SPORTS

New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) One can safely say that Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are in the same boat, as far as IPL 2025 points table and playoffs scenarios are concerned. KKR, the defending champions, are at seventh place with six points, while RR, the inaugural edition winners, are a position below them with four points.With the race of making it to the playoffs intensifying, both teams have an uphill task at their hands. Anil Kumble, the legendary India leg-spinner who captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL, believes RR, who are on a four-match losing streak, are feeling the heat of missing Sanju Samson – first due to finger injury and now side strain, as well as realising the impact of not retaining Jos Buttler.“I felt that both games that RR lost (...

New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) India’s presence on the global golfing map is set for a major boost with the announcement of a new 4 million USD tournament, the richest-ever prize fund for a professional golf event in the country.Scheduled to be held from October 16-19 at the iconic Delhi Golf Club, the tournament is co-sanctioned by the international tour and the domestic professional golf circuit, DP World Tour, and will play a key role in the final stretch of the 2025 Race to Dubai calendar.This new championship signifies the growing importance of India not just as an emerging golfing destination but also as a serious sporting market. It follows the success of this year’s Hero Indian Open and strengthens the region’s momentum in hosting top-tier golf events.The event also marks a nostalgic r...

New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) Marcus Rashford is not ruling out a return to Manchester United at the end of his loan period at Aston Villa but it is unlikely he will play for head coach Ruben Amorim. As per a report by the BBC, Rashford wants to play for a club in the UEFA Champions League next season, which United may still provide if they manage to win the Europa League, but will not make a decision until the end of the season. Although United may want to keep a player of his quality, his exit was of sour nature after being exiled by the new head coach.Since joining Villa, Rashford has found the back of the net on four occasions and provided six assists in the crucial run-in towards the season.Rashford had made 15 Premier League appearances for Man Utd this season, scoring in head coach Rub...

New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) Five under-16 girls from Mizoram are among the 15 selected by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to be inducted into the various National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs) for hockey. Seen as the building blocks for women’s hockey in India, the girls have been chosen after the conclusion of the 2024-25 season of the ASMITA league matches.The 15 selected for training at the NCOEs include three players from Haryana and two each from Jharkhand and Odisha. The presence of girls from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh reflects the passion for hockey in India.Piyush Dubey, the High-Performance Director for hockey at SAI and Khelo India, said these girls have been chosen keeping the 2032 and 2026 Olympics in mind.“We have to think of a pathway, and these girls ha...

Manchester, April 23 (IANS) Midfielder Youri Tielemans was left frustrated after Aston Villa fell to a 94th-minute goal in Wednesday’s (IST) 2-1 defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Portuguese holding midfielder Matheus Nunes, who played full-back on the day, struck deep into stoppage time to seal all three points in a tightly-contested encounter in Manchester, ensuring Villa left empty handed.The Belgian felt it was a game of fine margins, and that his side’s efforts perhaps warranted more from the game. "It’s very frustrating to lose (in the) last minute of the game where we fought really hard. We blocked pretty much everything other than their goal, their first one. We get the first chance, they get the last one. They score; we don’t. That’s football, it’s just really f...

Bengaluru, April 23 (IANS) The Royal Challengers Bengaluru hope to get rid of their at-home troubles as they host Rajasthan Royals in match 42 of the Indian Premier League 2025 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday. The Rajat Patidar-led side has been impeccable in the tournament and are currently third in the standings, tied with Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants on 10 points. RCB have been dealt with three losses this season with all of them coming at home.Interestingly, RCB have not gotten the opportunity to chase in front of their home crowd and are unbeaten this season when bowling first. They have a strong and experienced pace attack in Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar while the cool heads of Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma take charge of the spin department.One of the st...

New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) Former India cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri said he is pleased Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have been reinstated in the recent men’s central contracts list. Both Iyer and Kishan were left out in the previous edition of the annual retainers due to not playing domestic games, but were recently brought back on the list for the 2024/25 season.“I thought seeing Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan back in the mix, because what transpired there was between the team management, the BCCI and the individuals involved. I'm glad that there was communication, things have been sorted out and they get back their contracts.“Shreyas Iyer in particular, the way he's played for India over the last 18 months and he's become like an absolute certainty in the white-ball format of th...

New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) Following the horrific Pahalgam terror attack which left 26 people dead and several injured, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia had strongly condemned the heinous and cowardly act, adding that the governing body stands with the victims’ families in this hour of grief. “The cricketing community is deeply shocked and anguished by the tragic loss of innocent lives in the gruesome terror attack at Pahalgam yesterday. On behalf of the BCCI, while condemning this ghastly and cowardly act with strongest possible words, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayers for the departed souls. In sharing their pain and grief, we stand hand in hand at this hour of tragedy," said Saikia in a statement on Wednesday.On Tuesday afternoon, 26 tourists and local...