CHENNAI: The Olympic year brings with it varied challenges and expectations. For India's Neeraj Chopra, one of the most followed and revered sportspersons in the country, the path would be strewn with even bigger challenges. The pressure would be immense as well. When Neeraj runs to take his first throw of the season at the Diamond League in Doha on Friday, his eyes will be on the javelin but his mind will be fixed on Paris. He has to retain his Tokyo title, which, he had said, would be his prim

CHENNAI: Shortly after 8.25 PM local time, a light drizzle at the HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala had eventually transformed into a gentle hail. The break in play came at the right time, or so the assumption went, for Punjab Kings who were up against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Before the rain delay, Rajat Patidar had gone on a six-a-thon. His coruscating takedown of spin and pace either side of the powerplay had put the visitors in a commanding position (for the record, he hit three fours and six six

DHARMSALA: Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Punjab Kings by 60 runs in their Indian Premier League match here on Thursday. Star batter Virat Kohli slammed a 47-ball 92 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru posted 241/7 after being invited to bat first. In reply, Punjab Kings were all out for 181 in 17 overs. Rilee Rossouw made 61 in 27 balls, while Shashank Singh got 37 in 19 balls. Mohammed Siraj picked up 3/43 for RCB, while there were two wickets apiece for Swapnil Singh, Lockie Ferguson and Kar

CHENNAI: Virat Kohli's majestic 92 and Rajat Patidar's 56 propelled Royal Challengers to post a healthy 241/7 in 20 overs against Punjab Kings on Thursday. Kohli enjoyed a slice of luck and capitalized on the same to the hilt. After a shaky start, where he was dropped on several occasions, he consolidated his game and stayed almost till the very end to guide his team to a challenging score. Initially, the pitch had something for the bowlers, but after a while in particular after the break due t

NEW DELHI: All but out of contention for the IPL play-offs, KL Rahul's future as Lucknow Super Giants skipper is uncertain for the remaining two games after the team received a pasting at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad at home on Wednesday. It is a foregone conclusion that the LSG skipper, who was roped in before the auction in 2022 for a record Rs 17 crore, is unlikely to be retained before the mega auctions in 2025. However, there is speculation that the skipper might step down on his own an

CHENNAI: A meeting of two ideologies. A more classical way of approaching T20s vs. the more vibey have-fun-with-the-bat and whatever happens, happens, way. Wicket preservation vs. going hard early doors. KL Rahul vs. Travis Head. This sort of matches can be great fun because of the contrasting forces at work. This was also, in a way, a fixture between Pat Cummins' Hyderabad against Justin Langer's Lucknow; two figures who won't necessarily be in the same elevator (the falling out goes back to th

HYDERABAD: Blazing fifties by Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma powered Sunrisers Hyderabad to a 10-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants here on Wednesday. Head (89 not out, 30b) and Abhishek (75 not out, 28b) pummelled the LSG bowlers as they raced past the target of 166 in just 9.4 overs. Earlier, Ayush Badoni's unbeaten fifty carried LSG to 165 for four on a slow pitch. For the Super Giants, Badoni (55 not out) and Pooran (48 not out) played handy knocks. Pooran and Badoni added 99 runs for

CHENNAI: Ayush Badoni's valuable 55 not out and Nicholas Pooran's quickfire 48 not out came in handy for Lucknow Super Giants to post 165 for 4 in 20 overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday. The duo added 99 runs for the unbeaten fifth wicket partnership. Opting to bat, Lucknow had a disastrous start as they lost Quinton de Kock cheaply after the South African pulled a length ball from Bhuvneshwar to backward square leg. The ball seemed to be soaring over the ropes, but Nitish Kumar Reddy

CHENNAI: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), with 16 points, are at the top of the points table. KKR chief coach Chandrakant Pandit is pleased with the way things have gone so far and insists that his team has no time to relax and should play with the same momentum and become the first team to make it to the playoffs. Very happy with the way the boys have performed (to top the table). The team environment is excellent. The dressing room is fantastic and everybody's happy for each other. But still, ther

NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has made his case to be India's first-choice wicketkeeper at the T20 World Cup, the team's director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara has said. Samson has been named in India's 15-member squad as wicketkeeper-batsman alongside Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant, who has also impressed in the Indian Premier League after his return to cricket following a horror car crash. He smashed 86 off 46 balls on Tuesday but the knock went in vain, with the Capitals

