Category: Sport

South African speedster Kagiso Rabada picked four wickets for 24 runs to bowl Delhi Capitals (DC) to a 59-run win over Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and move the team to the top of the points table here on Monday.

DC now have eight points from five games, ahead of Mumbai Indians and RCB who are on six points each.

Rabada’s haul included the wicket of Kohli (43), who was the lone man fighting after RCB had lost the rest of the top-order that struggled to increase to keep the scoring rate high in chase of 197.

Apart from Rabada, pace bowler Anrich Nortje and left-arm spinner Axar Patel took two wickets each.

Earlier, Marcus Stoinis’s quick half century helped DC post a challenging 196 for four wickets in 20 overs.

Stoinis (53 off 26 balls) put on 89 runs with Rishabh Pant for the fourth wicket in 6.5 overs as the duo took charge after RCB had claimed quick wickets to peg DC back following a strong start provided by Prithvi Shaw (42 off 23 balls) and Shikhar Dhawan (32 off 28 balls).

Shaw and Dhawan put on 68 in just over six overs for the first wicket. However, three wickets over the next 30 balls with the addition of just 22 runs brought RCB back.

Stoinis survived an early chance with bowler Yuzvendra Chahal dropping him off his own bowling. After that he clobbered the RCB bowlers, hitting six fours and two sixes. Between the 13th and 17th overs, RCB scored 59 runs.

Brief scores:

Delhi Capitals 196/4 wkts in 20 overs (M Stoinis 53 not out, P Shaw 42, R Pant 37, M Siraj 2/34) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 137/9 in 20 overs (V Kohli 43, K Rabada 4/24, A Patel 2/18, A Nortje 2/22)

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Delhi Capitals’ experienced leg-spinner Amit Mishra has been ruled out for the rest of the IPL season due to an injury to his bowling hand.

The veteran cricketer, who has played in all 13 seasons and has a tally of 160 wickets, the second highest in league history, sustained a flexor tendon injury to the right finger of his right hand while attempting to take a return catch of Kolkata Knight Riders’ Nitish Rana on Saturday.

Mishra, who has three hat-tricks in IPL, has played three games this season, picking up three wickets. He could bowl just two overs in the game against KKR due to the injury.

Also Read: Raina returns home, to miss IPL season

Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich have announced the signing of midfielder Marc Roca from Espanyol. The 23-year-old has joined on a contract until 2025.

“We’re very happy to have signed Marc Roca. He’s an outstanding fit for our team both as a player and a person, and will continue to develop here with us. We’re sure he’ll add great value to our team,” said board member for sport Hasan Salihamidzic in a statement on Sunday.

Roca made 121 competitive appearances for Spanish side Espanyol, scoring three goals. In summer 2019, he won the U21 Euros with Spain. He will wear the number 22 for Bayern.

“I’m very happy. This is a dream come true for me. I think FC Bayern is the best club in the world and has strong tradition. I’m really looking forward to wearing the colours of this great club,” said Roca.

Meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski ensured Bayern defeated a resilient Hertha Berlin 4-3 on Sunday evening in the closing game of the third round in the ongoing Bundesliga season. Bayern took the lead twice, but Hertha never gave up and rallied back before Lewandowski’s fourth goal of the game secured all three points at home.

Also Read: ‘Challenging times for Bayern Players’

Experienced defender Rupinder Pal Singh feels the COVID-19 induced lockdown period helped the Indian men’s hockey team develop their technical knowledge about the game and also up their skill.

“I always like to see positive side to any scenario and I truly feel the series of lockdowns helped us develop our technical knowledge base. We would watch a lot of videos, analyse matches, discuss video referrals etc while we remained indoors with no hockey allowed,” Rupinder said.

“We have also studied our opponents during this period and all these aspects will be beneficial for us in our preparations for the Olympic Games,” he added.

He further stated that going back to basics when activities resumed in the national coaching camp has helped perfect their skills.

“We have paid a lot of attention to basics when we resumed activities in SAI, Bengaluru. I believe this has helped the entire group perfect our skills. We will be increasing intensity this month onwards and we have built a solid base to take greater work load in the coming months,” said Rupinder.

One of the other factors that Rupinder believes has helped the men’s team in particular is having events in India.

“I feel Hockey India hosting back-to-back events in India has also been a contributing factor to our performance. Playing in front of home crowd is not just an incredible feeling but there’s also a lot of pressure to perform,” explained the drag flicker who has been part of some of India’s significant victories such as the 2014 Asian Games, Asian Champions Trophy in 2011 and 2016.

“This exposure obviously helps us face greater challenges when we play abroad. Playing in India also increases our fan-base, gets newer spectators to watch the sport and people end up following us when we travel abroad too,” he added.

Also Read: Jadeja achieves rare all round feat in IPL

Six of the world’s oldest footraces have been awarded the Heritage Plaque by World Athletics.

The road races are Around the Bay Road Race, Hamilton, Ontario- founded 1894, YMCA Turkey Trot, Buffalo, New York – founded 1896, Bechovice 10k, Prague – founded 1897, Giro Podistico di Castelbuono, Castelbuono, Sicily – founded 1912, Kosice Peace Marathon, Kosice – founded 1924 and Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship, Fukuoka – founded 1947.

