BCCI raises team security concerns
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has raised concerns about the Indian team's security in England during the upcoming Champions Trophy in the wake of the terrorist strike in Manchester with the International Cricket Council, acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhry said. ICC Champions Trophy commences on June 1 and India's first game is on June 4 against arch-rivals Pakistan. The squad led by Virat Kohli is set to depart for England tomorrow. The ICC, meanwhile, said it will review the security for the upcoming Champions Trophy and the Women's World Cup in England and Wales following the terror attack, which killed 22 people. The Champions Trophy would be followed by the women's World Cup, scheduled to be played from June 24 to July 23.
Nitin emerges costliest buy in PKL history
Raider Nitin Tomar shattered all records to emerge the costliest-ever player to be bought in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) auction. Bought for a whopping Rs 93 lakh by new entrants GMR-owned Team Uttar Pradesh, he surpassed fellow raider Rohit Kumar, who bagged Rs 81 lakh from Bengaluru Bulls. Earlier, star all-rounder Manjeet Chillar was bought by Jaipur Pink Panthers for Rs 75.5 lakh before defender Surjeet Singh and raider Selvamani K. went for identical figures of Rs 73 lakh to Bengal Warriors and Jaipur, respectively.
Kvitova set for Wimbledon return
Twice champion Petra Kvitova is set to play at Wimbledon this summer, less than seven months after she was stabbed by an intruder in her home, a member of her support team said. The 26-year-old, who required four hours of surgery to her left (playing) hand after the December attack at home in the Czech city of Prostejov, has made a faster-than-expected recovery and could even be ready to play in the French Open, which begins in Paris on Sunday. Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, will be included on the official entry list for this years Championships, which will be released on Wednesday.
Jitu fails to qualify at ISSF World Cup
Ace shooter Jitu Rai failed to make it to the final of the men's 10m Air Pistol at the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup (Rifle/Pistol), in Munich. Tejaswini Sawant in the Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions event, also fell short of qualifying mark.
Jitu finished 10th overall while Tejaswini secured 15th position. Among his five World Cup medals in this event, only once has Jitu shot higher than today's 581, to qualify for the finals. He was in the hunt till the last four shots, but two 9s in the 57th and 58th shots proved crucial in the end. Turkey's Tugrul Ozer was the 8th to qualify with a score 582 but with significantly lesser number of inner 10s than Jitu. Jitu's teammates in the event, fellow Olympian Prakash Nanjappa and youngster Anmol Jain both finished with identical scores of 576 and in 34th and 36th positions respectively.
No breakthrough in clubs-AIFF meeting
Mohun Bagan and East Bengal playing in the Indian Super League (ISL) remained a pipe dream as nothing substantial appeared to have come out of the club officials' meeting with the AIFF. Bagan was represented by financial secretary Debasish Dutta and secretary Srinjoy Bose, while Debabrata Sarkar attended on behalf of East Bengal for their meeting with AIFF secretary Kushal Das in Delhi. Sarkar is a long-time executive committee member of East Bengal.
A reliable source said there is "no possibility of a breakthrough" in the issue as finding solutions is beyond one individual. Arch-rivals Mohun Bagan and East Bengal—two of Indian football's traditional clubs—last month came on board to play for the revamped Indian Super League and requested AIFF to waive off the franchisee fee keeping their heritage in mind. However, it is understood that waiving off the franchise fee is a complex process that will require the intervention of all the stakeholders. All India Football Federation and IMG-Reliance have been in talks for long to merge I-League with the cash-rich Indian Super League to make it the top-most league in the country.
