boys and Cadet Girls got underway. But only the top-four seeds Cadet Girls enjoyed the benefit of first-round byes. However, in Cadet Boys all top eight seeds had to start their title-campaign from the first-round onwards.

Fortunately, all top eight seeds in the Cadet Boys kept their date with destiny to move into the second as top-seeded Prayanuj Bhattacharyya of PSPBA blanked out Ahiron Bora 3-0. So did No. 2 seed P.B. Abhinand of Tamil Nadu accounted for Aayush Tanna of Gujarat, also by an identical margin to progress.

The other seeds that went through the motions included No. 3 Divyaj Rajkhowa of PSPBA, No. 4 Umesh Kumar of Tamil Nadu, No. 5 Segal Singh of PSPBA, No. 6 Dhruv Shah of Maharashtra, No. 7 Sudhanshu Mani of Delhi and No. 8. A. Jatin Dev from Telangana won against Archit Behra of Odisha. All of them posted 3-0 victories over their opponents, justifying their seeding.

Among Cadet Girls, while the top four seeds didn’t have to step on the arena, No. 5 Rupsa Ghosal of West Bengal defeated her North Beral rival Riddhi Thaiur 11-4, 11-3, 11-6 to move into the second round.

Vanshika Mudgal of Delhi, seeded No. 6, easily beat her opponent from Assam, Iavana Takuldar 11-6, 11-6, 11-4. No. 7 seed, Ditsa Roy of West Bengal blanked out Telangana’s Naoren Shriya 11-6, 12-10, 11-5 and No. 8 seed M. Hansini of Tamil Nadu downed Madhya Pradesh paddler Priya Vashishth 11-3, 11-5, 11-4 to enter the second round.

Players in all the four categories will complete their pre-quarterfinal assignments tonight before opening the concluding day affairs with the quarterfinals.

All five finals are slated for tomorrow afternoon.

by Abhishek Shukla

Dhruv Sarda qualifies for Round 2 of 55th Qubica AMF WORLD CUP

Dhruv Sarda of India qualified for Round 2 of the 55 th Qubica AMF WORLD CUP currently underway at Palembang, Indonesia.

In Round 1 all participants had played 4 blocks of 6 games each and Dhruv had scored total of 4808 pins in 24 games to finish 20th among 73 participants. Top 24 bowlers move to Round 2 and the field is led by Francois Louw of South Africa (5520) followed by Oliver Morig of Germany (5332) and Wanhee Lee of South Korea (5155) in 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.

In Round 2, top 24 Bowlers will play One Block of 8 games and top 8 based on pinfall of 32 games will move to Knockout Round. This the 4th time Dhruv has made it to Top 24 Round and the only Indian Bowler to have ever made it to Top 24 Round in the Men’s Category.

In the Women’s Category, Sabeena Athica finished overall 45th with total pinfall of 3982 with an average of 165.92 in 24 games.

by Abhishek Shukla

Goa Women’s League to kick off from Nov 23

PANJIM: The 3rd GFA Vedanta Senior Women’s Football League will kick off on November 23 with four clubs participating to decide the Goa champions.

The participating teams are Bidesh XI SC, Churchill Brothers FC, PVC Parra and Albert Developers SC.

The teams will play under the double-leg system with the league championship being sponsored by Sesa Community Development Foundation(Vedanta).

The sponsorship agreement was signed by GFA and Sesa Community Development Foundation’s Leena Verenkar on behalf of Vedanta.

The winners will get a cash prize of Rs. 80,000, the runners–up Rs. 60,000 and the third-placed team Rs.40,000-, besides trophies, medals, mementos, individual prizes and Star of the Match award for every match.

Vedanta’s Leena Pednekar stated that the Sesa Community Development Foundation is sponsoring and supporting the GFA to conduct the Women’s Football League with the objective of promoting women’s football. This is the third consecutive year of the State League with Vedanta providing the sponsorship and financial support, providing kits for the teams and officials.

The winning team will participate in the 4th Hero Indian Women’s League 2019-20 to be played in the third week of January 2020. The championship is being monitored by the All India Football Federation (AIFF)with the GFA providing the technical support and organisation of the league.

Mr Melroy Moura, Mr Brahmanand Sancoalcar, representing Vedanta and Ms Carol Gomes, Mr Arnaldo Costa, Mr Oswald D’Costa, Ms Maria Rebello, Ms Margaret Rodrigues, Mr Venancio Gonsalves, Mr Clifton Fernandes, Mr Rajesh Salgaocar and senior vice-president of GFA Mr Lavinio Rebello were among those present at the  release of  the fixtures.

by Abhishek Shukla

Gokulam sign Kerala Santosh Trophy star Jithin MS

Kozhikode, November 21: Gokulam Kerala FC has completed the signing of Kerala’s Santosh Trophy hero Jithin MS for the upcoming I-League season. The right-winger hails from Thrissur and has been in a spectacular form in the past two seasons of Santosh Trophy for Kerala.

“I want to play more matches and I believe I can achieve more with Malabarians. The club is one of the most promising clubs in the country and I will try my best to find place in the starting eleven,” said Jithin MS after signing a long-term contract with the club.

“The club has already made a name in the country. Within three years of inception the club has achieved a lot. Winning the historic Durand Cup and playing in the semifinal of an AFC-recognized tournament is not a small feat. I want to contribute more to the club and I am extremely happy to join Malabarians,” said the player.

Jithin has helped Kerala win Santosh Trophy in the 2017-18 season. He was the top-scorer along with Rahul KP, another Gokulam Kerala FC player.

“We are very happy to have Jithin among us, a young player with a lot of potential. Hopefully Gokulam fans can watch his qualities. The squad has become really good and players like Jithin will add more value to the team,” said Gokulam Kerala FC head coach Fernando Santiago Varela.

by Abhishek Shukla

Big Bout: Mary Kom to play for NCR Punjab Royals

Big Bout draft has completed now, 6 teams are formed with 7 players each in 7 different weight categories, in that 2 weight categories are for Women. Indian Star boxer Mary Kom will play for NCR Punjab Royals in 51 KG weight category.