These road races join a list of 54 other recipients which had previously been awarded the plaque since the honour was inaugurated on December 2, 2018.

The World Athletics Heritage Plaque is a location-based recognition, awarded for “an outstanding contribution to the worldwide history and development of the sport of track and field athletics and of out-of-stadia athletics disciplines such as cross country, mountain, road, trail and ultra-running, and race walking”.

“These six footraces represent some of the oldest sports events, let alone running races, in the world,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.

“Together these races ooze athletics history. They represent what running is truly about: the record-breaking feats of the many great champions and the personal triumphs of the countless recreational and charity runners. We should also not forget the dedication and hard work of the officials and volunteers of the local clubs and organising committees which have kept these historic events on the roads for decades,” he added.

Also Read: IOC lauds Abe’s role in Olympics’ preparedness

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Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has added a new feather to his hat by becoming the first cricketer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to score 2,000 runs and scalp 110 wickets.

In the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday which Chennai Super Kings lost by seven runs, the Arjun Awardee scored 50 runs in 35 balls during their chase of 165. During the course of his knock, he smashed 2 sixes and 5 fours.

The left-hander has become only the fourth cricketer to touch the 2,000-run mark and bag more than 50 wickets in the IPL. He has joined Shane Watson, Kieron Pollard and Jacques Kallis in the list of players who have achieved the feat.

“I am humbled to be the only cricketer in the history of IPL to achieve the double. This will only push me to work harder and bring more glory to my country and my team. I hope that my family and the cricket-loving audience are proud of me,” Jadeja said in a statement.

The 31-year-old has played a total of 174 matches so far in IPL (106 for Chennai Super Kings, 27 for Gujarat Lions, 14 for Kochi Tuskers Kerala and 27 for Rajasthan Royals).

The MS Dhoni-led side have not been in the best of form in IPL 2020 and have registered just one win out of the four games they have played so far. They will be taking on Kings XI Punjab in their next game at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday evening.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma becomes third in IPL to cross 5K runs

Delhi Capitals (DC) secured a thrilling 18-run win, but not before Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) gave them some anxious moments towards the end of the 16th IPL game on Saturday night.

DC skipper Shreyas who knocked 88 off 38 balls and remained on crease was adjudged the Man of the Match, and the win lifted DC to the top of the points table. They now have six points from four matches while KKR are placed sixth with four points from four games.

Despite some explosive batting by Eoin Morgan (44 off 18) and Rahul Tripathi (36 off 16) towards the end of the KKR innings, they failed to overhaul the massive 229-run target as the two-time champions fell short of the target.

Earlier, KKR won the toss and opted to bowl. Besides Shreyas, opener Prithvi Shaw scored a half-century (66 off 41 balls) and Rishabh Pant hammered a 17-ball 38 to take their team to 228 for four wickets in 20 overs. In reply, KKR made 210 for eight wickets in 20 overs, after once threatening to run away with the game. Nitish Rana was their top scorer with 58 off 35 balls and Eoin Morgan smashed 44 off 18 balls, but in vain.

Chasing the target, KKR opener Sunil Narine once again failed to fire as he fell cheaply after managing just three runs. Shubhman Gill (28) and Rana then took command of the proceedings as they took their side past the 50-run mark in 5.2 overs.

Just when everything was going KKR’s way, Amit Mishra dismissed Gill in the ninth over with KKR scorecard reading 72/2. Andre Russell (13), too, didn’t spent much time in the middle and KKR were reduced to 94/3 in 9.5 overs.

Rana continued to kept the fight on, but he couldn’t convert it as Harshal Patel dismissed him in the 13th over. Rana’s innings contained four boundaries and as many sixes.

Within five runs, KKR lost their skipper Dinesh Karthik (6) and Pat Cummins (5), and DC strengthening their grip on the contest. The fall of Cummis left KKR reeling at 122/6.

There was, however, another twist in the story as Tripathi and Morgan added 78 runs in the next 31 balls, courtesy some massive hits into the stands, which saw KKR making a comeback in the match.

Anrich Nortje, however, didn’t let the KKR duo succeed as he dismissed a dangerous looking Morgan in the 19th over before Marcus Stoinis, who bowled an exceptional final over, accounted for the wicket of Tripathi with a toe-crushing yorker.

Despite the phenomenal batting by Morgan and Tripathi, KKR failed to cross the line by 18 runs.

For DC, Nortje was the wrecker-in-chief as he returned with figures of 3/33 while Patel bagged 2/34.

Earlier, opener Prithvi Shaw’s blistering 66 followed by Shreyas’s (unbeaten 88 off 38) carnage propelled DC to a mammoth 228/4 in the allotted 20 overs.

Apart from the duo, DC stumper Rishabh Pant also took full advantage of the short boundaries as he blasted 38 off 17 balls with the help of five boundaries and a six.

