by Abhishek Shukla

NFL Divisional Round Games Average 40.0 Million Viewers

NEW YORK — Jan. 23, 2024 — This year’s NFL Divisional Round averaged 40.0 million viewers (TV+Digital) – the highest on record dating back to 1988.

The 40.0 million average viewers for the four games – Houston Texans versus Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers versus San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs versus Buffalo Bills – are up +7% versus last year, and up +5% versus the prior record in 2021-22.

In total, 126.7 million viewers tuned in for the Divisional Round.

Highlights from the NFL’s Divisional Round include:

  • The Saturday primetime game on FOX between the Packers and 49ers averaged 37.5 million viewers, the most-watched Saturday NFL playoff game on record.
  • The Sunday primetime game on CBS between the Chiefs and Bills averaged 50.4 million viewers, the most-watched Divisional or Wild Card game on record.

The schedule for this Sunday’s AFC and NFC Championship games is as follows:

  • Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens – 3 p.m. ET on CBS
     
  • Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers – 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX

Source: Nielsen and first-party digital

by Abhishek Shukla

NFL Announces Head Coaches for 75th Anniversary Reese’s Senior Bowl

NEW YORK –– Jan. 23, 2024 –– The National Football League announced today the head coaches for the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl, Jeff Ulbrich of the New York Jets and Terrell Williams of the Tennessee Titans.

“This is an opportunity for two excellent coaches, Jeff Ulbrich of the Jets and Terrell Williams of the Titans, to take the reins as head coaches in leading their staffs and top football athletes in the Senior Bowl’s week-long evaluation of NFL prospects,” said Troy Vincent Sr., executive vice president of football operations for the NFL. “The Senior Bowl is not only a showcase for top football student-athletes, but also a wonderful opportunity for coaches that are nominated by their NFL clubs to further develop their skills and learn from one another.”

Ulbrich recently completed his third season as the Jets’ defensive coordinator after joining New York as part of Robert Saleh’s first staff in 2021. Ulbrich, a 10-year NFL linebacker, has 14 years of coaching experience, 11 at the NFL level.

Williams has 26 seasons of coaching experience, including 12 in the NFL. He coached the past six seasons as a member of the Titans’ coaching staff, including the 2023 season as the team’s assistant head coach/defensive line coach. 

“The Senior Bowl is excited about having two highly respected coaches like Jeff Ulbrich and Terrell Williams lead our teams in Mobile,” said Jim Nagy, executive director of the Senior Bowl. “I had a chance to observe Jeff down here at the Senior Bowl two years ago when the Jets’ staff coached in the game, and he brought tons of juice to his defensive players. Jeff also has an impactful story to tell our players about being a one-year starter at Hawaii and the Senior Bowl helping him become a top-100 draft pick. I met Terrell years ago when he was defensive line coach at Purdue and always came away impressed with how he connected with his guys at practice. Over the past week, I’ve spoken to a number of friends in the league who have worked alongside Terrell, and they all gave him glowing recommendations. Our players are going to have a great week learning under these two men.”

This is the second year the Senior Bowl is implementing a “Coach Up” format in which coordinators and assistant coaches are placed into elevated or different roles from the ones they currently hold with their respective clubs. Head coaches and general managers from all non-playoff teams and Wild Card round participants had the opportunity to nominate assistant coaches. Ulbrich and Williams were then selected by a group composed of league office executives and representatives from the General Managers Advisory Committee.

The Reese’s Senior Bowl, widely regarded as the preeminent college football all-star game and the first stage in the NFL Draft process, is the longest continuously running all-star game and has taken place in Mobile, Ala., for the previous years. The 75th anniversary Senior Bowl will kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 3, from the University of South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium and will be televised on NFL Network.

by Abhishek Shukla

NFL Announces Head Coaches for 99th East-West Shrine Bowl

​NEW YORK ––Jan. 23, 2024 –– The National Football League announced today the head coaches for the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl, Richard Hightower of the Chicago Bears and Mike Kafka of the New York Giants.

“Coaches Hightower and Kafka have the opportunity to not only evaluate top athlete prospects, but also to showcase their skills in leading players and coaching staffs in this high-profile game,” said Troy Vincent Sr., executive vice president of football operations for the NFL. “This is an important evaluation week for prospects as well as for coaches as they pursue their professional and personal goals. The game also shows the humanitarian side of football as participants greatly encourage the children and families at the Shriners Hospitals.”

Hightower has spent the past two seasons as the Bears’ special teams coordinator and completed his third year overall in Chicago in 2023 after previously serving as the club’s assistant special teams coach in 2016. Hightower has 17 years of NFL coaching experience, including stops with Houston (2006-08), Washington (2010-13), Cleveland (2014), San Francisco (2015, 2017-21) and Chicago (2016, 2022-23).

Kafka recently completed his second season as the Giants’ offensive coordinator and has seven years of NFL coaching experience. He spent five seasons as an assistant coach on Andy Reid’s staff with the Kansas City Chiefs, the last two as the team’s quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator. In 2016, Kafka served as an offensive graduate assistant at his alma mater, Northwestern University.

“We’re excited to have Mike Kafka and Richard Hightower as our head coaches for the 99th annual East-West Shrine Bowl,” said Bob Roller, vice president of sports for Shriners Hospitals for Children. “Coach Kafka played in our game 14 years ago and was the game’s most valuable player. Now, he returns to coach, develop and provide his wisdom to our quarterbacks and the entire West roster. Coach Hightower is among the best special teams coordinators in the NFL and has Texas ties as a University of Texas alum. We’re looking forward to him leading the East roster.”

At the conclusion of the NFL regular season, teams nominated deserving assistant coaches who were reviewed by a panel that includes NFL Football Operations staff, East-West Shrine Bowl leadership, members of the NFL’s General Managers Advisory Committee and the Fritz Pollard Alliance.

Coaches nominated by NFL clubs must be active assistant coaches who display extraordinary teaching and communication skills and are recognized for their integrity and commitment to excellence in the coaching profession. The coaches must be accomplished at developing and preparing players to compete in the NFL.

The 99th East-West Shrine Bowl, which features some of college football’s best prospects, will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 1, from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, and will be televised on NFL Network.

For more than 90 years, some of football’s greatest players and coaches have contributed to the tradition of the East-West Shrine Bowl, the nation’s first college all-star football game. Created by the Shriners in 1925, the game is driven by the desire to support Shriners Hospitals for Children in its mission to help children in need of expert medical care. Participating players make an annual visit to the local Shriners Hospital, visiting children and staff in an experience that they will truly never forget.

by Abhishek Shukla

Guman Singh shines with 15 points as U Mumba and Puneri Paltan play out a thrilling tie

23rd January, Hyderabad: The Maharashtra derby between U Mumba and Puneri Paltan lived up to its billing as they played out a thrilling 32-32 tie in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 on Tuesday. Guman Singh was the star on the night for U Mumba with 15 raid points, meanwhile, Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh notched 6 tackle points in the match.

Aslam Inamdar picked up a couple of raid points as the Puneri Paltan took the lead at 4-2 in the third minute. Sanket Sawant also joined the party with tackles against Heidarali Ekrami and Guman Singh to help the Pune side extend their lead further. However, Ekrami caught out Gaurav Khatri and kept U Mumba in the game at 5-7.

Puneri Paltan and U Mumba exchanged a couple of tackle points as the Pune side continued to lead at 10-7 in the 13th minute. However, Bittu tackled Mohit Goyat and kept his team in the contest at 9-10. Moments later, Guman Singh pulled off a SUPER RAID to help U Mumba inflict an ALL OUT and take a decent lead at 15-11. Thereafter, Guman Singh effected a couple of raids as the Mumbai side stayed in the lead at 19-17 at the end of the first half.

Mohit Goyat effected a magnificent raid in the opening minutes of the second half but U Mumba still held the lead at 21-19. Goyat continued to showcase his brilliance as the Puneri Paltan reduced U Mumba to just two members on the mat. The Pune side inflicted an ALL OUT soon after and inched ahead at 25-23 in the 27th minute. However, Guman Singh continued to shine as U Mumba levelled the scores at 26-26.

Thereafter, both sides played out a neck-to-neck battle and were locked at 30-30 in the 37th minute. U Mumba tackled Aslam Inamdar, but Ekrami caught out Shadloui to level the scores once again. Goyat effected a raid and put the Pune side in front at 32-31 with just 50 seconds left on the clock. However, Rane picked up a bonus point to lock the scores at 32-32. Thereafter, Aslam Inamdar decided to run down the clock and settle for a tie in the end.

Please see below the PKL Season 10 match on 24th January

Game 1 – Haryana Steelers vs Dabang Delhi K.C. – 8 pm

Game 2 – Telugu Titans vs Tamil Thalaivas – 9 pm

Venue: Hyderabad

Season 10 of the Pro Kabaddi League will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network and for free on Disney+ Hotstar.  

by Abhishek Shukla

Cool down after a sizzling day of tennis as Djokovic and Kyrgios Share a Lighthearted Exchange 

Mumbai, January 23rd, 2024: Following his quarter-final victory at the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic engaged in a lighthearted on-court interview with Nick Kyrgios. The exchange, characterized by mutual respect and playful banter, provided a refreshing moment amidst the competitive games the Australian Open, fondly called the Slam of The Greats, is offering.

Kyrgios, known for his flamboyant personality and unorthodox style, took on the role of interviewer, probing Djokovic about his preparations and motivations. Djokovic, with his characteristic composure and wit, readily engaged in the playful questioning, even revealing a humorous superstition involving a pre-match lucky tree. 

Kyrgios took an opportunity to ask Djokovic, who is chasing his 25th career Grand Slam, about his ritual of hugging a specific tree for success. The question invited a humorous response from Djokovic, “I’ll show you the tree. You can’t tell anyone. It’s a big secret. You gotta take off your shoes and climb to the highest point and hang upside down on one of the highest branches for 33 minutes and 3 seconds. Then you’re gonna win a slam.” Djokovic jokingly responded to help the crowd erupt (again) but this time with laughter.

The hilarious exchange on the court was a great reminder of the camaraderie and sportsmanship that can exist even in the fiercely competitive world of tennis, especially between two players who have played out some of the most memorable games against each other. The Australian Open has entered a crucial phase, with exciting match-ups throughout the week leading up to the final day on January 28th. Sony Sports Network is offering live coverage of all the tennis action from the Australian Open, with commentary available in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu, featuring Indian tennis legends, including Sania Mirza

by Abhishek Shukla

U19 CWC 2024: New Zealand edge Afghanistan in dramatic thriller; England overcome South Africa

New Zealand beat Afghanistan in a dramatic, low-scoring contest in East London while England won their second match in a rain-affected game against hosts South Africa.

