Wrestling : The United World Wrestling (UWW) reinstates the membership of the Wrestling Federation of India. (WFI)
The International Olympic Committee has backed the move by the United World Wrestling to lift the suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India. In August last year, the membership of the federation was canceled indefinitely. The reason behind this was revealed for not holding the election for the post of President. After the WFI election held in December, the UWW met on the 9th of February to review the situation and decided to lift the suspension. UWW has also asked the WFI to reconvene the election of its Athletes’ Commission and give guarantees that the three athletes (Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik) who protested against alleged wrongdoings by the previous WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will be considered for participation without any discrimination in all the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) events, trials for the Olympic Games and other major national and international events. A seven-member Prevention of Sexual Harassment Internal Complaint Committee has also been named. The IOC, at an exclusive two day meeting at Lausanne, Switzerland, took note of the development. Once again, the Indian wrestlers would be able to compete in all major and international tournaments under the Indian flag. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye.
IPL 2024 : Top 5 uncapped players to watch out for at the IPL 2024.
The IPL, being the greatest academy, has been successfully scouting and producing some untapped talent in the form of local and international uncapped players. Talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravi Bishnoi and Rinku Singh are some of the best examples of those who went on making their presence felt in the international arena after continuously showcasing their talent in the IPL. The seventeenth season of the Indian Premier League is just round the corner and there is no doubt that this edition of the most decorated tournament will be brimming with talent. Here are top 5 uncapped players to keep an eye on in this year’s IPL. 1. Kumar Kushagra – Delhi CapitalsThe dashing 19 year old wicket-keeper batsman was picked by the Delhi Capitals at the IPL auction for a whopping fee of INR 7.2 crore. Kumar Kushagra went on making history as he was recognised as the youngest batter smashing a 250+ run record in a first class game. 2. Sameer Rizvi – Chennai Super Kings. CSK caught everyone’s attention when the team management bought an uncapped player with a mere 11 list A games experience, Sameer Rizvi, for a whopping INR 8.4 crores in the auction. The defending champions, being futuristic, have looked for a perfect asset and have invested in someone who could be one of their premiere batters in the future. Notably, the 20-year-old ranked in the top 10 list of costliest auction picks for the 2024 IPL season. 3. Arshin Kulkarni – Lucknow Super Giants An explosive batsman and useful seamer. Regarded as the Kallis fan boy, who can hit the ball long, Arshin Kulkarni scored a brilliant hundred in India’s Group match against the United States of America (USA) in the U19 World Cup 2024. No wonder that the all round sensation is tipped off to be the next big thing in Indian cricket. The all rounder is all set to be a part of the Lucknow Super Giants this season as the franchise brought him for 20 lakh. 4. Shahrukh Khan – Gujarat TitansA very popular name. Shahrukh Khan has already had a certain amount of IPL experience. The all-rounder from Tamil Nadu had his previous stint with the Punjab Kings (2011-2023) and now is all set to play for the last season’s runner up, the Gujarat Titans. His hard hitting abilities made his value high at the IPL auction table as the Gujarat Titans roped him in for a price of INR 7.40 Crore. 5. Tom Kohlor-Cadmore – Rajasthan RoyalsThe inaugural IPL champions, the Rajasthan Royals roped in the hard hitting Tom Kohlor-Cadmore for a price of INR 40 Lakh. His ability to accelerate the innings lower down the order will be very much useful for the Royals, especially in the death. The seventeenth season of the IPL starts tomorrow, Friday, 22nd of March, 2024. With more than a dozen uncapped players making their IPL debuts, this season will surely be proving as a stage for the youngsters to showcase their talent and to announce themselves to the world. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye.
