Nasheman News :The Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Wednesday announced 20-member junior India squad for the six-day Dutch Junior International, starting on February 27, and the four-day German Junior 2019 starting on March 7.

Manipur’s Maisnam Meiraba Luwang will be leading the boys’ singles challenge by virtue of the 1192 points that he amassed following his title wins at the All-India Junior Ranking Badminton Tournaments in Vijayawada and Bengaluru. 

The girls’ team will be spearheaded by the 2017 U-15 Asian Junior Championships gold medallist Samiya Imad Farooqui who logged in 1125 points in the ranking tournaments.

The BAI considered the cumulative ranking points from the three All India Junior Ranking tournaments held in Vijayawada, Bengaluru and Jaipur in January. 

While Meiraba topped the chart in the boys’ singles section, the others joining him are Andhra Pradesh’s Sai Charan Koya, Priyanshu Rajawat of Dhar in Madhya Pradesh and Sathish Kumar from Coimbatore.

In girls’ singles, Farooqui is joined by Gayatri Gopichand, Nashik girl Smit Toshniwal and Amolika Singh from Uttar Pradesh.

The winner of each leg gets 500 points and the runner-up 425 points. The rest of the points bifurcation are semi-finals (350), quarter-finals (275) and pre quarter-finals (192).

Ishaan Bhatnagar and Edwin Joy will be leading India’s challenge in the boys’ doubles section. Treesa Jolly and Varshini VS will be the ones to watch in girls’ doubles, while the in-form Navaneeth Bokka and Sahithi Bandi, who swept the three ranking events, will be India’s top team in mixed doubles.

The prestigious Dutch Junior International and the German Junior 2019, both part of the Junior International Grand Prix category, will kick start the major events on the junior badminton calendar.

Last year, India won the boys’ doubles silver medal at the Dutch Junior when the talented duo of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Dhruv Kapila finished runners-up.

Nasheman News : Expressing confidence that he will claim a medal at the upcoming ISSF World Cup here, Indian shooter Abhishek Verma said that the hosts will have to deal with increased expectations and home ground pressure in order to emerge triumphant.

“There is an increased responsibility when we are playing on home ground. There are a lot of advantages as well. But if you are unable to handle the pressure, playing at home can be a negative factor also. It is better to take up the challenge with a positive mindset,” Verma told IANS.

With the tournament being held at the Karni Singh range here, Verma asserted that the Indians are better prepared to do well in home conditions.

“When we play tournaments in foreign countries, we often don’t get too much time to practise in those conditions. We have to wait for three-four days without practice before going into tournaments. But here we are practising everyday and will go into the World Cup in a much better frame of mind,” he said.

“We already have two Olympic quotas in the rifle events. We have our strongest possible team in every event at this World Cup. In several events, we have the strongest team. Pressure will only be there when we don’t work hard,” he added. 

Asserting that he is working extra hard during practice sessions, the 29-year-old said he is confident of bagging medals both at the World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics next year.

“I always try to go into a tournament with a positive mindset. I also practise throughout the day and not just for a few hours. I have increased the number of practice sessions I do in a day and have also increased the intensity. I am doing meditation and yoga for mental strength,” Verma remarked. 

“I want to give my best finish on the podium at both events,” he added.

Nasheman News :  Even as the BCCI has dropped a hint that it will keep an eye on the workload of India players during the Indian Premier League (IPL), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) CEO Venky Mysore on Tuesday said they have not got any directive of that sort yet, also expressing confidence that a situation like that will not arise and things will work out well.

“It’s a hypothetical situation to be honest. I don’t think it will arise because, having been around cricketers and coaches, they always feel that when you’re playing competitive cricket it’s better than having net sessions and what not,” Mysore told reporters on the sidelines of the Mayors Cup at the Eden Gardens here.

Besides Mysore, KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik and head coach-cum-mentor of the academy Abhishek Nayar were also present to give away prizes.

“The way it plays out, the final is only two teams on May 12. Then in the playoffs… so it is not like everyone involved in the tournament is going to be… depends on which teams make it and all that… I think its all going to work out well,” Mysore said.

BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary and chief selector M.S.K. Prasad have recently hinted that they will keep a close eye on the workload of India players during the IPL keeping in the mind the forthcoming ICC World Cup in May.

The World Cup, to be played in the UK from May 30 to July 14, comes close on the heels of the IPL, starting March 23.

“We have not heard any such thing from them. The tournament is finishing early enough. If May 12 is the final, and India plays its first game on June 5, I think there is enough of a gap but we have not had any such guidance or instruction,” Mysore said when asked whether they have heard anything from the board yet.

