Bengaluru FC on Monday announced the signing of youngsters Sairuat Kima and Gursimrat Singh Gill on two-year deals till the end of the 2019-2020 football season.

The duo joined Kean Lewis and Rino Anto in the Blues’ camp as they continue to reinforce their squad ahead of the AFC Cup Inter-Zone Semifinal tie against Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr FK in August.

Twenty-one-year-old Gursimrat, who first joined Bengaluru in 2016-17 season from the AIFF Elite Academy, went on to feature in the I-League and the AFC Cup campaigns before being part of the Federation Cup winning squad in May 2017.

The youngster was excited to rejoin the Blues after spending a season with NorthEast United.

“I’m really happy to have joined Bengaluru FC again. I was unlucky to be injured for most parts of my first stint at the club, but I’m glad that the club kept an eye on me and wanted to bring me back,” said Gursimrat who made five appearances for the Highlanders in the ISL.

“I’m looking forward to joining the team and playing a part again,” he added.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Sairuat who joined the club from Jamshedpur FC, began his youth career with Mizoram-based Chanmari FC before joining the DSK Shivajians youth setup in Pune.

He was promoted to the first team during the 2016-17 season where the 6’3″ tall defender featured in the Durand Cup and the Federation Cup apart from being a mainstay in defence in the I-League.

The U23 India International was then snapped up by Jamshedpur in the ISL 2017-18 draft and featured for the Jharkhand-based side in the Super Cup.

“This is a big moment for me, and I’m really grateful for this opportunity. I’m excited to play for a professional club like Bengaluru FC, one that I’ve admired a lot,” said Sairuat after completing the formalities.

“To go onto the next level, I must train regularly with the best players and BFC have the finest of the lot. Playing with them is something I am eagerly looking forward to and hopefully I’ll give my everything and achieve success with the club in the coming years,” he added.

Six-time champions India once again stormed into the finals of the Women’s Asia Cup after thrashing arch-rivals Pakistan by seven wickets in their last league encounter at the Kinrara Academy Oval here on Saturday.

Electing to bat, Pakistan folded up for a meager 72/7 with Sana Mir (20 not out) and Nahida Khan (18) managing to reach the double figures in a lackluster batting effort.

In response, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (34 not out) and her deputy Smriti Mandhana (38) steered the Indians to a comfortable victory with 23 balls to spare after starting on a shaky note.

Earlier, left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht spun a web around the Pakistanis with three wickets and was well assisted by the other Indian bowlers who stuck to a disciplined effort.

During their chase, India too got off to a forgettable start, losing former skipper Mithali Raj and Deepti Sharma for ducks with the scoreboard ticking 5/2.

But thereafter the defending champions did not look back as the left-right combo of Smriti and Harmanpreet forged a brilliant 65-run third wicket stand to take the side within sniffing distance of victory.

Table toppers India (8 points) will now have to wait for the final league match between Bangladesh women and hosts Malaysia later in the day, to find their opponents for Sunday’s summit clash.

On the other hand, second-placed Pakistan, with six points in their kitty will desperately hope for an upset by Malaysia over Bangladesh (also on 6 points) to bag a place in the final.

Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy Breda 2018 at Breda, Netherlands

Just ten days to go before the team leaves for Netherlands on 18 June

Saturday afternoon saw the Indian Men’s Hockey Team slug it out in overcast conditions here at the Sports Authority of India, Bengaluru Campus. The drills were intense but the focus remained on basics.

After the 18-member national squad was announced last week, the Indian team under Chief Coach Harendra Singh has upped the ante knowing well that the Rabobank Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy Breda 2018, with world’s top teams including Olympic Champions Argentina, defending World Champions Australia, World No.3 Belgium, hosts Netherlands and Pakistan in fray for the title, offers the right platform to test themselves ahead of the prestigious Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018.

The 2018 Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy will be the 37th and last edition of the Hockey Champions Trophy for men. It will be held from 23 June to 1 July 2018 in Breda, Netherlands.

At the camp in Bengaluru, the focus has remained on maintaining the right structure with emphasis on team’s on-field communication, following basics to keep ball possession, front-line defence, counter control and Penalty Corner defending.

“The team has moved on from the poor performance at the Gold Coast 2018 XXI Commonwealth Games. At this camp, one of the main focus is on team’s on-field communication and re-instilling the team’s belief that we have it in us to Go for Gold. Our psychology sessions have been critical in making us believe in the team goal and Chief Coach has prepared a 20-point agenda which we read every day ahead of training sessions to remind ourselves of our aim ahead of the tournament,” expressed Indian Team’s Vice-Captain Chinglensana Singh Kangujam.

The Indian team’s inefficiency in converting field goals despite improved circle penetrations have been a concern. Goalkeeper and Captain PR Sreejesh stated that the team has paid special attention in this area over the past two weeks in the National Camp.

