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Arjun crushes Maxime to win WR Chess Masters, closes in on 2800 Elo rating

Rapidly-rising Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi clinched the WR Chess masters title after defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France in the Armageddon game following two draws in Classical chess during the final. Arjun, who was a part of the gold-winning Indian team in the Chess Olympiad recently, displayed great form and precision throughout the event to bag the winner's prize of 20,000 Euros. With this, Arjun's live Elo rating touched 2796, moving him closer to the coveted 2800 mark. He will look to cross that milestone at the European Cup which starts from October 20. The 21-year-old defeated his friend R Praggnanandhaa in the semifinals of the knockout event before eventually getting past Vachier-Lagrave. "I am happy that I could adapt to the new format well and win the tournament," Arjun said in a press release issued by his management team. The 16-player tournament saw Arjun score a 2-0 victory over nine-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan of England, who was the youngest ever to play in the Chess Olympiad for her country. Also Read: Kids make right moves as MSSA chess begins with record entries Fellow Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi also fell to Arjun, who won the second game in the two games mini-match by 1.5-0.5 margin. Against Praggnanandhaa in the semis, Arjun took an early lead by winning the first game as white and did well to draw the second game to win the match 1.5-0.5. In the WR Chess masters final, Vachier-Lagrave put up stiff resistance against the World number four Indian but eventually crumbled in the Armageddon. The first game ended in an easy draw for Arjun as black, while the second game featured wild complex play out of a Sicilian Najdorf opening where the Indian played white. The dust subsided on the 21st move leading to a tricky endgame post the queen trade and the game was drawn. Vachier-Lagrave had 10 minutes on his clock with white pieces in the finale against Arjun's six minutes and 58 seconds. However, as is the law, the Frenchman needed a win. Arjun navigated the opening well despite less time out of a Petroff defense and reached a balanced position. Vachier-Lagrave sacrificed two minor pieces for a rook to make some threats around Arjun's King but the Indian remained on guard. The game could have been a draw through repetition but that would have won the match for Arjun anyway. The Queens were traded but Arjun was never in trouble as Vachier-Lagrave fought in vain for 69 moves before calling it a day. (With agency inputs)

18 October,2024 05:09 PM IST | London | mid-day online correspondent
Vivaan Kapoor

Vivaan clinches silver, Anantjeet wins bronze

Two young shotgun marksmen from Jaipur, Vivaan Kapoor and Anantjeet Singh Naruka, lit up an otherwise lacklustre Indian campaign, winning a silver and a bronze on the concluding day of the year-ending ISSF World Cup Final here on Thursday. Vivaan the 22-year-old trap shooter and 26-year-old Olympian skeet marksman Anantjeet, clinched the biggest medals of their careers at the famed Karni Singh Range as the hosts ended the elite competition with two silver and an equal number of bronze medals. Vivaan shot 44 in the final as he was beaten to the gold by Paris Olympics silver medallist from China, Qi Ying, who shot 47. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

18 October,2024 07:06 AM IST | New Delhi | PTI
PV Sindhu

Sindhu in quarters

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu overcame a sluggish start to defeat World No. 7 Han Yue of China in a thrilling contest, progressing to the quarter-finals of the Denmark Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Thursday. Sindhu, a former world champion and currently ranked 18th, won 18-21 21-12 21-16 in a second-round match that lasted 63 minutes. This marks her first win over a Top-10 player since defeating Han at the Malaysia Masters final in May.  This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

18 October,2024 07:06 AM IST | Odense | PTI
Participants at the MSSA chess meet in Chembur. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Kids make right moves as MSSA chess begins with record entries