Matt Rowe followed up a sensational, five-wicket burst inside 16 balls with a nerveless shot to hit the winning runs in New Zealand’s one-wicket win over Afghanistan at Buffalo Park in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024.

In a low-scoring game that went down to the wire, a run-out at the non-striker’s end in the final moments was the major talking point, but Rowe’s crucial hit took New Zealand past the finish line for their second win that took them to the top of the table.

Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar was exceptional with the ball to nearly negate Afghanistan’s ordinary batting effort, but in the end, they just had too few runs on board to force a win.

Meanwhile, in Potchefstroom, England proved too good for hosts South Africa. Jaydn Denly, Eddie Jack and Tazeem Ali all took three wickets apiece as South Africa were bowled out for a par total of 230. 

Skipper, Ben McKinney, and Noah Thain then put England ahead in the game before persistent rain and lightning resulted in abandonment. England, well ahead on the DLS method after their strong start, notched up a second win in the tournament to top Group B. 

New Zealand beat Afghanistan by one wicket in East London

New Zealand 92/9 (28.2 overs) v Afghanistan 91 (21.3 overs)

Opting to bat first in East London, Afghanistan would have hoped to fare better than they did against Pakistan three days back, when they were bowled out for 103. 

While they lost Hassan Eisakhil and Khalid Taniwal early to the impressive Ryan Tsourgas, Jamshid Zadran held the fort to help Afghanistan to a steady start. At 46/2, Afghanistan had a decent start, but it derailed all too quickly thereafter. 

In 34 balls, Afghanistan lost five wickets for eight runs with pacer Matt Rowe running amok and completing a five-wicket haul in 16 balls. 

The New Zealand speedster, cousin of White Ferns player Hannah Rowe, had Afghanistan on the mat with his spell. At 54/7, Afghanistan had thrown away their solid start and it was down to the tail to resurrect the innings and get them to the three-figure mark.

That didn’t quite happen, but Afghanistan’s tail still managed to stick around enough to get into the nineties, eventually getting bowled out for 91. 

With a meagre target to defend, Afghanistan threw their trump card, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, the new ball, and the ploy worked. 

The mystery spinner, often likened to Mujeeb Ur Rahman, was touted as a superstar right from age group cricket and showed exactly why on Tuesday.

He sent back three of the top four batters for ducks to reduce New Zealand to 23/3. With the centurion from the last game, Snehith Reddy, absent, New Zealand’s top-order struggled to combat Ghazanfar. 

Khalil Ahmed joined in on the act with a couple of quick wickets as New Zealand crumbled to  42/5. 

Afghanistan, however, then struggled to make further inroads as skipper Oscar Jackson, who had smashed 75 in the previous game against Nepal, stood tall to counter the spinners. 

A 30-run stand between him and Sam Clode was broken when Naseer Khan had the wicketkeeper bowled in the 25th over. In a massive breakthrough for Afghanistan, Jackson followed suit in the next over with Arab Gul Momand bowling him with a fuller, quicker ball that slipped under his bat to hit the timber.

A streaky four and a few singles brought New Zealand to within touching distance of the target, but skipper Naseer Khan had noticed Ewald Schreuder taking a few steps outside the crease at the non-striker’s end. 

In the first ball of his next over, Naseer ran Schreuder out at the non-striker’s end, leaving the match tantalisingly poised. New Zealand still needed two runs to win, but only had one wicket left.

Despite the tense atmosphere, Rowe was all calm. He calmly hit the winning runs off the very next ball to script a thrilling win for New Zealand.

Reacting to the non-striker’s end run out, Naseer Khan told ICC Digital: “Yeah it is in the rules and that’s why I did it.”

The New Zealand skipper Oscar Jackson hailed the match as a “great game of cricket” and praised Matt Rowe for his excellent spell.

“It was a great day for bowling and our top bowlers did a great job. Matthew Rowe was just unbelievable today – his control, and line and length were perfect and broke the game wide open for us. After the day he had with the ball, it was always going to be his day [on him hitting the winning runs].”

England beat South Africa by 36 runs (DLS Method)

England 137/2 (28.3 overs) v South Africa 230 (49.2 overs)

Put in to bat in Potchefstroom, South Africa got off to a flyer, making 71 runs in less than 11 overs before pacer Jack and left-arm spinner Denly struck in back-to-back overs to pull England back into the game. 

Lhuan-dre Pretorius was the first to fall after a half-century stand with Steve Stolk. The latter was the more aggressive of the two in the partnership and had already raced to 44 in 36 balls when Pretorius nicked an upper-cut to the wicketkeeper.

David Teeger was sent back for nought the next over, but Richard Seletswane and Stolk strung together a partnership that brought the Proteas back up to pace.

However, against the run of play, Stolk was run out for 64 while attempting a risky single, the wicketkeeper Jack Carney showing impeccable skills to collect the throw and take down the stumps.

The game soon turned England’s way decidedly when off-spinner Tazeem Ali struck off successive deliveries to send back Oliver Whitehead and Romashan Pillay for ducks.

With three spinners in the side, England strangled the South African middle-order and runs were hard to come by on a sluggish wicket. 

That didn’t quite affect Dewan Marais, fresh off an exceptional knock against the West Indies in the opening game. The lower middle-order batter and Seletswane stitched together a stand before another couple of quick wickets put a halt to South Africa’s charge.

Jack returned to clean up Seletswane and Denly struck the next over to remove the well-set Marais for 42. 

But the tail-enders put up a good fight for the hosts, with each of the final four batters making double-digit scores. From 169/7, South Africa made a further 61 runs to finish on 230.

South Africa made a strong start with the ball as Tristan Luus accounted for opener Denly (1) in the second over, but England dominated from there with skipper McKinney once again impressing.

The left-hand opener, who had struck an 88 against Scotland in the previous game, was accompanied by Noah Thain at No.3 and the duo put on a strong partnership that pushed the hosts on the backfoot.

Runs came thick and fast during the stand as both batters played positive cricket. It took the medium pace of Romashan Pillay for South Africa to make the breakthrough. 

Bowling from around the wicket, Pillay slanted one back into McKinney to beat his drive and hit the stumps. Despite the wicket, McKinney’s 48 had laid a strong foundation for England in the run-chase.

Thain continued to go for his shots, reaching his fifty with two boundaries off Juan James in the 26th over. With Hamza Sheikh for company, England brought the runs required to under 100 when lightning and rain stopped play at Senwes Park.

Skipper Ben McKinney identified Tazeem Ali as the game-changer, stating that his three wickets, which came in two overs, changed the game.

“I think Tazeem Ali came in and picked three wickets in two overs. It just changes the pattern of the game. They got off to a great start, but the way we got back was excellent.”

by Abhishek Shukla

Maruf Mridha found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct

Bangladesh U19 bowler, Maruf Mridha, has received a reprimand for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup match against India in Bloemfontein.

Mridha was found to have breached Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match.”

In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Mridha’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.

The incident occurred in the 44th over of India’s innings when, after dismissing the batter, Mridha pointed aggressively to the changing room twice, giving the batter a send-off.

Mridha admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Shaid Wadvalla of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.

On-field umpires Donovan Koch and Nigel Duguid, third umpire Allahudien Paleker and fourth umpire, Langton Rusere levelled the charge.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

by Abhishek Shukla

Hailing from Gujarat’s ‘Mini Africa’, judoka Shahin ready for bigger challenges after KIYG glory

Chennai January 23: One would mistakenly count Shahin Darjada, seated with cornrows decorated with beads on her head, as some sports fan enjoying an outing at the indoor hall of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium where the judo competitions of the ongoing Khelo India Youth Games are being held.

Hailing from Jambur village, popularly known as the ‘Mini Africa’ of Gujarat, Shahin walked away with a gold medal in 57kg category with a convincing win over Himachal Pradesh’s Rupanshi in the final.

There are a couple of more players hailing from the region, situated around 20km from Gir, and has served as a home to Siddi community, which is of African origin.

Shahin, who recently won a silver medal at the Asian Junior Judo Championship in Tashkent, now has two gold, one silver and a one bronze from her four appearances in the Khelo India Youth Games.

“It was an easy bout for me. The opponent did not trouble me as I carried experience of four Khelo India competitions. It was my opponent’s first Khelo India final. I was in complete control of the bout right from the beginning. Happy that my Khelo India journey comes to an end with a gold,” she said after winning the final.

The 18-year-old said her performance started to improve once she shifted to the Vijayi Bharat Sports Academy (VBSA) in Ahmedabad where she started training under Georgian coach, Lasa Kizilashvili from 2022. 

Speaking about her future, Kizilashvili said “She trains hard at the academy. She follows every instruction given to her. A promising future lies before her. If you ask me, she is an Olympic material.”

A Class 12 student of Somnath Academy in her native village, Shahin is one of the six siblings and counts herself as a fortunate one to have supportive parents. Shahin’s father works in the government circuit house while her mother is a housewife. 

“It was in 2016 when my father first took me to a sports academy, and I had no clue about which sport to pick. I spent around two years at the DLSS (District Level Sports School) in Rajkot where I finally found judo as an interesting choice, and then got my skills fine-tuned at another academy in Nadiad for the next five years and went on to win my first KIYG gold (in Guwahati),” she recalled.

Last year, she participated in the junior World Championships and that experience helped her pocket the gold medals at the junior National Championships and the Cadet Nationals.

“My coaches Lal Krishnan Baghel and Lasa Kizilashvili have been really supportive, and instrumental in my transformation. I have been able to get international exposure which has boosted my confidence, and gearing up to bag a gold in my final KIYG,” she said.

While she has another couple of years in the junior circuit, Shahin has her eyes on the big stage, and hopes to fulfil her parent’s wishes by representing India at the highest levels.

by Abhishek Shukla

‘It’s lovely to share the dressing room with David Warner,’ says Dubai Capitals’ Dushmantha Chameera

Dubai, 23rd January 2024: Dubai Capitals’ bowler Dushmantha Chameera picked up four wickets in the DP World ILT20 clash against Sharjah Warriors, but it was not enough to counter the batting prowess of Johnson Charles, who helped his team chase down the target of 170 in a closely fought encounter at the Dubai International Stadium on Monday, January 22.

Speaking after the match, the Sri Lankan bowler said, “Johnson Charles is an attacking player. We made the mistake of bowling length balls, which he put away to the boundary. There was a little bit of dew on the pitch after the tenth over and that definitely hurt us.”

This did not stop Chameera from shining with the ball, also taking the wicket of Charles, who scored 93 off 51. Despite the loss, he was optimistic with the various other aspects of his team’s performance. “This is a disappointing result considering that we did well with the bat and on the field. We could’ve defended 170 runs,” added the right-armer.