Volleyball : Calicut Heroes and Delhi Toofans gear up for exhilarating Final of RuPay Prime Volleyball League Season 3
Chennai, 20th March 2024: With the third season of RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 set to conclude, Jerome Vinith, captain of Calicut Heroes, and Delhi Toofans Skipper Saqlain Tariq came face to face at a Press Conference at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai on Wednesday. The battle between Calicut Heroes and Delhi Toofans will bring the 48-match extravaganza, featuring 8 teams across the country, to a finish. Calicut Heroes ended the league stage on top of the table with 12 points from 8 matches and began the Super 5s with a 2-point head start. They triumphed over Mumbai Meteors and Bengaluru Torpedoes in the Super 5s to finish on top of the table again and secure their first-ever Finals appearance in league history. Speaking at the press conference, Calicut Heroes skipper Jerome Vinith said, “We are ecstatic that the Calicut Heroes have made it to the Final for the first time but we aren’t satisfied yet, we would like to repay the faith and support that has been showered upon us by our fans day in, day out. The competition in this league is very fierce and it wasn’t easy to make it this far. Although, we believe we have the talent and determination to secure the trophy tomorrow. Winning the Final will also earn us the opportunity to compete at the prestigious FIVB Club World Championships, which is an extra motivation for us.” Delhi Toofans finished second in the league stage with 12 points and went on to defeat Bengaluru Torpedoes and Calicut Heroes in the Super 5s to set up their Eliminator clash against Ahmedabad Defenders. A 15-9, 10-15, 10-15, 15-12, 17-15 victory over the defending Champions Ahmedabad Defenders ensured they advanced to the Final to face the Calicut Heroes. Meanwhile, Delhi Toofans skipper Saqlain Tariq expressed his excitement at the prospect of claiming the title saying, “Taking on the high caliber teams in this league for over a month has been a surreal experience and we would like to close the curtains to this explosive season with a win in the Final. All the players, coaches, support staff, and fans have given their all, to book our clash against the Calicut Heroes. We will aim to perform to the best of our abilities tomorrow and hopefully bring the trophy back home with us.” Speaking ahead of the thrilling Final, Joy Bhattacharjya, CEO, RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 said, “The fanfare around Season 3 of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 has been immense. We have witnessed some thrilling matches so far. Hopefully the Final will live up to the billing and entertain the fans that have been turning up in droves in Chennai.” Watch the LIVE coverage of RuPay Prime Volleyball League Season 3 Final on 21st March 2024, 6:30 PM onwards, only on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD & HD (Tamil & Telugu). The match will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai. Image Credits: RuPay Prime Volleyball League
IPL 2024 : Gerald Coetzee all set to don the famous Mumbai Blue and Gold.
It’s very much obvious for someone who lives and breathes cricket to assume Dale Steyn when we speak of a South African with raw pace, accuracy, swing and of course, the famous headband and those aggressive celebrations. Very little do we realize that there’s someone else who now has started to carry that legacy forward with rather more traits and skill set than Steyn ever produced. At a very tender age of 23, Gerald Coetzee has made his name on the international stage and there wouldn’t be any better time than now for the sports fraternity to know more about the youngster. Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, Gerald grew up participating and showing interests in all the possible competitive sports. While rugby, tennis and cricket remained his all time favorites. Being slightly better at the sport, Gerald Coetzee made up his mind to pursue a career in cricket. FIRST GLIMPSESIn 2018, the world had its first glimpse of the arrival of the ‘karate-kid’, a name which he received due to his headband. He first was seen at the U-19 World Cup. With his raw pace, Gerald Coetzee took the tournament by storm by picking up wickets for the South African contingent at regular intervals and himself being the second highest wicket taker at the tournament. His best figures at the U-19 World Cup came against New Zealand wherein he went on finishing with bowling figures of 5 for 32. Gerald Coetzee went on taking 8 wickets in the four games he played. DOMINATING THE DOMESTIC SEASON.Gerald Coetzee, a 17 year old kid was roped in by the Knights in 2019, a Division 2 cricket team representing the province of Free State in South African domestic competitions. He made an instant impact in his debut game grabbing 4 wickets for 53 runs and dismantling the opposition. The young fast bowler maintained his impression throughout the season and went on to be recognized as the ‘Knights Player Of The Season’ as he received the award for scalping 17 wickets in just the 4 games he played. ANNOUNCING HIMSELF ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGEThe year 2022 opened the doors for international duties for Gerald Coetzee. He joined the South African squad for the t20 tour of England and Ireland. Coetzee had his red ball debut against the West Indies in February 2023 where he went on taking 3 wickets. His white ball career began in March 2023 as he played his first ODI against the West Indies. He made his t20 debut in August 2023 against Australia right before the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. 2023 – THE TURNING POINTIn September 2023, Gerald Coetzee was named in the squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. With pacers Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala injured, this proved to be the best opportunity for Gerald Coetzee to spell trouble to the opposition batting units with his lethal pace. Coetzee did stand tall to everyone’s expectations grabbing 20 wickets in the 8 games he played, making him the first South African bowler to take more than 17 wickets in a World Cup. The year 2023 saw some well crafted performances for Coetzee as he went on grabbing 47 wickets in total. IPL AUCTION 2024.At a base price of two crore it was first the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) who showed interest in the young fast bowling sensation. Later, it was a tug of war between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings who desperately desired to have Coetzee in their squads. There was a continuous raise of paddles by the Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and then the Lucknow Super Giants as well. In the end, it was the Mumbai Indians who had their first buy of the IPL 2024 auction in the form of Gerald Coetzee. The speedster from South Africa was picked for INR 5.0 crore. The raw pace talent is now all set to don the famous Blue and Gold and take Wankhede by storm. The deck at Mumbai would be a perfect canvas for him to display his skills due to the bounce it offers. The city of dreams is all set to welcome this raw and upcoming talent with open arms and there’s no wonder that the Mumbai Paltan would be anticipating some fiery bowling display from the speedster. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye.
