Johannesburg, April 30 (IANS) Aiden Markram to lead the charge as South Africa on Tuesday announced the 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 to be played in the USA and West Indies from June 1-29.

This will be Markram's first World Cup assignment since being named T20I captain.

The team includes experienced batters Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and the promising Tristan Stubbs. Also, the squad features two uncapped T20I players; wicket-keeper batter Ryan Rickelton and fast bowler Ottniel Baartman.

Rickelton finished as the leading run-scorer of the second edition of the SA20 with 530 runs at an average of 58.88 for MI Cape Town, while Baartman took 18 wickets in eight matches for defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape and is currently with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals.

Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje will be leading the pace attack. They will be supported by Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee.

Other notable selections include three front-line spinners; Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi.

Pace pair Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi have been named as the travelling reserves.

"Selecting this group was extremely tough considering the amount of T20 cricket that has been played recently and the form that has been on show. I want to congratulate the two uncapped players, Ryan and Ottniel, on their selection," head coach Rob Walter said.

"We have seen some incredible performances from our players in 2024 and that made my job very tough indeed. I am nonetheless proud and confident that we have named the strongest possible squad that no doubt has every chance of success in the West Indies and USA," he added.

South Africa will begin their campaign on June 3 against Sri Lanka in New York.

Meanwhile, Walter has also named a provisional squad for the preceding three-match T20I series against West Indies.

Cricket South Africa said this squad for T20I series will change and have players added to it when management is aware of IPL player availability.

"Our preparations for the tournament will start with a three-match T20I series against West Indies. For this tour we will unfortunately be without most of the players who are currently involved in the IPL," Walter added.

South Africa T20 World Cup squad: Aiden Markram , Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Tristan Stubbs.

Travelling Reserves

Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi

South Africa T20I provisional squad against West Indies: Ottniel Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter (DP World Lions), Ryan Rickelton, Andile Phehlukwayo , Tabraiz Shamsi, and Rassie van der Dussen.

Johannesburg, April 30 (IANS) Aiden Markram to lead the charge as South Africa on Tuesday announced the 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 to be played in the USA and West Indies from June 1-29.

This will be Markram's first World Cup assignment since being named T20I captain.

The team includes experienced batters Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and the promising Tristan Stubbs. Also, the squad features two uncapped T20I players; wicket-keeper batter Ryan Rickelton and fast bowler Ottniel Baartman.

Rickelton finished as the leading run-scorer of the second edition of the SA20 with 530 runs at an average of 58.88 for MI Cape Town, while Baartman took 18 wickets in eight matches for defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape and is currently with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals.

Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje will be leading the pace attack. They will be supported by Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee.

Other notable selections include three front-line spinners; Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi.

Pace pair Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi have been named as the travelling reserves.

"Selecting this group was extremely tough considering the amount of T20 cricket that has been played recently and the form that has been on show. I want to congratulate the two uncapped players, Ryan and Ottniel, on their selection," head coach Rob Walter said.

"We have seen some incredible performances from our players in 2024 and that made my job very tough indeed. I am nonetheless proud and confident that we have named the strongest possible squad that no doubt has every chance of success in the West Indies and USA," he added.

South Africa will begin their campaign on June 3 against Sri Lanka in New York.

Meanwhile, Walter has also named a provisional squad for the preceding three-match T20I series against West Indies.

Cricket South Africa said this squad for T20I series will change and have players added to it when management is aware of IPL player availability.

"Our preparations for the tournament will start with a three-match T20I series against West Indies. For this tour we will unfortunately be without most of the players who are currently involved in the IPL," Walter added.

South Africa T20 World Cup squad: Aiden Markram , Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Tristan Stubbs.

Travelling Reserves

Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi

South Africa T20I provisional squad against West Indies: Ottniel Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter (DP World Lions), Ryan Rickelton, Andile Phehlukwayo , Tabraiz Shamsi, and Rassie van der Dussen.

The WBBL, which had a 56-game regular season in each of the nine seasons since it was introduced in 2015-16, has now transitioned to a 40-game season, aligning it with the men's BBL final.

Teams will now compete in 10 regular season matches instead of 14. The salary caps for clubs will remain unchanged.

The new state-based T20 competition, which still has some details to be finalised, is expected to run alongside the 50-over Women's National Cricket League.

The introduction of new competition means there will be no overall reduction in women's games with the tournament to provide more top-flight playing opportunities for domestic cricketers, according to cricket.com.au website.

Next season, the new competition will lead to an increase in salaries for female domestic players. The average salary for female domestic players will rise by eight per cent to AU$163,322 for those holding contracts in both the WBBL and state competitions.

CA has pledged to increase the number of matches held in Australia's premier stadiums, with a focus on maximizing attendance for women's internationals and the WBBL at the major venues.

Kuldeep Yadav's resilient unbeaten 35 off 26 helped Delhi Capitals to post 153/9 in 20 overs. However, the home side KKR chased down the target in 16.3 overs, courtesy of Phil Salt's 68 off 33.

DC have now lost six, won five in their 11 matches so far and are currently placed sixth on the points table. With three games to go, Hopes stated, "Our destiny is still in our own hands. If we can win three games and get the 16 points, that should be good enough."

"But we do have a week off now where we can readjust and see if we need to think a little differently about anything. We are going back to Delhi for two of the three games, obviously a very high-scoring venue at the moment and we're going to Bangalore as well, obviously another high-scoring venue. Tonight was a missed opportunity by us and we won't hide behind any excuses for that," he added.

Speaking about the decision of opting to bat first, Hopes explained, "The thought process behind it was, we're having some success trying to put a big score on the board and then trying to defend it, and I think we knew there wasn't going to be much dew."

He added, "We knew when we started batting we probably had to get a score of 200. We might have just aimed a bit too high and didn't understand quickly enough that the wicket was sticking for the spinners. We got two pretty good spinners ourselves, and maybe aiming for the 180 to 210 score was more realistic and more defendable."

Delhi Capitals will take on Rajasthan Royals in their next match at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on May 7.

Salt hammered 68 runs in 33 deliveries, his fourth half-century of the season, adding 79 runs with opener Sunil Narine in the chase of 154, which guided the hosts to a seven-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals at the Eden Gardens here on Monday.

With 392 runs off nine matches in IPL 2024, Salt now stands in the fourth position in the race for the Orange Cap.

"Yeah, it doesn't hurt Phil Salt. He'll be very happy with his performance tonight. He's been very good, there's no doubt about it. Again, he can find those boundaries, in just the 33 balls. He's had a really good IPL so far and he's such an important player for KKR. Like I say, it’s not just about the runs he's scoring, but it's also about the way he's scoring them," said Clarke on Star Sports Cricket Live.

Clarke further said that a lot of teams have got at least one destructive player in their top order but KKR have two in the form of Salt and Narine.

"That positive intent, he plays his spinners pretty well, very aggressive to the quicks. And when someone like him is in form, he's that X factor. He's that player that can really make a lot of difference like a lot of teams have got at least one of those players in their top three or four. KKR's got two, they've got Narine and Salt who are very destructive and very dangerous," he said.

