The Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium. The new Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium has a capacity of 55,000 spectators, including an ultra-modern gymnasium along with a swimming pool. It has been recently accorded Test match status by the International Cricket Council. and serves as a home ground of Hyderabad Cricket Association.

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The Swarnandhra Pradesh Sports Complex and the G.M.C. Balayogi Stadium at Gachibowli are associated specially for hockey and football. SAAP Tennis Complex has a central court that holds 4000 spectators and has seven courts with synthetic surface, a sophisticated Velodrome for cycling at Osmania University.

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The Saroornagar Indoor Arena and The KBR Stadium are multi-purpose indoor sports facilities for, ping-pong, basketball, equestrianism, boxing, weight-lifting, gymnastics, archery, sepak takraw and shooting.

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The Aquatics Complex Stadium at Gachibowli, can host all water sports and synchronized events, with a capacity of 3000 spectators. Water games like rowing, yachting, kayaking and canoeing are conducted at Hussain Sagar lake. The city also has five Go-Karting tracks and a Paint Ball Field

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Vishnu ‘Paes’ to play in Olympics
(http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/hyderabad/vishnu-%E2%80%98paes%E2%80%99-play-olympics-868)

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_horizontal/article-images/22KMK6.jpg.crop_display.jpg

When Thursday dawned, state tennis player Vishnu Vardhan was one of the happiest men around. He had just been selected by the All India Tennis Association (AITA) to partner veteran Leander Paes at the London Olympics next month. “My entire family had gathered around me. I started scouring the internet and the TV for any news,” said Vishnu.

“Then, I received an email from AITA, which stated that I had been selected to partner Leander while Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna will comprise the second team,” said Vishnu, who had won a men’s doubles bronze and mixed doubles silver at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

“It was an incredible feeling, realising that I would play for my country at the Olympic Games,” said Vishnu, currently ranked 207 in the world in men’s doubles. However, as the day progressed, reports started circulating that Paes — who had on Wednesday written to AITA saying that he would pull out if made to play with a lower-ranked player — has made good on his threat and suddenly, Vishnu’s London dreams were in danger of getting nipped in the bud. However, Vishnu maintained a brave front, saying that the latest development doesn’t dent his current disposition.

Hyderabad to host National Inter-State athletics meet (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/athletics/article3544036.ece) :banana:

Hyderabad will host the 52nd National inter-State senior athletics championships from June 23 to 26 at the G.M.C. Balayogi Stadium (Gachibowli) here, Y. Harish Chandra Prasad, chairman of the Organising Committee, said.

The four-day meet will serve as the final trials event for Indian aspirants trying to book a slot for the 2012 London Olympics starting next month, a press release from Mr. Prasad said here. “This is the third time Hyderabad will host the prestigious event after 1975 and 1979. In 1979, it was held as part of the National Games,” he said. :cheers:

Many Olympians including P.T. Usha, Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, and Sriram Singh have been invited for the meet. The Organising Committee with L. Rajagopal, MP, as president, and Prasad as chairman, is making every effort to ensure the event will be a grant success, Prof. K. Ranga Rao, Secretary, APAA, said.

More than 30 Indian campers along with a number of defending champions, National Games medallists and those having already represented India will take part in this meet, Rao said.

Hyderabad to host World Junior Table Tennis Championship (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/article3026646.ece) :banana:

The Volkswagen 2012 World Junior Table Tennis Championship (WJTTC) for boys and girls under 18 years of age will be held at Hyderabad from December 9 to 16.

“The exact venue of the week-long event will be decided in about a fortnight's time, after inspection by Dhan Raj Choudhary, our Secretary General,” Vice-President, Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and Secretary, Andhra Pradesh Table Tennis Association (APTTA), S.M. Sultan told The Hindu .

“The two likely venues are the Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy indoor stadium in Yousufguda, where the Global Junior Cadet Challenge was staged in 2010 and the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh Complex indoor stadium in Gachibowli,” he said.

Incidentally, the South African Table Tennis Board withdrew from hosting the above mentioned event, citing financial reasons. The TTFI, which had earlier offered to stage the 2013 edition of the same event, stepped in to replace South Africa as host for this year's event.

“The city known as IT centre of India successfully organised the Cadet Challenge in 2010. :cheers: Furthermore, the TTFI celebrates the 75th anniversary of its foundation this year.

India was the member association that proposed holding of a world title competition for juniors in late 90s and it became reality in 2003 when the first ever WJTTC was held in Chile,” said Judit Farago, Chief Executive Officer of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

“With India stepping in for 2012, the original proponent will host the 10th edition of the top junior event. Indian players won their first ever world championship medal last year at the WJTTC in Bahrain as the boys reached the semi-finals in team competition,” added Farago, who's also the ITTF's Executive Director of Competitions. :cheers:

nice sriece19 good job keep it up

High jumper Kumari books Olympic berth in Hyderabad
(http://www.iaaf.org/news/newsid=65474.html)

http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Photo/Competitions/Competition/05/68/00/56800_FULL-PRT.jpg

Hyderabad, India – Held in its Golden Jubilee Year, the Indian national Inter-State Senior Athletics championships (23-26) at Hyderabad served as the final selection trials for Indian aspirants at home for the Olympic Games in London.

The magnificent G.M.C. Balayogi Stadium, venue for the nationals, was built for the National Games in 2002 and witnessed several international events since including the inaugural Asian Grand Prix athletics series, the Afro-Asian Games and CISM World Military Games among others.

Although only one athlete, high jumper Sahana Kumari attained the Olympic norm, keen contests were witnessed in several events in the four-day meet. The athlete from Karnataka state, cleared 1.92m —the B standard for London— to achieve the honour. By sailing over the height she eclipsed the national and meet record of 1.91m held by Bobby Aloysius of Kerala since 2004. Aloysius was the first woman high jumper from India to take part in the Olympic Games at Athens. Her national record also came when she attempt to qualify for Olympics.

Kumari had a previous best of 1.89m which she achieved during this year’s Asian Grand Prix series in Thailand in May. Sahana, wife of former national sprint champion B.G. Nagaraj, and a mother, cleared 1.92m on her first attempt although she had some struggle at the previous height. She then bowed out at 1.95m.

"The event was delayed for nearly two hours which made things difficult," she said.

"She put in a lot of hard work and I am sure she could go higher in London," her coach, Evgeniy Nikitin, said.

While Sahana become the fourteenth Indian athlete to attain the Olympic qualification, several other top Indians who were training abroad could not make it to Hyderabad. However one of the athletes who has already qualified, half-miler Tintu Luka, did compete and engaged in to a tussle between another fine middle distance runner Sinimole Paulose in the 800m. Paulose entered the fray thinking of achieving a better mark than Tintu to gain a berth on the Indian squad, however on the appointed day she could not match the young Luka as she timed 2:03.71 against 2:01.36.

Paulose thought of trying again in the 1500m on the last day of the meet, but was down with food poisoning and withdraw at the last minute.

Intermediate hurdler Joseph G. Abraham, the reigning Asian Games champion and a World championships semi-finalist in Osaka 2007, failed to accomplish his dream of making it to the London-bound team as he finished second behind defending champion Satinder Singh. Singh clocked a personal best 49.99 secs while Abraham was second in 50.39s. The national record holder with 49.51, Abraham had a season’s best of 49.98s earlier during the FedCup in Patiala. After the race in Hyderabad, the Kerala athlete admitted that he spent all his energy during the previous day’s heats and ran too hard during the early half of the final which caused the problem. He further revealed that he would again target the time during the upcoming Asian All-Stars meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan, at the end of this month.

Double for Prajusha

M.A. Prajusha, the 2010 Commonwealth Games silver medallist in the Long Jump, had a 'double’ taking gold in both the long and triple jumps. She didn’t find her rhythm during the long jump to achieve her best, but a rejuvenated Prajusha had a fine Triple Jump series. Her winning mark of 13.66m was just two centimetres shy of the meet mark held by state-mate and Olympic qualifier Mayookha Johny.

Satti Geetha, a member of gold winning Indian 4x400m relay squad at the Asian Games in Doha six years ago, who represented the host state Andhra Pradesh has showed all her might to win the women’s 100m and powered her state to victory in the sprint relay. However her ambition of taking a third gold in the 200m dash did not materialise as the Haryana girl Manisha surged past to win the event. Earlier Manisha was disqualified for a false start in the 100m.

As expected Kerala retained the team championships with a whopping 192 points with runner-up Uttar Pradesh a distant second with 82.

Punjab lad Satinder Singh (400m hurdles) and Kerala star Tintu Luka (800m) emerged as the best male and female athletes of the meet.

GHMC shuts doors on women swimmers
http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/TOIH/2012/06/30/6/Img/Pc0061300.jpg
The Rajiv Gandhi International Swimming Pool at Amberpet
No Slot Allotted For Women At Amberpet Pool

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad: Women from the Old City have yet another gender battle ahead of them as the nearest GHMC-run swimming pool for trained swimmers at Amberpet has refused them entry during regular hours citing discomfort among male members and safety issues as reasons.
The Rajiv Gandhi International Swimming Pool at Amberpet is among the only three such facilities in Hyderabad,the other two being in Gachibowli and Secunderabad,both far from the Old City,where only trained swimmers are allowed.The discriminatory treatment came to light after GHMC officials turned two women away from the pool last week despite them being trained swimmers.There is no separate slot for women at the Amberpet pool,unlike the six other corporation pools in the city,women swimmers allege.
Prem Raj,sports director of GHMC,tried to water down the issue and claimed that it was only a miscommunication and would be resolved soon.The coach was out of station when the women went to lodge a complaint.As they did not have membership cards,the guard did not let them in, he said insisting that the pool had a separate slot,of 3-4 pm,for women.
Interestingly,the GHMC official admitted that it was not possible to allow women during regular timings.How can we allow them if the male members are not comfortable There can be safety issues too.It is therefore best to keep women away during these hours, Raj added.The coach of the Amberpet facility could not be reached for a comment despite repeated attempts.
Dr Sangeeta Seth and daughter Aarushi Seth,mother and daughter duo from Amberpet,had visited the pool last week to enroll themselves as members.The two had even passed the mandatory test to qualify for the same.On the third day of our visit,we were shooed away by the security guard at the pool who said that he had instructions from the coach to not allow us inside, Dr Seth,a family physician,said.
On enquiry,the women were told that the decision was taken by the pools management following complaints from male swimmers visiting the pool.We were asked to either go to the Secunderabad pool or some other facility that had special timings for women and also a female coach, said Sangeeta Seth,criticizing the GHMC for its discriminatory attitude towards women.
We were more than comfortable to go for a swim during regular hours.We are trained swimmers and qualified to go to such a facility.It is appalling that the authorities should treat us like this, said Aarushi Seth.The international pool has a depth of 7.5 feet as against the 4-7 feet range of other swimming pools,making it ideal for trained swimmers.
Expressing shock over the incident,state-level swimmer from the city Ambika Sashittal said that the municipal corporation should immediately take necessary action.She,however,was most taken aback with the reportedly missing slot for women at the pool.How can a corporation pool not have exclusive timings for women There are so many women who are seen taking to swimming these days.It is unfair to turn them away, the young swimmer said.

Changing tack for monsoon regatta (http://postnoon.com/2012/07/02/changing-tack-for-monsoon-regatta/56812)

“India’s largest sailing regatta” is back for its fourth season and this time for a clean Hussain Sagar. This time it boasts of three championships; match racing, the junior optimist championship and the family regatta. The regatta will take place from July 6 to July 8.

Stern test awaits Hyderabad Cricket Association bosses as D-day nears
(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Stern-test-awaits-Hyderabad-Cricket-Association-bosses-as-D-day-nears/articleshow/14675105.cms)
HYDERABAD: The battle of two former Test off-spinners has turned out to be a damp squib.

The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) elections slated for July 8 was slated to be a straight contest between rival factions headed by Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI) vice-president N Shivlal Yadav, also the HCA vice-president, and incumbent president Arshad Ayub.

But certain of the disenchantment in the ranks with his work and unable to muster support (read votes) Ayub threw in the towel, withdrawing from the race for the president's post.

That meant G Vinod, former president, being declared elected unopposed as the president. Shivlal, in race for one of five VP posts, had made it very clear in the run-up to the polls that he would not oppose the candidature of Vinod. It is now a moot point whether Hyderabad's highest run-scorer MV Sridhar will be able to save his face.

Sridhar threw his hat in the ring for the secretary's post against ruling faction's D Chalapathi, the current secretary. The election to this post had its fair share of controversy too.

While the incumbent contends that he was given the mandate for four years when elected in 2010, the contender - as also the rival faction - avers that as per the amendments made to the HCA constitution the term of all office-bearers is for two years and so a contest is fair game.

The high court said on Tuesday that the process of election for the post of the president of the HCA will go on but action taken by election officer (A Narasimha Reddy) and subsequent actions will be subject to further orders in the writ petition.

The petition was filed by Narender Goud, who contended that Vinod never was an executive member on the HCA panel as required under the new by-law. And that his (Goud) candidature for the president's post is not being considered.

Also queering the pitch for the rival faction is Yadgiri, the former treasurer, who has switched sides. Clubs (voters) are keen to exact their pound of flesh knowing full well that nothing is yet to come out of the probe ordered into the Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup trophy fiasco after it was discovered the trophy had lost its weight in terms of gold and was worth not half its original value.

Given the situation it will be a nervy few days before the D-day on Sunday when elections will be held for the following posts: vice-presidents (5), secretary (1), joint secretaries (2), treasurer (1) and executive committee members (12).

Saina Nehwal gave up karate to embrace badminton
(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/badminton/Saina-Nehwal-gave-up-karate-to-embrace-badminton/articleshow/14713929.cms)


Badminton ace Saina Nehwal, who is confident of winning the gold in the London Olympics, was initially into karate before she took up the shuttlecock game, says a just released book.

Saina was learning the martial art from coach Indrasena Reddy in Hyderabad paying Rs.100 a month.

"The karate coaching came to an abrupt end in December 1998 when, during a demonstration, the instructor prepared to run a motorbike over the hands of the students," says journalist T.S. Sudhir's book "Saina Nehwal: An Inspirational Biography" (Nimby Books).

"Saina's parents did not allow that and withdrew her from karate. Karate's loss was to become badminton's gain."

A born vegetarian, Saina, the book says, became non-vegetarian in 2005 while in China.

According to her coach P. Gopichand, when they found no vegetarian fare at a restaurant they were in, he told Saina to eat fish and crab.

The champion in the making did not argue. The book quotes Gopichand as saying: "To my surprise, she ate. No questions asked. She couldn't even open her mouth, but she ate."

But Saina, the book says, still does not particularly like meat. "She stays away from fish and mutton and only eats chicken. Given a choice, she still would fill her plate with rajma, dal and roti."

The 231-page book, the first biography of one of India's greatest sporting icons, is packed with interesting anecdotes from the time the Haryana-born Saina took to badminton.

Saina was in tears when she lost her first expensive badminton Isometric racquet that in 1999 cost Rs. 2,700. It was bought for the under-10 Krishna Khaitan Tournament in Chennai.

In her early teens, Saina had to travel 25 km daily for training in Hyderabad. As she woke up at 4 a.m., "many a time Saina would doze off on the backseat of (her father's) scooter". In March 2000 the family purchased a Maruti 800 car for Saina's use.

Although she chose badminton over studies, there was a time when she would carry two bags -- one with her badminton kit and another with school books.

Her steadily growing badminton career cost the middle class family - her father Harvir Singh was an official in the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) - Rs.12,000 a month when she was barely 12-13 years old.

From 1999, the Sports Authority of India gave her a fellowship of Rs.700, a kit and second class train fare for tournaments.

In 2003, the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board gave her a fellowship of Rs.2,500.

Harvir Singh and mother Usha Rani were surprised when Bharat Petroleum offered Saina a job when she was only 14 and had not passed Class 10.

To finance her game, her father drew money from his provident fund six times, claiming his wife was ill.

In contrast, Saina paid Rs.60 lakh in income tax in 2010 and Rs.1.5 crore in 2011. Her chartered accountant's fee alone was Rs.2.5 lakh. Companies now vie to pay her around Rs.1 crore for an endorsement.

The book says her aloofness coupled with aggression on court did not make her popular with players at the receiving end.

"In Saina's case, the urge to 'take revenge' has always been part of her personality. "She is also very stubborn... It is this lack of fear and respect that enabled her to beat top Chinese players."

Saina is extremely fond of chocolates, biscuits and ice cream, the book says.

Once, after visiting Malaysia, her weight went up by seven kilograms due to wrong diet. Her fitness was hit. "Now Gopi's permission is required if Saina wants to celebrate a win with an ice cream!"

The Hyderabad resident enjoys playing in Indonesia, "where she feels she perhaps has more fans than in India". This is because Indonesians resent Chinese domination of world badminton.

Does Saina, who turned 22 in March, have marriage plans?

Wedding is a long way off, according to her parents. Saina says: "At the moment, it is only badminton, badminton and badminton."

Her proud father, who has given up promotions to be in Hyderabad for her sake, says: "I wish every parent had a daughter like Saina."

awesome

Laxman floors young sailors at regatta
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3610663.ece)
Even for someone who wields the willow with a distinct touch of class and authority against the best of the bowling attacks, it is a totally different experience when V. V. S. Laxman went for a ride in the boat as part of the efforts to promote regatta and also to keep the Hussainsagar lake clean.

When the elegant India cricketer stepped into the boat, the beaming faces of the young sailors, many of whom got the chance by virtue of winning the quiz competition held yesterday to sail with Laxman, said it all. They really loved the august company of an illustrious cricketer.

“Well, I have crossed this lake so many times since my childhood. But this is the first time I am into the lake and it has been a wonderful experience,” remarked Laxman later.

“It is equally pleasing to see so many youngsters take up this adventure sport. When we go abroad to play international cricket, we often look for adventure sport. So, I wish many more children take up this water sports and make it big,” Laxman said pointing to the lake which he reminded has a special place in the hearts of Hyderabadis.

“It is important for children to not only take up the sport but also enjoy. I am thrilled at their joy in going into the waters. This shows they cherish every moment of their competition here,” the elegant India batsman said.

“I would love to come back to the lake whenever I find time and also bring my children. This has been one of my best days in Hyderabad, honestly,” says a delighted Laxman.

The cricket superstar also lauded the efforts of Suheim Sheikh, president of Yacht Club of Hyderabad, for his concerted efforts to promote water sports and also to keep the lake environment-friendly. “Definitely, it is the responsibility of all of us to keep it clean so that we keep enjoying coming to the venue repeatedly,” Laxman pointed out. Later, Laxman gave away the prizes to the medallists in different categories.

HCA elections today
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3614052.ece)
By all means, the elections to the various posts of the Hyderabad Cricket Association which will be held on Sunday might leave little choice to the 215 voting members if they are looking for really ‘clean, transparent’ set-up for the next two years.

For, a day before the polls, it is obvious from the way the two groups, which lined up against each other, are packed with controversial candidates against whom serious allegations were made and many cases are still pending.

It will be interesting to see the fate of some of those allegedly involved in misappropriation of funds (in the construction of Uppal Stadium) but are in the fray for different posts. There is also an ongoing ACB enquiry in this regard.

Campaign

BCCI vice-president N. Shivlal Yadav, who is contesting to retain his vice-presidentship in HCA, has been campaigning actively for his ‘group’ which includes incumbent secretary D. S. Chalapathi, joint-secretary S. Venkateshwaran (Indian Airlines). Though, he openly supported G. Vinod’s candidature for presidentship, he has been lobbying hard for the success of not only the above two key candidates besides many in his panel including Vijayanand (joint secretary), John Manoj, Amarnath (Galaxy), Vidyuth Jaisimha, Dharamchand Jain, for vice-president posts. Incumbent treasurer Naresh Sharma is tipped to be the favourite to retain his post from this group against Surender Agarwal.

On the other hand, former Ranji captain Dr. M. V. Sridhar is locked in a battle against seasoned campaigner D. S. Chalapathi for secretary’s post while the candidates for five vice-president’s posts include E. Venkat Reddy, P. Yadgiri (former treasurer), S. L. Venkatapathi Raju. For the two joint-secretary posts T. Seshnarayan and Purushotham Aggarwal are in the fray from this group.

There are 36 candidates for the 12 Executive Committee members posts with the senior most of them being E. Gopal.

The schedule for Sunday is that the Annual General Meeting starts around 9 a.m. at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium (Uppal) and the elections are last on the agenda and most likely to take place under the supervision of Returning Officer A. Narasimha Reddy.

Callaway hosts the Hex Black Tour Challenge in Hyderabad (http://meshpress.com/callaway-hosts-the-hex-black-tour-challenge-in-hyderabad/125413.html) :banana:

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India., July 10, 2012 – (Meshpress) - Callaway Golf India organized the Callaway Hex Black Tour Challenge at the Hyderabad Golf Association today in Hyderabad. The tournament marked the launch of Callaway’s revolutionary product, the all new Hex Black Tour Golf Ball.
The event witnessed the presence of more than 100 golfers of Hyderabad and some honorary committee members of the HGA including Mr. C. Dayakar Reddy – Hon. Jt. Secretary, HGA, Mr. A. Bhaskar Reddy –Chairman, Tournament Sub-Committee, HGA and Vivek Mehta, Country Head, Callaway Golf India.
Excitement was all over the greens as the participants of the tournament were introduced to Callaway’s Hex Black Tour Ball, an ultra – premium and game changing product from the house of Callaway which features Callaway’s finest engineering advancements.
Expressing his delight over the occasion, Mr. Vivek Mehta, Country Head, Callaway Golf India commented, “We are delighted to launch the new Hex Black Tour Ball in Hyderabad. Hyderabad has always been very receptive to new technologies and this time too, we are extremely positive that our revolutionary Hex Black Tour Ball will receive a tremendous response from the golfers of Hyderabad.”
Further discussing about Callaway, Mehta added, “Callaway is constantly upgrading its product line and we have brought some of our revolutionary equipment to the fore this year, but there is still more to come. We always focus on innovation and in providing the best of technology to the customers that enhances their performance and helps them improve their game. Our strategy will always be driven by quality research and we will thus continue to explore more and more with our brand. ”
The tournament provided a great opportunity to the golfers to try this revolutionary new product from the house of Callaway. The participants also witnessed better Spin Separation and experienced superior control over their game with the new golf ball.
Hex Black Tour is not just another golf ball. There is a lot of research and technology that has gone into the making of the 5 layer masterpiece. The technological advancements include an innovative dual-core construction, an exceptionally durable cover material and revolutionary HEX Aerodynamics, combining to deliver a five-piece golf ball with better Spin Separation and all-around performance characteristics than any previous introduction from Callaway.
Hex Black Tour Ball, an ultra – premium and game changing product from the house of Callaway which features engineering advancements including an innovative dual-core construction, an exceptionally durable cover material and revolutionary HEX Aerodynamics, combining to deliver a five-piece golf ball with better Spin Separation and all-around performance characteristics than any previous introduction from Callaway. A golf ball that yields distance-enhancing low spin off the tee, while still providing the superior control that comes from generating more spin around the greens, has long been held as the “holy grail” of golf ball design. The measured differential between the high spin generated on shorter approach shots into the green and the optimal low spin off the driver for maximum distance off the tee is called Spin Separation, and Callaway’s all-new HEX Black Tour has it in spades.
The tournament was then followed by the prize distribution ceremony along with the formal launch of the Hex Black Tour Ball.
About Callaway Golf India:
Callaway Golf India is a 100% subsidiary of Callaway Golf Company, America and was incorporated on 12th January 2010. Callaway golf India distributes sells & markets the entire range of Callaway Golf® and Odyssey® brands accessories and apparel throughout India.
About Hex Black Tour Golf Ball:
Hex Black Tour Ball, an ultra – premium and game changing product from the house of Callaway which features engineering advancements including an innovative dual-core construction, an exceptionally durable cover material and revolutionary HEX Aerodynamics, combining to deliver a five-piece golf ball with better Spin Separation and all-around performance characteristics than any previous introduction from Callaway. A golf ball that yields distance-enhancing low spin off the tee, while still providing the superior control that comes from generating more spin around the greens, has long been held as the “holy grail” of golf ball design. The measured differential between the high spin generated on shorter approach shots into the green and the optimal low spin off the driver for maximum distance off the tee is called Spin Separation, and Callaway’s all-new HEX Black Tour has it in spades.

Smash hit

http://www.asianage.com/other-sports/smash-hit-838

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/1488/11sindhu1jpgcropdisplay.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/338/11sindhu1jpgcropdisplay.jpg/) Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Hyderabad has a long history of producing world class shuttlers who make it a habit to set the courts on fire. Saina Nehwal has done it time and again, Jwala has too. Now, it’s P.V. Sindhu’s turn.

Sindhu, for long considered an exceptionally talented player, was one of the most remarkable players on the senior circuit when she made her debut last year. Ranked in excess of 180 when she made her debut, Sindhu made giant strides, impressing one and all with a slew of exceptional results.

Most recently, she won the Badminton Asia Under-19 Championship at Gimcheon in South Korea by defeating Okuhara Nozomi in a thrilling three-game final. On of Sindhu’s most impressive victories en route to the final was over China’s Sun Yu in the quarterfinals. Sindhu scripted a hard-fought straight games 22-20, 21-19 win over Yu. Incidentally, Sindhu had lost to the same player in three games in the last edition and had to settle for a bronze medal. In that match, Sindhu had won the first game 21-13 but then the Chinese player staged a comeback to wrap up the match 21-12, 21-10 over the next two games.

Sindhu said she was determined to go all the way this time, even before she began her campaign. “I won a bronze medal at the tournament last year and this time, I was going to settle for nothing less than gold. In fact, I had lost to Sun Yu in the semifinals last year, and the fact that I defeated her on my way to the title makes it that much sweeter,” the 17-year-old said.

With the Olympics less than three weeks away and most of India’s badminton contingent being from Hyderabad, Sindhu certainly has quite a few role models to look up to. But for now, she is more than happy just focusing on the immediate future. “I don’t really set myself long-term goals. I always ensure I focus only on the next tournament I’d be playing in,” she said.

For the moment, Sindhu would just be training at the Pullela Gopichand badminton academy as with the London Games just around the corner, there are no major tournaments coming up. “Usually it’s Gopi sir that decides which tournaments I take part in. For now, there’s nothing on the horizon, so I’ll just be concentrating on my training,” she added.
Sindhu does, however, have one long term goal. She has her sights set firmly on the very top of the world. “I would like to become the No.1 player in the world.”

Olympics-bound athletes, coaches felicitated
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3626567.ece)
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The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) felicitated the Olympics-bound athletes at a gala function here on Tuesday.

Apart from the athletes representing the State, Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, Ashwani Ponnappa, Gutta Jwala, Parupallu Kashyap, V. Diju, Sandeep Kumar, Sawaran Singh and Manjeet Singh, those felicitated included coaches Pullela Gopichand, Ismail Baig (rowing), M. A. Aziz (technical official in judo) and P. Ravi Shankar (SAAP archery coach) who is presenting a paper in the Pre-Olympic Congress in Liverpool. Sports Minister Vatti Vasanth Kumar was the chief guest.

Right motivation

“I believe that this function would provide the right kind of motivation for all of us to produce something special in Olympics. We have always been getting great support from the State government over the years and are indeed grateful to learn now that it is also going to implement two per cent job quota very soon for sportspersons,” Mr. Gopichand said.

Two-time Grand Slam tennis champion Sania Mirza said all athletes would consider it an honour to represent India in Olympics. “I take pride in being a Hyderabadi,” she remarked.

“We cannot promise medals, but definitely we will give more than 100 per cent in our efforts to come up with a special performance at the Olympics,” she added.

Ace shuttler and one of India’s best medal prospects, Saina Nehwal, felt that the State team could pull off major surprises. India’s premier women’s doubles shuttlers Ashwani Ponnappa and Gutta Jwala said asserted that they would do their best.

It is a wonderful evening and it is a great gesture on behalf of State government to felicitate the Olympics-bound athletes from the State, remarked Mr. Gopichand. Perhaps, reflecting the general mood and opinion of the stars who are expected to twinkle in London in this month-end’s ‘Mother of All Battles’.

New golf ball launched in Hyderabad
(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/golf/top-stories/New-golf-ball-launched-in-Hyderabad/articleshow/14851959.cms)
The spectators at the Callaway Tour Challenge in Hyderabad got to see a new brand of ball in play.The tournament marked the launch of Callaway's new product, the all new Hex Black Tour Golf Ball.

This is not just another golf ball. There is a lot of research and technology that has gone into the making of the five-layer masterpiece. The technological advancements include an innovative dual-core construction, an exceptionally durable cover material and revolutionary Hex Aerodynamics, combining to deliver a five-piece golf ball with better Spin Separation and all-around performance characteristics than any previous introduction from Callaway.

Vivek Mehta, Country Head, Callaway Golf India said: "We are delighted to launch the new Hex Black Tour Ball in Hyderabad. This city has always been very receptive to new technologies and this time too, we are extremely positive that our revolutionary Hex Black Tour Ball will receive a tremendous response from the golfers of Hyderabad.

"Callaway is constantly upgrading its product line and we have brought some of our revolutionary equipment to the fore this year, but there is still more to come. We always focus on innovation and in providing the best of technology to the customers that enhances their performance and helps them improve their game. Our strategy will always be driven by quality research and we will thus continue to explore more and more with our brand."

The tournament provided a great opportunity to the golfers to try this revolutionary new product from the house of Callaway. The participants also witnessed better spin separation and said they have experienced superior control over their game with the new golf ball.

The current regulations mandated by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and the United States Golf Association, state that diameter of the golf ball cannot be any smaller than 1.680 inches (43 mm). The maximum velocity of the ball may not exceed 250 feet per second (270 km/h) under test conditions and the weight of the ball may not exceed 1.620 ounces (45.9 g).

Sky is the Limit for Gagan (http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=143551)

New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI): Rifle ace Gagan Narang is hoping to be third-time lucky and experience the ''heroic'' feeling of winning on the planet’s biggest sporting event in the upcoming London Olympics after two unsuccessful attempts in Athens and Beijing.

Since missing out on the final by a point in the Beijing Games four summers ago, Narang has gone on to win numerous medals in the ISSF World Cups, World Championship, Commonwealth Games and the Asiad, besides creating a new world record in 2008.
“I have been unlucky twice (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008), hope I get third time lucky,” Narang said.

“An athlete’s ultimate ambition is to win and I am determined to go all the way and do whatever it takes,” the genial medal hopeful from Hyderabad adds.

Narang will be representing India along with Beijing Games gold-medallist Abhinav Bindra in their pet event — 10-metre air rifle on July 30.

Besides 10-metre, Narang is also competing in 50M Rifle Prone (August 3) and 50M Rifle 3 Position (August 6), giving himself enough chances of winning a medal at the Royal Artillery Barracks. Going by his form over the past couple of years, Narang stands a realistic chance of standing on the podium in London, and the experience of having represented his country in two previous Olympics only adds to the hopes and expectations.

“Olympics is everyone’s dream. We know what’s coming. We have come a long way. All I can say after representing the country twice already is that I have better control keys,” he says.

As cliched as it may sound but for Narang, the thought of winning a medal in Olympics is something that cannot be explained in words. “All of world’s eyes are trained on the Games. So winning at that stage is heroic. It is a different feeling altogether and cannot be explained in words,” is how the 29-year-old responds when one asks him about his desire to win at the Olympics.

A knee problem limited his participation to just one World Cup last year, but he had by then done enough to make people take notice of him.

After the disappointment in the Beijing Games, Narang shot a new world record of 703.5 in the World Cup finals in Bangkok, including a perfect 600 out of 600 in qualification.

Narang was at his best in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, winning four gold medals, which was followed by two silver at the Asian Games in Guangzhou.

Had the CWG been recognised by the International Shooting Sports Federation, Narang’s score of 703.6 would have been his second world record. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna honour last year came at the right time and, according to Narang, it would “spur him to bring more laurels for the country”.

India is hoping that the shooter from Hyderabad lives up to his word.

10-yr-old from AP is US champ in Taekwondo
(http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/hyderabad/10-yr-old-ap-us-champ-taekwondo-198)
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_horizontal/article-images/taw.jpg.crop_display.jpg
Kolli Mihir Sai, the grand-son of former director-general of police V. Appa Rao has won the annual United States Open taekwondo 2012 held at Colorado Springs City at Colorado, US. Mihir won a gold medal and a bronze in separate categories in the 10-12 years group.

Mihir is studying at the same school in Honolulu where US President Barack Obama studied

City archer to officiate in London Olympics
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3654607.ece)

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From the classrooms of Wesley College in Secunderabad to the famous Lord’s Cricket Ground archery competition in the 2012 London Olympics this month-end. This is a dream journey for former Asian bronze medallist in archery - Nachupally Arun Kumar.

The 35-year-old former Asian bronze medallist has the privilege of being nominated as a technical official for the Olympics archery competition at a venue which is incidentally the ‘Mecca of World Cricket’. “As an archer I could not make it to the Olympics. But my dream of being there in some capacity is now a reality,” says a visibly delighted Hyderabadi.

And importantly, the Business Management graduate from Osmania University is ready for the biggest sporting event of his career.

“By virtue of my experience in the pre-Olympics test event at the same venue, I did get a feel of what the organising committee expects from me,” says Arun Kumar, who incidentally got this ‘life-time opportunity’ on his own rather than through the Archery Association of India.

For someone who is also credited, along with a Jharkhand archer, to introduce compound bow category in Indian archery, but which interestingly doesn’t figure in London Games, Arun does believe that the conditions in London should be much better off for Indian archers compared to the last Olympics in Beijing where it was windy after heavy rains. “We have a great chance to surprise many in archery given the remarkable achievements of Indian archers of late,” he insists, having seen many in the Indian team from close quarters.

The 2006 national champion, who is now into import and export business, is all geared to get a feel of what it means to be there in the thick of Olympics.

Hyderabad monsoon races start from July 25
Press Trust of India / Hyderabad July 21, 2012, 17:05

The stage is set for 26-day-long Hyderabad monsoon horse race season here from July 25 with a whopping Rs 8.44 crore in stake money on offer.

The races were originally scheduled to commence from July 19 and conclude on October 22 with 28 race days framed for the season.

However, first and second day races were cancelled as the track was not conducive for racing in view of insufficient rainfall. Thanks to recent rains, the track now looks lush green, K Bhupal Reddy, Steward, Hyderabad Race Club (HRC), told reporters yesterday.

More than Rs 8.44 crore in stake money and trophies worth Rs 29,55,000 will be offered during the season against Rs 8.40 crore in stake money and Rs 26,20,000 towards the value of trophies offered last year, he said.
Further, monsoon season owners will also be getting performance incentives when their horses finish first, second and third in events other than sweepstakes races, Reddy said.

He said there are 22 "A" licensed trainers at HRC and 763 horses, 211 of them two-year-old, under their charge. Around 43 jockeys, including eight apprentices, have been licenced to ride at Hyderabad.

Some of the leading outstation trainers/jockeys are expected to participate in the classic/graded races, he said.

The prestigious races during the season are: The Nizam's Gold Cup (Aug 12), The A P Governor's Cup (Aug 19), The Deccan Book Makers Fillies Championship Stakes (Aug 26), The Deccan Book Makers Colts Championship Stakes (Sep 2), The President of India Gold Cup (Sep 9), The A P Chief Minister's Cup (Sep 16), The Vijay Textiles Deccan Derby (Oct 2), The Melbourne Racing Club Trophy (Oct 7) and the Golconda St Leger (Oct 15).

Confident badminton team departs for London
(http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/article3675369.ece)
A confident Indian badminton team — comprising Saina Nehwal, P. Kashyap, Gutta Jwala, Ashwini Ponappa and V. Diju and chief coach Pullela Gopi Chand — left for Delhi enroute London to take part in the Olympics later this month.

The women’s doubles pair of Jwala and Ashwini are confidence personified.

“We won bronze in the World championship at the same venue, Wembley, where Olympics competitions are going to be held.

“We should be very comfortable with the playing conditions as the drift factor will be much less compared to the Asian venues,” said Jwala. She also pointed out that the Wembley stadium had the best lighting system in place.

The pair trained mostly at the Fateh Maidan indoor stadium under the tutelage of coach S.M. Arif with an occasional stint at the Gopi Chand Academy where ace shuttler Saina, Kashyap — India’s lone entry in men’s singles — and mixed doubles specialist V. Diju trained.

“At the Olympics, I don’t believe there can be any specific strategy or a set plan. All you are expected to do is to rise to the occasion and play high quality game to win a medal. This has been our target in the training sessions,” said Ashwini.

“Everyone will be fully prepared for this mega event. And we too are in a determined mood. We are going to fight till the last point,” added Jwala.

Saina believes that she is mentally and physically better prepared for this edition of the Olympics than the earlier one at Beijing. “You need a bit of luck to win a medal at this level. From my side, I would be giving more than 100 per cent,” she said.

Kashyap said if he plays as well as he did in the recent Asian circuit, he should be in a position to pull of a couple of surprises.

Gopi Chand reiterated that this is the strongest badminton team from India ever for Olympics.

“We have a very good chance of winning a medal. The players are capable of playing to Olympics standards. Let us hope for the best,” he said.

Hyderabad Cricket Association focuses on strengthening junior cricket
(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Hyderabad-Cricket-Association-focuses-on-strengthening-junior-cricket/articleshow/15122601.cms)
HYDERABAD: The last decade or so had seen a steady decline in the standards of the game in Hyderabad. Matters came to such a sorry affair that the Hyderabad Ranji team was shot out for a lowly 21 against Rajasthan two seasons ago.

That was a wake up call for the administrators and the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president Arshad Ayub took a bold decision to enlist the services of former India player Sunil Joshi to coach the senior side last year.

Though there was severe criticism within the HCA, former Test spinner Ayub stood his ground and in the end his stand was vindicated.

Joshi, who was coaching a side for the first time, was instrumental in instilling in the Hyderabad team a sense of purpose and discipline.

The young side responded well to the left-arm spinner's methods and made a comeback to the Elite division of the Ranji Trophy.

To make sure that the good work done by Ayub was not in vain, newly-elected secretary MV Sridhar renewed Joshi's contract with the senior team for yet another year.

The former Hyderabad captain, who had stepped in to coach the Hyderabad team on a short-term basis after coaches SL Venkatapathi Raju and Vivek Jaisimha had tendered their resignations after the debacle against Rajasthan, is a votary for continuity. Sridhar's main point on which he ran the election campaign was restoring the 'glory of Hyderabad cricket'.

Hence, Sridhar, in the first Executive Committee meeting of the newly-elected body held on Saturday, made sure that the development of cricket would be the first and foremost priority of his administration. In that direction, the EC appointed Joshi as the coach of the senior team.

But the most notable decision of the EC was to nominate former Hyderabad player P Jyothi Prasad as the chairman of the Junior Selection Committee.

Prasad is known in the cricketing circles for his no-nonsense approach to the game. "He is a tough task master and is never afraid to call a spade a spade. His knowledge of the game is unrivalled as is his passion to develop young cricketers. Hence, it is a very shrewd move to have Prasad as head of the junior panel," one of the HCA members said.

With the Hyderabad team lacking a strong reserve team, the move to rope in Prasad will undoubtedly have a positive effect on the junior teams, which had taken a severe beating over the years.

Coaches: Sunil B Joshi (Ranji Trophy team). D Girish (U-19). Kiran Kumar (U-14).

Senior selection committee: Harimohan (chairman), C Jai Kumar (member), Shaik Riazuddin (member), T Pavankumar (member).

Junior selection committee: P Jyothi Prasad (chairman), P Vijaykumar (member), J Shivaji Yadav (member), Chetan Joshi (member).

Sub-Junior selection committee: Timothy Ravi Kumar (chairman), Ifteqaruddin (member), PM Rangaraj (member), Leo Brendon (member).

Sportspersons’ nutritional needs are different: expert
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3685755.ece)

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Diet specific to the sport and event should be provided: NIN scientist
It is as simple as that. Can you put diesel in petrol car and expect it to perform properly?

For the dismal performance of Indian athletes in international events, one of the reasons pointed out by Y. Venkataramana, Head of the Physiology Division, National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), happens to be the lack of attention paid to nutrition.

Having worked long years with athletes and part of the team that came up with ‘Nutrition and Hydration Guidelines for Excellence in Sports Performance’, Dr. Venkataramana underscores the lack of focus on nutritional needs of sports persons in different categories.

The first mistake is the concept of common mess. “The nutritional need of a badminton player is different from that of a 100-metre runner or a heavy weight boxer. You have to cater to their needs and thus a separate mess and diet with suitable nutritional values should be provided to them,” he says.

Sports need to be supported with science. “We have talent. But if we do not drive sports with science, we will not improve,” he says.

The practice of same diet provided to a sprinter and a boxer has to go. “Diet that is specific to the sport and event should be planned and provided.”

Dr. Venkataramana also disputes the common approach of a coach being the all-in- one person. His prescription is to understand the importance of nutrition and roping in sports nutritionists to help the sports person perform well.

Common misconceptions need to be driven away. “Generally, it is said that ‘ser ghee and badam halwa’ will do wonders. But it is not true,” he points out. Another misconception, according to him, is more protein means more energy and he says, “That is also wrong and could, in fact, have adverse effect”.

The guidelines drafted by the NIN prescribed diets for different categories of sports depending upon the body weight and energy needs.

‘Schools will have sports as a subject soon’
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3683462.ece)

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Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy launches the new-look ‘Sportstar’ magazine

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy formally re-launched Sportstar magazine with a new look in the presence of distinguished sports personalities from the twin cities at a function here on Wednesday evening.

“This magazine comes from the group which owns The Hindu which I believe is the most newsworthy newspaper in the country,” the Chief Minister said. “This is a media group which is known for its reputation and quality. I will be a regular reader of the magazine,” he said at the function here on Wednesday.

“Sportstar has been known for its in-depth coverage over the years, not just focussing on cricket but all other disciplines,” Mr. Reddy said. “Well, many distinguished sports personalities who were present here said that getting featured in the magazine meant an extended career in sports. But I was not that fortunate during my playing days (the Chief Minister had led Hyderabad under-22 cricket team),” he remarked.

The Chief Minister said his government would soon issue a GO making it compulsory for all schools to devote one period for sports daily. A sports policy would be worked out after discussions with eminent sportspersons in the country, he said, adding that it would be a model for other States.

G. Vinod, president of HCA, said he had always been an ardent reader of not just The Hindu, but also Sportstar.

Test cricketer V.V.S. Laxman described Sportstar as the most respected and reputed magazine.

“As a kid I always dreamt of being featured in the magazine. It is great that this is now coming out with a refined and classy look,” he said.

Triple Olympian Nandnuri Mukesh Kumar said that to see one’s name and picture in the Sportstar was always the ultimate dream of every sportsperson. He had the select gathering in splits when he remarked that if one were featured in the magazine it was almost certain that his career got extended by a year. “Such is the value of this magazine and I have great memories of it since my early days,” he commented.

Big motivation: Mithali

Indian women’s cricket captain Mithali Raj said that Sportstar had always carried inspirational stories. “It keeps you going and has always been a big motivation,” she said.

Former India volleyball captain and Arjuna Awardee V. Ravikanth Reddy recalled how desperate he was to buy a copy of the Sportstar when the magazine featured the State team on winning the Junior Nationals.

True values

Former India football captain Victor Amalraj said that the magazine always stood for true values.

Promising table tennis player Nikhat Banu felt honoured on being invited to attend the function.

‘Schools will have sports as a subject soon’
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3683462.ece)


Sound sports policy on anvil: CM

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said that a good sports policy would be announced after elaborate discussions with eminent sports personalities of the country. A high-level meeting with eminent sports personalities of the nation would be convened soon after completion of London Olympics. The CM re-launched the ‘Sports Star’, a weekly magazine of The Hindu group, on Wednesday evening.

He Chief Minister stated that the State government was encouraging sports, games and athletics which would inculcate dedication, discipline and concentration in younger generation. Sports stadia would be constructed in all the 294 Assembly constituencies with an estimated cost of Rs 1.5 crore each on 5 acres to 10 acres of land in the first phase, and in each mandal headquarters in the second phase.

He also informed a daily sports period was being made compulsory in all schools and the sports subject would be introduced at a later date. The budget for sports was enhanced from Rs 20 crore last year to Rs 220 crore this year, and Rs 4.5 crore dues to eminent sports personalities in the State in shape of cash incentives had been distributed recently. Two per cent reservations in government jobs were re-started in the State, he added.

VVS Laxman, Mukesh Kumar, Ravikanth Reddy, Victor Amalraj Mithilaraj and former minister G Vinod also spoke on this occasion.

Champions set sail in the City
(http://postnoon.com/2012/07/26/champions-set-sail-in-the-city/61478)
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The 27th Anniversary Regatta of The Laser National Sailing Championship got underway at the Secunderabad Sailing Club on Wednesday. Situated on the Husain Sagar premises, the Secunderabad Sailing Club was a hive of activity with enthusiastic participants gearing up for a variety of races scheduled over the week.

The Hyderabad Sailing Week will see as many as 90–100 sailors from across the country participating in different categories which are: Laser Std, Laser Radial and Laser 4.7, which again are subdivided age-wise, gender-wise and on varying professional levels; Apprentice Master, Master and Grand Master levels.

Defending champion in the Laser Standard class, BK Rout, Gajender Singh, Dharmender Singh and Sharif Khan, amongst others, will vie for top honours at the event. The local challenge in the form of sailors S Srinivas, SS Siwatch, Dilip Kumar, Suhiem Shaikh and S Anirudh, will try to keep the prizes in the home city.

While offering fair umpiring, organisers say that prevailing windy conditions will ensure a fierce competition and that the participant who is strong and sure will be the winner. “Sea-like conditions at the Husain Sagar Lake and a conducive weather in the City hold a lot of promise for exciting races over the coming few days,” spokesman for the organisers of the event announced.

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Rohini Rau who missed the London Olympics by a whisker is all set to overcome the debacle. The fact that she missed the cut by a mere ‘spot’ was compounded when her name was not proposed for a wildcard entry. She blames the politics in Indian sports bodies for this missed opportunity. “Had my name been sent, I would have made it to the Olympics as a wildcard entrant. I shall, though, keep performing and hope to do the country proud in the Asian championships,” she said, while consoling herself, “The weather over here is better than in London.”

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The sailor who tops the Laser Standard Fleet without discards will be awarded the Late Lt Cdr Kelly S Rao trophy instituted to honour the Hyderabad man, who not only was a multiple winner of Laser national events, he also represented India at the Seoul and Barcelona Olympics. World champion in the Enterprise class of boat, he brought laurels to the Country like no one else did in the sport.

Hyderabad concede lead against Rajasthan in Shafi Darash tournament

http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/Hyderabad-concede-lead-against-Rajasthan-in-Shafi-Darash-tournament/16605

Gagan Narang wins bronze medal in 10m air rifle at London Olympics (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/london-olympics-2012/news/Gagan-Narang-wins-bronze-medal-in-10m-air-rifle-at-London-Olympics/articleshow/15277667.cms)

NEW DELHI: Shooter Gagan Narang ended India's medal drought at the London Olympics after clinching bronze medal in the 10 metre air rifle event with an overall score of 701.1 just behind the gold medallist Romania's Alin George Moldoveanu (702.1) and sliver medallist Niccolo Campriani 701.5.

Narang shot 103.1 in the final to take the bronze. Moldoveanu shot the same score as Narang in the finals - 103.1 - but clinched gold by virtue of finishing first in the qualifying round at the Royal Artillery Barracks in London on Monday.

This is India's 1oth individual medal in the history of Olympics. Narang had won four gold medals in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and followed with two silver medals in the Guangzhou Asian Games.

Earlier in the day, Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra crashed out of the London Games by failing to qualify for men's 10 metre air rifle final while compatriot Gagan Narang made it with an overall score of 598.

Narang started of well in the finals as he shot a 10.7 in his first attempt followed by a mediocre 9.7. Narang fought back hard as he scored 10.6 and 10.7 in his third and fourth attempt.

Narang shot a 10.4 in his fifth attempt followed by a 10.6. Narang then had bad series of 9.9 and 9.5 but he came strongly to score 10.3 and 10.7 in his final two shots.

Bindra, who became India's first individual Olympic gold medallist in Beijing, shot 594 to finish 16th out of 47 contestants. Narang was one of the top eight shooters who qualified for the medal round.

