Raina has been one of key performers in white-ball cricket: Sourav Ganguly

The BCCI also confirmed that Raina conveyed his decision to retire to the board on Sunday

Sports News: “Suresh Raina has been one of the key performers for India in white-ball cricket,” said Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly on Sunday as the left-handed batter Raina decided to call time on his international career. Raina had announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday, just minutes after Dhoni’s announcement of retirement.

The BCCI also confirmed that Raina conveyed his decision to retire to the board on Sunday. “Suresh Raina has been one of the key performers in limited-overs cricket for India. Coming lower down the order and playing some of the match-winning knocks requires a lot of skill and talent,” Ganguly said in a release issued by BCCI.

“He along with Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni formed a solid middle order for India in ODIs. I wish him and his family all the very best,” he added. Jay Shah, the secretary of the BCCI congratulated Raina on a remarkable career and labelled the left-handed batter as one of the finest to play the shortest format.

“Suresh Raina has been arguably one of the finest T20 batsmen. A live wire on the field, Raina’s prowess as a left-handed batsman was exhibited throughout his cricketing career,” Jay Shah said. “A big match player, Raina’s cameo against Australia in the quarterfinal in the 2011 World Cup was a testimony to his glittering career that followed. I wish him all the very best in the second innings of his career,” he added..Read More

Lockdown 4.0: Do new govt rules pave the way for decision on IPL 2020?

As stadiums are opened for cricketers’ training in lockdown 4.0, the question arises whether the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) can be held in near future?

Stadiums and sports complexes will reopen for athletes to train, according to the government’s new guidelines for extending the national lockdown to contain the coronavirus. Spectators won’t be allowed still, raising hopes that the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) can be held sometime soon.

The government has, however, listed sports events in the prohibited category, along with domestic and international flights till May 31. Responding to the new lockdown 4.0 guidelines, BCCI treasurer Arun Kumar Dhumal said: “Taking into the account the restrictions on air travel and movement of people till May 31, the BCCI will wait further before organising a skill-based training camp for its contracted players.” IPL 2020 was scheduled to begin from March 29 but BCCI decided to suspend the cricket extravaganza indefinitely because of the lockdown. Here are possible scenarios for the tournament.

Windows when IPL 2020 could be held

July-August : India cricket team is scheduled to tour Sri Lanka for limited over series in July and recently Sri Lanka board has requested BCCI to not cancel the tour. If BCCI doesn’t scrap India’s tour, most likely IPL could not take place in July-August…

Byju’s to replace Oppo on Team India jersey after West Indies tour

BCCI will continue to receive the same amount from Byju’s and will be at no loss for the entire duration of the deal

From September onwards, Team India will have another brand name on their shirts. Chinese portable producer Oppo will be supplanted by Byju’s, the Bangalore-based instructive innovation and online instructional exercise firm.

Group India will brandish Oppo logo on their shirts till the West Indies visit which starts from August 3 and finishes on September 2. Once, South Africa voyage through India starts from September 15, Byju’s will takeover the pullover. In March 2017, Oppo had won the Indian group sponsorship rights for a five-year time frame, for example till March 2022 for an incredible measure of Rs 1079 crores, outbidding Vivo mobiles’ Rs 768 crore offer..(Click Here for Companies News)

Be that as it may, as per a Times of India report, Oppo has now chosen to leave the space since it finds the incentive at which it obtained the rights in 2017 to be “amazingly high” and “unsustainable”. The report further says that BCCI will keep on getting a similar sum from Byju’s and will be at no misfortune for the whole length of the arrangement which keeps running till March 31, 2022.

Oppo was paying BCCI Rs 4.61 crore per respective match and Rs 1.56 crore for an ICC occasion coordinate. Prior to that, STAR India used to pay Rs 1.92 crore per reciprocal match and Rs 61 lakh for an ICC coordinate…

Leander Paes won Grand Slams at 42, I can at least play cricket: Sreesanth

Sreesanth, along with Mumbai spinner Ankit Chavan and Haryana’s Ajit Chandila, were suspended for life by a BCCI disciplinary committee in 2013, a decision that the player had challenged in court

Sports News: “If Leander Paes can win Grand Slams at 42, I can at least play some cricket at 36,” India cricketer S Sreesanth said after the Supreme Court set aside the life ban imposed on him by the BCCI for his alleged involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. Sreesanth, along with Mumbai spinner Ankit Chavan and Haryana’s Ajit Chandila, were suspended for life by a BCCI disciplinary committee in 2013, a decision that the player had challenged in court.

