After completing two legs of the PKL season 11 in Hyderabad and Noida, the tournament now moves to Maharashtra, a state that has championed Kabaddi. The next stage will begin at the Badminton Hall in Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune, from December 3 to December 24. Anupam Goswami, League Commissioner of the Kabaddi League, announced that the intensity witnessed in the first two stages will reach its peak during the Pune stage, with matches becoming increasingly competitive. In a press conference today, Goswami highlighted Maharashtra's renowned kabaddi passion. Pune's fans will witness outstanding performances from national and international players, with this stage showcasing a new generation of emerging talent. Also Read: Cheteshwar Pujara feels this Indian player should lead after Rohit Sharma The tournament's intensity has been building since the first stage and has progressively increased. The upcoming Pune stage is expected to be the most thrilling yet. Players from Maharashtra like Ajit Chouhan, Akash Shinde and Shivam Patare have made significant strides in this ongoing season. While the first six teams will qualify for the knockout phase, the final standings remain uncertain. The minimal point differences ensure that this stage will be extraordinarily competitive. Goswami expressed optimism about Kabaddi's growing global reach, believing the sport is close to becoming an Olympic event, though he emphasized the need for more continental competitions. Puneri Paltan, the defending champions, continue to demonstrate their championship form. Coach B.C. Ramesh noted that playing before home supporters will significantly boost the team's morale and motivation. Team captain Akash Shinde emphasized that Kabaddi is fundamentally a team sport, and their players are showcasing exceptional collective performance across all aspects of the game. Ajit Chouhan from U Mumba – who has 114 points in 14 matches this season – declared their unwavering commitment to victory, acknowledging the potential pressure of home ground competition while remaining focused on their goal. U Mumba's head coach Gholamreza Mazandarani added that the excitement surrounding the Maharashtra derby is equally high among fans and players alike. Having been defeated by Puneri Paltan in their first league match, they are determined to turn the tables and prove their mettle. The stage is now set for what promises to be an electrifying and fiercely competitive Pro Kabaddi League phase in Pune. With the Eliminators and Semi-Finals also taking place in the city from December 26 and December 27 respectively, and the final scheduled for December 29, the city promises an exciting finish to yet another PKL 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.
02 December,2024 06:56 PM IST | Pune | A CorrespondentDefending champions Auxilium Convent High School (Wadala) retained their crown in the girls U-14 category, while Yashodham High School (Goregaon) claimed the boys U-14 title at the MSSA inter-school handball tournament at St Sebastian High School, Chembur, on Friday. The Yashodham lads with their trophy and medals. Pics/Atul Kamble In the girls final, Auxilium showcased their dominance with a 14-6 win over JB Vachha (Dadar). Khushi Gorde took charge for Auxilium with six goals, supported by Chinmayee More with five and Saee Gole with three goals. JB Vachha displayed a spirited performance with Vritika Nayak scoring five goals and a solitary goal from Sahana Subramaniyu. Also Read: St Anthony’s boys make it count! In the boys final, Yashodham defeated IES School (Kandivli) 16-6. Goalkeeper Arnav Bhoir made eight crucial saves and stopped three out of four penalties. Viraj Mhatre led Yashodham’s attack with seven goals, while Pratham Shetey contributed five, Vedant Yadav added three, and Lek Karambelkar one. IES reduced the deficit through Aryan Savle (hat-trick), Om Wastei (two goals) and Shreyas Kadam.