Rajasthan, Hyderabad share honours (http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/07/30/323--Rajasthan-Hyderabad-share-honours-.html)

Mysore, July 30 (IANS) Expectedly, Rajasthan CA drew with Hyderabad CA in a high-scoring match of the Shafi Darashah Trophy cricket tournament here Monday.
In Alur, Baroda CA and Bangladesh 'A' were also involved in a draw with the former making up for their first innings debacle by making 445 in their second essay. Bangladesh were 184 for four, chasing a target of 334, but did not make a serious effort to achieve it given the paucity of time.
In Bangalore, K.B. Pawan slammed 237 (341b, 25x4, 2x6) and Amit A Verma made 138 (184b, 14x4, 2x6) for KSCA XI drawing with KSCA Colts, who could not convert a 216-run first innings lead into a positive result. KSCA XI made up for their poor first innings effort of 190 all out by making 503 for four declared in their second essay.
Brief scores:
Bangalore: KSCA Colts 406 all out in 127.5 overs and 100 for 1 in 28 overs (Mayank Agarwal 41 not out, Kaunian Abbas 50 not out) drew with KSCA XI 190 all out in 59.1 overs and 503 for 4 declared. in 113.5 overs (K.B. Pawan 237, Amit A Verma 138, CM Gautham 39 not out).
Alur: Baroda CA 202 all out in 70.3 overs and 445 all out in 109.5 overs (Kedhar Devdhar 91, Mohd. Forhad Hossain 3/54, Enamul Hoque (jr) 5/138] drew with Bangladesh 'A' 314 all out in 86 overs and 184 for 4 in 68 overs (Mominul Hoque Souorav 52 not out, Imrul Kayes 59, Shahriar Nagees Ahmed 32, Bhargav Bhat 2/99, Firdaush Bhaja 2/16).
Mysore: Rajasthan CA 626 all out in 153.5 overs and 240 for 8 in 67 overs (Vineet Saxena 41, Vaibhav Deshpande 34, Arjit Gupta 82, Lalit Mohan 6/82) drew with Hyderabad CA 411 all out in 106.1 overs.

London Olympics 2012: Saina Nehwal first Indian to reach semi-finals
(http://www.indianexpress.com/news/london-olympics-2012-saina-nehwal-first-indian-to-reach-semifinals/982952/)

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Saina Nehwal today created history as she became the first Indian shuttler to reach the semifinals of the Olympics after notching up a hard-fought straight-game victory over Tine Baun of Denmark in the women's singles quarterfinals at the London Games, here today.

Fourth seeded Saina edged past fifth seed Tine 21-15 22-20 in a 39-minute match at the Wembley Areana to set up a clash with the current world No 1 and World champion Yihan Wang of China in the semifinals, whom she hasn't beaten once in her last five encounters.

With this win, Saina bettered her quarterfinal finish at the Beijing Games four years ago and also excorcised the demons of that painful defeat to Maria Kristin Yulianti of Indonesia.

The world No 5 Indian had to toil hard against the two-time All England Champion Tine, who matched her strokes but was a tad erratic, which proved to be her bane in the quarterfinal match.

Saina was very precise with her strokes, while Tine was erratic initially and it allowed the Indian to lead 11-7 at the break.

After the breather, Saina slowly mixed her strokes to move into the game point at 20-12 with a short smash but she committed some unforced errors and a few judgemental mistakes on her part allowed the Dane to save three game points. Saina finally pocketed the first game with a smash which Tine netted.

In the second game, Tine opened up a slender 3-0 lead and extended it to 10-7 but Saina reeled off four straight points to lead 11-10 at the break once again.

Airtel begins the soccer talent hunt in Hyderabad
(http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=1&ContentId=77519)

http://www.thehansindia.info/Updates/2012/Aug/2/airtel.JPG
Airtel in association with Manchester United, one of the best soccer clubs in the world, launches under-16 soccer talent hunt which will cover 16 cities across India and choose 12 talented footballers to give the chance to train with Manchester United Soccer School and kick-off a career in professional football.

The hunt will kick off with a bang in Hyderabad on August 3, 2012, with more than 1,350 talented footballers registering for the two-day auditions to be held at Gymkhana Grounds – Secunderabad, Hyderabad.

The three-month long talent hunt will involve participation from over 10,000 young soccer players. The boys who turn up for the auditions will be put through the paces under the guidance of five coaches-cum-selectors, who will then pick 120 of the most talented players to advance to the next phase.

These players will be selected according to criteria based on the aspects mentioned in the Manchester United Scouting Guidelines. These aspects will dwell on the technical and tactical skills, the physical and mental strengths, the social skills, besides focusing on attitude, behaviour, communication, discipline, enthusiasm and fairplay.

The shortlisted 120 players will be informed of their status as well as the venue and timing of the second phase of selections on completion of the first phase. The best three players will be picked from the 120, who will then join their counterparts from the other 15 centres to participate in the six-day final selection trials, scheduled for September.

The 120 shortlisted players will also receive Manchester United certificates, signed by Alex Ferguson, the manager of Manchester United.

Hyderabad climber helps Pune team scale Mt. Everest
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3721184.ece)

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Here is a classic case wherein meticulous planning over a period of two years has helped an expedition team from Pune scale Mount Everest this May. The climbers also managed to complete the expedition by spending less than the average expenditure incurred per person for Mt. Everest.

The usual expense to scale Mount Everest for a person hovers between Rs. 35 and Rs. 40 lakh. The team from Sagarmatha Giryarohan Sanstha Adventure Club, Pune completed the expedition by keeping the expenses within Rs. 20 lakh per person.

On Thursday, the team members -- Shrihari Tapkir, Sagar Palkar, Ramesh Gulave, Anand Bonsode, Balaji Mane, and Kushal Deshmukh -- who were guided in all aspects of the climb by famous climber from Hyderabad Shekhar Babu, interacted with press persons. Of the six climbers in the team Shrihari Tapkir, Sagar Palkar and Anand Bonsode managed to reach the summit on May 19.

One of the team member, Anand Bonsode, also claimed a place in the Limca Book of Records for performing the national anthem on a guitar at camp 2 (6,320 metres above sea level) of Mt. Everest. “I performed several Hindi film songs and the national anthem with my guitar at camp 2 for more than 15 minutes. We have sent the documented evidence and waiting for confirmation,” he said.

Guidance of climber Shekhar Babu was vital to complete the expedition at low cost, they said. “Thanks to Mr. Shekhar we reduced the number of support staff, got Oxygen cylinders and climbing gear at affordable rates,” they said.

“We started climbing small and medium peaks in the Himachal region in 2010. We took climbing courses from a host of mountaineering institutes. Last year, we undertook a pre-expedition climb to Mt. Meru in Nepal. We were around 13 members out of which Shekhar Babu handpicked six of us for the actual climb,” the team members said.

London Olympics badminton: Saina Nehwal wins bronze
Saina nehwal wins Bronze Medal!! once again a Hyderabadi!!
awesome............

London Olympics badminton: Saina Nehwal wins bronze
Saina nehwal wins Bronze Medal!! once again a Hyderabadi!!
awesome............

Saina is pride of the Nation :bow:

Man U beckons football crazy young guns
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3726461.ece)
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Great response to Airtel Rising Stars’ talent hunt programme

It was a T-20 format with a difference in football! For, the ‘Airtel Rising Stars’ talent hunt programme (under-16 years), organised by the Procam International, featured five-a-side selection matches, lasting 20 minutes each at the Gymkhana Grounds in Hyderabad on Friday.

Hyderabad man's solution helped Vijay win Olympic silver

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Hyderabad-mans-solution-helped-Vijay-win-Olympic-silver/articleshow/15356827.cms

Grand welcome to Super Saina
(http://postnoon.com/2012/08/07/grand-welcome-to-super-saina/64503)


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Fans and friends greet ace shuttler Saina Nehwal, fresh from her victory at the 2012 Olympics.

Fresh from her victory at the 2012 London Olympics, shuttler Saina Nehwal arrived at Hyderabad this afternoon. Having clinched a bronze medal, Saina’s return was eagerly anticipated by family, friends and fans.

However, thanks to the absence of any advance information of her homecoming, many fans and supporters missed her arrival at the airport. Her father, Harvir Singh Nehwal, was the only one from the family present as Saina’s elder sister will be reaching Hyderabad from Jalandhar tomorrow with their mother. However, scores of Harvir’s colleagues accompanied him to welcome his daughter.

Brimming with delight and excitement at receiving his daughter, Harvir was discussing nothing but her feat at the Olympics. He shared his excitement with Postnoon while on his way to the airport. “It has been a terrific experience. I am being escorted by my colleagues who have decided to give her a grand reception,” he said. Harvir is a scientist at the Directorate of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad.

“It is a very proud moment for me. I have been told that all the security arrangements have been made and we have been keeping track of her journey from London to Delhi to Hyderabad. Fans and supporters have already started gathering at our house in Gachibowli,” said Singh, while signing off.

Saina, along with her coach P Gopichand, landed in the City around 12.30pm, from where they will proceed to attend a press meet at the Gopichand Badminton Academy in Gachibowli. Given that it is Ramzan, Harvir Singh says, “Of course we will be celebrating with biryani and haleem. I think she deserves it, considering that she has played one of the best games of her career in the tournament.”

VVS Laxman slams ton for Hyderabad in Shafi Darashah Trophy
(http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/VVS-Laxman-slams-ton-for-Hyderabad-in-Shafi-Darashah-Trophy/16779)


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Veteran VVS Laxman warmed up for the new season with an unbeaten 102 and along with Akshath Reddy (105) helped Hyderabad make 253 for 4 in reply to KSCA President XI's first innings total of 278 at stumps on the second day of the Shafi Darashah Trophy cricket tournament on Tuesday.

Laxman slammed 15 boundaries in the course of his unfinished 154-ball innings while Reddy's knock lasted 201 deliveries and comprised 13 fours and two sixes.

At the Gangothri Glades grounds, Mumbai Cricket Association (CA), thanks to an unbeaten 115 (142b, 18x4, 1x6) by Swapnil Salvi, were 154 for no loss in reply to Rajasthan CA's 277 at the end of a truncated day's play with the match beginning later due to overnight rains. The other opener, Kaustubha Pawar, was batting on 34.

In Bangalore, KSCA Colts were on 279 for nine against Baroda CA on a day when the proceedings began late and ended at 3 p.m. due to bad light with just about 20 overs being possible. Overnight not out batsman Mayank Agarwal (91) could not add to his total.

At Alur, Bangladesh 'A' batsmen fared rather poorly and were 188 for seven against KSCA XI, who were dismissed for 284 with left-arm spinner Enamul Haque Jr. taking six for 119. Mominul Haque Sowrab (52) was the top scorer for Bangladesh.

Brief Scores:

In Mysore: KSCA President's XI 278 for 9 in 90 overs (Ravi Kiran 4/35, M Hasan 2/81, K Naidu 2/45) vs Hyderabad CA 253 for 4 in 78 overs (Akshath Reddy 105, VVS Laxman 102 batting, Ryan Ninan 2/43).

Rajasthan CA 277 all out in 83.3 overs (Ankit Lamba 56, Azim Akhtar 32, Kshemal Waingankar 5/76, Balawinder Singh Sandhu Jr 2/52, Rakesh Prabhu 2/87) vs Mumbai CA 154 for no loss in 50 overs (Swapnil Salvi 115 batting, Kaustubha Pawar 34 batting).

In Alur: KSCA XI 284 all out in 89.1 overs (CM Gautham 63, Enamul Haque Jr 6/119) vs Bangladesh 'A' 188 for 7 in 62 overs (Md. Imrul Kayes 37, Md Shamsur Rehman Shuvo 35, Mominul Haque Sowrab 52 Md. Mithun 35 batting, K Gowtham 4/59).

In Bangalore: KSCA Colts 279 for 9 in 100.3 overs (Manyank Agarwal 91, Pawan Deshpande 46, Anirudh Joshi 35 batting, Pirdaush Bhaja 5/90, Murtuja Vohora 2/56) vs Baroda CA. (IANS)

Gopichand’s belief: Want a champion, forget democracy (http://www.firstpost.com/blogs/gopichands-belief-want-a-champion-forget-democracy-407428.html)

A few years ago, the trainees of the Pullela Gopichand academy at Gachibowli had the tendency of calling the training complex a three-star jail since none of the players were allowed to walk out of the premises for even a general stroll or shopping without the permission of the coaches and a gate pass.

Some of the players even had to surrender their cell phones after the morning training session and it was difficult for many to fathom the logic of all these rules. Slowly but surely they understood that it was coach Gopichand’s way to ensure that the players utilised their rest time only to recover from the strenuous training sessions and not waste their time and energy indulging themselves in unnecessary activities.

The Gopichand Academy, which gave India its first Olympic medal when Saina Nehwal won the bronze in London last week, has now become a cradle for badminton talent in India and the man who dreamt of making India a superpower in world badminton one day, rules it with an iron fist.

Gopichand has shown Saina the way. AFP
“If you want to produce champions, there is no place for democracy,” Gopichand had told the writer way back in 2009. The conversation about India’s future in badminton had then wavered towards the 2001 All England champion’s strict control over his wards and Gopichand had responded saying he needs to know everything that his player does every minute of the day.

Gopichand has firmly believed the progress of any player depends as much on what he or she does on the court but also outside the court as it can physically and emotionally affects their overall development.

The Indian Oil employee was very clear in his mind that the Indians were second to none in skills but lacked the fitness levels to match the best in the world. A fan of the Chinese training regime which puts tremendous emphasis on fitness and agility, Gopichand’s went about the task of building the fitness levels of his players with extensive training and strict diet control.

“Not one of my trainee will lose a match because he or she is unfit,” a statement Gopichand today makes with pride anytime he is asked about the players at his academy.

But that was not an easy task. When in Hyderabad, Gopichand is at the academy at 4.30 in the morning preparing the daily training schedule of the 30-odd trainees and explaining his assistant coaches what they are supposed to do for the day. The elite shuttlers are put through three sessions each day with the physical training and gym sessions customised to every individuals needs.

“During breakfast time, Gopi sir would stand behind some of us, even weigh the amount of food intake we had because we used to hate eating the protein rich food,” Prajakta Sawant, now the women’s doubles national champion, had told me once.

The rules were even stricter for Saina. Even when she was on a break and attending promotional functions, she would excuse herself and go to her room once it was time for her to sleep and I have personally witnessed how Gopichand would remind her about the time if Saina did miss the deadline.

Once Saina became a star and the entire nation began following her progress, the most popular ward were given certain liberties but Gopichand was never willing to compromise on certain issues and that became a bone of contention between the two last year.

But Saina soon understood the importance of the strict regimentation that Gopichand had prepared for her considering her body’s tendency to quickly gain weight, something that slowed her down on the court.

In the run up to the Olympics, Saina’s public appearances were restricted and there was a rationing on even the amount of time she can spend talking on phone.

The results of the regimentation are for everyone to see. Saina won the country’s maiden bronze in badminton and her academy mate P Kashyap became the first Indian male shuttler to reach the quarterfinals at the Olympics.

There is a battery of youngsters who have the potential to carry the baton from these two and have already started showing the spark on the international stage. P Sindhu is already the junior Asian champion, Sameer Verma has been a finalist in the junior Asian meet and HS Prannoy won silver in the inaugural Youth Olympics.

In order to match the best, Gopichand has adopted the same philosophy of strict regimentation the Chinese, Koreans or the Japanese follow. The results have just started to show.

From Haryana to Hyderabad and honours in Olympics (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/marketing/article3734732.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)

HYDERABAD, AUG. 6:
What is common to Haryana, Hyderabad and Olympics, especially the ongoing London games?

Two of the three Indians who did the country proud by winning medals at London 2012, have traversed this journey. Yes, you are right, both Saina Nehwal, the super shuttler and Gagan Narang, the ace shooter, belong to Haryana, but have made Hyderabad their home.

There is also the reverse route to glory. Karnam Malleswari the lone Indian woman weight lifter to win an Olympic medal (Sydney 2000), hails from Andhra Pradesh, but has settled down in Haryana as she works in the Food Corporation of India there and has been honoured by that State.

There is something ticking in these two places for sports to flourish. If you go by the numbers, Haryana has contributed 18 top-notch participants to the Indian contingent. On the other hand, Hyderabad has some of the biggest names and prospects — led by the virtual Indian challenge in badminton – Saina Nehwal, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa and Parupalli Kashyap --Sania Mirza and Vishnuvardhan Reddy (tennis) and Gagan Narang (shooting).

Hyderabad, for instance, has become a badminton hub, thanks to excellent facilities and coaching from stalwarts such as Dronacharya S.M. Arif, late Mir Mahboob Ali, Goverdhan Reddy, Bhaskar Babu and the former All England champion Pullela Gopichand. The State Government’s patronage of sports also plays an important part. Saina’s father works at the Directorate of Oilseeds Research, while Gagan Narang’s father was in the Indian Airlines, which brought them to Hyderabad.

Former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu gave a big push to sports by creating infrastructure for National Games, Afro-Asian games which were held early in the new millennium. Hyderabad could boast of international-grade hockey turf, athletics track, shooting range and indoor sports complex at Gachibowli.

During his regime, sportsmen were also honoured with cash awards and some like Gopichand were given land to develop a training academy. The soft-spoken and dedicated Gopichand, toiled to raise funds to set up the Academy. He also found financial support from industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad for the venture. The result of the efforts is manifest in a rich crop of youngsters coming out to represent the country.

The present Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is himself an erstwhile cricketer. He has shown keen interest in encouraging sports. His Government has upped the budget to Rs 225 crore from just Rs 20 crore last year. He also plans to make sports compulsory in all schools.

In the coming days, Haryana will be in the limelight. India’s medal hopes depend heavily on its boxers and wrestlers, their prowess flowing perhaps from their martial origins. The State Government’s generous cash reward programme and recognition serve as booster doses, especially in a country where sports other than cricket have suffered from step-motherly treatment for decades.

Hyderabad CA in command
(http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/08/08/411--Hyderabad-CA-in-command-.html)
Mysore, Aug 8 (IANS) Hyderabad Cricket Association (CA) took a commanding 307-run first innings lead over KSCA President's XI after making 585 in the Shafi Darashah Trophy cricket tournament here Wednesday.
Resuming at their overnight score of 253 for four in reply to the home team's 278, Hyderabad batsmen continued their merry way to ensure a massive lead. Veteran VVS Laxman, 102 overnight, went on to make 169 (207b) while A. Quadri also helped himself to a century (133).
At the Gangothri Glades grounds, Mumbai CA were 445 for six responding to Rajasthan CA's first innings score of 277. Leading the Mumbai's charge were Swapnil Salvi (124), Kaustubha Pawar (164) and Hiken Shah (105) as the Rajasthan bowlers toiled for little success.
In Alur, KSCA XI dismissed Bangladesh 'A' for 214 to take a 70-run lead and then stretched it by making 284 for seven declared in their second innings with R. Samarth (86) being the top scorer. The visitors were 17 without loss chasing a victory target of 355.
Play in the other game between KSCA Colts, who were 279 for nine overnight, and Baroda CA, was called off for the day without a ball being bowled due to rains.
Brief scores:
In Alur: KSCA XI 284 all out in 89.1 overs and 284 for 7 decl in 66.4 overs (R Samarth 86, KB Pawan 47, Ganesh Satish 68, Md Nayeem Islam 5/38) vs Bangladesh 'A' 214 all out in 68.5 overs (Md Mithun 46, K. Gowtham 6/74) and 17 for no loss in 8 overs.
In Bangalore: KSCA Colts 279 for 9 in 100.3 overs vs Baroda CA. Day 3 play rained off.
In Mysore: KSCA President's XI 278 all out in 90 overs and 9 for no loss in 2 overs vs Hyderabad CA 585 all out in 157.5 overs (VVS Laxman 169, A Quadri 133, Ashish Reddy 62, K Sumanth 63, Ryan Ninan 2/92, Ronit More 2/112, SK Moinuddin 4/142).
Rajasthan CA 277 all out in 83.3 overs vs Mumbai CA 445 for 6 in 125 overs (Swapnil Salvi 124, Kaustubha Pawar 164, Hiken Shah 105, Deepak Chahar 2/91, Raman Chahar 4/52).

Sachin to go to Hyderabad to meet Saina

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/london-olympics-2012/news/Sachin-to-go-to-Hyderabad-to-meet-Saina/articleshow/15420313.cms

A hat-trick of titles, hearts for Naina (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/article3757210.ece)

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She shocks locals defeating better-ranked Karnam Spoorthy in the youth girls final 4-2

The three-day State ranking table tennis tournament that concluded at DRRMC indoor stadium witnessed a brilliant display of paddling by Hyderabad’s Naina, who won a hat-trick of titles – youth, junior and sub junior and hearts. She shocked the locals when she defeated the better-ranked city’s Karnam Spoorthy in the youth girls final 4-2.

The tourney saw the return of the international paddler K. Chandrachud, who left the game to pursue medicine and he proved his critics wrong by reaching the final only to succumb to South Central Railway’s Somnath Ghosh.

The organisers, in an effort to promote the game among the schoolchildren, conducted a tourney separately them in which local schools took part in the both the boys and girls segments. “The effort met with a good measure of success as more than 10 schools took part,” said district association secretary K. Balaram.

That the academy culture is fast catching up in Vijayawada was visible as coaches were seen busy convincing parents to send their wards to their academies for better coaching.

“The game has immensely prospered in Hyderabad owing to intense rivalry among the academies. The coaches give their best while honing the skills of their wards and the triumphs by their wards in tourneys would help them get more trainees,” said Andhra Pradesh Table Tennis Academy secretary S.M. Sultan.

The organisers felicitated three paddlers who represented India in various age groups – Karnam Spoorthy, Naina, and Nikhat Banu with blazers. They also gave away cash prizes to all the winners and runner-ups of all categories.

Sunflower Group chairman Punnam Raju, District Sports Development Officer P.V. Ramakrishna, Krishna District Olympic Association secretary K. P. Rao, Krishna District Table Tennis Association president K.V.S Prakash, Income Tax Officer P. Viswanath and others took part in the prize distribution function.

Want to revive sport in Hyderabad: Gagan Narang
(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/shooting/Want-to-revive-sport-in-Hyderabad-Gagan-Narang/articleshow/15480430.cms)
HYDERABAD: The bronze medal at the London Games has taken off a big stone on his chest and now shooter Gagan Narang wants to focus on reviving 'dying sports' in his home city of Hyderabad.

Narang said he would like to nurture young talent by starting sports academy in the state with the support of the government.

"I would like to nurture talent in the state by opening sports academies and centres of excellence with the help of government, with the support of rifle association of AP. The media support is important.

Real Hero: Gagan Narang wants shooting improvement in Hyderabad (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/gagan-wants-shooting-improvement-in-hyderabad/282086-73.html)

Hyderabad: The bronze medal at the London Games has taken off a big stone on his chest and now shooter Gagan Narang wants to focus on reviving 'dying sports' in his home city of Hyderabad.
Narang said he would like to nurture young talent by starting sports academy in the state with the support of the government.
"I would like to nurture talent in the state by opening sports academies and centres of excellence with the help of government, with the support of rifle association of AP. The media support is important.

http://static.ibnlive.in.com/ibnlive/pix/sitepix/10_2010/gagannarang0910.jpg

"Secondly, the right kind of support from government is necessary at the right point of time. Sports in Hyderabad is dying. I don't see many youngsters taking interest in sport," Narang said while interacting with reporters here.
"There was no maintenance, no upgradation of shooting facilities at the shooting ranges (in Hyderabad) since 2002 when the range was constructed until now. I hope I will be able to give a shot in the arm especially to shooting sport facilities in AP and produce champions for the country.
Government, corporate and media needs to be a part of this endeavour," he said.
Responding to Narang's proposal to nurture young talent, top state government officials said his plans will be processed with due seriousness and positive consideration after they are received formally.
Gagan, who won bronze medal in 10m air rifle event, also met Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and Sports Minister V Vasant Kumar on Tuesday. Narang said he was relieved after winning the honours in London, though he would like to improve further in the next Olympics.
"The pressure in Beijing was immense and I broke under pressure. I missed my final point. Every day of my life I would carry that hurt and pinch inside until I shot that last shot in London and I could win the medal. It was a huge relief.
"I had lot of pressure (in London) and I am glad I could handle that. I missed the gold medal and I will be looking forward to changing the colour next time," Narang said.
"I believe in turning destination into starting point. I think once you push your limits and you are able to achieve what you are set out for, then Olympics medal was one medal which I did not have in my medal cabinet. I feel quite happy about completing that 15-year-old journey into a medal. I feel the journey is also very important because that enriches you with experience," he added.
Recalling his growing up years in Hyderabad, he disclosed that he actually started with cricket as a child but moved on to shooting gradually.
"How I got into shooting was also very interesting.
Everyone who starts shooting, starts with bursting balloons on the beach. For me it was little different. I was riding a cycle in my apartment. By mistake, the cycle went off the stair and I fractured my right hand. A day before that, I went to the club where there was a shooting range for enrolment. I was disappointed when I suffered the fracture. But, I had gone there with the fracture and they were surprised. I managed to shoot somehow," he said.
He also recalled that his father had to sell of a plot of land in Hyderabad to purchase a rifle for him as his mentors those days suggested that he should own a rifle to pursue the sport seriously.

Gagan Narang arrives in city
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3769696.ece)

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Tracing his first shot in shooting at the age of 12 and his school days in Geetanjali, Mamata Schools, a beaming Gagan reminded that Hyderabad always remains very close to his heart.
Ace shooter Gagan Narang was in for two pleasant surprises. For the first time in his successful career, this Hyderabadi, winner of the 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist in 10 m air rifle event, was given a touching reception on his arrival back home after his magnificent feat in London. Then, when he was clearly told by the State government that the latter was open to utilise Gagan’s services in giving shooting a new fillip in the State.

Sadly, the State government is yet to announce a house site for Gagan despite his string of gold at the international level over 15 years now.

Tracing his first shot in shooting at the age of 12 and his school days in Geetanjali, Mamata Schools, a beaming Gagan reminded that Hyderabad always remainsvery close to his heart. “I have had lots of people show abundance of love and I must acknowledge now what all they have done to make me what I am,” were his first comments on Monday.

With once again Andhra Pradesh Sports School students lining up at the airport along with the SAAP trainees in different disciplines waving the mini tri-colour flags, a smiling Gagan exchanged pleasantries at a brisk pace to step into the colourfully decorated open-top bus at the Airport. For a stretch up to the PVNR Expressway, he was on it, acknowledging the greetings of many students including those from Lal Bahadur Memorial School who dotted the route, braving the heat.

The triple Olympian gently reminded that as a young boy when he used to go his dad’s (B. S. Narang) Air India office, then he was talked about as Narang Saab’s son. “Now, I think even my dad can take pride when they introduce him as Gagan’s father,” he remarked with a big smile and a sense of pride.

Gagan said he was open to replicate what he had done in Pune (where he set up the ‘Gun For Glory’ shooting Academy thanks to the initiative of Maharashtra Government). “Everyone knows that the shooting ranges here (Central University) were not upgraded. I sincerely believe with my expertise I can bring in a radical change in the sport,” he said.

Dr. T. R. K. Rao, SAAP VC & MD, was quick to remind they were awaiting clear-cut proposals from the champion shooter and that the Government would go extra yard to help him.

The star shooter was a bit emotional when he revealed that his parents had to sell off their house sites to see him (Gagan) become a big name in shooting. “It is a very expensive sport and I don’t want any parent to suffer a similar fate,” he insisted.

Given this backdrop, Gagan is keeping his fingers crossed as to how things shape up if he were to realise his dream of producing many more Gagans from the State and Hyderabad in particular.

Gagan Narang meets CM
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3768994.ece)
London Olympics bronze medal winner Gagan Narang on Monday met Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy at the camp office in Begumpet here. Mr. Reddy congratulated Mr. Narang for winning the bronze medal in 10 m air rifle. A press release here said that the State government had recently disbursed long pending dues of cash incentives to the tune of Rs. 4.5 crore to 452 sports personalities who won medals in different events. The government had already announced a cash award of Rs. 50 lakh to Mr. Narang for winning the medal.

IPL council to hear DC mortgage case (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl/news/IPL-council-to-hear-DC-mortgage-case/articleshow/15483068.cms)

NEW DELHI: The IPL governing council will meet on Tuesday to decide the fate of Deccan Chargers, who have allegedly flouted rules by mortgaging their franchise to banks to enable them to tide over a tight cash situation, sources said on Monday.

Under IPL rules, franchise owners are not allowed to mortgage their teams and use the funds for other expenses. Members of the IPL governing council were recently informed by some lenders about their exposure to Deccan Chargers which is now part of Deccan Chronicles Holdings. The banks also wanted the cricket body to help get a security for their loan to the franchisee.

The Governing Council discussed the issue on August 9 but failed to arrive at a decision. They will be again grappling with the nettlesome issue on Tuesday.

IPL sources said that Deccan Chargers have taken a loan of Rs 480 crore from one private bank and Rs 170 crore from another by mortgaging their IPL franchise. Apart from these two banks, funds from other creditors are also said to be locked up in Deccan Chargers.

Owners of Deccan Chargers are expected to present their case while bank representatives will detail their grievances and seek a solution, the IPL sources said.

The promoters of Deccan Charges have been under financial stress of late and have pledged their shares with banks to raise funds.

Deccan Chargers given two weeks time to set their house in order (http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/Deccan-Chargers-given-two-weeks-time-to-set-their-house-in-order/16952)

New Delhi: Aug 14, 2012

The IPL Governing Council gave 14 days time to Deccan Chargers to set their house in order after the BCCI learnt that the Hyderabad-based franchise has mortgaged their team to some banks to deal with their present crisis.

"The governing council today heard both sides--the franchise owners as well as representatives of the banks. We have given Deccan Chargers, 14 days time to sort out the mess and get back to us.

"If the issues are not sorted out within the next fortnight, we will decide on further course of action," a Governing Council member told PTI on condition of anonymity.

The Governing Council discussed the issue after two banks, which had given loans on the mortgage of the IPL team, had taken it up seeking relief.

T Venkkattram Reddy, owners of the IPL franchise, declined to comment when reporters sought his reaction.

The member said "Let us put this on record. The BCCI never allows any of the owners of the franchise to mortgage their teams in order to raise funds from various financial instituitions. As far as the IPL constitution is concerned, it is strictly prohibited."

According to IPL sources, the Chargers have taken loans from the banks by mortgaging their IPL franchise.

CM announces stadia
(http://postnoon.com/2012/08/15/cm-announces-stadia/66295)


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Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy used the flag hoisting today as a platform to roll out his government’s welfare measures.

After the ritual of unfurling the flag, Kiran read out the long list of pro-people measures his government has taken in the past one and half years. “This government constructed eight lakh pucca houses for poor families and another 18 lakh houses are in various stages of construction. Nearly 1.25 lakh jobs were created for the young unemployed under the Rajiv Yuva Kiranalu,” he said.

Explaining the welfare programmes being implemented for the empowerment of women of the State, the CM said that the State government is providing interest-free loans to Self Help Group members to make them successful entrepreneurs. Kiran also announced the launch a special programme for the development of scheduled tribe community on the occasion.

Talking about the Olympic success of Hyderabadi sportspersons — shuttler Saina Nehwal and Gagan Narang — the CM announced that his government would build a sports stadium in every Assembly segment of the State to encourage sports in a huge manner.

Recognising the woes of government hospitals in the State for various reasons, the CM announced the provision of adequate funds for developing infrastructure in all the hospitals. The CM also focussed on the controversial issue of fee reimbursement and said that the State had been implementing the scheme with a noble objective of providing higher education to all and needy students of the State. A total of about 25 lakh students are being benefitted by the scheme. Before his speech the CM paid rich tributes to martyrs of wars at Armed forces memorial.

Babu hoists flag

All political parties including the ruling Congress celebrated Independence day with aplomb. While APCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana hoisted the flag at Gandhi Bhavan, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress honorary president Vijayamma, BJP president G Kishan Reddy hoisted the flag at their party headquarters.

Hyderabad: Tete-a-tete with Olympic Medalist Saina Nehwal

Hyderabad, Aug 16: She has redefined and rejuvenated badminton in India with her stupendous performances over the years. Earlier this month, Saina Nehwal, currently ranked 4th in the world, became the first Indian to win a medal in badminton in Olympics, clinching bronze at London. Born on March 17, 1990 at Hisar, the 22-year-old champion is also a Khel Ratna awardee and has many firsts to her credit in Indian badminton history. She holds an impressive record of 193 wins in singles of the 278 matches she has played so far.

Daijiworld caught up with Saina for an exclusive interview at Hyderabad.


Excerpts:


Q: Hi Saina, how do you feel after winning the bronze in London Olympics?

A: Medal is a medal. Olympics is a great event. I am happy with my achievement. I was trying for gold but that couldn’t happen. But I am happy that I won bronze for the country.

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Q: Do have any regrets about not winning the gold?

A: Everyone tries for gold, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. I am so happy winning a medal in badminton for the first time in Olympics.


Q: What exactly were you thinking while facing Chinese player?

A: I was just trying to do my best, of course China is a strong competitor... it’s not so easy to beat them again and again. I was trying to be more patient and trying to implement my strategy. But in the semi-final my strategy did not work. In the play-off matches when I played against other Chinese players my strategy luckily worked.


Q: What has made Chinese players dominate world badminton from past 10-20 years?

A: I think it’s just the way they have been performing from so many years. They have all the champion coaches, they have badminton academy in every city. I think that makes the difference. I think from past so many years they have been producing champions.


Q: Do you think India can reach that level?

A: Indian badminton has improved over the last 5-6 years. So we are a good side. Gopi sir (coach and mentor Pullela Gopichand) is making sure that we train hard, play better and stay fit. China has been doing this from past many years. It's not like China is unbeatable, but it will take sometime. We have to fight hard against the Chinese.


Q: What did Gopi sir say before the crucial Olympic match?

A: He just told me to be focused and confident. In Olympics every medal is important and he just told me to relax. I just kept myself relaxed and my focus was to give my best against the Chinese players and not think about the medal.


Q: What was the reaction of your family?

A: Dad was very happy. For him winning medal is very important. In fact, I had promised a medal for him and he was very happy that I won it. He is really overjoyed and satisfied. My sister, my mother, all are happy. These three people are very important in my life.


Q: What will be your strategy for the upcoming series?

A: No special strategy right now but there's a lot of work to be done. After that, I will be playing the Japan Open and then the Superseries event will start. Of course, there will be a strategy against all the top players. That is common in all tournaments and so I am not so worried about it. It is important that I stay fit and give my best in each tournament.


Q: Apart from badminton do you follow any other sports?

A: Yes, in tennis Roger Federer is my favorite. I respect him a lot and love watching him play. Sachin Tendulkar in cricket and Taufik Hidayat in badminton are my favourites. I respect all these three players. They have changed my life and I get a lot of inspiration from them.


Q: To what extent has your coach Gopichand influenced your badminton career?

A: He plays a very big role. He has been my coach from many years. His hard work has shaped my career. His badminton academy is another plus point. We needed a place to practice and I think the academy came at the right time. I thank all my co-players who played with me and helped me practice... I have achieved all this because of them. Gopi sir is very hard working... he comes to practice at 4.30 - 5 am, plays with us, and stays on till 9 in the night. He is very dedicated and works hard.


Q: What is your message for budding players?

A: Work hard and be prepared for tough training. It's not easy. It is a difficult game. If you really believe in yourself you can do it. If I can do it, you all can do it. Work hard and keep going.

Hyderabad gears up to host Test amidst Telangana protest plans
(http://www.ndtv.com/article/south/hyderabad-gearing-up-to-host-india-new-zealand-test-amidst-telangana-protest-255767)


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Hyderabad: The Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium at Uppal here is gearing up to host the first test between India and New Zealand, beginning on August 23.

The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) is making all efforts for the smooth conduct of the test, the first to be held under new guidelines of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

As per the new guidelines, any loss of play time during the day would be compensated by playing under floodlights, said HCA secretary MV Sridhar.

It would be the second Test to be held at the Uppal stadium. The first Test, that also involved New Zealand, was played here in November 2010 and it ended in a draw.

Sridhar told reporters that the Kiwis would be arriving in Hyderabad in two batches August 17 and 18. The Indian team will be landing here August 19.

The HCA will sell 34,000 tickets, though the stadium has a capacity of about 40,000. The capacity has been reduced in view of the ongoing canopy works in one section of the stadium.

When asked about the possible disruption of the game in view of the protest planned by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) for separate Telangana state, Sridhar said they appeal to all help HCA in successfully hosting the test. "The police will make contingency plans as when the situation unfolds," he said.

HCA president G Vinod said the newly-elected body of the HCA was taking all steps to provide better amenities to the spectators.

Nethula hopes for debut in home state (http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/7494534/Nethula-hopes-for-debut-in-home-state)

Like any cricket-mad boy growing up in the Andhra Pradesh state in India, Tarun Nethula's heroes were the men who played in Hyderabad's Ranji Trophy side.

Regional pride and identity are integral parts of Indian cricket and Nethula dreamt of one day emulating the deeds of local stars like VVS Laxman.

But having just made Hyderabad's under-13 side, Nethula thought he had said goodbye to all that when his father, Sainath, and his late mother, Prameela, decided to emigrate to New Zealand. Sixteen years later, he hopes to do something that seemed unimaginable back then.

Selected in the Black Caps squad of 15, which departs for a two-test tour of India today, the legspinner is in line to make his test debut at Hyderabad's Ranjiv Gandhi International Stadium next Thursday, against a home team that includes Laxman.

"It would be a bit of a fairytale if I do get to play in Hyderabad. It's a big thing and quite a proud moment and a lot of my family still reside there," said Nethula, who was born just out of Hyderabad in Kurnool.

Not used in New Zealand's two test losses against the West Indies, Nethula's chances of playing have been enhanced by the injury-enforced absence of Daniel Vettori.

It would be thrill enough for the 28-year-old Central Districts leggie to make a test debut, let alone in his home state. The only sadness is that his father won't be there.

"Unfortunately my father and my girlfriend both work at schools, so they won't be able to get time off," Nethula said.

"But his father will be there, so hopefully he can make the trip. Many of my dad's siblings are still there as well so I'm hoping that, if I do get a game, we'll have a bit of home crowd support for the Black Caps."

Even so, India is a heck of a place for any touring spinner to play. Never mind one who might be appearing in their first test match.

"Everyone seems to speak of it as being the ultimate challenge but playing international cricket is a challenge regardless of who you're playing against," he said.

"So it's all a learning curve and if you're going to play test cricket, why not take on the best players of spin up front?"

So it's with excitement, rather than trepidation, that Nethula is eyeing the prospect.

"There are a lot of people where I was born that would give an arm or a leg to play international cricket - and a lot more - so it's a great opportunity."


Nethula was expensive in his two one-day international and one first-class appearance in the West Indies, but he said he learnt a lot from the experience.

"They're not the biggest sweepers and when you compare them to the Indian and sub-continental players, who like to sweep and look to use their feet, these [West Indian] boys just stood there and tried to launch it down the ground as soon as you got a touch full.

"For me, it will be crucial [in India] to keep it simple and stay in a good area and then ask the batsmen to do the bulk of the work."

Laxman to announce his retirement plans today
(http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/article3789834.ece)

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It is official. India’s stylish batsman, Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman, who scripted many fabulous moments on the field with his willow including that epic 281 against Steve Waugh-led Australians in the historic 2001 Test series, has decided to formally announce his retirement from international cricket on Saturday evening at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad.

The 37-year-old Laxman, who threw enough hints about his retirement plans, is expected to give a detailed response to various questions at the media conference he has scheduled this evening. It will be also known then whether he would be playing in the two-Test series against New Zealand starting on August 23 in Hyderabad or not.

The big question remains – will the elegant Hyderabadi just respect the sentiments of his well-wishers that he should play the Tests and then quit the game rather than ahead of the series against New Zealanders itself or not?

By all means, it will be the end of an illustrious career spanning 16 years when Mr. Laxman left an indelible impression on not just Indian cricket but the world cricket itself with his classy displays under pressure.

“I always take pride when my contribution helps the team win rather than enjoy any personal milestones,” was Laxman’s constant reminder throughout his career.

In a way, Laxman’s magnificent career was also symbolic of the fact that if one has the talent and combines that with the desired levels of commitment and hard work, he can go a long way despite coming from a normal middle-class family.

Far away 'Down Under', the Aussies should be heaving a sigh of relief at this decision of Laxman. For the genteel Hyderabadi was at his best against them and his wonderful record of six centuries and 12 fifties from 29 Tests is proof of that when he was blazing away to 167 in the Sydney Test (2000) against an attack which included Glen McGrath, Brett Lee, Damien Fleming and Shane Warne, Azhar, who was watching that on TV at Gymkhana Grounds remarked: "This is the way one has to play against them. And I am not surprised with Laxman's batting. Look at his class and authority, great innings."

For someone who never had a Godfather except a caring maternal uncle Baba Mohan, who used to visit media offices to give updates on the young gifted cricketer’s performances, Laxman redefined, literally the levels of excellence on a cricket field.

Widely perceived as the one who changed the face of Indian cricket itself with that historic knock of 281 against Australians in Kolkata when he pulled the team out of the woods after being forced to follow-on and eventually guide to a memorable victory, Laxman has always been a symbol of dignity – both on and off the field.

The fact that he was never involved in any controversies in his long career was perhaps a gentle reminder of Laxman’s nature itself.

And, it has been a very tough decision for him to be prepared for the retirement plans too as it was obvious that he felt “deeply hurt” by the comments that he is blocking the youngsters’ chances.

Already the Hyderabad cricket Association is planning to install statues of M. Azharuddin and Laxman at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium very soon as a gesture of appreciation of their "outstanding contribution' to cricket.

Well, it will be sad that the game itself misses the glitter of this wonderful gem of a batsman, coming from the 'City of Pearls'.


Take a bow legend :bow:

VVS Laxman honoured by Hyderabad Cricket Association (http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/VVS-Laxman-honoured-by-Hyderabad-Cricket-Association/17059)

Hyderabad: Aug 18, 2012

The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) on Saturday honoured the just-retired VVS Laxman by naming the north stand of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal after the stylish right-hander.

HCA president G Vinod hoped Laxman would continue to play for Hyderabad in the domestic circuit.

"On the day of his retirement, we appeal to him (Laxman) to continue playing for Hyderabad. We wish him all the best for a great future," Vinod said.

"We request him to serve Hyderabad cricket as he has done in the past," he added.

Laxman, who won many a match for India with his wristy elegance including an epic 281 against Australia in Kolkata, on Saturday announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect, bringing down the curtains on a glorious career spanning 16 years.

The 37-year-old Laxman, one of the finest batsmen in contemporary cricket, said that he felt it was the right time to bid adieu to the game which he played with "great pride for the country".

Laxman made it clear that he will continue to play for Hyderabad till this year.

"It was a dream for me to play for India since childhood and I am extremely thankful to the Almighty for giving me the opportunity to serve my country."

Special to play Test at home: Pragyan Ojha (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/new-zealand-in-india/top-stories/Special-to-play-Test-at-home-Pragyan-Ojha/articleshow/15537984.cms)

HYDERABAD: The retirement of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh's apparent loss of form has forced Team India to look out for a fresh pair of spinners. In left-armer Pragyan Ojha and offie R Ashwin, India seem to have found another pair of spinners who could stay the course. The duo did well against the West Indies in the last home series and Ojha is looking forward to another good show against New Zealand in the forthcoming Test series. The 25-year-old spoke to TOI about how he is gearing up for the challenges of the season.

Excerpts:

A home Test match to start off the season. Your impressions.

This is a very important series for the team and also for me. It is always special playing in front of one's home crowd. As I am familiar with the conditions and the wicket here, I am looking forward to a good Test. It has been a while since I have played a Test (last Test was against the West Indies in Mumbai in November 2011) and hence I am really keen on playing here. The crowd support too is a key factor in one's performance and I am confident of doing well.

What do you think went wrong in the last Test series Down Under?

There are always ups and downs in one's life and the same is true with a team. I feel it was a bad phase for Team India as we didn't do as well as we were expected to. But this is a new series and a new season. On top of it, it is a home series and we have always done well at home. The players are used to the conditions here and hence Team India definitely has the upperhand against the Kiwis. In fact, we are playing almost 10 Tests at home this season and I am eagerly looking forward to it.

How did you fare in the recent ODI series against Sri Lanka?

I got to play just two matches. In fact, I was playing an ODI after two years. I have made some mistakes and have learnt from those. I am working hard on overcoming those shortcomings. The Test series is important as I want to perform consistently and earn back my place in the ODI team.

You and Ashwin seem to complement each other well. What is the secret?

In the sub-continent, the spinners are expected to lead and give the team the much-needed edge over the visiting teams. As we are of the same age, we understand each other well and complement one another. He is a good partner and it is nice to have someone like him bowl from the other end. In the Test series against the West Indies last year, we forged a really good partnership. We took 42 wickets which show how well we do as a team.

Your goals for the season?

I am aiming for consistency. I want to start the season well, but there are no targets as such. I want to take it session by session and match by match.

Gagan, Saina have Rio Olympics in sight (http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gagan-saina-have-rio-olympics-in-sight/989944/)

Even as they shuttle from one felicitation programme to another since returning from London, Gagan Narang and Saina Nehwal have already set their sights on improving their performance at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Feted in the capital on Friday by a sponsor of India's Olympic contingent that returned with an unprecedented six medals from the just concluded London Games, the duo from Hyderabad looked like they were enjoying every bit of it.

What was reassuring for their fans was that both had the next Olympic Games on their mind.

"The colour of the medal is not very bright. I have to change the colour," Narang, who won the 10 metre air rifle bronze in London, quipped.

On a more serious note, he said: "Looking at where I am, it should be the new starting point. I will have new destinations - Asian Games, Commonwealth Games (both in 2014), Rio Olympics...

"Hopefully I will be making everybody listen to the national anthem," said the 29-year-old marksman.

Nehwal, whose bronze in London was India's first ever badminton medal in the Olympics, promised to do whatever it took to maintain her position in a sport ruthlessly dominated by the Chinese shuttlers.

"I'm glad I won India's first badminton medal in Olympics. I will keep working hard and it will give me the motivation to win many more medals. I'll be more confident in the next Olympics," said the 22-year-old shuttler, the only non-Chinese in the women's top five.

"I narrowly missed a medal in Beijing and could not sleep properly for many days, so depressed I was. This time I played well under pressure.

"The next 7-8 years that I play, I have to face the Chinese players. It will be Saina v China … I hope to stay fit and continue in the same manner," she added.

Boxer M.C. Mary Kom, who won the women's 51kg bronze in London, cited her own example and said there was no reason why Nehwal could not continue even after her marriage.

"I told Saina one day you'll marry and have kid and it was still possible to continue. All it takes is will power and support from your family and husband," said the 29-year-old mother of two.

Shooter Vijay Kumar, who won the 25m rapid fire pistol silver in London, was also present on the occasion along with wrestlers Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt.

Kumar won the silver in the 66kg freestyle while friend Dutt, still sporting a black eye, returned with the bronze in the 60kg freestyle category.

North stand at Uppal to be named after Laxman (http://www.hindustantimes.com/Cricket/CricketNews/North-stand-at-Uppal-to-be-named-after-Laxman/Article1-916008.aspx)

The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) today honoured the just-retired VVS Laxman by naming the north stand of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal after the stylish right-hander. HCA president G Vinod hoped Laxman would continue to play for Hyderabad in the domestic


circuit.
"On the day of his retirement, we appeal to him (Laxman) to continue playing for Hyderabad. We wish him all the best for a great future," Vinod said.

"We request him to serve Hyderabad cricket as he has done in the past," he added.

Laxman, who won many a match for India with his wristy elegance including an epic 281 against Australia in Kolkata, today announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect, bringing down the curtains on a glorious career spanning 16 years.

The 37-year-old Laxman, one of the finest batsmen in contemporary cricket, said that he felt it was the right time to bid adieu to the game which he played with "great pride for the country".

Laxman made it clear that he will continue to play for Hyderabad till this year.

"It was a dream for me to play for India since childhood and I am extremely thankful to the Almighty for giving me the opportunity to serve my country."

Laxman should have got more recognition: Srikkanth (http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/vvs-laxman/laxman-should-have-got-more-recognition-srikkanth_747729.html)

Chennai: Paying glowing tributes to VVS Laxman, who quit international cricket yesterday, selection committee chairman Krishnamachari Srikkanth today said that the just-retired batsman should have got more recognition for his match-winning performances for the country.