Speaking to PTI after a favourable verdict by the apex court on Friday, a relieved Sreesanth said: “I don’t know what life has in store for me after all these years. It’s six years and I haven’t played cricket, which was my life.”

“I hope that the BCCI respects the verdict of the country’s highest court and allows me to at least get back to the cricket field. I hope that at least now I can walk to a school cricket ground and train there without being told that I am not allowed. I just want to play whatever cricket I can,” said Sreesanth, who has been a part of the 2007 World T20 and 2011 ODI World Cup winning squads. But age is not something that he feels will be a factor in trying to make a comeback to competitive cricket.

“Your age is as much as you feel. I would again like to play club cricket in Scotland. I wanted to play last year but didn’t get permission. I can’t play club cricket in England at the moment as I have not played first-class cricket for six years now,” said Sreesanth, who has represented the country in 27 Tests, 53 ODIs and 10 T20 Internationals, respectively.

Pandya, Rahul apologise unconditionally, but many in BCCI are not impressed

The road to redemption for the duo could prove to be a tricky. Rai has instructed BCCI CEO Rahul Johri to carry out a preliminary inquiry but Board members along with Edulji want otherwise.

Current Affairs: Suspended cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul Monday tendered “unconditional” apologies for their sexist comments during a TV chat show amid CoA chief Vinod Rai saying that the BCCI should correct the two players, not end their careers.

However, despite the apologies tendered by the duo, 10 BCCI units demanded a Special General Meeting to appoint an ombudsman for carrying out an inquiry. Rai’s fellow Committee of Administrators (CoA) member Diana Edulji wants an inquiry done by CoA and the BCCI office-bearers.

“Yes, Hardik and Rahul have submitted their reply to the fresh showcause notices that were served to them. They have tendered unconditional apology. The CoA chief has instructed the CEO to conduct an inquiry as per clause 41 (c) of the new BCCI constitution,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Edulji fears a “cover up” in the controversy, triggered by Pandya and Rahul’s much-condemned statements on ‘Koffee with Karan’ in which they spoke about hookups with multiple women and being casual about it even with their parents. The comments have been described as “inappropriate” by India skipper Virat Kohli.

Brought back midway from the tour of Australia, Pandya and Rahul’s immediate fate hangs in balance with the World Cup less than four months away. Rai, in an e-mail to Edulji, said that the “BCCI is not in the business of ending young careers”. “Please be assured that the desire to conduct the inquiry is not a desire to ‘cover up’. The interest of cricket in India has to be kept in mind. The off the ground act of the players was deplorable. It was crass as I said immediately after reading the comments,” Rai wrote….

Read More: Hardik Pandya K L Rahul Controversy

India vs Australia 2nd Test: Ashwin, Rohit ruled out, Kohli mulls options

Ashwin’s unavailability is a big loss as he had taken a six-wicket haul at Adelaide to help India record their first win in a series opener in Australia

India vs Australia: India’s premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and batsman Rohit Sharma have been ruled out of the second Test starting on Friday, dealing a double blow to the visitors at a time when opener Prithvi Shaw is yet to recover from an ankle injury.

With the trio unavailable for selection, India included Hanuma Vihari, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in a 13-man squad announced on eve of the second Test.

While Shaw injured his ankle while fielding in the sole warmup game before the series opener, Ashwin suffered an abdominal strain and Rohit hurt his back during the first Test which India won by 31 runs.

“Prithvi Shaw is recovering well from his left ankle injury but still undergoing treatment. R Ashwin has a left-sided abdominal strain. He is receiving treatment at the moment. Rohit Sharma jarred his lower back while fielding in the 1st Test at Adelaide. He is undergoing treatment. He too is ruled out of the second Test,” read a statement from the BCCI. “The team management is closely monitoring these players and a call on their availability for the third Test will be taken at an appropriate time,” it added.