IPL 2024 : Delhi Capitals announce Rishabh Pant as Captain.
New Delhi, 19 March 2024: Rishabh Pant will captain Delhi Capitals in the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League. The wicketkeeper-batter is making a return to professional cricket after 14 months, and has been a part of the Delhi Capitals pre-season preparatory camp in Vizag. Speaking on the occasion, DC Chairman and co-owner Parth Jindal said, “We are delighted to welcome Rishabh back as our Captain. Grit and fearlessness have always dictated his brand of cricket, and not surprisingly, even his road to recovery. I can’t wait to see him walk our team out once again as we look forward to a new season with renewed passion, vigour and enthusiasm.” Team co-owner Kiran Kumar Grandhi said, “Rishabh has worked incredibly hard during one of the most challenging phases of his life. I have no doubt his teammates will take immense inspiration from that as they embark upon a new season. Captain Rishabh and the team has our best wishes.” The Delhi Capitals will be up against Punjab Kings in their first match of IPL 2024 in Chandigarh on 23 March.
Paris Olympics 2024 : YES BANK Partners with the Indian Olympic Association.
YES BANK announced its partnership with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as the Official Banking Partner for Team India at the Paris Olympics 2024. The collaboration was unveiled during a special event at YES Bank’s headquarters in Mumbai. YES Bank will be the Official Banking Partner for the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) at the Paris Olympics 2024. This partnership aims to demonstrate the strength an ecosystem plays in nurturing the Indian Olympic talent. The IOA President Dr. P.T. Usha said, “I am extremely excited about the collaboration between the Indian Olympic Association and YES BANK, where YES BANK will serve as the exclusive banking partner for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This collaboration not only signifies a strong alliance but also paves the way for enhanced financial support and services for our athletes. The launch of the YES Glory Debit Card is a testament to our commitment to empowering our athletes with innovative solutions, ensuring they can focus wholeheartedly on their Olympic journey without financial concerns.” Mr. Prashant Kumar, MD & CEO, YES BANK, stated, “India’s achievements in international sports have inspired the nation. The Olympics hold a significant place for Indians, uniting us in support of our athletes. YES BANK is committed to supporting Team India in their pursuit of excellence, reflecting our dedication to national pride and achievement.” As per the partnership, all the athletes representing the Indian continent at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games would receive an exclusive YES BANK Glory Debit Card ahead of the event from July 26 to August 11. The partnership aims at fostering the strength an ecosystem plays in nurturing Olympic talent. The 2024 Paris Olympics begin on Friday – 26th of July, 2024.
Tennis : World No.1 Iga Swiatek lifts her Second Indian Wells Title.
Polish women’s singles tennis ace Iga Swiatek captured her second Indian Wells title as she tamed Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0. Swiatek doled out two aces compared to Sakkari’s one. Siwatek had two double faults to her opponent’s one. She claimed a 76% win on the first serve and a 75% win on the second. Swiatek converted 5/8 breakpoints. Swiatek is the first player to win 10-plus consecutive matches against top-10 in women’s singles since Swiatek herself. She now is the fourth player in 2000s with multiple such streaks after Venus Williams, Justine Henin and Serena Williams. Swiatek also is the third player to secure multiple titles at Indian Wells before turning 23 after Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters. Swiatek previously lifted the Indian Wells title back in 2022. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye.
Shooting : India strikes gold as the team wins 6 medals at the Polish Grand Prix.
Paris Olympics quota winners Akhil Sheoran, and Anish Bhanwala bag gold medals each as the Indian rifle and pistol shooters ended their Polish Grand Prix campaign with six medals,-two gold , a silver and three -bronze. Akhil Sheoran, in the 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) match two struck gold as he shot a scorching 468.4 to leave Patrik Jany of the Czech Republic a distant 2.2 behind in second at the Grand Prix Wroclawia & Dolnego Slaska. Both those scores were however higher than the existing world record of 466.1, held by Jany’s countryman Jiri Privratsky. Navy shooter Niraj Kumar was also highly impressive finishing with two bronze medals in both the men’s 3P matches, thereby becoming the only Indian to finish with two medals. Niraj also shot impressive scores of 595 and 594 in the two qualification matches. Swapnil Kusale also shot a solid 595 in match two to top the qualification standings, being more accurate than Niraj, but finished fourth overall. The two Grand Prixes also saw another Paris quota winner Shriyanka Sadangi win bronze in the women’s 3P and Ashi Chouksey pick up a silver in the second women’s 3P. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye.