Chameera also added that sharing the dressing room and taking the field with under the leadership of David Warner has been a warm experience for him. “It is a very good experience sharing the dressing room with players like David Warner. He has played in all the major leagues around the world, so it’s a good experience for me. All the senior players have a lot of experience so I am enjoying my time with this team,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the Capitals will host the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in their next clash on Thursday, January 25, with the hope of adding more points to their name on the points table.

by Abhishek Shukla

Manav, Ayhika kickstart WTT Star Contender Goa 2024 with wins; Sharath loses

Goa, January 23, 2024: Indian paddlers Manav Thakkar and Ayhika Mukherjee began their campaign in the WTT Star Contender Goa 2024 with comfortable victories on Tuesday at the Peddem Indoor Stadium in Mapusa, Goa.

Manav overcame the challenge of Anshuman Agarwal 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-4) in straight games to move into Men’s Singles – Qualifying Round 3 where he will face Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw.

In the women’s singles category, Ayhika Mukherjee defeated Sayali Wani by 3-0 (11-9, 11-2, 12-10) in Qualifying Round 2, while Poymantee Baisya beat Pritha Priya Vartikar 3-0 (12-10, 11-7, 11-7) in Qualifying Round 1.

Meanwhile, Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sanil Shetty faced defeats in the Men’s Singles – Qualifying Round 2 to exit the tournament. Sharath Kamal went down 2-3 (11-6, 12-10, 4-11, 15-17, 3-11) against South Korea’s Kang Dongsoo, whereas Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa beat Sanil Shetty 3-2 (14-12, 11-9, 11-13, 7-11, 11-6).

The tournament is co-hosted by Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis under the guidance of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).

In the mixed doubles category, Manush Shah and Diya Chitale defeated the Indonesian pair of Quek Izaac and Zhou Jingyi 3-0 (11-4, 11-7, 11-6) in straight games, while Sreeja Akula and Snehit Suravajjula beat Pang Koen and Wong Ru of Indonesia 3-1 (11-9, 13-11, 7-11, 11-8) to reach the Qualifying Round 2.

Fans can enjoy the world-class action by booking their tickets from BookMyShow.

The action will be available live on Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & Sony Sports Ten 2 HD channel on tv and live stream on Sony Liv app.

by Abhishek Shukla

Six nations enter their first ever Hockey World Cup as Hockey5s goes global

Lausanne, Switzerland: When the FIH Hockey5s World Cup was first proposed and accepted at the FIH Executive Board meeting in 2019, the purpose of the tournament was laid down as a tournament to “boost the development of hockey globally through the promotion of the FIH Hockey5s World Cup.” 

Today, as we stand on the cusp of the inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024 beginning tomorrow, 24 January, a big stride towards achieving the aim of creating the World Cup has already been made, as the event will already feature six nations who will be participating in their first ever FIH Hockey World Cup, across both genders and all formats! 

From Oceania, the men’s and women’s teams from Fiji will be making their first ever appearance at an FIH Hockey World Cup. From Asia, it’ll be the men’s and women’s teams of Oman along with the women’s team of Thailand. From Africa, it’ll be the women’s team from Zambia. From the Americas, the Jamaican men’s team and the women’s team from Paraguay will represent their nations, in their first ever appearance at an FIH Hockey World Cup.

Hockey5s is a highly inclusive format, as it reduces the resources required to play the game at the highest level. This is particularly helpful for nations that have traditionally not been equipped with the resources, infrastructural and otherwise, required to practise outdoor hockey. 

Speaking on the subject, Elvis Bwalya, General Secretary of the Zambia Hockey Association remarked, “We are very happy to see that the 5s format is gathering such momentum. We believe that this format will allow all wider sectors of the hockey family to participate in the world class tournaments. We are excited and hope we can engage better with schools in our country using this format and ensuring hockey continues and grows in Zambia.”

Pablo Mendoza, who has led the Paraguay women’s team to this historic qualification, said, “For countries where hockey is still on a developmental level, earning these types of opportunities causes an enormous positive impact in the growth of the sport. I think that FIH is going in the right direction with these efforts on Hockey5s, and it will help smaller nations to grow and to play with top hockey nations.”

Bae Young Wook, the South Korean coach of the Thailand women’s team that impressed everyone at the Asia Hockey5s Cup, qualifying in second place ahead of the traditionally strong Asian teams of Malaysia, Japan and Indonesia, said, “Hockey5s is very good for the development of hockey in Thailand since the amount of hockey players in the country is very small.”

The novelty of the Hockey5s format also allowed the use of a new qualifying system where three teams (per gender) qualified for the event from each continent, in addition to the hosts. 

Duvaughn Henlon, head coach of the Jamaican men’s team said, “Playing numerous qualifiers for smaller nations to get to these major events is extremely expensive for us and to be able to participate in one qualifier with a shot at reaching a world cup event I thought was a game changer.”

The first ever participation in an FIH Hockey World Cup marks a significant milestone for the new entrants and is a fitting reward for their perseverance, despite the challenges faced over the years by the associations, communities and the players. 

Hector Smith Sr, who has spent decades coaching hockey in Fiji, speaking on the men’s and women’s teams qualifying for the inaugural Hockey5s World Cup, said, “The journey to the World Cup is a testament to the years of sacrifice, hard work, and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle by our athletes. It sends a powerful message that with determination and perseverance, anything is possible. Despite facing challenges, including the closure of our hockey centre for nearly two years, we adapted to successfully achieve our objective. We express our sincere gratitude (Vinaka Vakalevu) to everyone who has supported us in this incredible journey.”

Elvis Bwalya also made a note of the pride the people of Zambia feel with their women’s team qualifying for the hockey5s World Cup, “Hockey is the second sport in our country where we have ever qualified for the world cup besides women’s football. We are really excited and enthralled to be part of the first of its kind women’s Hockey5s World Cup.”

For the hockey fans of Oman, after watching their nation host top level hockey tournaments over the past few years, the FIH Hockey5s World Cup will give them their first opportunity to cheer for their home teams in an international competition and the teams themselves are banking on their home support to lift them at the tournament. Sami Al Laun, captain of the Oman men’s team said, “We are very excited to play that big tournament in our life, and even more so since we are hosting it. I’m inviting all our fans to come and enjoy the matches. We need their support! I wish all the best to all teams!”

The FIH Hockey5s World Cup adds to the portfolio of the top tier international hockey tournaments hosted by the FIH which includes the FIH Hockey World Cups, FIH Indoor Hockey World Cups, FIH Junior Hockey World Cups, FIH Hockey Pro League and the FIH Hockey Nations Cup. 

Jamaican Head Coach Duvaughn Henlon speaking on the addition of the Hockey5s World Cup to the existing events and formats, said, “This format of the game is fast, exciting and requires less resources. While I believe the 11-a-side format will be the main format for the sport, Hockey5s definitely has its place and is a game-changer for small nations like Jamaica that want to compete at the highest level with the limited available resources for now.”

The FIH Hockey5s World Cup will begin tomorrow, 24 January at 08:00 local time, as Australia take on Ukraine in the opening encounter of the women’s competition. There will be 15 more matches from the Women’s World Cup on opening day, as all 16 teams will play two of their pool matches on day 1. The men’s competition begins on 28 January, following the conclusion of the women’s tournament. 

by Abhishek Shukla

FIDE and World Chess Launch Women’s Wednesday Online Tournament Series

January 23, 2024, Lausanne, SWITZERLAND — In a groundbreaking move to elevate women’s participation and recognition in the world of chess, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and World Chess are thrilled to announce the launch of the Women’s Wednesday Online Tournament Series “Swiss Queens Wednesday”. This weekly event, hosted on the FIDE Online Arena platform (chessarena.com), represents a significant stride in empowering women within the chess community.

Empowering Women in Chess: A Step Towards Inclusion and Diversity

As part of the FIDE 100th anniversary, it is fitting to launch a women’s tournament to fully celebrate the achievements of women in chess and mark 100 years as a pivotal moment in the sport. At the core of this initiative is a commitment to promoting gender diversity and providing a global stage for women to showcase their chess skills. This series is more than just a competition; it is a vibrant community where female chess players can connect and grow together in both personal and professional realms.

Innovative Online Format Meets High-Stakes Competition

The “Swiss Queens Wednesday” leverages state-of-the-art technology for fair play monitoring and global participation, making it a pioneering event in the chess world. FIDE Online Arena is proud to be the digital venue for this series, offering a seamless and sophisticated online chess experience.

Swiss Queens Wednesday Tournament: Details and Regulations

The “Swiss Queens Wednesday” takes place every Wednesday on the FIDE Online Arena (https://chessarena.com/tournaments/the-swiss-queens-wednesday-1), starting from January 31st at 17:00 Central European Time. The tournaments are open to all women chess players who hold FIDE or FIDE Online Arena titles and feature a Swiss pairing system with a 3+1 Blitz time control.

Prizes totaling 1,000 USD per tournament will be awarded, with a potential annual prize fund increase to $100,000. The tournament emphasizes fair play, with strict adherence to FIDE’s regulations and innovative anti-cheating measures.

Commitment to Fairness and Integrity

Participants are expected to uphold the highest standards of sportsmanship. The Night Watch Fair Play Suite will analyze games, and players are required to join a monitored Zoom meeting during the tournament.

Building a Legacy for Women in Chess

This tournament series is more than just a competition. It’s a statement of FIDE’s unwavering dedication to empowering women in chess, not only on the board but also in leadership roles and personal development. It’s an opportunity for women to challenge stereotypes, inspire future generations, and demonstrate their strategic prowess on a global stage.

For female chess players, the tournament not only serves as a platform to refine their strategic prowess but also to enhance their showmanship abilities, with a strong encouragement for game streaming.

Dana Reizniece-Ozola, FIDE Managing Director: “The Women’s Wednesday Online Tournament Series marks a significant milestone in FIDE’s ongoing commitment to gender equality in chess. This series isn’t just about playing a game; it’s about empowering women to take center stage in an arena they have long been a part of. We encourage participants to stream their games, showcasing not just their chess skills but also their unique personalities and perspectives. This is more than a tournament – it’s a movement towards a more inclusive and dynamic chess community.”

Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Chess: “As we unveil the Women’s Wednesday Online Tournament Series, we’re not just setting up chess boards; we’re building a community. This initiative goes beyond the game. It’s about giving a voice and a stage to women in chess, encouraging them to showcase not only their strategic acumen but also their personalities and stories through streaming. I hope that every move will inspire someone watching. I am also looking forward to working with female athletes to collectively enhance chessarena.com, making it their preferred permanent home for online chess.”

by Abhishek Shukla

World Athletics and Sony announce new sponsorship agreement

Three-year agreement includes the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 and leverages technology to create emotion-filled sports experiences


World Athletics and Sony Corporation (Sony) today (23) announced a new three-year agreement that will see Sony sponsor World Athletics Series events from 2024 to 2026.

