Xavi sticks to decision to leave FC Barcelona

Xavi declared his departure from Barca by the end of June after a 5-3 home defeat to Villarreal in late January, which jeopardized the club’s chances of securing a top-four finish, according to Xinhua.

Published Date – 30 March 2024, 11:00 AM


Xavi sticks to decision to leave FC Barcelona


Madrid: FC Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said that he had no intention to change his mind over the decision he took earlier to stand down from his role at the club at the end of the season.

Xavi announced he would leave his position at Barca in the end of June following a 5-3 defeat at home to Villarreal at the end of January, which left the club struggling to assure a top-four finish, reports Xinhua.


That announcement seems to have been a catalyst for improvement, with Barcelona winning six of their eight La Liga games since then and drawing the other two, as well as qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Champions League with some of their best football of the season.

Barca president Joan Laporta commented in an interview with the El Mundo Deportivo a week ago that he would like Xavi to reconsider his decision and stay for the next season. But when asked about his plans in Friday’s press conference ahead of Saturday’s game at home to Las Palmas, Xavi said he was not changing his mind.

“Both my training staff and I are very grateful for the president’s words and there is a lot of confidence in the relationship with Laporte and (Sporting Director) Deco and we are also friends, but I don’t think anything will change. I am thinking of the best for the club and I will always be grateful,” he replied.

Bopanna/Ebden head to Miami Open final, eyeing Men’s Doubles no.1 spot

Bopanna’s victory will elevate him to the pinnacle of the rankings upon Monday’s update, reclaiming his ATP World No.1 status achieved earlier this year in January, marking him as the oldest player to accomplish this feat.

Updated On – 29 March 2024, 09:42 AM


Bopanna/Ebden head to Miami Open final, eyeing Men’s Doubles no.1 spot


Miami: Australian Open winners Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden reached their second final of the season as they defeated Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in the men’s doubles semifinals of the Miami Open ATP Masters 1000 event.

The win will take Bopanna to the top of the rankings when they are updated on Monday as he regains the World No.1 ranking in the ATP List that he achieved in January this year, becoming the oldest player to do so.


The top seeds Bopanna, who won his first Grand Slam men’s doubles in Australia this year, and Ebden defeated Granollers and Zeballos 6-1, 6-4 in the semifinals on Thursday.

In the final, Bopanna and Ebden will take on the winner of the semifinal between Kevin Krawietz/Tim Puetz and Ivan Dodig/Austin Krajicek.

This will be the 14th ATP Masters 1000 final for Bopanna, 44, and the first in Miami. Overall, this will be the 63rd ATP Tour level final for India’s Bopanna, who has so far won 25 doubles titles.

By beating Granollers and Zeballos in what was their third ATP Tour semifinals of this year, Bopanna and Ebden avenged their defeat to the same pair in the 2023 final. This will be the fifth appearance in an ATP Masters 1000 final for the Bopanna/Ebden as a pair.

With Thursday’s win, Bopanna became the second Indian tennis player after Leander Paes to reach the final of all 9 ATP Masters events.

Australia contracts Warner, Stoinis, Agar miss out on CA contracts

Warner’s omission was expected as he intends to call it quits from the game after the T20 World Cup. He is currently in India, playing in the IPL for Delhi Capitals. Stoinis is the most notable omission.

Published Date – 28 March 2024, 11:59 PM


Australia contracts Warner, Stoinis, Agar miss out on CA contracts


Melbourne: Veteran opener David Warner, who has retired from ODI and Test cricket, along with all-rounders Ashton Agar and Marcus Stoinis, was on Thursday dropped from Cricket Australia‘s list of centrally-contracted players for the 2024-25 season.

Besides, Victoria opener Marcus Harris and pacer Michael Neser have also missed out on contracts that were offered to 23 players, stated a report by ‘cricket.com.au’.


Australia have a hectic season ahead that will feature the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies in June and a home Test series against India towards the end of the year among other engagements.