Laxman yesterday decided to walk into the sunset with immediate effect despite being picked in the Indian squad for the two-match Test series against New Zealand starting at his hometown in Hyderabad on August 23 and Srikkanth said he respected his decision to retire.

"Laxman is one of the greatest cricketers. He has won so many matches for India. He has won tremendous matches for India from no win situations. He should have got more recognition for his performances. More credit should go to him for his great performances,"

"It is all in records as to how he had played in Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand. I respect his personal decision and wish him the very best," he added.

Srikkanth described Laxman as a "gentleman cricketer" and a "person of character".

"He is the best gentleman cricketer that I have seen. He is a thoroughbred gentleman and soft spoken person with great character. He is very well mannered," said the former Indian opener.

Saina in the fast lane (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3796219.ece)



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“The best is yet to come from you. I am sure that you, along with the other 2012 London Olympic medallists, will bring many more smiles across the country and keep the tri-colour flying in the days to come,” remarked batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar. At a function to present a BMW car to London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal on Sunday, he said: There are many who play much better in practice sessions. But, only champions come up with special performances in major events. This is what makes Saina special. “I feel you are happy but not satisfied. The beauty of a champion is not to get carried away by success. Even after winning the Olympic medal you are very modest,” he remarked.

Sachin also congratulated all the Olympic medallists. “I am sure that somewhere in India they will be hearing my voice. I congratulate them from the bottom of my heart,” he said. Saina said that she felt honoured to be in the presence of Sachin. “I am really nervous and can’t speak much. For, the ‘God of Cricket’ is here. This is a great inspiration for me,” she said.

Former Andhra Ranji captain V. Chamundeswaranath and his friends were also instrumental in presenting a Hyundai car to Pullela Gopi Chand and a Maruti Swift car to Asian under-19 badminton champion P. V. Sindhu. “The Olympic medal means a lot of dedication, hard work and vision. I should congratulate Saina’s father (Dr. Harvir Singh) who keeps sending me congratulatory messages every time I do well. This is a terrific achievement by her and you are greatly responsible for this along with Gopi,” Sachin said.

“Your presence means a lot to us,” Gopi said as he thanked everyone who supported his dream.

Sportspersons game for govt’s land offer

HYDERABAD: With sports personalities making a beeline for land, the Rangareddy district administration has started scouting for land in surrounding areas, especially hotspots like Rajendranagar, Maheshwaram and Serilingampally. Some sportspersons have specified the purpose for which they need land, while others have not.

Sources said there was hardly any government land available in the surrounding areas of the city. Even if land is available, it's either been caught in legal wrangles or already allotted to institutions. To encourage sports in the state, the state government had a few years ago decided to allot five acres of land to sportspersons at a nominal price either for setting up an academy or for constructing houses. Sources said about half-a-dozen such requests for land were pending with the Rangareddy district administration. Two more sportspersons have enquired about the procedure to be followed to avail of government land.

Source (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Sportspersons-game-for-govts-land-offer/articleshow/15576942.cms)

Right spin to Hyderabad pitch
(http://india.nydailynews.com/article/61ef1ad604f34c1392b37cfd23fa93ff/right-spin-to-hyderabad-pitch)
Hyderabad, Aug. 22 -- The last time New Zealand played in Hyderabad, in 2010, Brendon McCullum hit a rocking double century and Harbhajan Singh called the pitch 'a highway'. The match ended in a tame draw.
So, YL Chandrasekar, curator at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium, was naturally wary when the media approached him on Tuesday to check on how the wicket for the first Test will behave.
"You guys will put me in trouble. I can only tell this much," he said.
However, he predicted that the pitch would help spinners.
"We have added red soil to the usual black soil to help give the wicket some turn," he said.
"It should start turning after the second day." According to pitch experts, black soil binds strongly while red soil disintegrates quickly, which helps spin.
"What it (the addition of red soil) promises is good bounce and it cracks pretty early," added Chandrasekhar.
Suresh Raina bowled in the nets for a long time and presumably, MS Dhoni saw something in the wicket to allow his batsman, trying to make a Test comeback, to bowl at length.

Laxman drops Dhoni from party
(http://india.nydailynews.com/article/8187671f74d4c40c5caa46fb71b06aaa/laxman-drops-dhoni-from-party)
Hyderabad, Aug. 22 -- The gloves are off. The differences between Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni and VVS Laxman came out in the open on Tuesday night when the latter hosted a dinner for some senior members of the team at his Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad. Dhoni was not on the guest list. Laxman, who called it a day recently, had invited Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan.
Asked during a pre-match conference the next day if he had received an invitation, a visibly jolted Dhoni replied with a sharp 'no'.
Friction between the two was evident when Laxman said during his retirement press conference that Dhoni was difficult to reach, a charge that the skipper admits he is guilty of. "People who know me know that I am hard to get a hold of. I am trying to improve, but it seems I have not really improved," he said.
Dhoni was uninterested in answering any other questions about his former teammate. Asked why Laxman had decided to retire in such an abrupt manner, choosing not to play against New Zealand despite being selected, Dhoni shot back: "Laxman knows it better."

Run Hyderabad, Run

Hyderabad came out in force to participate in the Airtel Hyderabad Marathon on Sunday morning. Anil Thakur won the full marathon clocking 2hr 52min. Ramesh Kishani won the half-marathon.

More updates and pics of this marathon here (http://postnoon.com/2012/08/26/run-city-run/68436)

Mary’s magnificent proposal for city (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3830626.ece)

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01191/HY27MARY_1191851f.jpg

Boxing champion says she is game for setting up an academy in Hyderabad

She loves Hyderabadi biryani and has fond memories of her last two visits to the city having won a medal in the 2002 National Games. And now, Mary C. Kom, London Olympics bronze medallist in boxing, says that she is keen to set up an academy in the city if everything goes well.

Responding to the felicitations put up by Incredible India Projects which gifted a 240-square yard plot in the Sparrow Shore project near Shamshabad, Mary Kom said she was already planning one academy in Manipur. “But I don’t mind setting up another one here as I want everyone to bring laurels at the highest level,” she said amidst applause.

Quick to respond was Praveen Kumar Nedungadi, COO of IIPL, who promised to give 4,000 square yard plot right opposite to the one she was already presented. In a way, the whole event was symbolic of solidarity to the North-East community which felt tremors of insecurity in recent times.

“I am an Indian first then a Manipur girl,” said a beaming Mary Kom. Gautam Sawang, IPS, set the tenor for the session when he re-assured the North-East community all possible help from the government.

“I heard Mary was planning to settle down in Bengaluru. I can promise you (looking at her) that Hyderabad is a much better place,” he said amidst cheers from the gathering.

Dr. T. K. R. Rao, VC & MD of SAAP, felicitated Mary Kom on behalf of the State government and reminded how she is already an inspiration for the budding champions in the Andhra Pradesh Sports Schools.

City connection to victory Down Under (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/city-connection-to-victory-down-under/285914-60-121.html)

The Under-19 World Cup triumph in Australia has a Hyderabad connection. Hanuma Vihari, the middle-order batsman and Ramakrishnan Sridhar, assistant coach, both from the city, played their part in scripting the glorious and thrilling victory Down Under.
Speaking from Townsville in Australia, Sridhar, a former Ranji left-arm spinner, gave full credit to the young boys for bringing India the third U-19 World Cup.
“They worked very hard. Our road to the World Cup started 18 months ago. We set out with the belief that we can win it. We have made a lot of sacrifices along the way. We are all the more happy that India has won both the senior and junior World Cups simultaneously. It is a wonderful feeling. We did a lot of motivational talk and there was perfect bonhomie in the team,” he said.
Sridhar, who is also a fielding coach at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, has earned a reputation for himself as an expert.
“The game has changed. It has become fast particularly after the advent of the Twenty20 format. More and more teams are laying emphasis on fielding. Keeping this in mind, we focused on fielding in the last few years. It has paid off as our fielding was exceptional in this tournament,” he explained.
According to him, the team came up with a new phrase ahead of the tournament: Nothing matters except the trophy.
“That really helped the team and we showed our ability to fight back in tight matches like against Pakistan in the quarter-final,” said Sridhar.
The State Bank of Hyderabad officer, who also imparts training at St John’s Coaching Foundation here, was all praise for the Indian colts skipper Unmukt Chand who according to him was following in the footsteps of Virat Kohli. Incidentally, Kohli captained the U-19 team that won the World Cup in Malaysia two years back.
“He is a class act. He led from the front. He is a solid and matured batsman. He is the future hope for India. He is what Virat Kohli was two years ago,” he pointed out.
Sridhar had some kind words for Harmeet Singh and all-rounder Aparajith. “Harmeet has been the discovery while Aparajith turned out to be Mr Dependable of the team. Pace bowlers Sandeep Sharma, Passi and Ravikanth Singh too made a good impression,” he said,
Although he was disappointed with local lad Vihari’s performance, Sridhar said he will come back strongly. “He has learnt his lessons. He is sure to make a comeback,” signed off Sridhar.

BCCI plans reception for VVS Laxman in Chennai (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/vvs-laxman-calls-it-a-day/top-stories/BCCI-plans-reception-for-VVS-Laxman-in-Chennai/articleshow/15869875.cms)

CHENNAI: VVS Laxman may have left the Indian cricket scene quietly, but the BCCI is planning a grand reception for the Hyderabad stylist.

According to sources, there will be a felicitation of the batsman in Chennai on September 10, a day ahead of the final T20 game between India and New Zealand.

"It's still at a planning stage. We would like to have the players of both the Indian and New Zealand teams for the programme," the source said.

"We had given receptions to all our top players, starting from Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble to Rahul Dravid. Laxman, too, is in the same league, and we want this to be our token of appreciation for the player," the source added.

Hyderabad: Nethula goes nostalgic, visits old school (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/hyderabad-nethula-goes-nostalgic-visits-old-school/286283-62-131.html)

Hyderabad: It was a walk down the memory lane for Tarun Sai Nethula, the New Zeland leggie, as he stepped into the portals of his alma mater, St Andrew’s School, in Old Bowenpally on Monday afternoon. He was a student of the school’s 1999 batch. “This is the classroom where I used to sit,” he exclaimed pointing to a room which now houses a primary class. He was there at the invitation of his former coach John Manoj.
With the first Test match between New Zealand and India in Hyderabad ending in four days, he was able to squeeze in some time to visit his old school and catch up with his teachers. “There were very few classrooms but good sports facilities back in the 90s. That is the reason I like this school,” he told Ashish Emanuel, director of the school.
Tarun was surprised to learn that the school now has a strength of 7,500. “When I studied here, there used to be about 1500 in all! It’s a great feeling to be back here. It brings back so many fond memories. It looks quite different now. It is a lot bigger and better,” said Nethula in his address to the students.

The boys and girls cheered him on with gusto. During the visit, Tarun also met his batchmate Shabana, now an administrator in the school. In an introspective mood, he said, “as I look back I think about the innocence of a teenager and what it meant to be involved with friends, to spend time with them. My teammates always knew that I was from Hyderabad but they didn’t realize I had so many relatives and friends here. It is a bit surprising for them that I could be so well-known in this part of the world.”
How does it feel being a New Zealander? “I’m still the same Telugu-speaking Hindu South Indian. Nothing much has changed,” he asserted.
Tarun had played cricket for the school and won for it a trophy too. Recalling those days, he remembered one particular boy, Nasir of the Nasr School. “He was a prolific scorer and used to notch up big scores every time he played against us. Then I was in Class IX. The next year, however, I got his wicket in every match,” he said.
On how he became a legspinner, he said: “Once I bowled my leg spinners at a camp and Shailendra Sir saw me. He asked me to bowl again and again. After the fourth ball, he told me that I should be bowling this. That’s how I turned a leggie.”
He was disappointed at not having made his debut in Hyderabad. “That was one thing that was on my mind since I was selected for this tour. But it is not in my hands. Hopefully, I will get to play in Bangalore. I have been with the team for Five Test matches. I hope to play soon,” he said as he ended his nostalgic trip.

uppal stadium latest pic

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/2204/20120825t093306z1280819.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/140/20120825t093306z1280819.jpg/) Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Hockey in doldrums, says veteran Olympian (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3838886.ece)

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01193/HY30SHAMMI_1193939f.jpg

"I will not hesitate to state that the National Sports Day is more of a ‘tamasha’ for the hockey fraternity" says veteran Olympian Balwinder Singh Shammi

The National Sports Day is celebrated on August 29 across the country to mark the birth anniversary of hockey legend Dhyan Chand. The annual ritual in Hyderabad was just to garland the statue of the illustrious star of yesteryears at the Gachibowli complex and host a hockey match.

The city has the dubious distinction of not even hosting the local hockey league championship, despite having three astro-turfs, because of politics in the association and the court cases.

It did not mean much even for the Indian Railways probables preparing at the RRC Ground for the major events, which include the Nationals.

It was just another day of training for them, who included internationals such as Manjeet Kullu, Innocent Kullu and Belfazar Horo. Coach and former Olympian Balwinder Singh Shammi and SCR sports officer and ex-international S.M. Nayeem were there keeping a close watch.

Disgusted

Balwinder, who has played 134 internationals including the 1988 Seoul Olympics rubbing shoulders with the likes of Pargat Singh, Mohd. Shahid and Merwyn Fernandez, is disgusted with the way the sport is run now.

“Unless the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) merges with the Hockey India (HI), I don’t see a bright future for the game,” he asserts.

He believes that India’s dismal show in the recent London Olympics has delivered a body blow as the young boys will be discouraged from taking it up.

Straight talk

“Tell me, which sponsor will have the heart to support us?” For the players too, there is nothing except refreshing their memories of the great feats of Dhyan Chand. “I will not hesitate to state that the National Sports Day is more of a ‘tamasha’ for the hockey fraternity. Other disciplines are more fortunate to have national federations who have some vision and commitment. That is why they are moving ahead while hockey is sliding deep into a morass,” moans Balwinder Singh, who should know better as he runs the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Academy in Amritsar.

Sikkim’s Marathon man in top 10 at Hyderabad Marathon 2012 (http://isikkim.com/2012-08-sikkim%E2%80%99s-marathon-man-in-top10-at-hyderabad-marathon-30-2/)

Sikkim’s Marathon Man Amar Subba has been able to secure 9th place in the Airtel Hyderabad Marathon 2012 held at Hyderabad GMC Balayogi stadium on August 26, 2012. 42-years-old Subba completed the 42 kms run in 3hrs 19 min. The first placed was secured by an Army man Anil Thakur clocking 2hrs 52 mins, followed by Scottish Richard McDowell in 2 hrs 59min and, an Indian Jagadeshan Munisamy finished the third with 3 hrs 1 mins. Subba before leaving Sikkim in a press meet at his home town Darap West Sikkim had said that his aim was to be in top 10.
“I am happy and proud to represent Sikkim in the National level” said the Limca Book of Record holder while speaking to SIKKIM MAIL. “There was also an announcement prior to the race that a participant from Sikkim has also taken part in the run, this boosted me up” said Subba. Expressing more, over the phone Subba said that he felt honoured to receive the medals and certificates in the closing function which had the presence of the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, ELS Narashimhan.
“There were participants from all across the country and there were runners from the US and the UK too”, he added.
Subba further mentioned that competing with national and the international reputes during the marathon has boosted him. “If a 42 year old can do it, then why you can’t?” says Subba to the youths of Sikkim.
For him only winning is not imperative but to involve oneself and to learn from such great events is much more.
Subba is now waiting for his conformation for the Delhi and Mumbai marathon. He is also planning to run the high altitude solo marathon from Gangtok to Gurudongmar (17800ft) next year which he says is his dream run.

Laxman getting ready to play for Hyderabad again (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2197367/Laxman-getting-ready-play-Hyderabad-again.html?ito=feeds-newsxml)

Just-retired VVS Laxman, with his family in tow, clarified on Sunday that he was committed to represent his home team Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy in the upcoming season as he was bound by a 'moral responsibility.'
Laxman, who retired from international cricket recently, said this during a felicitation function organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) during the tea interval on the third day of the second Test between India and New Zealand Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here.
Former India and Karnataka left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi, who retired from first-class cricket recently, was also present at the function.
'At the moment I am looking forward to the Ranji Trophy because I've not played too much for Hyderabad since 2000. So, I thought it's my moral responsibility to give something back to Hyderabad cricket. I am preparing for the Ranji Trophy and will play for Hyderabad,' Laxman said after being presented a memento by the KSCA.
Laxman, 37, hoped that the second Test would end on the fourth day itself, on Monday. At the end of the third day, New Zealand led by 244 runs with one wicket in hand and if weather doesn't interfere the five-day game could end a day earlier.
'The Indians have done fantastically in the last two matches. They bowled well in both matches and, hopefully, they will finish the game by tomorrow evening. So, I wish them all the very best,' he said.
'It was an honour to play for the country. I would also like to thank Anil [Kumble, president of KSCA] and members of the KSCA for felicitating me over here.'
When Laxman announced his retirement, he was already in the Indian squad for the ongoing Test series, but surprised everyone by announcing his retirement.
On Sunday, Laxman said he had no regrets. 'I took a correct decision,' he maintained.
Families of Laxman and Joshi, who is now coach of the Hyderabad team, were also present on the lush green turf of the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Making a guest appearance during the brief felicitation ceremony was Mohammad Kaif, believed to be close to Rahul Dravid, who is also helping out KSCA in administration.
Kaif hugged Virat Kohli even as he chatted with his Uttar Pradesh teammate and leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.

The Horsemen of Hyderabad (http://postnoon.com/2012/09/02/the-horsemen-of-hyderabad/70009)

The City’s Polo season kicked-off in style at the Bison Polo Club in Secunderabad with a cracker of a match. The Sport of Kings is enmeshed in the culture of Hyderabad thanks to its pomp and pace.

Hyderabad: Suneendra Spor-ts Club-Hyderabad Polo and Rid-ing Club (SSC-HPRC) defeated Agram Riding and Polo Academy-Deccan Polo and Riding Club (ARPA–DPRC) by four goals to two and a half goals in the first match the Bison Trophy for the Polo Season at the Bison Polo Club in Secunderabad on Saturday.

Due to the differences in the team handicap, ARPA–DPRC began the match with an advantage of one and a half goals.

But this did not deter the players of SSC-HPRC as they hammered goal after goal to see their side sail to safety. Chaitan-ya of SSC-HPRC scored a goal in the second minute of the first chukkerand also in the seventh minute of the same chukker.

In the first minute of the second chukker, SSC-HPRC’s Khadi-r Siddiqui, scored a goal to put their opponents in a tight spot. But then ARPA–DPRC’s Abdullah hit a superb goal in the second chukker.

But all hope was dispelled for ARPA–DPRC when SSC-HPRC’s Chaitanya smashed the final goal of the match within the second minute of the final chukker.

Gold or gold-plated? (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3863285.ece)

The Moin-ud-Dowla Cup remains a mystery
Even after the NGRI declared two years ago that the Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup was not a gold cup, but only a gold-plated one, none in the Hyderabad Cricket Association is able to say whether the gold cup was replaced with a gold-plated one.

The mystery deepens with the local police deciding to close the investigation as they are “unable to probe any further”.

The investigation ending up in a cul-de-sac, was confirmed by HCA secretary M.V. Sridhar.

“We don’t know exactly what had happened. But we have to respect the sentiments and conduct the All India invitational tournament for Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup with same respect as we have been doing over the years,” Dr. Sridhar said.

One thing for sure is that when the eight teams battle it out for the cup this season commencing Thursday, it’s the gold-plated cup they would be vying for, besides a winner’s purse of Rs.1 lakh.

Former HCA secretary P.R. Man Singh was particular that as per the 1931 evaluation of the Gold Cup, it was worth Rs.7,000, as per moderate estimates of Rs.100 per 10 gram of gold in those days and weighed about 2.75 kg. But another evaluation by the SBH deputy general manager Jayawanth Rao in 1966 showed the cup worth Rs.2.75 lakh.

A subsequent evaluation, again by the SBH, led to a startling disclosure that the cup weighed 1.80 kg and was worth just Rs.1 lakh.

However, there is a sense of relief among the HCA officials that the case is ‘closed’ although there is anguish among old-timers as the Cup saga continues to remain a mystery.

Deccan Chronicle invites tenders for Deccan Chargers (http://www.livemint.com/2012/09/06113906/Deccan-Chronicle-invites-tende.html)

Hyderabad: Newspaper publisher Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd, which is embroiled in a financial crisis, invited bids for its Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Deccan Chargers on Thursday.

Deccan Chronicle Holdings said the winning bidder will acquire the team on an “as is where is” basis. Photo: HT
The auction will take place in Chennai on 13 September, also the last date for submitting the bids, according to a tender notice that appeared in The Hindu and The Times of India on Thursday. The successful bidder may need to enter into a new franchise agreement with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the notice said.
The team will continue to be based in Hyderabad and will compete in the Indian Premier League and has the opportunity to compete in the Champions League T20 from next year (2013).

Deccan Chronicle Holdings, which publishes the newspapers Deccan Chronicle, Financial Chronicle, Asian Age and Andhra Bhoomi, had bid successfully for the Deccan Chargers in January 2008 for $107 million, riding on the back of a successful December 2004 initial public offering (IPO). It acquired star cricketers such as Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Symonds, Chaminda Vaas and Shahid Afridi. The team also won the second IPL season in South Africa in 2009 under the captaincy of Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist.

In the most recent IPL season, the team finished at the bottom of the table, winning only four of the 15 games it played. For the 2012 edition of the game, Deccan Chargers has just about managed to rope in sponsors for the team.

Deccan Chargers was initially a subsidiary of Deccan Chronicle Holdings, but merged with the parent company in January last year. Deccan Chronicle Holdings finds itself in a financial mess after it emerged that the promoters availed loans to the tune of Rs1,500 crore from various banks, mortgaging several of its assets, including its cricket team. The promoters face a case of cheating filed by the company’s registrar Karvy Computershare Pvt. Ltd. Some of its lender banks have aproached the debt recovery tribunal and the high courts of Andhra Pradesh and Bombay to recover their dues.

The management has not been paying team salaries. Former chief executive Timothy Wright sued the management successfully in a London court, which ordered Deccan Chronicle Holdings to pay him £10.55 million for the breach of contract. Wright has filed an execution petition in the city civil court in Secunderabad seeking enforcement of the London court judgement, according to a Times of India report on Thursday.

T. Venkattram Reddy has blamed the present crisis on a liquidity crisis and declining advertisement revenue. Reddy said he needs Rs400-500 crore to tide over the crisis in an interview to The Economic Times.

Deccan Chronicle Holdings said the winning bidder will acquire the team on an “as is where is” basis. The bids will open at 10am on Friday and potential bidders will have to fulfil the eligibility criteria of BCCI besides “other requirements specified in the invitation to tender”. The bidders will have time to seek clarifications until 5pm on Monday.

It is likely that the BCCI may step in and seek a new buyer for the cricket team, if Deccan Chronicle Holdings fails to find one, according to reports. The board, which met in New Delhi over the issue on Tuesday, will meet again in Chennai on 15 September to find a solution to the crisis.

Deccan Chronicle Holdings was trading 4.2% down at Rs12.33 at 11.09am. The benchmark Sensex was up 0.1% at 17,330.55 points.

HT Media Ltd, publishers of Mint and Hindustan Times, competes with Deccan Chronicle Holdings in some markets.

Anirban, Naina bag crowns (http://www.deccanherald.com/content/276721/anirban-naina-bag-crowns.html)

West Bengal’s Anirban Ghosh and Naina of Andhra Pradesh clinched the Sub-junior boys’ and girls’ singles titles respectively in the South Zone National-ranking table tennis championships at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor stadium here on Wednesday.

Anirban edged out a gallant Lalrinpuia of Petroleum Sports Promotion Board Academy (PSPBA) 11-9, 11-8, 13-15, 10-12, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8 in a thrilling final. “I was confident of pulling off a victory as I had beaten him (Lalrinpuia) a few times,’’ the 13-year-old from Kolkata’s Naihati Vidya Niketan said after the slugfest.

Anirban looked set to run away with the crown when he won the first two games 11-9, 11-8 but Lalrinpuia had other ideas. The PSPBA lad stretched Anirban with some splendid shots to pocket the third and fourth games 15-13 and 10-12 respectively.

Anirban, however, bounced back when he won the fifth game 11-4 to edge 3-2 ahead. Lalrinpuia, pushed to the edge, then took the contest into a decider, winning the sixth sixth game 11-8.

The final game, which threw up many rallies, was fought tooth and nail by the duo. Anirban grabbed the early initiative by opening up a 3-0 lead before Lalrinpuia fought back to even things at 4-4. Fortunes kept fluctuating and at one stage both players kept trading shots after shots, giving neither an inch. However, Anirban took a crucial 9-7 lead with a fine winner in a rally that lasted 40 shots. The Bengali boy then closed out the game and contest.

In the Sub-junior girls’ final, Naina too had to fight hard before winning 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-6 against State-mate Sreeja. The 12-year-old from Hyderabad was overjoyed after lifting her first title at this level. “I am very happy with the way I played and its great to win the title,’’ she added.

Results: Boys: Sub-junior, final: Anirban Ghosh (WB) bt Lalrinpuia (PSPBA) 11-9, 11-8, 13-15, 10-12, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8. (Semifinals): A Ghosh bt Birdie Boro (PSPBA) 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 13-11, 11-3; Lalrinpuia bt Ayush Tayal (Har) 7-11, 11-2, 12-10, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8. (Quarterfinals): A Tayal bt Raja Kundu (NB) 11-6, 11-7, 13-11; Lalrinpuia bt Arjun Ghosh (WB) 11-7, 11-4, 11-9; A Ghosh bt Sarabjit Guha (NB) 11-3, 11-6, 11-2; B Boro bt D Ananth (TN) 6-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-2.

Cadet Boys, final: Ashwin Subramanian (Mah) bt Anukram Jain (PSPBA) 12-10, 12-10, 9-11, 13-11. (Semifinals): A Jain bt Regan Alberqueque (Mah) 11-8, 14-12, 14-12; A Subramanian bt Udit Bhattacharya (WB) 11-9, 4-11, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7. (Quarterfinals): U Bhattacharya bt Harsha Shrivastava (PSPBA) 8-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5; A Subramanian bt Sameer Pandey (PSPBA) 11-6, 11-8, 11-7; A Jain bt Sriram Kannan (TN) 6-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8, 18-16; Reagan bt Wesley De Rosario (Goa) 9-11, 13-11, 13-11, 6-11, 11-7.

Girls: Sub-junior, final: Naina (AP) bt Sreeja (AP) 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-6. (Semifinals): Sreeja bt Abhinaya Ramesh (TN) 11-9, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6; Naina bt CR Harshavardhini (TN) 11-9, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8. (Quarterfinals): Naina bt Sagarika M (NB) 11-8, 11-7, 9-11, 4-11, 11-8; Harshavardhini bt Moumita Dutta (WB) 9-11, 12-10,12-10, 11-7; Sreeja bt Shruti Amrute (Mah) 12-10, 11-7, 3-11, 11-9; Abhinaya bt Sum-ana Saha (PSPB) 11-5, 11-4, 11-8.

Cadet girls, final: Tulika Roy (WB) bt Prapti Sen (WB) 11-7, 12-10, 11-8. (Semifinals): Prapti bt V Sasya (AP) 11-9, 11-8, 11-4; Tulika bt Swetha Steffi (TN) 11-6, 11-8, 11-6. (Quarterfinals): Prapti bt Yashi (Pun) 11-8, 9-11, 6-11, 13-11, 11-4; Sasya bt Namya Manchanda (Har) 11-9, 11-7, 11-4; Swetha bt Atheya Ghosh (WB) 11-9, 9-11, 11-13, 11-7, 11-8; Tulika bt Neha Kumari (NB) 11-4, 11-7, 11-7.

SSC HPRC win Berar Cup (http://postnoon.com/2012/09/06/ssc-hprc-win-berar-cup/70858)

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In a thriller of a match, SSC HPRC defeated RC HPRC by seven goals to six-and-a-half to clinch the Prince of Berar Polo Cup at the Bison Polo Grounds on Wednesday.

Hyderabad: One can’t expect a better finish to the final of the Prince of Berar Polo Cup Tournament. With seconds remaining in the final chukker, the captain of SSC HPRC, Dhruvpal Godara, making a solo foray with the ball into the opposition side, only to lose it some yards from the goal mouth, chasing it again, getting possession of it and scoring the clincher to pip RC HPRC 7-6½ … it sounds a bit filmy. That’s not all.

It was brothers pitted against each other in the final: RC HPRC was led by Manupal Godara, the other half that makes the famed four-goaler duo known on the polo circuit as the Godara brothers.

Last year RC HPRC had a clean sweep of the Hyderabad Polo season, and the Godara brothers played side by side for it. This year HPRC fielded two teams and the Godara brothers ended up captains of each.

It would not be an overstatement to say that Dhruvpal was a man on fire: all the seven goals of his team were scored by him. Of course, he was well supported by his team, but if it were not for the last goal, the result would have been different, for the RC HPRC had a ½ handicap at the start.

In the first chukker, it was RC HPRC that started solidly. Rohit Reddy, who missed a chance to score in the penultimate match, made no mistake this time. He opened the account for his team two minutes into the game. A little more than a minute later Mitesh Mehta, too, hit the mark. RC HPRC led 2 ½ -0.

Dhruvpal, who had scored five goals in the previous match, with a brilliant goal signaled the start of his scoring spree. Older brother Manupal replied a minute later, retaining the lead for RC HPRC.

In the second chukker, Mitesh Mehta scored twice. It looked as though it would be hard for SSC to make up. There were no let up in SSC HPRC’s efforts to catch up and Dhruvpal scored again and this time, too, Manupal gave it back a little later. Towards the end of the second chukker, tables turned: Dhruvpal did a repeat of his feat from the previous match in the following chukkers. He shot five consecutive goals, and stole the show and the cup for SSC HPRC.

Ravi Teja ton puts Hyderabad in command (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/article3867031.ece)

Centuries by M. Kaushik Gandhi (129, 197b, 8x4) and Baba Aparajith (113, 132b, 5x4, 2x6) helped Tamil Nadu score 378 for eight against Services on the first day of the first-round of matches in the all-India Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup invitation cricket tournament here on Thursday.

The scores: Hyderabad 348 for five in 90 overs (D.B. Ravi Teja 169, N.S Arjun Yadav 86, G.H. Vihari 53) vs Kerala.

Karnatala 436 for six in 90 overs ( K.L. Rahul 33, Karun Nair 168, Sunil Raju 158 not out, Amol Shinde four for 126) vs HCA President’s XI.

Tamil Nadu 378 for eight in 90 overs (K. B. Arun Karthik 45, R. Rohit 46, M. Kaushik Gandhi 129, Aprajith Baba 113, Abhishek Sinha four for 18, Md. Khalid four for 109) vs Services.

Goa 250 in 66.3 overs (Amogh Desai 43, Swapnil Asnodkar 33, Reagan Pinto 74, Sher Bahadur Yadav 35, Pradeep Sangwan three for 63) vs Delhi DCA 49 for two in 9.2 overs.

Marathon woman (http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/leisure/article3866133.ece)

Uma Chigurupati, the woman of many marathons and chairperson of Hyderabad Heritage Marathon, feels running helps you see a city in a new light.

On September 23, when runners gather at Chowmohalla Palace at the crack of dawn, Uma Chigurupati and her team will be glad their hard work has paid off. This is the second year of Hyderabad Heritage Marathon, after the Hyderabad 10K Foundation decided to hold separate events for marathons and 10K runs. “People’s Plaza at Necklace Road was getting too congested to accommodate participants of the marathon and shorter runs of five and 10 kilometres,” she says.

Uma and her husband Krishna Prasad are part of the elite Marathon Grand Slam Club and are recognised by Guinness Book of World Records as the only Indian couple to have completed marathons in seven continents in seven months and topping it off with a marathon at North Pole.

The idea of a heritage Marathon came from marathons that Uma and Prasad participated in. “City marathons are different from heritage marathons. The Great Wall Marathon or the marathon route that goes through vineyards in France is an example of how different countries showcase their uniqueness. We have beautiful monuments and felt heritage marathon would be a good idea. The first heritage marathon was held last year, which saw the participation of 800 runners,” says Uma.

Before finalising the route, Uma and her team did several trial runs. The runs begins at Chowmohalla, crosses Charminar, City College, High Court, Mozamjahi Market, Public Gardens and then proceeds to Mehdipatnam and Toli Chowki to Taramati Baradari and Gandipet before taking a detour towards Golconda before ending at Quli Qutb Shahi tombs. Half marathon participants will cut short the run from Artillery Centre and reach Golconda and Qutb Shahi tombs. “Hyderabad Heritage Marathon adheres to standards prescribed by Association of International Marathons and Road Race. We had to take permission since the marathon was taking an additional 200 metres owing to distance between different heritage sites,” she points out.

Unlike 5K and 10K runs that attract close to 15,000 participants, these marathons are for seasoned runners. “There is a lower age limit of 16 years. We are taking steps to ensure adequate medical facilities in case of emergency. We are not interested in putting the spot light on celebrity runners since we want each runner to feel special. Each person who finishes the half and full marathon will get a medal,” she says.

The marathon has a long way to go before it matches up to the popularity of Mumbai Marathon. Uma feels Hyderabad hasn’t produced many serious runners. “We don’t have necessary infrastructure in terms of parks and roads with good pavements. Summer months are also not conducive for running,” she says.

Being a regular marathon participant, she laments the lack of ample lung space in the city. “The KBR Park is beautiful but it gets boring to do a number of rounds within the same park. Also, running regularly on the outer ring of the park can injure your knees because of its ups and downs,” she adds.

Uma is happy that groups such as Hyderabad Runners have encouraged new participants in the city. She is also happy to note the increase in the number of women participants. She recalls, “I began running 10 years ago, at the age of 40. When I started, I thought I wouldn’t manage more than a kilometre. Slowly I built stamina and crossed two, then five and then 10kms.”

She advises new runners to train for a few months before participating in half marathons. The switch from half marathon to full marathon is tough, she says: “Runners should participate in a few half marathons before trying the full marathons. It’s easier to move from 10K to half marathon but once you touch 30km, your body feels exhausted. It takes practice and training to build stamina.”

What she loves most about running is the opportunity it gives to connect with nature. “I’ve been to Washington DC and Los Angeles earlier but viewing those cities as a marathon runner was a different experience,” she says. Uma has also taken part in adventure runs where runners are in the lap of nature. “My first such marathon was in Mongolia where I didn’t come face-to-face with people for long stretches. I felt I was meditating during those five and a half hours of running,” she says. Uma even stopped listening to music on her iPod while running after a fellow marathon runner encouraged her to “listen to the sound of the wind.”

What’s next on her running agenda? “My husband Krishna Prasad and I would like to do different adventure runs. He is an avid photographer and wants to take the un-chartered course with National Geographic teams. I’d also like to follow him. For both of us, taking time out from work and home to complete seven marathons in seven continents was tough. We pushed ourselves,” she says. Krishna Prasad is the managing director of Granules India and Uma is a soil microbiologist working on establishing her new company Krsma, which will manufacture wines.

On the personal front, the couple’s son Harsha and twin daughters Pragnya and Priyanka are their huge support system. “Before we left for the marathon at Antarctica, Harsha gave us a satellite phone and asked us to keep in touch. It was a role reversal. Instead of parents being concerned about children and their adventures, our son was asking us to stay safe,” laughs Uma.

Personal best

Uma and Krishna Prasad’s toughest marathon was the one at North Pole. “Our body was numb despite many layers of clothing. We didn’t have enough time to get acclimatised to the condition. The marathon was on frozen sea water and at many times, we saw huge cracks on the glaciers and didn’t know if it was safe to take the next step. We completed the marathon in nine hours,” she recalls. Completing the North Pole Marathon made her and Krishna Prasad join the elite Grand Slam Marathon club.

Run Hyderabad Run

To participate in half (21.152 km) and full marathons (42.195 km) at the Hyderabad Heritage Marathon, log on to www.hyderabadheritagemarathon.com. For enquiries, email info@hyderabadheritagemarathon.com or call 040 64646003.

Videocon shows interest in Deccan Chargers (http://www.livemint.com/2012/09/06113906/Videocon-shows-interest-in-Dec.html)

Hyderabad/Mumbai: The electronics-to-energy conglomerate Videocon Industries Ltd expressed interest on Thursday in buying the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Deccan Chargers from troubled newspaper publisher Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd, which has invited bids for the franchise.

Deccan Chronicle Holdings said the winning bidder will acquire the team on an “as is where is” basis. Photo: HT
“We will bid as per market, around Rs.700 crore,” Videocon chairman Venugopal Dhoot said.

It’s the first verbal expression of interest in buying the team, which will be auctioned in Chennai on 13 September, also the last date for submitting the bids, according to a tender notice that appeared in The Hindu and The Times of India (TOI) on Thursday. The successful bidder may need to enter into a new franchise agreement with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the notice said.

The team will continue to be based in Hyderabad and will compete in the IPL and has the opportunity to compete in the Champions League T20 from next year (2013).

Deccan Chronicle Holdings, which publishes the newspapers Deccan Chronicle, Financial Chronicle, Asian Age and Andhra Bhoomi, had bid successfully for the Deccan Chargers in January 2008 for $107 million (around Rs.599 crore today), riding on the back of a successful December 2004 initial public offering (IPO). It acquired star cricketers such as Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Symonds, Chaminda Vaas and Shahid Afridi. The team also won the second IPL season in South Africa in 2009 under the captaincy of Australian cricketer Gilchrist.

In the most recent IPL season, the team finished at the bottom of the table, winning only four of the 15 games it played. For the 2012 edition of the game, Deccan Chargers has just about managed to rope in sponsors for the team.

Deccan Chargers was initially a subsidiary of Deccan Chronicle Holdings, but merged with the parent company in January last year. Deccan Chronicle Holdings has found itself in a financial mess after it emerged that the promoters availed loans to the tune of Rs.1,500 crore from various banks, mortgaging several of its assets, including its cricket team.

The promoters face a case of cheating filed by the company’s registrar Karvy Computershare Pvt. Ltd. Some of its lender banks have approached the debt recovery tribunal and the high courts of Andhra Pradesh and Bombay to recover their dues.

The management has not been paying team salaries. Former chief executive Timothy Wright sued the management successfully in a London court, which ordered Deccan Chronicle Holdings to pay him £10.55 million (around Rs.94 crore today) for breach of contract. Wright has filed an execution petition in the city civil court in Secunderabad seeking enforcement of the London court judgement, according to a TOI report on Thursday.

T. Venkattram Reddy has blamed the present crisis on a liquidity crisis and declining advertisement revenue. Reddy said he needs Rs.400-500 crore to tide over the crisis in an interview to The Economic Times.

Deccan Chronicle Holdings said the winning bidder will acquire the team on an “as is where is” basis. The bids will open at 10am on Friday and potential bidders will have to fulfil the eligibility criteria of BCCI besides “other requirements specified in the invitation to tender”.

The bidders will have time to seek clarifications until 5pm on Monday.

It is likely that the BCCI may step in and seek a new buyer for the cricket team, if Deccan Chronicle Holdings fails to find one, according to reports. The board, which met in New Delhi over the issue on Tuesday, will meet again in Chennai on 15 September to find a solution to the crisis.

Saina Nehwal for Denmark return (http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_saina-nehwal-for-denmark-return_1738223)

After being felicitated across the country for being the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympics medal, Saina Nehwal is back to training at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad.

Coach Gopichand told DNA from Hyderabad that Nehwal will return at the Yonex Denmark Open to be played in Odense V between October 16 and 21. It was thought Saina would return to action at the Yonex Open Japan in Tokyo between September 18 and 23 after skipping the Li Ning China Masters in Changzhou from September 11-16.

However, Gopichand will coach a young Indian team for the two back-to-back tournaments in China and Japan, with the squad leaving on Saturday.

Among the five shuttlers who participated in the Olympics, only Ashwini Ponnappa and Parupalli Kashyap will be seen in action in both the tournaments. Gopichand believes the tourneys will give exposure to the younger lot. While Jwala Gutta has taken a break, V Diju is getting married next week and Saina will be back in action next month.

Gopichand said: “We have plans for the future and started our preparations. The players are raring to go. They haven’t played many tournaments. These matches will give us an idea on the players for the future.”

Kashyap said that he would be keen to maintain the form that he was in the Olympics. “To get better on that form would be fine. But, even maintaining the form would be good for me, and I would like to do the same right things that I did prior to the Games.”

Meanwhile, Ashwini will be playing only the mixed doubles in China and Japan, partnering Tarun Kona. “I am off to China and Japan this Saturday. I’ll be playing only mixed doubles there. Then, I’ll be back and will be playing nationals, again it’ll be only mixed doubles,” she said.

Ashwini, who partnered Jwala Gutta in London, had to drop women’s doubles for want of partners. “I’ll be trying with other girls and see how things go in women’s doubles,” she said.

Ashwini was hopeful that she would partner Jwala after the latter’s return from a self-imposed sabbatical. “You should see us playing women’s doubles,” Ashwini said when asked if the Jwala-Ashwini pair would be seen again on court. “We plan to continue playing. She has been very supportive and guides me on court. I’ve learnt a lot from her.” She said she was confident of a good start to the post-Olympics season.

On Jwala’s absence, Gopichand said: “We’ll take things as they come. There are Commonwealth Games 2014 and Asian Games 2014 to look forward to. We’ll get back to that later.”

Muay Thai comes back to Hyderabad
(http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=1&ContentId=85674)


http://www.thehansindia.info/Updates/2012/Sep/9/kem.JPG

After successfully organising the National Championship last year, the combat sport in which eight limbs are used is back in the city
A spectator may first confuse it with boxing or even kick boxing, but it is neither. Muay Thai is unique in many ways, unlike other fighting disciplines; a fighter uses elbows, knees, feet and fists.

The national sport of Thailand may be considered as a poor cousin of boxing, but is slowly gaining popularity and is making a place for itself, especially among kids. Western films too are playing their part in popularising the sport (Remember Jean-Claude Van Damme starrer, Kickboxer)

The 13th edition of the Muaythai India (MTI) National Federation is organising Senior National Muaythai championship for men and women from September 10-14, 2012 at the Lal Bahadur Stadium Indoor Complex.
Growing in popularity

Considering the fact that Muay Thai as a sport got its federation just 12 years ago, the sport is growing in popularity. With 28 state associations as its official members and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) recognition, Muay Thai is growing by leaps and bounds.

The Senior National championship which will start on Monday will see 200 players representing 24 states. 14 players (men) will be representing Andhra Pradesh. There are 14 weight categories with Pin Weight as the least and Super Heavy Weight as the heaviest category.

According to M H Abid, President, Muaythai India (MTI), “The sport is growing fast and is gaining popularity. The state of Sikkim had its first championship last year and the response was very good. 15 states in India consider Muay Thai players for jobs and many also give grace marks to players.”

Though India’s participation at World Championships started just seven years ago, Indian players have won more than 100 medals including Asian Indoor Games and First Martial Art Games, where the Indian team won 21 medals, including gold. M H Abid adds, “It is a tough sport, a player needs to complete 24 fights before winning a gold.” With over 4,000 rounds in a span of five days, Hyderabadis are in for a treat.

7-year-old city boy wins laurels at karate meet abroad (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/hyderabad/7-year-old-city-boy-wins-laurels-karate-meet-abroad-819)

A seven-year-old boy from the city has won the silver medal in the Kumite event and a bronze medal in the Kata event at the International Karate Open Championship held in Malaysia in the first week of September. Pattapu Raghava, who lost to a nine-year-old opponent from Thailand, was the youngest participant in the 23-country meet. The competition as held at Putrajaya Sports Complex in Sepang, Malaysia. Raghava beat competitors from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Australia and Indonesia in the earlier rounds.

Raghava is a Class II student of AMS LAB School in the city and trains at the Yamaguchi Karate Academy at YMCA, Narayanguda. His parents, Pattapu Mohan and Anupama Gandhi, are residents of Padma Colony in Nallakunta. The seven-year-old karate champ won a gold medal before in the Kotak International Champion-ship in Delhi and two gold medals at the Rishyikan International Championship in Chennai. He won the Hyderabad Open Karate meet too.

Outgoing Laxman hands mantle to upcoming Vihari (http://postnoon.com/2012/09/10/outgoing-laxman-hands-mantle-to-upcoming-vihari/71838)

Hyderabad: At an event organised on Sunday by the cricket academy that nurtured his talent facilitating his many achievements that did India proud, VVS Laxman, who recently retired from international cricket, handed over the responsibility of “keeping the national flag high and fluttering” to young “prodigy” GH Vihari.

The prodigal aspect of Vihari was explained by K Sumanth, who played with the India representative for years at various levels. “He is technically very sound, consistent and can withstand pressure and that’s what separated him from us,” Sumanth said of Vihari.

Versatile Tollywood actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, graced the occasion that felicitated Laxman and Vihari, one for being the cornerstone of Indian cricket’s turnabout, which led them to capturing the number one position in the world; and the other for providing hope for the future that the void that has been created with Laxman’s retirement, can eventually be filled.



This hope is stoked from the fact that the 19-year-old has already got the World U–19 Cup under his belt as key member of the Indian team that won the trophy in Australia last month. Vihari, a right-handed batsman, who plays at the crucial number four position, played all matches in the tournament with responsibility and excelled.

While congratulating Laxman for making Hyderabad proud, Nagarjuna cautioned Vihari’s well-wishers from burdening the lad with too much pressure. “Cricket in India is religion and too many expectations can lead to pressure. That should not happen to Vihari. Let him enjoy his game. One has to enjoy doing what one is doing; only then will that person do well,” he said.

He said that he was happy to be among sportsmen even though he had to sacrifice an early-morning shoot the following day, which he said in a lighter note, was sabotaged by the organisers of the event. “Permission for the shoot that was scheduled on some city roads was withdrawn and that cannot be a mere coincidence after I had told one gentleman sitting here to excuse me!”



“But I don’t regret having come here one bit,” he added. His wife Akkineni Amala brought to the notice of the gathering the immense sacrifices made by the families of achievers. “Being a Cricket Mum because of my children who are both fans and players of the game, I understand the sacrifices that mums and the families make, so I thank them for those sacrifices,” she said.

Highest run-getter for Hyderabad in Ranji matches, MV Sridhar also announced cash prizes of `3 lakh for coach R Sridhar and `5 lakh for Vihari from St John’s Cricket Coaching Foundation, a subsidiary of the Hyderabad Cricket Association.

Produce of St John’s

St John’s Cricket Coaching Foundation that has been nurturing cricketing talent in the city for over 25 years has a number of international, national and state players as proof of result of their dedication. While over 31 players have played domestic cricket, four went on to represent the country in the international arena. VVS Laxman, Neol David and MSK Prasad played for India, while Tarun Sai Nethula is a member of the New Zealand team.

P Kashyap, PV Sindhu spearhead Indian challenge in China Masters (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/badminton/P-Kashyap-PV-Sindhu-spearhead-Indian-challenge-in-China-Masters/articleshow/16342945.cms)

HYDERABAD: No Indian has ever won the China Masters and that record is unlikely to be altered following the withdrawal of India's best bet Saina Nehwal. That leaves Parupalli Kashyap spearheading the Indian challenge at the Super Series event which kicks off at Changzhou city on Tuesday.

Ajay Jayaram, PV Sindhu and Ashwini Ponnappa, who will feature only in the mixed doubles along with Tarun Kona, are the other top Indians in the tournament.

Kashyap, the first Indian male to reach the quarterfinals at Olympics, will begin his campaign against a qualifier -- most likely Huan Gao of China -- on Wednesday. If he gets past Gao, Kashyap will face the winner of the match between RMV Gurusaidutt and former All England champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim. However, the biggest hurdle for Kashyap could be the quarterfinal against top seed Chen Long.

Kashyap had cut Long short in the second round of the Indonesia Open last June but beating the top Chinese player again will be quite difficult. "It is a tough draw for me. Even the first round against the Chinese qualifier will not be easy. Then, Hashim is playing well these days. But I am looking forward to these challenges. I have prepared well and am confident of doing well at the tournament," Kashyap, who registered some stunning results in the last few months, told TOI.

RN Sports Club willing to buy Deccan Chargers for Rs 11 bn (http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k12/sep/sep97.php)

MUMBAI: Mumbai-based club RN Sports Club, backed by a celebrity and a businessman, is willing to purchase the Deccan chargers team outright and bypass the bidding process.