“We have paid a lot of attention to the positioning of forwards in the striking circle. Chief Coach has not just drawn out the position chart for the strikers and explained in theory, but has also walked them through the positioning to ensure they don’t repeat the mistakes made at 2018 CWG because of which we missed out on scoring critical goals. Front-line defence is also one of the key areas we have paid extra attention to,” Sreejesh stated.

With just ten days to go before the team leaves for the Netherlands on 18 June, Sreejesh believes the team has the calibre to finish on the top at the Rabobank Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy Breda 2018.

“We have a good team balance with experience and youth. Our preparations have been earnest and the team certainly has the calibre to finish on top provided we play our A-game and not make silly mistakes and lose out on scoring opportunities. This is the best chance to see where we stand against top teams in the world before the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 in November-December and we need to make this opportunity count,” the Captain concluded.

The Indian Team will begin their campaign at the Rabobank Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy Breda 2018 against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 23.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

India cricketer Mithali Raj has become the first batter from the nation to score 2000 runs in T20I cricket. She accomplished the feat amid India’s Women’s T20 Asia Cup match against Sri Lanka on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur.

Mithali has now scored 2015 runs in 74 T20Is with the help of 14 half-centuries of years. She has an average of 38.01 with a most elevated score of 76 not out.

The 35-year-old scored 23 as India beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets. India, who endured a stun defeat to Bangladesh in their past match, set up a much enhanced execution as they beat Sri Lanka to 107/7. They updated the objective with seven wickets remaining and seven deliveries to spare.

Nigeria have dropped to 48th in the FIFA’s global rankings in June, a week away from the start of 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Its World Cup opponents Argentina, Croatia, and Iceland are on fifth, 20th and 22nd positions respectively in the FIFA rankings. Its first match is against Croatia on June 16, Xinhua news agency reported.

A flurry of pre-FIFA World Cup friendlies has left its mark on the latest rankings. The west African country also dropped to the seventh place in Africa, an official statement on FIFA’s website on Thursday said.

Nigeria were on the 47th spot and sixth position respectively in the FIFA rankings and continental football in April and May.

In all its outings of late, Nigeria either faced a defeat or draw. Super Eagles were beaten 1-0 by the Czech Republic on Wednesday, during a last pre-World Cup friendly played in Austria.

On June 2, the team saw a defeat by the Three Lions of England. The match, played at the Wembley Stadium, ended 2-1. Nigeria had played a 1-1 draw on home soil against DR Congo on May 28.

The Haryana government has shocked the national sports fraternity by issuing a notification asking sportspersons from the state to hand over one third of their earnings from professional events and endorsements to the Haryana Sports council.

The notification, dated April 30, states that the money thus collected from sportspersons will be used for development of sports and budding talent in Haryana.

“One-third of the income earned by sportspersons from professional sports or commercial endorsements will be deposited with the Haryana State Sports Council, amount to be used for development of sports in the state,” the notification read.

The move has drawn wide condemnation with several athletes criticising the state government.

“This new rule makes a mockery of sportspersons. There is no such rule for cricketers who earn much more than those from other sports. Cricketers make a lot of money from endorsements, but those from other sports like boxing, kabaddi and wrestling do not earn much,” star wrestler Geeta Phogat told a television channel.

“If we give up a third of our earnings, it will not be feasible for us. In such a scenario, what will be left for us?” she asked.

On a high after sealing the final spot, buoyant India, led by their inspirational skipper Sunil Chhetri, will look to extend their winning run when they take on New Zealand in the Intercontinental Cup football meet here on Thursday.

Chhetri, playing his 100th international game, lit up the Mumbai Football Arena against Kenya two days on Tuesday, scoring a brace as India won 3-0 to seal a spot in the summit clash.

Days after his one-and-a-half minute video where he appealed to the fans to come and back the team at the stadium, a full house saw Jeje Lalpekhlua also score a delectable pile-driver off a rebound to cap off another perfect night for the hosts.

In the tournament opener, India had mauled Chinese Taipei 5-0 riding a Chhetri hattrick.

It rained profusely throughout the first half against Kenya, but the fans — heeding to his plea — braved the shower to witness a magical third goal in second-half added time by Chhetri where he chipped the keeper with aplomb from the edge of the box to find the back of the net.

The organisers claim that the tickets for Thursday’s match as well as Sunday’s final have been sold out.

Coach Stephen Constantine might opt to rest a few key players before the final, especially after a physically 45 minutes against Kenya where playing became almost impossible due to thick mud and puddles on the turf.

Centre-back Sandesh Jhinghan — who was adjudged man of the match — had limped off after an awkward fall.

India have a lot of attacking options up front with the likes of Balwant Singh likely to start on Thursday if Chhetri is rested.

Coming to the Kiwis, striker Myer Bevan is one to watch out for.

New Zealand coach Fritz Schmid has said that the game would be a big challenge.

The game will also be special for Jeje Lalpekhlua as it will be his 50th match in national colours.

India suffered their first ever defeat at the hands of Bangladesh in any format as the six-time champions were hammered by seven wickets in the Women’s Asia Cup cricket tournament at the Kinrara Academy Oval here on Wednesday.