Know Your Superstar : ft. Ellyse Perry. – Part 2 : The strong proponent of women’s sport
Ellyse Perry was offered a Big Bash League contract by the Sydney Sixers making the home town girl the club’s first ever signing at the Women’ Big Bash League. Perry was offered the leadership role and was appointed the captaincy for the Sydney Sixers. Since then, she has been an integral part of the club and has kept on rising on the occasions whenever needed. In WBBL 02, though Ellyse Perry suffered a hamstring injury before the playoffs and had to be ruled out, the Sixers went on lifting the title. Perry, being an athlete of such great stature was asked to accept the team’s maiden championship title. Ellyse Perry, in WBBL 03 came out all guns blazing and led the league for most number of runs scored (552). The prolific all-rounder made 36 not out and hit the winning runs to secure the Sixers’ second-consecutive WBBL title. She carried her WBBL 03 form with her bat in the next season, WBBL 04 as well, scoring a record 777 runs in the season averaging 86.33 and went on winning the ‘Player Of The Tournament’ award. On 21 October 2022, Perry became the first player to captain 100 WBBL games. The cricket’s most talked about personality went on playing few other cricket tournaments like the Women’s Cricket Super Challenge, Women’s T20 Challenge, The Hundred and most recently went on registering herself for the ongoing WPL as well. In the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) season in 2023, Ellyse Perry was signed by one of the most decorated franchises of t20 cricket’s history, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In the WPL 2024, it again was Ellyse Perry who had an integral role helping RCB lift the silverware and crown themselves the champions of ‘Cricket Ka Queendom’. Perry, scoring more runs than anyone else with the bat through the tournament, was awarded with the orange cap. Undoubtedly, there’s no other like Ellyse Perry. The Sportz Planet Desk, Atharva Shetye.
WPL 2024 : RCB conquers Cricket’s Queendom.
3 weeks of pulsating cricketing action gave us a new winner for the WPL 2024 title. Smriti Mandhana’s Royal Challengers Bangalore emerged supreme against the Meg Lanning led Delhi Capitals on Sunday night. It was DC who won the toss and elected to bat first. The opening pair came out all guns blazing as Shefali Verma (44 off 27) saw the cricket ball as a football, hitting as long as she could. The opening batter smashed 3 long sixes and hit two fours. Alongside her was the DC skipper Meg Lanning (23 off 23) who couldn’t capitalise much. The Delhi Capitals were cruising along very well until the powerplay was done. In came RCB’s spin bowler, Sophie Molineux & boy did she spin the game in RCB’s favour. Sophie Molineux led the charge with her squeeze as she went on dismissing Shefali Verma (44 off 27) first. Molineux didn’t even give Jemimah Rodrigues & Alice Capsey a chance to open their account as both were dismissed for ducks. Shreyanka Patil with her 4 wickets for just 12 runs added the fuel to the fire by picking up the Meg Lanning for a run a ball 23. Shreyanka Patil has come back stronger in this tournament. With just 1 wicket in her first 4 games, she now has 13 wickets in her bag and the purple cap on her head. The absorbing of pressure from the DC players didn’t arrive after the departure of Alice Capsey. DC before & after the power play looked like 2 different teams. The team had a shocker of a batting performance. Every RCB bowler was hitting the stumps but the DC batters were going out of the line. RCB sent DC back to the sheds for just 113 with no major contributions from the Delhi Capitals’ middle & lower order. RCB had a slow but solid start. Opening batter Smriti Mandhana realising the importance of her wicket played patiently producing a 39 ball 31 runs knock. Mandhana didn’t take any unnecessary risk. On the other hand Sophie Devine charged in with 5 boundaries and a six. RCB didn’t lose a single wicket in the power play. In the eight over of the second innings, it was Shikha Pandey who was handed the ball and she lived up to the expectations of the Delhi Capitals by trapping Sophie Divine (32 off 27) lbw. Ellyse Perry (35 off 37), who had lit up the WPL 2024 with her brilliant performances came into the middle & steered the ship with her calm innings. Boundaries in the middle overs by Perry settled the deal for RCB. Later, Smriti Mandhana had to depart, falling prey to a delivery by Minnu Mani. She was caught by Arundhati Reddy. Richa Ghosh came in and exploded with her 17 off 14 balls. In the 19.3rd over, Richa Ghosh sealed the deal as she sent a delivery by Arundhati Reddy towards the boundary and the celebrations began in the RCB dugout. A convincing and a very well calculated run chase was dominated right from the start by RCB. On the other hand DC couldn’t give much as only Shikha & Minnu could take wickets. With 113 to defend. DC was skidding on thin ice. Never had RCB defeated DC before but they did it the other night. The 1st person to step on the moon was a man. The 1st person to invent electricity was a man. But the 1st person to lift the trophy for RCB is a woman, Smriti Mandhana. The drought finally ended after 17 long years. The women in red well and truly played bold. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye.