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Khelo India Youth Games: Maharashtra clinch the top spot

The Khelo India Youth Games 2023, which is being conducted in Madhya Pradesh, is seeing incredible competition from athletes across the country. At the end of Day 7 of the games, Maharashtra has clinched the top spot, with Haryana being a close second.

 

 

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The state has shown incredible performances with 25 gold, 29 silver, and 23 bronze medals respectively. Maharashtra has won 77 medals in total at the end of Day 7. Haryana, who was the leader for most of the competition, is in the second position with 52 medals. The northern state has clinched 22 gold, 16 silver, and 14 bronze medals.

Haryana’s performances have shown the state is one of the sports powerhouses of the country. Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister of Haryana, was pleased with the state’s showing at the games.  He said, “It is clear from the results of the competitions that Haryana is full of sports talents; that is why we are constantly working to promote sports in every village.”

The 5th  Khelo India Youth Games commenced on 30th January and will run till February 11th. About 6000 players from the country will be participating in the games in 27 sports. Water sports have been added to the event for the first time. Canoeing, Kayaking, Rowing, and Canoe Slalom are some new games that have been included this time.

Women's U19 T20 world cup

India Wins Inaugural ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup

The ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup trophy is home! Well, it’s not wrong to say that the most awaited news is here; a group of 16 teenage girls led by talented Shafali Verma created history because the Indian Women’s Cricket Team finally achieved the ICC trophy for the very first time! With a commanding seven-wicket win over England, the Indian Women’s U19 team pulled off the inaugural ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup. 

The Indian U-19 women’s cricket team was successful in defeating their England counterparts by a total of seven wickets to gain a victory in the inaugural edition of the U-19 T20 World Cup 2023 held in South Africa on January 29, Sunday. 

The Indian U-19 side won against the White Ferns in order to make it to the absolute, and on the other hand, England defeated their arch-enemy Australia. The final match was conducted in Potchefstroom, with the youthful Indian side outplaying the England side.

The head coach of the victorious team, Al Khadeer said that “This is the feeling we have been waiting for very long”. He further added “This is the first time we have won the cup and it has come with the Under-19 kids. It just shows the kind of depth we have and what is there for us in the future.”

Titas Sadhu, Parshavi Chopra, and Archana Devi, these three players were amazing in taking two wickets each to dismiss England for just sixty-eight in the 18th over. The middle-order batter, Ryana Macdonald Gay of England, scored with just nineteen. Moreover, seven batters in England were skittled out for single-digit runs. 

Titas Sadhu, the Player of the Match said that “People have been telling us that a lot of athletes have tried it and couldn’t get it. So it is the first cup for the Indian women’s side. We are all excited. The first time BCCI took us under, it was after 2005, when Nooshin ma’am played the World Cup and they lost the final. For us to win it, for her being our coach, it was really superb.”

A lot of renowned congratulated the team including our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he conveyed his wishes through his tweet:

Speaking of the Indian skipper — Shafali Verma, she was the one who was out before the chase for 15 out of 11 balls. Also, Gongadi Trisha and Soumya Tiwari, both of them scored twenty-four in order to take India home in the 14th over of the innings. 

Well, in the end, it was an amazing, delightful, and the much-deserving win for the Indians! 

Brian Lara joins West Indies management as 'performance mentor'

Former Windies great Brian Lara appointed as “performance mentor” of the Windies squad

Former West Indies legend Brian Lara has been appointed as the “performance mentor” who will be working with the international squad as well as the academy. The left-hander will assist the various coaches with regard to “providing players with tactical advice and improving their game sense.” Additionally, he will be working with Jimmy Adams, the Director of Cricket, West Indies, on ICC World Cup tournament strategic planning.

Upon the announcement, Lara said, “Having spent time with the players and coaches in Australia and in discussions with CWI, I really believe that I can help the players with their mental approach to the game and with their tactics to be more successful.”

Brian Lara was recently appointed on a CWI review panel following their early exit from the 2022 T20 World Cup. The stylish left-hander was previously a part of the Indian Premier League team Sunrisers Hyderabad coaching staff.