02 December,2024 06:37 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamOffered at the unplayable odds of only 12 paise to a rupee, the Pesi Shroff-trained Santissimo set his own pace to bring the small field into the homestretch, and then ran away from his three hapless rivals to win the A Campbell Trophy, the feature event of Sunday's eight-race Mahalaxmi card. Owned by Gautam Lala of Gainsville stud in partnership with KP Rungta, JD Gupta, Saleem Fazelbhoy and A Siddharth, Santissimo was ridden to victory by jockey P Trevor. The same trainer-jockey pair also won the lower division of the Dr Jagjit Singh Trophy for Class IV horses with four-year-old Colt Chagall in the orange and black silks of Mr & Mrs CF Palia. After combining to win the double, both Shroff and Trevor also separately notched up one more point each, ending the day with three winners apiece. Trevor's third win came when he posted a stylish victory in the Class III Gateway Of India Plate with Shambala (Planetaire - Ice Cube Baby), trained by Ms Nazak Chenoy who owns the three-year-old colt in partnership with JH Damania. Also Read: Dream Seller bags RCTC Cup Win to lose The father-son pair of trainer Malesh Narredu and jockey Yash, who had a forgettable Pune season with only one win, got off the mark on Sunday when Among The Stars won the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy (VI Bart) Trophy for maiden two-year-olds on the racetrack, but their joy was short-lived. Jockey Vivek G astride the Pesi Shroff-trained Matisse, who faced interference from the winner in the final furlong, lodged a protest with the stewards who, after due deliberation, upheld the objection and reversed the order of placings. Matisse was Pesi Shroff's third winner of the day, but due to the unique circumstances, neither he nor owners KN Dhunjibhoy, ZK Dhunjibhoy, Ms Anosha Meyers & Vispi R Patel could lead in the Kingda Ka -Darinza colt. Spectacular Suraj The supporting event of the card, the Director General Of Police Trophy for Class III horses, saw three-year-old colt Inquilab getting a spectacular ride from jockey Suraj Narredu who managed to galvanize the Imtiaz Sait-trained Planetaire - Sapphire Rose colt to surge ahead with a decisive dash at the most crucial juncture of the race. Inquilab is owned by filmmaker Milan Luthria and his wife Liane, in partnership with Mr & Mirs Homi Mehta and Jehangir Mehta. The Sunday card opened with an effortless victory by Floyd (TS Jodha up) in the VR Menon Plate for four years & older horses in Class V. Trained by Behram Cama for owner Jaydev Mody, the son of Quasar treated his rivals with utter contempt. The upper division of the Dr Jagjit Singh Trophy was won by Earth, owned by Vikram Bachhawat and trained by Sanjay Kolse, in the hands of jockey A Sandesh. Jockey R Ajinkya astride three-year-old Desert Classic (Phoenix Tower - Evelyn's Dancer) stunned his more fancied rivals in the Captain G Hall Trophy at the lucrative odds of 8-to-1. Desert Classic was recently transferred to trainer PS Chouhan's stables after change of ownership to MN Mirza.
02 December,2024 06:26 AM IST | Mumbai | Prakash GosaviEngland’s Luke Griffiths bagged a double on the concluding day of the Willingdon Sports Club’s Racketlon India Open, sponsored by HSBC. In a riveting Elite men’s singles final, 21-year-old Luke, the World No. 4, pipped his older brother Leon, the World No. 2, 12-21, 16-21,21-9, 21-18. Luke narrowly lost the table tennis and badminton events, but came back strongly to win the squash and tennis to clinch the title by a slim 2- point margin. Meanwhile, Pauline Cave upset World No. 1 Stine Jacobsen 21-9, 4-21, 21-9, 15-10. Frenchwoman Pauline completed a double winning the Elite women’s doubles with Stine Jacobsen of Denmark. Morocco’s Kouba Mohammed Tariq added the singles crown to the doubles he won on Saturday. 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
02 December,2024 06:24 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesTop seeds PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen produced commanding performances to claim the women’s and men’s singles titles, respectively, at the Syed Modi International badminton tournament here on Sunday. Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, ended her long title drought by outplaying China’s World No. 119 Wu Luo Yu 21-14, 21-16 to lift the trophy for the third time, having previously triumphed in 2017 and 2022. In the men’s singles final, Lakshya, a 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, was at his dominant best as he demolished Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh 21-6, 21-7 in the title clash, displaying complete command over the match. Sindhu’s victory marks her return to the top of the podium after over two years, with her last title win being at the Singapore Open in July 2022. Lakshya’s win comes as a balm after a disappointing loss in the bronze medal Playoff at the Paris Olympics. The victory will undoubtedly boost his confidence ahead of the new season. Also Read: Sindhu on song, Lakshya off tune Indian badminton had more to celebrate on the day as the women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand clinched their maiden Super 300 title with a convincing 21-18, 21-11 win over China’s Bao Li Jing and Li Qian. 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