As part of the sponsorship, Sony will support all World Athletics Series events starting from the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24 in March. The agreement will also include the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 to be held in Tokyo, Japan, in September 2025.

Sony Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation and is responsible for the Entertainment, Technology & Services (ET&S) business. With the vision to “continue to deliver Kando and Anshin* to people and society across the world through the pursuit of technology and new challenges,” Sony Corporation supports the Sony Group with technology to create the entertainment of the future together with creators. 

Both parties came to this agreement based on a mutual understanding of each other’s philosophy.

Sony aims to work with creators and leverage the power of technology to generate emotion-filled experiences for sports fans across the globe and capture them on film and in photographs. 

Sony will further enhance emotion from athletes’ awe-inspiring achievements captured by content creators, including photographers, and deliver them to the world through cutting-edge technologies like the Alpha™ mirrorless interchangeable lens camera and versatile interchangeable lens including G Master™, system cameras and broadcast solutions.

In addition, Hawk-Eye Innovations, which has a proven track record of providing services for international events in a variety of sports, will contribute to fair competition management through its officiating services.

“We are entering an exciting few years for our sport and I can think of no better partner than Sony to help us capture the excitement, the thrill and the breathtaking performances our sport promises to bring,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. “As the No.1 Olympic sport, the eyes of the world will be squarely focused on athletics this year as our athletes compete across our five World Athletics Series events, plus Paris. 

“We look forward to the outstanding photographs Sony will capture at our events to immortalise these many moments in our sport’s history.”

Hiroki Totoki, President, COO and CFO of Sony Group Corporation, said: “We are delighted to have reached an agreement with World Athletics to sponsor their World Athletics Series events, which are known as the world’s top competitions in athletics. 

“Based on our purpose to ‘fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology’, Sony will contribute to the development of sports by leveraging technology to enhance the emotion generated by sports and deliver it to sports fans around the world.”

by Abhishek Shukla

85th Sub-Junior and Cadet Nationala TT-(Team final) Day 8

Indore, January 23: Tamil Nadu subdued title-favourites Maharashtra 3-2 to wear the Under-15 Girls crown in the 85th UTT Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Abhay Prashal Indoor Stadium here today.

Tamil Nadu, which played 23 out of 25 games to emerge victorious, should credit the win to Ananya Muralidharan and coach Aishwarya. If the former was the X-factor in their scheme of things, the latter’s chirpy encouragements instilled confidence into the players, who looked forlorn when down and almost out at times. The TN girls elevated their stature to the gold from the bronze they won at the home edition last season.

After a fine turnaround against West Bengal in the semifinal, Tamil Nadu followed the same script in the final, which paid rich dividends. To play Ananya first was a clever move. She responded well and beat Maharashtra’s No. 1 player, Riana Bhoota, 3-2. Hansini toiled but regrouped quickly to beat Divyanshi, putting Tamil Nadu 2-0.

But Ananya and Hansini lost the doubles to Kavya and Divyanshi, and Maharashtra cashed in on that opportunity and levelled the score through Riana. The left-hander beat Hansini 3-2. With the final in balance, Ananya was in no mood to cede and countered Divyanshi and her long-pimpled rubber, cleverly adapting to the pace forcing the Maharashtra girl into mistakes, and settling for the silver.

Delhi and West Bengal, who finished on the podium one-two in the last edition, shared the bronze medals.

Delhi, however, would rue their inability to go beyond the semifinals and translate their efforts into something better. If only their team management swapped the places of X (Prisha Goel) with Y (Avisha Karmakar) and vice-versa, Delhi could have made a match of their semifinals against Maharashtra.

But it was not to be. Avisha, restoring parity after Prisha lost her singles to left-handed Riana, continued with the doubles and her reverse singles and did not get an occasion to leave the table. Most importantly, Delhi wasted two others and preferred Prisha and Avisha for the crucial match. Perhaps the team management reposed too much faith in the two or did not have any against the other two.

Whatever the case, Avisha did not have the energy in the reverse singles. But a fresh Riana Bhoota, who defeated Prisha in the first rubber, returned to the table and beat Avisha in straight games.

Also, the two teams planning was contrasting. Divyanshi, who lost her singles to Avisha, joined hands with left-hander Kavya Bhatt and put Maharashtra 2-1 up. Prisha and Avisha fought back to level the score 0-2 down in the doubles. But far too many mistakes and excellent Kavya counters to swell up the lead in the decider snatched away Delhi’s chances. Nevertheless, Delhi would have taken a leaf out of the Maharashtra book on the significance of cleverly rotating the bench strength.

Tamil Nadu, too, relied too much on two players—Hansini and Ananya. Yet, the two made a 3-1 win possible from an impossible position. After Hansini became easy prey to Aarushi Nandi, their fourth player, in the first rubber. The change of plan for Bengal worked well here.

But Ananya played a stellar role when she trailed 0-2 in the second rubber to Syndrela Das. After claiming the closest third game, she followed it up with another in the fourth on her second game point. From there, she never looked back. After claiming the closest third game, she followed it up with another in the fourth on her second game point. From there, she never looked back.

Though the Bengal girl won the next game easily, Syndrela played superbly and led 5-3 at the change of ends. Syndrela was sitting pretty at 7-4, but Hanisini opened her game so well after taking her next point and went on a demolition job, taking five on the trot before conceding one to her rival. But it could not stop Hansini or Tamil Nadu from entering the final, besides exposing Bengal’s over-reliance on Syndrela. The 14-year-old is entitled to her rare failures!

Team Girls: Finals: Tamil Nadu bt Maharashtra 3-2 (Ananya Muralidharan bt Riana Bhoota 8-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 11-3, M. Hansini bt Divyanshi Bhowmick 5-11, 11-8, 11-9, 10-12, 11-5, Hanisni/Ananya lost to Kavya Bhatt/Divyanshi 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 7-11, 5-11, Hansini lost to Riana 11-9, 8-11, 10-12, 11-7, 12-14, Ananya bt Divyanshi 11-7, 11-6, 11-5).

Semifinals: Maharashtra bt Delhi 3-1 (Riana bt Prisha Goel 11-7, 11-4, 11-4, Divyanshi lost to Avisha Karmakar 9-11, 7-11, 11-7, 2-11, Divyanshi/Kavya Bhatt bt Prisha/Avisha 6-11, 5-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-9, Riana bt Avisha 11-8, 11-4, 11-6); Tamil Nadu bt West Bengal 3-1 (Hansini lost to Aarushi Nandi 6-11, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, Ananya bt Syndrela Das 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-3, Hansini/Ananaya bt Syndrela/Ankolika Chakraborty 7-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5, Hansini bt Syndrela 11-8, 4-11, 11-6, 3-11, 11-8). 

by Abhishek Shukla

KIYG 2023: Muskan Rana stops Maharashtra’s clean sweep in Rhythmic gymnastics for J&K’s first gold

Chennai, January 23: Jammu and Kashmir’s Muskan Rana put the brakes on Maharashtra’s dominance in Rhythmic gymnastics competition of the 6th Khelo India Youth Games 2023, Tamil Nadu, by clinching the gold medal in individual Clubs category at the SDAT Aquatic Complex here on Tuesday.

Muskan finished on top with a total of 24.05 points to clinch Jammu and Kashmir’s first gold medal of the Games with Maharashtra’s Parina Madanpotra (22.95) and Haryana’s Life Adlakha (22.80) bagging the silver and bronze medals respectively.

The 15-year-old trainee of Gymnastic Centre of J&K Sports Council had earlier won silver medals in Rhythmic All-round and Individual Ball category and a bronze medal in Individual Hoop.

Maharashtra’a Sanyukta Kale, who had won the All-Round gold on Monday, added two more gold medals to her tally in Ball and Ribbon category while her state-mate Kimaya Karle clinched the Hoop gold to take their state to the top of medals tally for the first time in this edition of the Khelo India Youth Games.

The defending champions also added another gold and silver in Yogasana with the duo of Pranav Sahu and Yash Lagad winning the Boys Artistic Pair event with a score of 133.23 points while Aryan Kharat and Tanmay Mhalaskar (132.42 pts) finishing second. Tamil Nadu’s B Monisha Mahendran and S Kabilan (131.98) bagged the bronze.

Last night table toppers, Tamil Nadu added seventh gold to their tally when Dhanyadha J.P won the Girls Individual Pursuit at the TNPESU velodrome with a timing of 2:52.333s. Shiya Lalwani of Maharashtra (2:54.530s) and Gargi Bishnoi of Rajasthan (2:56.396s) took the silver and bronze medals respectively.

Rajasthan also opened their gold medal account with Kheta Ram Chinga winning the boy’s Individual Pursuit with a timing of 3:50.494. Bihar’s Prahalad Kumar (3:51.953) clinched the silver medal while the bronze went to Aashirwad Saxena (3:47.502) of Telangana.

In the shooting event being held at the Guru Nanak College, Haryana’s Samrat Rana and Suruchi defeated Rajasthan’s Prachi and Yogesh Kumar 16-6 to clinch the 10m Air Pistol mixed doubles gold.

Photo Caption: Jammu and Kashmir’s Muskan Rana in action during the Rhythmic Club competition in the Khelo India Youth Games 2023 at the SDAT Aquatic Stadium here on Tuesday. Rana won the gold medal.

Photo Caption: Maharashtra’s Sanyukta Kale in action during the Rhythmic Ball competition in the Khelo India Youth Games 2023 at the SDAT Aquatic Stadium here on Tuesday. Kale added gold medals in Ball and Ribbon category to her All-Round crown she won yesterday.

Photo Caption: Kheta Ram Chinga of Rajasthan racing ahead to clinch the Individual Pursuit Gold in the Khelo India Youth Games 2023 at the TNPESU Velodrome here.