Here is the full team list

ADANI TEAM GUJARAT

  • Liubov Sharapova – 51 KG Women
  • Amit Panghal – 52 KG Men
  • MD Husamuddin – 57 KG Men
  • Laishram Sarita Devi – 60 KG Women
  • Duryodhan Singh Negi – 69 KG Men
  • Ashish Kumar – 75 KG Men
  • Scott Forest – 91 KG Men

ODISHA WARRIORS

  • Nikhat Zareen – 51 KG Women
  • Deepak – 52 KG Men
  • Sachin Sivach – 57 KG Men
  • Keamogetse Kewosi – 60 KG Women
  • Jakhongir Rakhmonov – 69 KG Men
  • Boriss Angels Batavins – 75 KG Men
  • Naman Tanwar – 91 KG Men

BOMBAY BULLETS

  • Ingrit Lorena Valencia Victoria – 51 KG Women
  • Ananta Chopade – 52 KG Men
  • Kavinder Singh Bisht – 57 KG Men
  • Melissa Noemi Gonzalez Tudge – 60 KG Women
  • Naveen Boora – 69 KG Men
  • Prayag Chauhan – 75 KG Men
  • Enmanuel Reyes Pla – 91 KG Men

BENGALURU BRAWLERS

  • Pinki Rani – 51 KG Women
  • Gaurav Solanki – 52 KG Men
  • Gaurav Bhiduri – 57 KG Men
  • Simranhit Kaur – 60 KG Women
  • Osoba Abdualafeez Ayoola – 69 KG Men
  • Jorge Luis Vivas Palacios – 75 KG Men
  • Adebayo Solomon Imolenyo – 91 KG Men

NCR PUNJAB ROYALS

  • Mary Kom – 51 KG Women
  • PL Prasad – 52 KG Men
  • Abdumalik Khalakov – 57 KG Men
  • Nikoleta pita – 60 KG Women
  • Manoj Kumar – 69 KG Men
  • Korede Adenjiji – 75 KG Men
  • Naveen kumar – 91 KG Men

NE RHINOS

  • Meenakshi – 51 KG Women
  • Laldin Mawia – 52 KG Men
  • MD Etash Khan – 57 KG Men
  • Pwilao Basumatary – 60 KG Women
  • Ankit Khatana – 69 KG Men
  • Francisco Daniel Veron – 75 KG Men
  • Radoslav Dimitrov Pantaleev – 91 KG Men

by Abhishek Shukla

I-League returns with its 13th edition, to commence on November 30

NEW DELHI: The 13th edition of the I-League was officially launched at a glittering ceremony in the National Capital today (November 21, 2019).

The League will kick off on November 30, 2019, with former champions Mohun Bagan FC and Aizawl FC locking horns at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Aizawl, Mizoram.

The league will feature 11 teams this season, with the induction of TRAU FC, winners of the Second division last season.

In a first, fans from across the country, this season will witness two local derbies – the legendary Kolkata derby between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, and the Imphal derby featuring Neroca FC and TRAU FC.

The I–League has witnessed many a fairy-tale in recent years with underdogs such as Aizawl FC, Minerva Punjab FC (now Punjab FC) and Chennai City FC winning the previous three editions. The 12th edition debutants Real Kashmir also created a flutter and were the title contenders at one-point.

The 13th edition of the I-League 2019-20 will be broadcast live exclusively on DSPORT. The prize money for the top four teams will be as follows:

Winners – Rs. 1 Crore

Runners up – Rs. 60 Lakh

Third Place – Rs. 40 Lakh

Fourth Place – Rs. 25 Lakh.

Praful Patel, President, AIFF in his statement said: “We are very happy to welcome TRAU FC to the 13th edition of the I-League. The pan India presence has been the unique feature of the league in the last few editions, and is a true testimony to the manner it has played a critical role in spreading the game to all corners of the country.”

Kushal Das, General Secretary, AIFF, said: “Over the years the I-League has been scouting and providing a platform for future stars of Indian Football. In the 13th edition this year we have 11 teams from eight states and one Union Territory fighting for the top honours. I wish luck to all the participating teams.”

The 11 teams from eight states and one Union Territory at the 13th I-League are – Defending Champions Chennai City FC (Chennai), Punjab FC (Punjab), Aizawl FC (Mizoram), NEROCA FC (Manipur), TRAU FC (Manipur), Mohun Bagan & East Bengal (West Bengal), Gokulam Kerala FC (Kerala), Churchill Brothers FC Goa (Goa), Indian Arrows (Goa) and Real Kashmir FC (Kashmir).

The first match will kick off on November 30, 2019 between Aizawl FC and Mohun Bagan in Aizawl, at 2:00 PM.

by Abhishek Shukla

Apollo Tyres Millennium City Marathon runners share the impact of ATMCM on their lives

Gurugram, 21 November 2019: The Apollo Tyres Millennium City Marathon has not only started a running revolution in Gurugram, but has also touched and impacted many lives in the Delhi NCR region. The event has been very fortunate to host a few runners who have enthusiastically participated in ATMCM since the first edition in 2015.

A retired CPWD engineer, Satish Saxena, who ran his first-ever half marathon at ATMCM 2015, expressed that the  Apollo Tyres Millennium City Marathon has helped him increase his self-confidence tremendously.

“I have completed more than 30 half marathons in the last four years. My confidence has gone up because of running. I don’t feel weary anymore. There is great joy in being energetic and enthusiastic. Some years ago, I felt envious of a Bengali man in his mid-50s who would run relentlessly. I am able to do it myself now,” says the 65-year-old.

A pediatrician, Anjali Nayar has many memories to cherish from each of the four earlier editions of the event. “I will miss my dad this year,” says the 57-year-old pediatrician, wistfully before regaining her poise to say that she will dedicate the run to Brig. DP Nayar’s memory.

Anjali Nayar, who took to running at the age of 51 – “to be able to stay fit and be a fun mum for my teenaged daughter’’ – says that the fact that the different feel to the Millennium City Marathon and that its courses past their Sector 56 homes ensured that Brig. DP Nayar would turn up to cheer his ‘little girl’ run each year.

The Data Security Council of India Chief Executive Officer,  Rama Vedashree has seen the Apollo Tyres Millennium City Marathon grow in stature year after year.

“I can see that Abhishek Mishra is keen on making MCM a big event in Gurgaon. I chanced upon him when he was training for Ironman. I love the city that I live in and so, I signed up for the half marathon back in 2015. There may not have been many runners back then, but I have seen the event grow in stature year on year,” she says, explaining her attachment with MCM,” says Vedashree.

The Senior Manager at Goods and Services Tax Network, Pankaj Arora explained why the participants of ATMCM have a positive experience each time.

“Since the MCM is conducted by an athlete who understands the needs of runners before, during and after an event, the participants have a positive, pleasurable experience each time,” says Arora.

