Rising Pune Supergiants Beat Delhi Daredevils
Ajinkya Rahane struck an unbeaten 63 to lead Rising Pune Supergiants to a much-needed seven-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils on Thursday.
Earlier, Supergiants bowlers did a good job, especially in the middle overs, to restrict the in-form Delhi Daredevils to 162 for seven after inviting the hosts to bat. Chasing a modest total on a good track, Supergiants crossed the line easily in 19.1 overs with Rahane carrying his bat. The opener scored an unbeaten 63 off 48 balls while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni played a fiery 27 off 20 balls.
Supergiants remained at number six in the points table but got a crucial win under their belt, having struggled to find their feet in their debut season after losing some key players to injuries.
KKR Ropes in Boucher as Wicketkeeping Consultant
South Africa’s Mark Boucher has joined Kolkata Knight Riders as the wicketkeeping consultant and he will work along with his former teammate and close friend Jacques Kallis who’s the head coach of the two-time Indian Premier League champions.
The former South African wicketkeeper joined the side on Wednesday. A former Knight during his stint in 2011 season, Boucher will play a key role in honing the skills of their wicketkeeping duo of Robin Uthappa and Sheldon Jackson.
FC Goa Fined Rs 11 Crore, Co-Owners Handed Bans by ISL
In an unprecedented decision, Indian Super League side FC Goa were slapped with a whopping fine of Rs 11 crore while their co-owners Shrinivas Dempo and Dattaraj Salgaocar were banned for two and three seasons respectively for “bringing disrepute” to the tournament.
The ISL Regulatory Commission took the decisions after the conclusion of the hearings in Mumbai relating to the controversy surrounding the scuffle between Chennaiyin FC’s Brazilian marquee player Elano Blumer and FC Goa officials after the ISL second season final in Margao in December last.
In its final order pronounced today, FC Goa were found in breach of ISL regulations/code of conduct bringing disrepute to the ISL, following the unfortunate incident on 20th December 2015 soon after the Hero ISL final at Fatorda Stadium, Goa. FC Goa were facing the allegations of violating ISL Regulations namely for ‘boycotting match and league ceremony’, ‘public criticism and threatening match officials,’ ‘alleging that the match were fixed,’ and ‘non-adherence of League rules’.ISL Media Release
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Kohli-Tendulkar Comparison is Unfair, Says Yuvraj
Veteran left-hander Yuvraj Singh feels India Test captain Virat Kohli is the best batsman of this generation but deemed it unfair to compare him with Sachin Tendulkar as he feels that it will take a lot more hard work from the Delhi lad to match the little master’s legacy.
Yuvraj said Kohli and South African AB de Villiers are presently the best batsmen of the generation and hoped the former too becomes a great player for India just like Tendulkar.
I think 100 centuries is really far away to think (for Kohli). Tendulkar was a great player and great ambassador of India and it is going to take a lot (of hard work) for Virat Kohli to come in comparison with that. Virat (Kohli) is in great form. He is the best batsman of this generation along with AB de Villiers. So, I hope one day he becomes a great player for India.Yuvraj Singh to NDTV
Liverpool Sink Villarreal to Set Up Sevilla Final
Liverpool romped into the Europa League final with a 3-0 win over Villarreal at Anfield to set up a showpiece clash with holders Sevilla who swatted away visiting Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 on Thursday.
Five-time European champions, Liverpool reached a 12th continental final thanks to an own goal from Bruno Soriano and further strikes from Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana to overturn a first-leg deficit and go through 3-1 on aggregate.
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