Page 70 - Sports

Verdict will make the game cleaner; faith in IPL will be restored: Justice Mukul Mudgal

New Delhi, July 14 (ANI): The former Chief Justice of India Justice Mukul Mudgal on Tuesday aid that the verdict in IPL spot fixing will make the game of cricket cleaner now. He said that the punishment is exemplary and sends a strong message. Further Mudgal said that the Supreme Court's verdict will restorer public faith in IPL and cricket.

IPL fixing: Justice Lodha panel finds Meiyappan, Kundra guilty, suspends them for life Part 1

New Delhi, July 14 (ANI): Justice RM Lodha, who is heading the committee appointed by the Supreme Court to decide the fate of the IPL franchises Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), on Tuesday found CSK and RR team officials Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra guilty as charged of misconduct related to heavy betting in the Indian Premier League, and of bringing the game of cricket as well as the Board of Control for Cricket in India into disrepute. Announcing his verdict, Justice Lodha said that Meiyappan, the son-in-law of former BCCI Chief N Srinivasan, is banned for five years from participation in any form of activity related to cricket and also suspended for life from having any role in the game. Justice Lodha said that Meiyappan's misconduct has been proven, and added that he had engaged in heavy and multiple acts of betting that had damaged the reputation of the game of cricket, the BCCI and the IPL. A similar verdict was issued in the name of Raj Kundra, the co-o

Honoured to share Wimbledon Triumph with India, says Sania Mirza

Hyderabad, July 14 (ANI): Ace Tennis Player Sania Mirza who cliched her first-ever women's doubles Grand Slam title as she and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis made a stunning comeback in the final set to win the Wimbledon 2015 crown, said on Tuesday that she is honoured to share Wimbledon Triumph with India. Sania further admitted that it was a dream come true to win her maiden Wimbledon title

Very happy that I was able to win Wimbledon for our country: Sania on her arrival in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, July 14 (ANI): Tennis ace Sania Mirza was given a warm welcome as she arrived in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Mirza said that she was very happy as she was able to win the Wimbledon for India.

Federer still 'hungry' despite Wimbledon loss

New Delhi, July 13 (ANI): Tennis ace Roger Federer, the runner-up at the Wimbledon title match, has said that the defeat has actually increased his hunger for more titles. Defending champion Novak Djokovic produced a perfect blend of power and precision to beat seven-time champion Roger Federer in a four-set thriller to retain the Wimbledon title. The 28-year-old Serbian overcame Federer 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (10-12), 6-4, 6-3 in a pulsating finale that lasted two hours and 56 minutes. Although second seed Federer produced a spirited fightback to clinch the second set, Djokovic outperformed the Swiss maestro in the next two sets to bag his ninth Grand Slam title. With the win, Djokovic also claimed his third title at Wimbledon and has extended his 2015 winning tally to 48.

Paes, Sania, Sumit will surely inspire the Indian youngsters: Vece Paes

New Delhi, July 13 (ANI): Vece Paes, the father of tennis ace Leander Paes, has congratulated his son on his latest feat at the Wimbledon Championships and said that it has been a great year for India with Sania Mirza and Sumit Nagal also clinching their respective titles. Vece said that these victories would definitely inspire the youngsters in the Indian tennis circuit. The senior Paes further said that his son always emphasizes on playing for India. Paes was once again at his vintage best as he partnered Martina Hingis to win the Wimbledon mixed doubles title on Sunday, clinching his 16th grand slam title.

Cricketer Hiken Shah found guilty of trying to fix IPL game, suspended by BCCI

New Delhi, July 13 (ANI): The BCCI on Monday suspended Mumbai Ranji cricketer Hiken Shah for making a "corrupt approach" to a fellow player during the IPL and referred the matter to its disciplinary committee for further action.

Sumit Nagal wins junior boys' doubles Wimbledon title

New Delhi, July 13 (ANI): Teenager Sumit Nagal continued India's winning streak at Wimbledon, winning the boys doubles junior trophy with Vietnamese partner Nam Hoang Ly. Nagal has become only sixth Indian to win a grand slam junior title, defeating the fourth seeded Reilly Opelka and Akira Santillan 7-6(4), 6-4 in the title clash that lasted 63 minutes. With this victory, Nagal has joined Leander Paes and Sania Mirza after the two tennis aces both partnered Martina Hingis to clinch the women's doubles and mixed doubles titles respectively.

Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis win Wimbledon women's doubles title

New Delhi, July 12 (ANI): Sania Mirza and her partner Martina Hingis won the Wimbledon women's doubles title to claim the Indian tennis ace's first-ever women's doubles Grand Slam title. The on-fire duo delivered a 5-7 7-6(4) 7-5 blow to their Russian comeptitors Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova. This is Sania's latest heist after winning three mixed doubles Grand Slam trophies. The tennis star has claimed the Australian Open in 2009, the French Open in 2012 with Mahesh Bhupathi and the US Open with Bruno Soares last year.

ISL team Delhi Dynamos names Roberto Carlos as marquee player

New Delhi, July 10 (ANI): Former Brazil and Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos was named as the marquee player and manager of Delhi Dynamos franchise in the domestic Indian Super League (ISL) for the second edition of the tournament. The eight-team league got off to a rousing start last year with Brazilian Zico headlining the managers' list while marquee players included Italian duo Alessandro Del Piero and Marco Materazzi, and Frenchman Nicholas Anelka. Speaking at a news conference where Delhi Dynamos also unveiled its new logo, Carlos said he would use the opportunity to win trophies for the team and raise the level of football in the country. Speaking on his decision to resume playing after a gap of three years, the 42-year old World Cup winner said he is fully confident of playing at the highest level and added if he felt he was not at his best, he would not enter the ground. The second season of Indian Super League, boasting of celebrity owners, kicks off on October 03 this year

Soccer legend Zico returns to Indian Super League

Panaji, July 08 (ANI): Brazilian soccer legend, Zico, returned as the marquee manager of FC Goa for the second season of the Indian Super League. The eight team league kicked off with a rousing start last year with Zico headlining the managers' list and marquee players including Italian duo Alessandro Del Piero and Marco Materazzi and Frenchman Nicholas Anelka. Addressing the media persons at a news conference in India's coastal state of Goa, Zico said that it was fantastic to be back. Also called as the White Pele', Zico, was an outstanding creator and goal scorer for Brazil and played in the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups, has also coached in Brazil, Japan, Turkey, Russia, Greece, Iraq and Qatar. The owners of FC Goa expressed happiness on the return of Zico. FC Goa had a good season last year as they reached the semi finals, but lost in the penalty shootouts against Atletico de Kolkata.

Looking forward to Zimbabwe tour, have a pretty balanced team and we'll try to win: Ajinkya Rahane

Mumbai, July 6 (ANI): India's ODI captain for Zimbabwe tour, Ajinkya Rahane on Monday said that he is looking forward to the Zimbabwe tour where all 15 players are important in the squad and there is no difference between seniors and juniors. Rahane also had a word of praise for Harbhajan Singh, who makes his ODI comeback after four years.

Raina refutes Modi's betting allegations, mulls legal action

New Delhi, June 02 (ANI): Cricketer Suresh Raina refuted the allegations made by former IPL czar Lalit Modi that the left-hand batsman was involved in betting in Indian Premier League (IPL) matches. "In the wake of recent media reports about me, I would like to make my fans around the world aware and clear the air that I have always played the game in right spirit and with utmost integrity," Raina said in a statement issued by sports management firm Rhiti Sports. "I have never been involved in any wrong doing and all allegations against me are false. Playing cricket is my passion for whichever team I have represented. I'm also figuring out my legal rights to take the right steps ahead in this matter", he added.