Meanwhile, former India cricketer Varun Aaron lauded Varun Chakravarthy’s bowling performance against DC. The leg-spinner claimed the figures of 3-16 to restrict and adjudged the player of the match.

"The way Varun bowled today; he swung things in favour of KKR at home. He took all three very important wickets, including the captain. He bowled with a lot more flight, let the ball turn, and didn't bowl that flat like he was bowling in previous matches. He needed this performance to boost his confidence, as he acknowledged after the presentation. Until now, he hadn't been having the best tournament.

"It's crucial for any team eyeing the playoffs and the title to have all their players performing at their peak, and that's precisely what's happening with Rajasthan. Every player is chipping in at different times, Jurel chipped in last night. Similarly, KKR would want all of their players to get the confidence going before they eventually qualify, which I think they will," said Aaron.

With six wins in nine games, KKR are currently sitting second on the points table, two points behind table topper Rajasthan Royals.

Kolkata will next play Mumbai Indians on May 3 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Mumbai, April 30 (IANS) The Indian Men’s 15s Rugby team will chalk up another milestone in their journey to the Asian frontier as they will compete at the Asia Rugby Men’s 15s Championship Division -1, for the first time ever.

Qualifying for the Division -1 has brought the Indian team one step closer to competing on the highest level in Asia, the Asia Rugby 15s Championship.

Led by seasoned campaigner Deepak Punia along with his deputy Hitesh Dagar, the men’s team will go up against Sri Lanka for their first match on the April 30.

On the other side, Qatar and Kazakhstan will fight for a spot in the finals, with the winner between India and Sri Lanka.

The winners of this competition stand to qualify for the Asia Rugby 15s championship to face off against higher ranked countries like Korea, Hong Kong China, and Malaysia, ranked 30, 24, and 50 on the world stage, respectively.

This campaign sees 5 players making their debut. Vallabh Patil, Shakti Nag, Abhishek Shukla, Joginder, and Ajit Hansdah have shown tremendous promise and mental strength, qualities that propel them into the Indian team.

Squad:

Deepak Kumar Punia (C), Hitesh Dagar (VC), Sanket Patil, Vallabh Patil, Suraj Prasad, Harvinder Singh, Javed Hussain, Shivam Shukla, Bhupendra Bokar, Mohit Khatri, Neeraj, Prince Khatri, Bharat Dagar, Mannu, Pradeep Tanwar, Joginder, Abhishek Shukla, Prabal Giri, Sukumar Hembrom, Rajdeep Saha, Shakti Nag, Asis Sabar. Ajit Hansdah, Devendra Padir, Bhupinder Singh, Suresh Kumar.

Ilario Corna, IOC's chief information technology officer said, "Our partnership with Intel has propelled us into a realm where emerging technologies, powered by artificial intelligence, are reshaping the world of sport for spectators, athletes, IOC staff and Partners.

"Through their AI-powered solutions, Intel has enabled us to deploy AI faster than ever before. Together, in Paris, our collaboration will create an Olympic experience like never before, embodying our shared commitment to building a better world through sport.

Audience will be able to enjoy 8k livestreaming broadcast for the first time at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, reports Xinhua.

Other technologies will also create a journey of becoming an Olympic athlete to give the fans an experience of interactive, AI-powered activations, the IOC said.

The AI technology also transforms video footage of artefacts in the Olympic collections into 3D digital models, which is aiming to preserve the legacy of the Olympic Games.

The result sees Barca move back above Girona in La Liga ahead of its game in Girona next weekend and also means that Real Madrid can't assure the La Liga title in its match at home to Cadiz next week.

Barcelona opened the scoring in the 21st minute when Fermin Lopez again showed his intelligence around the penalty area when he darted in between two defenders to head home Raphinha's pinpoint cross, reports Xinhua.

Barca's lead didn't last long in a rainy Montjuic after Hugo Duro leveled five minutes later.

Valencia's top scorer chased down a long ball over the top and although Marc Andre Ter Stegen got to the ball with time to spare, he tried to clip the ball over the striker's leg, only to give Duro the gift of an open goal to put the ball into.

Another ball over the top saw Peter Gonzalez through on goal before being wiped out by Ronald Araujo in the Barca area, with Pepelu stepping up to put Valencia ahead from the spot.

The game took another dramatic turn in the last minute of the half when Valencia goalkeeper, Giorgi Mamardashvili's control let him down and he committed handball outside his area as Lamine Yamal looked to beat him.

Referee De Burgos Bengoetxea had no option but to send Mamardashvili off, leaving Valencia to play the second half with 10 men.

Barcelona levelled three minutes into the second half when Lewandowski flicked home a near-post corner, with Valencia claiming a positional offside from Fermin.

The second half was one-way traffic, with Barcelona playing in the Valencia half, although defended with two ordered lines to deny them spaces.

The visitors should have gone back ahead with 17 minutes left to play when Peter and Diego Lopez combined to leave the latter through on goal, only for Pedri to make a last-gasp challenge as Lopez looked certain to score.

Lewandowski headed in his second of the game in the 82nd minute after Araujo won a challenge against substitute keeper Jaume Domenech, leaving him with a simple finish.

Lewandowski completed his hat-trick in injury time with a free kick into the top-corner that gave Domenech no chance.

The Spaniard battled past Pedro Cachin 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 to reach the fourth round at a tour-level event for the first time since 2022.

Nadal found himself ensnared in a battle of wits with Argentina’s Cachin. After waltzing his way through the first set, the Mallorcan was forced to endure a marathon that surpassed the three-hour mark. However, whenever his game abandoned him the Spaniard refused to back down.

After dropping the second set, Nadal found extra whip and power off the forehand wing in the decider, while he looked physically strong to secure a hard-fought victory after three hours and four minutes.

The 37-year-old is competing in his third tournament of the year, having lost in the second round in Barcelona last week. With his victory against World No. 91 Cachin, Nadal improved his clay-court record against players outside the Top 50 in the ATP Rankings to 162-1 since 2005. His only defeat in that 19-year period came against No. 73 Horacio Zeballos in Vina del Mar, according to ATP stats.

Nadal’s gaze will immediately shift to his next challenge. With barely a day to recover, in the last sixteen at the Caja Magica on Tuesday the Spaniard will meet Czech player Jiri Lehecka.

Nadal holds a 59-14 tournament record in Madrid and will aim to reach his 10th consecutive quarterfinal in the Spanish capital when he plays Lehecka.

Lucknow are sitting fifth with five wins in nine games while Mumbai are ninth with just three wins to their name.

The two teams have met four time in the tournament so far with LSG winning three of them.

LSG v MI head-to-head 4-

Mumbai Indians: 1

Lucknow Super Giants: 3

LSG v MI match time: The match starts at 7:30 PM IST (2:00 PM GMT) with the toss taking place half an hour before the match i.e., 7:00 PM (1:30 PM GMT)

LSG v MI match venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

Live broadcast of LSG v MI match on television in India: The LSG v MI match will be broadcast live via Star Sports Network.

Live stream in India: The live streaming of LSG v MI will be available on JioCinema.