The club located in South Mumbai is willing to pay Rs 9-11 billion for the team and will have a meeting with Deccan Chronicle tomorrow.

According to the club's marketing head Ankush Tripathi, the BCCI has also been informed of the intention.

"There is a clause in the bid document which allows a party to buy the franchise if the owners agree. We do not want to go through the bid process. RN Sports Club management is constantly in conversations with the BCCI and the Deccan Chargers management for this deal," he tells Indiantelevision.com.

Tripathy believes the breakeven period can be achieved in three years. "The team will retain the same name and be based in Hyderabad. As per the terms in the bid document, this cannot be changed," he says.

The club's promoter is Vijay Barhate. The aim of R.N. Sports club is to promote cricket. "We have been wanting to purchase an IPL team since IPL-4, as we already conduct various successful talent hunt camps at an all India school level. We have also done talent hunt camps aboard, We have cricket coaching centres in several places including Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. We also have cricket academies in Mumbai. The aim of purchasing our own team is to promote the young cricketers of nation."

Dream start for Indians at China Masters (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/badminton/Dream-start-for-Indians-at-China-Masters/articleshow/16373588.cms)

HYDERABAD: Indian shuttlers were in ferocious form at the China Masters Super Series in Changzhou. While one of them took a former All-England champion in his stride, the other sent the tournament's third seed packing.

Giving India a dream start, RMV Gurusaidutt stunned former All-England champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim 21-18, 19-21, 21-13 and unseeded Ajay Jayaram upset third seed Kenichi Tago of Japan 21-13, 21-17 in the first round on Wednesday. Except Anand Pawar and the men's doubles team of Tarun Kona and Arun Vishnu, the rest of the Indian squad progressed into the second round.

Hashim, the 2003 All England champion, found it tough against the Indian youngster. Guru took the first game at 21-18 before the veteran hit back by winning the second. In the decider Guru raced ahead to 4-1 lead and with nine smash winners and 10 points at the net he never allowed the Malaysian veteran to settle down.

He will now meet his compatriot and training partner P Kashyap in the second round. Kashyap struggled to a 21-13, 14-21, 21-19 victory against qualifier Huan Gao of China.

National champions Sourabh Varma and PV Sindhu also made it to the second round. While Varma sweated it out against Daren Liew 19-21, 21-17, 21-12 in the battle that lasted more than an hour, Sindhu made short work of Jamie Subhandhi of the US 21-15, 21-12. In the second round Sindhu faces eighth seed Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand.

World No. 40, Varma avenged his Korean Open loss against Liew. The Malaysian, ranked 28 in the world, took the first game after fighting back from a 17-19 deficit. In the second too he was cruising ahead at 14-9 before Varma caught up with him at 14-14 and moved ahead to 18-15. Surprisingly, Liew gave up the ghost in the decider. Varma will face Hsu Jen Hao of Chinese Taipei on Thursday. The Indian enjoys a 1-0 career record against Hao.

Ranked 32nd in the world, Jayaram registered his second career victory against World No.9 Tago. The Indianwill now face Zi Lian Derek Wong of Singapore in the second round on Thursday.

Good bye IPL from Hyderabad

PVP's 900cr bid for Chargers rejected (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/PVPs-900cr-bid-for-Chargers-rejected/articleshow/16390304.cms)

CHENNAI: A last-minute demand for a bank guarantee for the 450 crore cash component that PVP Ventures offered to Deccan Chargers resulted in the Hyderabad team not changing hands to a new owner.

In a videographed auction on Thursday here, PVP Ventures, promoted by NRI businessman Prasad V Potluri, offered 450 crore in cash and a similar amount as debentures. "The bid was then reviewed by Deccan Chronicle Holdings, which in its discretion and with no role being played by BCCI, rejected the bid on the basis of the payment terms offered by the bidder," Sanjay Jagdale, honorary secretary, BCCI, said in a statement.

BCCI will decide on the franchise on Saturday.

Prasad Potluri could not be reached for a comment.

RMV Gurusaidutt masters P Kashyap to enter quarterfinals in China (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/badminton/RMV-Gurusaidutt-masters-P-Kashyap-to-enter-quarterfinals-in-China/articleshow/16388351.cms)

HYDERABAD: RMV Gurusaidutt is on a roll. A day after shocking former All-England champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim, the 22-year-old stunned India's top shuttler and Olympian Parupalli Kashyap 16-21, 21-18, 21-4 in the second round of the China Masters Super Series in Changzhou on Thursday. Ajay Jayaram, the next best ranked Indian after Kashyap, trounced Zi Liang Derek Wong of Hong Kong in straight games 21-17, 21-9.

National champion Sourabh Varma joined his senior pros in the quarterfinals with a convincing 21-12, 21-16 victory over Jen Hao Hsu of Chinese Taipei. Varma will square up against Jayaram in the last eight clash.

Promising shuttler PV Sindhu fought back after losing the first game to beat eighth seed Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand 10-21, 21-7, 21-19 in the second round. Trailing 9-14 in the third game, Sindhu racked up six straight points to move ahead of Porntip and gain control of the match. Taken aback by the sudden charge of the Indian, Porntip lost momentum and gave up.

Sindhu next faces Olympic champion Li Xuerui of China in the quarters. In their only previous meeting, in the Uber Cup preliminaries last February, Xuerui had drubbed Sindhu 21-16, 21-13.

The mixed doubles pair of Tarun Kona and Ashwini Ponnappa failed to put up a fight against Jian Guo Ong and Yin Loo Lim of Malaysia and went down 9-21, 14-21 in the first round.

Kashyap, who recently became the first Indian to reach the men's singles quarterfinals at the Olympics, suffered his second career loss to Guru. After losing the first game without putting up any fight, Guru began with a 3-0 lead in the second. He stayed ahead till Kashyap caught up with him at 15-15. And from 17-17 Guru moved to 20-17 with a three-point burst, leaving no chance for Kashyap.

With Guru now in full flow, one expected a keen tussle in the decider, but surprisingly Kashyap hardly offered any resistance. Guru, who is 36 rungs behind world No.19 Kashyap, began with a 6-0 lead and went into the break at 11-1 before finishing at 21-4.

It is not known whether Kashyap suffered any injury before the third game. In fact, he seemed in some kind discomfiture even in the second game when he allowed Guru to garner easy points.

Guru will now meet top seed Chen Long of China for a berth in the last four stage.

Surinder Amarnath goes down memory lane (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Surinder-Amarnath-goes-down-memory-lane/articleshow/16383814.cms)

HYDERABAD: What is it about the Amarnaths and Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup? The incomparable Lala Amarnath - India's first centurion in Tests - took part in Hyderabad's blue riband competition in 1930s before he was selected to play for India. His son Surinder Amarnath followed suit in 1976 before he went to New Zealand as part of the Indian team and scored 124 on debut in the Auckland Test, which India won by eight wickets. The lesser-known of the Amarnath brothers, Mohinder being the famous one and Rajinder the other, played 10 Test matches and totaled 550 runs.

The left-handed bat's last Test was against Pakistan in Karachi during the 1978-79 series, a match India lost by eight wickets. It's a coincidence that Sunil Gavaskar scored a century in Auckland on Surinder's debut and cracked a century in each innings of the Karachi Test. Both Tests also saw Surinder and Mohinder in action. While the former batted at No.3 in the first innings in Karachi and at No.6 in the second, his brother batted at No.6 in the first and at No.3 in the second.

Now associated with the Goan team at Moin-ud-Dowlah, 63-year old Surinder returned to Hyderabad after three decades. TOI caught up with him at NFC Grounds, where Goa lost to Delhi and were knocked out of the competition.

Disappointed? Not quite: These things do happen in Indian cricket. It was destiny. I have no regrets as whatever little I played, I enjoyed. Selection and omission are part of the game. When I was dropped I was doing fairly well. Just before the 1979 World Cup selection, I did well in the Wills Trophy introduced that year. In the quarterfinal I scored a century, a 90-plus in the semifinal and 20-odd in the final. Just before the 1981 Australian tour, I led Delhi against Rest of India, then the biggest selection match, and scored a double century. That was the first time Delhi won Irani Trophy. Still I was not considered.

Being Lala Amarnath's son, boon or bane?: We deem it a privilege to be his son. There were a lot of advantages about my dad. He was always around to guide us at crucial moments. The disadvantage was he was outspoken, people never used to like that and could not do anything against him. So we (me and Mohinder) are left to face it all. As for advantages, I met Frank Worrell when he came home; a real gentleman, very knowledgeable and polite. Dad later told me that I met a guy who is rarely available. Then I realised when Dad admires someone he should be very special. Sir Garfield Sobers was the other player Dad always used to tell me to watch.

On some useful tips from his father: I remember struggling against England's Tony Greig in the 1976 series at home. I'd never faced a bowler so tall and found it difficult to read the ball off his hand. I told my dad about this when I came in for the break. He advised me to wait for the ball to pitch before committing to the stroke. I did that and suddenly batting became so easy. I got a half-century then.

Best moment on field: It has to be the century against Sri Lanka in an unofficial 'Test' with my father watching. To get the man of the match award from his hands is one moment I'll cherish forever.

Brothers' bonding: We are more friends than brothers. We discuss cricket a lot and we enjoy a special relationship. The funny thing is that he (Mohinder) preferred to bowl more than bat in those days.

On Moin-ud-Dowlah Cup: In those days, Moin-ud-Dowlah was the prestigious tournament which all the big players used to eagerly wait for. Being the season opener the who's who of Indian cricket played in the tournament. My father used to field a team (Indian Starlets) in Moin-ud-Dowlah and I had the privilege of playing against my dad's team.

On young turks: The future of Indian cricket is in the safe hands of players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara. But they have to realise that they are stepping into the shoes of great players like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman whose record is unbelievable. Consistency over a period is the key. I will give more credit to these youngsters if they go abroad and perform. A century is a century, but you need to be more consistent outside to give strength to the team.

Home advantage: International cricket is not spinners' game. It's always been about fast bowlers. We have to improve our wickets. Yes, there should be home advantage but when we can make a sporting wicket in Mohali why not everywhere in India.

So it's not a surprise they rejected the offer!

Bankers to back Deccan Chargers in IPL 6 (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/sport/cricket/bankers-back-deccan-chargers-ipl-6-809)

Deccan Chargers is likely to play in Season 6 of the Indian Premier League (IPL), with bankers agreeing to back the team for the forthcoming season, subject to the BCCI agreeing to clear the proposal at its Working Committee meeting on Saturday.

Bankers are on the same page as the Chargers, a source revealed, even as Deccan Chronicle Holdings turned down the bid of a single obscure bidder, PVP group, who reportedly offered Rs 900 crore for the franchise at the scheduled re-auction here on Thursday.

While BCCI said the bidder satisfied its eligibility and suitability criteria, it is believed that Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited — and the bankers — could not countenance a bid that involved payment of Rs 450 crore in five installments of Rs 90 crore each year from December 2012.

The other half was to be paid in a financial instrument called a non-cumulative compulsory convertible debentures (CCDs). There were to be converted into 10 per cent fully diluted paid-up equity share capital of a special purpose vehicle (SVP) on December 30, 2022.

The source revealed that the bidder’s credentials might be questioned; the promoter is listed as the 19th accused in the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy illegal investments case that is being investigated by the CBI. The group has also invested in Sakshi Publications.

Considering the possible risks involved in a long-term deal, rather than straightforward cash-and-carry terms, the team owners may have decided it was safer to go with the bankers who have lent money on the team to the owners, sources said.

The bankers are reported to be in a position to satisfy all BCCI stipulations by making contracted payments to the players. A consortium of bankers has got together to come up with this proposal to fund Chargers till Season 6. Suitable guarantees will also be offered by them to BCCI.

Deccan Chargers' IPL contract terminated by the BCCI (http://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/news/item/196576-deccan-chargers-ipl-contract-terminated-by-the-bcci?pfrom=home-lateststories)

New Delhi: The BCCI tonight terminated the contract of the debt-ridden Deccan Chargers, bringing an end to the suspense on the fate of the beleaguered franchise.

The decision to terminate Deccan's contract was taken at an emergency governing council meeting of the IPL in Chennai. The BCCI President N Srinivasan took the final call to end Charger's contract after discussing the issue with other members, a top BCCI official said.

BCCI's working committee will meet tomorrow to decide the future course of action.

The committee will decide whether to float a fresh tender for a new team or allow PVP Ventures, a Hyderabad-based urban infrastructure and film production company, whose Rupees 900 crore bid was rejected by Deccan at the auction yesterday, to take the team.

Deccan Chronicle Holdings, the owner of Deccan Chargers, received a bid of Rs. 900 crore by PVP Venture Capitals but surprisingly chose to reject it at the auction as it considered the price and terms unsuitable.

The development brought the BCCI back into the picture. PVP Ventures may be given the team now.

The late night development comes as a setback for Deccan Chargers which was trying to resolve its financial problems ahead of the 5 pm deadline tomorrow.

BCCI sources said that a fresh tender for a new IPL team could be issued.

"This option would be discussed when the governing council meet tomorrow as we want nine teams to take part in the next edition of the IPL" the source said.

The BCCI it is learnt also took legal opinion before deciding to terminate the Deccan contract mainly on the ground that it mortgaged the team to a consortium of banks.

The Deccan Chargers owned by Deccan Chronicle Holdings, was hoping to resolve its financial problems by selling the team but it rejected the sole bid it received at the auction yesterday.

PVP Ventures Limited, the Hyderabad-based urban infrastructure and film production company, had offered Rupee 900 crores but Deccan rejected it finding the terms of payment and the amount unacceptable.

It is said that the banks were primarily unhappy with the mode of payment which ultimately led to the deal falling through.

There were also reports that one of the banks was willing to bail out Deccan Chargers by making the payment to the players. But with the BCCI terminating the contract, the gesture would serve no purpose now.

Deccan Chronicle Holdings purchased the Hyderabad franchise for Rs. 428 crore in 2008. At the auction, the base price was said to be around Rs. 750 crore.

The winning bidder had to meet BCCI's eligibility criteria and other requirements. This was the first time an entire IPL franchise has been put on the block by its owners, although Rajasthan Royals sold a small stake in 2009 to the actress Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra.

PVP Ventures Group is owned by Potluri Vara Prasad, a successful entrepreneur having interests in infrastructure, movies and financing.

He was named as accused number 19 in the alleged disproportionate assets case against Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.

Court reprieve for Deccan Chargers (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/article3907189.ece)

In a minor relief to the beleaguered Deccan Chargers, the Bombay High Court on Monday directed the BCCI to maintain status quo regarding the termination of the IPL franchise, owned by Deccan Chronicles Holdings Ltd.

Deccan Chronicles had approached the High Court on Saturday challenging the decision taken by BCCI in Chennai on Friday at its emergency IPL Governing Council meeting to terminate the contract of the cash-strapped Deccan Chargers.

According to Deccan Chronicles petition, the decision of BCCI was illegal and bad in law. It further sought for interim relief from the High Court to stay the termination on the grounds that BCCI was already planning to invite tenders for the team from Hyderabad.

BCCI, however, informed the High Court that it was not inviting tenders for Deccan Chargers team.

“The BCCI intends to invite tenders for new teams for cities like Ahmedabad, Visakhapatnam and Coimbatore. No new tenders are going to be called for Deccan Chargers now,” the affidavit stated.

Justice S.J. Kathawalla posted the matter for further hearing on September 24 and directed for status quo to be maintained and no further action to be initiated against Deccan Chargers team.

Saina Nehwal signs multi-crore deal (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/badminton/Saina-Nehwal-signs-multi-crore-deal/articleshow/16468209.cms)

HYDERABAD: Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal believes that it is her good looks and top class game that helped her sign the Rs 40-crore deal with Rhiti Sports, a management company which also manages India's cricket captain MS Dhoni.

Saina, who was contracted with Deccan Chronicle till July 31, signed the three-year deal with Rhiti a few days back. While she used to get Rs 1.5 crore base money per year from DC, she will now get close to Rs 14 crore from her new management company.

"I am very thrilled with the deal. God has been so kind to me. It is in fact my dream to become one of the most popular sportsperson in the country. But I never thought I would achieve this so early in my career. I thank god for blessing me with such a talent and also giving me good looks. I think looks do matter in becoming a popular sportsperson.

"I am excited that because of my performances the game of badminton has also become popular in the country. I want to win more titles for the country in future," Saina said.

Saina's father, Harvir Singh Nehwal said that they waited for Deccan Chronicle for a renewal of the deal and as nothing happened they went ahead with the new arrangement. "Our deal with DC ended on July 31 and we waited for them to get back. Only after realising that nothing is happening we went ahead with the new deal," Harvir said.

Saina had refused three endorsements before the London Olympics. While one was with a Cola giant, the other was with a top real estate major. In a bid to avoid any conflict in future, Saina's team has told the new management company to arrange all ad shoots in Hyderabad itself.

Sachin inspired me to play cricket: T Suman (http://cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/52605/sachin-inspired-me-to-play-cricket-t-suman)

Tirumalsetti Suman has been Hyderabad's batting mainstay for some years now but his first class career has not quite taken off as he would have expected. In an exclusive to Cricbuzz, Suman spoke about his cricketing career, his stint with Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians and about his idol Sachin Tendulkar among other things.

You are a very talented batsman, but an average of 27.54 in first-class cricket doesn't do too much justice. As everyone knows you are a better batsman than that, with the first-class season coming up, how are you working on your game?

As you were talking about my average, I have been in and out of the Ranji team. I made my debut in 2003 and as you have been saying, I've got to improve my average. I have been working on my shortcomings but feel that I'm a much improved player now. If you look at my last 3 first-class seasons, I have been averaging 40-45. As a player you tend to improve and would like to take it season by season. As a team we are focussing on the Moin-ud Dowlah tournament. We would like to continue our winning run, we have been winning the tournament for the last 2 years and after this tournament ends, we would like to focus on the Ranji season.

Now that Laxman has retired, he has made himself available to the Hyderabad Ranji team. It's a big boost to the side. What specific tips do you plan on taking from him and how are you going to use his experience?

It's a big boost for us to have Laxman bhai in the team. If you see he played a match in the KSCA [Shafi Darashah] also and you could see the result - we won the game comfortably. He adds great value to the batting, not only in batting but in each and every aspect. As a senior he is there to guide us when we are in a difficult situation. He is a great boost to us and I'm looking forward to playing with him.

This is a technical question - we have noticed that you have a pretty high back-lift, so sometimes bringing the bat down in time is a problem and in fact you have bowled or been LBW due to this. Is this a natural thing or one that you have developed in recent times?

The back-lift has come to me naturally. Changing it now, will rather than enhancing my technique, hamper it, so it's not about the back-lift, it's just that I missed the line of the ball. Actually I feel that a higher back-lift is an advantage as you can generate power when playing your strokes. Batsmen generally look for a higher back-lift, so I'm not planning on changing what has come naturally to me.

The tournaments like the Shafi Darashah, Buchi Babu and the Moin-ud Dowlah are good preparation for the main goal - the Ranji Trophy. What are your goals for this tournament? Do you plan on playing your natural game or do you try something new with the eventual focus being on the Ranji?

My basic goal when playing these kind of tournaments is to use it as a buildup for the Ranji Trophy; I try to play the same way I do when playing the Ranji, prepare the same way. Our goal is to treat this tournament the same way we treat the Ranji Trophy.

In one of your previous interviews you had mentioned Damien Martyn as your batting hero. Did you ever get a chance to meet him?

No, I haven't got a chance to meet him. Players' choices keep changing, my all-time favorite is Sachin sir. Along with Sachin sir I had mentioned Damien Martyn as the two I idolised. I don't know why they wrote only Martyn (laughs). Sachin sir has always been my inspiration and my childhood idol. I got a chance to play with him, spoke to him. It has been a great privilege to play alongside him.

Did you get any tips from Sachin with regards to your batting?

I spent some valuable moments with him. There was a time when I was invited for dinner to his room and I had an hour's chat in his room. Learned a lot of things playing alongside him for the Mumbai Indians.

Again a technical question - you are predominantly a front-foot player as most Indians are having been brought up on sub-continental conditions. When playing abroad this might expose you as the bouncier pitches call for back-foot play. How are you working on your back-foot game to become a sound player overall?

Yes definitely, it always depends on what opposition we play. We play our first Ranji game against Punjab which will be on seaming conditions. We prepare ourselves by playing on green practice wickets here. It's true that our domestic batsmen have to work on their back-foot game. I have been working on that from my childhood. I have been practicing with a plastic ball on cement wickets to improve my back-foot play.

Apart from your batting, you are also an useful off-spinner. Do you consider yourself as a batting all-rounder or take bowling as a part-time option which comes naturally to you?

Given a chance I would like to bowl many more overs. Right now I'm more focused on my batting. In the longer version of the game I don't bowl much. I just come to provide a break-through. In the shorter formats I bowl my quota of overs.

You became famous through Deccan Chargers. How was your experience with the franchisee and your thoughts on sharing the dressing room with the likes of Symonds, Gilchrist and others. Also how was it moving to Mumbai Indians?

I was privileged to be picked for Deccan Chargers. I was picked by the coach Darren Lehmann and we eventually won the tournament that year. I would like to give Adam Gilchrist a lot of credit - he supported me a lot, I learnt a lot from him. After 2 successful seasons with Deccan, I got a chance to play alongside Sachin for Mumbai. Playing with Sachin was always my dream so I took the offer and went. I played 7-8 games in season 1 and played a couple this year. I would love to play more games and do consistently well for them.

How tough was it to move away from Deccan considering you are a home-town boy? You play for Hyderabad in the Ranji, so it must have been a difficult decision.

To be honest it was very very difficult for me. I thought about it for almost a week when I got the offer, but eventually took it up as I got a chance to play with Sachin sir. The main reason I started playing cricket was Sachin sir, so it was a dream come true. Having said that the Deccan Chargers' owners were very supportive and so were the owners of the Mumbai Indians.

What are your goals for the upcoming Ranji season? - both personal and team-wise.

I haven't planned on a specific number [the amount of runs that I need to get], but I want to be consistent in each and every game. Win more games for my side is one of the goals that I have set for this season.

Which format do you prefer and where do your priorities lie?

My first priority is to do well in the Ranji Trophy. My job is to get runs wherever I play and in whichever format. The rest is up to the selectors. I can't really decide on which format I should be selected in. If you ask domestically any batsman will tell you that doing well in the Ranji Trophy matters a lot. So my goal is to do well in the upcoming Ranji season.

Coming back to your stint with Deccan Chargers - your thoughts on winning the 2nd edition and memories of the final where you were defending a very low total against RCB.

I personally felt that the international players we had - Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs and Adam Gilchrist - were really suited to the pitches in South Africa. That made us more competitive against other teams. Coming to the final we always felt we were 15-20 runs short, but nerves got the better of RCB. They were playing for the total rather than looking at the ball and playing like a T20 game. That actually won us the game, yea it was a very nice moment for all of us.

Sindhu breaks into world top 20 ranking (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/node/158068)

Rising Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu on Thursday broke into the world top 20 in the latest badminton ranking following her ‘giant killing’ exploits at last week's China Masters tournament.

The 17-year-old Indian, who stunned the world after beating London Olympics gold medallist Li Xuerui in the quarterfinals of the China Masters, surged four places to achieve the 20th place in the BWF ranking announced on .

However, for Sindhu, the good news came on a day when she lost her pre-quarterfinal match to fourth seed Yeon Ju Bae of Korea 21-10 12-21 18-21 in Japan Open in Tokyo.

London Olympics bronze medallist and India's top shuttler Saina Nehwal retained her fourth place in the ranking list. The 22-year-old from Hyderabad is currently taking rest and did not play in the China Masters and Japan Open.

In men's singles, Olympic quarterfinalist Parupalli Kashyap slipped one rung down to be placed at the 20th spot, while Ajay Jayaram jumped six places to 23rd place, following his semifinal finish at China Masters.

Senior National champion Sourabh Verma also zoomed eight places to rise to 31st spot, while RMV Gurusaidutt was placed 46th after improving nine places.

In women's doubles, Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta, who has decided to take a six months sabbatical from badminton, remained steady at 22nd spot on women's doubles, while Jwala and V Diju, who tied his nuptial knot with Dr Soumya on September 17, dropped two places to 14th place in mixed doubles.

Ashwini, who is now concentrating on her mixed doubles career, moved to the 56th spot along with her partner Tarun Kona, jumping 22 places.

A team-man to the core (http://www.sportstaronnet.com/stories/20120929502801600.htm)

“Winning is bigger than having a five-wicket haul and still ending up on the losing side. I always believe that contributing to the team’s victory is more important,” says Pragyan Ojha to V. V. Subrahmanyam.

`It is very important for me as a young spinner to stay focussed, bowl with a good rhythm and in the right areas.'
Pragyan Ojha is on a high. The 26-year-old left-arm spinner, in the company of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, has formed one of the most formidable spin combinations in India in recent memory. The two together claimed a whopping 73 wickets in just five Test matches!

The soft-spoken spinner from Hyderabad is of the view that the recent match-winning performances against New Zealand in the two-Test series are only the beginning of a new chapter in his career.

“I am definitely happy, but not fully satisfied with my performance against the Kiwis. But my focus is now on the much stronger outfits like England and Australia when they visit India,” Ojha points out in an exclusive interview with Sportstar.

He downplays his recent run of success in Test cricket. “It is very important for me as a young spinner to stay focussed, bowl with a good rhythm and in the right areas,” Ojha says.

Significantly, Ojha doesn’t believe that he has to make any big changes to his bowling style. “In a way, I don’t want to complicate things when the going is good. I am trying to keep things as simple as possible, for I always believe that if you stick to the basics, half the job is done,” he explains. “Here, I must say the English county stint with Surrey last year was a major learning experience for me. It meant bowling a lot in different and difficult conditions,” he adds.

Talking of his fitness, Ojha says, “Definitely, I am much fitter, having lost a lot of weight. Perhaps this is the biggest change I forced on myself, working a lot on conditioning and batting.

“I am aware how important it is to be an all-rounder of sorts — to chip in with useful 30-plus knocks down the order.”

Ojha gives a lot of credit to the elegant former India batsman, V. V. S. Laxman, for his evolution as the country’s leading left-arm spinner. “I tell you, besides my mom, it is Laxman bhai who has been the biggest source of inspiration for me. I always make it a point to discuss with him whether I am doing well or not. He is such a wonderful character, always ready to help you out,” says Ojha.

`Besides my mom, it is Laxman bhai who has been the biggest source of inspiration for me.'
“That match-winning partnership with Laxman bhai in the 2010 Mohali Test against Australia a couple of years ago remains an unforgettable experience for me. What an innings he played then,” Ojha recalls.

“The biggest challenge for me now is to push myself that extra bit in the final session of a Test match every day. That is when the team looks up to a bowler. So, I am focussing a lot on my fitness of late,” says the left-arm spinner.

Looking back at the recent Test series against New Zealand, Ojha regrets missing the rare opportunity of playing a Test with Laxman in Hyderabad as the latter had announced his retirement from international cricket just before the series. “It would have been fantastic, for it was one of my dreams to play with him in front of my home crowd. I remember vividly what a learning experience it was bowling to him in the nets when I was playing under-19 grade. Honestly, I thought he would play the Hyderabad Test as many would have loved to see him,” explains Ojha.

What exactly is the most satisfying aspect for Ojha on the cricket field?

“If you are part of a winning team that is the best feeling you can enjoy. It is bigger than having a five-wicket haul and still ending up on the losing side. This is the reason why I always believe that contributing to the team’s victory is more important. This is one big characteristic I picked up from Laxman bhai,” says Ojha.

Referring to the formidable combination he has forged with Ashwin, Ojha reminds us that both of them had played in the age-group tournaments a lot and so understand each other well.

`For me the partnership with Ashwin is very important. As long as we keep winning Test matches for India, nothing else matters.'
When asked if he experiences any pressure while Ashwin is on a wicket-taking spree at the other end, Ojha comes up with a simple explanation: “In a partnership, one batsman might score a century, but the other too plays a brilliant part with a 70-plus knock or so. So, for me the partnership with Ashwin is more important. As long as we keep winning Test matches for India, nothing else matters. “So, I don’t feel the pressure, for wicket-taking roles can always change. However, what is important is that we complement each other to sustain the pressure, and right now, we are enjoying doing exactly this. The process of playing a key role in winning matches is more important,” he explains.

Ojha, who made his Test debut in 2009 and has taken 75 wickets from 16 Tests so far, is delighted that his captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has expressed a desire to have spinner-friendly tracks at home. “It is fair enough, for we have to prepare pitches according to our strengths, and I think it is spin at home. When we go abroad, we only come across pitches that are fast and rarely help the spinners,” he says.

Does this mean more pressure on the spinners by way of expectations?

“It is actually the other way round. I enjoy these challenges and look forward to more success against the bigger teams like England and Australia,” says Ojha. “Definitely I am aware of the bigger role I have now as one of the frontline spinners in the Indian squad. It also means greater responsibility that demands a very high level of consistency. This is what I reiterate — that my main objective is to be as consistent as possible,” he adds.

Ojha has always been one of the best spinners and amongst the leading wicket-takers in the Indian Premier League with a tally of 69 wickets in five seasons. He even made an impressive debut in the 2009 Twenty20 World Championship with a four-wicket haul. Ojha, however, isn’t disappointed that he was left out of the Indian team for the ICC World Twenty20 Championship in Sri Lanka.

“Well, I am not going to crib about what has not happened in my favour. I try to be consistent and amongst wickets each time I am given the chance to play. These things do happen, but the important aspect is that you should be ready for the biggest challenge of representing the country when the opportunity comes to you. That is what I am trying to do now and not think about missing the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka,” says Ojha, who has played 18 One-Day Internationals and taken 21 wickets.

Ojha also does not believe in chasing any personal goals. He is more than happy helping script victories for India.

SAAP ‘towers’ showcase waste of public money
(http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=1&ContentId=88988)

http://www.thehansindia.info/Updates/2012/Sep/24/saap.JPG

The Sports Tower built at Gachibowli to accommodate the participants of the World Military Games held in the city in October 2007 is now not fit even for commercial purposes, since it has been a picture of neglect all these years.

The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh suddenly woke up and issued a notification on September 21, 2012, inviting tenders with a view to letting out the building on lease for commercial purposes.

The Sports Tower was built at a cost of Rs 78.422 crore by SAAP. The tower was utilised for only five days during the games and has remained vacant since then. Many national and international events have taken place in the city subsequently, yet the government never thought of using it, forget about making commercial use of it.

Moreover, SAAP has been paying crores of rupees in interest on the Rs 40 crore loan it had taken from the Punjab National Bank for construction. Social activists point out that, instead of renting hotels and spending so much money for COP-11 delegates, the government could have used the facility.

However, the Sports Tower now has broken windows and the building itself is in a very bad shape with dust and cobwebs at many places.

The administrator and 12-member staff are hardly seen at the building. Due to lack of water and power supply, the condition of the tower is worsening by the day. “According to the reply we got to our RTI plea that was filed eight months back, supply of power and water to the building was revoked after the Military Games,” said Rama Krishna of Its Time to Make Difference (ITMD), an NGO.

He also came to know of some other bizarre facts. “Only 9 floors (Basement, Ground floor+7 floors) were constructed at the time of the Military Games and the remaining 6 floors were constructed after the games. The interiors work above the 7th floor is incomplete and pretty bad,” he said.

Most of the furniture was stolen, while some were shifted to district complexes. Most shocking is that a sum of Rs 11,49,936 is supposed to have been spent on the ‘maintenance’ of the tower annually since 2007. Besides, interest is also being paid.

“The Sports Tower was not utilised even though several national and state level events were organised in Hyderabad. Had it been used properly, there would be justification for the huge amount spent on constructing the tower,” he said. No authority from SAAP was ready to speak on the issue.

Surender Reddy is HRC Chairman (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/races/surender-reddy-is-hrc-chairman/article3945979.ece)

Mr. R. Surender Reddy was unanimously elected Chairman of the Hyderabad Race Club here on Thursday.

Following were elected Stewards: M/s. K. Bhupal Reddy, Ananth Kishen Rao, R. Rajesh and C. Gautam Bhoopal.

Hyderabad races postponed (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/races/hyderabad-races-postponed/article3948970.ece)

The Stewards of the Hyderabad Race Club (HRC) have decided to postpone the races scheduled to be held here on Sunday (Sept. 30) to Wednesday (Oct. 3), due to administrative reasons.

National Boxing championship to begin on Oct 30 (http://zeenews.india.com/sports/football/national-boxing-championship-to-begin-on-oct-30_749611.html)

New Delhi: Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) has announced the dates for the men`s and women`s Senior National boxing championships at their annual general body meeting in Patiala.

The Sahara 59th Senior Men`s National boxing championship will be held in Hyderabad from October 30 to November 4, while the 13th Senior Women Nationals will take place in Guwahati from November 25 to 29.
Meanwhile, Rajesh Bhandari was elected as the new Secretary General of IABF yesterday.
Bhandari has already served two terms as the Secretary General of the Federation earlier in his career.

During the AGM, it was also decided that the IABF will field teams for two foreign tours this month.

The Youth Indian men`s boxing team is slated to compete in the 33rd International Tammer Tournament in Tampere, Finland from October 18-21, while the Sub-Junior Men`s team will take part in a month long training-cum-competition program at Yangiabad, Uzbekistan from October 7 to November 7.

Guntur brothers create history in Srinagar (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/badminton/Guntur-brothers-create-history-in-Srinagar/articleshow/16646604.cms)

NAGPUR: In the late sixties, Ghosh brothers from Kolkata, Dipu and Roman, dominated the national badminton circuit. Elder brother Dipu won several men's singles titles, and he also won quite a few doubles titles in the company of his brother Roman.

After more than four decades, brothers from Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) - K Nandagopal and K Srikanth - repeated the Ghosh brothers' feat by reaching the men's singles semifinals of the ongoing 77th Senior National badminton championships on Tuesday.

Another sibling duo - Sourabh and Sameer Varma from Dhar (MP) - came close to matching this feat last year in Bangalore but missed out. Sameer lost in the quarterfinals while Sourabh went on to claim his maiden title.

Nadagopal, 21, and Srikanth, 19, both train at the Hyderabad-based Pullela Gopichand Academy. The siblings have an athletic built and both are six feet tall.

"We have been training under Gopi sir since last four years. Sudhakar Reddy was our coach when we were training in Vaizag. In 2008, we shifted to Hyderabad. Our game has improved a lot by playing at Gopi sir's academy," Nandagopal told TOI on Tuesday. The BA (Final) student halted the dream run of Chhattisgarh's Shreyansh Jaiswal beating him 21-18, 21-9 in their quarterfinal clash.

On the adjacent court, his younger brother Srikanth caused one of the biggest upsets here by shocking RMV Gurusaidutt. Srikanth, playing against his academy partner Guru for the first time in a competitive tournament, recorded a remarkable 21-13, 21-19 victory.

It was for the first time, either brother reached the last four. However, both lost their semifinal matches later in the day.

In the junior nationals held in Jaipur early this year, Srikanth, a first year BA student, had gone down to Sameer Varma in the U-19 semis.

After the Srinagar Nationals, both are determined to make a mark at the international level. Srikanth is ranked 125 in the world, while Nandagopal, who had a one-year stint at the Taby Club in Sweden as a professional player in 2011, is ranked 147.

"Our target is to break into the top-100 in another six months. We are thankful to Gopi Sir for his coaching. Our real development as players happened under him," said Nandagopal, who is an employee of the Airports Authority of India.

Kashyap, Sindhu to clash for maiden National title (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kashyap-sindhu-to-clash-for-maiden-national-title/297264-5-135.html)

Srinagar: London Olympics quarter-finalist Parupalli Kashyap and Ajay Jayaram set up the men's singles title clash between them after scoring contrasting wins in their respective semifinals at the 77th Senior National Badminton Championship, here on Tuesday.
World number 20 Kashyap, who was the runners up at the 2010 edition, spanked K Srikanth 21-5 21-8 in a completely lopsided semifinal, while Jayaram tamed sixth seed Nanda Gopal K 21-14 21-15 in the other semi-final.
Neither Kashyap nor Jairam has won a national title before and whoever wins tomorrow will celebrate his maiden trophy.

Kashyap hardly broke a sweat against Srikanth as he outplayed his rival. In the first game he created a 11-3 lead and in the second he opened up a 16-7 lead, not allowing his young rival to put up any challenge.
World number 25 Jayaram led 13-5 and 10-2 in his straight game win.
In the women's singles, defending champion P V Sindhu came from behind to beat Arundhati Pantawane 8-21 21-18 21-13, keeping her hopes of retaining the title alive .
The 2008 champion and second seed Sayali Gokhale prevailed over Tanvi Lad 21-17 9-21 21-11 to set up the final clash with Sindhu.
National Games champion Arundhati, who had beaten Sindhu at the 75th Nationals championship at Rohtak in January last year, troubled the current world number 20 in the first game and easily pocketed it at 21-8.
Sindhu, who was playing with a knee brace, recovered in the second game and went into the break at 11-6. After the breather, Sindhu zoomed to the game point at 20-13.
Gutsy Arundhati saved five match points but could not stop the 17-year-old from Andra Pradesh as she bounced back in the match.
In the decider, Sindhu once again had her nose ahead at 11-8. Arundhati did equalise after gathering three straight points but Sindhu proved too strong for her in the end.
"I had too many negative thoughts initially and was frustrated at myself for not executing my strokes but then I started to find my rhythm. I had some pain in my knee, nothing major, but I wanted to be safe so I didn't want to exert too much," said Sindhu, who would be playing the World Junior Championship later this month.
In the mixed doubles, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tarun Kona will face top seeds and defending champion Aparna Balan and Arun Vishnu in the finals tomorrow, while top seed Aparna Balan and Siki Reddy N. will take on Varsha Belawadi and G M Nischitha of Karnataka in the women's doubles.
In the men's doubles, Akshay Dewalkar (AI) and Pranav Chopra (Pet) notched up a 21-18, 21-15 win over Alwin Francis of Kerela and Petroleum's V. Diju to set up a clash with Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy of Airport Authority of India.

Sania in doubles final (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/tennis/sania-in-doubles-final/article3968547.ece)

Sania Mirza of India and Nuria Llagostera of Spain moved into the women's doubles final of 4.8 million dollar China Open tennis championship with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Srebotnik and Zheng Jie in Beijing on Friday, according to information received here on Friday.

With this win, the Hyderabad-based Sania is expected to improve her doubles ranking to World No. 13.

World juniors at SAAP indoor stadium (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/world-juniors-at-saap-indoor-stadium/article3969257.ece)

The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) complex indoor stadium, Gachibowli, has been finalised as the venue of the Volkswagen World junior table tennis championships to be held from December 9 to 16. It was preferred to the Kotla Vijayabhaskara Reddy indoor stadium, Yousufguda.

The decision was taken over the weekend after the third and final inspection by a four-member panel. It comprised Raul Calin, Director, Global Junior Programme, International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), Dhan Raj Choudhary, Secretary General, Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), the national body’s vice-president S.M. Sultan and the Tournament Director Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer.

“The infrastructural blueprint of the event has been worked out, with players to stay in a hotel that’s a 10-minute drive from the venue,” Choudhary told The Hindu.

“Only housing the dozen practice tables presented a problem, but that’s been solved. They will be accommodated in the adjoining swimming pool arena,” he said.

“So are sites earmarked for the ITTF office besides lounges for athletes and media,” said the TTFI Secretary General. “Only on the opening day would the action begin at 10 a.m., otherwise commencing an hour earlier on the subsequent days.

“From the 11 tables initially, it will be scaled down to 8, 4, 2 and 1 for the finals, as the team individual events progress. Action from two tables would be telecast live by Doordarshan Sports.

The tournament logo is awaiting ITTF approval and the event will be inaugurated on December 8, a day before the action gets underway,” Choudhary added.

“Only the imported Joola tables would require customs clearance at Mumbai,” said S.M. Sultan. “The umpires’ panel will be announced on October 15. The ITTF has scheduled a meeting of the five continental heads on December 12, its executive committee meetings on the 13th and 15th, the day in between set aside for the junior commission to sit,” he added.

The week-long meet will decide seven world junior titles (boys and girls team events, boys and girls’ singles and doubles and mixed doubles).

Twenty boys and girls teams, including host India, qualify from continental quotas.

In addition, 14 players will be invited to compete in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, based on the under-18 world ranking list announced on September 5.

Should any of them not accept, the next-ranked player would be invited.

Sathwika wins three titles at Challenger Series Tennis Tournament (http://www.indiansportsnews.com/component/content/article/38-local-sports/18019-sathwika-wins-three-titles-at-challenger-series-tennis-tournament.html)

She won the girls under-14 singles and the singles and doubles titles in the under-16 category of the meet.

The youngster from Hyderabad beat Madhumathi Meenakshi of Tamil Nadu 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 and then in the under-16 singles final, Sathwika got a walk-over.

She then later teamed up with Shivani Ingle beat Meenakshi and Aditi Dilip 4-1, 4-1 in the finals of the u-16 doubles event.

DCHL gets until Friday for Deccan Chargers bank guarantee (http://www.livemint.com/Companies/LavEmuuSl7xHsInb6ytpzH/Deccan-Chronicle-gets-until-Friday-for-bank-guarantee.html)

Mumbai: The Bombay high court gave Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd (DCHL), owner of Indian Premier League (IPL) Hyderabad franchise Deccan Chargers, until Friday to submit a Rs.100 crore bank guarantee.
The court also directed DCHL to file a fresh application seeking permission for private funding for the bank guarantee. The court order currently only allows for a guarantee from a nationalized bank.
On 27 September, the high court had stayed the team’s termination and directed DCHL to furnish an unconditional bank guarantee of Rs.100 crore within 10 days, failing which the termination would be confirmed.
The court is hearing an appeal filed by DCHL on 15 September challenging the termination of the Deccan Chargers franchise by the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI). The board has questioned how the debt-laden team owner would be able to find the Rs.150 crore needed to run it in the sixth edition of IPL next year.
The board terminated the Deccan Chargers franchise after DCHL on 13 September turned down the only bid the team received in an auction—a Rs.900 crore offer by real-estate firm PVP Ventures Ltd—on the grounds that the price and payment terms weren’t acceptable to it.

National badminton coach Gopichand is expanding academy, aiming for more Sainas (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/badminton/National-badminton-coach-Gopichand-is-expanding-academy-aiming-for-more-Sainas/articleshow/16745461.cms)

HYDERABAD: National badminton coach P Gopi Chand is staying in a rented place and not in his own swanky residence at the foot of a picturesque hillock.

That's his way to ensure that he remains in close proximity to his academy and students.

In the half a decade that he has been coaching, Gopi has been a man possessed with badminton. You won't find him at home between 4.30 am and 7.30 pm.

The 15 hours that he spends at his academy each day haven't done his hunger any harm. Although he has almost completed half of his second term as Indian coach, Gopi yeans for more.

"After Saina won the bronze at Olympics I felt I accomplished my job. But soon I realized that I am hungry to do more for the sport I love. I want to continue till 2016 Rio and may be beyond.

But it is for BAI ( Badminton Association of India) to decide whether I should stay or go," he said.

It will be difficult to find a stronger candidate than him at this point. The 2001 All England champion has shaped the careers of Saina Nehwal, P Kashyap and PV Sindhu.

Gopi took over the job in 2006 with the sole objective of winning medals at the Delhi Commonwealth Games.

Once that was accomplished, he was given a fresh lease with new objectives: podium at the Olympics. He did that too with Saina taking the bronze.

Two Indonesian junior coaches - Andika and Danu - have joined his academy recently.

Gopi is expanding his academy as he finds that the existing facility is unable to cater to the needs of growing number of budding shuttlers.

Another six-court indoor structure, a stone's throw from the present academy, will be functional by April. Besides, his second academy in Gwalior will be ready by December.

How does he envisage the future of the game in the country beyond Saina?

"Emulating Saina will not be easy. She has set the bar quite high. But I think players like Sindhu have the capacity to come close to Saina's feats," said Gopi.

"Producing Saina-type players is no easy task. Except China, even countries with rich badminton history like Indonesia, Malaysia and Denmark have failed to churn out top-class talent regularly.

But we have great talent in both men and women who have been troubling the best in the world.

"Wait for another six months, you can except some great results from men too. Even now they have the ability to upset all the top ranked players.

We have seen that at the China Open where we had three men in the quarterfinals. That's no mean feat. I am expecting more big results from men."

On comparisons between Saina and Sindhu, Gopi said: "I don't want to discuss the strengths and flaws of my players. There is nothing much to say about Saina.

Her results speak for her. Sindhu has a very good game, though there are a few areas to be improved. She is very talented all-round player."

Hyderabad Triathlon on Oct. 14 (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=1&ContentId=92724)

Hyderabad Triathlon, first of its kind sporting event of swimming, running and cycling, is being organised at the Gachibowli Stadium on October 14. An initiative of the Great Hyderabad Adventure Club (GHAC), it will be held in three formats- Olympic, Sprint and Novice. Besides, more variants of the triathlon for families and friends are scheduled for the evening.

The contest will begin early in the morning with the Olympic format where experienced athletes will go for the tough swimming (1.5 km) / Cycling (40 km) / Running (10 km). The Sprint format will begin next with participants doing 20 km cycling, 5 km running, 750-metre swim.
Next off the block is the Novice format, that starts with 8 km cycling, followed by 2 km running, 300 metre swimming respectively.

Participants have to finish the Sprint and Novice in the same sequel - cycle, run and swim. Post-lunch, starting at 3 pm will be the Team Relay, where a team of three participants will do one each of the events, cycle, run and swim. The Team Relay will be in two formats - Sprint and Novice level. The Relay Sprint is 20 km cycling / 5 km running / 750 meters swimming. The Relay Novice Level is 8 km cycling / 2 km running / 300 meters swimming.

For those who cannot swim, there is the duathlon starting at 4 pm. The Duathlon on the Novice Level consists of cycling 8km followed by a 2km run. All athletes who complete their events will be given a certificate and a medal.

Deccan Chargers Get a Buyer (http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/10/12/deccan-chargers-get-a-buyer/)

The owners of Indian Premier League team Deccan Chargers said they have sold the franchise to Mumbai-based real estate company Kamla Landmarc.

“Pursuant to its Meeting of the Board of Directors held on October 11, 2012, it was resolved to authorize the Board of Directors to sell, transfer/ dispose off the Deccan Chargers Franchise business undertaking(s)/ business division of the Company to Kamla Landmarc Real Estate Holdings Private Limited,” Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd. 532608.BY +4.92% said in a rather ornate filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

The sale ends a torrid period for Deccan Chronicle Holdings, which had been ordered by the Bombay High Court to raise one billion rupees ($19 million) by this week or face the termination of its IPL franchise.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Sept. 14 scrapped the Hyderabad-based franchise for various violations, including non-payment of players, according to reports.

“The BCCI is completely justified in this action which was taken with careful deliberation and only due to the absolute inability of the franchise to effectively run the team,” the governing body’s secretary Sanjay Jagdale said at the time.

The owners challenged the BCCI’s decision, leading to the court process.

The BCCI had said it would wait until the court ruling before deciding whether or not to float a tender for a new IPL franchise. Officials from the BCCI weren’t available for comment Friday.

Any sale of a franchise must be approved by the BCCI, which would ensure terms and obligations are met, said Anish Dayal, a Delhi-based lawyer. “If you sell a franchise, it has to be done with the BCCI’s prior approval,” he said.

Deccan Chargers last month tried to auction the team but, according to reports, the company’s bankers rejected the only bid it received, from PVP Ventures 517556.BY 0.00%, which offered a total of nine billion rupees ($170 million.)

The financial terms of the sale to Kamla Landmarc haven’t been disclosed. Officials from the company weren’t available for comment, nor were executives for the Deccan Chargers team.

Deccan Chargers’ international players include Sri Lankan cricket star Kumar Sangakkara, Australians Cameron White and Daniel Christian, South African bowler Dale Steyn and his compatriot J.P. Duminy.

Deccan Chargers won the second IPL in 2009 when the tournament was shifted to South Africa because of elections in India and security concerns after the Mumbai attacks in November 2008 and an assault on the Sri Lanka team’s bus after a match in the Pakistani city of Lahore.

The franchise hasn’t fared so well since, failing to get out of the group stage in the two most recent seasons.

This isn’t the first time a franchise from the glitzy, high profile annual cricket tournament has landed in trouble. Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab were threatened with expulsion in 2010 but survived, while the Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise was terminated last year after failing to provide a bank guarantee for the season.