A Chief Financial Officer on a break, Aditya Mishra says the event goes way beyond the tender coconut water (nariyal paani) that is a USP. “To me, the most important thing is that ATMCM listens to feedback from runners and has seen significant improvement each year.”

“ATMCM cares for the last finisher, even in the holding area, ensuring that there is refreshment and physiotherapists are available just as they are for the faster runners. The experience is memorable and encourages others to come and run. And yes, the ability to park your car and, without a hassle, join the run is a great thing,” says the 47-year-old.

The people from the Delhi NCR region will show their spirit and enthusiasm once again at the fifth edition of Apollo Tyres Millennium City Marathon on 1 December 2019.

by Abhishek Shukla

Online Tickets go live for the Indian Hockey Team Home Matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2020 today

New Delhi, 21 November 2019: With close to two months to go for the second edition of the much-anticipated FIH Hockey Pro League 2020, Hockey India on Thursday announced that the sale of online tickets for the Indian home matches will go live today from 1100hrs IST onwards. It will be the first time that India will be participating in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2020, which will see the Indian Men’s Hockey Team play hosts to the likes of The Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand in a total of eight matches which will take place at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar spanned from 18th January – 24 May 2020. 

The six-month long FIH Hockey Pro League 2020 will see World No. 5 Indian Men’s Hockey Team start off their campaign by hosting World No. 3 The Netherlands in two home matches on 18th and 19th January 2020, which will be followed by the Indian team playing two more home matches against the World Champions, Belgium on 8th and 9th February 2020 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium.

FIH-PRO-LEAGUE-2020-ScheduleDownload

India, who recently qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games by defeating Russia in the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Odisha held in Bhubaneswar, will then be hosting World No. 1 Australia for two home matches on 21st and 22nd February 2020. These home matches will be followed by the Indian team touring World No. 6 Germany in April 2020, and Great Britain in May 2020 to play their away matches. The Indian Men’s team will then return to their nation to host World No. 9 New Zealand on 23rd and 24th May 2020, which will be the last two home matches for India in this year’s FIH Hockey Pro League.

The tickets for India’s eight home matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2020, to be held at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, are priced at INR 200 for the South and North Stands, INR 300 for East Stand, and INR 500 for West Stand.

Ticketgenie Solutions Pvt Ltd is the official ticket sales agency for the FIH Hockey Pro League 2020, and will make the tickets available online at 1100hrs IST on Thursday, 21st November 2019 onwards at  https://in.ticketgenie.in/Tickets/FIH-Hockey-Pro-League-2020

Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad, President, Hockey India, spoke on the launch of sale of online tickets, “FIH Hockey Pro League 2020 is one of the most anticipated tournaments for us in the upcoming season. We will be playing our home matches in front of packed crowds who will be witnessing hockey at its best at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, thereby making this new league a great spectacle for the fans. We are all very excited to kick-off our campaign in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2020 with the support of our fans, and with the launch of the sale of online tickets today, our fans from across the country will be able to book their spots to witness the best players in action, and rejoice in the festival of hockey.”

The date for online redemption of the tickets, and physical sale of tickets will be announced in due course.

by Abhishek Shukla

Special Olympics Bharat – Maharashtra team trains with Mumbai City FC

Mumbai, 20 November 2019: The Special Olympics Bharat (SO Bharat) Maharashtra team was invited by the Indian Super League side Mumbai City FC to their training session where they got a chance to meet, interact and practice with the Islanders’ first team ahead of today’s World Children’s Day.  

The aim of SO Bharat is to improve the health and well-being of children with intellectual disabilities and allow them to reach their full potential. SO Bharat also advocates and makes conscious efforts towards making sport as a platform for social inclusion for the special athletes, promoting unified and inclusive sport in their programmes.

The SO Bharat athletes got a chance to spend an evening with the Islanders’ first team, where both sets shared experiences of the challenges each face in their fight to be better everyday. Post the training session, the Islanders presented the SO Bharat team with a Mumbai City FC shirt and a football autographed by the squad as a token of appreciation.

Mumbai City FC’s Portuguese head coach, Jorge Costa who was delighted in having the SO Bharat team said, “We cannot imagine the hardships and barriers these wonderful kids go through on a daily basis. We are glad that we could share an evening and spend some time on the pitch with them. Sports teaches each and one of us that we have to keep going when it gets tough and it’s incredible to see the way Special Olympics Bharat is helping the children deal with the rigours of life through sport. On behalf of the club and the entire team, I wish them the best in the future and look forward to meeting them again soon.”

Program Manager – Maharashtra of Special Olympics Bharat, Hansini Raut said, “The Special Olympics Bharat Maharashtra team feels privileged to have met and trained with the Mumbai City FC first team. The players were very warm and made our team feel comfortable. SO Bharat focuses on social inclusion through sport and we are extremely happy that Mumbai City FC supported our cause while participating in an inclusive football training session with our children. We wish the Mumbai City FC side all the best for the remainder of their season.”

Mumbai City FC continue their Hero ISL campaign as they take on NorthEast United in an away game on 27 November 2019 at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.

by Abhishek Shukla

Al Ghassani’s goal sink India in Muscat

NEW DELHI: India went down to Oman by a solitary goal in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex Stadium in Muscat on Tuesday (November 19, 2019). Muhsen Al Ghassani scored in the 33rd minute for the home team as India now stand at three points from the five games.

It was the hosts who had the upper hand in the initial exchanges of the first half. Oman could have taken the lead in the seventh minute but Muhsen Al Ghassani’s spot-kick was off-target after he was brought down in the penalty area by Rahul Bheke. 

The first chance for the Indians came in the 20th minute after Udanta Singh earned a free-kick. Brandon Fernandes curled in the ball towards the far post and found Chhetri, whose cross was intercepted by Oman custodian Ali Al Habsi.

Three minutes later, Nishu Kumar — making his first appearance under head coach Igor Stimac — surged into the Omani penalty box after a one-two with Udanta down the right flank but his dangerous-looking centre was cleared away.

Adil Khan and Pronay Halder went into the referee’s book in the 24th and 25th minutes respectively, with the latter being replaced by Vinit Rai a few minutes later. 

Three minutes after the half-hour mark, Oman took the lead through Al Ghassani. Mohsin Al Khaldi played in a through-ball behind the Indian defence and the forward put into the Indian net with a first-time finish.

In the 37th minute, Anas Edathodika came on in place of Adil Khan in the heart of the Indian defence and came up with a couple of timely clearances straight upon his arrival.

