new kit for Indian football
New Delhi: The Indian football team will be donning new kits in the new year, starting with their campaign in the AFC Asian Cup. The continental showpiece will be held in the UAE from January 5 to February 1. The launch of the national team's new kit took place in the Capital on Wednesday with seven players - Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sandesh Jhingan, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Rowllin Borges, Shubhasish Bose and Pritam Kotal walking the ramp. The kit sponsors, Six5Six have signed a five-year deal with Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the commercial partners of All India Football Federation (AIFF), and will be involved with national teams across all age groups and genders, as per the agreement.
Kisan Cricket League launched
New Delhi: The first edition of Kisan Cricket League - Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Cup of Hope will start from 20th February 2019 and end on 20th March 2019, a day before the festival of colors - Holi. The event introduces a fresh short format cricket tournament and is first of its kind where ones only qualifications are 'Are you a Villager between 17-24 years & are you an aspiring Cricket Player'! It is a brand-new gift of opportunities for 'sons of the soil', youngsters from Rural India. Atul Pandey, the organizer of the event calls it a tribute to one of India's favorite son, the iconic representation of poise and humility - Late Prime Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri. He adds that Kisan Cricket will have 8 teams - Mighty Himalyans, Frontier Gabroos, Awadhi Brothers, Eastern Eagles, Western Tharyans,Oruvan Thalaivas, Sahyadri Rangers and a special team for tribal youngsters, The Birsa Boys. The matches will be organized in 8 Non-Metro Cities across India and will be telecast live on one of the principal sports broadcasters in Indian footprint.
Bopanna-Divij given top billing
Pune: Asian Games Gold medallist pair of Divij Sharan and Rohan Bopanna was Wednesday named as the top seed in the men's doubles event of the Tata Open Maharashtra, starting here December 31. Sharan, who briefly became India's number one doubles pair, and veteran Bopanna recently joined forces, keeping in mind the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Tata Open will be their first tournament together. Radu Albot and Malek Jaziri will be the second seed while Phillip Oswald and Tim Puetz are seeded third. The team of Marcelo Arevalo and Jamie Cerretani is seeded fourth. Veteran star Leander Paes will team up with Mexico's Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela with whom he won the Santo Domingo Challengher title and ended runner-up at Brest, Monterrey and Chicago in the 2018 season.
Dhawal boost for Mumbai
Mumbai: Former champions Mumbai, languishing way down in the points table, got a boost with the return to the squad of senior pacer Dhawal Kulkarni for their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A game against Saurashtra. Kulkarni, who was out of action following an injury, has been named in the squad of the 41-time champions for their game against Saurashtra beginning here on Saturday. The squad, announced by the Mumbai Cricket Association on its website on Wednesday, would be led by in-form batsman Siddhesh Lad. Mumbai need to defeat Saurashtra and get full points to stay in the hunt for a berth in the quarter-finals. They are in the 13th spot in the combined Group A and B points table with 8 points in their kitty.
Pirates play thrilling tie
Panchkula: Patna Pirates scored three points in less than 20 seconds to pull off a 40-40 tie against Bengaluru Bulls in a thrilling Pro Kabaddi League match here on Wednesday. Vikas Jaglan was the hero for Patna as he got one tackle and two raid points to save the Pirates from a certain defeat. Pardeep Narwal was the top scorer for Patna Pirates with 17 points. For Bengaluru Bulls, Rohit Kumar scored 16 points while Mahender got a high five in defence. Patna Pirates are still in contention of a place in the playoffs while Bengaluru Bulls have already qualified.
Anup Kumar announces retirement
Panchkula: Anup Kumar, one of the most impactful kabaddi players the country has seen, on Wednesday announced his retirement with immediate effect, drawing curtains to an illustrious 15-year career. A veteran in the sport, Arjuna awardee Anup began his international career in 2006 at the South Asian Games in Sri Lanka. He led India to Gold medal at the Asian Games and was also part of the team which repeated the feat in the 2014 edition. The 35-year-old had also led India to memorable Kabaddi World Cup title triumph in 2016. In season 2 of the Pro Kabaddi League, Anup captained U Mumba and led the team to victory.