Royal Challengers Bangalore, which has close links to Vijay Mallya, the owner of ailing Kingfisher Airlines 532747.BY -0.44%, has also had trouble paying its players, according to reports.

Even the founder of the IPL, Lalit Modi, is no longer on the scene after he was suspended by the BCCI in 2010. He now lives in England, regularly tweeting on Indian cricket affairs from afar.

Sania Mirza to launch tennis academy (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/sports/sania-mirza-to-launch-tennis-academy/article3994427.ece)

Source: The Hindu Business Line (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/sports/sania-mirza-to-launch-tennis-academy/article3994427.ece)

With an aim to give back something to the sport that brought her fame and wealth, Sania Mirza is now all set to start her own tennis academy in Hyderabad, where youngsters will get quality training at an affordable price.

The academy is under construction near the outskirts of the city and is expected to be launched in March next year.

“I have been thinking about it for the past few years now. I always wanted to give something back to the sport and to India in whatever way. Sharing experience and trying to provide players a platform to perform at the highest level is the best way to give something back to the game,” Sania told PTI during an exclusive interview.

“Hopefully, if not in the next five years, may be in 10 years, 12 years, we will have players coming out of that academy,” she added.

The academy is being constructed on a four-acre plot of land and will have nine hard courts to start with. Gradually, there will be nine more hard courts along with three clay courts.

Sania’s father Imran Mirza who is writing a book on the journey of his star daughter informed that they are planning to rope in a few sponsors so that the trainees at the academy find it easy to train.

“We want to make it affordable for them,” he said.

BCCI call fresh bids for Hyderabad franchisee (http://www.livemint.com/Companies/PsZlQRZqsrxJoD7XVdkw6O/BCCI-call-fresh-bids-for-Hyderabad-franchisee.html)
Hyderabad: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday published advertisements in newspapers calling bids for 12 new India Premier League (IPL) franchisees including Hyderabad.
“The winning bidder will be granted the right to own and operate a new team which will compete in the IPL in each year from and including 2013 onwards,” said Sanjay Jagdale, honorary secretary, BCCI under whose name the advertisement was issued.
BCCI has set a deadline of 25 October to submit bid documents.
The cities for which bids were invited include Ahmedabad, Cuttack, Dharamsala, Indore, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Kochi, Nagpur, Noida, Rajkot, Ranchi and Vizag.
The Bombay high court on Saturday stayed the status quo order by the court-appointed arbitrator in the Hyderabad IPL franchisee Deccan Chargers termination case paving the way for BCCI to call fresh bids for Hyderabad franchisee.
Deccan Chargers owned by financially troubled media firm Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd, failed to meet the Bombay high court’s 5 pm deadline on Friday for a Rs 100 crore bank guarantee to ensure that the team wasn’t terminated from the league. The Bombay high court had rejected Deccan Chronicle’s plea for a further extension to furnish the bank guarantee earlier on Friday.
Deccan Chargers’ contract was terminated by the BCCI on 14 September for failing to comply with a deadline to pay overdue player fees, organizers of the league.
BCCI made its decision after DCHL rejected the only bid it received of Rs 900 crore from PVP Ventured Ltd, a real estate firm, stating the payment terms were not to its liking.
DCHL had moved the Bombay high court on 15 September challenging BCCI’s decision to terminate the Hyderabad franchise from the league. The court appointed an arbitrator in the case and asked DCHL to furnish an unconditional bank guarantee of Rs 100 crore within the set deadline of 10 days, the DCHL got an extension of three more days from the court.
Debt-ridden Deccan Chronicle had said earlier on Friday that it had found a buyer for the team in Kamla Landmarc Real Estate Holding Pvt. Ltd in a stock exchange filing. The Hyderabad-based Deccan Chronicle informed BSE that its board of directors was authorized in a meeting on Thursday (11 October) to sell the cricket franchise to Kamla Landmarc. The resolution has been passed subject to shareholder and other approvals, it said.
The publisher of English newspaper Deccan Chronicle, business paper Financial Chronicle, Asian Age and Telugu daily Andhra Bhoomi has been juggling with financial issues due to over Rs 4,000 crore debt riding on its books. The products of HT Media Ltd, Mint’s publisher, compete with those of DCHL in some markets.

http://www.livemint.com/Companies/PsZlQRZqsrxJoD7XVdkw6O/BCCI-call-fresh-bids-for-Hyderabad-franchisee.html

BCCI call fresh bids for Hyderabad franchisee

BCCI has set a deadline of 25 October to submit bid documents

Hyderabad: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday published advertisements in newspapers calling bids for 12 new India Premier League (IPL) franchisees including Hyderabad.
“The winning bidder will be granted the right to own and operate a new team which will compete in the IPL in each year from and including 2013 onwards,” said Sanjay Jagdale, honorary secretary, BCCI under whose name the advertisement was issued.
BCCI has set a deadline of 25 October to submit bid documents.
The cities for which bids were invited include Ahmedabad, Cuttack, Dharamsala, Indore, Hyderabad:lol:, Kanpur, Kochi, Nagpur, Noida, Rajkot, Ranchi and Vizag.
The Bombay high court on Saturday stayed the status quo order by the court-appointed arbitrator in the Hyderabad IPL franchisee Deccan Chargers termination case paving the way for BCCI to call fresh bids for Hyderabad franchisee.
Deccan Chargers owned by financially troubled media firm Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd, failed to meet the Bombay high court’s 5 pm deadline on Friday for a Rs 100 crore bank guarantee to ensure that the team wasn’t terminated from the league. The Bombay high court had rejected Deccan Chronicle’s plea for a further extension to furnish the bank guarantee earlier on Friday.
Deccan Chargers’ contract was terminated by the BCCI on 14 September for failing to comply with a deadline to pay overdue player fees, organizers of the league.
BCCI made its decision after DCHL rejected the only bid it received of Rs 900 crore from PVP Ventured Ltd, a real estate firm, stating the payment terms were not to its liking.
DCHL had moved the Bombay high court on 15 September challenging BCCI’s decision to terminate the Hyderabad franchise from the league. The court appointed an arbitrator in the case and asked DCHL to furnish an unconditional bank guarantee of Rs 100 crore within the set deadline of 10 days, the DCHL got an extension of three more days from the court.
Debt-ridden Deccan Chronicle had said earlier on Friday that it had found a buyer for the team in Kamla Landmarc Real Estate Holding Pvt. Ltd in a stock exchange filing. The Hyderabad-based Deccan Chronicle informed BSE that its board of directors was authorized in a meeting on Thursday (11 October) to sell the cricket franchise to Kamla Landmarc. The resolution has been passed subject to shareholder and other approvals, it said.
The publisher of English newspaper Deccan Chronicle, business paper Financial Chronicle, Asian Age and Telugu daily Andhra Bhoomi has been juggling with financial issues due to over Rs 4,000 crore debt riding on its books. The products of HT Media Ltd, Mint’s publisher, compete with those of DCHL in some markets.
:nuts:

http://www.livemint.com/Companies/PsZlQRZqsrxJoD7XVdkw6O/BCCI-call-fresh-bids-for-Hyderabad-franchisee.html

BCCI call fresh bids for Hyderabad franchisee

BCCI has set a deadline of 25 October to submit bid documents

Hyderabad: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday published advertisements in newspapers calling bids for 12 new India Premier League (IPL) franchisees including Hyderabad.
“The winning bidder will be granted the right to own and operate a new team which will compete in the IPL in each year from and including 2013 onwards,” said Sanjay Jagdale, honorary secretary, BCCI under whose name the advertisement was issued.
BCCI has set a deadline of 25 October to submit bid documents.
The cities for which bids were invited include Ahmedabad, Cuttack, Dharamsala, Indore, Hyderabad:lol:, Kanpur, Kochi, Nagpur, Noida, Rajkot, Ranchi and Vizag.
The Bombay high court on Saturday stayed the status quo order by the court-appointed arbitrator in the Hyderabad IPL franchisee Deccan Chargers termination case paving the way for BCCI to call fresh bids for Hyderabad franchisee.
Deccan Chargers owned by financially troubled media firm Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd, failed to meet the Bombay high court’s 5 pm deadline on Friday for a Rs 100 crore bank guarantee to ensure that the team wasn’t terminated from the league. The Bombay high court had rejected Deccan Chronicle’s plea for a further extension to furnish the bank guarantee earlier on Friday.
Deccan Chargers’ contract was terminated by the BCCI on 14 September for failing to comply with a deadline to pay overdue player fees, organizers of the league.
BCCI made its decision after DCHL rejected the only bid it received of Rs 900 crore from PVP Ventured Ltd, a real estate firm, stating the payment terms were not to its liking.
DCHL had moved the Bombay high court on 15 September challenging BCCI’s decision to terminate the Hyderabad franchise from the league. The court appointed an arbitrator in the case and asked DCHL to furnish an unconditional bank guarantee of Rs 100 crore within the set deadline of 10 days, the DCHL got an extension of three more days from the court.
Debt-ridden Deccan Chronicle had said earlier on Friday that it had found a buyer for the team in Kamla Landmarc Real Estate Holding Pvt. Ltd in a stock exchange filing. The Hyderabad-based Deccan Chronicle informed BSE that its board of directors was authorized in a meeting on Thursday (11 October) to sell the cricket franchise to Kamla Landmarc. The resolution has been passed subject to shareholder and other approvals, it said.
The publisher of English newspaper Deccan Chronicle, business paper Financial Chronicle, Asian Age and Telugu daily Andhra Bhoomi has been juggling with financial issues due to over Rs 4,000 crore debt riding on its books. The products of HT Media Ltd, Mint’s publisher, compete with those of DCHL in some markets.
:nuts:

The fact is Chargers management paid for their reckless financial management and also lack of sincerity towards Hyderabad, the host city. The team should have been named "Deccan Chargers Hyderabad" DCH, not Deccan Chargers. It is apt punishment for being cheeky. I hope the new owners of the Hyderabad franchise don't make this mistake. The team represents this city, not several cities. I hope we get a franchise.

The fact is Chargers management paid for their reckless financial management and also lack of sincerity towards Hyderabad, the host city. The team should have been named "Deccan Chargers Hyderabad" DCH, not Deccan Chargers. It is apt punishment for being cheeky. I hope the new owners of the Hyderabad franchise don't make this mistake. The team represents this city, not several cities. I hope we get a franchise.

Is Hyderabad bound to get a new team? I don't think so. Bidders will decide where the team will be based at right? I really hope Vizag gets a team over Hyderabad. The countless number of losses in Hyderabad just makes it depressing to think of. Vizag has an excellent stadium and crowd. I think DC won more in the few matches they played at Vizag compared to all matches played in Hyderabad.

BCCI seeks fresh bids for Hyderabad franchise (http://www.livemint.com/Companies/PsZlQRZqsrxJoD7XVdkw6O/BCCI-call-fresh-bids-for-Hyderabad-franchisee.html)

Hyderabad: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday published advertisements in newspapers, calling bids for 12 new India Premier League (IPL) franchisees, including Hyderabad.
“The winning bidder will be granted the right to own and operate a new team, which will compete in the IPL in each year from and including 2013 onwards,” said Sanjay Jagdale, honorary secretary, BCCI.
The last date for submitting documents is 25 October.
The cities for which bids were invited include Ahmedabad, Cuttack, Dharamsala, Indore, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Kochi, Nagpur, Noida, Rajkot, Ranchi and Vizag.
The Bombay high court on Saturday stayed the status quo order by the court-appointed arbitrator in the Hyderabad IPL franchise Deccan Chargers termination case, paving the way for BCCI to call fresh bids for Hyderabad franchise.

Is Hyderabad bound to get a new team? I don't think so. Bidders will decide where the team will be based at right? I really hope Vizag gets a team over Hyderabad. The countless number of losses in Hyderabad just makes it depressing to think of. Vizag has an excellent stadium and crowd. I think DC won more in the few matches they played at Vizag compared to all matches played in Hyderabad.

Nobody said anything about Vizag. If people want a team in Vizag that is great. It applies to any other city Nagpur, kanpur, and any other patnam. The fact is Deccan Chronicle owners had no loyalty towards Hyderabad and it clearly showed. They sent a message that it was a Hyderabad team at first (there is no denying that fact), but left Hyderabad out of the name. This was malicious and deliberate. If they wanted to play in Vizag, then call it Deccan Chargers Vizag, no problem. It is a free country.

I am glad these clowns are out. The financial mess they are in has nothing to do with Hyderabad as a venue (a convenient tool for some with jaundiced eyes). They just screwed it up with their reckless personal financial management. I am sure Hyderabad will get a new franchise, and Vizag can have their own franchise. Not one Franchse had left out the city or state name it represents; all except DC were precise. I am glad they paid the price. Hyderabad deserves better.

With the logic presented here, you will probably blame the Satyam fiasco too on Hyderabad. Look what happened. Hyderabad got LNT instead of Satyam. I am hoping the same will happen with the IPL franchise too.

You are free to cheer for Vizag. I will stcik with Hyderabad.

Thank you

I'm glad that Deccan Chargers are out.. They didn't even have the courtesy to take VVS into the team when he had sacrificed his ICON status just so that DC could have bought marque names during the first auction..

If Hyderabad or even Vizag gets an IPL team it will be a miracle as all the Corporate houses are either deep in debt or under investigation for being closely assosciated with YS Jagan.. Thanks to YSR and his 'golden' rule this is a small price that we have to pay.

I'm glad that Deccan Chargers are out.. They didn't even have the courtesy to take VVS into the team when he had sacrificed his ICON status just so that DC could have bought marque names during the first auction..

If Hyderabad or even Vizag gets an IPL team it will be a miracle as all the Corporate houses are either deep in debt or under investigation for being closely assosciated with YS Jagan.. Thanks to YSR and his 'golden' rule this is a small price that we have to pay.

Agree VVS was mistreated. He should have been retained and paid as a Senior Mentor.

Politics. No comment.

Money - There is lots of it. Someone will cough up the money.

Thanks

All is not over yet, says IPL franchise Deccan Chargers (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl/news/All-is-not-over-yet-says-IPL-franchise-Deccan-Chargers/articleshow/16813219.cms)

MUMBAI: The Hyderabad IPL franchise Deccan Chargers are yet to make their claims before the arbitrator, retired Supreme Court judge Justice CK Thakkar, Both BCCI and DC had agreed to take their dispute to an arbitrator and the Bombay high court had appointed the retired SC judge as the sole arbitrator to go into the dispute between the board and the IPL franchise over the termination notice issued last month by the cricket board.

The arbitrator had on Friday evening had the first preliminary meeting with both sides where DC lawyer made a representation seeking a status quo on the termination that would kick in as it had failed to get any further extension of time to furnish the bank guarantee to the Board.

The arbitrator granted a status quo at 7.30 pm which the Bombay high court stayed on Saturday on an urgent appeal made by the cricket board.

The BCCI is now all charged up and says it would be an uphill battle for Deccan Chargers given its huge debt and it would mainly be an issue of damages now, But all is not over yet say the Chargers who are an IPL franchise since 2008.

In its claim before the arbitrator the DC can seek either that its franchise status be restored and/or seek substantial damages from BCCI.

The arbitrator will go into the validity termination notice. Said a lawyer, in a fluid situation like this, it may be not be easy to say what may happen eventually.

Lawyers on both sides are not willing to spell out what may happen eventually but while the DC side insists there are still options, BCCI team is more gung ho that with a debt of Rs 4000 crore the question is whether DC would be able to even retain its players before the end of the month deadline, get new ones, pay off its creditors and stick to its undertakings.

The rules require BCCI to give its approval when any franchise is getting a new buyer, but the question now is whether there is any team to sell for DC, said a BCCI official.

As apex body for cricket administration in India it said it had on September 14 decided to terminate the Hyderabad franchise agreement with immediate effect due to non compliance of conditions and issued DC a termination notice.

The Chargers moved the Bombay HC on September 15 seeking a stay on the termination by filing an arbitration petition. On September 26 the HC appointed the arbitrator and gave him three months to arbitrate the dispute.

The HC disposed of the petition finally on October 1 with a direction to BCCI not to act on its notice pending arbitration proceedings, subject to a condition that DC furnished the Rs 100 crore bank guarantee within the set deadline. The HC also recorded an undertaking given by DCHL to pay its pending dues to IFCI limited as agreed on September 12.

The BCCI also informed the court on Saturday that it has written two letters to DCHL including one on October 11 whether it had complied with its undertaking to pay IFCI but said it received no response.

In its appeal, a copy of which is with TOI, The BCCI said DC was engaging in "dilatory tactics with an ulterior motive at defeating and frustrating the Board's legitimate rights under the agreement."

The Board said it was "not open" to continue or modify the HC's earlier order of stay. The BCCI appeal filed through advocate Viraj Maniar, appeal also informed the court that thought IPL 6 is still six months away and players' contracts were up for renewal on October 31, 2012.

If the franchises fail to extend the player's contract by then, these contracts will terminate this year and the players will be free for open bidding by other franchises for the 2013 season either by direct negotiation or players auction. Thus it is important for a franchise to be in good financial standing this month.

The BCCI said it thus needs to have alternate solutions handy and the best one is to issue fresh tenders for a new franchise. The HC had not precluded the Board from floating a new franchise in its quota of ten.

The BCCI said any further extension would threaten the stability of the league itself as it take at least 6 weeks to get players allotted to a franchise and recruit a professional cricket management team. The next hearing of the appeal is on October 17 in the high court.

Kumar Sangakkara backs BCCI to find solution in Deccan Chargers' row (http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/Kumar-Sangakkara-backs-BCCI-to-find-solution-in-Deccan-Chargers-row/18793)

Singapore: Oct 14, 2012

Deccan Chargers’ captain Kumar Sangakkara hopes the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be able to resolve the crisis surrounding the IPL team, which has been terminated after failing to obtain bank guarantee.

The cash-strapped Deccan Chargers lost its status as an IPL team after the Bombay High Court stayed the order of Arbitrator for maintaining status quo on the matter till further hearing on Saturday.

The owners of the franchise had failed to produce a Rs 100-crore bank guarantee before the Bombay High Court, a condition that had been set for the struggling team's survival in the league.

They later approached the Court-appointed Arbitrator who had passed the order of status quo, according to PTI.

"BCCI moved an appeal against the Order of Arbitrator and the same was heard today morning. The Hon'ble High Court was pleased to stay the Order of Arbitrator after hearing both the parties", the BCCI said in a statement.

Sangakkara, the skipper of the Hyderabad-based franchise which boasts the likes of South African pacer Dale Steyn and Australia’s Cameron White, is hoping for a solution.

"Players have been paid and that's great. The franchise has ensured that they've always kept their word to the players and honoured all the contracts they have signed," said Sangakkara.

"They are now in arbitration with BCCI, I believe, to try and come to an agreement and the BCCI has always been very good in problem solving during the IPL they've done a great job over five years,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

"Deccan Chargers is a great franchise to play for, so we as players, we can't control those things, we just wait and see as to what will happen,” he added.

Money - There is lots of it. Someone will cough up the money.

Thanks

Running an IPL team is not a profitable venture. Only way you can make money is probably through the conversion of black money into white money. And owning an IPL has some prestige assosciated with it. If DC are not able to get the tender quashed by the court, the only way Hyderabad is going to get a team is if a Corporate with no home ties with any of the other cities bids and wins it. Then Hyd has a chance as it has the biggest fan base.

On the games field (http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/kids/on-the-games-field/article3998815.ece)

After the London Olympics there has been renewed interest in sports and games.

The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad, saw the largest ever Indian Olympic delegation of 83 athletes, with 60 men and 23 women participating in 13 events. The Indians came home with six medals, making this the most successful Olympics, till date. With the headlines flashing news of our successful sportspersons, there has been an overall change in the outlook towards sports.

New trend

Sam Vasant Kumar, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation coach says, “we have seen many new faces on the various GHMC coaching grounds, ever since. It is heartening to see the high enthusiasm levels of children of various ages.” Apart from regular coaching classes in over 54 games in five different zones, the GHMC also organises summer and winter coaching camps for children from the ages of eight years and above.

There are several other neighbourhood sports centres that have more children dropping by on weekends and that is surely the first step towards becoming a sportsperson. Centres such as GHMC camps have been promising playgrounds for scouting sports talent.

In most cases the best of sportspersons drop out in Std. IX. Reason? They have to devote more time to their studies and with that their career in sports usually ends. “Till the age of 14 the number of sports persons in the academies is rather high,” says Mr Praveen Bhargava, the Joint Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Lawn Tennis Academy.

Fourteen year old, N. Kishore Kumar, a Std. IX student of Sister Nivedita School and a national level skating champion, feels academics and sports can be managed easily. “Pay attention in class, work hard in both sports and studies and you can do well in both fields. If the interest is sustained and one is willing to work hard and do well, every sportsperson’s parents and school authorities will give them lots of support.” Kishore hopes to represent India in the Olympics someday.

“Today a career in sports is a good option for a hard working sports person. Sports has become very rewarding and it may be worthwhile for Indian parents and children to look at it for a good future,” says P. Gopichand, the Indian Badminton coach and mentor to the many badminton stars from the country.

Inspired

“Don’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the further you get,” said Michael Phelps, multiple Olympic gold medallist.

The London Olympics has served as a source of inspiration for many. Mira, a Std. XI student finds Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal inspiring. She says, “I found Mary Kom a woman of grit. She’s a mother and a sportsperson. She fought many odds to reach the Olympics and has made India proud. Saina Nehwal was a consistent player too. I like the fact that she never gave up.”Inspired by such great athletes, children are actively participating in the games period at school. Nidhi Mehra, a Std. IX student of Sri Aurobindo International School, Hyderabad says, “We have games period every week in our school. We play games like throw ball, basket ball and dodge ball. I have taken to these games with renewed vigour after watching the various games held as part of the London Olympics.”“Parents must aspire for their children to become sportspersons, just as they’d want them to become doctors or engineers. The parents and teachers have a great role to play in promoting sports in schools. The talents and interests of the child should be identified and nurtured,” explains Ms. Anita Gupta of Sherwood Public School, Hyderabad.

Hyderabad makes Yuvi happy again (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/hyderabad-makes-yuvi-happy-again/article4000105.ece)

Yuvraj Singh wants to be a Hyderabadi. The dashing India star scored his fourth century in five matches he played at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium (Uppal).

“I wish I were born in Hyderabad,” remarked Yuvraj sporting a big smile.

When G. Vinod, president of Hyderabad Cricket Association, made it a point to walk up to Yuvraj at the end of the day’s play in the ongoing Duleep Trophy semi-final on Monday to greet him after he scored a double century for North Zone, the response was spontaneous.

“I love this place really. I enjoy playing here,” said Yuvraj.

The stylish cricketer’s memory remained sharp despite having battled the dreaded cancer successfully.

He was quick to remind a reporter that he had now scored four centuries (earlier, two against Australia and one against South Africa in one-dayers) and not “two or three” as was being mentioned.

“I am really happy that I am playing my first game in the longer format here. No better place than this one,” he had said even before the game began.

ksnBLEOLYAA

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Source (http://meetup.ghac.in)

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Nice coverage Gudavalli :cheers:

Nice coverage Gudavalli :cheers:

You're welcome :cheers2:

Great pics Gudavalli! Infrastructure looks amazing!

^^ TFS Gudavalli. The Triathlon was conducted by Great Hyderabad Adventure Club (http://www.ghac.in/)..

They promote other activities like trekking, rock climbing as well.

HCA takes up players’ cause (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/hca-takes-up-players-cause/article4008604.ece)

HCA secretary writes to BCCI on Hyderabad cricketers being ignored

In the wake of criticism in the media about Hyderabad players being ignored in selection at zonal and national level, Hyderabad Cricket Association secretary M. V. Sridhar dashed off a letter to the BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale expressing displeasure at the way Hyderabad cricketers were ignored in the India ‘A’ and the Duleep Trophy selections.

In his letter, a copy of which is available with The Hindu, Dr. Sridhar reminds that dated September 7, 2012, listing out the names of consistent performers including Ranji opener P. Akshath Reddy and captain Dwaraka Ravi Teja from Hyderabad.

“Hyderabad Cricket Association has been making all efforts to ensure proper projection of deserving players who have performed well for the State and provide a platform of opportunity for them to be duly recognised,” the HCA official said in his letter, “Inspite of all our representations, our players could not find their place in Rest of India, Irani Trophy and Challenger Trophy teams and being a former cricketer you will understand the player’s predicament,” Sridhar explained.

“It is with regret that I wish to place on record our utmost dissatisfaction on the selection methodologies adopted and the injustice meted out to our cricketers and request you to take immediate corrective measures,” the HCA secretary pointed out in his letter.

“We are once again enclosing herewith the scores of all top batsmen of last season and you will notice that their names figure prominently in that list. The other highlighted names are those who were picked for the India ‘A’ Team, for which these boys were not considered at all,” the letter pointed out.

“In the recent selection for the South Zone team to participate in the Duleep trophy, only Akshit Reddy was selected in the squad and to add to our misery, he was not picked in the playing XI against East Zone, in spite of the fact that he has the maximum number of centuries among all the members of that team,” Sridhar reminded.

“We appreciate the fact that opportunity has to be given to all deserving boys but the representation in the playing XI which has players only from two States, defies all norms of justice,” the HCA secretary letter stated.

Joshi aims more success with Hyd (http://www.deccanherald.com/content/286355/joshi-aims-more-success-hyd.html)

After helping Hyderabad earn promotion to Elite Division (which since has been done away with in the new Ranji Trophy format from this season), former India left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi is targetting a knockout berth for the side this year.

“Realistically speaking, we want to reach at least the knockout stage and then take it from there,” said Joshi who has extended his contract by another year with the Hyderabad Cricket Association.

“I’ve invested in a lot of time and energy into this side last year and everyone was happy with kind of results we produced. My aim this year is to build on that success, especially with the tough competition beckoning us in the new format. It’s a great opportunity for the boys to compete with the best in the country. I thank the HCA for their support and VVS (Laxman) who has agreed to play for the State this season. His presence in the side takes a lot of pressure off me,” Joshi remarked.

Joshi, however, said his heart was with Karnataka cricket. “Obviously, my ultimate desire is to return to Karnataka cricket and do my bit for the State. But there’s still a lot of time for that. Right now my priority is Hyderabad cricket, and as a professional, I’ve a commitment to honour with that set-up.”

The former Karnataka skipper said he was moved by the KSCA gesture to honour him alongside Laxman during the New Zealand Test here last month. “Though I share a personal rapport with most in the KSCA administration, I was also touched by their gesture of putting me alongside someone like Laxman.”

Inside edge: PVP ventures keen on bagging IPL franchise of its own (http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pvp-ventures-ipl-franchise-potluri-vara-prasad/1/225187.html)

With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) terminating Deccan Chargers ' contract and floating a tender for a new franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL), top corporates have shown keen interest in bagging a team of their own.

While the Jaypee Group and leading industrialist Gautam Adani have made no bones about their interest, one man who could hold the edge is Potluri Vara Prasad - owner of PVP Ventures.

Although the BCCI have kept the bidding process pretty straightforward, it is believed that PVP Ventures - who had earlier tried to help the financially crippled Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd (DCHL) and buy Deccan Chargers - have a top board official backing them.

A senior BCCI official said that PVP Ventures could well end up owning the new franchise after their attempt to buy Deccan turned futile.

"PVP Ventures' plan to buy Deccan Chargers might have been foiled after DCHL didn't like the terms of payment, but it won't come as a surprise if they end up winning the bid and own the new franchise. Even when they had bid for Deccan, their tender was in complete accordance with IPL rules and regulations," the Board official told Mail Today.

"The very fact that a formal announcement was made that PVP Ventures' bid met BCCI's eligibility and suitability criteria was an indication that the board wanted to keep the door open for future negotiations with them. There was discussion within the board that the offer made by PVP - Rs.90 crore over five years - was a good one even under normal circumstances, let alone while bailing out DCHL," he said.

The release from BCCI had read: "The bid that was received by DCHL met the BCCI's eligibility and suitability criteria.

The bid was then reviewed by DCHL who, in its discretion and with no role being played by BCCI, rejected the bid on the basis of the payment terms offered by the bidders."

The official further said that the process of floating the tender document and rushing up matters with regard to inviting bids for the new franchise was done keeping in mind PVP's case.

"Generally these things take a little time. But this time round, the board swung into action immediately and the tender was floated and closing date for submission of bids announced. The whole course of action was hastened keeping in mind PVP's keen interest to buy an IPL team," the official said.

On the issue of where exactly the new team will hail from if PVP won the bid, the official said: "One shouldn't be too surprised if the new team hails from Hyderabad. Vishakhapatnam is another option that PVP Ventures could look at."

VVS Laxman to lead Hyderabad in Ranji match (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/domestic-cricket/ranji-trophy/VVS-Laxman-to-lead-Hyderabad-in-Ranji-match/articleshow/16904351.cms)

HYDERABAD: Retired batsman VVS Laxman will lead Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy Group 'A' league match against a Punjab Cricket Association team in Mohali from November 2.

The 27-year-old had announced retirement from international cricket in August this year ahead of the home series against New Zealand despite being selected to play.

The other members of the Hyderabad Ranji team are: D B Ravi Teja (vice captain), P Akshat Reddy, G H Vihari, N Arjun Yadav, Ahmed Quadri, B Sandeep, Ibraheem Khalil (wk), Pragyan Ojha, M A Khader, Anwar Ahmed Khan, P Kaneshkk Naidu, Abhinav Kumar and Vishal Sharma.

While announcing his retirement from international cricket, the stylish batsman had indicated that he would continue to play for Hyderabad in the Ranji matches.

Laxman represented India in 134 Tests, scoring 8781 runs at 45.97. He made his debut against South Africa in the home series in 1996.

His greatest achievement was a 281 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in 2001, against Australia, then the highest score by an Indian batsman in Tests.

Part of a record stand with Rahul Dravid, it set up a stunning victory for the home team after following on and ended Australia's consecutive 16-match winning streak.

Laxman last played an ODI in 2006 but had, by then, become a regular in the Test side and played his 100th Test in 2008, against Australia in Nagpur.

Laxman made six of his 17 Test centuries against Australia, with an average of 49.67 in 29 Tests and success both home and abroad.

NBA plans to spread junior programme to more cities (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/nba/top-stories/NBA-plans-to-spread-junior-programme-to-more-cities/articleshow/16900277.cms)

MUMBAI: With a view to target the youth and train them from an early stage, the National Basketball Association (NBA) plans to roll out its Junior NBA in five new cities in the next three years.

"We have brought Junior NBA to India. We continue to evaluate our Junior NBA programme, which is focused on training coaches and introducing the game to the youth. We are looking to scale that up and create a national footprint. This year, we had five cities and our goal in the next three years is to take the programme to 10 cities," NBA India Senior Director Akash Jain said.

The association, at present, operates the Junior NBA programme in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Chennai and Chandigarh and has already identified three cities with potential to launch the programme.

"The new one for us is Hyderabad. We had the 3X event there and the response was fantastic. We are looking to bring more programmes in Hyderabad. Then there is Kochi. Ludhiana is also there. The talent over there is just amazing. The long-term plan is to create a national footprint," Jain said.

He further said the NBA may get professional US teams to play exhibition matches in the country in future.

"We will continue to bring NBA players for tours, to work with youth and coaches. In future, we may evaluate bringing teams here for pre-season tours, which is something we do in China and across Europe.

"Those are exhibition matches. Those are things we are looking at to grow NBA and basketball in India," he said.

Asked if the NBA will be building new courts to improve the infrastructure, he said, "Building courts is part of long-term plan. The first step is to maximise the current infrastructure. We are evaluating opportunities to create indoor infrastructure as well, and we are looking at the right partners to do that. There is no time-line for building it."

"We believe it is important for the growth of sport, once we have the right partner and right location. We are excited about the opportunity. Building both outdoor and indoor infrastructure is important to us. We will look to accelerate it as much as we can," Jain said.

The association is trying to promote the game by introducing more merchandise with its global apparel and footwear partner adidas and is mulling to introduce non-apparel products in the country as well.

"For our NBA and apparel footwear, we have exclusive global partnership with Adidas. We are in talks with Adidas to bring wider product offering to India," he said.

"We are in discussion with partners for other category to build our non-apparel business. As the fan following and strength of NBA brand grows, we believe there will be demand for non-apparel products like backpacks, caps and basketballs. We are also focused on building our gaming business with 2K, our global partners, here.

"We work with licensing agent Bradford licensing and we will work with them to engage with partners in variety of category. We are having those discussions now for categories like bags, back to school products, games and things like that. We are seeing great response from potential business partners. So in early 2013, we will look at rolling out non-apparel products," he added.

The NBA has introduced the new format 3X, in which, 400 teams participated across Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai.

On the format, Jain said, "3X3 basketball is a great format to get youth interested in the game. We have seen worldwide that it is a format to attract participation. We are always evaluating new formats."

Troy Justice, Senior Director-NBA India, said the winning team will participate in FIBA 3X event and will compete against the other Asian teams.

Justice added that the association is trying to make use of existing infrastructure, which is quite large in the country.

This a photo of the ongoing canopy works at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Uppal
http://imageshack.us/a/img31/20/rgisuppal.jpg

Glad to see this ^^

Now spectators won't be fried...

Young Hyderabadi ready to script history (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/young-hyderabadi-ready-to-script-history/article4025111.ece)

http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/1041/hy23carom1246099f.jpg
K. Srinivas (right) who will be representing India in the World Carom Championship in Colombo this month-end. Photo: Special Arrangement

For the 19-year-old Komaravelli Srinivas, the journey to stardom in the world of carom continues. For, this young Hyderabadi happens to be the youngest in the Indian team for the world championship to be held in Colombo this month-end.

Srinivas, son of a man who runs a hair-dressing saloon, started off carom as a favourite pastime in the by-lanes of Parsigutta in Secunderabad. He is now already a familiar name in the circuit by the sheer weight of his performances, which include the Federation Cup title and the third place in the senior nationals this year.

His recent showing at the national-level enabled him to get into the Indian team. “I have no regrets for playing the sport though in the early days, I never dreamt big,” says the modest carom player. “I have a reason to feel so for I got the job in the Indian Oil Corporation in the sports quota thanks to my achievements in carom,” he says with a sense of pride. For someone, who idolises the seven-times Fed Cup champion and twice national champion Natraj of Chennai, Srinivas is in the mood to script a memorable outing in the Colombo world championship. “It is not going to be easy for the biggest competition is from the Indians itself as our own Yogesh Pardesi is the defending champion,” he reminds.

Clearly inspired by the stories he used to hear about the seniors’ exploits in the big league, Srinivas, the youngest in a big family, started nursing a dream to be a big-time carom player. He is coached by Shobhan Raj.

Now, when this young champion from a sport, which incidentally produced the first-ever World champion from the city in the form of S. Appoorwa, looks back, he does so with justifiable pride.

The only tinge of worry being lack of quality practice partners in the city as he prepares for the biggest test of his life. Well, his hobbies, include listening to the music of S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and if he is in his elements, then it may not be so for the opponents for Srinivas has the habit of tarnishing the reputation of the big guns in carom.

Hyderabad-based PVP Ventures to bid for new IPL franchise (http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/Hyderabad-based-PVP-Ventures-to-bid-for-new-IPL-franchise/19058)

PVP Ventures, a city-based multi business house which has interest in realty, media and entertainment, said that it would throw its hat in the upcoming bidding for a new Indian Premier League franchise.

Prasad V Potluri, Chairman and Managing Director of PVP Ventures Ltd., said his company will have a disciplined approach as far as bidding amount is concerned.

"We are going to bid and we would like to have Hyderabad as base. I believe we have reasonable understanding of the franchise and its operations. It is synergic to our existing business. It is logical expansion of entertainment," Potluri told PTI.

Owners of Deccan Chargers had earlier rejected the Rs 900 crore offer made by PVP ventures to buy the franchise.

Later on, the BCCI terminated the team from the IPL after the cash-strapped Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited failed to furnish the guarantee money before deadline.

The bids have been invited in respect of 12 cities -- Ahmedabad, Cuttack, Dharamsala, Indore, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Kochi, Nagpur, Noida, Rajkot, Ranchi and Visakhapatnam.

The tender notice by the BCCI said all bidding parties will need to fulfil the eligibility criteria and other requirements specified in the Invitation to Tender.

Bids must be submitted at 12 noon on October 25. The winning bids will be announced in the manner set out in the Invitation to Tender, the BCCI advertisement had said.

"Deccan Chargers as a brand is history now. This is going to be new name and new franchise which we will actively rebuilt. Our belief come from a simple fact the franchise will prosper based on local, not based on team success," Potluri said.

PVP Ventures was formed via a takeover of SSI Ltd. in Chennai on February 27, 2007, resulting into a group with assets in excess of USD 300 million.

Easy wins for Hyderabad, Karnataka in Vinoo Mankad cricket tournament (http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/domestic-cricket-2012/easy-wins-for-hyderabad-karnataka-in-vinoo-mankad-cricket-tournament_750698.html)

Bangalore: Karnataka and Hyderabad recorded fluent victories while Andhra edged past Kerala by VJD Method in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-19 South Zone cricket tournament here Tuesday.

Rahul Singh slammed 158 (114b, 19x4, 5x6) as Hyderabad made 379 for six in their allotted 50 overs and then restricted Goa to 204 for six to pick up five points, including one bonus point.




Karnataka, courtesy D. Nischal`s 102 (142b, 10x4) made 259 for nine against Tamil Nadu who in reply, were all out for 191.

Elsewhere, Kerala made 213 for nine in 50 overs with N.B. Vishnu (60) being the top scorer while Andhra replied with 189 for six that fetched them a five-run win via the V Jayadevan (VJD) Method in a match truncated by rains.

Brief scores:
Karnataka 259 for 9 in 50 overs (Nischal D 102, Anurag Bajpai 30, Aswin Crist 2/66, Vignesh Kanna 2/57) beat Tamil Nadu 191 all out in 47.1 overs (Bharath Shankar K 46, Shikhar Hukku 36, Selva S 32, Prateek Jain 2/57, Kranthi Kumar 4/21, Shreyas Gopal 2/20). Points: Karnataka 5, Tamil Nadu (-1).

Kerala 213 for 9 in 50 overs (Ajay Kumar A 34, Sanju NB Vishnu 60, FF Ahmad 41, CH Sneha Kishore 3/52, D Naren Reddy 3/34) lost to Andhra 189 for 5 in 46 overs (Kona Bharath 49, K Karan Shindhe 52 not out, S Sivaraj 3/37). Andhra won by VJD method by 5 runs.

Hyderabad 379 for 6 in 50 overs (Rahul Singh 158, Abhishek Ashok 50, Chaitanya KSK 49 not out, Sagar Naik 3/86, Yogesh Bare 3/68) beat Goa 204 for 6 in 50 overs (Mukund Bandodkar 51, Srinivas Fadte 35, Tanmay Agarwal 2/18). Points: Hyderabad 5, Goa (-1).

Sun TV wins Hyderabad IPL franchise (http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/current/story/588090.html)

Source: ESPN Cricinfo (http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/current/story/588090.html)

The Sun TV network has won the Hyderabad franchise of the IPL, bidding Rs 85.05 crores per year (around $15.9m) for a five-year deal. The decision was announced after a meeting of the IPL's governing council in Mumbai on Thursday, and a week after Deccan Chargers, the original Hyderabad franchise, was terminated after failing to meet the deadline for raising its bank guarantee.

The other bidder for the franchise was PVP Ventures, who offered Rs 69.03 crores per year (around $12.9m). This was the second time PVP tried to buy the franchise, having failed last month as well with a bid of Rs 900 crores ($164m) for ten years.

The IPL Governing Council has also taken a decision on future of the cricketers on the Chargers' roster which included high-profile names like Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara and South Africa's Dale Steyn. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the BCCI has offered Sun TV time till the end of the month to sign contracts with those Chargers' players they would like to retain. The players who do not reach an agreement with the franchise will become free agents, going into the pool for next year's auction along with other capped players.

Sun TV Networks Limited, which is headquartered in Chennai, is one of India's biggest television networks with 32 TV channels and 45 FM radio stations primarily catering to an audience in the four southern languages of India. Their network includes channels covering news, entertainment, film, documentary and music.

The winning bid from Sun TV (about $79.5m for five years) is higher than the $107m for ten years the previous owners of the Hyderabad franchise, Deccan Chargers Holdings Limited (DCHL), paid back in 2008, when the league was being established. "This Franchise fee represents a premium of over a 100 % above the amount paid by DCHL for the Hyderabad Franchise in 2008," the BCCI said in a release announcing the sale of the new franchise.

Sun TV's bid price, which totals $80m or Rs 425.2 crores for five years is however, considerably less than what the last round of bidding for two new franchises took place two years. In 2010, the Sahara group offered to buy the Pune franchise at $370m for ten years. In dollar terms, Sahara's deal over five years adds up to $185m.

In an attempt to draw more bidders, the base price for the franchise had been lowered to about $56m (about Rs 300 crore) for five years, compared to the base price of $225m for ten years in 2010, when the Pune and Kochi franchises were bought.

Chargers were initially terminated from the IPL last month after the BCCI claimed claiming defaults of payments to players, foreign boards and its possible "deleterious" effects on the league. A legal battle followed, with the BCCI winning last week, and then inviting bids for a new franchise. The board had previously agreed to help DHCL sell off the franchise, but had attracted only one bid which was rejected.

Reuters) - A Chennai-based media corporation has bagged the Hyderabad franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament for an annual fee of $15.81 million (9.79 million pounds), the Indian cricket board said on Thursday.

The Sun TV Network made a bid significantly higher than the second highest offer of $12.83 million, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a statement after an IPL governing council meeting in Mumbai.

"This franchise fee represents a premium of over a 100 percent above the amount paid by DCHL (Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd) for the Hyderabad franchise in 2008," he added.

Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara captained Deccan Chargers in the 2012 edition of the IPL but he and his players faced an uncertain future after the franchise was thrown out of IPL last month for non-payment of fees and other issues.

DCHL, who paid $107 million for the franchise, made a legal challenge to the expulsion merely to delay their exit.

The new owners, engaged in producing and broadcasting satellite television and radio software programming in the regional languages of south India, are yet to announce the new name for the franchise.

Purists allege BCCI has milked the IPL to the detriment of test cricket and the Twenty20 league has also lost much of its sheen since its glitzy 2008 inception.

Last year, the BCCI terminated the Kochi franchise's contract for defaulting on payments while DLF, India's largest real estate firm, ended title sponsorship of the league in August after a five-year association.

SORRY GUDAVALLI TO DISAPPOINT YOU. HYDERABAD NOW HAS A TEAM AGAIN.

While I may not be ecstatic about the new owners, I hope the new owners play all the IPL home games in Hyderabad and not some godforsaken second venue. Those other cities can get their own franchises.

Thank you.

^^ It's ok to paly 2 games in another city.. But 4 games outside the city was a little too much. Like we played against KKR at Cuttack but the stadium was supporting KKR. What's the point in playing there if you don't get the support.

^^ It's ok to paly 2 games in another city.. But 4 games outside the city was a little too much. Like we played against KKR at Cuttack but the stadium was supporting KKR. What's the point in playing there if you don't get the support.

There were many people who didnt even knew that "Deccan Chargers" team belonged to Hyderabad. Atleast now i hope they include "Hyderabad" name in the new team!

Hyderabad IPL team will break even in first year: Sun TV (http://www.firstpost.com/sports/hyderabad-ipl-team-will-break-even-in-first-year-sun-tv-504080.html)

Chennai: Even as sectoral analysts are skeptical about SUN TV Network Ltd’s decision to acquire an Indian Premier League (IPL) team at an outlay of Rs.425 crore, a senior official of the media group is confident that the company would break even in the first year itself.

City based SUN TV Network has won the IPL Hyderabad franchise Thursday for a sum of Rs 85.05 crore a year. The total outlay for the next five seasons will be Rs 425 crore.

In addition, the company has to bid for the players to form a team involving another sizeable outgo.

The IPL governing council met in Mumbai Thursday to open the bids for the new franchise, where SUN TV Network`s bid was substantially higher than the second bid of PVP Ventures, which was Rs 69.03 crore.

Sun TV believes they can break even in a year.
The announcement makes SUN TV the ninth IPL franchisee.

“We are in the entertainment business. Cricket is the number one game in the country and IPL has changed the pattern of viewership. With the bouquet of satellite channels and FM radio stations we can certainly break even in the first year itself,” V.C. Unnikrishnan, chief financial officer of SUN TV Network, told IANS.

He said the group’s Telugu channel Gemini and other channels, radio stations are there in Andhra Pradesh.

According to him, the company will fund the IPL team investment through internal accruals. “We are a profit making company. Last year we made a profit of around Rs.700 crore,” he said.

Queried about the total outlay the company is planning for building the IPL team, he said: “That has to be seen. We have to bid for the players.”

When asked about the views of analysts that no IPL team has turned profitable or contributing to the top or bottom-line of the owning company, Unnikrishnan said: “We have proved different in our other ventures when contrary views were expressed. We will again prove that we are different.”

“Ours is an entertainment industry. We will devise programmes in such a way so as to earn revenue. You will have to wait and see.”

Speaking to IANS, a Mumbai based analyst not wanting to be named said: “IPL will give higher visibility to SUN TV group and may result in higher revenue.”

Giving thumbs down to SUN TV Network`s foray into the IPL arena, another analyst with a broking firm told IANS on the condition of anonymity: “Major IPL teams are not making any profit. We can`t say when the teams would break even.”

According to him on valuations, the IPL will be a drag on an owning company though it is true that brand visibility will go up. “Perhaps owning an IPL team is a status symbol now,” he said.

Countering that, Unnikrishnan said: “If that is the case, we would have entered the arena three years back.”

Meanwhile, at the National Stock Exchange the Kalanithi Maran promoted SUN TV’s scrip closed at Rs 343.45 after opening at Rs 356. The script touched an intra-day high of Rs 358.

Sun Tv holds competition for choosing a name for IPL team (http://business-standard.com/india/news/sun-tv-holds-competition-for-choosingname-for-ipl-team/193149/on)

Source: Business Standard (http://business-standard.com/india/news/sun-tv-holds-competition-for-choosingname-for-ipl-team/193149/on)

Media tycon Kalanithi Maran-owned Sun TV Network (Sun TV), the new entrant of the Indian Premier League (IPL), today announced a contest, for selecting a name for the new Hyderabad IPL Franchise. The winner will get Rs 5 lakh, said the company.

On Thursday the company won the bid to take over the Hyderabad franchise for Rs 85.05 crore per year, putting an end to the process of form a new team after BCCI scraped cash-strapped Deccan Chargers.

Sun TV won the Hyderabad Franchise for an amount of Rs 85.05 crore per year. This Franchise fee represents a premium of over a 100% above the amount paid by DCHL for the Hyderabad Franchise in 2008. The Network bid was higher than the second bid of PVP Ventures, which was Rs 69.03 crore,"

Meanwhile, on Sunday Sun TV put out an advertisement in its web site, stating “Win Rs 5 lakh by choosing the name for Sun Network's IPL Cricket team”. The name should include the World Sun. The deadline to send the name through SMS is October 28, 2012, said in the advertisement.

Earlier the company said it is into the business of media and entertainment. Cricket is possibly the largest entertainment in the country, in terms of sports. The BCCI has issued a tender for 12 cities; two of them were in the south — Kochi and Hyderabad. So we made a bid for the Hyderabad team,said V C Unnikrishnan, chief financial officer of SUn TV.

In Andhra Pradesh, Sun TV already has a strong presence with its Gemini TV.

“This will possibly add on a little more brand image, but we may not be looking at getting into any Hindi space. Definitely, IPL is a bigger franchise compared to a radio station. But we already have a presence in radio and the Sun Group is known through the radio stations there. This will add much more visibility and focus,” said Unnikrishnan.

He added IPL was a value creation at the end of the day. On the company’s ability to run a cricket team, Unnikrishnan said they had a variety of businesses in which the company had excelled.

Terms&Conditions (http://www.sunnetwork.in/ipl-name-choice.aspx)

Vijender Singh game for establishing boxing academy in Hyderabad (http://sports.ndtv.com/othersports/boxing/item/198635-vijender-singh-game-for-establishing-boxing-academy-in-hyderabad)
Source: NDTV (Press Trust of India ), Dated: October 30, 2012.