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BCCI slaps 5-month ban on Yusuf Pathan for failing dope test

His urine sample was found to contain Terbutaline

 

Indian all-rounder Yusuf Pathan was today handed a five-month retrospective suspension for failing a dope test, a sanction which will end on January 14, after the BCCI accepted that the violation was inadvertent.

"Mr Yusuf Pathan has been suspended for a doping violation. Mr Pathan had inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups," the BCCI said in a statement.

The 35-year-old Pathan had provided a urine sample as part of the BCCI's anti-doping testing program during a domestic T20 competition on March 16 last year.

"His sample was subsequently tested and found to contain Terbutaline.

Terbutaline, a specified substance, is prohibited both In and Out of Competition in the WADA Prohibited List of Substances," the BCCI stated.

The all-rounder, who has played 57 ODIs and 22 T20 Internationals for India, was charged with the "commission of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under the BCCI Anti- Doping Rules (ADR) Article 2.1 and provisionally suspended pending determination of the charge".

"Mr Pathan responded to the charge by admitting the ADRV and asserting that it was caused by his ingestion of a medication containing Terbutaline that had been mistakenly given to him instead of the medication prescribed for him, which did not contain any prohibited substance," the BCCI explained.

The BCCI said it is "satisfied" with Pathan's explanation that was using the medication to "treat an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) and not as a performance-enhancing drug"..... 

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BCCI nominates MS Dhoni for prestigious Padma Bhushan award

With two World titles (2011 50-over World Cup and 2007 World T20), nearly 10,000 runs, 90 Test matches, there is no one better than him who could have been nominated said a BCCI official

The Indian cricket board has nominated Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the country's third highest civilian award -- the Padma Bhushan -- for his contribution to the game.

A senior BCCI official confirmed that the Board has only sent one name for the Padma awards this year and it was a unanimous decision to nominate India's most successful captain.

"Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been nominated by the BCCI for the Padma Bhushan award. There was no doubt among the members that Dhoni has impeccable credentials. Two World titles (2011 50-over World Cup and 2007 World T20), nearly 10,000 runs, 90 Test matches. There is no one better than him, who could have been nominated," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The BCCI has not sent any other nominations for the Padma awards this year.

The 36-year-old has scored 9737 runs in 302 ODIs besides 4876 runs in 90 Test matches. He has also played 78 T20 Internationals, notching up 1212 runs.

He has 16 international hundreds (6 in Tests and 10 in ODIs) along with 100 international half-centuries.

As a wicketkeeper, Dhoni has held 584 catches across formats (256 in Tests, 285 in ODIs and 43 in T20 Internationals). He has also effected 163 stumpings.

Dhoni is already a recipient of the prestigious Arjuna, Rajeev Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Padma Shri award.

If Dhoni is conferred with Padma Bhushan, he will become the 11th Indian cricketer to get the third highest civilian honour.

Some of the notable international cricketers, who have been the recipients of Padma Bhushan award are Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Chandu Borde, Prof DB Deodhar, Col CK Nayudu, and Lala Amarnath.

The lesser known names include Raja Bhalindra Singh of Patiala, who played 13 first-class matches, and Vijaya Anand -- the Maharaja of Vizianagram, who was India's captain during their 1936 tour to England.

 

IPL media rights: Winner Star TV will now have monopoly over cricket

Star walked away with all the rights and full honors, laying claim to 300 days of cricket over 5 years, at a price tag about Rs. 54.5 crore a match

The CEO of the BCCI, Rahul Johri, had predicted before the IPL media auction that the rights would fetch Rs 18,000 crore. He was not far wrong. The winner, Star TV, on Monday picked up the 5-years broadcast and digital rights for an eye-popping Rs16,348 crore to stump out incumbents Sony who held the rights of the IPL since its very inception 10 years ago, having bid Rs 8,200 crore in 2008.