Squads:

Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul(w/c), Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Matt Henry, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Arshin Kulkarni, Krishnappa Gowtham, Manimaran Siddharth, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Mayank Yadav, Kyle Mayers, Ashton Turner, Prerak Mankad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Devdutt Padikkal, Arshad Khan, Shamar Joseph

Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan(w), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Piyush Chawla, Luke Wood, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dhir, Shams Mulani, Dewald Brevis, Kumar Kartikeya, Shreyas Gopal, Harvik Desai, Gerald Coetzee, Romario Shepherd, Arjun Tendulkar, Shivalik Sharma, Anshul Kamboj, Akash Madhwal, Kwena Maphaka

While the fans await eagerly for the announcement of the squad, Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan has said that on the personal front, he would like to see his team's middle-order batter Rinku Singh in the 15-member squad that will be representing the country in the T20 World Cup.

Rinku Singh's rise to prominence as a star player for KKR is a testament to his talent and determination, but it is also a testament to the faith and support shown by the KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan.

Expressing his optimism for Rinku's World Cup prospects, SRK said on Star Sports Knight Club presents King Khan's Rules, "Such amazing players are playing for the country. I am really looking forward to Rinku, Inshallah being in the World Cup squad and some other youngsters from other teams also. Some of them deserve it so much, but my personal wish is that Rinku makes it to the team, I will be so happy. That will be the high point for me."

Rinku Singh, born into a working-class family in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, faced numerous challenges on his path to cricketing stardom. Growing up in modest surroundings, Rinku's family struggled to make ends meet, with his father working as an LPG cylinder delivery man and his mother a housewife. Despite the offer of a job as a sweeper, Rinku followed his passion for cricket, believing it would lead him to greater heights.

"I just want them to feel happy and when I see these boys playing, I feel like I am living as a sportsperson myself. Especially players like Rinku and Nitish, I see myself in them. I feel really happy when they perform well," SRK was quoted as saying in a release by the broadcaster.

In a world where success is often equated with privilege and opportunity, the stories of Shah Rukh Khan and Rinku Singh serve as a reminder that greatness is born out of resilience, determination, and the courage to pursue one's dreams against all odds.

Watch the exclusive interview with Shahrukh Khan only on Star Sports Network on May 3 from 6.15 pm IST.

Phil Salt had gone unsold in the auction for IPL 2024 held in December 2023, but Kolkata Knight Riders got his services for a base price of Rs. 1.5 crore after his countryman Jason Roy opted out of the tournament citing "personal reasons". Since then, the star wicket-keeper batter didn't disappoint and hammered his fourth half-century of the season on Monday.

Salt and Sunil Narine ended the Power-play at 79 for no loss. Lizaad Williams' first over went for 23, with Phil Salt doing the bulk of the damage before Narine whipped away a last-ball four.

More Salt was rubbed into Lizaad's wounds when he dropped the English batter off the first ball of the second over. A miscue off Khaleel Ahmed went high in the air and Lizaard went under it at mid-on only to mess up the reverse-cup finish as the ball burst through his hands and smacked his chest.

The slower balls gripped the surface for Capitals' fast bowlers, but they didn't use it very well, offering both batters room to chance their arms on multiple occasions. Salt went past the half-century mark in 26 deliveries during an 18-run sixth over delivered by Khaleel Ahmed.

Of the first ball bowled by Axar Patel after the Power-play, Narine looked for the big hit with the turn and picked out deep midwicket on 15 runs. Axar, in the very next over, knocked out Salt's off-stump on 68 as a new pair of batters, Shreyas Iyer and Rinku Singh came in the middle. Rinku Singh, who got the chance to show his mettle in the chase, got out on run-up ball 11. Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer continued ticking the board as they both added 57 runs for the fourth wicket, which was enough to beat the visitors by seven wickets.

Earlier, Kuldeep Yadav's brilliant knock of 35 runs propelled Delhi Capitals to 153/9 after Varun Chakravarthy bowled a brilliant spell of 3-16 for KKR.

This Eden pitch hasn't been like the pitches of earlier in the season. It felt like KKR asked for something with a bit more help in it for the spinners after losing that sixer-fest against the Punjab Kings. And the pitch has really suited their two mystery spinners.

DC skipper Rishabh Pant and Abhishek Porel added 31 runs for the fourth wicket after an early setback but after their partnership ended, wickets kept falling from the other side. Porel (18), Axar Patel (15), Tristan Stubbs (4) and Kumar Kushagra (1) got out cheaply as DC from 67/3 in nine overs, were reduced to 101/6 in 13 overs. Pant, after an entertaining knock of 27 off 20 deliveries, fell prey to Chakravarthy, trying to slog-sweep towards deep midwicket and edged it straight up in the air.

Kuldeep Yadav's brilliant 35 off 29 deliveries, studded with five boundaries and a six, propelled Delhi Capitals to 153/9 in 20 overs. Yadav was brought late into the attack in the bowling and ended his spell with 34 for none. Surely, not a day with the ball for Yadav, as Venkatesh Iyer finished off things with a six as KKR, solidified their position in the second position with a sixth win.

Brief score:

Delhi Capitals 153/9 in 20 overs (Kuldeep Yadav 35 not out, Rishabh Pant 27; Varun Chakravarthy 3-16, Harshit Rana 2-28) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 157/3 in 16.3 overs (Phil Salt 68, Shreyas Iyer 33; Axar Patel 2-25; Lizaad Williams 1-38) by seven wickets

While the fans await eagerly for the announcement of the squad, Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan has said that on the personal front, he would like to see his team's middle-order batter Rinku Singh in the 15-member squad that will be representing the country in the T20 World Cup.

Rinku Singh's rise to prominence as a star player for KKR is a testament to his talent and determination, but it is also a testament to the faith and support shown by the KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan.

Expressing his optimism for Rinku's World Cup prospects, SRK said on Star Sports Knight Club presents King Khan's Rules, "Such amazing players are playing for the country. I am really looking forward to Rinku, Inshallah being in the World Cup squad and some other youngsters from other teams also. Some of them deserve it so much, but my personal wish is that Rinku makes it to the team, I will be so happy. That will be the high point for me."

Rinku Singh, born into a working-class family in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, faced numerous challenges on his path to cricketing stardom. Growing up in modest surroundings, Rinku's family struggled to make ends meet, with his father working as an LPG cylinder delivery man and his mother a housewife. Despite the offer of a job as a sweeper, Rinku followed his passion for cricket, believing it would lead him to greater heights.

"I just want them to feel happy and when I see these boys playing, I feel like I am living as a sportsperson myself. Especially players like Rinku and Nitish, I see myself in them. I feel really happy when they perform well," SRK was quoted as saying in a release by the broadcaster.

In a world where success is often equated with privilege and opportunity, the stories of Shah Rukh Khan and Rinku Singh serve as a reminder that greatness is born out of resilience, determination, and the courage to pursue one's dreams against all odds.

Watch the exclusive interview with Shahrukh Khan only on Star Sports Network on May 3 from 6.15 pm IST.

Salt had gone unsold in the auction for IPL 2024 held in December 2023. But KKR got his service for a base price of Rs. 1.5 crore after his countryman Jason Roy opted out of the tournament citing "personal reasons" and since then the star wicketkeeper-batter hasn't disappointed the KKR fans.