Hyderabad: India's ace pugilist Vijender Singh on Tuesday said that he was open to the idea of setting up a boxing academy in the Andhra Pradesh capital if the state government supports him.

The 2008 Beijing Games bronze medallist, who was here in connection with the 59th Senior National Men's Boxing Championship, told reporters that he has fond memories of Hyderabad as he won a medal in the Afro-Asian Games held here in 2003.

Vijender felt that Andhra Pradesh and other southern states have good talent in boxing and pointed that establishing the necessary infrastructure for the sport would give a push to boxing in the city and the state.

The championship was inaugurated by Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan at a function at Lal Bahadur Stadium here.

Speaking on the occasion the governor suggested that all educational institutions should have a physical instructor and that sports persons are provided suitable employment for their comfortable living.

Meanwhile, state sports minister V Vasanth Kumar informed that the government has increased the budget for sports manifold and was also building infrastructure across the state to promote sports.

Andhra Pradesh Labour Minister D Nagender, who is president of Andhra Pradesh Amateur Boxing Association welcomed the gathering.

Hyderabad to host Men’s National Boxing C’ship (http://www.indiansportsnews.com/boxing-news/27-boxing/18605-hyderabad-to-host-sahara-mens-national-boxing-cship.html)

Hyderabad: It’s a fight for the coveted national boxing title as the 59th edition of the Sahara Men’s National Boxing Championship returns to the familiar city of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. The tournament, considered to be a bastion of nation's best and brightest talent, will once again witness boxers of the country vying for title of National Champion. Over 300 boxers from 35 State and Board teams will battle it out in this edition of the premiere national event. 40 medals will be at stake in the contest that is scheduled to be held from 30th October - 4th November, 2012. The Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium located in the heart of the city of pearls will be the venue for the five day affair.

Apart from providing a perfect platform for champions to prove their mettle and for emerging boxers to display their talent, the annual competition has more to it. The championship will also serve as a selection ground to shortlist players constituting the core group to be trained for the AIBA World Championships in 2013 and other mega events that follow. The National Championships will be a critical piece of qualification process for boxers looking to cement a place in the national training camp that begins on the 15 November 2012, in NIS Patiala, Punjab. The top two pugilists in each weight category will be guaranteed a spot, whereas three more national camp berths will be up for grabs for outstanding performances. Citing the national camp as a substantial incentive for boxers, Head National Coach Gurbux Singh Sandhu described the 2012 Sahara National Boxing Championships as effectively being a melting pot of boxing talent with an abundance of opportunities for national coaches to identify talent. “There is no dearth of talent in our country, we have a lot of young boxers who have come up the ranks and will be looking to make an impact at the national stage. This tournament will be very significant in terms of talent scouting, it helps us identify boxers and strengthen our bank. Moreover it is also an opportunity for boxers to represent their state and board teams and give something back to their home team”, expressed Coach Sandhu.

A view echoed by IABF Secretary General, Mr Rajesh Bhandari. He said, “The national championship this year will see a lot of new faces who are expected to give a tough fight to the veterans of the sport”. Talking about the rise of the sport in the country he further stated, “Boxing has gained a lot of momentum over the last few of years, we now have to carry forward this drive by generating and maintaining the flow of fresh talent coming into the sport. The senior nationals, have over the years, worked as an instrumental cog in identifying talent; we now intend to assume a greater role in strengthening the domestic level of the sport through national tournaments in order to realize our objective for Rio 2016”. The 59th Senior National Boxing Championships is being organised by the Andhra Pradesh State Boxing Association under the aegis of Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) and is the last national championship for men in the IABF calendar for the year 2012

A fierce competition is expected in the tournament with 2011 Champions Railways gearing up to defend the National title for a sixth consecutive time. This time though a robust services team is expected to create a few hurdles in their way. In spite of the absence of 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallists Manoj Kumar (64kg) and Paramjeet Samota (+91kg), Railways coach Jaydev Bisht is confident of replicating last year’s success. He is banking on the experience of Commonwealth Games bronze medal winner Amandeep Singh (49kgs) and multiple national champion Dilbagh Singh (69kg)– who makes his return to the national circuit after a year and a half long hiatus– along with the likes of Kuldeep Singh (75kg) and Jasbir Singh (91kg) to do the damage. He said, “Yes there is no doubt that the absence of Manoj and Paramjeet will be a setback but we have been preparing well and have a strong side. I am confident of continuing our winning streak this year as well”. The Services team, which missing Olympian Devendro Singh (49kg) and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Suranjoy Singh (52kg) are as confident and seem all set to dethrone the champions. Coach Narender Rana said,“Both team are missing some important players, but I am confident of good performance from our team; on paper we seem to have the edge and we intend to translate that on to the canvas”. The Services team this year boasts of player like 2010 Asian Games silver medallists Manpreet Singh (91kg) and V Santosh Kumar among its ranks. 2008 Youth World Boxing Championship gold medallist Nanao Singh (49kg) will once stake a claim at the light fly weight national title. Chhote lal Yadav (56kg) and Madan Lal will (52kg) also be seen in action.

I could have beaten Yihan easily: Saina Nehwal (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/badminton/I-could-have-beaten-Yihan-easily-Saina-Nehwal/articleshow/17025475.cms)

HYDERABAD: After the unexpected triumph in Denmark and an equally surprising defeat at the French Open, Saina Nehwal returned home with disappointing news for her fans. The ace shuttler, who is still recovering from a knee injury, decided to withdraw from the Chinese Open Super Series Premier to be held at Shanghai from November 13 to 18.

In a chat with TOI on Tuesday, Saina dwelt on her two-week Europe trip, her injury and the date of her likely return. Excerpts:

Did you expect to do so well at the two European tournaments?

No, not at all because I was not fully fit before the trip. I could play only 85% of my game at either tournament. When I look back, it just seems amazing, winning a big tournament like Denmark Premier and reaching final of French Open the next week.

I played some of the best badminton, all with an injured knee. I can feel the pain in my knee even now.

How did you manage to do so with an injured knee?

All credit to my physio Kiran. He did a superb job. The way he strapped my knee I just forgot that I was playing with an injury. He managed it very well. But we thought it would be better if we can give more time to recover.

That is the reason I decided to skip the China Premier.

How is that you won a tough tournament and lost at the French Open where you got a relatively easy draw?

I was very tired after Denmark. Moreover, my first round opponent Chinese Han Li was preparing for three weeks on how to tackle me. It was a difficult match. In the final I was playing ok in the first game. But once I surrendered the advantage I lost the plot. I was too tired and my feet were heavy.

You looked invincible against top players Tine Baun, Juliane Schenk and Wang Yihan. Which was your best match in the two weeks?

I think I played quite well against Yihan. I was ready for everything and literally dominated her. Against Tine and Juliane I was doing well but my best performance was against Yihan.

Some felt that Yihan faked the injury only to deny you the psychological advantage.

I have no comments on this. A win is a win and I felt I could have beaten her easily on that day. I was playing quite well and may be because of the experience I gained on the circuit I looked in complete control throughout the two weeks.

When are you back in action?

Hopefully for the Hong Kong Open Super Series (November 20 to 25) provided I regain complete fitness.

Sun TV retains 20 players for Hyderabad`s IPL franchise (http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/sun-tv-retains-20-players-for-hyderabad-s-ipl-franchise_751137.html)

Mumbai: The Hyderabad franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL), owned by Sun TV, retained 20 players in their initial squad for the 2013 season of the cash-rich Twenty20 league, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said Thursday.

Sun TV has decided to retain six overseas players like Dale Steyn, Jean Paul Duminy, Kumar Sangakkara, Cameron White, Chris Lynn and Juan Theron. The new owners have spent $5 million and still have a budget of $7 million in their kitty.

"The franchises have clearly focussed on performance in the IPL in making their decisions as to which players will form part of their respective core groups for the 2013 season. Each Franchise has room under the salary cap to be able to sign additional players, either by trading or in the auction or, in the case of uncapped Indian players, by direct agreement with the player in question," said Rajeev Shukla, IPL chairman.

Each franchise has a salary cap of up to $12.5 million to spend on their 2013 squad of up to 33 players, of whom a maximum of 11 can be from overseas. Only four overseas players can figure in the starting XI for any match. Nine IPL franchises have retained 179 players.

The trading window will open Monday. Franchises will also be able to sign uncapped Indian players, including the 52 players whose contracts were not extended.

The franchises now also have the option of re-signing the players who they took as temporary replacements in 2012.

Akshath's 63 helps Hyderabad score 244-7 (http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG6_sub.asp?newscode=65732&catcode=ENG6&subcatcode=)

Mohali, Nov 2 (UNI) An opening wicket partnership of 77 runs between Akshath Reddy and Ravi Teja helped Hyderabad score 244 for 7 in 90 overs against Punjab in their Ranji Trophy Group A match at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in here today.

Punjab captain Harbhajan Singh won the toss and elected to field.

Hyderabad opened their innings through Akshath Reddy and Ravi Teja.These openers gave the visiting team a sound start as they were associated in a 77-run partnership in 31.2 overs. This association was broken by right ram medium pacer Amitoze Singh who had Ravi Teja caught Harbhajan Singh. Ravi Teja stayed at the wicket for 141 minutes and faced 97 balls and executed four fours.

Reddy was joined by Hanuma Vihari and they carried the total to 136 before Vihari departed, caught by Goel of the bowling of right arm medium fast bowler Sandeep Sharma.

Vihari made 28 runs. With addition of two more runs to the Hyderabad total, opener Reddy departed. He was caught by wicketkeeper Uday Kaul of the bowling of Manpreet Grewal.

Reddy during his 230-minute vigil at the wicket faced 154 deliveries and reached the fence for 10 times for his well made 63 runs. Hyderabad captain VVS Laxman and Arjun Yadav took the total to 169 before Laxman (23, 4x4s) was adjudged leg before wicket to Amitoze Singh. Hyderabad lost their fifth wicket of Ahmed Quadri (0) at the same total.

Arjun Yadav (34, 6x4s) and wicket-keeper Ibrahim Khaleel (batting 38, 4x4s) stitched a partnership of 52 runs for the sixth wicket before Arjun Yadav was bowled by Manpreet Grewal. At close of play Ibhrahim Khaleel and Pragyan Ojha were batting on 38 and four, respectively.

Manpreet Grewal (3 for 51) and Amitoze Singh (3 for 33) were the main wicket takers. Sandeeop Singh bagged 1 for 40.

Harbhajan Singh remained wicketless in his 20-over spell.

Brief scores: Hyderabad (Ist innings): 277 for 7 in 90 overs (Akshath Reddy 63, Ravi Teja 36, Hanuma Vihari 28, VVS Laxman 23, Arjun Yadav 34, Ibhrahim Khaleel batting 38, Pragyan Ojha batting 4, Manpreet Grewal 3 for 51, Amitoze Singh 3 for 33).

I am still enjoying the game: Sania (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/tennis/i-am-still-enjoying-the-game-sania/article4064268.ece)

"Sports and fitness should be an integral part of the school curriculum"

Tennis star Sania Mirza feels it is a great honour to partner World No. 1 Bob Bryan in the mixed doubles and hopes to script a new chapter in her career as the next leg of her competitive circuit begins a few weeks from now after a break now.

Speaking at the ‘Marks for Sports’ campaign launched by the NDTV-Nirmal for which the Hyderabadi is the brand ambassador, the 25-year-old Sania says that she is not thinking of retiring soon. “I am enjoying the game and will continue to keep playing as long as I do that,” she insisted.

Referring the fact that Hyderabad sports is all about herself and ace shuttler Saina Nehwal, a beaming Sania said that it was good that we were playing together at the same time. “Well, the City has a rich history of producing great sportspersons with the likes of Jaisimha, Azharuddin, VVS Laxman, Gopi to name a few. And, the best part is that we (Saina and Sania) are still very hungry for success. In the process of achieving many more laurels, we hope to inspire the young talent,” she pointed out.

Sania felt sad that the question of who next after her is constantly posed to her. “Yes, it hurts when you see that there are not many around who can break into the top 300 or even 200. There is talent but somewhere down the line something is missing,” she commented.

“Exactly for this reason, I am starting the Academy to ensure that the young talent is groomed and play to its potential. We need to produce champions and I am sure that I can contribute my bit to the sport,” says the two-time Grand Slam winner who is starting a full-fledged tennis academy near the outskirts of Hyderabad. “I hope to get the Academy work completed as early as possible. Because of rains, they stopped for the moment but hope to get it in shape by January when I return to the circuit,” she explained.

Referring to the fitness campaign, Sania said she has been noticing a drastic change in the right direction on this front across the country. “Even in Hyderabad the change is very discernible in the last two years. The people are more conscious about fitness levels and are very selective in their food habits. Well, this in a way helps especially when you are on the wrong side of ‘50s,” she remarked after participating in the Walk for Fitness at the KBR Park in the City on Sunday.

"I always believed that sports and fitness should be an integral part of the school curriculum for this helps to be a very healthy nation,” Sania said about her campaign.

Hyderabad team for Ranji match against MP announced (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/domestic-cricket/ranji-trophy/Hyderabad-team-for-Ranji-match-against-MP-announced/articleshow/17134358.cms)

HYDERABAD: VVS Laxman will lead Hyderabad in its Ranji Trophy Group 'A' League match to be played against Madhya Pradesh here from November 9 to 12.

Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) today announced a 14-member team for the four-day match.

The team: VVS Laxman (Captain), DB Ravi Teja, P Akshath Reddy, N Arjun Yadav, Hanuman Vihari, Abhinav Kumar, Ibraheem Khaleel, A Lalith Mohan, Vishal Sharma, Ahmed Quadri, Anwar Khan, M A Khader, P Kaneshkk Naidu and Ashish Reddy.

Sunil Joshi is the chief coach of the team.

While I may not be ecstatic about the new owners, I hope the new owners play all the IPL home games in Hyderabad and not some godforsaken second venue. Those other cities can get their own franchises.

Thank you.

It is better to play at least two or three games in Vizag and rest all the games in HYD.
But playing in Cuttack is not good as crowd are very less in number.

It is better to play all the games in the state and distribute the games between the two cities.

It is better to include Hyderabad Name in the Team like how other cities have it.

Ranji Trophy 2012: VVS Laxman slams 55th First-Class ton as Hyderabad take control (http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/Ranji-Trophy-2012-VVS-Laxman-slams-55th-First-Class-ton-as-Hyderabad-take-control/19550)

Having retired from international cricket only a few months back, VVS Laxman on Saturday struck his 55th first-class ton to guide Hyderabad to 341 against Madhya Pradesh on the second day of their Ranji Trophy Group A match against Madhya Pradesh, at Hyderabad on Saturday.

Nine days after his 38th birthday, skipper Laxman played a sedate knock of 120 runs, laced with 14 fours and one six, to put his team in a commanding position after they opted to bat at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal.

In reply, Madhya Pradesh were left in dire straits as they finished the day's play at 44 for three, having lost both their openers, Naman Ojha (17) and Satyam Choudhary (5), and rookie batsman Zafar Ali (2) cheaply.

At stumps, skipper Devendra Bundela (11 not out) and Udit Birla (6) were at the crease.

Pacers Mohammed Khader, Pagadala Naidu and off-spinner Hanuma Vihari picked up a wicket apiece.

Earlier, resuming at their overnight score of 159 for two, Hyderabad lost Vihari (81) and Arjun Yadav (16) in the morning session.

Vihari, who was unbeaten on 76 yesterday, could add only five runs to his overnight score as he was scalped by pacer Anand Rajan in the third over of the day. He struck eight fours in his 185-ball stay at the crease.

Yadav was caught by wicketkeeper Ojha off pacer Ishwar Pandey as the hosts crossed the 200-run mark.

Syed Quadri (4) and Ibrahim Khaleel (1) too fell cheaply but Laxman was rock solid in his approach and held one end strongly.

In the process, he brought up his hundred after resuming the second day at his individual score of 70. He became the eighth wicket to fall when he was caught by Ojha behind stumps off Rajan.

The hosts were largely grateful to the last-wicket partnership between Vishal Sharma (37) and Mohammed Khader (35) for their 300-plus score as both added a vital 71 runs in 20.2 overs before the former was caught by Ojha off Jalaj Saxena.

Daniel Yegon confident of defending title (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/athletics/Daniel-Yegon-confident-of-defending-title/articleshow/17338520.cms)

MUMBAI: Defending champion Daniel Yegon Cheruiyot of Kenya threw down the gauntlet to his fellow elite athletes, saying he was in great form and confident of defending his title in the Jamba Cloud Hyderabad 10K to be run on Sunday, November 25.

Daniel Yegon holds the unique advantage of being the only runner in the field of 14 elite men to have run on this course earlier and hopes to clock 28 minutes to claim the winner's purse of Rs 1.5 lakh.

He, however, conceded that it was a very tough field and expected a fast and aggressive race. Daniel Yegon was also pleasantly surprise with the cool weather prevalent in Hyderabad at this time of the year and felt it would help the athlete to push hard.

Yegon is among the second batch of elite athletes that arrived in Hyderabad, among them Ugandan Jackson Kiprop and fellow Kenyan David Kiptoo, winner of the Andaman Half Marathon on November 18.

"This is my first visit to Hyderabad and I am looking for a good race.

The competition is going to be fierce and I am hoping to finish the race in 28mins. A good timing here will also help me prepare for a full marathon," said Kiptoo.

Kiprop, who recently finished 7th in the Half Marathon World Championships and has a personal best of 28.35 in the 10K will be looking to upset the applecart of the Kenyans. He said he was in strong shape currently and hoped for a good run on Sunday.

Get set for the adrenaline rush (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/get-set-for-the-adrenaline-rush/article4125953.ece)

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01277/HY23NAGAYYA_1277319f.jpg

Motor racing to be the next big thing in Hyderabad’s sports arena

Film star Akkineni Nagarjuna is chasing a new dream – to see a Hyderabadi in a podium finish in the world of motor-sport. His reasoning is that apart from cricket, badminton and tennis are big sports in India now. “And, the celebrities in these two sports are from Hyderabad (Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza). So, why not dream of a champion from this city in the motor-racing world,” he said with a big smile.

Childhood passion

“Motor racing has always been a passion for me right from my childhood. The primary reason for me to take up this venture is because the bikes they race in the competitions are the same anyone can own and ride too,” he remarked. The popular cine star was announcing the partnership of N-Motorsport with Rhiti MSD (of Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni) to power Asia’s first super motorbike racing team – Mahi Racing Team India – here on Thursday.

The film star, who is the co-owner of the Mahi Racing team along with Dhoni, Nandish Domlur, feels it would be an exciting experience in the days to come, especially to own a world-class Supersport team and to be the first from Asia to take part in the FIM World Supersport Championship next year.

“The idea of our partnership is not just competing but give the much desired fillip to the sport because of its connectivity with the man on the street,” Nagarjuna commented. “I am looking forward to the 2013 season which starts in Melbourne and the second race will be in the Noida F-1 racing track,” he added.

Nandish said Mahi Racing Team would be a formidable force in the world superbike championship and that it should be the team to watch out as it features three-time world champion Kenan Sofuoglu of Turkey, Fabien Foret of Rrance and Dan Lifoot of UK, Florian Marino of France. “Our aim is to win the 2013 world championship,” he asserted.

“Yes, our plans include setting up racing Academies in Delhi and in a Southern City in future besides conducting various related activities which should lure more youngsters into the sport,” Nandish pointed out. Nagarjuna reminded that there was no better person than Dhoni to have a tie-up in motor racing – not because he is the Indian cricket captain but due to his passion for the sport.

Ethiopians clean sweep at Hyderabad 10K Run (http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/ethiopians-clean-sweep-at-hyderabad-10k-run/83605/)

Ethiopian Mosinet Geremew and Yebrgual Melese won the men's and women's overall titles, respectively, in the 2012 edition of Hyderabad 10K Run at People's Plaza here today.

Olympian Sudha Singh ran her personal best time of 35 minutes and 18 seconds to win the Indian women's title and finish third overall, while Rattiram Saini emerged fastest among the Indian men, clocking 30.16, a time that helped him finish 8th overall.

Sudha scored her second consecutive win over arch- rival Kavita Raut, that too by a considerable margin this time, Kavita coming home in 36.01 and Monika Athrey taking third place in 37.21.

The Indian men's race was closer, with Rattiram followed by G Laxmanan in 30.30 and Nitendra Singh Rawat in 30.54.
Geremew, the fastest male athlete in the elite field lived up to the stature, as the 20-year-old clocked his personal best time of 27 minutes and 36 seconds beating Kenyan Nicholas Kipkemboi, who fell short in the final sprint to finish a second behind in 27.37. The Third place went to Ugandan Jackson Kiprop, who stopped the clock at 28.16.

Yebrgual Melese, who had a 4th place finish in the Delhi Half Marathon in September last was pushed all the way by Kenyan Beatrice Mutai, but pulled ahead in the last kilometer to win in 33.21. Beatrice followed home in 33.36, with Sudha securing third place in 35.18.

Geremew and Yebrgual bagged Rs 1.5 lakh by winning the men's and women's categories, respectively.

More than 8,500 participants took the starter's flag at the People's Plaza, with 2,500 running in the 10km run and 6,000 taking part in the Mazza Run.

Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi, Speaker of Andhra Pradesh Assembly Nadendla Manohar, Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma, tennis star Sania Mirza, All-England badminton champion Pullela Gopichand were among those who participated in the event.

"It was great to see the people of Hyderabad coming together in such large numbers to run. This run is not just about health and fitness, but also about supporting various causes Hyderabad believes in," Chiranjeevi said, according to a release.

Jamba Cloud Hyderabad Marathon attracts overwhelming response (http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/11/25/205-Jamba-Cloud-Hyderabad-Marathon-attracts-overwhelming-response.html)

Hyderabad, Nov.25 (ANI): The Jamba Cloud Hyderabad ten-kilometre-long run organized in Hyderabad on Sunday, attracted an overwhelming response from all age groups, with about 15,000 runners participating in the event.
This marathon was the 10th edition of this prestigious event and this milestone occasion was used to lay the foundation for transforming the event into a completely new entity.
Enthusiastic participants practised hard to achieve their aim of completing the 10-kilometre distance.
Adding glamour to the event was tennis player and fashion icon Sania Mirza, who cheered for the participants right till the end.
One of the participants, Shyam Krishna, said that he had been practicing for the last six weeks.
"I am satisfied that I finished 10 kilometres. I took long to complete the run, but I finished it. I have been practicing for the last six weeks. This was my first time," he said.
Foot-tapping music at the venue liven the atmosphere at the marathon, which is ranked among the top ten in India.
Not letting disability becoming hindrance in their path, participants like Srinivas Rao were a source of inspiration for other athletes at the event.
He said that he was thrilled to be part of such an event.
"I have been participating in this marathon, since the time this event was first organized. I have participated in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai marathons. I am very happy to participate that I have come here to inspire others," said Rao.
The winner of the marathon, Ethiopia's Mosinet Geremew, was happy to be in Hyderabad and appreciated the people of the country for their warmth.
"In India, people are very nice. I am very happy," he said.
An elaborate felicitation ceremony was held, where the winners were given medals.
There were two events, namely the 10 kilometre run, open to those above 15 years of age and the seven kilometre Mazza Run, which was open to those over 12 years of age. The 10 kilometres run had the overall category, the Indian category, the veteran category, the senior veteran category and super veteran category.
Procam International, organiser of the Mumbai Marathon, Delhi Marathon and World 10 kilometre, Bangalore, promoted this marathon.
The run carried a total prize money of 1.7 million rupees.

Akshath and Vihari leave Hyderabad poised for lead (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/akshath-and-vihari-leave-hyderabad-poised-for-lead/article4137340.ece)

Captain Akshath Reddy and G.H. Vihari responded to the team’s call in style, cracking splendid centuries to help the home team stay on target to grab the first-innings lead against Mumbai in the four-day Ranji Trophy Group A match at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Monday.

In reply to Mumbai’s first innings score of 443, Hyderabad was sitting pretty at 423 for three at close of play on the third day.

Akshath Reddy (196, 426 balls, 27x4, 1x6) and Vihari (191, 331 balls, 18x4) put on a record partnership of 386 runs for the second wicket — the highest ever for any wicket in Ranji Trophy for Hyderabad. The previous best was 344 between M.V. Sridhar and Vivek Jaisimha against Andhra for the fourth wicket in 1993-94 at Gymkhana here.

Akshath and Vihari paced the innings beautifully on a batsman-friendly wicket treating the bowling on merit.

There were very few moments of despair for Mumbai like when substitute Sohail Shaikh dropped a straight forward chance at short-covers off left-arm spinner Ankit Chavan when Vihari was on 128. Then, captain Rohit Sharma was slow to react at first slip to latch on to a sharp edge off Akshat off Kshemal Waingankar.

But for this, the two displayed admirable patience, technique and wonderful stroke-selection to the dismay of the Mumbai attack which could have felt the absence of left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdullah.

With the pitch offering no assistance, it was clearly the turn of Mumbai bowlers to be at the receiving end.

And, there were moments of relief only towards the final moments when off-spinner Ankit Chavan lured Vihari into a half-hearted drive to take a simple return catch, and in the next over, off-spinner Ramesh Powar dismissed Akshath in a similar fashion.

Moments of frustration in the Mumbai camp were pretty obvious as the day progressed when the fielders had a quite few serious chats with the two umpires — especially once when a wide was called off Ankit Chavan.

The scores: Mumbai — 1 innings: 443.

Hyderabad — 1 innings: Abhinav Kumar lbw b Waingankar 13, Akshath Reddy c&b Powar 196, G.H. Vihari c&b Chavan 191, B. Sandeep (batting) 1, Syed Quadri (batting) 0, Extras (b-3, lb-6, nb-9, w-4) 22; Total (for three wickets in 135 overs) 423.

Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-422, 3-422.

Mumbai bowling: Aavishkar Salvi 23-10-41-0, Kshemal Waingankar 21-6-51-1, Shardul Thakur 18-1-75-0, Ankeet Chavan 27-2-100-1, Ramesh Powar 28-4-101-1, Kasutubh Pawar 6-2-12-0, Rohit Sharma 2-0-9-0, Abhishek Nayar 10-3-25-0.

Hyderabad make a spirited start in Ranji Trophy (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/domestic-cricket/ranji-trophy/Hyderabad-make-a-spirited-start-in-Ranji-Trophy/articleshow/17367686.cms)

HYDERABAD: The hosts regained lost ground after the battering on the first day and did remarkably well to get within 305 runs of a first innings lead on the second day of the Ranji Trophy Group A match against Mumbai.

Hyderabad bowled Mumbai out for 443 - the official word for Suryakumar Yadav not batting was that he had hurt his groin at nets on Sunday morning - and closed out the day at 138 for one; skipper Akshath Reddy (63, 202m, 151b, 10x4) and GH Vihari (53, 129m, 94, 4x4) batted beautifully and looked good for more at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium.

Hyderabad earn 3 points against Mumbai (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/domestic-cricket/ranji-trophy/Hyderabad-earn-3-points-against-Mumbai/articleshow/17389082.cms)

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad continued the run feast with Bavanaka Sandeep on Tuesday hitting the innings' third century, which helped them earn three points from their Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai.

Mumbai got a point as per the new BCCI rules framed for the premier domestic tournament under which the team taking first-innings lead gets three points.

Resuming on 423 for three, Hyderabad made 699 before being bowled out, with Sandeep striking 117 off 228 deliveries during the fourth and final day's play at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

Sandeep hit 11 boundaries and spent 288 minutes in the middle.

Sandeep's effort was the third by the Hyderabad team in this Group A match, after Akshath Reddy and Hanuma Vihari slammed big hundreds on the penultimate day yesterday.

Mumbai had scored 443 in their first innings, before being made to toil for more than two days by Hyderabad's top-order batsmen.

That more than 1150 runs had been scored in the match says a lot about the nature of the pitch, but Mumbai would still be disappointed with the performance of their bowlers.

Barring Suryakumar Yadav and wicketkeeper Aditya Tare, all the players in Mumbai side bowled.

After being at the receiving end of Reddy and Vihari's massive 386-run partnership, Sandeep and Kolla Sumanth today added 132 runs for the fifth wicket to help the hosts score nearly 700 runs in one innings.

For Mumbai, Ankeet Chavan finished with three for 184, while there were two wickets apiece for Avishkar Salvi and Ramesh Powar.

Brief scores: Mumbai: 443 all out Hyderabad: 699 all out in 207.3 overs (Akshath Reddy 196, Hanuma Vihari 191, Bavanaka Sandeep 117; Ankeet Chavan 3/184).

A cricketer who played the game on his terms (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=1&ContentId=103389)

He was hailed as a gifted batsman who had potential to play for India. With the passing away of Syed Shahid Akbar on Tuesday, Hyderabad lost a great cricketer and with him ends another glorious chapter of a son of the soil who played the game with consummate ease and elegance. A dare-devil, he would attack right from the word go and in his time was considered the best hooker of the ball. The swashbuckling lefthander made his debut at 18 and played 27 Ranji matches for Hyderabad.

A quality that made Shahid Akbar different from all others was his natural ability to attack. Noshir Mehta, former Ranji player, recounting moments from Shahid’s debut, says, “Batting against Prasanna and Chandrasekhar, Shahid made 70-odd runs and the way he tackled them was a treat to watch. He was an extraordinary cricketer.” Bubbling with talent and a natural flair for stroke making, he was not the one who would play the waiting game. He swore in action, saying attack is the best form of defence.

P R Man Singh, former secretary of the Hyderabad Cricket Association, says, “He was unlucky not to have played for India. A brilliant fielder, he was a treat to watch.” The highpoints of Shahid’s career were when he played for South Zone team against the visiting West Indies and in 1976-77, when he played for the Combined Universities’ team and India-22 team against the visiting MCC. The elegance that Shahid had was also matched by his exuberance on the field.

A Satyendran, former captain and coach of Kerala Ranji team who has settled down in Hyderabad, says, “It was sheer bad luck that Shahid did not play for the country. A player from Tamil Nadu got the nod ahead of him. Shahid was better by any yardstick not only in batting, but even as a fielder.”

Syed Ahmed Hadi, first cousin of Shahid, a cricketer himself who
played for the UAE, says, “I remember he would make us bowl for hours with a wet tennis ball. He was totally dedicated and I remember he was so good at the cover drive and the hook shot.”

Vijaya Paul, another cricketer who played many matches with Shahid, recalls, “He had all the strokes and was such a treat to watch. He would always say that he just needed to curb a few shots, but Shahid was an entertainer.” A man of idiosyncrasies, he lived life on his own terms and played the game the only way he knew that was to take the attack to the opposition.

Cue sports academy for city planned (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/cue-sports-academy-for-city-planned/article4153408.ece)

Capt. P.V.K. Mohan has been re-elected as vice-president of the International Billiards & Snooker Federation for a second term unanimously at the Annual General Meeting in Sofia (Bulgaria) late on Thursday night, according to information received here.

Lack of sponsors

City-based Capt. Mohan, also the president of the Billiards & Snooker Federation of India, said that his main efforts will be to set up a world class Cue Sports Academy on the outskirts. :cheers: He, however, regrets the lack of title sponsors for even the national events.

No support

“It is sad that despite the cue sports producing two Rajiv Khel Ratna awardees, a Padma Bhushan and three Padma Shris and many Arjuna awardees, there is not much support,” he pointed out and added for good measure, “remember we gave India 24 world, 12 Asian titles besides many international medals”.

Yet, the BSFI intends to cross all financial hurdles and ensure the players get the desired exposure in the international events, said Capt. Mohan of the Seaway Shipping group. The sports will also be taken to other cities like Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, he added.

World Junior Table Tennis championship from Dec 9 to 16 (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/World-Junior-Table-Tennis-championship-from-Dec-9-to-16/articleshow/17444362.cms)

HYDERABAD: The 10th edition of World Junior Table Tennis Championship will be held here from December 9 to 16.

Talking to reporters, Vice Chairman of Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh, TRK Rao, said the state government is keen on making the event a big success.

Tournament director V Bhaskar Ram said that more than 300 players would take part in the championship.

The Indian team would reach Hyderabad on December 3. The championship will be held at AP Sports Complex, Indoor Stadium at Gachibowli.

Hyderabad follows on, but holds out for a draw (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/hyderabad-follows-on-but-holds-out-for-a-draw/article4164027.ece)

Chasing Gujarat’s 566, Hyderabad stuttered to a stop at 375, thus conceding the first innings lead and three points on the closing day of its Ranji Trophy group A match at the Sardar Patel Stadium on Tuesday.

Asked to bat again, the visitor faced grim prospects, losing two second innings wickets early, but held out till the game was called off before the mandatory overs could begin.

The concluding day’s first hour produced little for Gujarat but it was the host that took a grip on the contest. B. Sandeep looked set for an encore of his century against Mumbai, with a string of sweetly-timed cover drives, mostly off the front foot, gliding to the ropes.

The strike was mostly his as S.A. Quadri, keeping him company from the evening before, backed him up. Sandeep’s dabbing at deliveries in the ‘corridor’ would prove to be his undoing though.

SANDEEP MISSES TON

Ten runs short of triple figures, Sandeep fidgeted with one leaving him off Kalaria and paid the price, pouched by first slip Rujul Bhatt.

Quadri, seemingly affected somewhat by the separation, departed soon after, victim to Kalaria and caught behind, two runs short of 50.

Where efforts of his forerunners seemed laboured, Ashish Reddy ploughed into the Gujarat attack early, lofting Rakesh Dhruv over the long off ropes when hardly an over or two old.

His effortless stroke-making would have left those before him ruing the opportunities they had squandered.

Sandeep Rajan while fending off Kalaria’s delivery that kicked up from a good length, sustained a finger injury that required stitches.

Ashish, attempting a reverse hit off Dhruv popped up a simple catch to slip Rujul bringing the curtains down on the Hyderabad innings and the ignominy of a follow-on.

The scores:

Gujarat — 1st innings: 566.

Hyderabad — 1st innings: K. Sumanth c Parthiv b Dhruv 18, Akshath Reddy c Gohel b Kalaria 79, M.A. Khader c Parthiv b Bhavesh 17, G.H. Vihari c Smit b Krushang 79, B. Sandeep c Rujul b Kalaria 90, S.A. Quadri c Parthiv b Kalaria 48, Abhinav c Parthiv b Dhruv 4, Sandeep Rajan (retd. hurt) 12, Ashish Reddy c Rujul b Dhruv 23, Lalith Mohan (run out) 0, Anwar Ahmed (not out) 0, Extras (nb-3, w-2): 5; Total (for nine wkts. in 145 overs): 375.

Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-81, 3-141, 4-240, 5-336, 6-337, 7-347, 8-374, 9-375.

Gujarat bowling: R. Kalaria 35-15-41-3, Krushang 22-4-62-1, Bhavesh 24-5-64-1, Rakesh Dhruv 47.1-12-127-3, Krunal 13-0-66-0, Rujul Bhatt 3-2-9-0, Manprit Juneja 1-0-6-0.

Hyderabad — 2nd innings: K. Sumanth c Juneja b Kalaria 6, Akshath Reddy (not out) 53, G.H. Vihari b Kalaria 8, B. Sandeep (not out) 56, Extras (nb-1): 1; Total (for two wkts. in 31 overs): 124.

Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-23.

Gujarat bowling: Krushang 4-1-11-0, Kalaria 6-3-13-2, Bhavesh 3-2-3-0, Dhruv 2-0-21-0, Krunal 5-0-26-0, Rujul 7-1-30-0, Gohel 2-0-5-0, Parthiv 2-0-15-0.

Hyderabad franchise has attracted the maximum number of bids in IBL (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/indian-badminton-league-modelled-on-crickets-ipl-smash-hit-with-india-inc/articleshow/17484762.cms)
The proposed Indian Badminton League (IBL) - modelled on cricket's cash-rich, franchise-based Indian Premier League (IPL) - has received 18 expressions of interest from corporates for its franchises so far, said its organiser, adding that they expect 12-14 more initial bids over the next 15 days.

Ashish Chadha, CEO of Sporty Solutionz, IBL's commercial partner, said eight cities are in the fray and the organisers will finally settle on six franchises that get the best bids. The league will be held from June 24 to July 11, 2013. "The base price (for each franchise) is 20 crore. An equal amount would be spent on marketing and maintenance cost with incremental proportion.

We are expecting Hyderabad to go for at least 50 crore. This is just the licensing fee. But the amount will go up if you add franchise maintenance and marketing costs," Chadha told ET. :cheers: He wouldn't reveal the names of the companies that have made the bids. As of now, the Hyderabad franchise has attracted the maximum number of bids followed by Bangalore and Mumbai. :banana:"It is much more than we had expected," he added.

Interestingly, badminton is becoming popular in India with Indian players such as Nehwal doing well in the game, upsetting Chinese hegemony. The game has been adjudged by ESPN as the favourite game for Indians 'to play and watch'.

While in the past, Indian players used to travel to Malaysia and Indonesia to train, many East Asian players are now keen to train in Hyderabad and other Indian cities.

Sun TV gets JWT to build its IPL team brand (http://www.indiantelevision.com/mam/headlines/y2k12/dec/decmam44.php)

MUMBAI: Kalanithi Maran-promoted Sun TV Network Ltd. will soon start building the brand of its recently won Hyderabad IPL team. For this exercise, the company has mandated the creative duties to JWT India.

JWT will handle the entire launch communication package for the yet-to-be named Hyderabad IPL franchise. This will include developing a new identity for the team including jersey colours and a 360 degree multi-media campaign.

The account will be serviced out of the agency’s Chennai office.

Sun TV had bought the Hyderabad IPL team for Rs 4.25 billion for a period of five years till 2017. From 2018, Sun will own the franchise in perpetuity and will pay 20 per cent of the franchise revenue every year as fee to the BCCI.

For the record, the Sun Group has its presence in cable and satellite television, FM radio, newsprint and aviation.

JWT Chennai's recently won the creative business of GRT Jewellers. It also handles accounts of brands like MRF, Univercell, GRT Hotels, Tamilnad Mercantile Bank, TI Cycles and Renuka builders.

Mixed outing for Indian paddlers in World Junior TT (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/Mixed-outing-for-Indian-paddlers-in-World-Junior-TT/articleshow/17562052.cms)

HYDERABAD: Indian paddlers endured a mixed day in the Volkswagen 2012 World Junior Table Tennis Championships with the boys team winning against Australia 3-0 while their female compatriots going down to South Korea by the same margin at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Monday.

The Indian paddlers moved on from their defeat to Hong Kong last evening and outclassed Australia in Stage 1 to ensure a higher place for the hosts.

It was Sudhanshu Grover once again who gave a rousing start beating Heming Hu 9-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-9, 11-9. Then Abhishek Yadav defeated Dillon Cathcart 11-3, 11-6, 11-5 before Utkarsh Gupta completed the rout with an 11-9, 11-7, 4-11, 12-10 win against Ivan Sulfaro.

The Indian girls, on the other hand, hurt their quarterfinal chances when they went down against South Korea 0-3 in Group G.

T Reeth Rishya was rusty against Dasom Lee who won 10-12, 11-1, 13-11, 11-8 while Manika Batra battled well before losing to Yumi Jung 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-2, 8-11.

Suthirtha Mukherjee fought hard but lost 7-11, 11-8, 5-11, 4-11 to Zion Lee.

The Chinese boys mowed down their opponents in the two matches they played on Monday to enter the quarterfinals. First, they beat Belgium 3-0 and followed it up with another 3-0 victory over Chinese Taipei.

Top seed and title holders, Chinese girls downed Croatia and then Russia with an identical 3-0 margin.

Unlike Groups E and F in the girls section, both G and H remain unclear. There is a three-way tie possible in Group G if the Indian girl paddlers manage to beat Hong Kong on Tuesday.

If the Indians lose, they will play for positions 9-12.

Tender for Sports Complex, Swimming Pool at Khajaguda - http://www.ghmc.gov.in/tender%20pdfs/Khajaguda,.pdf

World Junior TT: Manika, Rohit enter main draw (http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/reliance-wanda-unveil-partnership)

Hyderabad: At least one Indian boy and one girl have made it to the main draw of the singles events at the ongoing Volkswagen 2012 World Junior Table Tennis Championships here on Thursday, lifting the drooping shoulders in the Indian camp.

With two paddlers from each group qualifying for the main draw, a couple of more Indians making the grade are very much in the realm of possibility. However, a clear picture about that likelihood will be known only after the last set of matches to be played later this evening.

Nevertheless, two boys—Arjun Ghosh and Rohit Rajasekhar—brought broad smiles and a lot of cheers on an otherwise a lengthy and dreary day at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium with their courageous performances. Taking advantage of their fifth and six entries as hosts, they made most of the opportunity that was provided to them.

Making their maiden appearances on the international scene, Arjun Ghosh and Rohit Rajasekhar delighted the home supporters, surprising their experienced opponents. What was striking about them was the way the duo displayed their skillful feat, toppling the more experienced Czechs.

In fact, Czech paddlers may not have anticipated something of this sort. Ghosh downed Michal Benes 15-13, 11-6, 11-8, 4-11, 16-14 to keep the Indian interest alive but what brought down the roof was Rohit’s class act. The match against Jakub Seibert not only kept the spectators glued to their seats, but even forced some of them lose a lot of nails as Rohit won by the thinnest of margins. Down 1-3, Rohit staged an excellent recovery to stun his opponent with a seven-game win 4-11, 11-6, 8-11, 10-12, 11-9, 14-12, 11-9.

At the end of a one and a half hours duel, the 14-year-old Ghosh paid tributes to his coach. “My coach told me to take advantage of Banes’ weak backhand and keep keeping the ball in play before going for the kill,” he said. Coach Bhawani Mukherjee said he told Ghosh to serve in the middle of the table and use short spin services.

The 16-year-old Rohit, unlike Ghosh, took his time to get used to the pace of his opponent. However hard he tried to slow down the game, the Indian was caught unawares at times. But some advice from the coach to keep his rival engaged saved the day for him. Rohit later admitted his folly of not able to adjust to the backhand drives of Seibert. “I realized his backhand was too strong for me so I had to play more to the centre and to the forehand.”

Manika Batra had an easy meat in Yousra Helmy of Egypt, winning her match 14-12, 11-5, 12-10, 11-4 and the Indian got a walkover from Lucia Truksova of Slovakia to move into the main draw.

The other qualifiers among boys are Chiu Chung Hei (Hkg), Choi Deo Khwa (Kor), Jang Woo Jin (Kor), Xu Chenhao (Chn), Jakub Dyjas (Pol), Leonardu Mutti (Ita), Frederik Jost (Ger), Konrad Kulpa (Pol), David Reitspies (Cze), Clerence Chew Zhe Yu (Sin), Tamas Lakatos (Hun), Kim Min Hyeok (Kor), Marc Rode (Ger), Hung Ka Tak (Hkg), Lim Jong Hoon (Kor), Liao Cheng-Ting (Tpe), Ondrej Bajger (Cze), Luka Fucec (Cro), Omar Bedair (Egy) and Adam Szudi (Hun).

As for the girls, Britt Eeerland (Ned), Lee Ching Wan (Hkg), Miyu Kato (Jpn), Nina Mittelham (Ger), Yumi Jung (Kor), Bernadett Balint (Rou), Lea Rakovac (Cro), Lee Dasom (Kor), Theresa Kraft (Ger), Marina Berho (Fra), Alina Arlouskaya (Blr), Sandra Wabik (Pol), Minnie Soo Wai Yam (Hkg), Katsiary Baravok (Blr), Laura Pfefer (Fra), Lam Yee Lok (Hkg), Chiu Ssu-Hua (Tpe), Yousra Helmy (Egy) and Carelyn Cordero (Pur).

RESULTS: (ONLY INDIANS):

Group 2: Li Ching Wan (Hkg) bt Ayhika Mukerjee 12-10, 12-10, 11-4, 11-6; Group 3: Miyu Kato (jpn) bt T. Reeth Rishya 11-6, 1-13, 11-6, 11-7;Group 5: Yumi Jung (Kor) bt Suthirtha Mukherjee 11-8, 11-7, 11-8, 10-12, 12-10; Group 6: Bernadett Balint (Rou) bt Mallika Bhandarkar 4-11, 10-12, 11-3, 12-10, 6-11, 11-5, 11-8; Group 8: Dasom Lee (Kor) bt Karnam Spoorthy 9-11, 12-10, 11-4, 9-11, 11-4, 11-7; Group 13: Manika Batra bt Yousra Helmy (Egy) 14-12, 11-5, 12-10, 11-4, Manika Batra got a walkover from Lucia Truksova of Slovakia.

Group2: Choi Deo Khwa (Kor) bt Utkarsh Gupta 11-6, 11-2, 11-8, 11-9; Group 4: Xu Chenhao (Chn) bt Abhishek Yadav 11-2, 11-4, 11-6, 11-6;Group 7: Frederic Jost (Ger) bt Sudhanshu Grover 11-1, 11-5, 10-12, 13-11, 10-12, 14-12 11-3; Group 16: Lim Jong Hoon (Kor) bt Sabhay Virmani 11-4, 11-7, 11-6, 11-4; Group 22: Arjun Ghosh bt Michal Benes (Cze) 15-13, 15-6, 15-8, 4-11, 16-14; Group 23: Rohit Rajasekhar bt Jakub Seibert (Cze) 4-11, 11-6, 8-11, 10-12, 11-9, 14-12, 11-9.

Hyderabad boy clinches Asian schools chess title (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/hyderabad-boy-clinches-asian-schools-chess-title/article4204119.ece)

A student of Class IV in the Orchids International School, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Rithvik scored six points in six rounds in the championship organised by the Asian Chess Federation

R. Raja Rithvik, a Hyderabad boy, has clinched the gold medal in the under-9 Rapid event of the Asian Schools Chess Championship-2012 held at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

Rithvik, who has international rating of 1536, scored over A. Nodirbek of Uzbekistan, rated 1932, in the final round, a press release from the AP State Chess Association informed on Saturday.

A student of Class IV in the Orchids International School, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Rithvik scored six points in six rounds in the championship organised by the Asian Chess Federation.

He competed with more than 50 players from 10 countries including India, China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, UAE, Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan. He will also participate in the classical chess format of Asian Chess tournament to be held at New Delhi from December 13 to 20. Recently, Raja Rithvik also bagged the silver medal in the Commonwealth Chess Championship at Chennai.

China claims all titles at junior World TT Championship (http://post.jagran.com/china-claims-all-titles-at-junior-world-tt-championship-1355718039)

Hyderabad: China completed a clean sweep of titles at the Volkswagen 2012 World Junior Table Tennis Championships after winning the girls and boys trophies.

Earlier in the week they had won both the boys’ and girls’ team titles.

German Petrissa Solja, the only non-Chinese, lost her semifinal match to Chinese top seed Zhu Yuling in the morning who finished the day by rolling over Gu Yuting 4-0 for the girls crown.

The speed with which she disposed of her opponent is only half of the story. Her superior technique and never-say-die attitude tell the rest.

With equal felicity, she won several winners both off her back and forehands and was never in any sort of trouble after going 2-0 up.

Soon after Fan Zhendong overcame a two-game deficit to beat Lin Gaoyuan 4-2 (10-12, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 11-4) to claim the boys singles title. Earlier, he had claimed the mixed doubles title too.

Fan took his time to size up his left-handed opponent and it cost him the first two games. Once Fan had things in his grip, it became easy as he went on to take the next four without much ado.

Lin made a few service errors along the way and in the ultimate analysis proved dear, the organizers said in a release.

Second-seeded pair of Fan Zhendong and Liu Gaoyang made a surprising recovery to beat the top-seeded compatriots Lin Gaoyuan and Gu Ruochen 4-3 (11-6, 11-5, 11-9, 11-8) to take gold in the boys doubles.

Gu Yuting and Zhu Yuling downed Gu Ruochen and Liu Gaoyang 4-3 for girls double gold and the mixed doubles gold went to Fan Zhendong and Liu Gaoyang who beat the Lin Gaoyuan and Gu Ruochen combine 4-3.

Earlier, things became clear which side of the balance is becoming heavier.

Germany’s Petrissa Solja, who excelled throughout, could not match the Chinese top seed Zhu Yuling as the latter won in straight sets.

5 takeaways from World Junior Table Tennis Championships held in Hyderabad (http://postnoon.com/2012/12/17/5-takeaways-from-world-junior-table-tennis-championships-held-in-hyderabad/95371)

http://postnoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/City-wiser-and-hungrier-postnoon-news-435x302.jpg

We list five observations from the 10th World Junior Table Tennis Championships held in the City from December 9 to 16 at the world-class Gachibowli Indoor Stadium.