Five minutes before half-time, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu produced a sharp save at his near post from a corner and on the break, Udanta caused serious problems for the opposition defence with his pace. Charging down the left, he crossed the ball for Manvir — whose layoff found Farukh Choudhary in the box. However, he was tackled on time before he could pull the trigger.

Changing over, the Blue Tigers came out with more intent, creating multiple crossing opportunities from the flanks.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was called into action in the 64th minute, denying Al Khaldi with a fine save to thwart a free-kick from 25 yards out, which was on target, and palm it off for a corner. He also kept his side in the game with a brilliant save from close range, denying Ali Al Busaidi with a one-handed stop in the 82nd minute. 

Towards the end, India had a couple of close moments when Ashique Kuruniyan charged down the left and caused problems for the home defence. However, the equalizer remained elusive.

India (Starting XI): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Nishu Kumar, Rahul Bheke (Sarthak Golui 67′), Adil Khan (Anas Edathodika 37′), Ashique Kuruniyan, Pronay Halder (Vinit Rai 27′), Brandon Fernandes, Udanta Singh, Sunil Chhetri (C), Farukh Choudhary, Manvir Singh

by Abhishek Shukla

Aizawl FC take on Mohun Bagan in I-League 2019-20 opener

New Delhi: The All India Football Federation announced the fixtures of the Hero I-League 2019-20 season on Tuesday (November 19, 2019), with the new league campaign set to get underway on Saturday, November 30, 2019.

Earlier this week, the AIFF had announced DSport as the new broadcasters of the league, a move that was lauded by a number of club officials.

“The fixtures have been drawn after consulting our marketing partners FSDL, broadcasters DSport, and all the clubs involved in the competition,” said Hero I-League CEO Sunando Dhar. “This season, we have a lot more flexibility as far as the fixtures are concerned, with the kick-off timings being at 2 PM, 5 PM and 7 PM.”

“I’m sure this would make all the clubs happy. Like always, we are looking forward to a great season of the Hero I-League. Wishing all the clubs best of luck for the season,” he further added.

The Hero I-League 2019-20 kicks off on Saturday, November 30, with Aizawl FC hosting Mohun Bagan at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Aizawl, Mizoram, at 2 PM IST.

Please find the full list of Hero I-League 2019-20 Fixtures here: http://www.indiafooty.com/i-league/

by Abhishek Shukla

Indian Women’s Football Stalwarts Laud Bala Devi Ahead Of Scottish Sojourn

NEW DELHI: As Indian Women’s Team’s mercurial striker Bala Devi flew off to Glasgow, Scotland for a week-long trial at Rangers WFC, the bigwigs from the Indian Women’s Footballing community got together to wish her ahead of this crucial week.

Bala Devi, who has been in the national team fold for some time now, has been handed a one-week trial at Scottish giants Rangers WFC, whose best finish in the Scottish Women’s Premier League was a fourth-place finish in 2018.

India Women’s Team head coach Maymol Rocky lauded the move and said it is the result of all the hard work that the 29-year-old has put in over the years.

“It is a great opportunity for Bala — to go and play professionally at Rangers. It is the result of the hard work that she had put in over the years. It’s really great for Indian Football that one of our players is getting the opportunity to prove herself at such a level,” said Rocky.

India Women’s Football legend Bembem Devi, who is often referred to as the Durga of Indian Football, believes that this is an instance from where young aspiring girls can draw inspiration and move ahead.

“It really is a great achievement for her. Women’s Football in India is growing and the fact that Bala has got this opportunity is a huge deal, not just for her, but also for female footballers all across the country,” said Bembem. 

“Little girls can take inspiration from her and take Indian Women’s Football further ahead in the future,” she added.

India captain and centre-back Ashalata Devi believes that such opportunities could really help the Indian Women’s Team and the players, especially due to the experience Bala will gain in Scotland.

“Bala has been one of the best players in our team over the years, and she has continued to perform excellently on a regular basis. It makes me very happy to see her get this opportunity. I’m sure she will learn a great deal more there and, in turn, help the National Team perform better in the future,” said Ashalata.

by Abhishek Shukla

Revenge not on our minds: Sunil Chhetri

MUSCAT, OMAN: Although Oman left it late to sweep the tie against the Blue Tigers in Guwahati during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers in September this year, Sunil Chhetri dismissed talks about India gunning for a revenge when they challenge the Gulf Nation at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman on Tuesday (November 19, 2019).

“We won’t think about revenge or anything closer to that, absolutely not. At the end of the day, the points matter. It’s not a derby as they are not our neighbours,” Chhetri stated on the sidelines of the first training session in Muscat.

“These are the qualifiers and we have only one thing in our mind i.e., to go out and give everything that we have and take the result. I mean the important point is to go and play well, especially in the away matches.”

Oman striker Al Mandhar has already scored four goals in four matches during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers but Pritam Kotal felt everyone should be dealt with equally to come out with a favourable result.

“It’s not only Al Mandhar, other attackers like Al Alwai, Al Ghassani everyone can impose equal danger to a defence line. They are quick, they switch positions fast and can score from long. We have to be extra cautious of their long-range shots,” Kotal opined.


In the first leg, Chhetri scored India’s only goal which could have earned the Blue Tigers their first win against the Gulf Nation but Al Mandhar scored back-to-back goals to dent India’s dream. These two countries have played eight matches against each other until now and Oman were on the winning side six times whereas the other two matches ended in a draw.

On being asked whether these stats will put India under pressure before they hit the ground, Adil Khan felt otherwise.

“Yes, numbers say that they (Oman) are favourites but it all will start from scratch tomorrow. Their attackers can do anything on a given day and we have to be on our toes throughout,” Adil stressed.

Custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu picked that staying unbeaten on the road is the priority now and Oman is going to be a difficult opponent to play against.

“Not losing a game away from home is our priority right now. It’s always difficult playing away from home and we recognise the threats (from Oman) given their ability and strength. We have to make sure we deal with them well.”

The match is scheduled to kick-off at 08:30 PM IST (07:00 PM Local time) and it’ll be telecast live on Star Sports network and streamed live on Hotstar, Jio TV.

by Abhishek Shukla

Big-hitting bravado of Pollard And Lynn dominate fourth day of Aldar properties Abu Dhabi t10

Abu Dhabi, UAE – Tuesday 19 November: The fourth day of the Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10 has been dominated by big hitting batting performances, with both Kieron Pollard of the Deccan Gladiators and Chris Lynn of the Maratha Arabians wielding the bat to drive their teams to victory. The Gladiators beat the Karnataka Tuskers through the shots of Pollard, the Arabians blasted past Team Abu Dhabi, and the Bangla Tigers and the Delhi Bulls drew on 108 in a thrilling final match to end the night.