The MSSA’s 43rd inter-school chess tournament got underway at St Sebastian High School, Chembur, on Thursday with a record number of participants — 3,037 players from 100-plus schools. Some of the kids were overwhelmed at seeing the huge gathering. “I feel nervous. It will be tough to win the tournament given there are so many players, but it’s good to have competition,” Raj Nimbalkar, 10, a player from The Scholar High School, told mid-day. “Till yesterday, I was confident I will do well, but this morning, after seeing so many players here, I’m stunned. I hope I can win,” said Jeet Singh, 11, of Fatima High School. Also Read: Say Chess! Interestingly, working parents, who came to cheer their kids, were offered classrooms by MSSA, where they could access their laptops for office work. “It’s sweet to see so many children take part. It may instil fear in some young participants, but it will also boost the confidence of many others,” said Santosh Nimbalkar, a father of one of the participants. Rashmi Gupta, another parent, added, “This is a great experience for our kids. There may be pressure, but this is also a good learning for them.”MSSA chess secretary Sebastian Rodrigues was a happy man: “It’s nice to see so much talent in our city. India’s Chess Olympiad success has clearly rubbed off on all these kids.”  Meanwhile, Nirvaan Shah of Don Bosco International School won first place in the boys U-12 category, while Divit Bhowmick of Bombay Scottish (Mahim) finished second and Gaurang Bhandari of Bombay Scottish (Powai) was third. Nikita Sandeep of AVM (Bandra) won the U-8 girls cetagory with Manva Parkar of  Oxford Public School (Kandivli) runner-up and Yaashi Doshi of Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir finishing third.

18 October,2024 07:03 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus Vedanayagam
Chahat Thakur at Bombay Gymkhana; (right) Reya Shetty. Pics/Atul Kamble

Chahat, Reya enter U-12 tennis final

Chahat Thakur of Hansraj Morarji Public School (Andheri) stormed into the girls U-12 final of the MSSA inter-school lawn tennis tournament, beating Vrrisha Chatwani of Billabong High International School (Andheri) 7-2 via tie-breaker at the Bombay Gymkhana’s tennis courts on Wednesday. It was a close encounter between Chahat and Vrrisha as both knew each other’s game well since they play at the same academy. After the best-of-five affair was locked 2-2, Vrrisha took a 2-0 lead in the tie-breaker before Chahat rallied to a 7-2 victory thanks to her strong backhand and some accurately placed forehand shots. In the other semi-final, Reya Shetty of Jamnabai Narsee (Juhu) comfortably beat Leah Kothari of Cathedral and John Connon 3-0.  Also Read: Tennis twins on top! In the U-10 girls semi-finals at MSSA’s tennis courts in Azad Maidan, Saanvi Dhatrak of Prime Academy ICSC pipped Airene Shaikh of Podar International 7-5 via the tie-breaker. After both girls won two games each, the tie-breaker was employed.  Here too things were neck-and-neck at 5-5 before Saanvi hit two crisp winners to enter the final. Reya Mehta of Aditya Birla World Academy beat Aana Chheda of Methibai Devraj Gundecha 3-0 in the other semi-final.

18 October,2024 07:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus Vedanayagam
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal

'Difficult moment to face my idol': Alcaraz on semi-final vs Nadal

Carlos Alcaraz admitted Wednesday it will be a “difficult moment” facing “idol” Rafael Nadal when the Spanish superstars clash for the final time. Nadal, the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, announced last week that he will retire from tennis after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next month. On Thursday, however, the 38-year-old will take on Alcaraz for a place in the final of the Six Kings Slam exhibition event in Riyadh. “Since I started to play tennis, I’m watching his matches. I look up to him and I grew up watching him. He was my idol, he is still my idol,” Alcaraz said on court after defeating Holger Rune 6-4, 6-2 to set-up an emotional meeting with Nadal.  “A really important person for my life, for my career and he was one of the reasons that I wanted to become a professional tennis player. Knowing he is going to retire is pretty tough for everyone, for me.” Alcaraz added: “I will try to enjoy sharing the court with him once again, but it is difficult for everyone.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

