SPORTS

New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) England batter Jacob Bethell’s hopes of featuring in the upcoming Test series against South Africa have suffered a major setback after a recurrence of his right knee injury forced him out of the white-ball tour of Australia.The 23-year-old, who had travelled Down Under expecting to resume playing, will return home for specialist assessment after scans revealed a fresh problem during training.Bethell has not represented England since July, when he experienced discomfort in his knee while scoring 91 in an ODI against India at Lord’s. The injury subsequently required surgery in September, keeping him out of action for several months.His return had appeared to be on track after he joined the England squad in Australia ahead of the three-match ODI series, which begins i...

New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) Former Australia batting coach Graeme Hick has slammed Usman Khawaja's bombshell revelation that everyone on the team knew about the use of an illegal foreign object on the ball in the infamous 2028 sandpaper gate, saying, "What Khawaja is implying is absolutely false."Three days before the release of his memoir 'Sabr', which detailed the events of 2018 Sandpapergate, Khawaja dropped a bombshell saying the whole team was aware of the sandpaper plot in the Cape Town Test. Moreover, he revealed that the object was used during the previous Test match."I have seen the various statements around the coaches and I’m very disappointed with the broad nature of them,” Hick, who was Australia’s batting coach from 2016-2020, told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Khawaja puts it sim...

New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) The opening week of the 2026-27 Indian Football League (IFL) has offered three debutants sharply contrasting introductions to the demands of the national competition, with Nagaland United celebrating a winning start, FC Bengaluru United bouncing back from a heartbreaking defeat and Samaleswari SC discovering how costly missed opportunities can be.With promotion to the Indian Super League at stake over the course of the season, the early results have already given the newcomers plenty to reflect on.For Nagaland United, the league debut was a moment years in the making. Founded in Chümoukedima in 2024, the club became the first from Nagaland to compete in the national league, ending a 78-year wait for the state since Talimeren Ao captained India at the 1948 London Ol...

New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bringing in overseas all-rounder Liam Livingstone and Jack Edwards from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) via a trade deal marks a clear change in the franchise’s thinking, said former India batter Abhinav Mukund.He also felt the move fills the need for more power in the middle order for CSK and get an overseas all-rounder in the process. In exchange for bringing in Livingstone and Edwards, CSK traded left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed and right-arm fast bowler Nathan Ellis to SRH.“From CSK’s point of view, the trade move for Liam Livingstone and Jack Edwards feels like a definite shift in thinking. They want more power in the middle order, and they want an overseas all-rounder. Liam Livingstone fulfils that gap, as he can go bang-bang with the bat afte...

Dubai, Nov 11 (IANS) Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah has scripted a piece of history by becoming the first cricketer from his country to break into the top 10 of any category in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings, rising to seventh among batters following his impressive performance against Zimbabwe in Sharjah. Rahmat climbed six places after scoring 173 in the opening Test of the two-match series, earning a career-best rating and moving ahead of several established names, including India captain Shubman Gill, South Africa’s Aiden Markram and Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis.The 33-year-old’s knock was his fifth century in Test cricket and his second of the year. His rise marks another landmark moment for Afghanistan cricket, which has enjoyed a productive period on the international stage. Earli...

New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) Former India batter Abhinav Mukund believes five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) should not even consider trading away young batter Ayush Mhatre, saying he’s the ‘next big thing’ for the franchise.He also suggested that the five-time champions explore a trade for Urvil Patel ahead of the November 17 retention deadline for IPL 2027, before the auction happens on December 16 in Goa. Mhatre, who led India to this year’s U19 World Cup triumph, has undergone surgery for his right hamstring injury after suffering a tear on his return to action in the Ranji Trophy last month.Mhatre is likely to remain on the sidelines for two to three months. Incidentally, Mhatre suffered a left hamstring tear while turning out for CSK in this year’s IPL and was ruled out of the ...

New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has shortlisted 108 players for the Delhi men’s Under-19 selection trials ahead of the 2026-27 Cooch Behar Trophy, with the trials scheduled to take place at St. Stephen’s Cricket Ground on Thursday. The shortlisted players have been asked to report at the venue by 8:30 AM, with the selection process set to begin at 9 AM under the supervision of the Junior Men’s Selection Committee.As per the eligibility criteria, only players born on or after September 1, 2007, are eligible. The DDCA has also clarified that the exercise is not an open trial and participation will be restricted to those who have received the official call-up.The association further stated that Aaryavir Sehwag, who is currently away on national duty,...

New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) Punjab Kings (PBKS) CEO Satish Menon on Wednesday described the signing of premier seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya as an ‘important step’ in the franchise’s bid to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) title. On Wednesday, the BCCI formally announced that Pandya joined the franchise from Mumbai Indians (MI) in a trade deal that sent left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh to the five-time champions ahead of the 2027 IPL season. The trade had been in the making for nearly a week.PBKS is yet to win an IPL title – with their best-ever result being securing a runners-up finish in 2014 and 2025 seasons. “We are delighted to welcome Hardik to the Punjab Kings family. He is a proven match-winner who brings tremendous experience, confidence and a winning mentality. His ability ...

New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) Five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) said they will take their time to pick a new captain for the 2027 Indian Premier League (IPL) season after trading their last two seasons' captain, Hardik Pandya, to Punjab Kings on Wednesday and bringing in left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh in return.The swap leaves the five-time champions without a leader for the first time since Hardik took charge in 2024. Though the chatter in cricketing circles has been about Rohit Sharma possibly returning to the leadership role, with Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah as other contenders, MI have made it clear that they will not rush into a decision.“As Mumbai Indians look ahead to the upcoming season, the franchise will take a considered approach to evaluating its captaincy...

Indian Wells, Nov 11 (IANS) Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini became the first doubles pairing to book a place in the semifinals of the WTA Finals after overturning a one-set deficit to beat Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in Group 2. The eighth-seeded Italian duo recovered to register a 3-6, 6-2, 10-7 victory over their fourth-seeded opponents in an hour and 29 minutes, extending their unbeaten run in the group to two matches.Having opened their campaign with a win over second seeds Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova, Errani and Paolini moved to the top of Group 2 and secured qualification with a match still to play. The result also marked a significant breakthrough for the Italians, who had failed to progress beyond the round-robin stage in their previous two appearances at...