However, during the match, visuals showed former captain MS Dhoni setting the field and the camera also focused more on Dhoni.
Published Date – 23 March 2024, 10:31 AM
Chennai: Chennai Super Kings’ journey under new skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad began on a positive note as the five-time champions defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets, here.
Gaikwad’s captaincy impressed everyone.
However, during the match, visuals showed former captain MS Dhoni setting the field and the camera also focused more on Dhoni.
To this, former cricketer Virender Sehwag, who was doing Haryanvi commentary for JIO, quipped, “Bhai Ruturaj ka bhi chahraa dekha do ek do baar(in camera) vo bhi captain hai sirf Dhoni ka hi Chahraa dekha raha hai (Brother, Please show Rituraj’s face as well (in camera), he is captain. The cameraman is showing only Dhoni’s face).”
On Friday, pacer Mustafizur Rahman claimed the first four-fer of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 as he helped Chennai Super Kings and their skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad make a winning start in the tournament, beating Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets with eight balls to spare at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
This was CSK’s eighth successive win over RCB at the Chepauk Stadium with RCB’s last win over CSK at this venue coming over a decade back.
Dr BR Ambedkar College, Hyderabad defeated Sardar Patel College, Secunderabad 6-2 in the Osmania University Inter College Softball Championship held at Osmania University ‘B’ ground
Published Date – 19 March 2024, 11:30 PM
Hyderabad: Dr BR Ambedkar College, Hyderabad defeated Sardar Patel College, Secunderabad 6-2 in the Osmania University Inter College Softball Championship held at Osmania University ‘B’ ground on Tuesday.
Results: Dr BR Ambedkar College 6 bt SP College 2; Top Three Places: 1. Dr BR Ambedkar College, 2. SP College, 3. Avanthi Degree & PG College Barkatpura, Badruka College.
In a 39-minute match, Indian shuttlers comfortably defeated the American pair of Annie Xu and Kerry Xu 21-15, 21-12 in the round of 32.
Updated On – 20 March 2024, 10:02 AM
File Photo
Basel: Indian women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand moved into the second round of the Swiss Open 2024 in Basel, Switzerland, on Tuesday.
The Indian shuttlers clinched a comfortable win defeating the American pair of Annie Xu and Kerry Xu 21-15, 21-12 in the round of 32. The game lasted for 39 minutes.
Meanwhile, the men’s doubles of Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi sealed a comfortable win of 21-17, 21-15 against the French pair Natan Begga and Baptiste Labarthe in the qualifying round.
In the mixed doubles of the Swiss Open 2024, B Sumeeth Reddy and N Sikki Reddy advanced to the main draw after beating Brazil’s Davi Silva and Samia Lima 21-12, 21-17 . On the other hand, the other three Indian women’s doubles pairs of Rutaparna Panda-Swetaparna Panda, Ashwini Bhat-Shikha Gautam and Priya Konjengbam-Shruti Mishra suffered defeats in their respective matches.
India’s Sameer Verma and Sathish Kumar Karunakaran won their first matches in the men’s singles event of the qualifying round but failed to make it into the main draw after they suffered a defeat in their second qualifying game.
India’s top badminton players, PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen, will take part in the Swiss Open 2024 in the women’s and men’s singles events, respectively, on Wednesday.
The Swiss Open 2024 will offer crucial ranking points ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Badosa secured her first victory since February’s Doha tournament, marking a relief after grappling with injuries. Currently ranked World No. 80, she now holds a 5-5 record for the year.
Updated On – 20 March 2024, 03:42 PM
Paula Badosa of Spain returns a shot to Simona Halep of Romania during her womens singles match during the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Photo: AFP
This was the Badosa’s first win since Doha, in February. The World No. 80 has been struggling with injuries. She’s now 5-5 for the year.
Halep, however, returned from an 18-month absence from the WTA Tour.
Two weeks ago, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the top court for global sport, reduced her ban from tennis to nine months — essentially, time served. After the ruling, Halep accepted a wild card from Miami Open tournament director James Blake.
Meanwhile, Diana Shnaider ended Venus Williams’ record 22nd appearance at the Miami Open in the first round, defeating the three-time champion 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour and 19 minutes.
The contest was one of many contrasts. Williams, 43, is the oldest player in the 2024 main draw; Shnaider, 19, is one of six teenagers contesting it this year.
Williams was playing her 85th main-draw match in Miami, another tournament record (this time, joint with sister Serena); Shnaider was playing her first, having fallen in the first round of qualifying to Laura Siegemund on her debut last year, according to WTA.
On the other hand, 2018 Australian Open winner Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark was the only one of the three former Grand Slam champions, who advanced to the second round of the Women’s Singles draw.