DC were off to a flying start, thanks to openers Shikhar Dhawan (26) and Shaw, who made sure that their side cross the 50-run mark in just 4.4 overs.

However, while trying to go for a maximum, Dhawan became a victim of Varun Chakravarthy in the sixth over with DC being on 56/1.

The dismissal didn’t affect DC much as incoming batter and Shaw kept going at a decent pace.

The duo steered their side to the three-digit mark in the 11th over before Shaw was packed back by Kamlesh Nagarkoti in the 13th over.

Shaw’s knock contained four boundaries and as many sixes.

Iyer and Pant then added 72 runs in the next 31 balls as they clobbered every KKR bowler who came in their way.

Andre Russell, finally, gave KKR some respite as he accounted for the wicket of Pant in the 18th over, which saw DC’s scorecard reading 201/3.

Iyer, on other hand, kept his lusty blows going before Russell struck again, this time in the final over to send back Marcus Stoinis (1). However, the damage was already done as DC posted a challenging target before their opponents with ease.

Iyer’s sparkling innings was decorated with seven fours and six massive hits into the stands.

Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 228/4 wkts in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 88 not out, Prithvi Shaw 66; Andre Russell 2/29) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 210/8 wkts in 20 overs (Nitish Rana 58, Eoin Morgan 44; Anrich Nortje 3/33) by 18 runs

Also Read: Delhi Capitals betters position with second victory

India have overtaken New Zealand to grab the third spot in the ICC women’s team rankings for T20Is after the annual rankings update carried out on Friday.

The rankings table sees Australia and England retain the top two positions, their points tally remaining 291 and 280, respectively. India, who made the final of this year’s Women’s T20 World Cup in March, have overtaken the White Ferns, in what is the only change in the top 15 of the 56-team list.

In ODIs, six-time World Cup champions and winners of both editions of the ICC Women’s Championship, Australia’s stellar display during the rating period saw them win 20 of 21 ODIs, increasing their tally by eight points to 160 and because of that they have maintained their top position.

Their massive lead of 39 points over second-placed India is the largest by any team (men or women) in any form of the game. It comes on the back of 3-0 series wins over India, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and an earlier 2-1 win over England at the start of the ICC Women’s Championship, only a few months after England had won the World Cup in 2017.

India (121) and England (119) have lost four points each while clinging on to their second and third positions, respectively, while South Africa (107) enjoy a 13-point lead over New Zealand (94), with the West Indies (85), Pakistan (77), Bangladesh (61) and Sri Lanka (47) following in that order.

The latest update expunges results from the 2016-17 season, weights the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons at 50 per cent and the 2019-20 matches at 100 per cent.

Also Read: Shafali, Smriti and Jemimah retains T20 top rankings

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma has become the third batsman in Indian Premier League (IPL) history to score 5,000 runs.

He achieved the feat during Mumbai Indian’s emphatic 48-run win over Kings XI Punjab on Thursday night at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium.

Batting first, Mumbai posted a monstrous total of 191/4, in which Rohit contributed with 70 off 45 deliveries. In reply, Kings XI could muster 143/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

Rohit is currently placed at the third position in the list of highest run-scorers in IPL. He has so far scored 5,068 runs in 192 IPL matches, including a hundred and 38 half centuries.

Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli are the other two players to cross the 5000-run mark in the cash-rich league. Kohli has scored 5,430 runs in 180 matches for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Raina, on the other hand, has scored 5,368 runs in 193 games (4,527 for Chennai Super Kings in 164 games and 841 runs in 29 games for Gujarat Lions). David Warner (4,793 runs in 129 matches) and Shikhar Dhawan (4,648 runs in 162 matches) complete the top five.

Mumbai Indians, currently placed at the top of the points table in IPL 2020, are slated to next take on SunRisers Hyderabad on Sunday in Sharjah.

Also Read: Mumbai Indians Dominate the Show

Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski has won the 2019/20 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award.

“It’s an amazing feeling. I would like to thank the teammates and coaches I work with every day. Obviously I’d like to thank my family as well,” said Lewandowski as per the Bayern’s official website on Thursday. “As a little boy I dreamed of playing in the big stadiums. Standing here now means a lot to me,” continued the 32-year-old.

The Pole scored 55 goals in 47 games on the way to the 2020 treble – he only missed five games – and was the top scorer in the Bundesliga (34 goals), Champions League (15) and the DFB Cup (6). He also provided 10 assists.

Meanwhile, his teammate Manuel Neuer became goalkeeper of the year, Joshua Kimmich was chosen as best defender, while De Bruyne won the prize for the best midfielder.

Bayern coach Hans-Dieter Flick received the UEFA Men’s Coach of the Year 2019/20 award.

The jury was composed of the 80 coaches of the clubs which participated in the group stages of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, together with 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group from each of UEFA’s member associations.

In women’s category, Pernille Harder, finalist with Wolfsburg, now with Chelsea, won the 2019/20 UEFA Women’s Player of the Year, her second time taking the accolade after her success in 2018.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the late finish to the 2019/20 season, the player awards ceremony took place in Switzerland.

Also Read: ‘Challenging times for Bayern Players’