18 October,2024 06:45 AM IST | Riyadh | AFP
Representational Image

Hyderabad hosts historic PKL kickoff: The battle of breath takes centre stage

The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) will make its much-awaited return to the mat on Friday, October 18. The Battle of Breath will kickstart with a thrilling opener where the Telugu Titans and the Bengaluru Bulls square off at the GMCB Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli in Hyderabad. In anticipation of the new season, a grand launch was held at the Hyatt Place, at Banjara Hills, in Hyderabad. The event was graced by PKL League Commissioner & Head of Sports Leagues at Mashal Sports, Mr. Anupam Goswami, along with team captains Pawan Sehrawat (Telugu Titans) and Pardeep Narwal (Bengaluru Bulls). Captains of the remaining 10 teams were also present as they kicked off the PKL season.  One of the most exciting moments of the day was when an exhibition match was held featuring the PKL captains and a team of prominent creators, as a result of our partnership with Meta. Some of the prominent creators present at the match included the Big Nerds, Hardik Banga, Sidhant Sarfare, Ashish Singh, amongst others, bringing a fresh and engaging dynamic to the sport. Also Read: "I am hurting to see this score of 46 all out": Rohit Sharma Expressing his thoughts on the journey so far and the upcoming season, Mr. Anupam Goswami, League Commissioner, Pro Kabaddi League said, “The first decade of the PKL has been a huge achievement, but for us, the focus is on using the experiences to help prepare for the next phase, and further build on the success stories. The players have received a lot of support over the years. And one of the standout aspects is the confidence with which the players say they are kabaddi athletes. After helping rediscover a world class Indian sport, the next phase of this important journey involves going to newer shores. There has been a significant amount of interest internationally for the PKL. We have always worked with a fan-first thought process, and we promise to be relentless in our approach towards that.” Telugu Titans' captain Pawan Sehrawat also shared his excitement for the opening match by saying, “I am very happy that we, Telugu Titans, will play the opening game of the season at Hyderabad in front of our home fans. The fans have always supported us a lot, and we are sure there will be more of the same when we walk onto the mat. The team is in a good place and we are confident of doing well.”  Bengaluru Bulls' captain Pardeep Narwal was ready for the challenge that lies ahead as he returns to the team that gave him his PKL debut. Ahead of the opening match, he said, “Season 11 of the PKL will be huge and we are very excited to come into the tournament and we have prepared well throughout the pre-season for this. Our team is very well balanced and the Bulls are keen to start off with a bang.”  Preparations for PKL 11 began on a historic note as eight players were sold for over INR 1 crore in the auction held in Mumbai. After Pawan and Pardeep take to the mat on Friday, the second match of the night will see U Mumba's Sunil Kumar – the most expensive Indian defender in PKL history after being bought for INR 1.015 Crores – take on the attacking prowess of Naveen Kumar, who is among the star raiders for Dabang Delhi K.C. This time around, PKL will be returning to a three-city format, with the 2024 edition commencing at the GMCB Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli in Hyderabad from October 18 to November 9. It will then move to the Noida Indoor Stadium for the second leg starting on November 10 till December 1. The third leg will begin at the Badminton Hall in the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune from December 3 to December 24.  As the PKL moves into Season 11, our commitment to putting fans first, both digitally and on-ground, remains stronger than ever. This season, we are thrilled to provide our superfans with once-in-a-lifetime experiences, a tradition we plan to build on in the future. Through immersive digital interventions and unforgettable in-stadia moments, we aim to create more memorable connections and make our fans an integral part of the PKL journey. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.