The Danish Wild Card needed only 1 hour and 17 minutes to defeat France’s Clara Burel 6-1, 6-4, and she now faces Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina for a spot in the third round.
Speaking on JioCinema, Zaheer said that many athletes struggle after retiring since their sport becomes everything for them.
Published Date – 20 March 2024, 07:19 PM
File Photo
New Delhi: Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan on Wednesday for keeping himself switched-off from sport and staying occupied with non-sporting things following his retirement from international cricket in 2019, pointing out that the World Cup-winning skipper is well aware that cricket is not everything for him.
MS Dhoni retired from international cricket in 2020, with the ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal match against New Zealand being his last outing with India. Since then, he has only featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and even lifted two more titles with them following his international retirement.
Speaking on JioCinema, Zaheer said that many athletes struggle after retiring since their sport becomes everything for them.
“We have seen many athletes struggling after retiring because they gave their everything to the game, and when they left it, they did not know what to do. MS Dhoni understood a long time ago that while cricket is an integral part of his life, it is not everything. He keeps doing things outside of sports. For example, his interest in bikes,” said Zaheer.
Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel also lauded Dhoni’s thought process, which he feels is more focused on doing his job well rather than worrying about results.
“His (Dhoni’s) processes are like the verse, ‘Karm kiye jao, fall ki chinta mat karo (Keep doing your work, do not worry about result).’ If you work hard and prepare properly, the results will follow. His process mantra is ‘Whatever we perfect in practice, we will replicate in the game’,” said Parthiv.
Dhoni’s status in IPL 2024 was subjected to scrutiny by fans as he played the last season with an injured knee. He also underwent knee surgery immediately after the season earlier this year, which was successful. The last season was also rumoured to be Dhoni’s last IPL season.
But following his team’s fifth title win earlier this year, MS had said in the post-match presentation, “If you circumstantially if you see it is the best time to announce the retirement. The easy thing for me to say is thank you and retire. But the hard thing to do is to work hard for nine months and try to play one more IPL season. The body has to hold up. But with the amount of love I have received from CSK fans, it would be a gift for them to play one more season. The way they have shown their love and emotion, it is something I need to do for them.”
MS Dhoni scored 104 runs in 12 innings this IPL 2023. He scored these runs at an average of 26, with a strike rate of above 182. His best score this season was 32*.
A lot of his runs came through his signature big sixes.
In 250 IPL matches, Dhoni has scored 5,082 runs at an average of 38.79 and a strike rate of over 135, with 24 half-centuries and best score of 84*. He is the seventh-highest run-scorer in IPL history.
Dhoni will once again be leading CSK in this season of the IPL, aiming for a record-breaking sixth title for the Yellow Army.
The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will start on March 22, with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) set to clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a South Indian derby at their home arena–MA Chidambaram Stadium.
The pacer recently suffered a hamstring injury during the second T20I against Bangladesh this month
Published Date – 20 March 2024, 08:45 PM
Chennai: Indian spin veteran Ravichandran Ashwin on Wednesday spoke on the bowling action of Sri Lanka and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer Matheesha Pathirana and pointed out that the youngster puts his back under immense strain while bowling and “gets into awkward positions”.
The 21-year-old pacer was one of the standouts for CSK in their fifth-title-winning season last year, taking 19 wickets at an average of 19.52. The pacer recently suffered a hamstring injury during the second T20I against Bangladesh this month. He has played 12 ODIs and six T20Is for Sri Lanka.
Speaking on his Youtube channel on Wednesday, Ashwin said that Pathirana has a lower angle of release, which puts his back under strain and his front leg “collapses” while releasing the ball. Comparing his action with Lankan pace legend Lasith Malinga, with whom the 21-year-old has drawn comparisons due to his slingy action, Ashwin said that Malinga has a “beautiful” side-on action which is much better for his body as his back and feet are “parallel to the crease”.
“One problem that he has but Malinga does not have is that his angle of release is much lower. That puts immense strain on his back, and his front leg literally collapses when he releases the ball; the core gets worked up too much, and it is very strenuous. Lasith Malinga goes for a beautiful side-on position. His back and feet will be parallel to the crease. But Pathirana does not get that. The action is breaking, it is rotating, and the torque is huge,” said Ashwin.
Ashwin later pointed out that though Malinga speaks highly of the young pacer, he is getting into “dangerous positions and complications.” “I understand the complexity of facing him is different, but he is facing different problems now. This might be just his early stages, and his body needs to fill up more, but he is getting into some dangerous positions and complications. In fact, I have worked so much with Malinga, and Malinga himself told me that he’s a great prospect, but he gets into awkward positions, which is what I feel,” he added.
The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will start from March 22, with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) set to clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a South Indian derby at their home arena–MA Chidambaram Stadium. Pathirana could feature in the match depending on his fitness.