Match Report 1: Deccan Gladiators vs. Karnataka Tuskers

Shane Watson’s Deccan Gladiators put the Karnataka Tuskers into bat, and the men in light-blue attempted a fast-paced charge to post a target with a comfortable margin. Johnson Charles and Evin Lewis began the innings, seeking to find a foundation on which to build, before Lewis was bowled in the third over by  an electric Zahir Khan delivery. Hashim Amla picked up the chase and sought with Charles to find the boundary rope in the face of the Gladiators’ bowling attack.

The Gladiators’ pierced the Tuskers’ partnership with the wicket of Charles for 35 off a quick 18 deliveries. English county cricketer Ross Whiteley joined Captain Amla at the crease, adding thirteen runs to the Tuskers’ scoreboard, before being caught by Watson at the end of the penultimate over. Sri Lanka’s Upul Tharanga and Amla completed the Tuskers’ innings, posting a high but not impossible target of 110 to beat.

Captain Shane Watson lost his wicket in the first over of the Gladiators’ innings, setting the omen for a top order collapse that toppled Afghan Mohammad Shahzad for 13, England’s Dan Lawrence for 11, and Kiwi Anton Devcich for 5, leaving the Gladiators requiring a steep 74 runs from a short 33 balls.

The Tuskers’ victory seemed inevitable, until Kieron Pollard walked onto the pitch. Pollard blasted away the Tuskers’ bowling attack, swatting ball after ball to the boundary in spite of the Tuskers’ efforts. In the sixth over, Pollard pulled 30 runs onto the board, as the Tuskers sought to regain control in a match that was slipping from them. The loss of Sri Lanka’s Bhanuka Rajapaksa didn’t quell the Gladiators’ fight back, with tense aggression gripping the field through the final overs. Pollard closed the innings on 45 off 22, winning the match for the Gladiators by five wickets with nine balls remaining.

Shane Watson, Captain of the Deccan Gladiators, commented: “We are really fortunate to have a player like Pollard coming in to our middle over. The way he bats, like he showed today, he can take the game away from opponents in an over.”

Speaking after match, Hashim Amla, Captain of the Karnataka Tuskers, said: “Pollard played a seriously good knock, although we played a really good game. But when a player of his calibre delivers a performance like that, sometimes you just have to tip your hat to opponents and move on.”

Match Report 2: Maratha Arabians vs. Team Abu Dhabi

After being placed into bat, the Maratha Arabians’ openers Hazratullah Zazai and Chris Lynn set off sprinting, racing to 37 in three overs. Team Abu Dhabi’s Ben Laughlin took the wicket of Hazratullah for 12, as Adam Lyth entered the fray. Smart running between the wickets and some thunderous shots including four consecutive sixes from Lynn catapulted the Arabians to 58 by the fifth over. Team Abu Dhabi struggled as Lynn reached a magnificent half century off only 19 deliveries, to the chagrin of opposition Captain Moeen Ali.

The Arabians were on track to post the highest score of the championship so far. The bowlers in yellow toiled, but Lyth and Lynn could not be halted by the deliveries of bowlers such as Marchant de Lange and Harry Gurney. In spite of Lyth’s dismissal in the final over, Team Abu Dhabi could not constrain the rampant Arabians, closing on 139, the highest total of the tournament so far.

Local boys, Team Abu Dhabi, faced a daunting run chase ahead and a lethal bowling attack packed with the experience of Sri Lankan death bowler Lasith Malinga and New Zealander Mitchell McClenaghan. Despite the odd boundary, the variation shown by the Maratha Arabians’ bowlers restricted Team Abu Dhabi to a low 22 in the first three overs.

After Niroshan Dickwella was taken by a stunning dive catch from behind the stumps by Chadwick Walton, it fell to Moeen Ali to rebuild the chase, using his power hitting skills and smooth drives to leave his team needing 87 runs from 36 balls. However, Moeen mistimed a drive, presenting an easy catch for Walton. In spite of a defiant innings by England’s Luke Wright, Team Abu Dhabi fans were left praying for a magical big over that never came. In spite of Team Abu Dhabi posting a respectable 114, the Maratha Arabians sealed their victory and their place at the top of group B in the Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10 with a 24 run lead.

Man of the Match, Chris Lynn, said: “It was a bit gutting that I didn’t reach my century, which would have been the first of the T10, but toward the last few overs my partner at the other end was also hitting boundaries. At the end of the day, I’m just pleased we had a good result and managed to win.”

Despite not having played today, the legendary Yuvraj Singh, batsman for the Maratha Arabians, commented: “T10 is a very fast paced game, and slowly you get used to the tempo, but you have to be switched on all the time. I think we bounced back very well from our opening defeat, and there is a lot of confidence in our abilities as a team.”

Captain of Team Abu Dhabi, Moeen Ali, said in the post-match interview: “We played on a fresh wicket today, and Lynn damaged us with everything he’s got, so we are obviously bitterly disappointed. As a batsman I know that when you find your rhythm, it’s very difficult for someone to stop you. It is not going to be long before we see the first century of this tournament.”

Match Report 3: Delhi Bulls vs. Bangla Tigers

Rilee Rossouw and Andre Fletcher opened the Bangla Tigers’ innings after skipper Thisara Perera won the toss and elected to bat. Fletcher sought to open his arm and recreate his performance from the previous night of action, but a catch from Sherfane Rutherford put an end to his big-hitting ambitions dismissed for 8. Colin Ingram lasted just two deliveries at the crease before his own departure for 4. Rossouw and Moores sought tempo and runs, finding occasional boundaries, before both batsmen were caught by the West Indies’ Rutherford.

The Bulls’ bowlers sniffed wickets, and found them in quick succession. Perera was next to fall for six and Robbie Frylinck for 11. At 84 with 12 balls remaining, the Tigers needed to sprint for more wickets and South African David Weise and the UAE’s own Chirag Suri sought chances. In spite of his wicket on the match’s penultimate delivery, Weise managed to find opportunities to lift the ball over the boundary rope twice, placing his team on a defendable 108.

England’s pace machine, Liam Plunkett, delivered the speedy wicket of the UAE’s Muhammad Usman. The Bulls’ spirits were not dampened by the Tigers’ attack, with Kusal Perera and Sherfane Rutherford slipping through and over the deep fielders to the crowds’ delight. Perera fell on a strong 43 off a mere 18 deliveries, followed by Rutherford two overs later on 18, bringing the Bulls to require 46 off 29 deliveries.