Medal Tally:https://youth.kheloindia.gov.in/medal-tally

Results (Till 4pm)

CYCLING (6)
Girls:
Individual Pursuit (2km): Gold – Dhanyadha J.P. (TN) 2:52.333; Silver – Shiya Lalwani (Mah) 2:54.530; Bronze – Gargi Bishnoi (Raj) 2:56.396

Boys:
Individual Pursuit (3km): Gold – Kheta Ram Chinga (Raj) 3:50.494; Silver – Prahalad Kumar (Bih) 3:51.953; Bronze – Aashirwad Saxena (Tel) 3:47.502

GYMNASTICS (8)

Girls:
Rhythmic Hoop: Gold – Kimaya Karle (Mah)24.55; Silver – Sanyukta Kale (Mah) 24.10; Bronze – Muskan Rana (J&K) 23.35

Rhythmic Ball: Gold – Sanyukta Kale (Mah) 26.00; Silver –Muskan Rana (J&K) 25.55; Bronze – Life Adlakha (Har) 22.80

Rhythmic Club: Gold – Muskan Rana (J&K) 24.05; Silver – Parina Madanpotra (Mah) 22.95; Bronze – Life Adlakha (Har) 22.80

Rhythmic Ribbon: Gold – Sanyukta Kale (Mah) 25.90; Silver – Muskan Rana (J&K) 23.75; Bronze – Parina Madanpotra (Mah) 22.25

JUDO (4)
Girls:
63kg: Gold – Daechan Stanzin (Del); Silver – Khushi (Del); Bronze – Manpreet Rani (Har), Nandhana Prasad (Ker)

63+kg: Gold – Dipapati NG (Man), Silver – Sirohi Nitya (UP); Bronze – Hanshu (Har), Sunil Radhika D (Kar)

Boys:
81kg: Gold – Sachin Kumar Singh (UP); Silver – Manas Kumar (Jha); Bronze – E Hemanth Sachin (TN), Harsh Sharma (Pun)

81+kg: Gold – Rakshit Tokas (Del); Silver – Yash Patil (Guj); Bronze – Prakhar Kumar Singh (UP), Symon L (Man)

SHOOTING
10m Air Pistol Mixed Team:
Gold Medal Match: Haryana bt Rajasthan 16-6
Bronze Medal Match: Tamil Nadu bt Madhya Pradesh 16-6

SQUASH (2)
Girls individual final: 1-Pooja Arthi R (TN) bt 2-Nirupama Dubey (Mah) 11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6;
Bronze medals: Deepika V (TN), Shameena Riaz (TN)

YOGASANA
Girls:
Artistic Pair: Gold – Menaka V/Petrashivani G (TN) 132.35; Silver – Niral Wadekar/Vaidehi Mayekar (Mah) 132.22; Bronze – Nishtha Godbole/Riya (MP) 132.07

Boys:
Artistic Pair: Gold – Pranav Sahu/Yash Lagad (Mah) 133.23 pts; Silver – Aryan Karat/Tanmay Mhalaskar (Mah) 132.42 pts; Bronze – B Monish Mahendran/S Kabilan (TN) 131.98 pts

Traditional Yoga: Gold – Rajdeep Dalal (WB) 61.92; Silver – Ritik Bishnoi (Raj) 61.25; Bronze – Aryan Kharat (Mah) 61.17, Arif Allaudin Khan (Goa) 61.17

by Abhishek Shukla

‘We played five defenders to stop Maninder Singh,’ says Jaipur Pink Panthers’ Captain Sunil Kumar

HYDERABAD, 23rd January 2024: The Jaipur Pink Panthers continued their brilliant form as they defeated the Bengal Warriors 42-25 in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 in Hyderabad on Monday. 

Speaking about the match, Jaipur Pink Panthers’ Captain Sunil Kumar said, “Both teams’ defence units did well in the first half. We caught their raiders and our raiders were getting caught as well. However, Arjun played better in the second half, meanwhile, Sahul and Ankush continued to stand tall in the defence department to close out the victory for us.”

The skipper further added, “We played with five defenders because it’s not easy to stop Maninder Singh. We played with six defenders at one point in the game as well. Reza was placed in a certain position to catch Maninder if he tried to take a bonus point.”

Arjun Deshwal was at the forefront of the Pink Panthers’ raiding unit with 15 points in the game, however, Bhavani Rajput also chipped in with 6 raid points in the game. When asked about Rajput’s performance, Sunil said, “Bhavani Rajput scored points when we needed them the most. We attained a lead after he caught out Shubham Shinde. We have seven matches remaining. We’ll try to win all games and finish at the top of the table.”

The Captain also expressed about playing in front of the fans in Hyderabad, “It’s been great to play in Hyderabad. The fans support the game very well here. Rahul Chaudhari has a lot of fans here and the kabaddi lovers support the Jaipur Pink Panthers as well.”

The Jaipur Pink Panthers will be next in action when they take on Bengaluru Bulls at the Patliputra indoor stadium, Patna on Sunday, 28 January 2024.

Please find below the schedule for PKL Season 10 matches today

U Mumba vs Puneri Paltan  – 8 pm

Venue: Hyderabad

Season 10 of the Pro Kabaddi League will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network and for free on Disney+ hotstar.  

by Abhishek Shukla

Indian Women’s Team all set for FIH Hockey5s Women’s World Cup Oman 2024

New Delhi, 23rd January 2024: The Indian Women’s Team is prepped and ready to go at the inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey5s Women’s World Cup set to take place from 24th to 27th January 2024 in Muscat, Oman.   

The Indian Women’s Team find themselves in Pool C alongside the United States of America, Poland and Namibia. The Netherlands, Malaysia, Fiji and hosts Oman find themselves in Pool A while Australia, South Africa, Ukraine and Zambia form Pool B. Group D comprises New Zealand, Uruguay, Thailand and Paraguay.  

India will play their first match against Poland on 24th January at 1250hrs IST followed by the United States of America at 2110hrs IST on the same day. They will play their final group game against Namibia on 25th January at 1430hrs IST. The top two teams from each group will play the Quarter-Finals scheduled for 26th January, with the Semi-Finals scheduled the same day while the Final will be played on 27th January.   

The Indian Team will be led by experienced goalkeeper Rajni Etimarpu and Vice Captained by defender Mahima Chaudhary. The Team also comprises Bansari Solanki as the second goalkeeper, with Akshata Abaso Dhekale and Jyoti Chhatri as defenders. Among midfielders, Mariana Kujur and Mumtaz Khan have been named while Ajmina Kujur, Rutaja Dadaso Pisal and Deepika Soreng have been included as forwards.    

“We’re all really excited to be here at the FIH Hockey5s Women’s World Cup. Everyone’s confident and looking forward to playing this tournament. We will look to execute our plans and take the fight to our opponents,” said Rajni Etimarpu, Captain of the Indian Women’s Hockey5s team.  

Vice-Captain Mahima Chaudhary believed that the team is well prepared for the challenge. She said, “Our preparatory camp was really useful as each of us understood exactly what we need to do. We’re in a good space and know we have it in us to win the title if we play to the best of our ability in tandem with our game plans.”  

The Indian Women’s Team will begin their FIH Hockey5s Women’s World Cup campaign against Poland on 24th January at 1250hrs IST.  

by Abhishek Shukla

ICC reveals teams of the year in ICC Awards 2023

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today completed announcements of the five ICC Teams of the Year across formats for men and women as part of the ICC Awards 2023.

The announcement of the five teams – the ICC Men’s and Women’s T20I Teams of the Year, the ICC Men’s and Women’s ODI Teams of the Year and the ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year – were made in a staggered manner over Monday and Tuesday and feature players from 11 teams selected on the basis of international performances through the calendar year.

Teams were identified from selections submitted by the specialist panel of media representatives that make up the ICC Voting Academy. The esteemed panel made their selections based on player performances during the calendar year, nominating their playing eleven to include a captain and a wicketkeeper.

The ICC Awards 2023 announcements will continue Wednesday and Thursday, when 13 individual award winners will be declared.

ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year:

  1. Usman Khawaja (Aus)
  2. Dimuth Karunaratne (SL)
  3. Kane Williamson (NZ)
  4. Joe Root (Eng)
  5. Travis Head (Aus)
  6. Ravindra Jadeja (Ind)
  7. Alex Carey (WK, Aus)
  8. Pat Cummins (Capt, Aus)
  9. R Ashwin (Ind)
  10. Mitchell Starc (Aus)
  11. Stuart Broad (Eng)

Pat Cummins has been named as the captain of the ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year after leading his side to the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) title and finishing the year with 42 wickets at an average of 27.50 with three five-wicket hauls.

His fellow fast bowler Mitchell Starc has also been picked, as have been three other Australians, making them the most represented nation in the Test team. Opener Usman Khawaja, the only player to pass 1,000 Test runs in 2023 walks into the Test side for a second successive year with 1,210 runs at an average of 52.60 and three centuries. Travis Head, Player of the Match in the WTC Final, and wicketkeeper Alex Carey are the other Australia players named in the team.

India spinner R Ashwin, the No. 1 bowler in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings, and former England captain Joe Root, who are in the running for the ICC Men’s Test Player of the Year award along with Khawaja and Head, are also in the team. England and India have two players each with the selection of Ravindra Jadeja and Stuart Broad.

Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne partners Khawaja atop the order, with New Zealand star Kane Williamson claiming the number three batting spot, as five international teams have representation in the Test team.

ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year:

  1. Phoebe Litchfield (Aus)
  2. Chamari Athapaththu (Capt, SL)
  3. Ellyse Perry (Aus)
  4. Amelia Kerr (NZ)
  5. Beth Mooney (WK, Aus)
  6. Nat Sciver-Brunt (Eng)
  7. Ash Gardner (Aus)
  8. Annabel Sutherland (Aus)
  9. Nadine de Klerk (SA)
  10. Lea Tahuhu (NZ)
  11. Nahida Akter (Ban)

The Australian dominance in Women’s ODI cricket is reflected in the team with five players featuring in it including rookie Phoebe Litchfield. Not having played an ODI before 2023, the 20-year-old opener made a huge impact in her first 13 matches, scoring 485 runs at an average of 53.88 and a strike rate of 81.92. She is a strong contender for the ICC Emerging Women’s Player of the Year award.

Ellyse Perry and wicketkeeper-batter Beth Mooney make the team after scoring over 400 runs each during the calendar year while Ash Gardner and Annabel Sutherland make it on the strength of performances with both bat and ball.

Left-handed opener Chamari Athapaththu, for long the batting mainstay for Sri Lanka, has been named captain of the side after scoring 415 runs in just eight matches at an average of 69.16 and a strike-rate of 125.37. Nat Sciver Brunt’s batting average of 131 in six matches earns her the number six slot.

New Zealand are the only other side apart from Australia to have more than one player in the Women’s ODI team as all-rounder Amelia Kerr and fast bowler Lea Tahuhu have both made it. All-rounder Nadine de Klerk of South Africa and Bangladesh’s left-arm spinner Nahida Akter complete the team.

Men’s ODI Team of the Year:

  1. Rohit Sharma (Capt, Ind)
  2. Shubman Gill (Ind)
  3. Travis Head (Aus)
  4. Virat Kohli (Ind)
  5. Daryl Mitchell (NZ)
  6. Heinrich Klaasen (WK, SA)
  7. Marco Jansen (SA)
  8. Adam Zampa (Aus)
  9. Mohammed Siraj (Ind)
  10. Kuldeep Yadav (Ind)
  11. Mohammed Shami (Ind)

Top-ranked ODI side India had a superb run last year and won all their matches in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup before losing to Australia in the final. Their consistency is reflected in the selection of six players in the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year including both openers and a pair of fast bowlers.