On Monday, Salt hammered his fourth half-century of the season in 26 deliveries during an 18-run sixth over delivered by Khaleel Ahmed. With 392 runs off nine matches in IPL 2024, Salt now stands in the fourth position in the race for the Orange Cap.

"Good to be contributing. We have had a good run of home games, nice to have that continuity of conditions. Had to bounce back from a tough last game. Pleased to see the bowlers put in that sort of performance, really pleased for them," said Phil Salt after the match.

Asked about his high-risk aggressive approach, Salt said one has to just keep backing himself.

"It is high-risk, but it is also about putting the odds in your favour and not taking the risks you don't want to. You just have to keep backing yourself and keep taking the right options."

Salt and Sunil Narine raised 79 for no loss in the Power-play. Lizaad Williams' first over went for 23, with Salt doing the bulk of the damage before Narine whipped away a last-ball four. There was more Salt rubbed into Lizaad's wounds when he dropped the English batter off the first ball of the second over. A miscue off Khaleel Ahmed went high in the air and Lizaad went under it at mid-on only to mess up the reverse-cup finish.

"Very helpful to keep on it first and see what it is doing. So, when you come out, you have a fairly good idea of how the surface is playing," said Salt.

Asked about his conversations with Narine, Salt said, "Off the field, we have a laugh. On the field, not a lot. We usually do the talking a day before. He (Narine) does not talk much but he is a deep thinker of the game.

On them taking turns to attack, Salt said, "That is also part of the communication. If one of us gets going, you feed the strike to the other person. Good that we are on the same page as that."

Off Axar Patel's first ball after the Power-play, Narine looked for a big hit with the turn and picked out deep midwicket to be out for 15 runs. Axar, in the very next over, knocked out Salt's off stump for 68 and a new pair of batters, Shreyas Iyer and Rinku Singh, came in for the chase. Rinku Singh got out for a run-a-ball 11. Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer continued ticking the board as they both added 57 runs for fourth wickets, which was enough to beat the visitors by seven wickets.

Phil Salt had gone unsold in the auction for IPL 2024 held in December 2023, but Kolkata Knight Riders got his services for a base price of Rs. 1.5 crore after his countryman Jason Roy opted out of the tournament citing "personal reasons". Since then, the star wicket-keeper batter didn't disappoint and hammered his fourth half-century of the season on Monday.

Salt and Sunil Narine ended the Power-play at 79 for no loss. Lizaad Williams' first over went for 23, with Phil Salt doing the bulk of the damage before Narine whipped away a last-ball four.

More Salt was rubbed into Lizaad's wounds when he dropped the English batter off the first ball of the second over. A miscue off Khaleel Ahmed went high in the air and Lizaard went under it at mid-on only to mess up the reverse-cup finish as the ball burst through his hands and smacked his chest.

The slower balls gripped the surface for Capitals' fast bowlers, but they didn't use it very well, offering both batters room to chance their arms on multiple occasions. Salt went past the half-century mark in 26 deliveries during an 18-run sixth over delivered by Khaleel Ahmed.

Of the first ball bowled by Axar Patel after the Power-play, Narine looked for the big hit with the turn and picked out deep midwicket on 15 runs. Axar, in the very next over, knocked out Salt's off-stump on 68 as a new pair of batters, Shreyas Iyer and Rinku Singh came in the middle. Rinku Singh, who got the chance to show his mettle in the chase, got out on run-up ball 11. Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer continued ticking the board as they both added 57 runs for the fourth wicket, which was enough to beat the visitors by seven wickets.

Earlier, Kuldeep Yadav's brilliant knock of 35 runs propelled Delhi Capitals to 153/9 after Varun Chakravarthy bowled a brilliant spell of 3-16 for KKR.

This Eden pitch hasn't been like the pitches of earlier in the season. It felt like KKR asked for something with a bit more help in it for the spinners after losing that sixer-fest against the Punjab Kings. And the pitch has really suited their two mystery spinners.

DC skipper Rishabh Pant and Abhishek Porel added 31 runs for the fourth wicket after an early setback but after their partnership ended, wickets kept falling from the other side. Porel (18), Axar Patel (15), Tristan Stubbs (4) and Kumar Kushagra (1) got out cheaply as DC from 67/3 in nine overs, were reduced to 101/6 in 13 overs. Pant, after an entertaining knock of 27 off 20 deliveries, fell prey to Chakravarthy, trying to slog-sweep towards deep midwicket and edged it straight up in the air.

Kuldeep Yadav's brilliant 35 off 29 deliveries, studded with five boundaries and a six, propelled Delhi Capitals to 153/9 in 20 overs. Yadav was brought late into the attack in the bowling and ended his spell with 34 for none. Surely, not a day with the ball for Yadav, as Venkatesh Iyer finished off things with a six as KKR, solidified their position in the second position with a sixth win.

Brief score:

Delhi Capitals 153/9 in 20 overs (Kuldeep Yadav 35 not out, Rishabh Pant 27; Varun Chakravarthy 3-16, Harshit Rana 2-28) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 157/3 in 16.3 overs (Phil Salt 68, Shreyas Iyer 33; Axar Patel 2-25; Lizaad Williams 1-38) by seven wickets

The Petr Kratky-coached Mumbai City are thus set to rematch the Mariners for a shot at becoming the ISL Cup Winners after the Kolkata-based side beat them to claim the League Winner's Shield and become the ISL Champions earlier this month.

Leading 3-2 from the first leg, a strike each by Diaz and Chhangte in the second half ensured that the Gaurs didn’t produce a late comeback, akin to the one that the Islanders had propped up in the reverse fixture in Goa.

Chhangte, with nine strikes to his name this term before this game, was a teasing presence around the defence of the Manolo Marquez-coached team. The star winger had scored 10 goals in ISL 2022-23 when he was crowned with the Golden Ball award. In certain phases of this season, it appeared that he would be unable to match up to his numbers from the last campaign.

However, his form picked up just as Mumbai City FC began gaining steam in the last few months, with Chhangte coming to their rescue in multiple important moments.

Monday night at the Mumbai Football Arena was one of those moments, with his goal in the 83rd minute a result of the Gaurs exploring opportunities upfront after the overall aggregate tilted 4-2 against them after the opening strike by Diaz.

As the entire Islanders setup got pulled back behind to defend against the FC Goa offensive onslaught, the dynamic duo of Vikram Partap Singh and Chhangte teamed up to slice open the backline of the Gaurs. Vikram’s through ball met Chhangte, who eased past Ayush Dev Chhetri and Udanta Singh to find the back of the net for the Islanders for the 10th time in ISL 2023-24.

However, the foundation of that was set up by the opening goal from Diaz. Upon sensing a goal-scoring opportunity from a corner kick in the 69th minute, Mumbai City FC overloaded the box with numbers. Skipper Rahul Bheke, positioned on the far post, firmly headed the delivery that was stopped by FC Goa goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh.

However, Diaz, staying true to his sharp scoring skills, lapped upon the rebound and netted it home from close range to help his men get a decisive foot forward in the proceedings. Finally, Mumbai City FC confirmed their placing in the summit clash with a thumping 5-2 victory on aggregate across both legs against the Gaurs.

