U19 World Cup key: Kohli
Dubai: Indian Test captain Virat Kohli, who led India Under-19 to victory in the 2008 edition in Malaysia, has laid stress on the importance of the junior 50-over showpiece event, saying the competition helps youngsters grow as cricketers. As the 11th edition of the youth World Cup starts on Janury 22 in Bangladesh, Kohli reflects on the significance of the tournament. "A lot of players I played against in 2008, are now playing for their respective nations," Kohli was quoted as saying in an ICC release. Kohli said the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup was a very good learning experience. "It was competitive," the explosive batsman said. "A lot of players I played against in 2008 are now playing for their respective nations. You get quality players and you get an opportunity to show the world what you have."
Rs 5.70 crores on offer in HIl 4
New Delhi: A total prize money of Rs 5.70 crores will be up for grabs in the fourth edition of the Hockey India league (HIl) which will be held across six different cities of the country from January 18 to February 21. The winning team of the fourth edition of HIl will take home a whopping Rs 2.50 crore while the runner's up will walk away with Rs 1.25 crore prize money. A cash reward of Rs 75 lakhs will also be awarded to the team finishing third in the tournament. Hockey India also announced a cash reward of Rs 50 lakhs for the 'Coal India Player of the Tournament' and there is further good news for individual performers as well, as the Coal India Goal of the Match award is increased to Rs 50,000. The 'man-of-the-match' award has also been increased to Rs 50,000 and will be awarded by the host franchisees in each of their home matches. Further, the upcoming player of the tournament will be awarded Rs 20 lakhs to the best player under-21 player and the person who scores the maximum goal will be richer by Rs 20 lakhs.
Neymar ordered to appear in court
MADRID: Neymar will appear before a judge to testify in an investigation into alleged irregularities involving his transfer to Barcelona, Spain's national court said Wednesday. Neymar's parents, former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell and current president Josep Bartomeu also will have to appear before a judge, according to court documents. The Brazil striker is set to testify on Feb 2, while Rosell and Bartomeu are expected to be in court on Feb 1. The court is looking into a complaint made by a Brazilian investment group which claims it was financially harmed when Barcelona and Neymar allegedly withheld the real amount of the player's transfer fee from Brazilian club Santos in 2013, in part to avoid paying the full amount of taxes.
Vijender's India debut set for July
New Delhi: Boxer Vijender Singh will fight his first professional bout on Indian soil come July followed by "something huge" in September-October. Talking to reporters here, his UK-based promoter Francis Warren promised a show like none before during Vijender's India appearances. "We have big plans for him this year. We're hoping to do a big show in Delhi around July. Plans are underway, we have something huge around September/October," Warren said in a conference without revealing what exactly are their plans. Vijender will be fighting his next bout in liverpool on Feb.13 against a yet to be named opponent.
Pakistan defers Akmal ban
Karachi: Pakistan on Wednesday deferred a one-match ban on Umar Akmal after the controversial batsman appealed the punishment for violating the dress code in a domestic match. The decision means the he will now be available for the first Twenty20 international against New Zealand in Auckland on Friday. The 25-year-old, playing for the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines limited, committed a level-one offence when he sported two logos on his kit instead of the one permitted. Pakistan are on a New Zealand tour to play three Twenty20s and three ODI’s.
Halep, Dimitrov win in Sydney
Sydney: Top-seeded Simona Halep has booked a semifinal berth at the Sydney International, while fourth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov advanced to the men's quarterfinals of the Australian Open tune-up event. Halep beat last year's Sydney runner-up Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 7-5 and will next play two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who defeated Sara Errani of Italy 7-6 (1), 6-0 on Wednesday. Dimitrov advanced with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win over Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas. Joining him in the men's quarterfinals are Nicolas Mahut of France, who beat Andreas Seppi 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, and Gilles Muller of luxembourg, who advanced when second-seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria retired with an injury while trailing 7-6 (2), 2-2.
‘Fans' comfort should be top priority’
Mumbai: IPl chairman Rajeev Shukla on Wednesday said that all the eight franchises have been asked to make efforts towards making the league more spectator-friendly and promised that the ninth edition would be "bigger and better". An IPl workshop was held for the franchises at a Mumbai suburban hotel on Wednesday and Shukla expressed his satisfaction after day's proceedings. " The IPl fan-based parks were a huge hit last year. So from 16 fan parks across the countries, we are planning to increase it to 32. The IPl-9 will be bigger and better," IPl chairman Shukla told PTI. However Shukla said that there was no discussions with the franchises on lodha panel recommendations on IPl.