After the announcement, Jimmy Adams, Director of Cricket, West Indies, stated, “I am really looking forward to Brian making a significant contribution to our cricket system by providing invaluable guidance and advice to our players and coaches.” He further added, “We are confident that Brian will help to improve our high-performance mindset and strategic culture that will bring us more success on the field across all formats. Everyone is excited to have Brian involved in supporting our players.”

Tennis Olympics

Mirza-Bopanna crumbles under pressure; loses AO mixed doubles final

Sania Mirza, one of India’s greatest sporting heroes, wanted to end her career on a high. However, fate had other things for her. The Indian pair of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna lost 6-7(2) 2-6 to the Brazilian duo Rafael Matos and Luisa Stefani in the Australian Open mixed doubles final.

The Indian pair played tremendously. After the initial hiccups, the duo showed exemplary grit and determination to bounce back. But, the Brazilian team, Matos and Stefani, continued with the momentum to break the Indian duo in the second set. Sania and Bopanna showed glimpses of their brilliance, but it just wasn’t enough for them to force a comeback. They eventually lost 6-7 (2), 2-6.

Sania, who announced her retirement a few days back, said, “My professional career started in Melbourne… I couldn’t think of a better arena to finish my [Grand Slam] career at.”

The Hyderabad-based tennis player has won six major titles- three in women’s doubles and three in mixed doubles. The former World number 1 doubles player has also won eight Asian Games medals and two Commonwealth Games medals. Mirza was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2004, Padma Shri in 2006, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2015, and Padma Shri in 2016.

badminton brand YONEX

YONEX to set up another production facility in India

Leading badminton brand YONEX has announced that it will set up another production facility in India to boost the production of high-quality graphite racquets in the country, a move that will bring the cost of full-body racquets down considerably.

Ben Yoneyama, chairman of YONEX, announced the move at a YONEX Sunrise press conference in New Delhi. He said, “Thomas Cup champion India. I didn’t expect it! The level is going up. We are desperate to contribute to the Indian badminton growth. Now we will be making graphite, Japan standard racquets in India.”

 

Pullela Gopichand, a stalwart of Indian badminton, stated, “YONEX Sunrise has made a huge difference to Indian badminton. Their support was instrumental in India winning the first Olympics Medal at 2012. YONEX has been an integral part of India’s success story in world badminton,”

Yoneyama further added, “A lot of Indian players are performing really well on the world stage, encouraging more to take up the sport. We want to cater to that audience and provide the highest Japanese quality equipment to further the sport’s development.” With the new facility, YONEX aims to amplify the production of existing T-joint racquets from 1 million to 2.5-3 million per year.

Leading badminton brand YONEX had set up a world-class production facility in Bengaluru. This marks the brand’s second production facility in India. The second factory is expected to start production by April, within a year of India’s Thomas Cup triumph.

Everton sack Frank Lampard as relegation fears grow

Everton sacks Frank Lampard as the club fears relegation

Premier League club Everton has sacked their coach Frank Lampard as the club has gone on a run of 9 defeats in 12 games. The poor performance left the club on the verge of relegating from the Premier League.

The Merseyside club said in a statement, “Everyone at Everton would like to thank Frank and his coaching staff for their service during what has been a challenging 12 months.” The club further added, “Frank and his team’s commitment and dedication have been exemplary throughout their time at the Club, but recent results and the current league position meant this difficult decision had to be taken. We wish Frank and all his backroom team well for their future in the game.”

Football Accessories

Lampard, an ex-Chelsea legend, was handed over Goodison Park duties last year after Rafael Benitez’s dismissal. He was able to steer the team away from relegation in the final week of the season.

After Lampard’s firing, the club appointed Paul Tait and Leighton Baines as the caretakers of the club until a new manager is appointed. The club has started the process of securing a new manager and will provide updates on the appointment in due course.

Everton is currently 19th on the Premier League standings with three wins in 20 games. The club next faces Premier League leaders Arsenal who are in great form.

World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen’s incredible streak ends in final, loses to Kunlavut Vitidsarn

Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn breaks Axelsen’s streak; wins India Open singles title

World Number 1 Viktor Axelsen has suffered an upset. The number one shuttler lost in the finals of the India Open singles against Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn. Axelsen lost in 64 minutes to the World Championships silver medalist 20-22, 21-10, 12-21.