Tejendra emerged standout performer with a score of 52 to propel Sanathnagar Playground edge past Loyola Academy 86-82 in the 5th Samuel Vasanth Kumar Memorial Basketball Tournament.
Updated On – 20 March 2024, 11:18 PM
Players in action at YMCA Secunderabad.
Hyderabad: Tejendra emerged standout performer with a score of 52 to propel Sanathnagar Playground edge past Loyola Academy 86-82 in the 5th Samuel Vasanth Kumar Memorial Basketball Tournament held at YMCA Secunderabad on Wednesday.
In a tightly contested match, Loyola Academy’s Majid notched an impressive 27 to emerge top scorer for his side. Despite his impressive performance, their efforts fell short, resulting in a loss for Loyola Academy.
Results: Sanathnagar Playground 86 (Tejendra 52, Jasim 15) bt Loyola Academy 82 (Majid 27, Daniel 12).
Quality Inn Residency and Park Hyatt recorded wins over their respective opponents in the semifinal clashes to enter the final of the Hotel & Restaurants Association of Telangana State (HRATS) T20 Cricket Tournament
Updated On – 20 March 2024, 11:25 PM
Quality Inn Residency and Park Hyatt recorded wins over their respective opponents in the semifinal clashes to enter the final of the Hotel & Restaurants Association of Telangana State (HRATS) T20 Cricket Tournament
Hyderabad: Quality Inn Residency and Park Hyatt recorded wins over their respective opponents in the semifinal clashes to enter the final of the Hotel & Restaurants Association of Telangana State (HRATS) T20 Cricket Tournament in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
In the first semifinal, Tufani Khan displayed an excellent performance with the bat to score an unbeaten 73-run knock which included seven fours and three sixes to power Quality Inn to a 10-wicket win over Taj Krishna. Batting first, Taj Krishna posted 153/6 in 20 overs, Anil top-scored with 58 runs. Later, Tufani’s brilliance and Lokesh Yadav’s unbeaten 49 took their side home in 15.3 overs.
In the second semifinal, Park Hyatt registered a five-wicket victory over Blu Plaza. Batting first, Blu Plaza were bundled out for 103 runs in 18.5 overs. Shubham Tandle shone with a figure of 3/16. In reply, Park Hyatt comfortably chased down the target in 13.2 overs.
Brief Scores: Semifinals: Taj Krishna 153/6 in 20 overs ( Anil 58, Lakshman Rao 28) lost to Quality Inn Residency 154/0 in 15.3 overs (Tufani Khan 73 no, Lokesh Dave 49 no ) Radisson Blu Plaza 103 in 18.5 overs ( SK Quadri 30, N Gopi 2/20, Amit Negi 2/21, Shubham Tandle 3/16) lost to Park Hyatt 105/5 in 13.2 overs (G Naresh Kumar 25, Amit Negi 27).
Sahil clinched a double title in the Gamepoint First Pickleball Championship by winning both the men’s doubles and mixed doubles titles at the Gamepoint Hitec in Hyderabad.
Published Date – 20 March 2024, 11:32 PM
Medal winners of the Pickleball Championship at the Gamepoint Hitec in Hyderabad.
Hyderabad: Sahil clinched a double title in the Gamepoint First Pickleball Championship by winning both the men’s doubles and mixed doubles titles at the Gamepoint Hitec in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
In the men’s doubles final, Sahil and Dhaval defeated Gaurabdip Ghosh and VS Cisakh 15-7 to win the title. In the mixed doubles, He teamed up with Prachi and got the better of Charitha and Venkat 16-14 in the final to clinch another trophy in the tournament.
A total of 68 players took part in the inaugural Pickleball competition in the men’s doubles and mixed doubles category. The men’s doubles category witnessed 24 teams vying for the title while 10 pairs competed in the mixed doubles category.
Celebrity hair stylist Aalim Hakim took to Instagram, where he shared a gamut of pictures of Dhoni, who is seen striking a pose.
Published Date – 21 March 2024, 01:33 PM
Mumbai: Ahead of the most-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) season, celebrity hair stylist Aalim Hakim gave Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s hair a cool makeover.
Hakim took to Instagram, where he shared a gamut of pictures of Dhoni, who is seen striking a pose.
Dhoni looks dapper in a black ganji paired with blue denims and sunglasses. He is seen flaunting his freshly done hair, which reflects a bit of gold hues.
For the caption, the celebrity hairstylist dropped a haircut emoji.
Fans couldn’t stop themselves from commenting on the picture.
One said: “Thala for a reason.”
Another wrote: “Thala in vintage avatar.”
One called Dhoni a Hollywood hero, while a user said that he “just slays in everyway”.
Hakim had recently styled Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli for the tournament that kickstarts March 22.
The first match will be between RCB and Chennai Super Kings at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium.