This was also the first loss of the women-in-blue in the tournament since 2012.

Fargana Hoque and Rumana Ahmed’s unbeaten 52 and 42-run knocks helped Bangladesh chase a below par target of 142 with seven balls to spare.

Opting to bat after winning the toss, India started the proceedings on a poor note, losing openers Mithali Raj (15) and Smriti Mandhana (2) with the scorecard reading 26.

After their departure, Pooja Vastrakar chipped in with 20 runs before departing off a run-out in the ninth over.

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma then contributed with 42 and 32 runs respectively while Mona Meshram remained unbeaten on 14 to help India reach 141/7.

Bangladesh’s leggie Rumana Ahmed bagged three wickets conceding 21 runs.

In reply, Bangladesh also lost couple of wickets for 45 runs.

But Fargana and Rumana denied India any further inroads, forging a match-wining 93-run third wicket partnership to help their side register their second win in the tournament.

Bangladesh had earlier beaten Pakistan in the tourney.

For India, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav and Vastrakar bagged one wicket each.

Despite the loss, India were static atop the points table with two wins from three games while Bangladesh is placed fourth.

The Harmanpreet-led side will next face Sri Lanka on Thursday.

In other league matches, Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by 23 runs while Thailand thrashed Malaysia by nine wickets.

World No.1 Rafael Nadal of Spain on Monday defeated Maximilian Marterer of Germany 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), earning his career’s 900th win and advancing to the French Open quarter-finals.

Nadal, who turned 32 on Sunday, needed two hours and 30 minutes to get rid of Marterer, world No. 70, setting up a quarter-final clash with Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman, reported Efe.

The 10-time French Open champion got his 224th Grand Slam win, surpassing Jimmy Connors of the US, but is still far behind record holder Roger Federer of Switzerland (332) and second-placed Novak Djokovic of Serbia (244).

He also tied Djokovic’s record for the most quarter-finals appearances at Ronald Garros, reaching that stage for the 12th time.

Nadal extended his straight-set winning streak at the French Open to 37, just four sets shy of the record set by Sweden’s Bjorn Borg.

But that streak seemed to be in danger, as Nadal conceded his service game in the early stages of the first and third sets, but managed to keep his momentum.

Debutant Marterer stormed into a 2-0 lead in the first set, but Nadal turned up the heat, winning five straight games, and went on to clinch the set.

Nadal continued to build momentum in the second set, racking up a 2-0 lead and earning one more service break at 4-2 to double his lead.

Marterer, however, broke Nadal’s serve for 3-1 in the third set, but Nadal restored order, drawing level at 3-3.

The set then went with serve, heading to a tiebreak that Nadal won through superior consistency in the key moments.

Bollywood celebrities like Abhishek Bachchan, Arjun Kapoor and Varun Dhawan have celebrated India’s victory over Kenya at the 2018 International Cup.

They showered praise on skipper Sunil Chhetri for his performance in his 100th international game on Monday where he scored twice, calling him a “legend” and a “leader”.

Chhetri scored a brace on a rain-soaked Monday night at the Mumbai Football Arena, as Jeje Lalpekhlua also scored to help India beat Kenya 3-0 keeping its hopes alive for the final of the Intercontinental Cup on June 10.

Here’s what they have tweeted:

Arjun Kapoor: “Way to go boys! That was a spectacular match team India! Sunil Chetri, scoring twice in your 100th match is no simple feat…what a performance!”

Varun Dhawan: “Great win for team India and that beautiful goal by the captain Sunil Chhetri. Well done team India, proud.”

Abhishek Bachchan: “And you know he had to score! Sunil Chhetri captain, leader, legend. Great win by team India 3:0 Kenya. Super brace by the captain and an unbeatable goal by the sniper Jeje who kept his promise to me that he’d score. Back the blue… Onto the next one boys.”

Ayushmann Khurrana: “Congrats Indian football for the amazing victory against Kenya 3-0. Super proud of Sunil. You guys deserve all the love, applause, respect and yes, packed stadiums.”

Armaan Malik: “Congrats captain Sunil and Indian football team for the big win against Kenya. Your 100th international match will always be etched in Indian Sporting History. Thank you for bringing awareness to a sport that is so loved but not noticed in our country as much as cricket.”

Chitrangda Singh: “We surely need heroes like you! Sunil Chhetri, Indian football.”

Adnan Sami: “You called, Mumbai answered… Keep calling! Congratulations! What an emotional moment and brilliant victory! Sunil Chhetri.”

Aadar Jain: “What a fabulous victory for India! You are a rockstar Sunil Chhetri! So well deserved!”

Boman Irani: “Your appeal is so honest and sincere, Sunil. There will be a day. Soon enough. It wont be necessary. You are a true leader.”

Karanvir Bohra: “Won 3-0. What an exciting match…. Sunil Chhetri your heartfelt message was enough to have the entire stadium to a maximum capacity and thank you Bunty Walia… for making this happen for all of us. Bachchan captain… Sikandar Kher remember I didn’t post ther other picture for you only.”