“The stadium is so big! I got scared when I first walked in. It took time for me to get used to it. The ambience is good and the flooring in the play area perfect,” said a player about the stadium.

This coming from an Australian player is certainly a compliment, and describes the sports complex in the City quite aptly. That the compliments are coming from players of countries advanced in sports augurs well for sports in Hyderabad and India in general.

India, which was originally scheduled to host the 11th chapter of the games next year, was offered the opportunity this year itself when South Africa backed out. In six months, all arrangements were made by the Sports Authority of India, Andhra Pradesh chapter with support from the Table Tennis Federation of India, to the satisfaction of the International Table Tennis Federation.

With the conclusion of the games that went on without a hitch, and with everyone involved returning satisfied, Hyderabad can hope to host more such events.

Class act

Nearly 300 table tennis players from 27 countries made for a great gathering. Hyderabad did itself and India proud by capably organising an event of this size. All aspects of the programme were meticulously planned and executed to the T. The young players had an opportunity to rub shoulders with the best in the world, enriching their experience and preparing them for greater exploits at international meets in the future.

Hyderabadi hospitality

The “teething” hiccup of power failure on the first day apart, facilities at the stadium and the hotel where players were put up received a thumbs-up.

Ivan Sulfaro of Australia couldn’t stop heaping praises on the facilities provided to the foreign delegates, the stadium, the food and most of all the treatment meted out to them. The 10 -minute drive to and back from the hotel is a pleasure and the buses are comfortable, he said.

“India is taking very good care of us. The people here are very warm. At the hotel that we are staying, we are being treated very well,” he said.

When asked to elaborate on the food being served to them, he said, “We are being served authentic food, which I am loving. I eat Indian food back in Australia as well so I am used to it.”

He could not get the name of his favourite dish he ate, but described it clearly. “It is this saffron rice with chicken in it.” Hyderabadi biryani is sure going places!

Lambiet Florent, a 16-year-old Belgian player seconded what Sulfaro said. “I am comfortable in the hotel and like the food even if it is a little bit spicy. I like the chicken nuggets and tomato soup. The stadium is also very good.”

Practice to perfect

We need to improve our training if we aspire to make it to the podium of an international table tennis championship. Chinese coach Han Hua said there is no secret to the dominant force that China proved to be.

“We spot talent in a youngster early and get him or her to concentrate on the game when in middle school. From then on, it is more time spent in the tennis court than in the classroom. You people concentrate on cricket. That is why you do well in cricket. Our TT foundation is very strong,” he said.

Empty stands an eyesore

Hyderabad doesn’t care about table tennis — empty stands do not bring out the best in players. Crowd support does wonders to local players, motivating them to perform at levels much higher than their ranking may suggest.

Strengthening Security

Security vigilance at the venue of an international event is a matter of grave concern. Arrangements at the stadium left a lot to be desired.

China yet again completed a sweep of all titles on offer here at the 10th World Junior Table Tennis Champion*ships at the Gachi*bowli Indoor Stadium here on Sunday. Earlier in the week they had won both the boys’ and girls’ team titles.

Fan Zhendong overcame a two-game deficit to beat Lin Gaoyuan 4-2 (10-12, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 11-4) to claim the boys singles title. Earlier, he had claimed the mixed doubles title too.

Second-seeded pair of Fan Zhendong and Liu Gaoyang made a surprising recovery to beat their top-seeded compatriots Lin Gaoyuan and Gu Ruochen 4-3 (11-6, 11-5, 11-9, 11-8) to take gold in the boys doubles.

Gu Yuting and Zhu Yuling downed Gu Ruochen and Liu Gaoyang 4-3 for the girls’ double gold and the mixed doubles gold went to Fan Zhendong and Liu Gaoyang who beat the Lin Gaoyuan and Gu Ruochen combine 4-3.

RESULTS

Junior Boys Final: Fan Zhendong (Chn) bt Lin Gaoyuan (Chn) 10-12, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 11-4;Semifinals: Fan Zhendong (Chn) bt Fan Shengpeng (Chn) 11-5, 11-6, 11-6, 4-11, 11-4, Lin Gaoyuan (Chn) bt Xu Chenhao (Chn) 11-4, 14-12, 7-11, 11-7, 7-11, 5-11, 11-6.

Doubles Final: Lin Gaoyuan/Xu Chenhao (Chn) bt Fan Shengpeng/Fan Zhendong (Chn) 11-8, 11-9, 11-5, 11-6; Semi-finals: Fan Shengpeng/Fan Zhendong (Chn) bt Hung Tzu-Hsiang/Lee Chia-Sheng (Tpe) 11-7, 13-11, 13-11, 11-8, Lin Gaoyuan/Xu Chenhao bt Yuto Muramatsu/Asuka Sakai (Jpn) 11-7, 15-13, 11-13, 11-2, 9-11, 11-5.

Junior Girls Final: Zhu Yuling (Chn) bt Gu Yuting (Chn) 11-6, 11-5, 11-9, 11-8;Semifinals: Zhu Yuling (Chn) bt Petrissa Solja (Ger) 12-10, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7, Gu Yuting (Chn) bt Gu Ruochen 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5.

Doubles Final: Gu Yuting/Zhu Yuling (Chn) bt Gu Ruochen/Liu Gaoyang (Chn) 8-11, 11-5, 5-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-4; Semifinals: Gu Yuting/Zhu Yuling (Chn) bt Miyu Maeda/Ayuka Tanioka (Jpn) 11-7, 12-10, 11-4, 11-3, Gu Ruochen/Liu Gaoyang bt Irina Ciobanu/Bernadett (Rou) 11-7, 2-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-2.

Mixed Doubles Final: Fan Zhendong/Liu Gaoyang (Chn) bt Lin Gaoyuan/Gu Ruochen (Chn) 4-11, 4-11, 12-10, 4-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-9; Semifinals: Lin Gaoyuan/Gu Ruochen (Chn) bt Xu Chenhao/Zhu Yuling (Chn) 11-8, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8, Fan Zhendong/Li Gaoyang (Chn) bt Frederick Jost/Petrissa Solja (Ger) 6-11, 13-10, 5-111, 11-1, 8-11, 11-3, 12-6.

5 takeaways from World Junior Table Tennis Championships held in Hyderabad (http://postnoon.com/2012/12/17/5-takeaways-from-world-junior-table-tennis-championships-held-in-hyderabad/95371)

We list five observations from the 10th World Junior Table Tennis Championships held in the City from December 9 to 16 at the world-class Gachibowli Indoor Stadium.

“The stadium is so big! I got scared when I first walked in. It took time for me to get used to it. The ambience is good and the flooring in the play area perfect,” said a player about the stadium.

This coming from an Australian player is certainly a compliment, and describes the sports complex in the City quite aptly. That the compliments are coming from players of countries advanced in sports augurs well for sports in Hyderabad and India in general.

That apparently shows the quality of work CBN did during his tenure ^^

Sun Risers to represent Hyderabad in IPL (http://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/news/item/200886-sun-risers-to-represent-hyderabad-in-ipl?pfrom=home-otherstories)

Bangalore: The Hyderabad Indian Premier League team, formerly the Deccan Chargers, will be known as the Sun Risers from the 2013 season of the tournament, said Sun TV Network, the new owners of the franchise.

The Kalanithi Maran-owned group made the announcement in Chennai on Tuesday (December 18). The official unveiling of the logo will be done in Hyderabad on Thursday (December 20).

The Sun TV Network won the bid for the Hyderabad franchise at a price of Rs 85.05 crores (850.5 million) per year for the next five years, significantly higher than the second highest bid of 69.02 crores from PVP Ventures.

The new franchise thus becomes the second most expensive team in the IPL after Pune Warriors India (Rs 702 crores for seven years) and the third most expensive in IPL history behind the Warriors and Kochi Tuskers Kerala (Rs 1522.32 crores for seven years), the terminated franchise.

Deccan Chargers, winners of IPL 2009, ran into trouble with the BCCI after defaulting several payments, both to the board and players. The new management chose to retain all the players who were signed by the previous owners, for the upcoming season.

The auction of players ahead of the 2013 season is likely to be held in the first week of January. Many Pakistani players, missing from the league since the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, could also be up for grabs in the auction which is likely to be held in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, Kings XI Punjab decided to pay a penalty of Rs. 1 crore to and bury their differences with the BCCI, after they had dragged the board to the court for arbitration proceedings following the termination their contract for alleged breach of regulations.

What a pathetic name. This is a joke. I'd rather Hyderabad not have a team than to be called this.

yeah agree with u would have been better if some telugu guy had bought d team and d name would have been worse had they named it idli or vada sambar

Stupid name :bash:, hope it is not confirmed. Although shortcut is cool (HSR, high speed rail)

Srikkanth to mentor Team Hyderabad, Moody is coach (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl/news/Srikkanth-to-mentor-Team-Hyderabad-Moody-is-coach/articleshow/17686218.cms)

Three former cricketers who were associated with the IPL in the past will make comebacks to the T20 league in the upcoming season.

Former chairman of the selectors Kris Srikkanth will be the mentor of the new Hyderabad team, Sun Risers, along with former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman. And the team will be coached by former Kings XI Punjab coach and former Aussie all-rounder Tom Moody.

According to sources, Srikkanth will look after selection and help the Sun Group owned team to strategize for the season. He will be helped by Laxman.

Earlier, Srikkanth was the brand ambassador of the Chennai Super Kings for the first three seasons of the league. VVS Laxman, who started off as an 'icon players' with the Hyderabad team, known as Deccan Chargers and owned till the last season by Deccan Chronicle group, last played for Kochi Tuskers in 2011.

Laxman, who doesn't have fond memories of his stint with Chargers, will have a say in the running of the team now. It's only a matter of time before the names are made official.

lSFvTmBwodk

Sunrisers, new entity in IPL (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/sunrisers-new-entity-in-ipl/article4221424.ece)

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01304/20TH_SUNRISERS_1304884f.jpg

The Sun Group, new entry into the high-profile Indian Premier League, unveiled its team name Sunrisers and the logo of an eagle soaring high, looking into the core of a rising Sun in the presence of former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who will be the mentor and strategic analyst, and coach Tom Moody and Chief Executive Officer Shanmugam at a colourful function here on Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion, Srikkanth said it would be a new challenge for him and for the entire team as it enters the fray to clinch the honours. “I have a very good friend of mine Tom Moody as the coach and the great V.V.S. Laxman as the mentor and brand ambassador. We will come up with the right kind of strategies as we all know what it takes to be a winning combination,” the former India opener pointed out.

“I am big believer in Sun God and the new identity encapsulates the valour, chivalry, endurance, independence and fearlessness of the eagle synthesising with energy and radiance obtained from the Sun,” remarked Srikkanth.

“I am really confident that this team will fly like an eagle and make a big impact in the next edition of the IPL,” Srikkanth said. “The whole idea of the team management is how to win the Cup and being the chairman of the Indian selection committee which picked the winning team for the 2011 World Cup, I am aware of the expectations and the challenges ahead. Similarly, Moody being himself a member of the 1987 World Cup winning Australian team and Laxman, the son of the soil, with his vast experience should be able to cobble up the right combination to stun the best in the competition,” he said.

On the subject of creating the desired ‘home fans’ base in Hyderabad for Sunrisers, Srikkanth reminded that the Sun network has a very wide following in the entire south including Hyderabad. “It may not be out of place to recall here that I scored 90 against Asif Iqbal-led Pakistan team for South Zone to gain a slot in the Indian team. We are pretty well-known here and have a special affinity with this great City,” he said with a big smile.

“It all boils down to creating the positive energy in the team. And, this I feel is the biggest challenge which made me take up this offer after being associated with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL earlier,” Srikkanth said to a query on how difficult a choice it was for him to shift his loyalty to the new franchisee.

The Sunrisers mentor also didn’t agree with former India left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi that IPL is killing cricket. “Everyone has the right to have his own opinion. I look at the IPL as a wonderful opportunity for the young talent to showcase their skills as contemporary cricket has following for all three formats – Tests, one-dayers and T-20s.

For his part, Tom Moody too says that he is relishing the challenge of guiding the destiny of a new franchisee in the IPL. “I am looking forward to the exciting prospect of being associated with this team. The best part is that I have very good friend in Srikkanth as a mentor and the superstar VVS Laxman to support me,” he said.

Mr. Shanmugam pointed out that the Sunrisers will operate from Chennai and Hyderabad and they have not yet decided on the exact number of players and whom they should go for auction next month.

Laxman could not make it to the function because of a close family member’s demise.

It is also announced that Sunrisers retained the following players who were part of the Hyderabad franchisee (Deccan Chargers): Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Cameron White, Dale Steyn, JP Duminy, Juan Theron, Chris Lynn, Ishant Sharma, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Akash Bhandari, Amit Mishra, Anand Rajan, Ankit Sharma, Bharat Chipli, Shikhar Dhawan, D. B. Ravi Teja, Parthiv Patel, Veer Pratap Singh, Biplab Samantray , Akshath Reddy and Ashish Reddy.

VVS Laxman proud to mentor IPL's new Hyderabad franchise 'Sunrisers' (http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/VVS-Laxman-proud-to-mentor-IPL-s-new-Hyderabad-franchise-Sunrisers/21146)

Hyderabad: Dec 20, 2012

Former India player and current mentor of the Indian Premier League (IPL)'s new Hyderabad franchise Sunrisers VVS Laxman said on Thursday that it was a proud moment for him to be a part of the team.

Laxman said, “It’s a proud moment for me indeed to be a part of such a dynamic team. With such a charismatic brand name the team comes imbued with a new sense of aspirations and passion. All of us are agog to see the invincible ‘SUNRISERS’ prove their mettle in the high-octane cricket field.”

The team is captained by Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara who took over the reins from Adam Gilchrist in 2011.

The Hyderabad franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL) retained 20 players in their initial squad for the 2013 season of the cash-rich Twenty20 league.

Sun TV decided to retain six overseas players like Dale Steyn, Jean Paul Duminy, Kumar Sangakkara,Cameron White, Chris Lynn and Juan Theron. The new owners have spent $5 million and still have a budget of $7 million in their kitty.

SunRisers’ to play all home matches in Hyderabad (http://www.sunday-guardian.com/sports/sunrisers-to-play-all-home-matches-in-hyderabad)

The Sun TV Network, Chennai based media group which replaced Deccan Chargers, owned by Hyderabad based DC media group, for the IPL franchise of Hyderabad has announced that new team 'SunRisers Hyderabad' would play all the eight home matches in the next IPL season beginning April 2013 in Hyderabad's Uppal Cricket Stadium

This move is expected to cheer Hyderabad team fans as previous franchise Deccan Chargers used to play some of the matches in Visakhapatnam, Cuttack and other cities.

The SunRisers Hyderabad which unveiled its logo – an eagle soaring into sky against the backdrop of blazing Sun – here on Thursday also made another announcement that VVS Laxman would be its brand ambassador and co-mentor, that would cheer up his fans at home .

Krishnamachari Srikanth would be another co-mentor and the key strategist and the Australian all-rounder Tom Moody would be the coach of the brand new team which retained 20 out of 39 players of the DC. "The actual team composition would be known only after the process of the auctions which will take place in January 2013," SunRisers CEO A Shanmugam told this paper.

Amidst cheers from the gathering, Srikanth said that the new IPL Hyderabad team would be entirely different both in its approach and style and.

The players SunRisers has retained from the team DC are: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Cameron White, Dale Steyn, JP Duminy, Juan Theron, Chris Lynn, Ishant Sharma, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Akash Bhandari, Amith Mishra, Anand Rajan, Ankit Sharma, Bharat Chipli, Dhawan, DB Ravi Teja, Prithvi Patel, Veer Pratap Singh, Samantray, Akshat Reddy and Ashish Reddy.

Sachin’s special romance with city (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/sachins-special-romance-with-city/article4232687.ece)

The master blaster came up with three sterling centuries in the ‘City of Pearls’ during his illustrious ODI career.
Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has a special romance with Hyderabad. The master blaster came up with three sterling centuries in the ‘City of Pearls’ in his long and illustrious career.

First, in the 1999 one-day series against New Zealand, Sachin Tendulkar set the Lal Bahadur Stadium ablaze with a magnificent unbeaten 186 (then his highest individual score in ODIs) – a day before the Deepavali fireworks lit the entire city.

In the company of an equally illustrious Rahul Dravid, the Mumbai genius put on a massive 331-run stand partnership for the second wicket which shunted the hapless Kiwis out of the match.

Exactly a decade later, Sachin played what is arguably rated as one of the top five innings of his one-day career itself – an amazing 175 against Ricky Ponting’s Australians at the Uppal stadium.

The mood of the capacity crowd was seen to be believed. The fans were clearly in a different world. And, on their feet every time the celebrated batsman caressed the ball to the fence. The entire venue, under lights, was soaked in his brilliance as he almost pulled off a sensational win against the Aussies.

The deafening silence from the till then boisterous crowd when he walked back to the pavilion disappointed – failing to producing the finishing the touch – was perhaps the perfect indication of how much was expected of him and how much he was adored.

For the record, India folded up for 347 chasing 351 despite Sachin’s brilliance. An innings, which all those present at the venue and millions who watched it on television, will not easily forget.

“Sachin played a mighty innings. It was a knock which could have taken the game away from us. That is why his dismissal was the turning point in our victory today,” was how Australian captain Ricky Ponting summed up that effort.

Three points for Hyderabad against Railways (http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/three-points-for-hyderabad-against-railways/99796/)

Hyderabad got the three points they needed, but not before enduring some anxious moments thanks to Mahesh Rawat's enterprise, on the fourth and final day of their Ranji Trophy match here today.

Having set Railways 323 for a win on the final day, Hyderabad were in a spot of bother due to a quick 48 off 51 balls from Rawat, before India left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha removed him.

Nitin Bhille remained not out on 65 in a team score of 280 for seven in 70 overs when the stumps were drawn for the final time in this Group A match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

Amit Paunikar scored 52 at the top of the order while Karan Sharma made 48.
Ojha was the best bowler for Hyderabad, returning figures of four for 95, while off-spinner Amol Shinde who had a five-for in the first innings, picked up two wickets.

Earlier, resuming on 130 for six, Akash Bhandari made an unbeaten 57 off 86 balls as Hyderabad declared their innings on 196 for eight, setting the visitors a stiff target.

Brief scores:

Hyderabad: 337 and 196 for eight in 76.5 overs (Akash Bhandari not out 57; Anureet Singh 3/24, Karan Sharma 3/80)

Railways: 213 and 280 for seven in 70 overs (Nitin Bhille not out 65, Amit Paunikar 52; Pragyan Ojha 4/95).

HCA secretary lodges police complaint (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/hca-secretary-lodges-police-complaint/article4238599.ece)

Alleges that two cheques with same numbers presented at two Mumbai branches of Bank of Baroda

The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) secretary, M. V. Sridhar, lodged a complaint on Tuesday with the Uppal police station alleging that two cheques bearing the same numbers were presented at the Bank of Baroda at two different branches in Mumbai by M/s Blue Enterprises.

“We are informed by the UCO Bank Chief Manager that some fraud was suspected in this subject as both the cheques seem to be photocopies of the original ones and hence were returned,” Sridhar, said in his complaint.

FORGERY ALLEGED

The HCA secretary also stated that no transaction had taken place with the Mumbai firm. The signatures on the two cheques also did not tally with that of the authorised signatories, HCA president G. Vinod and treasurer Naresh Sharma. “Apparently, these two cheques were forged,” Sridhar said in the complaint.

Ironically, it is the same police station which has been asked by a court recently to enquire into a complaint against the HCA secretary himself and president regarding alleged withdrawal of money in contravention of the bylaws.

A startled top brass of the HCA held a meeting at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium on Tuesday to advise its bankers to temporarily freeze the account so that no unauthorised person may withdraw money from it. The HCA secretary also said that the cheque books were being returned to the bank.

Third India-Australia Test shifted to Hyderabad (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/third-indiaaustralia-test-shifted-to-hyderabad/article4248446.ece)

The BCCI on Friday shifted the third match of the upcoming India-Australia Test series from Kanpur to Hyderabad, citing construction work at the original venue, which was criticised for being under-prepared by a Cricket Australia inspection team.

“The Tour, Programme and Fixtures Committee of the BCCI has decided to shift the third Test of the forthcoming Airtel Test series between India and Australia from the Green Park, Kanpur to the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad. This change is as per the rotation policy of the Board,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a statement.

“The change was necessitated because the ongoing construction activity at the Green Park, Kanpur, would not have been completed in time for the Test,” it added.

The BCCI’s decision came after a Cricket Australia inspection team expressed dissatisfaction with Green Park’s facilities.

“Neither the ACA or Cricket Australia is keen on playing in Kanpur. We’ve made that known to the BCCI but we haven’t received a definitive response yet,” the Australian Cricketers’ Association chief Paul Marsh had stated.

“The change room facilities are not up to international standard and there are various issues with the outfield and the pitch. The main thing is there are certain facilities they haven’t got that we would expect to be in place for international cricket,” he added.

India will take on Australia in a four-match Test series, and the other three matches will be played in New Delhi, Mohali and Chennai.

Good news for wannabe golfers (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/good-news-for-wannabe-golfers/article4256492.ece)

New scheme being launched fixing a nominal, annual fee of Rs 1,000 for all students! In fact, there was a good response already as about 75 students are active members now," A. Bhaskar Reddy, Commissioner of Income Tax and senior vice-president of Golf Association of Andhra Pradesh, said.
Golf may not just be an elite sport and many youngsters from the lower strata of society too can enjoy the feel of it, especially students, as a new scheme is being launched fixing a nominal, annual fee of Rs 1,000 for all students -- from LKG to Ph.D -- who wish to train at the HGC course at Naya Qila (Golconda) here.

“In fact, there was a good response already as about 75 students are active members now," A. Bhaskar Reddy, Commissioner of Income Tax and senior vice-president of Golf Association of Andhra Pradesh, said on Friday.

ATTRACTIVE OFFER

“There is also another scheme which in fact anyone can avail -- pay Rs. 200 to play a full round of golf which is peanuts compared to about Rs. 6,000 charged for one round in the other high-profile golf courses," GAAP official revealed.

More importantly, GAAP is keen to set up driving ranges in Vijayawada, Vizag and Tirupati to attract many new faces to the sport. Soon, there will be inter-school golf tournaments too.

A proposal to set up a driving range on Necklace Road is pending with the State government. We are planning a golf training centre in Hyderabad first and other centres in the State," Mr. Reddy informed.

The golf authorities have also decided to invite educational institutions right through the year to the HGC golf course to let the students get a feel and take up golf with all seriousness.

CLEARING MISCONCEPTION

The whole idea is not only to popularise the sport but also clear the misconception that golf is only for the elite. In fact, in the Ernst & Young State championship scheduled tomorrow, of the 40 in the 0-7 handicap category, 20 competitors are caddies (persons who carry the kit and traverse the golf course when seniors play).

“Till now we could boast of only Anirban Lahiri (who is now settled in Bengaluru). So, we are keen to see at least two gifted golfers from the State make it big on the international stage in the next two years,” says G. J. Dawson, general secretary of GAAP.

Mr. Dayakar Reddy, tournament director, insists that no golf course in the country provides such rich heritage as the backdrop as the HGC course does with the majestic Golconda Fort.

U-20 women's hockey tournament in Hyderabad from tomorrow (http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/u-20-womens-hockey-tournament-in-hyderabadtomorrow/107145/)

Nearly two dozen teams will take part in the U-20 National Women's Hockey Championship that gets underway here from tomorrow.

The week-long meet, organised by Hyderabad Hockey Association (HHA) under the aegis of Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), will be played at SAAP Sports Complex in Gachibowli.

The tournament will see participation from 21 teams from different States and Union Territories, Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police V Dinesh Reddy, who is also President of IHF, told reporters here today.

The championship, to be played on a league-cum-knock out basis, will be inaugurated by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.
The final will be played on January 16.

Hockey is set for grand revival in Hyderabad (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/hockey/top-stories/IHF-to-focus-on-revival-of-the-game/articleshow/17963103.cms)

For all those who pine for the golden years of hockey when India ruled the world, there seems to be a ray of hope as a revitalized Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) embarks on the ambitious plan of bringing back the glory days.

With state DGP V Dinesh Reddy at the helm of affairs, the IHF has got down to the business of reviving the sport across the country. "The last two years have been a trying time for the game. The power struggle between the IHF and Hockey India (HI) has almost destroyed the game. But things are looking up again and we are keen on restoring the game to its earlier glory days," Reddy said on Wednesday.

"I think by March this year things will be much clearer as to which body - IHF or HI - will manage the affairs of the game in the country. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the union government have already recognized the IHF and now it is time the FIH too gave its stamp of approval," Reddy said.

Reddy blamed former IOA president Suresh Kalmadi for the present impasse. "It was Kalmadi who created all this mess. To get even with former IHF president KPS Gill, he de-recognized us and propped up the HI," he said.

Reddy knows that it is not an easy task to get things back on track but he is game for the challenge. "We plan to start at the grassroots again. We want to tap talent from the school level.

"Hockey right now lacks patronage and we are eager to tap into sponsorships to revive the game in a big way. We are also looking at restarting the Premier Hockey League to give the game the necessary impetus," Reddy said.

Reddy, who is also president of the Hyderabad Hockey Association (HHA), said the sport in the city too is set for a grand revival. "We have committed people in the association who are really passionate about the game and hence we are going to work together to make hockey an attractive game for youngsters," he said.

In that direction, the HHA will conduct an Inter-school tournament in the last week of this month.

"The Begumpet hockey stadium will also become operational in a couple of months. We have already spent Rs 28 lakh on renovation work there and are also looking at having a new astro-turf surface. :cheers: This will cost about Rs 1.5 crore and hence we are seeking assistance from the central government," Additional DGP (training) Tejdeep Kaur Menon, who is a HHA vice-president, said.

"The Andhra Pradesh State Police (APSP), SAI and the HHA are working in tandem on this and an agreement will be made soon. This will help the revival of the sport in a big way in the city and we will be able to restart the leagues," she added.

"With a sportsman - Kiran Kumar Reddy - at the helm of affairs in the state, I am confident that the state will help in the revival of the sport and hockey will once again become a vibrant game," Reddy said.

Sania relishes New Year gift in Brisbane (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130108/sports-tennis/article/sania-relishes-new-year-gift-brisbane)

Source: DC (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130108/sports-tennis/article/sania-relishes-new-year-gift-brisbane)

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Hyderabad: Sania Mirza couldn’t have asked for a better start to the New Year. One week into it, she’s bagged the biggest doubles title on offer so far and has surged to the top of the WTA Tour’s championship race, according to the rankings released on Monday.

By virtue of winning the Brisbane International, Sania and her American partner Bethanie Mattek are no. 1 in the race to Istanbul, where the top 10 teams in the calendar year will compete in the season-ending championship. Sania and Bethanie have 470 points, followed by Kveta Peschke and Annalena Groenefeld (320), Cara Black and Anastasia Rodionova (280).

The Hyderabad ace is understandably delighted.

“This is the best start to the year I’ve ever had — winning a Premier event like the Brisbane International is a great thrill,” she said.

In the individual ranking — a roll-over for the last 52 weeks — Sania is 12 and Bethanie 27, which should make them the 10th seeds for the Australian Open, the season’s first Grand Slam, beginning on January 14.

Sania is currently playing the Sydney International partnering Liezel Huber, with whom she had won her first WTA title — the doubles crown at the Indian Open in Hyderabad a year after turning pro, in 2004.

Bethanie has given the Sydney event a miss as she is playing the Australian Open singles qualifiers.

She will join Sania for the doubles event of the Grand Slam and then continue the partnership for the year.

Sania was all praise for her enterprising partner.

“Bethanie and I complement each other beautifully on the court and we have tremendous potential as a team. We have also remained great friends for years on the Tour,” Sania said.

A title in the first week has put a spring in Sania’s step. She wants to raise the bar now. “Although we are now the no. 1 team this week, we would like to finish the year on a similar high,” Sania said.

After arduous years of singles play where she reached a career best ranking of 27 in the world and after undergoing three surgeries in four years — she was operated on both the knees and the right wrist — the 26-year-old has decided to focus entirely on doubles from now on.

“I’ve played singles and doubles for over a decade at the highest level in international tennis and with the support of my family I have managed to bounce back from all kinds of serious injuries. But after three surgeries my body is just not up to playing singles as well as doubles any more.

I’ve tried whatever I could but with a heavy heart I feel it’s time to move on and focus completely on doubles where I feel I can still win a few more Slams,” she says.

By reaching 27 in the world in singles, Sania is not just the first Indian woman to have gone that far.

In fact only two men — Vijay Amritraj (16) and Ramesh Krishnan (23) are the only Indians to have achieved a better ranking since computer world rankings began more than three decades ago.

She is also the first and only Indian woman to have broken into top 100 in singles.

Sania has remained the no. 1 women’s player in India in singles and doubles for almost a decade. She was also among the highest ranked Asian singles and doubles players.

Her best performance in singles in a Grand Slam came at US Open in 2005 where she reached the last 16 stage, losing to Maria Sharapova.

Winning the Australian Open in 2009 and the French Open in 2012 were the highs of her doubles career.

She also was the runnerup in mixed doubles in 2008 at the Australian Open and in 2011 in women’s doubles at the French Open.

If her renewed vigour is any indication, a few more trophies are surely headed the Hyderabadi’s way.

Ace from city to test Davis Cup waters (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/ace-from-city-to-test-davis-cup-waters/article4302538.ece)

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The ongoing controversy in Indian tennis ahead of the Davis Cup tie against Korea has come as a blessing in disguise for the city boy Ashwin Vijayaraghavan. The 23-year-old youngster is one of the reserves for the Davis Cup match against South Korea, starting in New Delhi from February 1.

Ironically, he comes in the place of his senior and fellow Hyderabadi Jagadeesan Vishnuvardhan. “I look at it as a huge opportunity and a challenge. It is a shocker for me. But I am happy as it gives me a chance to prove my mettle,” says the former student of Gitanjali, Kennedy and Bhavan’s Sainikpuri schools. He completed his graduation in science in Texas University. He was coached by former national player Ilyas Ghouse and later on by Ganesh Raman. Ranked No. 730 in the world, Ashwin has never expected a Davis Cup berth.

“Honestly, I started competing in the circuit in all seriousness only last year. Once I entered the semi-finals of a couple of Futures tournaments, I got the confidence that I can go further,” says Ashwin.

Ashwin is looking forward to be in the squad led by Leander Paes. “It is an amazing feeling to play under a great player like Paes,” says Ashwin. His immediate target is to break into top 300 rankings.For someone who adores Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer, Ashwin is conscious of the fact that he has to score more winners to finish off matches.

His forehand is his asset. With physical trainer Sunil Dutt at the Lal Bahadur Stadium ensuring that he stays fit for the bigger battles ahead, Ashwin is confident that the Davis Cup selection should see a turnaround in his career. Interestingly, this young tennis star’s father, Vijay Raghavan (a chartered accountant like his wife Subhashini) is an Arjuna awardee in basketball.

Hyderabad sports festive look on the eve of Sankranti (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Hyderabad-sports-festive-look-on-the-eve-of-Sankranti/articleshow/18011998.cms)

HYDERABAD: The city donned a festive look on Sunday, the eve of Sankranti. With denizens thronging busy market places across the twin cities, major markets like General Bazaar, Monda Market and Begum Bazaar were seen buzzing with activity throughout the day. With 'colourful' kite shops, rangolis and puja items lined up on both sides of the narrow lanes, most of the busy markets remained choc-a-bloc on Sunday.

Denizens however, did not seem to mind the difficulty in manoeuvring through the congested spaces to scout for the perfect kite and the appropriate manja and chakri. "I have come all the way from Balanagar, which is around 15 kilometres away, to buy kites and manja for my friends," said Satya Prakash, who was shopping at kite stalls set up near Ujjaini Mahankali temple in General Bazaar. "I have purchased kites worth nearly Rs 3,000 and also bought a few special Salman Khan kites this year," he added.

A R Srinivas, a resident of Kacheguda, was seen shopping with his family, said that it was a long-standing tradition to go out with family and purchase new clothes, puja items and rangoli colours for Sankranti. "This festival is all about spending time with family, so I don't mind bearing the traffic and the crowd during this time," he said. D Radhika, another denizen, engaged in traditional family shopping revealed that their budget had gone up by nearly Rs 2000 this year.

Shop owners too reported a significant increase in business owing to the festive rush. "There has been a nearly 50% rise in sales in the past few days for all items ranging from flowers, sweets to clothes and decorative items," said Y Rajashekhar, member of General Market Association at Monda Market. He added that the crowd too has doubled in the last three days with many people purchasing things like sugarcane, jaggery, clay pots etc as per the customs of the festival.

Kite sales too have picked up on Sunday, said store owners, with a rise of more than 10% when compared to last year's figures. Retailers also reported an increase in demand for China kites apart from kites from Ahmedabad, Surat and Bareilly-special manja.

Cycling to get an image makeover (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/cycling/Cycling-to-get-an-image-makeover/articleshow/18008144.cms)

The chilly Sunday morning was no deterrent for a group of Hyderabadis who gathered at Necklace Road in sports wear and headgear, with bikes in tow, to promote a sport that has seen a drop in its popularity on the streets lately - cycling.

With the craze for fast bikes and sleek cars on the rise, the humble cycle barely has any takers nowadays. Just to bring the vehicle back into the race for popularity, a fun event was organised by the Hyderabad Bicycling Club (HBC), where kids and adults competed on solo and even tandem bikes, which more than one person can ride at a time.

DV Manohar, chairman of the Hyderabad Bicycling Club says, "This is the first time, we're conducting an event to promote tandem bikes in the Twin Cities."

Dozens of families were seen participating in the event. While tiny tots were seen pedalling furiously on their solo bikes, couples seemed more relaxed as they cycled together on the tandem bikes. Amid high cheer and enthusiasm, each of the couples cheered each other on, even as the chains from few of the bikes came off! Despite the minor glitches, people were seen having a good time, with many participating in the races twice, just for fun's sake!

Certificates of participation and prizes were distributed to the winners after the event. Arvind Chenji, a city-based photographer, who is a part of the HBC, said, "Despite it being a Sunday, it was great to see a lot of participation from people. Cycling is a lot of fun and we're trying to encourage people to take up the sport."

DV Manohar adds, "Hyderabad needs to become more environment-friendly and more cycle-friendly. People need to understand that if you take up cycling, you don't need to go to gyms anymore. Cycling has been looked down since people think it is more trendy to be spotted on bikes. We need to change that."

While there is already a bike station (for bicycles) in Necklace Road, from where people can rent bikes for a nominal fee, Manohar says that there are plans to add two more bike stations. "We plan to set up another one in Hi-tech city where a number of young IT crowd has shown interest in cycling. We're also planning one opposite Imax," he says.

Anand starts with a draw (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/anand-starts-with-a-draw/article4305072.ece)

World champion Viswanathan Anand played out a quick draw with Hikaru Nakamura of United States while debutant P. Harikrishna beat local player Anish Giri in the first round of the ‘A’ group of Tata Steel chess tournament that got underway here.

Nakamura went for a surprise in the French defence as black, not giving much to the Indian ace and it was a fairly quick draw but Harikrishna fought on a drawn endgame for a long time and capitalised on some errors to score his first victory in his first game of the premier group.

Harikrishna qualified for the premier section and became the first Indian after Anand to play in a category-20 tournament. The qualification had happened last year when the Hyderabad-based player had won the ‘B’ group.

The results: First round: Aronian drew with van Wely, Carlsen drew with Caruana, P. Harikrishna bt Anish Giri, V. Anand drew with Nakamura, Sokolov drew with Hao, Leko drew with L’Ami, Karjakin bt Hou.

City girl fences for glory at Qatar World Cup (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/city-girl-fences-for-glory-at-qatar-world-cup/article4313538.ece)

She won bronze at the Fed Cup and Asian championship
At 16 years, Yerrabolu Hala holds the rare distinction of being the only person from Andhra Pradesh to be selected to represent India at the World Cup fencing championship in Doha (Qatar), to be held from January 19 to 21.

But, Hala, who is now training at the national camp in Kerala, is obviously not aware of the struggles of her father to raise funds to let her participate in what she believes to be the biggest event in her life.

With the Central Government not willing to bear the expenses for the Qatar meet, players are left to take care of the entire expenditure – which should be close to Rs. 50,000 for each of them.

“Thanks to the gesture of my headmaster Siva Prasad, colleagues Manohar, I could raise the money, which should be just enough to let Hala take part,” says her father Y. Venkata Krishna Reddy, who works as a senior assistant at the Government Nehru Memorial High School in Malakpet.

LESS EXPENSIVE

For someone who found herself in fencing because her father felt it was less expensive and competitive compared to other sporting items, Hala, who regularly trains at Hanuman Vyayamshala under Dhankishan Bhandari, has been making slow progress in the circuit.

This first year intermediate student of Pragati College in Dilsukhnagar is a bronze medallist in the Federation Cup, Asian championship and the Nationals.

In fact, a stroke of luck saw her gain this World Cup slot. She had finished sixth in the selection tournament held in Kolkata, and when the other top contenders opted out on financial grounds, Hala was among the four (the maximum quota for India) who were chosen. Her father is in no mood to deny his daughter the rare opportunity of competing in a World Cup as he is ready with the required money.

“Honestly, I will not boast that Hala will come back with a medal. You never know anything can happen in sport. But, for sure, this World Cup should see a much better athlete in future,” said coach Bhandari.

Saina smashes her way to No. 2 in world ranking (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/saina-smashes-her-way-to-no-2-in-world-ranking/article4316939.ece)

“It is an unbelievable feeling. I am so happy to be No. 2 after a two-year gap,” was how Saina Nehwal reacted after regaining the world N o. 2 ranking on Thursday.

Speaking to The Hindu from Malaysia, Saina Nehwal pointed out: “Yes. It is really difficult to stay at the top but I am happy with the way I have been performing. I am delighted at the latest rankings.”

The 22-year-old champion shuttler from Hyderabad had held the world No. 2 ranking in 2010. Incidentally, that was the dream year for the best-ever woman badminton player from India when she won three Super Series titles.

TARGETS

What are her targets in 2013?

“I want to play well. All that I am looking for is an injury-free year. There is no better joy for me than playing badminton,” she said.

When the Badminton World Federation released the latest rankings on Thursday, it was perhaps an apt tribute to someone who redefined the levels of excellence.

She was off to a dismal start in the Korean Open last week but Saina has now entered the Malaysian Open quarter-final where she is tipped to be the favourite to clinch the honours.

Interestingly, the top 10 world rankings for women has only four Chinese players.

KASHYAP IS NO. 10

Meanwhile, Parupalli Kashyap has also entered the top 10 in the world rankings in men’s singles.

This Hyderabadi is now ranked No. 10 according to today’s list.

Saina smashes her way to No. 2 in world ranking (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/saina-smashes-her-way-to-no-2-in-world-ranking/article4316939.ece)

“It is an unbelievable feeling. I am so happy to be No. 2 after a two-year gap,” was how Saina Nehwal reacted after regaining the world N o. 2 ranking on Thursday.

Speaking to The Hindu from Malaysia, Saina Nehwal pointed out: “Yes. It is really difficult to stay at the top but I am happy with the way I have been performing. I am delighted at the latest rankings.”

The 22-year-old champion shuttler from Hyderabad had held the world No. 2 ranking in 2010. Incidentally, that was the dream year for the best-ever woman badminton player from India when she won three Super Series titles.

TARGETS

What are her targets in 2013?

“I want to play well. All that I am looking for is an injury-free year. There is no better joy for me than playing badminton,” she said.

When the Badminton World Federation released the latest rankings on Thursday, it was perhaps an apt tribute to someone who redefined the levels of excellence.

She was off to a dismal start in the Korean Open last week but Saina has now entered the Malaysian Open quarter-final where she is tipped to be the favourite to clinch the honours.

Interestingly, the top 10 world rankings for women has only four Chinese players.

KASHYAP IS NO. 10

Meanwhile, Parupalli Kashyap has also entered the top 10 in the world rankings in men’s singles.

This Hyderabadi is now ranked No. 10 according to today’s list.

Kashyap is now World No. 9 (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/kashyap-is-now-world-no-9/article4354175.ece)

He is the second Indian after Gopichand to break into top 10

Parupalli Kashyap has become only the second Indian shuttler ever, after his mentor-cum-coach Pullela Gopichand (ranked World No. 4 once) to break into the top 10 world rankings. The 26-year-old Hyderabadi is now World No. 9 and also happens to be the only Indian to figure in the top 10 rankings released by the Badminton World Federation.

“I am really pleased that this has come much before I was actually planning for,” said a visibly delighted Kashyap. “It is always a special feeling when you are rated in the top 10 and I am not going to be content with this. The bigger target is to win more titles at the highest level,” says Kashyap, who also has another first for an Indian men’s player to reach the quarter-finals in Olympics (he did so in the 2012 London edition).

For his part, chief national coach Gopi is equally happy with this achievement. “Frankly, this was a target we set for ourselves by this year-end,” he remarked. “I just hope that he keeps improving and wins some more titles this year to move up the ladder for he has the game and the zeal,” feels the former All England champion.

And, 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal continues to be the World No. 2 in women’s rankings while P.V. Sindhu is World No. 16 now.

Indian Badminton League receives 29 bids for teams (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/badminton/Indian-Badminton-League-receives-29-bids-for-teams/articleshow/18230122.cms)

HYDERABAD: The inaugural Indian Badminton League (IBL), scheduled to be held in the month of June, has attracted immense interest not only from among corporates but also top cricketers. TOI has learnt that six city-based teams in the league have attracted 29 bids, with the Sahara Group, PVP Ventures, Ness Wadia and one star Indian cricketer having bought four of these teams.

Sahara has bought Lucknow while Ness Wadia's bid for the Mumbai team has been "almost finalized".

PVP Ventures, which made a valiant bid to buy the Deccan Chargers IPL team, has made a successful bid for the Hyderabad franchise. "Our rules are clear. We are not opting for the highest bidder, rather we are looking at the best bidder.

"In the interest of the sport we are looking at the franchise on the basis of their connectivity to cities. For example, PVP Ventures is a big name in the South Indian film industry. The franchise will ensure the presence of several top actors to lend glamour to the event," sources said.

Though the six cities -- Hyderabad, Mumbai, Lucknow, Pune, Delhi and Bangalore -- have been finalized, the buyers for the Delhi-based franchise has not yet been finalized and the final list of owners and teams will be revealed within a week.

The world's top players have confirmed their participation in the league. "Several prominent international badminton personalities are also involved. Given the huge amount to be earned for participation, almost all top players are keen on competing," sources said.

Each team will have 12 players with a cap on four foreigners. The base price for the top five ranked players is $50,000 and for the next set is $25,000.

Interestingly, popular TV networks have also bid for the rights. "We have received bids from ESPN-Star, Ten Sports and Sony Television networks. Within the next two weeks we will finalize the bids. After completion of modalities we will conduct a player auction. We will ensure that two top players will be there in all the teams," the source said.

Women's cricket in India's changing after Asia Cup victory: Mithali Raj (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/interviews/Womens-cricket-in-Indias-changing-after-Asia-Cup-victory-Mithali-Raj/articleshow/18243246.cms)

The 2013 ICC Women's World Cup cricket tournament begins tomorrow. Mithali Raj, captain of the Indian women's cricket team, has played in four World Cups, scoring 4,490 runs in ODIs. Speaking with Arun Sharma, Raj discussed how her apparent laziness led to learning cricket, Hyderabad's advantages for female sportspersons, India's chances in the World Cup — and sledging in women's cricket:

You've been in women's cricket for over a decade now. How did you start playing?

Well, i started in Hyderabad from where i hail, beginning with school tournaments for 16- and 19-year-olds in 1992. When i plunged into it, my relatives were dead against the game. My grandparents did not want me to pursue it. But i had full support from my parents. Since the day i started establishing myself in the sport, my relatives as well as other people took notice. Things changed favourably. But cricket really just happened to me. I was not interested in sports, only in the arts. I learnt Bharatnatyam for eight years. I got into cricket since my parents thought i was too lazy to get up early in the mornings! They enrolled me in a cricket academy to develop the habit of getting up early. When i began my training, i went to a boys' camp. Being the only girl, i got attention from coaches. That helped me deve-lop my interest in the game.

What would you say to girls who are serious about playing professional cricket?

It is no bed of roses — a lot of sacrifice is required to prove your mettle in the game. I myself discontinued my dance classes and missed my school boards too.

Interestingly, you hail from Hyderabad, just like Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal and Jwala Gutta. Do you ever meet and discuss sports?

We don't meet on a regular basis but we do interact during special occasions, functions and joint shoots. Then we do discuss our sports briefly. Regarding Hyderabad, well, i think Andhra Pradesh is a hub of sports for women. Parents here are open-minded and encourage children, especially girls, to play sports.

How has women's cricket itself evolved over the last decade?

The standards have picked up. There was a time when a decent total was just 150 — now teams have started scoring 250 to 300 runs. And now, with the BCCI's support, women's cricket is getting all the facilities which only the men's teams had access to before. Currently, monetary benefits are poor but at least, state players are getting several facilities. This will greatly help the game and players at the grassroots level.

In a cricket-crazy nation, is women's cricket adequately represented by the media?

Well, there have been times when we had zero media coverage. But things have changed after we won the Asia Cup recently — people now know that women's cricket exists in India. Women's matches around the world should be televised, so that media and advertisers are aware of the game.

What are India's chances in the upcoming World Cup?

Since the tournament will be held in India, our team is quite familiar with the conditions. The weather is a plus point. It all depends on getting a slow or turning track. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Finally, men's cricket often involves sledging under pressure — is it the same with women?

Not really — this is not aggressive like men's cricket. There is no abusive language or sledging — but there is aggressive body language.

A champion in the making (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/a-champion-in-the-making/article4364866.ece)

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Sai Dutt has remarkable ability to retrieve the shuttle from seemingly difficult angles
Even as Parupalli Kashyap is slowly inching his way to stardom at the highest level, R.M. Guru Sai Dutt is making sure that he is not left far behind in the men’s league, at least.

Consider this. He was ranked World No. 375 in 2008 and now is World No. 38, making giant strides in the big league in a rather unobtrusive manner. For this 23-year-old former world juniors bronze medallist, inspired to take up badminton watching the 2001 All England champion Pullela Gopi Chand (now chief national coach who also runs the Gopi Chand Academy on his own), has made a few significant statements of him finally coming on to the big stage with two big wins in recent time - the Tata Open and last weekend the Vankina Anjani Devi memorial All India senior ranking tournament (conducted by former Andhra Ranji captain V. Chamundeswaranath in his mother's memory) in front of his home crowd at the Gopi Academy.

CLEAR DOMINANCE

The fact that Guru won the two finals against the same opponent - Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth - should also be a reflection of the clear dominance of the trainees of Gopi Academy at the national level as the two are trainees at the truly world-class set-up in Gachibowli. For all those who regularly watch this world juniors bronze medallist, the one area of concern has been his physical fitness levels. But that now for the good seems to be a thing of the past. This PSPB shuttler has every aspect of the game in his armoury. And it was a treat to watch every time he jumped in the air to unleash those telling smashes. More importantly, unlike many of those big smashers, Guru has remarkable ability to retrieve the shuttle from seemingly difficult angles. For a split second, it seems to be a lost point before he makes those acrobatic dives and comes up with some splendid retrievals. It all began in 2005 when he first won the sub-junior national title and since then it has been a slow and steady progress.

For within a year, he won the Commonwealth Youth Games gold and the Bahrain International Challenge. Clear reminders of his abilities. One of Guru’s major career victories was when he outsmarted former All England champion Muhammed Hashim in the 2010 Yonex India Open quarter-final.The fact that Guru along with Sai Praneeth, Saurabh Varma, Ajay Jayram, Srikanth form a formidable assembly line of immense talent should also augur well for Indian men’s badminton too. “Yes, all of them have the talent to go up in the circuit. All they need is to work really hard and translate their potential into performance,” feels Gopi, who makes it a point to keep an eye on this young bunch every day at his Academy. Buoyed by his recent successes, Guru now aims to be in the top 20 in the world. “It is not going to be easy. But I am confident,” says the articulate shuttler in the mood to script new chapters of triumph.

“Well, all I hope now is to look for a much better year in terms of winning performances. I must thank my coach (Gopi) and the entire support staff for their wonderful support,” signs off guru before joining for another grueling schedule at the Gopi Academy.