Angelo Mathews and Eoin Morgan created a steady partnership, with a keen sense of finding weaknesses in the Tigers’ fielding strategy. Plunkett and David Weise tried to find a chink in the Bulls’ armour, but Morgan and Mathews avoided the Tigers’ traps with care. However, such caution found the Bulls short by 17 runs at the start of the final over, leading to a boundary from Mathews and a six from Morgan. The batsmen’s desperation for runs led to Mathews being run out in the second-to-last ball of the match, and the Bulls finished the innings, locked with the Tigers, both sitting on 108.

Man of the Match, Kusal Perera of the Delhi Bulls, commented: “When I bat, I’m always trying to be positive, looking to take risky shots, because in the T10 you don’t have that much time to settle in and make runs. But all in all, we have to take the tie as a positive result for us today.”

Thisara Perera commented on the Bangla Tiger’s performance: “That’s the T10 for you. You never really know what’s going to happen until the very last ball. At times it looked they were going to win, but then we snatched some of the momentum back, and it ended in a very exciting draw.”

Day five of the Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10 will bring more action and drama, as the teams enter the second stage of the tournament. Shane Watson’s Deccan Gladiators will face off against Team Qalandars, the Delhi Bulls will lock horns against the Northern Warriors, and the Bangla Tigers will meet with Team Abu Dhabi. The tournament, which will run through to 24 November, is being broadcast in India on Sony Six and Sony Ten 3. To purchase tickets and hospitality passes, please visit: https://www.q-tickets.com/AbuDhabit10

by Abhishek Shukla

Dh10,000 daily prize money brings happiness to raffle draw winners at Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10

Three winners of the daily raffle draw walked away with Dh10,000 each in the draws conducted
during the first three days at the Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10.
Every day, Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10 league shells out Dh10,000 throughout the ten-day
league – to bring smile to one of the cricket fans.
In order to participate in the raffle draw, a visitor to the stadium has to drop part of the ticket in the box. Every day, one lucky winner walks away with Dh10,000 cash prize money. However, in
order to win, the holder of the ticket has to be present in the stadium. Those who are absent
during the draw, do not qualify.
Syed Hassan Ali, a Pakistani eye specialist won the first draw conducted on Friday, November
15, 2019 while Bilal Hussain, a Pakistani worker won the prize in the raffle draw conducted on
Saturday, November 16, 2019. Sandip Taman, a Nepalese worker who came to the UAE on a
work visa barely two weeks ago, won Dh10,000 on Sunday, November 17, 2019 evening.
“We want to share our success with our stakeholders – hundreds of thousands of cricket fans.
We want to see more happy faces as they cheer for their favourite teams,” Shaji Ul Mulk,
Chairman of Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10, said. “The daily raffle draw is planned to give back
something to the crowd and spread happiness.
“I am happy to see this raffle win is making a difference in the life of the winners and adding
happiness to their daily life. It is a token of appreciation from us to the cricket fans across the
UAE and we would like to see more happy faces every day.”

Bilal, who recently married, said, “I am extremely happy to win the raffle and I will send the entire
amount to my family back home. It is a wonderful moment and I am really happy to win this
money.”
For Sandip Thamang, it is a big surprise and he looked visibly shocked with the win. “I landed in
the UAE two weeks ago, to work for a company. My visa is not yet stamped and I also do not
have my Emirates ID card. I came to watch cricket matches with friends and then I became
lucky,” said the visibly shaky winner, still trying to recover from the surprise.
Sandip, the only child of his parents, will send the money home to his parents. “It will be a
surprise gift to them, coming within weeks of my entry in to the UAE and I am really happy.”
He seemed to be worried of losing the jackpot, when officials asked for his identity card –
Emirates ID, or passport with visa stamped – none of which are ready.
Ismail Hassan, Head of Legal and Government Relations, said, “That’s not a problem, as long as
he produces an identity with a photo. This is a welcome gift from all of us to him to welcome
Sandip to the UAE.”
Bilal Hussain, a Pakistani national from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said, this extra income
will bring added happiness to his family, including his parents, siblings and wife.
“I will send the money to my family and they will be really happy with this extra remittance. I am
happy that I came to watch T10 matches,” he said.
Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10 has budgeted Dh100,000 for raffle winners – to encourage more
people to come and watch matches every day.

by Abhishek Shukla

Krishan Kumar Choudhary is new owner of Karnataka Tuskers of Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10

Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10 today announced a new owner of Karnataka Tuskers – Mr Krishan Kumar Choudhary, a seasoned businessman and a famous producer of Bollywood movies.

Mr Krishan Kumar Choudhary is a dynamic businessman, known for his contributions in diverse economic sectors including real estate and entertainment in South Asia. His journey has been quite instrumental as a financier and moved towards production of TV shows and commercial movies. He has produced more than 12 super hit movies in the shortest span of time and has another 3 movies in the pipeline to be released in 2020.

Welcoming the new owner of Karnataka Tuskers, Shaji Ul Mulk, Chairman of the Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10, said, “I take the opportunity to welcome Mr Krishan Choudhary as the new owner of Karnataka Tuskers – the new franchise of the Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10. He brings considerable experience in business, entertainment and now sports.

“As an investor, he has already been contributing to the UAE economy. Under his dynamic leadership, I’m sure the Tuskers will go places and contribute to the development of the cricket in the UAE and elsewhere.”

Mr Krishan Choudhary made his name in hospitality by getting the biggest brand Playboy to India and following it up with another 6 renowned clubs all over India. His recent acquisition includes a hotel in Dubai.

Mr Choudhary, who is also an investor in numerous projects in the UAE and abroad, said, “We are very happy and excited to be part of the T10 journey. I thank the T10 Sports Management to give us an opportunity to serve the game of cricket.

“I see a great opportunity for me and my team to contribute to the development of the shortest format of cricket – the Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10. We are here to partner with all stakeholders to take the league to the next level, and have some fun.”

Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10, which is being hosted in Abu Dhabi for the first time from November 14 to 24, has seen some exciting actions. Karnataka Tuskers have made headlines by winning its first match.

Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10, the world’s only ten-over cricket league to be officially sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and licensed by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), has finalised the team groupings through a Team Draw. T10 League was launched last year by T10 Sports Management to popularise the game of cricket in its shortest format – that concludes within less than 90 minutes in which two teams bat it out in ten overs – or just 60 balls – thrilling the crowd

by Abhishek Shukla

TT: TN boys and girls figure in all four finals

Dharamshala, November 18: The Sub-Junior boys of Tamil Nadu were the only top-seeded team that survived with sheer consistency to enter the final of the UTT 81st Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Indoor Stadium here today.