Abu Dhabi, April 29 (IANS) Skipper Amy Hunter (71) and Gaby Lewis (69) struck half-centuries as a phenomenal batting display helped Ireland beat Zimbabwe while Kathryn Bryce starred with bat and ball in Scotland’s win over the USA at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2024 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium here on Monday.

Ireland topped Group B after their massive 56-run win over Zimbabwe powered by a terrific opening stand by Hunter and Lewis, who hammered 131 runs for the opening wicket in 14 overs.

Meanwhile, Kathryn Bryce was at her best for Scotland as they overpowered the USA in the Group A fixture to complete their second win of the tournament.

Hunter and Lewis sizzled with a 130-run opening partnership to help Ireland women post their fifth-highest total in women’s T20Is. Hunter began the innings with a bang, slamming a hat-trick of fours off the first three balls from Josephine Nkomo, who came into the game fresh off a four-wicket haul. With Lewis joining hands, Ireland got off to a flyer, racing to 59/0 inside the Powerplay. Lewis was the first to make a half-century, reaching the landmark off 36 balls. Hunter joined her soon, taking 34 balls for her fifty.

It was Kelis Ndhlovu who finally put an end to the opening partnership when she had Lewis caught out for a brilliant 47-ball 69. Nkomo sent back Hunter for 71 in the 17th over, but by then Ireland had already crossed the 150-run mark. They finished on 176/3 in their 20 overs to set a formidable target for Zimbabwe.

In response, Ava Canning struck twice in the Powerplay, sending back Sharne Mayers and Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano cheaply to give Ireland an even stronger grip on the game.

Skipper Mary-Anne Musonda and Modester Mupachikwa combined to lift Zimbabwe out of trouble and at the end of 10 overs, the team moved to 65/2, still quite some distance away from the big target. Laura Delany broke the stand with the wicket of Mupachikwa, cleaning up the wicketkeeper for 27, but Musonda carried on for a bit more to finish on 48.

Zimbabwe, however, went on to lose their next four wickets in the space of 22 balls and eventually finished on 120/8. They have one win in three games and will need a big one in their final game to stand a chance of making it to the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, with two wins in two games, Ireland are at the top of Group B and are favourites to make the semis now.

Scotland down USA

Scotland’s skipper Kathryn Bryce led from the front to help them to a 44-run victory over the USA and make it to two wins in three matches.

Put into bat first, Scotland encountered early jitters as they lost their openers Saskia Horley and Megan McColl inside the Powerplay. It was the fourth-wicket partnership between Bryce and Ailsa Lister that steadied the ship for the team. The duo added 66 runs in just 39 balls to swing the momentum back into Scotland’s favour.

Lister’s knock of 34 (22) came to an end when she decided to step down the track against Aditiba Chudasama only to be stumped by keeper Sindhu Sriharsha. ICC Women’s Associate Player of the Decade, Bryce, held things under control from her end as she scored her ninth T20I fifty in 42 balls. Her unbeaten knock of 57* along with Lorna Jack’s cameo of 20 (17) took Scotland to 149/6 in their 20 overs.

In the bowling department too, it was Bryce who made the headlines. Opening the bowling, she picked up a wicket on her first ball, dismissing Gargi Bhogle for nought. She returned with her lethal inswingers in her second over and snared two more wickets â€" first rattling Disha Dhingra’s stumps and then trapping Sriharsha in the front. Both batters departed for ducks.

The USA could only manage 26 runs for the loss of four wickets at the end of the Powerplay. Leg-spinner Abtaha Maqsood was brought into the attack to dismantle the middle order. Maqsood dismissed Jessica Willathgamuwa (10) and Geetika Kodali (3) to reduce USA to 50/7.

Isani Vaghela and Jivana Aras combined to stop the flow of wickets and added 39 runs in 45 deliveries. Vaghela played a crucial hand of 30 off 26 balls before Chloe Abel dismissed her while Aras remained unbeaten on 24.

The USA could only manage 105/8 in their 20 overs, falling short by 44 runs as they recorded their second loss in a row in the Qualifier. Along with an unbeaten fifty, Bryce finished with her career best T20I figures of 4/17 to earn the Player of the Match award.

1. Real Madrid's fringe players make their case

Carlo Ancelotti made sweeping changes to the side that won 1-0 away to Real Sociedad on Friday night, but his fringe players still did enough to take a narrow (and slightly fortunate win) thanks to Arda Guler's first-half goal, reports Xinhua. The 18-year-old Turk has struggled to make an impact after injuries following his arrival in Spain but showed his undoubted quality with a calm finish from Dani Carvajal's pass.

There had been talk of Guler leaving on loan next season, but after the game, Ancelotti made it clear he would be staying, although the likely arrivals of Mbappe and Endrick mean he could still struggle to get enough game-time.

2. Atletico takes big step

Two deflected goals helped Atletico Madrid to a 3-1 win at home to Athletic Club and all but ensure that they will play in next season's Champions League. Rodrigo de Paul's shot was going wide before it deflected in off Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta, while Samuel Limo's shot bounced into the net off Athletic keeper Unai Simon.

However, the headlines in the game came after racist insults aimed at Athletic's Nico Williams from a sector of Atletico's 'ultra' Frente Atletico supporters.

Members of this same group have previously been responsible for several racist incidents aimed at Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr and the question has to be asked. After other clubs have expelled radical groups from their grounds, why does Atletico Madrid continue to tolerate a group who, time after time, show their racism?

3. Girona is one step from glory

Girona's 2-0 win away to a Las Palmas side in freefall lifted them to second in the table ahead of Barcelona's match on Monday and means they have 71 points from 33 matches.

Girona's win and Athletic Club's defeat to Atletico Madrid means that a win for Girona or a defeat for Athletic, will see it qualify for next season's Champions League. That is an incredible achievement for the club from the north-east of Spain, that not so long ago was playing semi-professional football.

Although their agreement with Manchester City is indeed an important help, supplying players such as Yan Couto and Savio, the work of coach Michel Sanchez, who has imposed an attacking style of football on his side, can't be underestimated and Girona have thrilled and entertained all season.

4. Bad weekend for Cadiz

Cadiz's 1-1 draw at home to Mallorca on Sunday looks like a chance missed for the side third from bottom of La Liga. A win over Sunday's rival would have lifted Cadiz to just three points from safety, but the draw means they are still six behind Mallorca and five from Celta, who lost to Alaves on Saturday.

Cadiz's main problem isn't just that it has to make up five points in five games, but that their next game is away to Real Madrid and that will probably mean another week without closing the gap.

Delhi Capitals got off to a good start on the slow wicket at the Eden Gardens after opener Prithvi Shaw struck three boundaries in the first over of Mitchell Starc before holing it out on the leg-side straight to the wicketkeeper Phil Salt’s hand. Starc as usual didn't have a good start but Vaibhav Arora from the other end got rid of Shaw on 13.

Jake Fraser-McGurk struggled to time the ball in this match but was able to collect a boundary and a maximum in Starc’s second over before throwing his wicket on 12. Shai Hope was bowled out by Arora in the very next over as DC ended the Power-play on 67/3.