02 December,2024 06:24 AM IST | Lucknow | PTIIndian challenger D Gukesh held defending champion Ding Liren of China to a draw with black pieces in an intense sixth game of the World Chess Championship to remain level on points here Sunday. The third draw in a row left both players on an identical tally of three points apiece, still shy of 4.5 more points in order to win the championship. The two players signed peace after 46 moves. It was the fourth draw of the match. It remains to be seen what strategy the players would opt for as the match moves towards the half-way mark. The 32-year-old Liren had won the opening game while the 18-year-old Gukesh had emerged victorious in the third game. The second, fourth and fifth games had ended in draws. With eight games still remaining in the 14-round match, the battle will resume after the second rest day on Monday. If the scores are tied after eight games, there is an extra day for tie-break games of shorter duration to decide the next world champion. Also Read: Gelfand backing for chess stalwart D Gukesh Gukesh later said he did not feel any real danger during the sixth game. “I knew this position till Rb8 [Black’s 16th move] and even though I did not know [the next] I thought maybe I am slightly worse but it should be really hard to convert it with white because you cannot push the queen side pawns easily and I always have play on his king. I wasn’t really that worried at any point,” Gukesh said in the post-game conference. GM Arjun Erigaisi becomes second Indian to breach 2800 ELO rating; fourth in rankings Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi on Sunday became the second Indian after legendary Viswanathan Anand and 16th worldwide to reach the gold-standard ELO rating of 2800, while also occupying the fourth spot in the latest rankings. The 21-year-old has been in sensational form this year, having won an individual gold as well as a team title in India’s recent Chess Olympiad victory. 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
02 December,2024 06:10 AM IST | Singapore | PTIIndia's two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu ended her Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour drought of over two years by defeating China's Wu Luo Yu in the finals of the Syed Modi India International badminton tournament in Lucknow here on Sunday. In the title clash lasting for 47 minutes, Sindhu defeated Luo Yu by 21-14, 21-16, within two straight games. This was Sindhu's first BWF World Tour title since the Singapore Open title in July 2022, which was a BWF Super 500 tournament, as compared to Syed Modi India International, which is a BWF Super 300 tournament. In 2023 and this year, she had reached the finals of the Spain Masters and Malaysia Masters but failed to win the title. PV Sindhu has done it again!! Current World no 2 is the champion of Syed Modi India International 🏸She claims Victory, She claims Glory 🥇 pic.twitter.com/0adkBmawJF — Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) December 1, 2024 Coming to men's singles, India's Commonwealth Games champion and Olympian Lakshya Sen secured the title, his first since the Canada Open last year. He defeated Singapore's Jason Teh by 21-6, 21-7 in an extremely one-sided match in just 31 minutes. Also Read: Sindhu on song, Lakshya off tune There was also some great news coming from the doubles competition as well, as the Indian women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured the title. They beat the Chinese pair of Bao Li Jing and Li Qian by 21-18, 21-11. This match lasted for 41 minutes. This also marks their first BWF World Tour title in two years, having last won the Odisha Open in 2022. However, India lost the men's doubles and mixed doubles finals, not completing a clean sweep. In the mixed doubles final, the pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto lost to the Thailand pair of Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran by 21-18, 14-21, 8-21. Despite winning the first game, the Indians failed to carry the momentum and lost their next two games and the match by big margins. Coming to the men's doubles finals, the team of Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K lost to China's Huang Di and Liu Yang by 14-21, 21-19, 17-21. Despite staging a comeback in the second game to force a decider, the Indians fumbled in the final game.
01 December,2024 05:59 PM IST | Indore | mid-day online correspondentThe Gusto - Beldon Hill three-year-old Colt Santissimo, trained by Pesi Shroff, looks set to demolish his three older rivals in the A Campbell Trophy, the feature event of Sunday's Mumbai card. Santissimo will be ridden by jockey P Trevor. First race at 1.30 pm. Selections VR Menon Plate (For 4y&o, Class V; 1600m) Floyd 1, Northbound 2, Mariella 3. A Campbell Trophy (Class II; 1400m) Santissimo 1, Singer Sargent 2. Dr Jagjit Singh Trophy - Div I (Class IV; 1400m) Substantial 1, Earth 2, Scaramouche 3. Captain G. Hall Trophy (For 3y, Class IV; 1200m) Star Impact 1, Red Mist 2, Wind Dancer 3. Director General of Police Trophy (Class III; 1600m) Inquilab 1, Golden Thunder 2, The Panther 3. Dr Jagjit Singh Trophy - Div II (Class IV; 1400m) Chagall 1, Nostalgia 2, Midnight Express 3. Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy (VI Bart) Trophy (For 2y, Maidens; 1000m) Caradoc 1, Whirlwind 2, Muskoka 3. Gateway of India Plate (Class III; 1200m) Shambala 1, Azrinaz 2, Lazarus 3. Also Read: Dream Seller bags RCTC Cup Recommendations Best bet: None Upsets: Yuletide (1-3), Flashman ((4-11) & Delstar (7-2) Today's pools Super jackpot pool: 3,4,5,6,7,8 Jackpot pool: 4,5,6,7,8 Treble pool: I - 2,3,4; II - 5,6,7. Tanala pool: All races.
01 December,2024 11:58 AM IST | Mumbai | Prakash GosaviLiving up to his legacy has been the cornerstone of Indian hockey player Hardik Singh's career. Having won bronze medals in successive Olympic Games in Tokyo (2020) and Paris (2024), the midfielder is now targeting a gold medal in the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028. This will be the second Olympic gold medal in his family, adding to the one that his uncle Gurmail Singh bagged as part of the Indian men's hockey team in the Moscow Olympics in 1980. Hardik says there is no pressure and no competition to upstage his uncle but to keep going the family's history of serving the country on the hockey field. "There is no competition, but it is a legacy that is going on in my family. I am always inspired by what my uncle has won. So, I will be a lot more focused on winning the gold medal. Hockey is India's national sport and I want to claim the gold medal for my country and my family," Hardik told IANS in an exclusive interview. Winning the Olympic gold is his long-term target, the immediate aim is to win a medal in the upcoming 2026 World Cup in Belgium and Netherlands. A fifth-generation hockey player, the 26-year-old from Khusropur, Jalandhar district of Punjab has followed in the footsteps of his father Varinderpreet Singh, his uncles Gurmail Singh and Jugraj Singh and aunt Rajbir Kaur, all of them are international players. His grandfather Preetam Singh Rai has a hockey association as he has coached many players. Also Read: Mumbai Customs win Masters Hockey Carnival in Goa Hardik has taken this legacy forward though there was a day in 2012 when he had contemplated quitting the game for good and settling in the Netherlands, as he was finding it difficult to break into the national team. He was persuaded by his uncles, particularly Jugraj Singh, and friends not to lose heart and to continue pursuing the sport and success would come to him. Hardik did just that and the rest as they say is history. He now has two Olympic medals, an Asian Games gold medal (Hangzhou 2022), a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and many more international accolades. The icing on the cake was the FIH Player of the Year he won in 2024, cementing his position among the top players in the world. Though winning an Olympic gold medal is his ultimate aim, Hardik says currently his focus is to continue giving his best to the Indian hockey team in whichever way possible. Hardik will have to play a crucial role for the Indian hockey team in the next two seasons. India go into a hectic season with the revived Hockey India League (HIL) in Rourkela and Bhubaneswar, which will be followed by the FIH Pro League matches starting in February. The team will also play Asia Cup next year which will be followed by the World Cup qualifiers in case India fail to grab a direct berth to the quadrennial extravaganza to be hosted jointly by Belgium and Netherlands in August 2026. Hardik has already played two World Cups, in 2018 and 2023, both in India. "At the moment, we are going step by step that we have Asia Cup now so we will focus on that and then there is World Cup and we will focus on that. Because when you have such a big aim, you have to go step-by-step. Right now our main aim is that we continue to go talk stock of where we are going, grow strong as a team and play good and error-free hockey," said Hardik. Hardik, along with some senior