Tamil Nadu defeated Uttar Pradesh 3-1 and they will meet Maharashtra A in the final tomorrow. Maharashtra, from the bottom half of the draw, surprised second-seed West Bengal 3-1 in the second semi-final.

Similarly, top-seeds Karnataka in Sub-Junior Girls were blanked out by Haryana in the quarters, paving the way for the northern state to enter the final along with Tamil Nadu, who knocked out third-seed West Bengal, also with a 3-0 verdict.

In Cadet Girls and Boys, again the top-seeded West Bengal bowed out. Yesterday, the boys were sent packing by Maharashtra A while their girls went down in straight games to Tamil Nadu.

As a result, all the four Tamil Nadu teams have entered finals and are poised to benefit the maximum from these nationals. They have already ensured silver medal each for their teams and are just a step away from sweeping the gold medals.  

In Cadet Girls, Uttar Pradesh powered by Anika Gupta’s deciding rubber victory upset Maharashtra A 3-2 in a marathon that lasted almost one and a half hours.

In Sub-Junior Girls, as expected both Haryana and Tamil Nadu toyed with their opponents, Maharashtra A and West Bengal. Haryana won 3-1 while Tamil Nadu blanked out West Bengal 3-0.

In the Cadet Boys semi-finals, North Bengal had to really battle it out against a stubborn Haryana before entering the final, to be played tomorrow, with 3-2 win.

The mach went up to the last rubber in which Sangram Sarkar outplayed Krishiv Nayak of Haryana to clinch it in their favour. Earlier, Siddhant Kataria had given Haryana the much-needed win to level the score 2-2. In fact, he was the one who won both his singles to provide the opportunity which Krishiv could not cash in on.

In comparison, Tamil Nadu had an easy time against PSPBA despite the latter managing to take a rubber when Umesh Kumar of Tamil Nadu lost to Priyanuj Bhattacharyya.

Results:

Cadet Boys: Semi-finals: North Bengal bt Haryana 3-2 (Punit Biswas bt Krishiv Nayak 11-3, 11-6, 11-1, Sangram Sarkar lost to Siddhant Kataria 4-11, 10-12, 13-11, 8-11, Punit/Sangram bt Krishiv/Siddhant 7-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-8, Punit Biswas lost to Siddhant Kataria 4-11, 11-5, 11-6, 5-11, 5-11, Sangram Sarkar bt Krishiv Nayak 12-10, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7); Tamil Nadu bt PSPBA 3-1 (Umesh Kumar lost to Priyanuj Bhattacharyya 7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 5-11, P.B. Abhinand bt Divya Rajkhowa 11-8, 11-7, 11-7, Umesh/Abhinand bt Sehgal Singh/Praiyanuj 11-9, 11-8, 13-11, P.B. Abhinand bt Priyanuj Bhattacharyya 3-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-6).

Quarterfinals: North Bengal bt Maharashtra A 3-1, Haryana bt Karnataka 3-1, PSPBA bt Maharashtra B 3-1, Tamil Nadu bt Telangana 3-2.

Cadet Girls: Semi-finals: Tamil Nadu bt Telangana 3-0 (Sharvani Nagam bt Naorem Shriya 11-5, 11-5, 11-7, M. Hansini bt Paluru Jalani 11-2, 11-1, 11-2, Hansini/Sharvani bt Paluru/Pragyansha Patra 11-7, 11-5, 11-4); Uttar Pradesh bt Maharashtra A 3-2 (Anika Gupta lost to Jennifer Varghese 11-5, 5-11, 7-11, 7-11, Suhani Mahajan bt Devyani Kulkarni 11-5, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5, Anika/Suhani lost to Jennifer/Devyani 11-7, 10-12, 7-11, 7-11, Suhani Mahajan bt Jennifer Varghese 11-8, 5-11, 10-12, 11-4, 11-8, Anika Gupta bt Devyani Kulkarni 11-4, 13-11, 12-10).

Quarterfinals: Tamil Nadu bt West Bengal 3-0, Telangana bt Gujrat 3-1, Maharashtra A bt Delhi 3-2, Uttar Pradesh bt Punjab 3-0.

Sub-Junior Boys: Semi-finals: Tamil Nadu bt Uttar Pradesh 3-1 (Tharun Shanmugham bt Divyansh Srivastava 11-9, 11-5, 11-8, Preyesh Raj Suresh bt Sarth Mishra 11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9, Tharun/Preyesh bt Divyansh/Sarth 11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, Preyesh Raj bt Divyansh Srivastava 5-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6); Maharashtra A bt West Bengal 3-1 (Havish Asrani bt Bodhisatwa Choudhury 11-8, 11-4, 6-11, 11-5, Jash Modi lost to Ankur Bhattacahrjee 7-11, 6-11, 6-11, Aadil/Havish bt Ankur/Rudhra N. Ghosh 11-8, 11-6, 11-4, Jash Modi bt Bodhisatwa Choudhury 8-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-9).

Quarterfinals: Tamil Nadu bt Haryana 3-1, Uttar Pradesh bt Delhi 3-1, Maharashtra A bt Karnatka 3-2, West Bengal bt Gujarat 3-2.

Sub-Junior Girls: Semi-finals: Haryana bt Maharashtra A 3-1 (Suhana Saini bt Taneesha Kotecha 5-11, 11-4, 11-4, 12-10, Preksha Vohra lost to Pritha Vartikar 7-11, 5-11, 8-11, Suhana/Preksha bt Pritha/Sampada 11-9, 11-9, 11-9, Suhana Saini bt Pritha Vartikar 11-7, 11-7, 11-4); Tamil Nadu bt West Bengal 3-0 (Kavyashree Baskar bt Sneha Bhowmick 11-3, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, Nehal Venkatasamy bt Prithoki Chakraborti 11-8, 11-7, 11-5, Kavyashree/Nehal bt Oishiki Joardar 11-9, 11-8, 13-11).

Quarterfinals: Haryana bt Karnataka 3-0, Maharashtra A bt Maharashtra B 3-0, West Bengal bt Gujarat 3-1, Tamil Nadu bt Delhi 3-2.

by Abhishek Shukla

Harmeet wins first major open international title

New Delhi, November 18: Harmeet Desai defeated compatriot Anthony Amalraj in the final of the 2019 ITTF Challenge Indonesia Open at Batam to win his first open international men singles title.