The top three ODI run accumulators in 2023 – Shubman Gill (1,584 runs), Virat Kohli (1,377) and Rohit Sharma (1,255), who are currently ranked from second to fourth in the batting rankings – have been picked for three of the top four batting positions.

Head, who was named Player of the Match for a 120-ball 137 in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad, gets the number three position while New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell is the number five batter. South Africa wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen is selected after notching 927 runs and accounting for 20 dismissals.

Wrist spinners Adam Zampa of Australia and Kuldeep Yadav of India have been named along with a seam attack that consists of Mohammad Shami (43 wickets in 2023) and Mohammad Siraj (44 wickets) of India and all-rounder Marco Jansen of South Africa.

Women’s T20I Team of the Year:

  1. Chamari Athapaththu (Capt, SL)
  2. Beth Mooney (WK, Aus)
  3. Laura Wolvaardt (SA)
  4. Hayley Matthews (WI)
  5. Nat Sciver-Brunt (Eng)
  6. Amelia Kerr (NZ)
  7. Ellyse Perry (Aus)
  8. Ash Gardner (Aus)
  9. Deepti Sharma (Ind)
  10. Sophie Ecclestone (Eng)
  11. Megan Schutt (Aus)

Athapaththu has the distinction of being named captain of both the ODI and T20I squads while Mooney, Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner are other players to make both women’s squads for the year.

Fourth in the list of batting aggregate with 470 runs at a strike rate of over 130, the Sri Lankan captain also grabbed eight wickets with her off-spin to take the first spot in the team with Mooney named to partner her at the top of the order.

Two more international captains – Hayley Matthews of the West Indies and Laura Wolvaardt of South Africa – also make it after remarkable years. Matthews was the most prolific with 700 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 132.32 while also grabbing 19 wickets. Wolvaardt scored 586 runs in 19 matches at a strike rate of 108.51.

Top-ranked Sophie Ecclestone’s 23 wickets in the year and third-ranked Deepti Sharma’s 21 wickets see them clinch the two spinners’ slots while Australia fast bowler Megan Schutt, ranked second, is the fourth Australian in the team, also having 21 scalps to show from last year.

Men’s T20I Team of the Year:

  1. Yashasvi Jaiswal (Ind)
  2. Phil Salt (Eng)
  3. Nicholas Pooran (WK, WI)
  4. Suryakumar Yadav (Capt, Ind)
  5. Mark Chapman (NZ)
  6. Sikandar Raza (Zim)
  7. Alpesh Ramjani (Uga)
  8. Mark Adair (Ire)
  9. Ravi Bishnoi (Ind)
  10. Richard Ngarava (Zim)
  11. Arshdeep Singh (Ind)

Top-ranked India have four players in the Men’s T20I squad with flamboyant batter Suryakumar Yadav named captain. Yadav topped the runs chart with 733 runs in 18 matches at a strike rate of 155.95 to consolidate his position at the top of the rankings.

The next three in the list of run scorers the past year – Mark Chapman of New Zealand (576 runs), Zimbabwe star Sikandar Raza (515) and upcoming India batter Yashasvi Jaisal (430) – were automatic choices while Phil Salt of England and Nicholas Pooran of the West Indies too had enough to stake claims.

Uganda’s Alpesh Ramjani became the first from his country to be named in an ICC Team of the Year when the left-handed all-rounder made it this year after scoring 449 runs and grabbing 55 wickets with his slow bowling. Ramjani is in contention for the Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year award as well as being eligible for the ICC Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Year.

Ireland have a representative in Mark Adair as do Zimbabwe in Richard Ngarava. India’s leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi and left-arm seam bowler Arshdeep Singh also make the team on the back of some fine international performances during 2023.

by Abhishek Shukla

Squash: El Sherbini Ends Home Interest At J.P. Morgan Tournament Of Champions

Defending champion Nour El Sherbini ended home interest at the 2024 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions after downing USA’s Olivia Weaver to progress to the semi finals of the Platinum-level event. 

The World No.1’s experience came to the fore as she maintained her 100 per cent record against the last remaining representative for the USA. 

Despite a positive start from Weaver, El Sherbini extinguished hopes of a semi final appearance on home court for the American as she pressed on to win 11-9, 11-4, 11-7 in 33 minutes. 

“I’m feeling really good and I’m happy with my performance,” El Sherbini said. 

“It was a tough match, to be honest – way tougher than last week [at the Florida Open]. There’s been a lot of rest days and quick matches in between. 

“It’s a bit tricky [playing an opponent twice in the space of a couple of weeks] – she will have watched the match and would have wanted to change a few things in her game plan and I want to keep my game plan so it’s a bit difficult what to expect what was going to happen this time. I had my game plan and I thought I will see how it goes.” 

El Sherbini will meet Hania El Hammamy for the fifth time this season in the last four on Wednesday after the World No.2 comprehensively defeated fellow Egyptian Fayrouz Aboelkheir.

El Hammamy was sharp from the off and upped the pace to make life difficult for Aboelkheir, who was appearing in a quarter final of a Platinum event for the first time in her career. 

World No.2 El Hammamy forced some key errors from Aboelkheir’s racket, taking a 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 victory. 

“Fayrouz [Aboelkheir] is a gifted player for sure,” she said afterwards. 

“She had a good win in the previous round against Salma Hany, but I think I’ve reached where I am and I’ve earned this position for a reason. 

“I’ve gained a lot of experience and I’ve had a lot of battles to be in this position. I needed to bring that on today.” 

In the men’s draw, French No.1 Victor Crouin produced an immaculate performance to shock World No.3 Paul Coll and reach his first Platinum semi final since 2022. 

Crouin, whose last appearance in the last four of a Platinum event came at the Qatar Classic in 2022, was tactically impeccable throughout as he claimed his first win over the New Zealander in almost two years. 

After edging a monumental 32-minute opening game 16-14, Crouin proved to be too strong to keep Coll at bay and notch a 3-0: 16-14, 11-7, 11-5 triumph. 

“We’re lucky to have a day off in between matches. I train hard every day for these kind of tournaments where I can play back-to-back matches so I’m not afraid to step back on court after two five setters,” said Crouin on court afterwards. 

“I’m enjoying it out there so there’s no tension in my body, so I can recover faster and get ready for the next match. 

“But it’s Paul Coll and he’s the fittest player on tour, he was on a really good streak of matches so I knew it was going to be tough. The last time I beat him was when he got to World No.1, so I thought I could do it again.” 

Two-time champion Ali Farag stands in Crouin’s way of a place in the final following his win against his compatriot Tarek Momen. 

Farag, who won the event in 2019 and 2022, got the better of Momen for the third time this season having already beaten the former World Champion at the U.S. Open and the Qatar Classic.

The World No.1 capitalised on a number of errors from his opponent’s racket to go one game up before Momen deservedly levelled as he reduced the error count and started to find his targets. However Farag was back in control and began to force mistakes from Momen, which he swooped on to book a semi final spot by triumphing 3-1: 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8.

“It was a very tough match,” said Farag. 

“I think I had control of most of the first – I told Nour [El Tayeb] that Tarek [Momen] is going to come out firing and he’s going to be a lot more solid. I thought we both played well and we both deserved that game and I wish I was 2-0 up. 

“I had to change a few things in the third and in the fourth I was little bit disappointed as I was running away with it but I gave him a loose, easy unforced error that got him back into it. If you give Tarek a sniff he will take it so I’m glad I won that fourth.” 

The quarter finals of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions continue tomorrow at 17:00 (GMT-5) with the bottom half of the draw, with action taking place on the iconic all-glass court inside Grand Central Terminal. All four matches will be streamed live on SQUASHTV.

Stay up to date on the 2024 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions on the PSA website or by following the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. 

Results: J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions 2024 – Men’s quarter finals (top half)

[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [8] Tarek Momen (EGY) 3-1: 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8 (61m)

Victor Crouin (FRA) bt [3] Paul Coll (NZL) 3-0: 16-14, 11-7, 11-5 (65m)

Results: J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions 2024 – Women’s quarter finals (top half)

[1] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) bt [8] Olivia Weaver (USA) 3-0: 11-9, 11-4, 11-7 (33m)

[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 (35m) 

Draw: Men’s quarter finals (bottom half) – to be played January 23

[4] Mostafa Asal (EGY) v [5] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG)

[6] Mazen Hesham v [2] Diego Elias (PER)

Draw: Women’s quarter finals (bottom half) – to be played January 23

Rowan Elaraby (EGY) v Amina Orfi (EGY) 

[6] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v [2] Nouran Gohar (EGY)

by Abhishek Shukla

Squash: Teenage Sensation Fayrouz Aboelkheir Reaches First Platinum Quarter Final

17-year-old Egyptian Fayrouz Aboelkheir has reached her first Platinum event quarter final at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions 2024 after an impressive performance against compatriot Salma Hany.

Aboelkheir was aggressive in all areas and was determined to leave no stone unturned as she looked to continue her run in New York. The World No.35 pulled away in the opener to take the game 11-5 and showed no signs of slowing down. 

Hany found her length in the second game and started to move her younger opponent into all four corners, but the teenager was more than up to the task and continued to impose herself on the match. After establishing a 2-0 lead, Aboelkheir claimed the third game 11-7 to move into her first quarter final at a Platinum event, where she will now face No.3 seed Hania El Hammamy.

“I feel amazing to be honest. To do this here in New York in Grand Central Terminal is a dream come true.” said Aboelkheir after her win.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think during my rest day. I was prepared and really wanted to win tonight. I was hungry for more. I made it to the last 16 but I wanted more. I’ll enjoy my win tonight and go back and recover and starting from tomorrow, i’ll prepare for the quarters. Hania [El Hammamy] beat me at the Grasshopper Cup so I want to get revenge for that.”

The other seeding upset of the day came from France’s Victor Crouin, who claimed his revenge over No.7 seed Marwan Elshorbagy, who defeated him in last years quarter final. 

Crouin found himself 2-1 up in the clash but was pegged back to 2-2 by Elshorbagy, who needed to utilise all of his experience to stop the momentum of the Frenchman. The score reached 6-6 in the decider and it was Crouin who managed to pull ahead to 9-6 by using his movement to attack. 

The World No.11 set himself up with three match balls at 10-7 and converted at the first time of asking to reach a second successive quarter final in New York.

Day five will see the remaining round three matches take place with action taking place on the iconic all-glass court inside Grand Central Terminal. Action will be available to watch live on SQUASHTV .

Stay up to date on the 2024 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions on the PSA website or by following the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. 