This Eden pitch hasn't been like the pitches of earlier in the season. It felt like KKR asked for something with a bit more help in it for the spinners after losing that sixer-fest against the Punjab Kings. And the pitch has really suited their two mystery spinners.

DC skipper Rishabh Pant and Abhishek Porel added 31 runs but after their partnership ended, wickets kept falling from the other side. Porel (18), Axar Patel (15), Tristan Stubbs (4) and Kumar Kushagra (1) got out cheaply as DC from 67 for 3 in nine overs, were reduced to 101/6 in 13 overs.

Pant, after an entertaining knock of 27 off 20 deliveries, fell prey to Chakravarthy, trying to slog-sweep towards deep midwicket and edged it straight up in the air. Chakravarthy also claimed the wickets of Stubbs and Kushagra making it a three-fer for him. Chakravarthy ended his spell with brilliant figures of 3-16 from four overs.

Kuldeep Yadav, who had shown his batting chops during the Test series against England before the IPL, played a very useful innings in the IPL, helping Delhi past the 150-run mark.

There were two edged fours to start with and also a near-catch at the boundary as well. The Capitals were 128/8, with four overs remaining. Yadav and Rasikh Salam Dar added 27 runs for the ninth wicket.

Yadav’s brilliant 35 off 29 deliveries, studded with five boundaries and a six, propelled Delhi Capitals to 153/9 in 20 overs.

Brief score:

Delhi Capitals 153/9 in 20 overs (Kuldeep Yadav 35 not out, Rishabh Pant 27; Varun Chakravarthy 3-16, Harshit Rana 2-28) against Kolkata Knight Riders

In the four matches between the two teams so far, LSG has the upper hand by 3-1, whereas when these two teams met for the first-time last year at Ekana Cricket Ground, got a thrilling victory by five runs. Talking about the points table, LSG are in fifth position with five wins and 10 points from nine matches, while Mumbai Indians are in the ninth position with three wins and six points from the same number of matches.

LSG on Monday were boosted by the return of their speed sensation Mayank Yadav as bowling coach Morne Morkel said, "Regarding Mayank Yadav, he has passed all the fitness tests and is in the probable XII for the match against Mumbai Indians. He is looking good and is ready to bowl again," said Morkel in the pre-match press conference on Monday.

Yadav was also seen bowling in the evening practice session at the stadium on Tuesday. The win against MI will propel LSG to second or third position with home ground advantage.

The strong batting department of five-time winner Mumbai Indians have struggled in their bowling department, especially with their overseas seamers. Even before the tournament began, injuries had already ruled out Dilshan Madushanka and Jason Behrendorff. Luke Wood and Kwena Maphaka, who replaced them, fell short of the expectations. In the two games he has played, Nuwan Thushara has gone for 12 an over with no wickets to his name. Gerald Coetzee has amassed 12 wickets in eight games with an economy of 10.10.

The 41-year-old Amit Mishra, who is among the top five bowlers taking the most wickets in IPL history, has got a chance to play only one match in IPL 2024 when he came in as an Impact Player in the last match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) and took the important wicket of Riyan Parag.

He may also get a place in the match against MI, as his T20 record against Rohit Sharma has been excellent. He has dismissed the Indian captain and MI's most experienced player seven times, while Rohit can only score runs at a strike rate of 95.6.

Apart from this, Mishra also troubled Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya with his leg-break bowling and has dismissed him in two out of four innings, while Hardik Pandya was able to score runs against him only at a strike rate of 64.28.

However, Mishra will have to be careful of Suryakumar Yadav, who scores runs at a strike rate of 212, whereas Mishra has not been able to dismiss Yadav in a single innings.

The form of LSG's other leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi in IPL 2024 has not been very special and his chances of being selected in the Indian T20 World Cup team have also become very slim. He has dismissed Ishan Kishan and Yadav three times each and Rohit Sharma and Tim David twice each in T20 matches, while Mohammad Nabi has also been his victim once in three innings.

Marcus Stoinis, who indicated a return to form by scoring a century in the match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has been defeated by MI's most prominent bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who has dismissed Stoinis in four T20 innings.

Bumrah has also dismissed K.L. Rahul, Nicholas Pooran and Devdutt Padikkal twice each, whereas, except Rahul, all the other batsmen can score runs against Bumrah at a strike rate of less than 100.

IPL 2024 got off to a great start for Quinton de Kock, who scored two half-centuries in the first three matches. However, he has not been consistent thereafter, only reaching 20 once in six innings. LSG need de Kock to return to form quickly because they haven't been able to score easily in the Power-play -- their run rate of 8.38 is the second worst in that phase this season.

"If you look at Quinny's (de Kock's) season, he has played nine innings and has scored three fifties, which is not a bad thing. But also, he got out sort of in the first or second overs at times. We will know his X factor. He is a guy who on his day can take their game away from you. Do you want to make too many changes? I think with the experience he brings at the top, you don't want to change that. Just with his history, you need to back him in that position," said Morkel on Monday.

This year, Rahul, who is among the top five batsmen after scoring 378 runs at an average of 42 and strike rate of 144, will have the last chance to win the selectors' nod for the T20 World Cup.

Rahul can also do wonders in this match because his record against almost all the bowlers of MI has been excellent. Bumrah may have dismissed him twice, but Rahul bats against Bumrah at a strike rate of 127.67. His strike rate against Piyush Chawla is 168.42, against Hardik Pandya is 178.26 and against Mohammad Nabi is 214.28, whereas apart from Bumrah, only Chawla has been able to get him out in any T20 match, the rest of the bowlers' bags have remained empty.

In the four matches between the two teams so far, LSG has the upper hand by 3-1, whereas when these two teams met for the first-time last year at Ekana Cricket Ground, got a thrilling victory by five runs. Talking about the points table, LSG are in fifth position with five wins and 10 points from nine matches, while Mumbai Indians are in the ninth position with three wins and six points from the same number of matches.

LSG on Monday were boosted by the return of their speed sensation Mayank Yadav as bowling coach Morne Morkel said, "Regarding Mayank Yadav, he has passed all the fitness tests and is in the probable XII for the match against Mumbai Indians. He is looking good and is ready to bowl again," said Morkel in the pre-match press conference on Monday.

Yadav was also seen bowling in the evening practice session at the stadium on Tuesday. The win against MI will propel LSG to second or third position with home ground advantage.

The strong batting department of five-time winner Mumbai Indians have struggled in their bowling department, especially with their overseas seamers. Even before the tournament began, injuries had already ruled out Dilshan Madushanka and Jason Behrendorff. Luke Wood and Kwena Maphaka, who replaced them, fell short of the expectations. In the two games he has played, Nuwan Thushara has gone for 12 an over with no wickets to his name. Gerald Coetzee has amassed 12 wickets in eight games with an economy of 10.10.

The 41-year-old Amit Mishra, who is among the top five bowlers taking the most wickets in IPL history, has got a chance to play only one match in IPL 2024 when he came in as an Impact Player in the last match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) and took the important wicket of Riyan Parag.

He may also get a place in the match against MI, as his T20 record against Rohit Sharma has been excellent. He has dismissed the Indian captain and MI's most experienced player seven times, while Rohit can only score runs at a strike rate of 95.6.