17 October,2024 09:08 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Mansukh Mandaviya (Pic: File Pic)

Sports Minister discusses draft sports bill with stakeholders

Governance reforms, athlete welfare measures, and promotion of transparency in administration came up for deliberation as Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a consultation meeting with stakeholders on the Draft National Sports Governance Bill 2024 here on Thursday. Present in the meeting were Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha, representatives from National Sports Federations (NSFs), and National Sports Promotion Organisations (NSPOs). "The Draft National Sports Governance Bill 2024 Bill is a milestone in our mission to build a robust and transparent sports governance structure in India that aligns with international standards, including the Olympic and Paralympic Charter. The active involvement of various stakeholders and public is crucial for shaping policies that reflect the aspirations of our sports community," Mandaviya said. "By empowering athlete-centric federations, introducing the Safe Sports Policy, and establishing an Appellate Sports Tribunal, we are building a robust framework that not only elevates our athletes but also strengthens India's position on the global sports stage." The consultation saw active participation from representatives of various NSFs, NSPOs and IOA who shared their perspectives on the proposed reforms such as relaxation in the age and tenure cap for the administrators, athlete welfare measures, and transparency in administration. "The discussions also focused on key issues such as safeguarding athletes' rights, streamlining the functioning of sports bodies, and enhancing India's global sports standing," a statement from the sports ministry said. According to a source inside the meeting, all NSFs appreciated the government's proposal on age and tenure relaxation in the new bill. Also Read: "I am hurting to see this score of 46 all out": Rohit Sharma "The minister said it's a proactive and good step from our side to work in close coordination with all for the good of Indian sports," the source told PTI. According to the proposed draft bill, the office bearers of NSFs, including president, secretary general and treasurer can continue in their posts even after crossing the age of 70 if they have not completed their tenures. Mandaviya assured the stakeholders that their inputs would be carefully considered in refining the draft bill. The ministry statement, however, did not share the suggestions offered by the various stakeholders. All India Football Federation Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey lauded the government's effort and said the new Sports Governance Bill 2024 will improve the development of sports in the country from grassroot to the elite level. "The introduction of National Sports Governance Bill 2024 is a historic occasion that will give a new life and directive to Indian sports. It also opens a new path of transformation. We expect that this bill will definitely enhance the quality of development in all disciplines from the bottom line to top, like grassroots to senior," he said. "It will improve the quality of infrastructure and training to avoid unnecessary delays in various dispute resolution mechanisms. It will also help administration to run smoothly and will have several option to avoid unnecessary time lapses and bring quality time to improve the standard of sports altogether." Rugby India president Rahul Bose too agreed with Chaubey. "On behalf of Rugby India, we would like to say that the draft of the new National Sports Governance Bill is a welcome step in the right direction," he said. "If the final draft is carried out with rigour and integrity, then transparency, accountability, easy pathways for compliance, and realistically quick time frames for redressal of grievances, will be welcome outcomes for all sporting bodies. "We also appreciate the consultative approach adopted by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports in calling for consultations on the draft before it is tabled in Parliament," he added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.

17 October,2024 08:08 PM IST | New Delhi | PTI
Akhil Sheoran

Sheoran bags bronze medal

In a year marred by disappointments, shooter Akhil Sheoran (below) redeemed himself by winning the men’s 50m rifle 3-positions bronze medal even as the other Indian participants failed to make a mark in the ISSF World Cup Final here on Wednesday. Also Read: 137 goals, zero bids! On a day when both Ashi Chouksey and Nischal could not make it to the women’s 50m rifle 3-positions event and Olympian Rhythm Sangwan was unlucky to miss out on a bronze in the shoot-off for third place with a Chinese shooter in 25m sports pistol, Akhil remained calm to win India’s second medal in the year-ending tournament with a score of 452.6. He beat back the challenge from China’s Liu Yukun, the Paris Olympics gold medallist, who finished fourth. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

17 October,2024 07:43 AM IST | New Delhi | PTI
A visibly dejected Yuvraj Walmiki at his trophy-laden home in Marine Lines yesterday. Pic/Atul Kamble

137 goals, zero bids!