Results: J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions 2024 Men’s RD3 (top-half)

[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 3-1: 8-11, 11-2, 11-1, 11-8 (42m)

[8] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) 3-1: 11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6 (60m)

Victor Crouin (FRA) bt [7] Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG) 3-2: 7-11, 12-10, 11-3, 9-11, 11-7 (75m)

[3] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-2 (33m)

Results: J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions 2024 Women’s RD3 (top-half)

[1] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) bt Malak Khafagy (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 (23m)

[8] Olivia Weaver (USA) bt Lucy Beecroft (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 (33m)

Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt Salma Hany (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-9, 11-7 (32m)

[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Satomi Watanabe (JPN) 3-1: 11-3, 5-11, 14-12, 12-10 (55m)

Draw: Men’s RD3 – to be played January 21

[6] Mazen Hesham v Fares Dessouky (EGY) 

Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) v [2] Diego Elias (PER) 

[4] Mostafa Asal (EGY) v Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)

Nathan Lake (ENG) v [5] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY)

Draw: Women’s RD3 – to be played January 21

Amina Orfi (EGY) v [7] Tinne Gilis (BEL)

[4] Nele Gilis (BEL) v Rowan Elaraby (EGY)

Mariam Metwally (EGY) v [2] Nouran Gohar (EGY)

[6] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 

Draw: Men’s quarter finals (top-half) – to be played January 22

[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [8] Tarek Momen (EGY)

Victor Crouin v [3] Paul Coll (NZL)

Draw: Women’s quarter finals (top-half) – to be played January 22

[1] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) v [8] Olivia Weaver (USA)

Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) v [3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)

by Abhishek Shukla

Lemi retains the crown while Aberash clinches the women’s title at the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2024

MUMBAI, 21 January 2024: Ethiopian Hayle Lemi Berhanu became only the second athlete to defend the men’s crown in the history of the Tata Mumbai Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, as he successfully crossed the finish line in 2:07:50.

With today’s victory, Lemi replicated the feat of the Kenyan runner John Kelai who won two back-to-back titles here during 2007-2008. 

After winning, Lemi, stated, “ It’s been an amazing run, am feeling extremely good. The best part is the support on the course. I was trying for the course record, but the last few kms were a little tough.  

Lemi was among the dozen athletes who set off together in the lead bunch with compatriots Kinde Atanaw, and Haymanot Alew as pacer Dominic Ngeno did the front running.  Kenya’s Dickson Kiptoo and Alew briefly took the lead slightly ahead of the others to cover the first 20K in 60:30.

At 30K, the leading group became thinner with Kenyan Joshua Kogo and Ethiopia’s Mitku Tafa remaining with Lemi, Alew and Kiptoo.  Both Lemi and Alew increased their pace and broke away from the rest thereafter.   Lemi, taking advantage of his previous experience on the Mumbai roads, started running fast and was alone in the last five kilometers.  With no one to push him, he had to make his assessment to run the waning stages of the race and hence missed an opportunity to improve his last year’s winning time and course record (2:07:32).  His teammates Haymnot Alew (2:09:03) and Mitku Tafa (2:09:58) took the next two places on the podium. 

Newcomer Aberash wins top prize on her debut

As in the previous edition, the Ethiopians dominated the scene once again and filled the podium spots in both men’s and women’s races.  While Lemi Berhanu was successful in defending the top spot among men, Anchialem Haymanot could not accomplish her ambition to win another title in Mumbai in the women’s race.

Haymanot, a pre-race favorite for the top spot, was running with the lead group of seven until midway and started showing fatigue thereafter to fall back to finish sixth (2:29:58).

Aberash Minsewo, who made her marathon debut here, started her career as a middle-distance runner and won the World Youth (U18) championships 3,000m gold in Nairobi in 2017.  Having pocketed a bronze medal at the same distance in the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires the following year, she started taking part in the road races in 2021. 

She made her first appearance in India last year. Minsewo finished twelfth in the TCS World 10K in Bengaluru and barely missed the podium on her fourth-place finish in the Delhi Half-Marathon thereafter.

“I was so happy to win my first-ever marathon title on debut”, Minsewo said in the post-event press briefing.  With three Ethiopians with similar first names (Aberash) taking the starting line, no one imagined the grand prize would go to the 22-year-old runner.  However, Minsewo took the lead right from the beginning to the surprise of the rest and maintained her tempo throughout the race.  Her country-mates Ayinadis Teshome, Muluhabt Tsega, and Medhin Bejene trying to challenge her in the major part of the race.

With just 2K to go for the finish, Minsewo emerged as a clear leader with Tsega following her behind in a short distance.  The winner clocked 2:26:06 to become victorious on her debut with Tsega (2:26:51) and Bejene (2:27:34) completing the podium. 

Srinu, Nirmaben top Indian finishers        

Bugatha Srinu (2:17:29) and Thakor Nirmaben (2:47:11) were the top Indian finishers among men and women respectively.  

Srinu, who hails from Vijayanagaram in Andhra Pradesh, became the first Indian runner to finish within the top 10 in Mumbai with his eighth-place finish today.  Nirmaben from Gujarat, who finished 16th here last year improved her position with a 10th-place finish this time and rapidly improved her personal best to 2:47:11 from 3:08:33 last year.  The Indian winners took home INR 5,00,000 lakhs each. 

Sawan Barwal (1:05:07) and Amrita Patel (1:19:20) took the half-marathon titles in their respective categories.

Elite winners Hayle Lemi and Aberash Minsewo went home with USD 50,000 top prize from a total prize pot of USD 405,000.

Following are the Provisional results:

Marathon Elite Male

RankNameCountryTime
1Hayle LemiEthiopia2:07:50
2Haymanot AlewEthiopia2:09:03
3Mitku TafaEthiopia2:09:58
4Joshua KogoKenya2:10:00
5Dickson KiptooKenya2:10:00
6Yohans MekashaEthiopia2:14:39
7Alex KibarusKenya2:16:09
9Mesele KirosEthiopia2:18:00
16Dawit BelachewEthiopia2:27:00

Marathon Elite Women

RankNameCountryTime
1Aberash MinsewoEthiopia2:26:06 
2Muluhabt TsegaEthiopia2:26:51 
3Medhin BejeneEthiopia2:27:34 
4Ayinadis TeshomeEthiopia2:27:58 
5Aberash DemisseEthiopia2:29:04 
6Anchialem HaymanotEthiopia2:29:58 
7Ayantu GemechuEthiopia2:30:19 
8Fantu GelasaEthiopia2:30:31 

IMAGICA Run In Costume Winners:

Individual:

1st – Sachin Dhavan

2nd – Ridhi Solanki

3rd – Supriya Gurung

Group:

1st – Udayan Care

2nd – Miten Shah

3rd – Assam Association Mumbai

Contest Judge – Sanjana Banerjee

Marathon Elite Men Indian

RankNameTime
1Srinu Bugatha2:17:29
2Gopi Thonakal2:18:37
3Sher Singh Tanwar2:19:37
4Kalidas Laxman Hirave2:24:25
5Harshad Mhatre2:25:58
6Tirtha Kumar Pun2:26:03
7Pradeep Singh2:26:44
8Durga Bahadur Budha2:28:19
9Manoj Kumar Yadav2:28:55
10Sarvesh Kumar2:30:24

Marathon Elite Women Indian

RankNameAward Time
1Thakor Nirmaben Bharatjee2:47:11
2Reshma Kevate3:03:34
3Shyamali Sing3:04:35
4Seema3:08:51
5Laxmi KM3:09:59
6Jigmet Dolma3:14:09
7Divyanka Chaudhary3:31:24
8Preeti3:42:41

Half Marathon Open Women

RankNameTime
1Amrita Patel1:19:20
2Poonam Dinkar1:19:20
3Kavita Yadav1:20:45
4Jyoti.1:22:32
5Tashi Ladol1:26:37

Half Marathon Open Men:

RankNameTime
1Sawan Barwal1:05:07
2Kiran Matre1:06:24
3Mohan Saini1:06:55
4Aftab Ansari1:07:08
5Chagan Maroti Bombale1:07:08

Half Marathon Age Category (Women)

RankNameCountryTime
18 to 24 yrs Female
1Amrita PatelIndia1:19:18
2Poonam DinkarIndia1:19:18
3Jyoti.India1:22:30
25 to 29 yrs Female
1Kavita YadavIndia1:20:44
2Stanzin ChondolIndia1:28:42
3Anshu PathakIndia1:40:27
30 to 34 yrs Female
1Vrinda BhandariIndia1:34:31
2Jyoti ThakreIndia1:39:38
3Priyanka PhatakIndia1:41:31
35 to 39 yrs Female
1Swara AhluwaliaIndia1:36:48
2Bhumika TripathiIndia1:45:06
3Raina ChaudhariIndia1:46:45
 40 to 44 yrs Female  
1Cicily ThomasIndia1:36:35
2ReenaIndia1:40:18
3Rajalakshmi SwaminathanIndia1:41:30
45 to 49 yrs Female
1Ketaki SatheIndia1:36:35
2Neera KatwalIndia1:40:18
3Komal SawhneyIndia1:40:18
50 to 54 yrs Male
1    Subhash SinghIndia1:52:41
2Rudreswar DekaIndia1:56:02
3Ravi KalsiIndia1:56:11

Half Marathon Age Category (Men)

RankNameCountryTime
18 to 24 yrs Male
1Kiran MatreIndia1:06:23
2Aftab AnsariIndia1:07:07
3Chagan Maroti BombaleIndia1:08:19
25 to 29 yrs Male
1Sawan BarwalIndia1:05:07
2Kiran MatreIndia1:06:23
3Mohan SainiIndia1:06:55
30 to 34 yrs Male
1Anil KorviIndia1:12:46
2Shailesh GangodaIndia1:13:51
3Ishan SharmaIndia1:16:39
35 to 39 yrs Male
1Seva RamIndia1:21:16
2Pawan PrajapatiIndia1:21:19
3Vijay ThakarIndia1:22:55
40 to 44 yrs Male
1Parshram BhoiIndia1:18:01
2Malikarjun PardeIndia1:18:32
3Provash DasIndia1:19:59
45 to 49 yrs Male
1Jaipal BhoyarIndia1:17:52
2Sunder PalIndia1:22:11
3Major Surendra PuniaIndia1:24:44
50 to 54 yrs Male
1Harish ChandraIndia1:28:00
2Suresh Chander SharmaIndia1:28:25
3Mukesh RanaIndia1:29:16

Police Cup Team Results (Men)

Team RankTeam MembersTeam Time
1Sagar Shinde, Damusheth Rathod, Parag Makde28:18.0
2Bhiva Zite, Umesh Gavhane, Ashish Patil32:13.0
3Vikas Bajgude, Santosh Patil, Kunal Bandhankar28:59.0

Police Cup Team Results (Women)

Team RankTEAM MEMBERSTEAM TIME
1Arati Dudhe, Bharati Dudhe, Gouri Raut11:53.0
2Komal Khandekar, Vrundawani Avhad, Shubhangi Jadhav36:17.0
3Vasundhara Vaidya, Deepali Jadhav, Smita Bhoite57:40.0
by Abhishek Shukla

85th Sub-Junior and Cadet National TT-Day 6

Indore, January 21: With a round yet to go, Maharashtra and West Bengal entered the pre-quarterfinals of the team events in the Under-15 Girls of the 85th UTT Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Abhay Prashal Indoor Stadium here today.