Apart from this, Mishra also troubled Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya with his leg-break bowling and has dismissed him in two out of four innings, while Hardik Pandya was able to score runs against him only at a strike rate of 64.28.

However, Mishra will have to be careful of Suryakumar Yadav, who scores runs at a strike rate of 212, whereas Mishra has not been able to dismiss Yadav in a single innings.

The form of LSG's other leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi in IPL 2024 has not been very special and his chances of being selected in the Indian T20 World Cup team have also become very slim. He has dismissed Ishan Kishan and Yadav three times each and Rohit Sharma and Tim David twice each in T20 matches, while Mohammad Nabi has also been his victim once in three innings.

Marcus Stoinis, who indicated a return to form by scoring a century in the match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has been defeated by MI's most prominent bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who has dismissed Stoinis in four T20 innings.

Bumrah has also dismissed K.L. Rahul, Nicholas Pooran and Devdutt Padikkal twice each, whereas, except Rahul, all the other batsmen can score runs against Bumrah at a strike rate of less than 100.

IPL 2024 got off to a great start for Quinton de Kock, who scored two half-centuries in the first three matches. However, he has not been consistent thereafter, only reaching 20 once in six innings. LSG need de Kock to return to form quickly because they haven't been able to score easily in the Power-play -- their run rate of 8.38 is the second worst in that phase this season.

"If you look at Quinny's (de Kock's) season, he has played nine innings and has scored three fifties, which is not a bad thing. But also, he got out sort of in the first or second overs at times. We will know his X factor. He is a guy who on his day can take their game away from you. Do you want to make too many changes? I think with the experience he brings at the top, you don't want to change that. Just with his history, you need to back him in that position," said Morkel on Monday.

This year, Rahul, who is among the top five batsmen after scoring 378 runs at an average of 42 and strike rate of 144, will have the last chance to win the selectors' nod for the T20 World Cup.

Rahul can also do wonders in this match because his record against almost all the bowlers of MI has been excellent. Bumrah may have dismissed him twice, but Rahul bats against Bumrah at a strike rate of 127.67. His strike rate against Piyush Chawla is 168.42, against Hardik Pandya is 178.26 and against Mohammad Nabi is 214.28, whereas apart from Bumrah, only Chawla has been able to get him out in any T20 match, the rest of the bowlers' bags have remained empty.

Team Whoops, which included members that represented the nation at the Asian Games in Hangzhou and won the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Esports Championships 2022, dominated the DOTA 2 competition featuring a total of seven teams. The squad, led by captain Krish Gupta (Krish'-), along with Ketan Goyal (Evil-Ash), Manav Kunte (Mnz), Vishal Vernekar (HBK), Moin Ejaz (No_Chanc3), and substitutes Darshan Bata (A35) and Dennis Shah (Donniz), were crowned champions after securing a commanding 46-8 win against Rogue Squad in the final.

With this win, Team Whoops has advanced to the regional qualifiers of DOTA 2 that are scheduled to take place online from June 26 to 30.

Reflecting on their performance in the final, Team Whoops' captain Krish Gupta said, "We are excited to represent Team India once again at the World Esports Championships. Special thanks to the team at ESFI for making this happen and thank you everyone for the support. We will make our country proud!"

In addition to DOTA 2, NESC 2024 featured qualifiers for other titles such as Counter-Strike 2 (CS:2) across both open and female brackets, as well as eFootball.

The CS:2 Open category experienced intense competition amongst ten highly skilled teams such as Carnival Gaming, Marcos Gaming, and Grayfox. Ultimately, it was team Gods Reign, led by skipper Bhavesh Sejwani (Bhavi) and consisting of Aakash Bose (Ph1NNN), Harsh Jain (f1redup), Rahul Banerjee (R2B2), Parijat Banerjee (reV3nnn), and Elvis Eric Soans (ELV1S), who emerged as the champions with a hard-fought 2-1 victory against True Rippers in the final.

Gods Reign, who became the first-ever Indian team to win the Southeast Asian Open Qualifier for the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 earlier this year, will lock horns against other leading teams from Asia in the online regional qualifiers of CS:2 (Open) from July 1 to 4.

"I am exhilarated to share that with sheer determination and teamwork we have become the championships of NESC 2024 CS2 and have earned the opportunity to represent India in the regional qualifiers of IESF WEC 2024! It's fantastic to see the team's efforts paying off, but we don't want to stop here. We will be using this opportunity to put Indian CS on the world map," stated Bhavesh Sejwani, captain of Gods Reign.

In the CS:2 Female category, Team CCL, featuring captain Swayambika Sachar (Sway), Dilraj Kaur Matharu (COCO), Aastha Nangia (Crackshot), Neha Sottany (Casper), Pragnya Spruha Sahoo, and Syeeda Tabassum defeated Team Purr-ple 3-1 in the final. The roster's star players, Sway, COCO, and Crackshot, were part of the team that won last year's NESC, making them the first female Counter-Strike athletes to represent India on the international stage.

Team CCL will be vying for a spot in the global finals of the WEC 2024 as they go head-to-head against other all-female CS:2 teams from the continent in the online regional qualifiers from July 3 to 6.

"We are immensely proud to have emerged as champions at this year's NESC. This victory is not just a testament to our team's hard work and dedication, but also a crucial steppingstone as we advance our preparations for the WEC," said Swayambika Sachar, captain of Team CCL.

Similar to CS:2, the eFootball category witnessed high-voltage action amongst a total of 21 athletes including Charanjot Singh, who competed in EA Sports FC Online at the 19th Asian Games, and last year's NESC champion Ibrahim Gulrez.

However, it was the veteran Hemanth Kommu (peshemak7) who claimed the title with a comfortable victory a 2-0 win against Abhishek Dhar (Abhishades) in the finale. Following this triumph, the IIT alumnus who also carried the national flag at the Global Esports Games 2023 in Riyadh last year, has sealed a direct spot in the global finals of the WEC.

"Very happy and proud to win the national qualifier after losing it last year. It's good to see new players participating in the national qualifiers and doing well. It helps everyone in the community to grow. Now all focus is on the world championship. I will do my best to bring laurels to our country," commented Hemanth Kommu.

The WEC 2024, organised by the International Esports Federation (IESF), will feature 609 teams representing their countries across five gaming titles: Counter-Strike 2 (Open and Female), Dota 2, eFootball, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Open and Female), and PUBG MOBILE. This premier tournament begins on November 11 and, for the first time, offers a substantial prize pool of $1 million, distributed among the top 8 teams in each game title and category.

The offline phase of the regional qualifiers for DOTA 2 and CS:2 (Open and female) will kick off on September 6.

"Congratulations to all the champions of NESC 2024 on behalf of everyone at ESFI. I am confident that these skilled athletes will perform at the highest level and make the country proud on the international stage. We look forward to supporting our teams and ensuring they have the resources they need to excel at the regional finals," noted Lokesh Suji, Director of Esports Federation of India & Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF).

The NESC 2024 witnessed a total participation of 135 athletes from all over the country.

All week they had been popular and given a standing ovation including on their visit to the historic, Creole French Quarter restaurant Arnaud's on the eve of their final round at TPC Louisiana. The 34-year-old McIlroy was making his debut and won his 25th PGA Tour title, while Lowry, 36, won his third PGA TOUR title, and the first since the Open.