members of the team and the coaching staff led by coach Craig Fulton have already embarked on that journey. They are currently in Breda, Netherlands for a series of exhibition matches to prepare for the upcoming events. Fulton has picked a number of youngsters to test them and help them integrate into the team. The creative mind of the team as the midfield general who goes running tirelessly up and down the field, Hardik is now a senior player and sees himself playing a key role in guiding the youngsters and helping them assimilate into the team's playing style and culture. "Training here in Breda makes me a bit nostalgic. I remember a few years back I had come to this same place as part of the Indian squad in which I was the youngest and my seniors helped me integrate into the team. Now I have to perform the role my seniors played at that time," Hardik told IANS from Breda on Friday afternoon as he enjoyed a rare off-day from hockey training. The new-look Indian team will play some exhibition matches will some Dutch clubs and is also hoping to play two matches against the Olympic champions Netherlands team. They will then embark on a new journey in the Hockey India League (HIL) another legacy event for Hardik as he took part in the 2017 edition as a very young player. "It is a great opportunity for us and the young players to play some of the top international stars, watch them closely and compete with them as part of rival franchises. If you see the Indian team that won bronze in Tokyo in 2021, all of those players had come through the HIL. So, HIL is going to play a big role in our success in 2028 and beyond," said Hardik. Outside of the hockey field, the 26-year-old is a Punjab government employee and wants to get married and settle down. He says parents and spouses play a key role in keeping hockey players going. So, to complete that setup, Hardik says he wants to get married soon. "Away from hockey, my aim is to get married," he says laughing out loud. That would prove an easier target to achieve for Hardik as he is currently one of the most eligible bachelors in the Indian hockey team, a star player with a good government job. 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
01 December,2024 08:52 AM IST | Mumbai | IANSTop Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen cruised to the women’s and men’s singles finals with dominating victories at the Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament here Saturday. Top seed Sindhu outclassed the 17-year-old compatriot Unnati Hooda 21-12, 21-9 in just 36 minutes in the semifinal, while Lakshya outclassed Japan’s Shogo Ogawa 21-8, 21-14 in 42 minutes. Hooda struggled to challenge Sindhu, committing a series of unforced errors that allowed her illustrious opponent to maintain control throughout the match. “I am happy with today’s performance. From the beginning, I maintained the lead. I was just trying out a few strokes and overall, I was confident with the way I was playing,” Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, said after the match. Also Read: Sindhu on song, Lakshya off tune “Unnati played her best, but I didn’t give her a chance to overtake me. She is an upcoming player, and I wish her all the very best.” A former world champion, Sindhu, currently ranked 18th, will face China’s Wu Luo Yu in the final as she chases her third Syed Modi International title. “I need to go back and prepare for tomorrow because it’s not going to be easy. From the beginning, I need to give my best,” said Sindhu. Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya, on the other hand, will face Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh in the summit clash. India’s mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila advanced to the final with a convincing straight-game victory over China’s Zhi Hong Zhou and Jia Yi Yang. 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
01 December,2024 08:49 AM IST | Lucknow | PTIDefending champions India delivered a commanding performance to storm into the semi-final of the men’s Junior Asia Cup hockey tournament with a resounding 16-0 win over Chinese Taipei here on Saturday. Dilraj Singh led the charge with four goals, while Rosan Kujur and Sourabh Anand Kushwaha scored hat-tricks, as India completely outclassed their opponents. Also Read: High five for Kabir With three consecutive victories, the PR Sreejesh-coached side sit atop Pool A with nine points, ahead of Japan (6) and have qualified for the last-four with a round to spare. India will face Korea in their final group match on December 1, with the semi-final scheduled for December 3. 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
01 December,2024 08:48 AM IST | Muscat (Oman) | PTIADVERTISEMENT