They translated their on-paper superiority into a reality, emerging as the leader of their respective A and B groups, comprising three teams each. In doing so, the Maharashtra girls thrashed each PSPBA and Pondicherry 3-0, and West Bengal enacted a similar scene and verdicts against Rajasthan (TTFI-1) and Madhya Pradesh, in that order.

Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Kerala, Haryana, NCOE, and Karnataka are the other teams that ensured their qualification from the remaining six groups to join them. All these teams, part of the four-squad groups, posted two wins each to secure their pre-quarterfinals place.

It leaves the battle for the second spot from each group wide open, and the teams with a better chance to qualify are PSPBA, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, UP, Gujarat, and Telangana. But they will have to win their third-round matches to get where they want to.

In the matches that were gone by, only a few matches went down to the wire, especially in the second round. Even West Bengal struggled partially against Madhya Pradesh before overcoming the hosts 3-1. After trailing 0-2, Madhya Pradesh came back in the doubles.

In the third rubber of the tie, Bhavya Rao and Advika Agrawal raised hopes and gave a harrowing moment to the Bengal pair of Aarushi Nandi and Prateeti Paul. The rubber hung in balance when the Bengal duo restored parity winning back-to-back games after MP held a 2-0 advantage.

However, Bhavya and Advika brushed aside the threat and won the decider to pull one back (13-11, 11-8, 5-11, 8-11, 11-8). But Syndrela Das, on whom the team banks heavily, played her part and won the reverse singles against Advika. Earlier, Syndrela beat Parmi Nagdeve 11-3, 11-7, 11-5. Madhya Pradesh has a good chance to beat Rajasthan (TTFI-1) in the last round and seal their second-stage berth.

Yet, the best match of the afternoon was between Kerala and Chandigarh. The battle went the distance when Tia Mundenkurian brought cheers to the Kerala bench with an 11-6, 5-11, 12-10, 11-8 win over Teetiksha Goel. Tia, however, did not have a good start and lost 9-11, 11-8, 10-12, 4-11 to Vani Sharma. But Edwina Edward beat Teetiksha 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 4-11, 11-9 in a fight, which kept Kerala interests alive.

Though they lost the next rubber, the doubles, Edwina again made brilliant efforts to beat Vani 4-11, 11-9, 15-13, 6-11, 11-7 before Tia wrapped up the fifth rubber in her team’s favour.

The draw for the second-stage team events will take place in the evening after the conclusion of the third-round matches.

Team (Rounds 1 & 2):

Group A: Maharashtra bt PSPBA 3-0; Maharashtra bt Pondicherry 3-0.

Group B: West Bengal bt Rajasthan (TTFI-1) 3-0; West Bengal bt Madhya Pradesh 3-1.

Group C: Tamil Nadu bt Uttarakhand 3-0, Goa bt Daman & Diu 3-0; Tamil Nadu bt Goa 3-0, Uttarakhand bt Daman & Diu 3-0.

Group D: Delhi bt Odisha 3-0, Andhra Pradesh bt J & K 3-1; Delhi bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0, Odisha bt J & K 3-1.

Group E: Chandigarh bt Assam 3-0, Kerala bt Punjab 3-0; Assam bt Punjab 3-0, Kerala bt Chandigarh 3-2.

Group F: Haryana bt Himachal 3-0, UP bt Chhattisgarh 3-0; Haryana bt UP 3-0, Himachal bt Chhattisgarh 3-0.

Group G: Gujarat bt Rajasthan (TTFI-2) 3-0, NCOE bt Bihar 3-0; NCOE bt Gujarat 3-0, Rajasthan (TTFI 2) bt Bihar 3-0.

Group H: Karnataka bt Jharkhand 3-0, Telangana bt Meghalaya 3-0; Karnataka bt Telangana 3-2, Jharkhand bt Meghalaya 3-0.

by Abhishek Shukla

Darja emerges champ at KPB Trust ITF Women’s Open

Bengaluru, Jan 21:  Top seed Darja Semenistaja lived up to her top billin status as she annexed the KPB Trust ITF Women’s Open crown steamrolling an error-prone sixth seed Carole Monnet in the final played at the KSLTA Stadium here on Sunday. The Latvian after breezing past 6-1 in the first set was leading 3-0 in the second set when her French rival threw in the towel owing to back injury.

This was the 21-year-old Darja’s 15th ITF title overall, which she made all the more memorable by winning the doubles title as well yesterday. “I am feeling very happy to take two titles home. I think Bengaluru is lucky for me,” said Darja who took home the winner’s cheque of US $ 6094 while earning 50 WTA points each for her singles and doubles victory. Carole won the runner-up cheque for US $ 3257 while earning 33 WTA points for her effort.

The Sunday crowd which had gathered in sizable numbers was expecting a closely fought affair, considering the epic battles the contestants had won in their respective previous rounds. Perhaps the exhaustion came into play when it mattered the most.

After two early breaks in the 1st and the 3rd game, the top seed was cruising at 3-0 when Carole showed signs of a comeback and broke her opponent’s serve in the 4th game. However, the rush of form was short lived as Darja, who would probably get a significant jump in her current ranking of 142 in the world, took advantage of the error-prone rival to win the next three games and the first set 6-1.

In the second set too, Darja with a break in the second led 3-0 when Carole took a medical break to attend to her nagging back ache. However, she was 15-40 in the fourth game when she could not take the pain anymore and retired.

Results (Bracket indicates country, pre-fix indicates seeding).

Singles Finals

1-Darja Semenistaja (LAT) bt 6-Carole Monnet (FRA) 6-1, 3-0 (retd)

by Abhishek Shukla

Chiyaneh’s brilliance takes Puneri Paltan to a second consecutive win against Gujarat Giants

 21st January, Hyderabad: Puneri Paltan did the double over the Gujarat Giants taking a massive 34-24 victory over them at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium today. Mohammedreza Chiyaneh’s scintillating 9 point performance was the difference between the sides on the day. 

Right from the start it seemed like Chiyaneh would dictate proceedings as a young Puneri Paltan team rallied behind him. While he ensured defensive solidity, Mohit Goyat and Aslam Inamdar wreaked havoc on the raid. Having consistently been ahead in the game they inflicted the first ALL OUT with six minutes of the half left to take a 17-8 lead. They extended that into a 13 point lead at the break.  


The Gujarat Giants had logged a single tackle point in the first half, testament not just to how ineffective their defence had been also how good Goyat and Inamdar were. By any margin their performance rose in the second half — and they were better than Puneri Paltan on every metric in the second 20.  


But not by enough. Despite their attempts at closing the gap, the all out eluded them, and in the second half, Puneri Paltan kept the ante high, forcing the Gujarat Giants to backtrack everytime it looked like they had the game under control. Even with the last raid of the evening, with the Puneri Paltan reduced to two, the all out did not arrive, Chiyaneh’s SUPER TACKLE a fitting end to his and the Puneri Paltan’s domination on the day.    

Pro Kabaddi League Season 10, 2023 
Points Table 
Position Team Matches Won Lost Tied Points Score Diff Points conceded Points scored 
1 Jaipur Pink Panthers 14 10 2 2 58 54 427 481 
2 Puneri Paltan 13 11 2 0 57 166 349 515 
3 Dabang Delhi K.C. 14 8 4 2 49 32 466 498 
4 Gujarat Giants 14 8 6 0 44 -2 463 461 
5 Haryana Steelers 13 7 5 1 39 -26 494 468 
6 Bengal Warriors 13 6 5 2 38 5 485 490 
7 U Mumba 13 6 6 1 37 6 487 493 
8 Patna Pirates 14 6 7 1 37 3 526 529 
9 Bengaluru Bulls 15 6 9 0 37 -47 532 485 
10 Tamil Thalaivas 14 5 9 0 30 3 490 493 
11 U.P. Yoddhas 15 3 11 1 23 -54 575 521 
12 Telugu Titans 14 2 12 0 15 -140 595 455 

Please see below the PKL Season 10 match on 22nd January

Game 1 – Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Bengal Warriors- 8 pm

Game 2- Telugu Titans vs Haryana Steelers- 9 pm 

Venue: Hyderabad

Season 10 of the Pro Kabaddi League will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network and for free on Disney+ Hotstar.  

by Abhishek Shukla

Kalinga Super Cup 2024: Chennaiyin FC go down 0-1 against Mumbai City FC

Bhubaneswar, January 21, 2024: Chennaiyin FC suffered a 0-1 defeat against Mumbai City FC in their final Group ‘C’ match of the Kalinga Super Cup 2024 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on Sunday.

Hmingthanmawia Ralte (26th minute) scored the sole goal of the game as he headed in a cross from Yoell Van Nieff’s free-kick for the Islanders.

Demonstrating their attacking intent from the outset, Chennaiyin FC started the game on the front foot minutes and came close to scoring the opening goal in the 11th minute.

Rafael Crivellaro played a precise through ball to Connor Shields who managed to get beyond the Mumbai City defence, but his shot was saved by the opposition goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa.

The Marina Machans continued to pose a significant threat and had another opportunity in front of goal in the 18th minute when Crivellaro’s cross was headed just wide by Jordan Murray.

Despite the flurry of attacks from Chennaiyin, it was Mumbai City FC that broke the deadlock against the run of play in the 23rd minute when Hmingthanmawia Ralte converted Yoell Van Nieff’s floating cross in the box with a header following a free kick.

Owen Coyle’s team began the second half with renewed energy and came close to leveling the score just after the break when Crivellaro had two chances in the space of a minute.

The Brazilian’s first attempt was a header from a cross from the right flank followed by a left-footed shot from long range, both of which narrowly missed the target.

Chennaiyin continued their pursuit of the equalizer and in the 59th minute, a pinpoint cross from Shields was met perfectly by Murray but his header was saved by Lachenpa.

The 26-year-old attacker put another accurate ball inside the box, this time for Irfan Yadwad in the 79th minute, but Mumbai City FC’s shot-stopper came to the rescue for his side once again.

With four points from three games, Chennaiyin FC concluded their campaign in the Kalinga Super Cup by finishing second in their group.