Last November, in a meeting convened by the Committee of Administration (CoA) members Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji and attended by Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravi Shastri, Ajinkya Rahane and chief selector Prasad, the India captain had suggested that key pacers like Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and others in the fray for the World Cup should not play a big part in the cash-rich T20 tournament.

Due to the general elections, IPL games this time might take place at neutral venues as the BCCI might have to do away with the home and away format. 

Mysore said there is a “strong possibility” of that happening and as a franchise they would hope that they get to play as many matches as they can at Eden.

“There is a strong possibility of that. From what I hear, they want to have the whole tournament in India. So it could be that there are neutral venues in India rather than neutral venues outside and we are happy with that.”

“It is a different year. Let’s hope somehow the dates will work out in a way that we have as many games as possible at Eden,” he said.

The fixtures of the first two weeks was announced on Tuesday while the rest of the schedule is likely to be announced after the election dates are out. 

With KKR set to open their IPL campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at home on March 24, Mysore said the pre-tournament camp could be held in the second week of March.

“We are still trying to figure it out because a lot of it depends on player availability.”

“They have different domestic and international commitments. Ideally we target at least 10 days before the start of the tournament. So it can March 12 or 13. Let’s see, many of the players might end up being in Mumbai for some reason. So we may have three-four days of something there and then we come over here,” he said.

Mysore was asked if the franchises were consulted by the BCCI before taking the decision to host the IPL in India.

“The overwhelming view on everyone’s part was that we should play in India. IPL is one of the biggest sporting products that has come out of the world. So why take it out? But having said that, it is a big year for the country from an election standpoint.

“So the BCCI asked all of us before taking the call. When they asked me I said I would rather play at a neutral venue in India than anywhere outside. They were happy to hear that,” he said.

He was also asked about KKR’s contribution to the Pulwama terror attacks.

“We got something yesterday. We have been thinking about it. On a continuous basis we do a lot of things. We also have a CSR side to our activities.

“We have always been doing whatever is necessary. So to step up not only in the form of writing cheques but also in kind and time. That’s the tougher part. We do a charity golf tournament to raise money for good cause. This is something that we are looking at,” he said.

Nasheman News : Last year’s winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Bengaluru in the opener of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 that will begin on March 23.

The schedule of the 2019 edition of the IPL will be released in parts by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in view of the coming Lok Sabha elections. A total of 17 matches will be played during the two-week period from March 23 to April 5 across the eight home venues of the respective franchises.

All teams will play a minimum of four matches with the newly-christened Delhi Capitals and RCB playing five matches. Every team will play a minimum of twp home and two away matches with DC playing three home matches, while RCB will play 3 away matches.

The schedule is:

March 23 – Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore – 8 p.m.

Match 24 – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad – 4 p.m.

March 24 – Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals – 8 p.m.

Match 25 – Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab – 8 p.m.

March 26 – Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings – 8 p.m.

March 27 – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab – 8 p.m.

March 28 – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians – 8 p.m.

March 29 – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals – 8 p.m.

March 30 – Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians – 4 p.m.

March 30 – Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders – 8 p.m.

March 31 – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bangalore – 4 p.m.

March 31 – Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals – 8 p.m.

April 1 – Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Capitals – 8 p.m.

April 2 – Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore – 8 p.m.

April 3 – Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings – 8 p.m.

April 4 – Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad – 8 p.m.

April 5 – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders – 8 p.m.

Nasheman News :  The West Indies cricket board on Sunday announced that Chris Gayle will retire from One-day Internationals after the ICC Cricket World Cup to be held in England and Wales later this year.

“Gayle made the announcement just ahead of a Windies practice session leading up to the One-Day International series against England at Kensington Oval in Barbados,” a statement on Windies cricket official website said.

Gayle, 39, is the second most capped West Indies player with 284 matches and is also the second highest run-scorer with 9,727 runs, behind only Brian Lara – who has 10,405 runs from 299 matches.

Gayle also has the most number of centuries by a West Indian in a 50-over game with 23 to his name.

He also holds the record for the highest score of 215 which he scored in the last edition of the World Cup against Zimbabwe.

Gayle has also picked up 165 wickets.

Earlier this month, Gayle made a return to international cricket after he was named in the ODI squad for the first two matches against England. The dashing left-hander last played an ODI for the West Indies in July 2018 – in a home series against Bangladesh.

New Delhi, Feb 17 (IANS) Daniel Lalhlimpuia scored twice in three minutes as Delhi Dynamos FC pipped Bengaluru FC 3-2 in a closely fought Indian Super League (ISL) clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, here on Sunday.