In the first hole of a playoff, Trainer pushed a 6-foot par putt to the right of the cup to end it, with Lowry lifting a laughing McIlroy off the ground with a bear hug on the green.

"To win any PGA TOUR event is very cool, but to do it with one of your closest friends — we've known each other for a long, long time, probably like over 20 years," McIlroy said. "To think about where we met and where we've come from, to be on this stage and do this together — really, really cool journey that we've been a part of."

McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, won his 25th PGA TOUR title and first of the season. Lowry, of Ireland, claimed his third PGA TOUR victory. Each walked away with about $1.29 million and 400 FedExCup points apiece. The Irish tandem closed with a 4-under 68 in the Foursomes final round in windy conditions to match Ramey and Trainer at 25-under 263.

Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard nearly made the playoffs as well. Needing a birdie, they went long off the 18th green on their second shot. Hubbard's chip up the back apron stopped short on the fringe, but Brehm still nearly sank a birdie putt, leaving the ball near the right edge of the cup as the crowd gasped. They finished third at 24-under.

Patrick Fishburn and Zach Blair, the leaders through three rounds, were in a four-way tie for fourth at 23-under.

Prithvi Shaw and Rasikh Salam Dar returned to the DC playing XI, replacing Kumar Kushagra and Mukesh Kumar, whereas Mitchell Starc and Vaibhav Arora are also back for KKR.

Delhi Capitals' skipper Rishabh Pant said, "the way the team is going, they want to put up runs on the board. The wicket looks on the slower side and that it might slow up further in the second innings. Prithvi Shaw returns in place of Kumar Kushagra, with Rasikh Salam Dar also part of the starting eleven replacing Mukesh Kumar."

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer said, "We were looking to bowl first. Rishabh and I were having a chat -- he said 'we're looking to bat' and I said we're looking to bowl. We're trying to keep things as simple as possible. When you lose a game like that, scoring 260, it's easy for people to go away from each other and backbite. But we're keeping everyone together. Starc and Vaibhav Arora are back.

Playing XIs:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Philip Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy

Impact substitutes: Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pan t(wk/c), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Rasikh Dar Salam, Lizaad Williams, Khaleel Ahmed

Impact substitutes: Mukesh Kumar, Sumit Kumar, Pravin Dubey, Kumar Kushagra, Ricky Bhui

"Players from 24 cricket-playing nations, including the ones from all the ICC full-member nations, have registered for the upcoming player auction and are vying to get picked into one of the five teams in the Lanka Premier League 2024," the SLC, the governing body of country's cricket, stated.

Among the key players registered are Tamim Iqbal, Tim Southee, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Jimmy Neesham, Mushfiqur Rahim, Reeza Hendricks, Rilee Rossouw, Shai Hope, Taskin Ahmed, Lungi Ngidi. Naseem Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Colin

Munro, Ish Sodhi, Mark Chapman, Jason Behrendorff, Andre Fletcher, Oshane Thomas, Keemo Paul and Fabian Allen.

Apart from them, Usman Khawaja, Tabraiz Shamsi, Evin Lewis, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Reece Topley, Iftikhar Ahmad, Mohammad Nawaz, Gulbadin Naib, and Ibrahim Zadran are also among the top players, the SLC added.

--IANS

Susitha/bsk/

"Regarding Mayank Yadav, he has passed all the fitness tests and is in the probable XII for the match against Mumbai Indians. He is looking good and is ready to bowl again," said Morne Morkel in the pre-match press conference on Monday.

Mayank was also seen bowling in the evening practice session, here at Ekana Cricket Stadium.

Yadav has so far played three IPL matches and has claimed six wickets, three each against PBKS and RCB. In the match against Gujarat Titans at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Yadav had to walk off the field after bowling just one over, where he was down on pace and was hit for three boundaries, conceding 13 runs overall.

Lucknow Super Giants will face Mumbai Indians at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

New Delhi, April 29 (IANS) Once the poster girl of the Indian shooting, former World No.1 Heena Sidhu believes that the country stands a "very, very good chance" at the 2024 Paris Olympics, considering the record number of quotas achieved in recent events.

India has secured 21 quotas in shooting for the 2024 Summer Games, scheduled to begin from July 26, 2024.

Heena took to Twitter to share her thoughts. "We are going with the largest-ever, and definitely the most talented team, to this Olympics. On the other hand trials are still underway, but I do believe that we stand a very, very good chance at this Olympics. Few weeks to go!! #Paris2024 #Olympics2024," she wrote.

On Sunday, Maheshwari Chauhan won the Olympic quota with a silver medal in Women's Skeet in the Shotgun Olympic qualification championship in Doha.

It was the 21st Olympic quota for India, and the fifth in shotgun. India missed three Olympic quota, one each in men's and women's trap, apart from men's skeet. It had swept all the possible 16 Olympic quota in rifle and pistol.

"Regarding Mayank Yadav, he has passed all the fitness tests and is in the probable XII for the match against Mumbai Indians. He is looking good and is ready to bowl again," said Morne Morkel in the pre-match press conference on Monday.

Mayank was also seen bowling in the evening practice session, here at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.

Yadav has so far played three IPL matches and has claimed six wickets, three each against PBKS and RCB. In a match against Gujarat Titans at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Yadav had to walk off the field after bowling just one over, where he was down on pace and was hit for three boundaries, conceding 13 runs overall.

In their next match, Lucknow Super Giants face Mumbai Indians at the Ekana Stadium on Tuesday.

"Regarding Mayank Yadav, he has passed all the fitness tests and is in the probable XII for the match against Mumbai Indians. He is looking good and is ready to bowl again," said Morne Morkel in the pre-match press conference on Monday.

Mayank was also seen bowling in the evening practice session, here at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.

Yadav has so far played three IPL matches and has claimed six wickets, three each against PBKS and RCB. In a match against Gujarat Titans at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Yadav had to walk off the field after bowling just one over, where he was down on pace and was hit for three boundaries, conceding 13 runs overall.

In their next match, Lucknow Super Giants face Rajasthan Royals at the Ekana Stadium on Saturday.

New Delhi, April 29 (IANS) Once the poster girl of the Indian shooting, former World No.1 Heena Sidhu believes that the country stands a "very, very good chance" at the 2024 Paris Olympics, considering the record number of quotas achieved in recent events.

India has secured 21 quotas in shooting for the 2024 Summer Games, scheduled to begin from July 26, 2024.

Heena took to Twitter to share her thoughts. "We are going with the largest-ever, and definitely the most talented team, to this Olympics. On the other hand trials are still underway, but I do believe that we stand a very, very good chance at this Olympics. Few weeks to go!! #Paris2024 #Olympics2024," she wrote.

On Sunday, Maheshwari Chauhan won the Olympic quota with a silver medal in Women's Skeet in the Shotgun Olympic qualification championship in Doha.

It was the 21st Olympic quota for India, and the fifth in shotgun. India missed three Olympic quota, one each in men's and women's trap, apart from men's skeet. It had swept all the possible 16 Olympic quota in rifle and pistol.