Warner’s omission was expected as he intends to call it quits from the game after the T20 World Cup. He is currently in India, playing in the IPL for Delhi Capitals. Stoinis is the most notable omission.

However, the 34-year-old, who is currently playing with Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, remains in contention for the upcoming T20 World Cup despite missing Australia’s recent tour of New Zealand with a back injury.

Pacers Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis are among those who have been offered contracts for the first time. Bartlett (25) and Ellis (29) are joined by Victoria and Adelaide Strikers batter Matt Short (28), and Western Australia all-rounder Aaron Hardie (25) as the four new faces on this year’s central contract list. The four players have already made their international debut for Australia.

Short and Hardie made their debuts during last year’s T20 series in South Africa, while Ellis played in Australia’s ODI and T20I tour of South Africa, and T20 campaigns in India and New Zealand.

He, however, missed the home white-ball series against the West Indies due to a rib injury.

“Matt, Aaron and Xavier have been extremely impressive in the early stages of their international careers,” national selection chair George Bailey was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au “Their performances and the way they have embraced the international stage has been exciting to watch.

“The panel believes they have strong futures and are deserved of their contracts as they work towards striving to become regulars in the Australian setup.”

CA contracted men’s players 2024-25: Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Jhye Richardson, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.

Abbas, Varsha to lead TS teams

Abbas and Varsha will lead the Telangana men’s and women’s teams respectively in the 33rd Throwball Federation Cup National Championship.

Published Date – 28 March 2024, 11:33 PM


Abbas, Varsha to lead TS teams


Hyderabad: Abbas and Varsha will lead the Telangana men’s and women’s teams respectively in the 33rd Throwball Federation Cup National Championship to be held at Sri Sai Palki, Shirdi, Maharashtra starting March 29.

Squads: Men: Abbas (C), Lokesh Reddy, Yuvan Reddy, Sagar, Tarun Teja, Balakrishna, Dheeraj, Nitin, Balaji, Sahil, Karthik, Srikanth, Pranay, Vinay, Sriramulu; Coach: Siddeshwar Reddy; Manager: Sharath Kumar Reddy Women: Varsha (C), Jahnavi, Sarayu, Akshita, Lavanya, Sindhu, Shailu, Mahima, Snigdha, Christiana Paul, Archana, Mukitha, Keerthi, Pavani, Renuka; Coach: PB Chakrapani; Manager: Mallikarjuna Siddhu


ACA serves show-cause notice to Vihari

“This is just to find what made him react the way he did last month. He has not reached out to us, so this is a chance for him to come out with his grievances.

Published Date – 28 March 2024, 10:45 PM


ACA serves show-cause notice to Vihari


Bengaluru: The Andhra Cricket Association has served a show-cause notice to Hanuma Vihari a month after the India batter accused the governing body of unceremoniously removing him from captaincy and vowed not to play for the state again.

However, Vihari is yet to respond to the notice which was served after the ACA Apex Council meeting a few days ago. “Yes, we have served him a show-cause notice and we are awaiting his reply,” an ACA official told PTI on conditions of anonymity. However, the official said the association did not want to prolong the issue.


“This is just to find what made him react the way he did last month. He has not reached out to us, so this is a chance for him to come out with his grievances.

“After all, we value Vihari and his contributions to the growth of state cricket as he has played a big part in Andhra going up in the ranks in domestic cricket,” he added.

The train of unsavoury incidents began soon after Andhra lost to Madhya Pradesh in this year’s Ranji Trophy quarterfinal. The 30-year-old right-handed batter took to social media to accuse the ACA of stripping him of captaincy right after Andhra’s first match of the season against Bengal.

However, at that time Vihari attributed the decision to “personal reasons.” But in his Instagram post, Vihari said the ACA acted under pressure from a local politician after his son, a 17th player during that match, complained that the middle-order batter shouted swear words at him. “I have decided that I will never play for Andhra where I lost my self-respect,” Vihari wrote in his emotional outburst.