Ulises Davila’s goal in the ninth minute gave Delhi the lead and opened the game up in midfield before Boithang Haokip scored in the 19th minute to bring Bengaluru level. 

Sunil Chhetri’s 72nd-minute strike looked to have put Bengaluru in the driving seat before Lalhlimpuia struck twice (77′, 80′) to seal a win for his team. 

The win means Delhi are now unbeaten in their last five matches, winning three of them. 

Bengaluru, on the other hand, have lost three of their last five matches, picking up just four points after being unbeaten in the first 11 games of the season. Bengaluru, however, are perched at the top of the table with 31 points from 16 matches.

Nasheman News :  The Kerala government has floated the Champions Boat League (CBL) for making state’s hugely popular boat races into a world-class experience for tourists and creating an international sporting atmosphere for participating clubs and their oarsmen, state Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said on Sunday.

The CBL will start on August 10 with the prestigious Nehru Trophy Boat Race in Alappuzha and end with the President’s Trophy Boat Race in Kollam on November 1, with 12 races during the intervening weekends.

Held on the format of the IPL, all races will be held in the afternoon between 2.30 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The winner of the CBL will get a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh, while those finishing second and third receive Rs 15 lakh and Rs 10 lakh respectively.

The state Tourism Department said that they are now looking for entities that have the required expertise for managing, executing and promoting CBL for the next five years.

Surendran said the CBL will have nine teams.

“We want the CBL to be a world-class tourism product capable of attracting thousands of tourists. Further, the league championship will help boat clubs financially. The players become more skilled. That will inspire a whole new generation of them,” he said.

The CBL will be held in the Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kollam, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Malappuram districts.

The Nehru Trophy will be the qualifying boat race for selection of the CBL’s teams.

[Nasheman news] Ahmedabad Golfer Ridhima Dilawari rallied from a three-shot deficit to a three-shot win as Gaurika Bishnoi slipped on the final day of the fourth leg of the Hero womens Pro Tour at the Kalhaar Blues and Greens here on Friday.

Ridhima carded a second successive one-over 73, to end the week at two-over 218, while Gaurika, who crashed to seven-over 79, had four runner-up finishes last season, before adding one more at 221.

It was a winning start for Ridhima, who was making her first appearance on the Tour this season.

Ridhima became the fourth winner this season, following Neha Tripathi, Gursimar Badwal and Tvesa Malik in the previous three legs. It was also Ridhima’s third title on the Hero WPG Tour, following two in 2018, once each as an amateur and a pro.

Neha (75) was third despite a double bogey finish, while Amandeep Drall (79), runner-up in the last two legs, also had a disappointing final round and was fourth. 

On a rather tough scoring day, Gurimsar (77), winner the week before, was Tied-fifth with Suchitra Ramesh (79).

Ananya Datar and Afshan Fatima were Tied-seventh, while Siddhi Kapoor and Smriti Mehra completed the Top-10.

Neha is on top of the Order of Merit with Rs 3,46,400 and she is a mere Rs 2,400 ahead of Amandeep, who has Rs 3,44,000. 

Gursimar is third with Rs 3,06,400 and Gaurika is fourth with Rs 2,36,800. Siddhi Kapoor, with Rs 2,10,400 is fifth while Ridhima, who was playing her first event this season, took home Rs 1,44,000.

[Nasheman news] Kochi Kerala Blasters FC notched up only their second win of the current Indian Super League season after a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Chennaiyin FC here on Friday.

Matej Poplatnik scored a brace (23rd, 55th minutes) to put Kerala Blasters in the driving seat and young midfielder Sahal Abdul Samad finished things off in the 71st minute to score his first ever ISL goal and end his team’s 14-game winless run. 

Chennaiyin on the other hand saw their nightmare season continue after their 12th loss of the season. They are rooted to the bottom spot with eight points from 16 games, while Kerala have climbed to the eighth spot. 

The visitors never really got going and were on the backfoot right from the start. Chennaiyin custodian Karanjit Singh was called into action twice early in the game as Kerala imposed themselves. Slavisa Stojanovic’s shot from the edge of the box was saved by Karanjit and he had to be alert to block the follow-up effort from Poplatnik as well. 

But Kerala did make their early dominance count by taking the lead in the 23rd minute. Courage Pekuson’s low cross into the box could only be deflected towards Poplatnik by Karanjit and the striker gleefully headed home into an empty net. 

John Gregory’s side could not gain a foothold into the match and looked woefully out of rhythm in the attacking third. As the half wore on, Kerala could have doubled their lead as Karanjit was forced into two fine saves from Pekuson and Seiminlen Doungel’s efforts. 