Fate has dealt former India forward Yuvraj Walmiki a severe blow — almost like his trademark rasping reverse hit off which he has scored numerous goals on the hockey turf — by leaving him unsold at the recent Hockey India League player auction in Delhi. As many as 192 players were picked, from a total of 550-plus, as eight men’s franchise outfits bid for 24 players each. Walmiki, 35, however, went unsold, despite his brilliant form on the domestic circuit. The hardworking striker, who leads the Railways Sports Promotion Board team (Indian Railways), has scored a whopping 137 goals in the last three years in domestic hockey and in international club tournaments (see box). “When I was younger, I faced many rejections when it came to being picked for the India team, particularly for the 2012 London Olympics, but I learnt to accept them gracefully and continued grinding it out on the domestic front. But after being left out of this eight-team Hockey India League despite offering a low base price [R5 lakh] I’m totally shattered. I cried through that night,” a distraught Walmiki told mid-day on Wednesday. Also Read: Women's T20 World Cup 2024, AUS-W vs SA-W: Another awesome show coming up? Age no bar for auction Interestingly, Walmiki is a national selector and had also checked with Hockey India if that would be a problem before making himself available for the auction. “I checked with Hockey India about my age too, in case that was also a criterion. But they assured me that my age or the fact that I’m a selector, has no bearing on being picked at the auction,” added Walmiki, who led Indian Railways to the prestigious MCC Murugappa Cup title in Chennai last month, scoring five goals en route. Walmiki’s name was mistakenly listed in the midfielders category, so he initially felt that could be a reason that he was left out, but when franchises did not touch him even towards the end of the auction, it hurt even more. “The auction began around 10am and my name came up in the midfielders category around 3:45pm, so it’s possible that some franchises may have missed me or not picked me since I’m a forward. But at 10pm, after all the franchises had picked 20 players each, Hockey India asked them to submit a list of four players from the remaining unsold lot at their base prices. Even then, no one thought of picking me. That is most shocking. I’ve never felt so unwanted before,” said Walmiki, who was picked for the first HIL in 2013 for USD 18,500 by Delhi Waveriders, who finished runners-up. In 2014, Delhi retained him for a whopping USD 40,000 and won the title. Then, in the third season, he helped Delhi win the bronze medal. According to a franchise official, Walmiki might have missed out purely due to situational issues. “It all depends on timing, about when the player’s name comes up in the bidding and how much money is left in the franchisee’s purse then. For example, if a franchise has picked its first set of forwards and has kept the remaining purse for defenders, in this case, Yuvraj would not fit in, so he misses out,” said the franchise member. Dhanraj livid India hockey legend Dhanraj Pillay was shocked to learn that a player of Walmiki’s calibre wasn’t picked at the auction. “Yuvraj is the best centreforward Mumbai hockey has produced, after me. He is playing really well for Railways and scoring goals frequently. He was among the best players at the previous HIL editions, so I don’t understand how he has not been picked at this auction. This is nothing, but politics which is one of the reasons even I have kept away from Indian hockey for the last few years,” Pillay told mid-day.  Yuvi’s a wily striker: Joaquim Olympian and former India coach Joaquim Carvalho felt Yuvraj should have walked into any of the HIL franchise teams. “Yuvraj should have definitely been picked at the HIL auction. Clearly, these  franchises haven’t seen him leading Indian Railways. He’s a wily striker and can turn half chances into goals. There’s some politics at play here due to which a talented player has lost out,” said Carvalho. Red hot form 2022March: Won Obaidulla Cup in Bhopal for RSPB, scoring 5 goals April: Won Kolkata League for East Bengal, scoring 11 goals.October: Won bronze at National Games in Gujarat for Maharashtra, scoring 8 goals (top scorer of the tournament)November: Won Surjit Cup in Jalandhar for RSPB, scoring 3 goals November: Won Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup in Delhi for RSPB, scoring 6 goals (Named best player of the tournament)December: Won National Championships in Delhi for RSPB, scoring 8 goals 2023March: Runners-up at National Championships in Bangalore for RSPB, scoring 6 goals March: Won Kolkata League with Mohan Bagan, scoring 9 goals.June: Played Kenya League for Sikh Union Club in Africa, scoring 13 goals.September: Won MCC Murugappa Cup in Chennai for RSPB, scoring 8 goals (named best forward of the tourney)November: Captained Maharashtra at National Games in Goa, 4th place, scoring 1 goal.November: Captained Maharashtra team at National Championship in Chennai, scoring 5 goals. December: Coorg tournament, top scorer with 12 goals. 2024February: Runners-up at Kolkata League, scoring 16 goals. May: Won Hong Kong League, scoring 11 goals.May: Runners-up at Cal Cup in California, USA, scoring 5 goals.September: Runners-up at Pune National Championships for RSPB, scoring 5 goals.September: Captained and won MCC Murugappa Cup Chennai for RSPB, scoring 5 goals.