Later, Vihari, who played 16 Tests for India, also posted a letter of support from his fellow Andhra players on his X account. However, KN Prudhuvi Raj, the 17th player during the match against Bengal, also took to social media and lambasted Vihari for making false accusations against him.

“Personal attacks and vulgar language are not acceptable in any kind of human platform.  Everyone in the team knows what happened that day,” wrote Raj on his Instagram handle.

Iran futsal team lose to Morocco in Vietnamese tournament

Iran’s national men’s futsal team which have participated in the four-team tournament in Vietnam to prepare for the  AFC Futsal Asian Cup lost to Morroco in its first match in the tournament 5-4.

Vietnam and New Zealand are the other teams taking part in the four-team tournament.

Iran will face New Zealand on Saturday.

The Iranian team will meet with the hosts Vietnam on Sunday.

MNA/6064105

Records set in Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Mumbai Indians IPL match

Despite a 31-run loss, MI’s clash with Sunrisers Hyderabad left fans with memorable records and thrilling entertainment.

Published Date – 28 March 2024, 01:10 PM


Records set in Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Mumbai Indians IPL match


Hyderabad:  The Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) was a record-breaking one, in which records with bat and ball were broken left and right. The five-time champions, MI lost the match by 31 runs, but more than the result, it will be the records and pure entertainment that will stay with the fans.

Here is a look at all the records broken in the game:


The 277/3 by SRH on Wednesday is the highest-ever total in IPL history, outdoing the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) total of 263/5 in their 20 overs against Pune Warriors India back in 2013. In that match, Chris Gayle made 175* in 66 balls, with 13 fours and 17 sixes.

It is also the fourth-highest total in all of T20 cricket. The highest-ever peak touched in the format was by Nepal, who scored 314/3 against Mongolia in the Asian Games at Hangzhou last year.

The total aggregate of 523 runs, 277 by SRH and 246 by MI, also shattered the record for the highest aggregate of runs in a T20 game, overtaking the 517 runs made between South Africa and the West Indies last year. In the IPL, the previous highest run aggregate was 469 runs between CSK and RR in 2010.

During the run-chase of 278 runs, MI fought it out really well and made 246/5, which is the highest total while chasing in the IPL, overtaking Rajasthan Royals’ 226/6 against Punjab Kings from IPL 2020, when the Royals’ were chasing 224 runs to win and a magical knock from Rahul Tewatia of 53 in 31 runs with seven sixes, including five successive ones, saved RR from brink of a defeat.

This match saw a total of 38 sixes being hit, 18 by SRH and 20 by MI. This is the highest number of sixes hit in not only an IPL match, but a T20 match as well. It has overtaken the 37 sixes hit in a match between Balkh Legends and Kabul Zwanan in their Afghanistan Premier League (APL) match back in 2018.

However, despite all the six-hitting, the RCB’s record of 21 sixes, the highest in a single inning in the history of India’s cash-rich league, is left untouched.

A total of 69 boundaries were hit in the match. This includes 19 fours and 18 sixes by SRH and 12 fours and 20 sixes hit by MI. This is the joint-highest boundary count in a match in the 16-year-old history of the IPL. The same boundary count was witnessed in a match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) back in 2010.

During the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s innings, the Orange franchise reached 148/2 in their first 10 overs, the highest-ever total by a team after 10 overs in IPL history, outdoing MI’s 131/3 against SRH back in 2021. In the run-chase, MI almost shattered SRH’s new record, scoring 141/2 in their 10 overs.

In the SRH innings, South African U19 bowling sensation Kwena Maphanka was hit for 66 runs in his four overs and went wicketless, which is the worst figure by a bowler on his IPL debut. It is also the joint-third worst bowling figure in IPL history, with SRH’s Basil Thampi’s 0/70 against RCB back in 2018 still at the top of the charts.

Abhishek Sharma of SRH brought up his half-century in just 16 balls, smashing the fastest fifty for SRH in IPL history. Just minutes before his fifty, Travis Head had smashed an 18-ball fifty, which held this record for a few minutes.