CHENNAI: Chamari Athapaththu has played international cricket for over 15 years. She has lived through the ups and downs of Sri Lankan cricket. Whether it was beating then-defending champions England in the 2013 ODI World Cup or overpowering South Africa in the latest T20 World Cup edition in 2023, she has been the beating heart of the team. These ups also came with lows where Sri Lanka women did not play any cricket for more than a year following the COVID-19 pandemic and missed out on a chance

CHENNAI: Even as late as the second week of March, Jake Fraser-McGurks Summer plans didnt involve playing for Delhi Capitals. The breakout star of the Indian Premier League (IPL) may have probably been looking at shooting some hoops with mates, some fishing and working on his game in March, April and May. Then, a spot opened up thanks to Lungi Ngidis injury. Delhi plumped for him even if they had a stacked Aussie-heavy top-order. Whether by chance or by design, it has worked wonders. He has been

CHENNAI: Chamari Athapaththu has played international cricket for over 15 years. She has lived through the ups and downs of Sri Lankan cricket. Whether it was beating then-defending champions England in the 2013 ODI World Cup or overpowering hosts and eventual runners-up, South Africa, in the latest T20 World Cup edition in 2023, she has been the beating heart of the team. These ups also came with lows where Sri Lanka women did not play any cricket for more than a year following the COVID-19 pan

CHENNAI: Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abhishek Porel hit fifties as Delhi Capitals posted 221/8 in 20 overs against Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday. Put into bat first, Jake was expected to do the things always does. Such was his disruptive reputation that even Trent Boult started off from around the wicket. It took four balls, including one of the deliveries hitting him the box, but on the fifth, Jake created room and launched the left-arm seamer over mid-off for a four. He did not stop there. In Boult's

AGARTALA: Tripura Cricket Association (TCA) is likely to open the state's first international cricket stadium at Narsingarh in West Tripura district with a one-day international match or an IPL (Indian Premier League) T20 encounter by February next year. TCA secretary Subrata Dey said that the stadium is going to be ready for hosting big-ticket matches by February 2025. This is our mission to complete the project of the international stadium as early as possible. As per the revised deadline, by

CHENNAI: The moment Kathryn Bryce smashed the four off Ireland's Eimear Richardson at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on May 5, Scotland women created history. For the first time in their existence, after years and years of so near yet so far moments in the World Cup Qualifiers, Scotland had qualified for the women's T20 World Cup. The tear-filled celebrations went on and for Sue Strachan, the former president of Cricket Scotland, it was a moment of jubilation and reflection. I was just c

CHENNAI: Even as Trinidad Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley revealed the 2024 ICC Mens T20 World Cup to be held in the United States and Caribbean has received security threats, the global cricketing body has said that they have a comprehensive and robust security plan in place. The 20-team tournament that will begin in New York on June 1 will be hosted by nine venues, including six in the West Indies. The final of the tournament will be held in Barbados on June 29. According to reports, the threat

CHENNAI: The Royal Madras Yacht Club, Ennore, captained by Murugan Nadar, won the coveted title at the 3rd edition of the Unifi Capital Offshore Regatta. Six teams took part in the event. The regatta final was contested between three teams Royal Madras Yacht Club (RMYC) Chennai, the CRPF and the RMYC, Ennore club (RMYC-EC). The race was between Chennai and Mahabalipuram. The CRPF team, captained by Chinna Reddy, won the runner-up prize. This edition of the regatta saw the civilian teams dominat

CHENNAI: Piyush Chawla and Hardik Pandya took three wickets each as Mumbai Indians restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 173/8 in 20 overs. Put into bat first, SRH continued what they do in the powerplay, taking on every bowler who came in the way. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma picked up boundaries against Nuwan Thushara and debutant Anshul Kamboj, who took a wicket of a no ball. Kamboj was in for the ride, being hit for 19 runs in the fifth over. Head hit two fours and a six and followed it up wi

CHENNAI: At the halfway mark during the first innings between Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings, the scoreboard at the scenic HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala read CSK 79/4. Super Kings had lost in-form opener and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, spin-basher Shivam Dube, Daryl Mitchell and Ajinkya Rahane, with Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali in the middle. If all that is not enough, the news of Matheesha Pathiranas injury and his return to Sri Lanka came as a serious blow. With Deepak Chahars injury already b