Indian sports wrap, June 23: Pant, Rana headline Delhi Premier League Season 3

CRICKET

Pant, Rana headline Delhi Premier League Season 3

The third season of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) will be held from July 31 to August 30, it was announced on Tuesday.

The player auction for the new season will take place on July 1.

West Delhi Lions, led by Nitish Rana, won its maiden DPL title in the previous edition.

Several prominent cricketers are set to feature in the upcoming season, including Rishabh Pant, Ishant Sharma, Nitish Rana, Harshit Rana, Navdeep Saini and Prince Yadav.

The women’s competition is expected to feature players such as Shweta Sehrawat, Priya Punia, Soni Yadav and Ayushi Soni.

“Year on year, the Delhi Premier League has continued to get better and the quality of cricket on display has reflected the depth of talent that exists in Delhi.

“The league has quickly become an important part of our cricketing calendar and has generated tremendous interest among players and supporters alike,” DDCA president Rohan Jaitley said in a statement.

I avoided calling the full list “India internationals” because Prince Yadav may not fit that phrasing.

– PTI

Hyderabad e-Champions opens account with seven-wicket win over Palamuru Strikers

After a run-fest-filled start to TG20, Tuesday’s double-header began with a low-scorer with Hyderabad e-Champions cruising to a seven-wicket win over Palamuru Strikers.

The loss was Strikers’ second in two games while the e-Champions opened its account in the inaugural edition of the league.

Overnight rain at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium left the surface slightly damp. Asked to bat, Strikers started brightly through Vignesh Reddy, who hammered 21 runs off Kappaganti Sriniketh. e-Champions struck soon enough with Yashveer Goud bowling Chaitanya Reddy and Pranav Verma sending back Vignesh in the next over.

Despite scoring 50 runs in the PowerPlay, Strikers couldn’t maintain the tempo thereafter.

Rohit Rayudu briefly revived the innings with a brisk 22-ball 35 as did Pratheek Pawar with a 22-ball 30, but Sriniketh ended the former’s stay with a sharp return catch, while Ajay Dev Goud packed off the latter to trigger a collapse.

Tilak-less Falcons lose steam against Ranga Reddy Risers

Less than 24 hours after Tilak Varma’s breathtaking assault powered Medak Falcons to a scarcely believable chase against Warangal Warriors, it returned to the field without its talisman. This time, there was no miracle act as Falcons went down by five wickets to Ranga Reddy Risers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Tuesday.

Falcons started positively, with Purnanand Rao finding the boundary regularly. But the side lost its top three within the PowerPlay with Nitin Sai Yadav’s maiden in the sixth over stalling Falcons’ momentum.

A 16-run 12th over from Tanay Jaddu took Falcons past the 100-mark, before Tanay Thyarajan – who finished with three scalps – returned to break the 76-run stand to spark a collapse, with Falcons finishing on 164 for eight.

Aaron George Varghese smashed 27 off just 13 balls to jumpstart Risers’ chase. Falcons pegged back with quick wickets. Thyagarajan, too, couldn’t replicate his heroics from the opener.

Risers, however,  never lost control of the chase. N. Rakesh and Nitin Sai Yadav’s unbeaten 49-run guided them home with 10 balls to spare.

– Anirudh Velamuri

HOCKEY

Arjan Singh Memorial Hockey Tournament: IAF beat Army Southern Command 2-0

Indian Air Force beat Indian Army (Southern Command) 2-0 in the opening match of the seventh Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh Memorial Hockey Tournament.

Agniveer Vinayak Santosh Hande was declared the player of the match and received a cheque of Rs 25,000.

A total of 16 teams are participating in the tournament, which is being organised by the Air Force Sports Control Board.

Air Marshal S. Sivakumar, VSM, Air Officer-in-Charge Administration, attended the opening ceremony as the chief guest and declared the tournament open.

“We are delighted to be back with the Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh Memorial Hockey Tournament, which is the most prestigious tournament in the country,” Air Marshal Sivakumar said.

“This tournament will provide a platform for the elite hockey teams of the country. Indian Air Force will ensure that no stone is left unturned in the smooth conduct of the tournament,” he added.

– PTI

MORE SPORTS

Sports Ministry invites applications for National Sports Board positions

The Sports Ministry on Tuesday invited applications for the post of chairperson and two members in the National Sports Board, which will act as the central authority for granting recognition to sports bodies and ensuring their compliance with governance and financial standards mandated by the National Sports Governance Act.

The appointments will be made on the recommendations of a Search-cum-Selection Committee headed by Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan.

Olympic bronze medallist and former shooter Gagan Narang and weightlifting great N. Kunjarani Devi are also part of the five-member committee. The other members are Sports Secretary Hari Ranjan Rao and Indian Olympic Association Executive Council member Lt. General (retd) Harpal Singh.