During MI’s run chase, the franchise’s skipper, Hardik Pandya, completed his 100 sixes, becoming the third player in his franchise to achieve it, besides Kieron Pollard (223 sixes) and Rohit Sharma (210).

Coming to the match, Sunrisers Hyderabad was put to bat first by Mumbai Indians. MI got Mayank Agarwal (11) early. But fiery knocks came from Travis Head (62 in 24 balls, with nine fours and three sixes), Abhishek Sharma (63 in 23 balls with three fours and seven sixes) that powered SRH to 148/2 in their 10 overs. Abhishek-Head put on a 68-run partnership for the second wicket.

Following a brief 48-run stand between Abhishek and Aiden Markram (42* in 28 balls, with two fours and a six), Heinrich Klaasen (80* in 34 balls, with four boundaries and seven sixes) formed a 116-run stand in 54 balls to take SRH to 277/3 in their 20 overs, the highest-ever IPL total.

Gerald Coetzee (1/57), skipper Hardik Pandya (1/46) and Piyush Chawla (1/34) took wickets for MI. South African U19 star Kwena Maphanka was hit for 66 runs on his debut IPL game in his four overs.

Chasing 278, openers Rohit Sharma (26 in 12 balls, with a four and three sixes) and Ishan Kishan (34 in 13 balls, with two fours and three sixes) gave MI a fine start, racing to 56 in 3.2 overs.

After both openers were dismissed, Naman Dhir (30 in 14 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Tilak Varma (64 in 34 balls, with two fours and six sixes) formed a 84-run stand, taking MI to 150 in 10.4 when Dhir was dismissed in an unbelievable counterattack.

Tilak kept fighting for MI along with skipper Hardik Pandya (24 in 20 balls, with a four and six), taking MI to 182/4 in 14.1 overs at the time of Tilak’s dismissal.

In the death overs, Tim David (42* in 22 balls, with two fours and three sixes) battled it out for MI along with Pandya and Romario Shepherd (15* in six balls, with two fours and a six). But MI had been controlled well by SRH bowlers and restricted to a commendable 246/5 in 20 overs, losing by 31 runs.

Skipper Pat Cummins (2/35) and Jaydev Unadkat (2/47) were the top bowlers for SRH. Shahbaz Ahmed also got a wicket.
Abhishek took home the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his fifty.

IPL 2024: MI skipper Hardik Pandya showers praise on Sunrisers Hyderabad

Pandya describes Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium wicket as ‘good’ during post-match presentation.

Published Date – 28 March 2024, 11:50 AM


IPL 2024: MI skipper Hardik Pandya showers praise on Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabads Jaydev Unadkat (2L) celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya (R) during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Photo: AFP

Hyderabad: Following his side’s 31-run loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday, Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya heaped praise on Hyderabad and said that they batted well.

While speaking at the post-match presentation, Pandya said that the wicket was ‘good’ at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.


He accepted that they have a ‘young bowling attack’ and they will learn from the 31-run loss against the Hyderabad-based franchise.

The MI skipper showered praise on the Proteas pacer Kwena Maphaka and said that he was ‘fantastic’ in the game.

“Not really (thought SRH would score 277 at the toss). Wicket was good, 277 no matter how bad or good you bowl, if the opposition has to score that much, they have batted well. They (the bowlers) were good, it was tough out there, almost 500 runs were scored and the wicket was helping the batters, we could have done a few things here and there, but having said that, we have a young bowling attack and we will learn. If the ball goes this many times into the crowd, you will need time to get the overs done. Everyone (the batters) looked good and it is just a matter of time before we put things right. He (Kwena Maphaka) was fantastic, coming into his first game and getting overwhelmed, he was alright and backed his skillset, just needs some game time,” Pandya said.

Recapping the match, MI skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and asked the hosts, SRH, to bat first at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Openers Mayank Aggarwal and Travis Head played attacking shots from the start of the inning. They built a partnership of 45 runs in just 4 overs before Mayank was dismissed on the first ball of the inning by Hardik.