17 October,2024 07:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Ashwin Ferro
After buying Sachin and maintaining squad continuity, Tamil Thalaivas look to challenge for the title in PKL 11

PKL Season 11: Tamil Thalaivas' SWOT analysis

After a below-par campaign last time around, Tamil Thalaivas will be raring to put their best foot forward once Season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League gets underway on October 18. The Thalaivas failed to make it past the league stage last season having qualified for the semi-finals in Season 9. It goes without saying that they will be keen to return to the PKL 11 Playoffs under the guidance of a dual-coach system. For Season 11, the Tamil Thalaivas have appointed Udaya Kumar as head coach and Dharmaraj Cheralathan - a former PKL winner as a player - as strategy coach to guide the team in a collaborative manner. Having already retained their core squad from the previous campaign, Tamil Thalaivas weren’t the busiest at the Season 11 Player Auction table although they did make the most expensive purchase by signing raider Sachin for a whopping INR 2.15 crores. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of Tamil Thalaivas before the action begins in Season 11. Also Read: PKL 11: Know all the head coaches participating in Pro Kabaddi Season 11 Strengths The Thalaivas’ biggest strength in Season 11 is likely to be the fact that they’ve managed to retain most of their key players from the previous campaign. Narender, who has picked up 429 raid points in two seasons with the Thalaivas, will once again play a crucial role in attack for the team. In addition, the acquisition of Sachin, who has accumulated 952 raid points in his PKL career and is the league's all-time leading scorer of do-or-die raid points (233), makes it easy to see how formidable the Thalaivas’ raiding unit looks on paper. Furthermore, their backup raiders, such as Vishal Chahal, who scored 34 raid points in his PKL debut for the Thalaivas last season, along with the experienced Chandran Ranjit, who has notched up 534 raid points, further strengthen their attack. Tamil Thalaivas have also ensured continuity in defence by retaining Sagar, M. Abishek, Sahil Gulia, Himanshu, Mohit, and Amirhossein Bastami. Sahil Gulia and Sagar finished among the top 10 tackle points scorers in PKL 10, with 69 and 66 tackle points respectively. Weaknesses That said, it will be interesting to see how the likes of M. Abishek, Himanshu, Mohit and Amirhossein Bastami cope, should there be an injury to or loss in form for their main defenders Sahil Gulia and Sagar.  Sagar’s absence from the team due to injury for a few matches last season affected the Thalaivas’ overall defensive performance and balance. As a result, the onus and scrutiny on the Thalaivas’ backup defenders will be greater this time around, making it imperative for them to step up and deliver should a similar situation arise. Also Read: Aslam Inamdar: The face of Puneri Paltan’s kabaddi resurgence Opportunities Already recognised as one of the league’s premier raiders, Sachin is just 48 raid points away from completing 1000 in PKL. He will look to establish himself as one of the elite raiders in Season 11 after a couple of inconsistent showings over the last couple of campaigns compared to his lofty standards. He will be hoping to breach the 200 raid points mark in a season for the first time in his career in the upcoming campaign and finds himself in the ideal environment to do so with young Narender alongside him to shoulder the raiding responsibilities - a luxury not always afforded to him in the past.  Threats One area that Tamil Thalaivas would be wary about is their lack of an established all-rounder with PKL experience in the team. All-rounders are crucial due to the balance they bring to the team courtesy of their ability to chip in with points on both ends of the mat. Iranian Moein Safaghi is yet to play in the PKL and putting all the pressure on him as Tamil Thalaivas’ sole all-rounder could prove to be difficult for a player yet to make his debut.  If one of the Thalaivas’ starting players is unavailable due to injuries or knocks, a quality all-rounder would have been the perfect replacement. However, Tamil Thalaivas will have to look for different solutions if such a situation arises considering the fact that Season 11 will be Moein Safaghi’s debut campaign. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

16 October,2024 03:53 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
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