The No.3 seeded Indian defeated No. 6 Amalraj 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8 to secure a major title in his career. The match almost went the full distance and both played a riveting final, especially Amalraj after being 1-3 down.

When it reached the fifth game, Harmeet played brilliantly but Amalraj matched it equally well to deuce. At 10-10, Harmeet had the advantage but he lost and Amalraj, seizing the opportunity, reduced the margin further.

But the Surat man’s excellent block and counters in the sixth helped him coast along. The match had fine long rallies and Harmeet’s percentage game at crucial junctures, particularly when Amaraj gave away some negatives, hastened the process in favour of Harmeet.

In the semi-finals, Harmeet defeated No. 5 seed from Lam Siu Hang from Hong Kong 11-5, 16-18, 4-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-8. Though Harmeet began well against the Hong Kong paddler he went down 1-2 soon before regrouping himself to not only catch up with his opponent and finally going through by winning the sixth game.

Amalraj, on the other hand, had it rather easy in his semi-final encounter against Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw, who is seeded No. 7. The Indian won 11-4, 11-7, 11-8, 11-3.

by Abhishek Shukla

Delhi’s Dillon Zachariah, Druv Dayal and Raghav Budhiraja advance to Grand Finale of X1 Racing eSports Season 1

New Delhi, 18 November 2019: Dillon Zachariah, Druv Dayal and Raghav Budhiraja emerged as winners of the Delhi edition of X1 Racing eSports Season 1, a digital simulator-based racing competition held at the Moments Mall in Kirti Nagar on Sunday. The three winners will represent the city in the grand finale to be held on 1st December at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida. Dillon Zachariah secured first position, while Druv Dayal came second and Raghav Budhiraja third. The three winners were awarded cash prizes along with a OnePlus phone each.

The winner of the grand finale will also get a chance to train under the founders of X1 Racing, Aditya Patel and Armaan Ebrahim to hone their racing talent.

A staggering 5,000 motorsports enthusiasts from the city competed over the last weekend to set their best lap time in the custom made simulators of X1 Racing eSports. Of the lot, 30 individuals were selected for the Delhi-leg finals which took place on Sunday. Prior to the Sunday extravaganza, the contest was also taken to the Shiv Nadar University in Greater Noida and Manav Rachna Educational Institutions enabling students to participate in the never-before contest which simulates the on-track experience.


“We congratulate the winners and look forward to having them at the grand finale. It was great to see the excitement in these youngsters from Delhi for a racing event. It was a positive sight to see their enthusiasm for motorsports, and we hope this initiative can further help youngsters from all parts of the country in pursuing a professional career in motorsports. We are grateful to OnePlus and JK Tyre Motorsport to have come on board with us, bringing this initiative to life.” said Armaan Ebrahim, Co-founder, X1 Racing.

“We are thrilled by the response the event received in Delhi. This is a big boost for us as organizers, and is a testimony that initiatives such as these are welcomed in the northern part of the country as well. We saw some great talent on display this weekend, and are happy to provide a platform to support these youngsters hone their talent.” added Aditya Patel, Co-Founder, X1 Racing.

The X1 eSports Season 1 will culminate with the much anticipated X1 Racing League, a franchise based motorsports competition will take place on November 30-December 1 in New Delhi and December 7-8 in Chennai. The league will be representing six cities. Owners of the league include India’s first F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan who will own and race for the Chennai team; Delhi team by Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Saeed Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan; Mumbai team by Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd.; Hyderabad team by renowned industrialist Akhilesh Reddy and Ahmedabad by Pen India Studios promoter Dhaval Gada.

by Abhishek Shukla

Hockey India names 33 Core Probables for Senior Women National Camp

New Delhi, 16 November 2019: Hockey India on Saturday named the 33-member Core Probables list for the upcoming Senior Women National Camp to begin on 18 November 2019 at the Sports Authority of India, Bengaluru Campus. The players will report to Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne for the Training and Conditioning Camp that concludes on 15 December 2019. 

After having successfully secured their place in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Indian Women’s Hockey Team will look to maintain their rhythm and consistency when they take part in the four-week camp. The camp will see the players focus on fitness, ball-handling speed and strength apart from emphasis on planning and plotting for their road ahead leading up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The team led by striker Rani progressed to the quadrennial event as they beat World No. 13 USA 6-5 on aggregate across the two matches of FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Odisha.

With the team scheduled to tour New Zealand in January – February 2020, the National Camp gives Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne with the opportunity to evaluate the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Odisha, and prepare for the upcoming season. “The National Camp gives us the opportunity to keep working on the fitness as this would be an important period where we will have the time for it. The upcoming year will be a busy one for us, and that’s why this period is important. Besides this, we will evaluate our performances at the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Odisha and what can we learn from those two matches,” stated Marijne.

The Core Probables group includes Goalkeepers Savita, Rajani Etimarpu, Bichu Devi Kharibam, Defenders Deep Grace Ekka, Reena Khokhar, Suman Devi Thoudam, Sunita Lakra, Salima Tete, Manpreet Kaur, Gurjit Kaur, Rashmita Minz, Mahima Choudhary and Nisha. Among Midfielders, Nikki Pradhan, Monika, Neha Goyal, Lilima Minz, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Chetna, Reet, Karishma Yadav, Sonika and Namita Toppo have received a call-up. Forwards Rani, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya, Navjot Kaur, Navneet Kaur, Rajwinder Kaur, Jyoti, Sharmila Devi, Priyanka Wankhede and Udita have made the National Camp. 

Core Probables List: 

Goalkeepers: 

1. Savita 

2. Rajani Etimarpu 

3. Bichu Devi Kharibam

Defenders:

4. Deep Grace Ekka

5. Reena Khokhar

6. Suman Devi Thoudam

7. Sunita Lakra 

8. Salima Tete  

9. Manpreet Kaur

10. Gurjit Kaur 

11. Rashmita Minz 

12. Mahima Choudhary 

13. Nisha

Midfielders: 

14. Nikki Pradhan

15. Monika

16. Neha Goyal

17. Lilima Minz 

18. Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam 

19. Chetna

20. Reet

21. Karishma Yadav 

22. Sonika

23. Namita Toppo

Forwards: 

24. Rani 

25. Lalremsiami 

26. Vandana Katariya 

27. Navjot Kaur

28. Navneet Kaur 

29. Rajwinder Kaur

30. Jyoti 

31. Sharmila Devi 

32. Priyanka Wankhede 

33. Udita