Continuing the winning streak (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/continuing-the-winning-streak/article4364878.ece)

If the triumph of Nikhat Banu and Karnam Spoorthy in the women’s doubles of the senior National table tennis championships at Raipur was a shot in the arm for AP, more achievements came close on its heels at the Cadets and sub-junior Nationals at Gandhidham, Gujarat.

The sub-junior girls squad comprising A. Sreeja, Varuni Jaiswal, her cousin Naina and K.V.V. Vaishali clinched the gold in the team event. The cadet girls’ squad consisting of twins V. Sasya and V. Laasya, Kazol Sunar and Mahita Chowdary bagged the silver. In individual events, Sreeja and Sasya won the sub-junior and cadet bronze medals respectively. The sub-junior doubles honours were shared by Sreeja/Naina and Vaishali/Varuni as losing semi-finalists. While the girls got their due in terms of recognition, what went largely unnoticed was the performance of the boys, who also acquitted themselves quite honourably. Of the eight-member squad, none was ranked nationally but three made it to the main draw, viz; V. Hari Krishna, S. Fidel R. Snehit and Harsh Lahoti. Hari thrashed Parth Virmani 11-8, 11-3, 11-9 before bowing out to Lalhunhlua, ranked eighth, 4-11, 4-11, 3-11 in the second round.

Snehit got the better of A. Irshad 11-9, 13-11, 9-11, 11-9 in the opening round subdued Shiven Benga 5-11,11-6,2-11,11-5,11-7 in the next. In the prequarter-finals, Snehit was on the threshold of victory, having logged nine points already but buckled against Manav Thakkar 8-11,4-11,11-9,11-8,9-11.

Harsh overcame Rakesh 11-9,9-11,13-11,15-13 in the first round, Sarabjit Guha 11-2,6-11,11-3,11-8 in the second, but lost to eventual finalist Arjun Ghosh 4-11, 4-11, 3-11. Hari Krishna is now India No. 7, while Fidel being very young has at least another two years in this age category to climb the rankings. In the team events, where AP fared fairly well, Harsh and Ali Mohammed combined well as did Snehit and Hari Krishna in the doubles. Among the cadets, Mohammed Ali, B. Vishnu from Hyderabad, P. Jayasurya and D. Najeeb from Visakhapatnam went without laurels but nonetheless strived hard.

The AP squads were coached by Maduri Venugopal and K. Sridhar, while Dr. S. Ramu was manager. For Venugopal it was double delight, as his Gujrati Seva Mandal wards Nikhat had won the women’s doubles crown and Varuni, the sub-junior girls team gold and individual bronze. Andhra Pradesh Table Tennis Association President V. Bhaskar Ram and Secretary S.M. Sultan were overjoyed by the run of success from their paddlers.

‘Mana’ Malleswari dreams of her own academy (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/mana-malleswari-dreams-of-her-own-academy/article4361994.ece)

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At 37, Karnam Malleswari seems to have developed interest in numbers even as there were reports that a film was being planned on her. For, this 2000 Sydney Olympics bronze medallist in weightlifting, showed a lot of interest when she was felicitated by numerologist Daivagna Sharma on Wednesday.

For someone who was the first-ever Indian woman athlete to win an Olympic medal, Malleswari was in a different world altogether at the simple function attended by the Information Technology Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah.

Malleswari said that she took pride in being called ‘mana Malleswari’ every time she visited Andhra Pradesh. “Honestly, there were many who keep asking me what were the rewards I got for winning the Olympics medal. Now, when I hear these touching comments, I feel that this sort of affection is priceless and more valuable than any amount of money you could expect for,” she remarked.

“Definitely, I am saddened at the standard of sports in general despite awareness thanks to the media and also many opportunities now available for the youngsters,” says Malleswari for whom it has been a terrific journey from the depths of despair to moments of joy when it all began in Amuladavalasa of Srikakulam district under the tutelage of her first coach Nelamshetty Appanna of SAAP.

“I wish all my dreams are realised soon and that includes setting up a world class weightlifting academy in the city which would be my first preference if I am allotted the site,” Malleswari said. She recalled that after her Olympics medal there was an offer for a site in this regard but she could not pursue the matter since she was busy with the preparations for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

For his part, Ponnala Lakshmaiah promised all support to Malleswari for any of her plans to promote sport and bring laurels to the State and the country.

Sports facilities to be revived in Old City (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Sports-facilities-to-be-revived-in-Old-City/articleshow/18311964.cms)

HYDERABAD: Sports infrastructure in the Old City may get a boost soon as the GHMC has completed plans to develop multipurpose sport complexes in the areas of Moghalpura and Gowlipura.

The GHMC will be sending a proposal to the government requesting administrative sanction for construction of a multipurpose sport complex in Moghalpura playground. The cost of the project is pegged at Rs 7 crore. The sports complex is expected to be bigger than the Owaisi Sports Complex that was opened in Chandulal Baradari two years ago. The Owaisi complex is used by people who come from all corners of Old City, some even as far off areas as Kattedan.

In Gowlipura, the sports facilities were originally conceived at a cost of Rs 1.2 crore seven years ago but could not be realised due to subsequent cost escalation in the project. Six months back the corporation came up with fresh plans to revive the project owing to public demand. Revised estimates drawn then projected the cost at Rs 2.45 crore. Both these complexes will have facilities for table tennis, badminton, gymnasium, basket ball, boxing, judo and karate in addition to a swimming pool.

Corporators from these divisions are positive that the projects will go further this time than they did the last time. "Though Gowlipura was already sanctioned, the order elapsed. This time the government only has to revise the sanction which we expect without any hassle," said A Jitendra, corporator Gowlipura. The proposals received the approval of the standing committee of the GHMC about a week ago and the corporation sought to get the approval of the general body before writing to the government for administrative sanction required in projects that exceeds Rs 50 lakh in value.

The proposals were listed on the agenda of the general body meeting that was scheduled on Saturday but later postponed to February 6. Though there is a provision for the corporation to write to the government for sanction even as approval from the general body is awaited, officials told STOI that they decided to wait as the meeting is expected to take place soon.

"Before writing to the government for sanction on these projects along with other projects, we decided to seek the nod of the general body which was scheduled to meet a week after the committee meeting. We will wait for the general body to give its nod on Wednesday before writing to the government," said GHMC engineer-in-chief Dhan Singh.

We achieved most of our objectives, says Meiappan (http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/we-achieved-most-of-our-objectives-says-meiappan/article4375619.ece)

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has been known to be smart at auctions.

And its team principal Gurunath Meiappan believed the CSK group had once again played the right cards in a tense, high-stakes game.

CSK, the most successful side in the IPL, was keen to bolster its pace bowling department. The side had the quality and the depth in batting but sought to add greater firepower to its attack.

Meiappan sported a smile at the end of the auction. “We achieved most of our objectives,” he said.

CSK set its sights on Dirk Nannes, the 36-year-old left-armer who can still hustle batsmen with his pace and bounce, as an immediate need to fill the breach after the departure of Doug Bollinger.

T20 specialist

Nannes is crafty and can surprise the batsmen with the movement and the angles he can create.

And he is a specialist T20 bowler.

“Along with Nannes, we have also got some young pacemen whom we can develop. We have an eye on the future. Chris Morris is a South African pace bowling all-rounder.

West Indies’ Jason Holder and Ben Laughlin, we believe will add to our pace depth,” said Meiappan.

If Nannes cost $600,000 and Morris $6,25000, Laughlin and Holder were bought at a bargain base price of $ 20,000.

CSK also signed the promising 19-year-old Sri Lankan off-spinner, Akila Dananjaya, for just $20,000.

It had earlier shown interest in another Sri Lankan off-spinner, Sachitra Senanayake, but backed away when the price became too steep.

Srikkanth happy

Krishnamachari Srikkanth, the mentor of Sunrisers Hyderabad, another Chennai-based team, was happy that the side was able to rope in all-rounders.

“We wanted depth in the side, a strong bottom half with guys who can bat and bowl.

In Thissara Perera and Darren Sammy we have men who can play, versatile dynamic cricket,” he said.

The former Indian captain was also pleased that Sunrisers managed to rope in Nathan McCullum and Clint McKay.

“Nathan is an off-spinner who can bat very usefully. McKay is a very capable paceman.

“At $100,000, we got both of them at a very reasonable price too.”

Paceman Sudip Tyagi, he felt, would add to the side as a domestic paceman.

“And in Quinton de Kock, we have got a promising wicket-keeper batsman for just $20,000. We went into the auction with a clear plan and things worked for us,” Srikkanth said.

Will stadium canopy block view? (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/will-stadium-canopy-block-view/article4386812.ece)

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THE HINDU The canopy (roofing) at the north end of Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, which the HCA officials feel might obstruct the floodlit towers located right behind it. — Photo: V.V. Subrahmanyam

Roof stands right in the way of two flood-lit towers

The top brass of the Hyderabad Cricket Association is now in a dilemma. With the canopy (roofing) work nearing completion at the north and south ends of the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium (Uppal), there are serious doubts if the canopy at the pavilion-end will block the flood-lighting facility. For, this roof stands right in the way of the two flood-lit towers unlike the two towers at the opposite end which are on either side of the roofing ensuring a clear view.

“Right now, we are not sure how exactly and to what extent the problem will be. So, we will definitely have to go in for ‘test’ lighting once the canopy work is completed (as of now, it is half-complete at the pavilion end and finished at the end opposite to the Grand Stand),” said a senior HCA official on condition of anonymity.

With just one month left for the city to host the Test match between India and Australia at this venue, it is imperative for HCA officials to ensure that the floodlighting of the venue is up to international standards.

This is mandatory as floodlights will be turned on in case of bad light, to complete the minimum number of overs per day (90) even during a Test match. So, it is not that these floodlights are required only for day-and-night matches.

If the canopy obstructs the floodlighting, what are the options? “We are in consultation with engineers who have hinted that in such a scenario, some adjustments have to be made with the towers as they have the provision for marginal realignment,” the senior official pointed out.

“The biggest handicap for Uppal Stadium is that most works are being taken up in a phase-wise manner, and many of them are not in the original plan, leading to these kinds of complications,” the official said.

So, by all means, top officials of the HCA will be busy overtime to ensure that everything is in place for the prestigious Test match next month.

^^ Canopy will be a relief for the spectators..

Rushing to meet the deadline (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/rushing-to-meet-the-deadline/article4383213.ece)

Preparations are in full swing at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium (Uppal) for the Test match between India and Australia from March 2
It is preparations time for the Test match between India and Australia to be played at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium (Uppal) from March 2. And, not surprisingly, the untiring ground staff, headed by HCA curator Y. L. Chandrasekhar, have already ensured that the outfield wore a pleasant, green look. More importantly, the crucial pitch preparation too is in full swing. The top layer has been peeled off and fresh grass has already been planted to see that the entire strip where the wickets – including optional ones – will be ready in time. “It takes just a few days from now on to have a complete new greenish look with fresh grass,” says Chandrasekhar, who has earned a reputation of his own having been in charge of the Uppal Stadium pitch-preparation for many international matches including the Champions League T-20, the first ever Test match at this venue (also between India and New Zealand) and many ODIs too. Clearly struck by the comments after the 2010 Test match that the wicket looked like a national highway with no possibility of a result even if the match were to be played for another 10 days of its docile nature, Chandrasekhar did make amends when the Kiwis played last August and were duly humbled by the hosts for an innings victory. Proving, perhaps, they are adept in preparing result-oriented wickets too. With Sachin Tendulkar playing for one last time in Hyderabad (having already quit ODIs), the Test match is bound to generate huge interest amongst the fans who will in all probability line up to see the genius come up with another special effort. Perhaps, like his classy century against Ricky Ponting-led Australians under the lights. So, Chandrasekhar, his deputy Mukesh Kumar and the entire support staff who are involved in the pitch preparation are aware of the huge responsibility and definitely in the mood to live up to the expectations.

Spirit of sportsmanship (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/spirit-of-sportsmanship/article4383207.ece)

Cricketers of a different kind played with unbridled passion at the National Deaf Cricket Championship
The whole crowd was up on its feet the moment tennis star Sania Mirza walked into the Gymkhana Grounds even as the final of the inaugural National Deaf Cricket Championship was on. For, these cricketers of a different kind were up in joy greeting the two-time Grand Slam winner.

Clearly, giving an impression that they made their day for many were surging close to the dais to take a few snaps of Sania who was sharing some thoughts about the whole concept of deaf cricket with former India women cricket captain Purnima Rau.

No doubt, there were moments of triumph on the field too for the eventual winners Karnataka and despair for the losers Kerala. But everything else took a backseat once the final ended and the focus shifted on to the two stars.

By all means, the five-day event reflected the true spirit with which these cricketers who belong to their own world but play the sport with unbridled passion. Thanks to the initiative of K. Maurya, a CA student, with solid support from the Hyderabad Cricket Association, SAAP and sponsors like Ravi Madan of Indiana Sports and ex-Ranji cricketer Ashok Vir.

“This is a terrific gesture. The intensity with which they fought the final is amazing,” felt Sania, who watched most of the final in the company of Purnima.

For her part, Purnima even while appreciating the complete team effort in making the whole event such a grand success hoped that in future similar kind of events are held for the girls too.

Quick to respond to the mood of the gathering, Ravi Madan announced that for all future tournaments of deaf cricketers, he will sponsor the flannels for all the teams. “We feel it our moral obligation to help them out in a big way,” he said. S. Venkateshwaran, joint secretary of HCA, which took care of the technical side of the event by providing grounds, umpires, scorers, assured that HCA will always support events of this nature.

SAAP to optimise sports facilities in city (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/saap-to-optimise-sports-facilities-in-city/article4404927.ece)

Three proposed academies to make use of the existing world-class infrastructure
In a practical approach, emphasising on optimum utility of the existing world-class infrastructure rather than looking for new ones, Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) has decided to set up three academies in the city - archery (Gachibowli), rowing and sailing (Hussainsagar Lake) in the first phase.

With Archery Association of Andhra Pradesh taking care of all the expenses involved in coaching and providing equipment, SAAP will confine its role to providing boarding and lodging facility for the 32 archers (16 boys and 16 girls) on the Gachibowli sports complex, says Dr. T.R.K. Rao, VC & MD of SAAP.

“These young archers, to be identified by a panel of coaches in coordination with SAAP, will be enrolled into the AP Sports School,” Dr. Rao said. “This doesn’t cost much for the SAAP as it has to take care of the diet allowance of Rs. 200 for each of the 32 trainees,” he pointed out.

Expensive equipment

Similarly, SAAP has roped in India’s chief national coach and Dronacharya-awardee Ismail Baig to take care of the proposed SAAP Rowing Academy trainees since very expensive equipment was already bought during the 2002 National Games. This equipment is used by the national campers at the venue.

“We are also pleased with the response of an NGO which has shown us a group of young talent from the lower strata of the society and who are badly in need of training and exposure in sailing. Since these youngsters have already made a mark at the national level in different categories, we are happy that an Army sailing coach has promised to take care of the training aspect,” Dr. Rao informed.

To shore up the revenues, Dr. Rao worked out a plan with the AP Mineral Development Corporation which is expected to allocate some percentage of its revenue to local administration. As per this ‘Kreeda Jyoti’ scheme, Rs. 2 lakh per annum will be given to each of the 10 outstanding young talent in five select disciplines including archery, boxing, badminton to take care of their basic needs of training and equipment.

Another Rs. 10 lakh of corpus fund will also be created by the APMDC which should take care of any exigencies for the ‘golden oldies’ who are in bad shape financially but seeking medical assistance. The State Government will also launch Tribal Sports School in Adilabad in coordination with APMDC at a cost of Rs. 1.5 crores, Dr. Rao concluded.

Jafreen eyes medal at Deaflympics (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/jafreen-eyes-medal-at-deaflympics/article4410542.ece)

Her dreams lay shattered when a late entry to the organisers denied the golden chance to represent India in the 2012 London Paralympics. The 15-year-old Shaik Jafreen who admires glamour star Maria Sharapova could have realised that the sport is not all that glamorous for the lesser mortals like her in India.

Yet, displaying pure passion, this hearing impaired tennis player from Kurnool has set another big goal – to win a medal in the Sofia Deaflympics tennis competition this summer in which she will be representing India, if only the officials don’t bungle up this time around.

Life has never been easy even for her father S. Zakeer Ahmed, an advocate, who is going all out to support her. She showed promise by making it to two doubles AITA ranking tournament finals partnering Kirti Behera.

“It is not easy at all. Even to find practice partners you have to pay a minimum of Rs. 500 for two hours,” says Zakeer insisting that tennis not the sport for people like him. “Yes, I have to support her for once when I threw up my hands for want of funds, she did not touch food and was in a lost world. So, I decided then come what may to encourage her as much as possible which means I need to spend about Rs. 4 lakh per annum,” he recalls his troubled times.

With no sponsors, Jafreen’s father is clearly struggling. He even disposed off his plot in Kurnool to give his daughter training in KSLTA for one year some time back. She now frequently trains at the Sun-Jay Tennis Academy in Hyderabad for occasional training stints.

This 10th standard student of Sri Laxmi High School (Kurnool) is a major attraction at most of the age group events for her sheer spirit and unbridled zeal to be good in the sport.

So, when this Andhra girl won the women’s senior national deaf championship title in Punjab last year, she got selected to represent India in the London Paralympics along with three other girls.

Young tennis prodigy Rithvik is No. 1 (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/young-tennis-prodigy-rithvik-is-no-1/article4410528.ece)

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Another tennis ace from the city is in the making. The School of Power Tennis, run by coach C. V. Nagraj, has thrown up a bundle of talent in the form of Bollipalli Rithvik Choudhary. And, if his latest achievement of becoming India No. 1 in the boys under-12 category is any indication, Rithvik is widely believed by observers to make a big impact if only he sustains his current levels of excellence and passion for the sport.

“Rithvik has the talent and the game to go a long way in the circuit. The best part is that he is disciplined and is keen on improving his game,” acknowledged Mr. Nagaraj, who has the rare distinction of producing three Davis Cuppers from his school at the RRC Ground in Secunderabad.

ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD RITHVIK, WHO TOOK TO TENNIS AT THE AGE OF SIX, IS ALREADY ONE OF THE MOST CONSISTENT PLAYERS IN HIS AGE GROUP HAVING ALREADY WON 30 TITLES AT DIFFERENT LEVELS IN THE LAST THREE YEARS.

THIS SEVENTH-STANDARD STUDENT OF DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL LOVES TO ESSAY HIS BACKHAND DOWN-THE-LINE SHOT EVEN WHILE TRYING TO IMPROVE UPON HIS FITNESS LEVEL.

RITHVIK, ENCOURAGED BY HIS PARENTS B. PRATAP, A BUSINESSMAN, AND B. LAKSHMI, A HOMEMAKER, IS NOW GUNNING FOR TOP HONOURS IN THE NATIONAL UNDER-12 CHAMPIONSHIP THIS MAY.

AP football in a backward stride (http://newindianexpress.com/sport/article1463538.ece)

There seems to be no end to the crisis the state football has been through for quite sometime now. Even though the 67th Santosh Trophy national championship is under way in different places, Andhra Pradesh players yet again remain mute spectators. The infighting among two groups has taken a heavy toll on game in the state and dashed the hopes and aspirations of young players who, for no fault of theirs, are not able to participate in any of the nationals as officials of the now-defunct AP Football Association (APFA) are busy fighting in the courts.

As if the failure of the All India Football federation (AIFF) to solve the over two-decade-old crisis is not enough, another crisis has hit the state football now. The indecision on the Telangana issue and the political uncertainty have made the AIFF think twice to make any serious effort to bring about an amicable settlement. This was revealed by Kushal Das, secretary of AIFF. ``It is very sad that players from AP have not been able to take part in the nationals for a long time.

We want to settle this issue by holding elections by bringing the two parties together. But unfortunately, the reigning uncertainty has made us think twice now. We have to wait and see because we don't want to face another crisis after division of the state,'' said Das.

Das said they had been making efforts to bring an end to the infighting.

``But every time we try to hold the elections, some one goes to court and brings halt to the process. It is very frustrating,'' he added.

Das they had made attempts to run the show with an ad hoc committee. ``But that we can do it for only six months,'' he said.

Former international Mohammad Habib squarely blames the AIFF and the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) for the present mess. ``I feel sad that official football is dead in the state. I would blame the AIFF and SAAP for this. They should be making more concerted efforts to resolve the crisis but they are not. It has been going on nor for just one or two but over 20 long years,'' said a rueful Habib. Habib, a very popular figure in Kolkata, is like a non-entity here. ``When I came here from Kolkata, I expected to see some good football but what I saw here is zero activity. It is sad that we may not find internationals from the land of Olympians in the near future,'' he said with a heavy heart.

Victor Amalraj, former India captain, said they had lost all hope of reviving the game in the state. ``If there is still some semblance of activity in the city or in the state, it is because of the few die-hard lovers of the game. There is some action in places like Trimulgherry or by Hyderabad Globe or in Visakhapatnam. Last year we saw thousands of youngsters turning up for the talent scout,'' he said.

According to Amalraj, the best way to revive the game is to form a committee of former internationals in the state and run the show. ``How long have we to wait in frustration and hope? It is shameful and depressing,'' he concluded.

HYCA strives to make poor man’s sport richer (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/hyca-strives-to-make-poor-mans-sport-richer/article4414777.ece)

It is a sport which produced city’s first World Cup champion in S. Appoorwa, and a World No. 2 in P. Nirmala, both from Life Insurance Corporation of India, but always looked down by many in the sports fraternity.

Yet, the unbridled passion of the Hyderabad Carrom Association officials led by the 72-year-old president B.K. Haranath and his team of dedicated officials including secretary S. Madanraj, Shobhan Raj make it a point that the carom players from the State (HYCA’s domain is only Telangana districts while Andhra has a separate Association) get the right platform to showcase their talent.

And, as part of these efforts was the 41st Senior Inter-District Championship for Men and Women at the Fateh Maidan Indoor Stadium. Like many of those sports other than cricket, badminton and tennis in India, there is no sponsorship for carom and the officials pool money on their own and from the well-wishers to spend close to Rs. 45,000 to host an event like this also.

As one steps into the dingy venue- which is strangely the balcony inside the Fateh Maidan Indoor Stadium- also happens to be the Regional Carrom Coaching Centre, thanks to the support of SAAP the way the players squeeze in to get adjusted to the ambience, brushing aside the frequent disruptions because of people moving around closely to the competition table is a pitiable sight indeed.

No doubt, carrom may continue to be the poor man’s sport, but it is always rich in spirit as champions are continuously being produced from this sport- thanks to the efforts of committed individuals in the Association.

Tennis stars jubilant over their new-set goal

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/2028/hy14sania1363824f.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/607/hy14sania1363824f.jpg/)
Tennis star Sania Mirza seen with Stephenie Mattek-Sands at the former's Academy that is coming up in Hyderabad

The two Grand Slam winners will be back where they simply love to be – on the tennis court. For India’s Sania Mirza and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) will join hands after a brief respite from the hectic schedule to achieve their new-set goal – to be the World No.1 women’s doubles pair. And, if the mood and the bonhomie between the two is any indication during their visit to Sania Mirza Tennis Academy that is fast nearing completion in Murtuzaguda in Hyderabad, then they clearly mean business.

“I enjoy playing with her. Honestly, the chemistry is excellent for we not just partners on the court but even off it maintain a great relationship,” insists the 26-year-old Sania, the only Indian woman player to win two Grand Slam titles, in a chat at the Academy.

Clearly floored by the magnificent Academy that is coming up, with nine synthetic courts to start with and three more clay courts in the future plans, Bethanie, the 2012 Australian Open mixed doubles title-winner, reciprocates to the feelings of her partner.

“Somehow, I am at home playing with her. Mind you, she is a terrific fighter, never gives up easily. This is the beauty of her game,” points out the 27-year-old American.

Well, that the two enjoyed a special bonding was clearly evident when Bethanie and her husband Justin Sands stayed at Sania’s place, went around the city and even had a glance of the famous Hyderabadi’s Ristretto that is coming up in the posh locality of Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad.

“I would love to see you stay here for a longer duration,” was the gentle request of Sania to her partner which had the latter acknowledge it with all warmth.

“Sure. I love this Academy. A perfect setting for any tennis player and surely would like to spend more time on the court very soon,” Bethanie said even while being inquisitive about the future plans of Sania on the Academy which also include floodlighting in the next phase.

Coming back to the more serious business of WTA Tour, Bethanie believes that Sania has lot more tennis left in doubles right now.

“Our dream is to win a Grand Slam title. Once we do that, we will set new goals to chase,” says the smiling American.

“We know it is a very highly competitive and demanding circuit. But we are preparing with all seriousness to make a huge impact on the tennis world,” says the champion duo.

For his part, Imran Mirza, father of Sania Mirza, says that the Academy will be functional in an informal manner when he is planning to have kids to train on these new courts next month itself to give them a feel of what it is all about. “In all probability, the Academy will be operational in all aspects by April this year,” he says.

By all means, it is obvious that the Mirzas are keen to see that Sania Mirza Tennis Academy will be the final destination of training for the young talent. “The whole idea is to give back something to the sport which made me what I am. And being familiar with the travails in moulding raw talent, we are keen to see that the youngsters don’t suffer for want of that,” says Sania.

Honours for Hyderabad, heartbreak for NFC (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/Honours-for-Hyderabad-heartbreak-for-NFC/articleshow/18524670.cms)

NAGPUR: When Hyderabad Globe Football Club did the three cheers to celebrate, acknowledge and appreciate the presence of a huge turnout at the Military Ground in Kamptee on Friday, they were joined by a couple of hundred of their supporters. It was such a day, when the semi professional outfit from Andhra Pradesh, established in 1962, dominated the proceedings to capture their 9th All-India crown on the trot.

In a high quality final, full of thrill and drama, Hyderabad took Nagpur FC in their strides to snatch a thrilling 1-0 triumph to lift the Haji Majeed Ahmed Majju Seth All-India Gold Cup Football Trophy.

The presence of almost 7,000-strong crowd may have set the competitive juices flowing in both camps as the summit clash between two of the professional outfits witnessed a fast paced and attacking football.

With four Nigerain players in their roster, the Hyderabad FC, appearing in red and black outfit, clearly had the upper hand against NFC men donning orange and whites. However, a rock-solid defense by the rivals and some of their own misfortune kept them away from scoring. They depended far too much on their two Nigerian strikers in Mohammad Yousuf and John Tebo as Hyderabad missed almost seven goal scoring opportunities which kept the first half goalless.

Replacing their fourth Nigerian, Mike, with Mohammad Mustafa in the 58th minute, however, did the trick for Wahab Ansari's boys. No sooner than the 24-year-old Mustafa entered the field, he seized Hyderabad's first big opportunity. Displaying his athletic skills, Mustafa dribbled the ball past a couple of NFC defenders to feed a lovely through pass to Sayed Nasar. The timing of the pass was so perfect that Nasar was required to just tap the ball past the NFC custodian which he did without fuss. Nasar placed the ball to the right corner of the net from the centre. The match winning goal came in the 63rd minute.

Hyderabad received prize money of Rs 51,000 lakhs along with a trophy from the chief guest Chandrashekhar Bawankule, MLA, while the runners-up, NFC, picked up Rs 31,000 cash and a trophy. Former minister Anees Ahmed presided over the concluding function.

Delighted with the triumph, Hyderabad skipper Alamdar Raza in a chat with TOI said, "Total team effort helped us win our 9th All-India crown in succession. Expectations were high for so naturally we were under pressure. But the way all our players held their positions enabled us to lift the cup. I would also like to appreciate the huge turnout in Kamptee. Having played many championships, this is for the first time in my life that I have seen such a disciplined public."

Individual prizes

Player of the tournament: B Shashank (Hyderabad)
Player of the final: Sayed Nasar (Hyderabad)
Best goalkeeper: Mohammad Asif (Hyderabad)
Best midfielder: Tabrez Junaidi (NFC)
Best defender: Ibrahim Khan (NFC)
Best Forward: Aafaque Amir (Range Police)

Upcoming players in the tournament: Arbaz Raza (Eleven Star); Sharique Nadeem, Saquib Anwar (both Young Iqbal); Asheer Akthar (Rabbani Club)

CCL-3 to rock Hyderabad this weekend (http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/telugu/article/91004.html)

This week end is going to be a special for all the cricket and cinema fans in Hyderabad, as all the 8 teams of CCL-3 are going to play against each other in LB Stadium on 16th and 17th February .

On Saturday, the first match will be between Manoj Tiwari led Bhojpuri Dabanggs team and Mohan Lal led Kerala Strikers team. Both teams have won their last matches. The second match will be between Vishal led Chennai Rhinos and Sudheep led Karnataka Bulldozers. This match is going to be interesting as both had been the finalists of CCL-1 and CCL-2.

On Sunday, the first match will be between Veer Marathi team led by Riteish Desh Mukh and Boney kapoor and Sridevi owned Bengal Tigers. The second match will be between Venkatesh led Telugu Warriors and Salman Khan led Mumbai Heroes. Ramcharan is going to make his debut in CCL with this match. This match is also going to raise excitement as Telugu Warriors get a huge local support.

Actresses like Charmi, Bipasha Basu, Priyamani, Shruthi Haasan, Chitrangdha singh, Nargis Fakri , etc add glamour to the matches.

Hyderabad's first kayaking workshop is a hit (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/travel/Hyderabads-first-kayaking-workshop-is-a-hit/articleshow/18544317.cms)

The city's first kayaking workshop was a hit with water sport lovers and a host of doctors!

Early Sunday morning, water sport junkies headed to the Hussain Sagar to learn the basics of kayaking. The enthusiasm was contagious as families and young working professionals quickly slipped on the requisite gear — lifejacket and helmets — holding a paddle in hand, listened carefully as the instructors made them practice the various kayaking movements.

This was the mood at the first-ever kayaking workshop held in the city that saw a decent response. Suheim Sheikh from the Yatch Club of Hyderabad who has been trying for long to get water sports within the reach of the people said, "We wanted to promote kayaking and I'm glad it has finally come to fruition. Five kayaks were imported from Thailand just for the cause."

While several families were seen enjoying themselves, it was interesting to note that several city doctors took time out of their hectic schedules to indulge in the sport. Dr Neelima Pradhan, a psychologist participated along with her colleagues Dr Bhavagna Balla and Dr Rajaram. "I love adventure sports. I had tried kayaking once in Pocharam Lake and it was fun." However, for Dr Gomati, it was her first attempt at kayaking and a bit more strenuous than she imagined. "I've tried adventure sports like rock climbing and trekking before, but this is the first time I've tried kayaking. You need a lot of strength to use the paddle, which can be a bit tiring, but apart from that I enjoyed the experience."

Post one practice round, Dr Shruti Reddy looked excited trying her hand at the sport. "It is so much cooler and peaceful in the middle of the lake. When I had informed my friends that I would be attending this workshop, many of my friends had told me to clip my nose because of the stink that Hussain Sagar is famous for. But I was so busy enjoying the experience, I didn't even smell anything." Mention to her that city doctors seem to have a penchant for water sports given their huge participation and she laughs it off, saying, "While that is our day-to-day job, this is our passion that we like to take up when we can!"

Stadium looks better now with the canopy..

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Source (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=506625226049917&set=a.238288696216906.61041.102269439818833&type=1&theater)

CA to assess security arrangement in Hyderabad (http://www.deccanherald.com/content/314868/ca-assess-security-arrangement-hyderabad.html)

In the wake of last Thursday’s terror attacks in Hyderabad, Cricket Australia’s (CA) security officer and top officials of the Indian cricket board are here to review security arrangements for the second cricket Test starting March 2.

The security head of Cricket Australia and a team from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are assessing the security arrangements being made at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, said MV Sridhar, secretary, Hyderabad Cricket Association.

They met top police officials of Cyberabad police commissionerate and also representatives of Hyderabad Cricket Association on Monday to evaluate the security measures for the match.
Twin bomb blasts at crowded Dilsukhnagar area in the city on Thursday killed 16 people and injured more than 115 others.

The terror attacks had cast a shadow on the match but the BCCI ruled out shifting it to some other venue.

HCA secretary MV Sridhar told reporters that they called on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who assured them of full security for the match. “He was very supportive. He said he would not compromise on anything. He assured us full support,” Sridhar said.

He said the police would have a separate briefing in a couple of days about the specific security measures being taken. “As an association, we will limit ourselves to conduct of the cricket match. The rest will be taken care of by the experts. I believe they think far and wide,” said Sridhar

Sofuoglu makes Nagarjuna, Hyderabad proud (http://postnoon.com/2013/02/25/sofuoglu-makes-nagarjuna-hyderabad-proud/110829)

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The defending and three-time World Supersport Champion gave Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki (co-owned by Nagarjuna, Nandish Domlur and MS Dhoni) its first win of the series and set a new lap record in 1′ 33.283”.

Kenan Sofuoglu wins the 32nd race of his career in World Supersport Race at Phillip Island by getting the nod over pole man Sam Lowes (Yaknich Motorsport Yamaha), after a thrilling battle that went on throughout the entire race.

The defending and three-time World Supersport Champion gave Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki the first win in the series and set the new lap record in 1’ 33.283”. Lowes, on the other hand, did his best to stay with the Turkish rider to eventually finish with a solid second place.

Rookie Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) ended up 3rd his debut race in World Supersport. The Reigning European Superstock 600 Champion managed to stay with the two riders up front during the first part of the race, slowing down a bit later on and finishing with 6.771 seconds from Sofuoglu.

Second Mahi Racing Team India rider Fabien Foret finished 4th ahead of Intermoto Ponyexpres duo of David Salom and Luca Scassa, with Andrea Antonelli (Team Goeleven Kawasaki) to follow. The 2002 World Supersport Champion got a terrible start from the 3rd spot on the grid, crossing the line at the end of lap 1 in 14th position.

An unlucky Roberto Rolfo (ParkinGO MV Agusta Corse) was forced to withdraw from the race following a technical problem on his MV Agusta F3 in the very last part of the race, while battling for 4th position. A big crash on the exit of Turn 12 at the end of lap 3 involved Russian Vladimir Leonov (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha) and Raffaele De Rosa (Team Lorini Honda).

'Montpelier' wins main event of Hyderabad race (http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/montpelier-wins-main-event-of-hyderabad-race-113022700486_1.html)

Favourite four-year-old "Montpelier" (jockey up Kuldeep S) lifted The Rainbow Plate of 1400 Metres for category-I horses, the main event on the extra day of Winter Meeting held here today.

The winner, owned by M/s T Vinayak Ravi Reddy, P K Iyer and Vijay Reddy Tikkavarapu, was trained by L D'Silva.

Three-year-old "Amazing Weapon", piloted by C Henrique, won the Strategic Prince Plate Div-I of 1000 Metres for category II horses, the supporting event of the day.

The winner is owned by M/s Kudithi Mahender Reddy and Bhupendra K Pathak, and trained by A'pam Sharma.

Trainer D Netto,jockeys C Henrique and Kuldeep S scored a double each, while another Trainer A'pam Sharma scored a treble. Only four favourites obliged in a card of nine events.

Gymkhana Ground abuzz with cricketing activity again (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/gymkhana-ground-abuzz-with-cricketing-activity-again/article4461849.ece)

Not long ago, Gymkhana Ground in Secunderabad was not the favoured destination for the big names of Indian cricket – more so because of lack of quality wickets to train. But things have changed for good of late, thanks to coming of Cricket Academy of Excellence set up by Hyderabad Cricket Association.

And with former Hyderabad off-spinner Kanwaljit Singh donning the role of director and assisted by a panel of coaches including former India left-am spinner S.L. Venkatapathi Raju, Vivek Jaisimha, Noel David (fielding) there is a serious desire to change the face of the venue itself. Not surprisingly, in addition to the existing 11 turf wickets, another eight will be in place very soon under the supervision of HCA curator Y. L. Chandrasekhar.”

“The whole idea is that anyone willing to train should not go back for want of facilities,” insists 54-year-old Kanwaljit Singh, who old-timers can easily recall slogging it in unfriendly conditions and yet emerging as one of the finest off-spinners in Indian cricket never to play for the country. We are essentially aiming at 24 x 7 practice facility wherein any State player can just walk in and train as long as he can,” says the former Hyderabad captain.

“The entire playing area will now be used only for matches and the training will be in nets only. Again, this is in the interest of the players and also ensure better maintenance of the ground,” says Kanwaljit. “The focus is definitely on putting in place good infrastructure – again not buildings – but basic cricket facilities,” he points out.

“As part of our plans, we are in touch with the other State Associations and try to come up with some sort of exchange programmes for different age groups to facilitate match practice before the boys actually get into the competitive mode,” Kanwaljit explains.

“The emphasis is on performance and the non-performers might just face the risk of being weeded out. For, there has to be some sort of benchmark for the Academy trainees,” he says. Interestingly, the Academy also organised an orientation course for the coaches from across the districts to educate and enlighten about the changing facets of coaching and the use of latest technology whenever desired.

Significantly, women’s cricket, now governed by the BCCI in India and by the respective State Cricket Associations, will continue to get the same patronage from the Academy. “Of course, they will be given the desired support to be better players by providing them turf wickets,” Kanwaljit reminds.

What with the presence of Satellite coaches like former Ranji stars Noshir Mehta, Vijay Paul and a qualified support staff including trainers, the Academy might just well turn out to be the ideal venue not for just young talent but also for the seniors too.

Good weekend turnout at Hyderabad Test despite tight security (http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_good-weekend-turnout-at-hyderabad-test-despite-tight-security_1806580)

Despite the unprecedented security in the wake of Feb 21 terror attack in Hyderabad, the second Test between India and Australia attracted huge crowds at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

Spectators were not allowed to carry mobile phones, cameras, carry bags and even banners inside the stadium. Many spectators carrying cell phones and other items either had to return disappointed or had to make alternate arrangements.

More than 2000 policemen were deployed as part of the tight security arrangement in the wake of twin bomb blasts at Dilsukhnagar, which killed 16 people and injured over 100.

"We have deployed 500 more men than we normally do for a match," said Hyderabad police commissioner D. Thirumala Rao, after reviewing the security at the stadium.

Authorities deployed 60 Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in the stands to keep a vigil on the spectators. Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) officials coordinated with police for better crowd management.

However, the tight security measures failed to dampen the spirits of cricket fans with more than 22,000 turning out to watch the clash between two of the world's strongest teams.

Braving the hot sun, the weekend crowd filled the stands and loudly cheered the fall of every Australian wicket.

Though the stadium's total capacity is 40,000, the capacity for the match was limited to 34,153 due to some construction work still going on in the top tier. The HCA made 23,000 tickets available for sale to public.

Over 9,000 were given as complimentaries, said HCA secretary MV Sridhar.

With India winning the first test at Chennai by eight wickets, more people turned out to watch the match. The number is expected to only go up Sunday with more spectators likely to come see India bat.

It is only the third test being hosted at the stadium built by HCA in 2004 at Uppal, almost close to the outskirts. The HCA is lucky to get a chance to host this test, the second in six months. Originally scheduled to be held at Kanpur, the test was shifted to Hyderabad due to construction work going on at the Kanpur stadium.

Both the tests played here earlier were against New Zealand. While the first test played in November 2010 ended in a draw, the last test played in August last year was won by India by an innings and 115 runs.

One of the main roads leading to the stadium witnessed long traffic jams due to the match. Tarnaka-Uppal road was chock-a-block with hundreds of vehicles coming from Secunderabad side.

The ongoing work on Hyderabad Metro Rail on the stretch is already leading to frequent traffic snarls. The spectators coming to the stadium and the office goers had to face severe inconvenience.

Will Sachin break his Hyderabad hoodoo? (http://www.mid-day.com/sports/2013/mar/020313-will-sachin-break-his-hyderabad-hoodoo.htm)

Three of Sachin Tendulkar's 100 international centuries have come in Hyderabad, but they have all come in one-day cricket. Will the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium (RGIS) witness his first Test ton?

Fat chance given the masterly fashion he batted in the first innings of the Chennai Test before being bowled by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon for 81. The RGIS is the only Indian Test ground, apart from Kanpur’s Green Park. that has not seen a Tendulkar Test ton.

The Hyderabad crowd, especially those who witnessed his 186 not out in the ODI against New Zealand in 1999-2000, will be hoping for a three-figure knock. Apart from the massive 175 he scored vs Australia (2009), Tendulkar also took a hundred off NZ in the 2003 TVS Cup.

Hyderabad local Venkatapathy Raju, who’s been Tendulkar’s teammate till his last Test in Kolkata 2001, is hoping for ton too. “I am not ruling that (a hundred) out. It will be great for the local fans,” Raju said.

No bad blood, says happily retired VVS (http://www.hindustantimes.com/Specials/Cricket/India-VS-Australia-2013/Chunk-HT-UI-IndiaVSAustralia2013-DontMiss/No-bad-blood-says-happily-retired-VVS/SP-Article10-1019793.aspx)

The last time there was a Test at Hyderabad, it was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding VVS Laxman's retirement, with the theory doing the rounds that skipper MS Dhoni had pushed him into doing so.



Clearing the air
On Friday, Laxman cleared the air, calling Dhoni a good friend. "I am happy that I have retired; I am a contented man," said Laxman after releasing the book, Talking Cricket, a compilation of interviews by Cricinfo.
A controversy had erupted last year when Dhoni was not among the invitees during a dinner function at Laxman's residence. "The one week after I announced the retirement was very tough. Suddenly, a dinner invite to a few friends in the team became national news. It was bound to happen, as people didn't anticipate that (retirement ahead of the home Test). It's part and parcel of the game.

'Always friends'
"I am friends with Dhoni. He's an amazing person and one of the best captains. He is the best person to lead India at the moment," said Laxman

The Hyderabadi also reiterated that the timing of his retirement was perfect. "I retired because I felt it was the right time," said Laxman. During the first Test against Australia at Chennai, Laxman had again created a controversy when he had criticised Dhoni's handling of Harbhajan Singh.

Elite Football League of India confirms Hyderabad SkyKings (http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/elite_football_league_of_india_confirms_hyderabad_skykings_team/)

The Elite Football League of India (EFLI) has sold a new franchise in Hyderabad to one of its key investors.

Movva Sports, owned by Hyderabad native Dr Venkatesh Movva, has purchased the rights to the Hyderabad SkyKings, who will debut in the league's second season when it starts in December. The team will be the ninth in the league and its games will be broadcast in India and 13 neighbouring countries on the Ten Sports network.

Ten Sports to broadcast Indian American football league
"Ven has been an early investor in the league and a significant contributor," said EFLI chief executive Richard Whelan. "He also travelled to India and developed the player health and safety protocol for the league. As a native of India living in the United States, Ven understands the growth in professional football media rights and franchise values achieved by the NFL and how this might translate in India through the EFLI."

EFLI signs shoulder pad technology sponsor
Sunday Zeller, the EFLI president, said that Movva was "a very passionate and powerful businessman who has been with us from the beginning and he perfectly typifies what we are looking for in team ownership".

Movva added: "Our mission in owning the team is not only to provide a fast-paced, action-packed entertainment sport to the city, but also to provide opportunities for local youth to excel in the sport and enjoy the benefits of being a professional athlete."

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium

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Source (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=497595593637287&set=a.491563360907177.114677.443622299034617&type=1&theater)

Incredible stats from India vs Australia at Hyderabad (http://www.firstpost.com/sports/incredible-stats-from-india-vs-australia-at-hyderabad-650775.html)

Australia were crushed by a huge margin of an innings and 135 runs by India at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium — a win that is India’s sixth biggest overall and their second biggest ever against Australia.

The win also made Mahendra Singh Dhoni India’s most successful Test captain. It was his 22nd win, taking him past Sourav Ganguly’s tally of 21 wins. And Dhoni needed four fewer Tests to surpass Ganguly’s tally.

Dhoni’s record in home Tests is just remarkable. Out of a total of 26 Tests at home, Dhoni has lost only three (two of those defeats came in the last series against England, while the only other came against South Africa in 2010). Dhoni’s 17 wins at home are easily the most by any Indian captain, with Mohammad Azharuddin the distant second with 13 wins.

Ashwin in action against the Aussies at Hyderabad. PTI
Dhoni has captained against Australia in six Tests at home and has won all six! His win-tally against Australia is the highest for an Indian captain, well ahead of Sunil Gavaskar and Sourav Ganguly, who both won three Tests each.

It was the seventh time that India won a Test by innings margin under Dhoni’s leadership. Mohammad Azharuddin holds the Indian record with eight such wins.

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On the first day of the Test Michael Clarke made an unexpected declaration with team score at 237 for nine. This provided only the third instance in Test history of a side declaring its innings on the very first day of a Test. The other two had come at Lord’s.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had gone wicketless in Chennai Test, but it was he who started Australia’s collapse at Hyderabad by taking first three wickets of Australian innings. David Warner’s wicket was his first in Test cricket and with this, he got a unique record to his name.

Kumar’s first wickets in all three formats of international cricket were all bowled (he had dismissed Nasir Jamshed and Mohammad Hafeez as his first wickets in Twenty20 internationals and One-day Internationals respectively). There have been a few players who have taken first wicket as bowled in two formats, but none had done this in all three before Kumar.

Incidentally there are seven other players who have taken their first wicket in each of the three formats without any assistance from a teammate. The complete list:

The second day of Hyderabad Test will go down as one of India’s most dominating days against Australia (in terms of batting) as Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara went on scoring spree.

306 runs were added to India’s total with the loss of only one wicket (Sehwag). There have been only two occasions when India scored more runs against Australia in a day losing fewer or same number of wickets.



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Sunrisers add Waqar to their support team (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl/news/Sunrisers-add-Waqar-to-their-support-team/articleshow/18856608.cms)

HYDERABAD: The city's new IPL franchisee, Sunrisers Hyderabad are yet to begin their stint in the tournament, but they have already added reverse swing to their squad, albeit in a coaching capacity, when they roped in former Pakistani captain and fast bowler Waqar Younis as their bowling coach for the 6th edition of the tournament starting April 3, a highly placed source in the franchise said.

The 41-year-old former Pakistani speedster will be on a six-week contract, the source revealed. The Sunrisers open their IPL-6 campaign against Pune Warriors at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal on April 5.

"We have zeroed in on Waqar (Younis) as our bowling coach... We presume that his vast experience will help us in the IPL... We are yet to finish the formalities and once that is done we will make a formal announcement," the source said. Waqar confirmed the news to TOI over phone from Sydney. "Yes, I have decided to join the Sunrisers Hyderabad. I am very happy to join the IPL and I hope my experience will help them," Waqar said Thursday morning.

City lad Srinivas strikes it big (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/city-lad-srinivas-strikes-it-big/article4488087.ece)

At 20 he is the youngest-ever to be crowned the senior national carrom champion
For K. Srinivas it has been a terrific journey from the bylanes of Parsigutta locality in Secunderabad to be crowned the youngest-ever senior national carrom champion at the age of 20.

This gifted player shocked former world champion Yogesh Pardesi 13-25, 21-17, 25-6 in the men’s singles final in Akola (Maharashtra).

Interestingly, the champion’s father K. Yellaiah, who earns livelihood by running a small-time hair dressing saloon, is not sure of the national title’s significance as it is his mother Sayamma who keeps track of the son’s rise in the circuit. Srinivas is the first Hyderabadi to win the title, after Ravinder Goud, who achieved a similar feat in 2006.

And when Srinivas, accompanied by Hyderabad Carrom Association founder president B. K. Haranath called on top SAAP official T.R.K. Rao on Thursday to remind the incentive which he is due for winning the national title, it clearly reflected how champions in lesser-known sports disciplines still struggle for recognition.

INSPIRED BY BROTHER

Srinivas, who took to carrom after being inspired by his brother K. Tirupati, won the State-level title when he clinched the under-14 title at Victory Playground. He is also the reigning Fed Cup champion and India No. 3 in the seniors category.

“Winning the senior national is really special and that too against my own teammate and ex-world champion Yogesh. I learnt so much watching him and M. Nataraj of Indian Airlines in recent times,” said Srinivas, for whom it was his fifth senior national tourney.

He has big plans ahead. “The 2014 World Cup and the 2016 World Championships are the big goals I am chasing. I hope to realise my dreams,” he says.

DEDICATES WIN TO COACH

The newly-crowned national champion dedicated his victory to coach Shobhan Raj and his brother Tirupathi. He also elated for having completed a ‘double’ by winning the team title too for IOC in the senior nationals!