Hyderabad Sports | Stadiums

[Gudavalli]

A cricketer who played the game on his terms

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.

[Ron7]

Cue sports academy for city planned

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. 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.

[Gudavalli]

World Junior Table Tennis championship from Dec 9 to 16

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.

[Gudavalli]

Hyderabad follows on, but holds out for a draw

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.

[Ron7]

Hyderabad franchise has attracted the maximum number of bids in IBL

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. 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. "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.

[Gudavalli]

Sun TV gets JWT to build its IPL team brand

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.

[Gudavalli]

Mixed outing for Indian paddlers in World Junior TT

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.

[World8115]

Tender for Sports Complex, Swimming Pool at Khajaguda - http://www.ghmc.gov.in/tender%20pdfs/Khajaguda,.pdf

[Gudavalli]

World Junior TT: Manika, Rohit enter main draw

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.

[Gudavalli]

Hyderabad boy clinches Asian schools chess title

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.

[Gudavalli]

China claims all titles at junior World TT Championship

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.

[Gudavalli]

5 takeaways from World Junior Table Tennis Championships held in Hyderabad

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.

[sriece19]

Originally Posted by Gudavalli

5 takeaways from World Junior Table Tennis Championships held in Hyderabad

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

[Gudavalli]

Sun Risers to represent Hyderabad in IPL

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.

[pkrm]

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

[World8115]

Stupid name , hope it is not confirmed. Although shortcut is cool (HSR, high speed rail)

[Gudavalli]

Srikkanth to mentor Team Hyderabad, Moody is coach

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.

[Gudavalli]

[Gudavalli]

Sunrisers, new entity in IPL

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.

[Gudavalli]

VVS Laxman proud to mentor IPL's new Hyderabad franchise 'Sunrisers'

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.