Rahane wishes to emulate Dhoni's calmness, Virat's aggression in Zimbabwe tour

Mumbai, July 01 (ANI): India's new ODI captain Ajinkya Rahane has insisted that he wants to emulate a blend of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's calmness, Virat Kohli's aggression and Rahul Dravid's composure in his new role in the upcoming series against Zimbabwe. Rahane, who has been named as the skipper for the Zimbabwe tour in the absence of One-Day International captain Dhoni, will lead the young Indian side in three ODIs and two Twenty20 Internationals. While sharing his experience of working under these three captains, the 27-year-old said that he wants to produce a combination of Dhoni's on-field calmness, Kohli's controlled aggression and Dravid's process of keeping things simple along with his own ideas in the short series. Rahane also maintained that he is not taking their opponents lightly and would lead the team from the front.The selectors announced a second-string team for the tour while resting most of the senior players including Dhoni, Kohli and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

Jwala Gutta returns home after winning Canadian Open

Hyderabad, July 01 (ANI): Shuttler Jwala Gutta, who clinched the Canadian Open Women's Doubles with partner Ashwini Ponnappa, returned to Hyderabad. Gutta who won the tournament on June 28 was welcomed by fans and supporters with bouquets and garlands. A visibly happy Gutta attributed the victory to her partner Ponnappa. Gutta said that continuing the good run in the upcoming tournaments was very important, keeping in mind the Olympics next year.

Satnam Singh becomes first Indian to be drafted into NBA

Ludhiana / New Delhi, June 27 (ANI): Satnam Singh Bhamara became the first Indian basketball player to be drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA). Singh, at 7-foot-2-inch, was selected by the Dallas Mavericks for the next season. He was selected as the 52nd pick in the second round. Sports Minister Sarbanand Sonowal congratulated Singh on his feat and said that he would be an inspiration to younger players. The 19-year-old player hails from a remote village in Punjab. Friends and family broke into celebrations as Singh made history at the NBA.

Mental tensions because of environment in dressing room have affected Dhoni's performance, says his former coach

Ranchi, June 22 (ANI): After India's ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni offered to step down after the side suffered the first-ever series defeat against Bangladesh, his former coach Chanchal Bhattacharya blamed the environment in the dressing room for his performance. Refuting all reports of retirement by Dhoni, Bhattacharya said that he had only said that he can give up captaincy and had never said that he will stop playing. The former coach also said that the environment of dressing room is not letting him get comfortable and therefore Dhoni's performance is getting adversely affected. Bangladesh took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series with a six-wicket win over the World Cup semi-finalists in Dhaka yesterday.

MS Dhoni takes responsibility for ODI series defeat, offers to quit captaincy

New Delhi, June 22 (ANI): After India's historic ODI series defeat against Bangladesh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he was willing to step down if that helped Indian cricket. During the post match press conference of second ODI, which India lost by six wickets, an emotional Dhoni stated: "If it's justified that you remove me, that I am the reason about everything going bad in Indian cricket, I would love to step aside." India went down by six wickets in the rain-marred second ODI to lose the three-match series. Dhoni, who promoted himself to the number 4 position in a crisis situation, blamed poor batting for the series loss. Bangladesh now has a lead of 2-0 in a three-match series. This is a memorable victory for the Tigers, which has also helped them to qualify for the 2017 Champions Trophy.

Dhoni fined 75% of match fee, Rahman 50% for collision in India-Bangladesh 1st ODI

New Delhi, June 19 (ANI): Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Bangladesh paceman Mustafizur Rahman have been fined for a collision during Thursday's first one-day international at Mirpur. While Dhoni has been fined 75% of his match fee, Rahman, who made his ODI debut with a man-of-the-match performance, was docked half of his match earnings. Dhoni was charged with Level 2 offence under ICC Code of Conduct for elbowing the debutant pacer while chasing an imposing 308-run target set by Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium. The incident happened during India's chase when Mustafizur came in Dhoni's way while completing his follow through as India captain was running for a single. Replays showed Dhoni shoved him while trying to reach the crease.

Sports enthusiast creates terrace soccer ground in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, June 17 (ANI): A sports enthusiast in Hyderabad literally took his passion to a higher level by creating a terrace soccer ground on the 10th floor of his building to promote the game, especially among youngsters. It features a heavier ball than the normal football to control the speed on the artificial field with highly durable and high quality nets with a height of 25 feet to ensure uninterrupted play area under flood lights. Director and promoter of the ground, Pavit Singh said that the concept received positive response from the people. Artificial grass ensures consistency in bounce and ball control. The smooth artificial surface and rubber in-fill make the playfield very safe and offer greater movement to players with the foam-stuffed rebound walls alongside the pitch. The facility is said to be the first-of-its-kind in south India and has set a new trend for people who love sports but don't find space.