The defeat in the finals was Axelsen‘s first ending a streak of 13 wins, dating back to the World Tour Finals. Axelsen won the World Tour Finals last year and began the season with a Super 1000 title in Malaysia earlier in January.

At the India Open singles final, Kunlavut matched every stroke with Axelsen, providing great entertainment to the New Delhi crowd, which was treated to high-quality badminton. From 20-20, the 21-year-old converted his first game point. However, the young shutter was blown away in the second game. Kunlavut also became only the 4th shuttler after HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen and Loh Kean Yew to beat Axelsen in a completed match since the start of the 2022 season.

Earlier in the day, 20-year-old South Korean shuttler An Se Young defeated Akane Yamaguchi 15–21, 21–16, 21–12 in the women’s singles final to add another title to her already envious trophy cabinet.

In the men’s doubles final, 3rd seeds Aaron Cha and Soh Wooh Yik lost to China’s Lian Wei Keng and Wang Chang 21-14, 19-21, 18-21.

Viktor Axelsen

Viktor Axelsen storms into the semi finals of India Open

World number one Viktor Axelsen has made it to the last four in the 2023 India Open at New Delhi. The #1 shuttler defeated fellow Danish player Rasmus Gemke who suffered a leg injury during the first game and had to retire.

Axelsen, who will now face Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie, was leading the game 16-8 when Gemke had to retire. Viktor Axelsen has had a tremendous India Open defeating India’s Srikanth Kidambi 21-14 & 21-19 in the Round of 32 game and Y.Q.Shi 21-16, 16-21 & 21-9 in the Round of 16 clash.

Additionally, top seed Akane Yamaguchi beat three-time former world champion Carolina Marin to reach the semi-finals. Yamaguchi, herself a two-time world champion and the current world number one, faces Supanida Katethong of Thailand in the last four.

Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur

BCCI to allow five overseas players in Women’s IPL

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will allow five foreign players in the inaugural season of the Women’s IPL, which is scheduled to happen in the early weeks of March. Also, the BCCI has confirmed to include at least one player from the associate nation in the playing XI.

As per a Cricbuzz report, unlike the IPL rules, where four overseas players are allowed, the fifth player will have to be from an associate nation, as mentioned by one of the sources from a potential new franchise.

Additionally, the report states that BCCI has set INR 12 crore as the salary cap for the Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL), which will launch next month. The salary cap will continue to increase throughout the course of five years and will have an annual increment of INR 1.5 crore. By the end of the five-year cycle, the cap will increase to INR 18 crore. Unlike the opening edition of the IPL, there is no slot for icon players in the five-franchise tournament.

The guidelines are set for the first five years of the WIPL. It is also reported that five teams will be a part of the WIPL in the first three years, increasing to six teams in the last two years of the cycle.

The Women’s IPL is reported to commence on March 4, with the finals to be hosted on March 26. Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium are expected to host all the matches. The Wankhede Stadium won’t be available for the WIPL as it will be hosting the games of the Men’s IPL.

Memphis Depay signs with Atletico Madrid

Netherlands’ forward Memphis Depay signs with Atletico Madrid

La Liga giants Barcelona have agreed to sell their star forward Memphis Depay to rivals Atletico Madrid. The Dutchman had a disastrous season, as he scored just one goal against Elche.

Depay had been linked with several clubs, including Premier League outfits Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham. But he chose Atletico Madrid. As per Fabrizio Romano, Memphis Depay will leave Barcelona to join Atletico Madrid with an agreement reached on a fee of approximately € 3-4 million.

 

According to Romano, the 28-year-old will sign a two-and-a-half-year deal with Atletico. The Dutchman has flown to Madrid and is currently undergoing medical.  Depay will be soon unveiled as Atletico Madrid’s latest signing. He will be replacing Joao Felix, who made a loan move to Premier League club Chelsea.

Additionally, Yann Sommer has signed a permanent deal with Bayern Munich. The Swiss goalkeeper is undergoing medical at the German club and will be soon announced as their latest signing. While Sommer’s former club Borussia Mönchengladbach have signed Jonas Omlin to replace Sommer.

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