GRAND GAlA IN STORE FOR ISl
KOlKATA: From Amitabh Bachchan to Sachin Tendulkar to Mukesh and Nita Ambani, the who’s who of Bollywood, cricket and business world will attend the high profile opening ceremony of the Indian Super league (ISl) at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan on October 12. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is slated to inaugurate the tournament that will conclude on December 20, while Bollywood heartthrob Priyanka Chopra will set the stage on fire along with Varun Dhawan in a 45-minute opening ceremony that would begin at 5pm. Selling tickets at a throw-away price of Rs 200, the city franchise is confident of a sellout crowd at the gigantic 1.2 lakh capacity stadium in Salt lake.
M S Dhoni honours Sreejesh
Kochi: Indian hockey team vice-captain and goalkeeper P R Sreejesh, the hero of Incheon Asian Games final against Pakistan, was on Tuesday honoured by Mahendra Singh Dhoni on behalf of Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) for his performance in the summit clash of the continental event. The hockey custodian from Kerala later told reporters that he was delighted to receive the memento from Dhoni and would be at the stadium to cheer the Indian team when they take on the West Indies on Wednesday in the first of the five ODIs against West Indies. Sreejesh produced breathtaking saves in the shoot-out to help India end its 16-year gold medal draught in the Asian Games, which helped the country earn a direct berth to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Ramos out of euro qualifiers
MADRID: Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has been ruled out of Spain's European Championship qualifiers with a right calf injury and has been replaced in the squad by Barcelona's Marc Bartra. Ramos was injured during Real Madrid's 5-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday and withdrew from the Spain squad on Monday, missing out on a chance to add to his 122 caps. The 23-year-old Bartra only made his international debut in September but has found his way into Barcelona's starting lineup this season. Spain, the two-time defending European champion, plays away games against Slovakia on Thursday and luxembourg on Sunday.
RAFA playS despite Appendicitis
Shanghai: Rafael Nadal has been diagnosed with appendicitis but has decided to play the Shanghai Masters this week after receiving antibiotics at the hospital to treat the inflammation. The second-ranked Nadal began feeling pain in his abdomen late Saturday, and the next day went to the hospital where the doctors confirmed he had the early stages of appendicitis. Nadal said he chose to try treatment with antibiotics rather than undergo surgery right away. After a few days, he said he felt well enough to begin hitting again. He said the risk of his condition getting worse after three days of steady improvement “is always very, very low.”