The initial tender documents had been picked up by 24 entities: Star India Pvt. Ltd., Amazon Seller Services Pvt. Ltd., Followon Interactive Media Pvt. Ltd., Taj TV India Pvt. Ltd., Sony Pictures Networks Pvt. Ltd., Times Internet Ltd., Supersport International (Pty) Ltd., Reliance Jio Digital Services Pvt. Ltd., Gulf DTH FZ LLC, GroupM Media India Pvt. Ltd., beIN IP Ltd., Econet Media Ltd., SKY UK Ltd., ESPN Digital Media (India) Pvt. Ltd, BTG Legal Services, BT PLC, Twitter Inc., Facebook Inc., DAZN / Perform Group, Discovery, Yupp TV, Airtel and BAM Tech and Oath (Yahoo). Of these, only 14 showed up yesterday at the auction. Prominent amongst those missing were e-commerce giant Amazon and microblogging site Twitter. Also missing from the lineup were Discovery, Yahoo and ESPN Digital. Group M, the media buying company, who were expected to bid on behalf of a consortium of clients, gave it a miss.

The highest bid for the broadcast rights came from Sony Pictures Network. They bid Rs 11,050 crore. The highest bid for digital rights came from none else but Facebook who placed an offer of Rs 3,900 crore. Telecom operators Airtel and Reliance Jio were not far behind Facebook, bidding Rs 3,280 crore and Rs 3,075 crore, respectively. Star actually lagged in each category bid, offering Rs 6,196 crore for broadcast rights and a mere Rs 1,443 crore for digital rights. But eventually, Star proved to be the smartest bidder, and a winner, with a global bid of Rs 16,348 crore that beat the sum of the highest bids in individual categories which totaled Rs 15,820 crore. Star walked away with all the rights and full honors, laying claim to 300 days of cricket over 5 years, at a price tag about Rs 54.5 crore a match.

This includes 1a. Indian Sub-continent Broadcast (TV) rights

1b. Indian Sub-continent Digital rights. And Rest of World (ROW) media and digital rights for 1. Middle East 2. Africa 3. Europe 4. USA 5. Australia and New Zealand.

Compared to the Rs 43 crore per match that it currently pays to the BCCI for India’s international matches in India, this is a 20% increase, which on the face of it is not such a major issue perhaps. But the sheer size and scale of the overall Rs 16,348 crore bid have left many media watchers gasping for breath.

What are the key issues with the Star bid?
1. Did Star pay over the top?
2. Will Star now have a monopoly over cricket?
3. Will the market support the increased prices for advertising?
4. Are digital rights as valuable?
5. Are ROW markets as monetisable?
6. Will the game of cricket gain from this hyper bidding?
Let us address each of these issues one by one.

1. Did Star pay over the top?
Star bid Rs16,348 crore against the Rs15,820 crore sum that was the total for the highest bids in individual categories. This consolidated Star global bid was just a teeny-weeny 3% higher but sufficient for Star to pip Sony, Facebook, Airtel, Jio and other smaller players to the post. Star’s bidding strategy was flawless. And bang-on. ...(Read more)

 

Full text of Kumble's resignation letter as he quits as India head coach Edit

Kumble stayed back in England instead of travelling with the team for their next assignment

Legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble has decided against continuing as the head coach of the Indian cricket team, it was announced on Tuesday.

According to reports, Kumble, whose one-year tenure was scheduled to end at the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales, stayed back in England instead of travelling with the team for their next assignment in the West Indies.


Here is the full text of his resignation letter:
I am honoured by the confidence reposed in me by the CAC, in asking me to continue as Head Coach. The credit for the achievements of the last one year goes to the Captain, the entire team, coaching and support staff.

Post this intimation, I was informed for the first time yesterday by the BCCI that the Captain had reservations with my ‘style’ and about my continuing as the Head Coach. I was surprised since I had always respected the the role boundaries between Captain and Coach. Though the BCCI attempted to resolve the misunderstandings between the Captain and me, it was apparent that the partnership was untenable, and I therefore believe it is best for me to move on.

Professionalism, discipline, commitment, honesty, complementary skills and diverse views are the key traits I bring to the table. These need to be valued for the partnership to be effective. I see the Coach’s role akin to ‘holding a mirror’ to drive self-improvement in the team’s interest.
In light of these ‘reservations’, I believe it is best I hand over this responsibility to whomever the CAC and BCCI deem fit.