Markram came to support Abhishek after Head’s wicket. Both batters played brilliantly and put on a partnership of 48 runs in just 19 balls before Abhishek was dismissed after playing a marvellous inning of 63 runs in just 23 balls with the help of seven maximums and three boundaries.

Following Abhishek’s wicket, Klassen came into the middle to bat along with Markram. Both of them built an unbeaten partnership of 116 runs off just 55 balls. Markram and Klaasen were on the crease and powered Hyderabad to a total of 277/3 after the end of the 20th over.

During the run chase, Rohit Sharma (26 runs from 12 balls) and Ishan Kishan (34 balls from 13 balls) opened for the visitors and gave the Mumbai-based franchise a fiery start. However, two quick dismissals helped Hyderabad to make a comeback in the match. Tilak Varma (64 runs from 34 balls) was the only standout batter for Mumbai. He slammed two fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 188.24 during his time on the crease. Tim David (42 runs from 22 balls) tried to make a partnership with Tilak but still failed to chase the high-scoring target. Jaydev Unadkat and Pat Cummins led the Hyderabad bowling attack as they scalped two wickets each in their respective spells.

IPL 2024: Pat Cummins pleased with Sunrisers’ victory over Mumbai Indians

Cummins lauds Abhishek Sharma, calling his performance ‘impressive’ during the post-match presentation.

Updated On – 28 March 2024, 11:21 AM


IPL 2024: Pat Cummins pleased with Sunrisers’ victory over Mumbai Indians

Photo: ANI

Hyderabad: After his side’s 31-run win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Pat Cummins said that they finished the game well.

While speaking at the post-match presentation, Cummins showered praise on Abhishek Sharma and said that he was “impressive” in the game.


Talking about the pitch, the SRH skipper said that it was a “good” wicket. He added that the hosts were “postive” and “aggressive” in the first inning for which they could put the highest score in the history of the IPL.

“That was insane. The ball was really pinging around. Not until we bowled, it got a bit too close for comfort. They found a boundary whenever they needed it, but we finished it off well. (On Abhishek Sharma) Really impressive, in IPL you play with a lot of pressure but he plays with great freedom. (On plans in first innings) You never play for 270, but we wanted to be postive and be aggressive, take the game on. It was a good wicket, so we have to suck it up knowing we would go for a few boundaries. What’s important is to have clear plans with the ball,” Cummins said.
Recapping the match, MI skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and asked the hosts, SRH, to bat first at Hyderabad’s Rajiv

Gandhi International Stadium. Openers Mayank Aggarwal and Travis Head played attacking shots from the start of the inning. They built a partnership of 45 runs in just 4 overs before Mayank was dismissed on the first ball of the inning by Hardik.

Markram came to support Abhishek after Head’s wicket. Both batters played brilliantly and put on a partnership of 48 runs in just 19 balls before Abhishek was dismissed after playing a marvellous inning of 63 runs in just 23 balls with the help of seven maximums and three boundaries.

Following Abhishek’s wicket, Klassen came into the middle to bat along with Markram. Both of them built an unbeaten partnership of 116 runs off just 55 balls. Markram and Klaasen were on the crease and powered Hyderabad to a total of 277/3 after the end of the 20th over.

During the run chase, Rohit Sharma (26 runs from 12 balls) and Ishan Kishan (34 balls from 13 balls) opened for the visitors and gave the Mumbai-based franchise a fiery start. However, two quick dismissals helped Hyderabad to make a comeback in the match. Tilak Varma (64 runs from 34 balls) was the only standout batter for Mumbai. He slammed two fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 188.24 during his time on the crease. Tim David (42 runs from 22 balls) tried to make a partnership with Tilak but still failed to chase the high-scoring target. Jaydev Unadkat and Pat Cummins led the Hyderabad bowling attack as they scalped two wickets each in their respective spells.