The story remained pretty much the same in the second half as well and the second goal came 10 minutes later. Len Doungel initiated a quick counter-attack and fed Sahal down the right wing. The midfielder squared a pass into the box which was not dealt with at all by the Chennaiyin defenders. Stojanovic got to it and found Poplatnik who lashed a shot home. 

That goal was a blow Chennaiyin FC never recovered from. It did not help that Christopher Herd, who was injured in the build-up to Kerala’s goal, had to be substituted. 

The home team continued to call the shots and soon got the third in the 71st minute. Again, Samad started the attack with a run from inside his own half. The Chennaiyin defenders stood him off and could not clear the ball after Samad’s attempted one-two with Doungel did not come off. Sahal carried on his run to latch on to the loose ball and lift a finish over the onrushing Karanjit. 

Chennaiyin did push forward a bit in order to notch a consolation goal but Kerala saw them off with consummate ease.

Nasheman News : Two-time champion P.V. Sindhu began her quest for a third title with a win at the Yonex-Sunrise 83rd Senior National Badminton Championships here on Thursday.

The top seed beat Nagpur’s rising star Malvika Bansod 21-11, 21-13 to progress into the quarter-finals.

Harsheel Dani, meanwhile, caused the upset of the day by showing the door to the fourth seed and last edition’s semi-finalist Subhankar Dey 21-15, 21-17 in 43 minutes. 

Eighty three world ranking spots separate the 22-year-old and Dey but that hardly mattered as the 131st ranked Dani produced a barrage of attacking shots to knock out the World No.48 Dey.

In one of the most-awaited men’s doubles matches of the day, second seeds Chirag Shetty and Pranaav Jerry Chopra edged veterans V Diju and Rupesh Kumar KT 21-8, 18-21, 22-20 in a clash of generations to enter the semi-finals.

Dhruv Kapila and Krishna Prasad Garaga, one of the most promising men’s doubles pairs, beat Deep Rambhiya and Pratik Ranade 21-17, 21-14 to set up a meeting with the top seeds Arjun MR and Shlok Ramchandran, who took care of Saurabh Sharma and Rohan Kapoor 21-11, 21-18.

Kuhoo Garg and Anoushka Parikh notched up a commanding 21-10, 21-13 victory over Agna Anto and Sneha Santhilal in women’s doubles. Manu Attri and Maneesha K, meanwhile, knocked out the second seeds Saurabh Sharma and Anoushka Parikh 21-10, 21-16 to enter the mixed doubles semi-finals.

Sindhu overcame a slow start to find her rhythm. After lagging behind the Khelo India Games runner-up 0-4, the World No. 6 settled into the match and stormed ahead to 11-7. A flurry of unforced errors under pressure from Bansod absolutely did not help the youngster as the first game went to her highly accomplished opponent.

Bansod could not do much damage to Sindhu in the second game too. Her errors put the Rio Olympic silver medallist at an 11-4 advantage before the 2011 and 2013 champion wrapped up the match to set up a quarter-final showdown with Riya Mookerjee, a 21-11, 17-21, 21-18 winner over Kanika Kanwal.

The Round of 16 singles and the quarter-final matches in doubles started from Thursday on completion of the preliminaries on Day 2 of the Nationals. The top eight singles seeds and the top four doubles seeds had been exempted from playing until the pre-quarters and the quarters respectively.

In the other Round of 16 singles clashes, Asian junior champion Lakshya Sen hardly broke sweat in his 21-11, 21-8 demolition of Ansal Yadav. Top seed and 2015 champion Sameer Verma, meanwhile, had to retire hurt after winning the first game 21-16 and trailing 1-8 against Aryamann Tandon.

Sourabh Verma, a two-time winner, faced no hassles in his 21-8, 21-15 win over Kartik Jindal. Bodhit Joshi and Kaushal Dharmamer both had to work hard for three games before advancing to the last eight.

In women’s singles, Assam’s wonder kid Ashmita Chaliha, seeded fourth at this tournament, needed three games to prevail over Vaidehi Choudhari 21-13, 15-21, 21-12. Third seed Shriyanshi Pardeshi blew away Deepshikha Singh 21-3, 21-7 while junior national champion Aakarshi Kashyap stunned former winner Rituparna Das 21-18, 21-12.

Maharashtra girl Neha Pandit continued her heroics with a 21-14, 21-13 victory over 2018 Tata Open quarter-finalist Anura Prabhudesai and her statemate Vaishnavi Bhale got the better of Sai Uttejitha Rao Chukka 21-13, 21-15.

While the top-seeded doubles teams in each section all safely made it to the semi-finals, Manu Attri and K. Maneesha knocked out second seeds Saurabh Sharma and Anoushka Parikh 21-10, 21-16 in mixed doubles.