The candidates are required to be “from amongst persons of ability, integrity and standing, having knowledge or practical experience in the field of public administration, sports governance, sports law and other related fields.”

The last date for submission of applications is July 22. The Sports Ministry hopes to ensure that the National Sports Board begins operations in the next three months.

In addition to granting affiliation, the National Sports Board will maintain a roster of the National Sports Election Panel and a register of affiliate units of national sports bodies. The board has also been empowered to specify model guidelines or regulations on sports governance. An age cap of 65 has been set for its members.

The National Sports Governance Act was passed in Parliament last year after several rounds of deliberations between stakeholders and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

Mandaviya has described the Act as a game-changer for Indian sports as it puts in place stringent rules and regulations by mandating representation of athletes and women in the executive committees of National Sports Federations, besides imposing age and tenure caps.

– PTI

RUGBY

Delhi Redz downs Chennai Bulls to clinch women’s Rugby Premier League crown

Delhi Redz beat Chennai Bulls 22-10 to win the inaugural women’s title at the HSBC Rugby Premier League powered by Avid Season 2 at the Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, on Tuesday.

The women’s competition featured 48 players, including 24 international stars from 10 countries, competing for a total prize purse of Rs 40 lakh. The champion side took home Rs 25 lakh, while the runner-up received Rs 15 lakh.

Delhi made a strong start in the final, controlling possession and opening the scoring through Lavena Cavuru on the left wing. Chennai struggled to break through the aggressive Redz defence before Muskan Piploda crossed over in the second quarter.

However, Eden Kilgour responded immediately to restore Delhi’s advantage. Chennai dominated possession for much of the third quarter but could not convert its pressure into points.

Delhi regained control in the final period as Silika Qalo scored on the right wing before Isadora Lopes added another late try. Sheilla Chajira scored for Chennai, but Delhi closed out the contest comfortably to clinch the title.

– Team Sportstar

BRIDGE

India Seniors remains at top in Asia Cup Bridge

Indian Seniors climbed to the top position in their section, even as China dominated the proceedings at the end of the seventh round of the 5th Asia Cup Bridge Championship on Tuesday.

India “A” and “B” teams kept their hope alive for a podium finish remaining at the 3rd and 4th position with 86.66 and 85.87 victory points respectively.

Indian Senior “A” took a big lead by scoring 86.75 victory points to be at the top and was followed by Thailand (77.48 VPs), Australia (77.48 VPs) and Japan (76.47 VPs).

Indian “B” was fifth with 76.02 VPs.

In the men’s group, China amassed a total of 101.14 VPs to take a massive lead.

It beat Hong Kong China “A” 12.44–7.56 (VPs) in the sixth round and defeated Bangladesh 17.49–2.52 VPs in the seventh round.

Hong Kong China “A” was second in this group with 88.39 VPs.

Indian Men “A” after losing to Australia 5.58–14.42 VPs, earned 12 VPs from a bye in the 6th round and then beat Hong Kong China “A” by 13.23- 6.77 VPs.

India “B” also put up a fine show in the fifth round defeating Kuwait 18.41-1.59 VPs, beat Thailand by 12.44- 7.56 VPs and then drubbed Chinese Taipei 18.41–1.59 VPs.

In the women category, holders Indonesia continued to lead the field with 84.31 VPs at the end of the sixth round and are followed by China (84.31 VPs) and Hong China “B” (67.77VPs) and India “A” (63 VPs).

-PTI

FENCING

Asian Senior Fencing Championship: South Korea, Kazakhstan win women’s sabre and men’s epee team gold

Indian teams put up spirited performances but failed to break into the medal rounds as powerhouses South Korea and Kazakhstan clinched the women’s sabre and men’s epee team titles respectively on the fifth day of the 26th Asian Senior Fencing Championships on Tuesday.

Led by Olympian CA Bhavani Devi, the women’s sabre team also comprising Shreya Gupta, Jefarlin J.S, and Shruti Joshi fought valiantly to hold the line but was ultimately locked out of the deep medal rounds by a heavily favoured East Asian roster.

The men’s epee team of Joseph Bennet, Sherjin Rajendran Shanthimol, Aloshious Koovakkal Joshy and Shaurya Ashwini also produced a fighting effort, keeping several contests competitive before bowing out of contention.

In women’s sabre, South Korea, led by individual silver-medallist Choi Sebin, put on a clinical show and defeated the Japanese team, spearheaded by individual continental champion Sano Yui, in the final.

In men’s epee, Kazakh giants, led by the veteran poise of Ruslan Kurbanov, emerged victories over Japan, anchored by individual champion Yamada Masaru and the brilliant timing of Olympic gold medalist Kano Koki in the summit clash.

-PTI