Hyderabad Sports | Stadiums

[Ron7]

Hyderabad cleared to host IPL matches

Sunrisers Hyderabad will play their home matches at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium during the course of the sixth edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). The decision was announced on Saturday through a release which said that Visaka Industries had agreed to drop their advertisements here for the tournament.

The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) is bound to hand over a stadium free from promotional displays to the BCCI for the course of IPL - as are all other venues. Visaka Industries though had a deal with HCA because it helped construct the stadium in 2004. Now, the HCA has paid a compensation of Rs 75 lakh to shelve the in-stadia advertisements apart from giving up on 4 of the allotted 12 corporate boxes.

Sunrisers Hyderabad is currently owned by Sun TV and was formerly under Deccan Chronicle. The team had won the 2009 edition of IPL.

[Gudavalli]

Hyderabad Cricket Association in race against time to get lights in order for IPL

HYDERABAD: There seems to be no light at the end of the HCA's tunnel. The officials keep stumbling time and again and all their 'short-term measures' just end up short of solving problems and instead create new ones.

With just 18 days to go for the first IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Pune Warriors (April 5) to be held at the RGIC Stadium in Uppal, the HCA bigwigs are racing against time to get the floodlights in order.

The floodlighting of the stadium was completed in 2008 at a cost of Rs 6.25 crore but when the six towers were erected there was no canopy (roofing) of the stadium.

The putting up of the roof at the South and North ends of the stadium recently has created a problem and the HCA officials were left in a quandary.

The officials immediately swung into action and asked the design engineers of M/s Bajaj Electrical Limited - who had executed the earlier works - to look into the matter and suggest remedial measures. According to their report "the illumination of North and South stands is to some extent affected due to the erection of the roof and has to be made up by providing additional lights - 64 lights of 2 KW for the South stand and 12 lights for the North stand to bring the illumination to international standards."

The company sent a quotation for Rs 60 lakh - Rs 25 lakh for man power cost alone - for the remedial measures. Running short of time, the HCA bigwigs agreed to award the work to Bajaj Electricals and called for an EC meeting on Monday to get its approval. But the members didn't oblige.

"The president, secretary and two vice-presidents held a meeting on the issue and decided to award the work to Bajaj. They wanted the EC to approve it today but the members raised objections on the manner in which things are being done. What irked the members was that secretary MV Sridhar was not present at the meeting. They stalled the issue saying that a decision couldn't be taken in the absence of Sridhar. Hence, the meeting was adjourned till tomorrow," a member said.

"The members were also worried about the structure bearing additional weight. The engineers themselves are apprehensive of it and have asked for confirmation of it. If something unfortunate happens and the structure collapses who will be responsible for it," the member questioned.

The canopy work has been going on for more than a year and one fails to understand why the HCA officials didn't take into consideration the fact that the roofing could affect the lighting of the ground.

"When it was decided to go in for the roofing of the stadium, one should have thought about lighting too and taken necessary measures to ensure that the lighting wasn't affected. The officials seemed to be keen on getting the roof in place and didn't pay attention to the related problems," a former EC member said.

Sources said that the officials didn't call for a tender process and neither was quotations sought from other agencies "because of the lack of time."

"How can a work which costs Rs 60 lakh be given without a tender process. Time and again the officials flout all rules to suit their own needs," a member said.

"If the officials were alert to the issue, then they could have looked into the matter earlier and taken remedial measures. Even if the lighting had to be enhanced, we could have gone through a tender process so as to ensure transparency and at the same time save monies for the association," he added.

What is ironical is that the awarding of the contract to Bajaj Electricals in 2008 itself was not without its fair share of controversy. "How is it that a company which was 'favoured' by the officials get the contract again?" sources questioned.

With the company seeking 25 days for completion of the work, it remains to be seen if the lighting will be in place before the first match.

[sriece19]

Sunrisers Hyderabad acquire Waqar Younis

This year’s new IPL franchisee, Sunrisers Hyderabad have captured the services of the “sultan of reverse swing”, Waqar Younis. With tournament still a little under a month away, the Sunrisers have zeroed in on the bowling coach for the 6th edition of the tournament starting April 3, a highly placed source in the Sunriseres said.

The 41-year-old former Pakistan national team coach will be on a contract for one season. The Sunrisers start their journey against Pune Warriors at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Uppal.

“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”.

Confirming the news Waqar told to TOI: “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”.

[sriece19]

MakeMyTrip to sponsor Hyderabad IPL team

Online portal MakeMyTrip will sponsor Indian Premier League's newest cricket team, Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The cricket team is promoted by Chennai based Sun Group, owners of low cost airline SpiceJet.

Deep Kalra, CEO & Founder, MakeMyTrip.com said, “We are delighted to partner with Sunrisers Hyderabad and reach out to millions of IPL fans through this association. The IPL beautifully demonstrates the synergies of the twin passions of Cricket and Travel, with fans following their teams to match-venues across different parts of the country."

The portal will also launch a marketing campaign targeted at travelers and IPL fans in April 2013, company announced today.

MakeMyTrip is listed on NASADQ and runs online airline and hotel reservation and tour business in India and South East Asia.

Till about a year ago over 90% of company revenue come from India, and bulk of it came from airline ticketing,.But with margins in airline business under pressure the portal is promoting leisure travel and holiday business in a large way.

To commemorate this association the portal will also launch a new campaign featuring an extension of the current brand promise. It will showcase the Sunrisers association through a television commercial featuring the team’s players—Dale Steyn, Cameron White and Ishant Sharma.

"This will be aired to coincide with the launch of the IPL 2013 season. It will simultaneously launch promotions through its website, retail stores and social media properties. MakeMyTrip customers and Sunrisers’ Fans can look forward to a Meet & Greet with the players as part of the activation," the company added.

[tikkasriharsha]

[sriece19]

With lights in place, Uppal stadium set for IPL action

It was a moment of relief for the Hyderabad Cricket Association officials when the IPL match referee and former Australian opener David Boon gave the ‘thumbs up’ signal for the alternative lighting system installed at the pavilion end.

Mr. Boon was present on Thursday night when the lights, installed involving an expenditure of at Rs. 32 lakh to cover up for the deficiency in the two floodlit towers blocked by the canopy (roofing), were switched on when the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Pune Warriors, had their training session on the eve of their season opener tomorrow.

“Mr. Boon was happy about the lighting system and declared it to be match-fit. So were the two teams which trained this evening,” a senior official of HCA informed The Hindu.

“In fact, the BCCI was also informed about this positive signal from the match referee,” he added.

The HCA would also install similar lighting (on two mini towers) beneath the canopy at the opposite end of the pavilion to ensure that there was no scope for any complaint .

[sriece19]

Flying start for another city girl

It may sound strange, but for Nidhi Chilumala it is an achievement in itself when she became the highest ranked WTA singles player from Andhra Pradesh – to be precise ranked No. 610 with the best ever women tennis player from India Sania Mirza ranked at No. 702.

In a way, this could well suggest the other side of Indian women’s tennis – the huge gap between a champion like Sania and the others who dream to emulate her feats. And moreover the champion player’s ranking dropped as she stopped playing singles because of a series of injuries.

Nidhi, who showed her talent by reaching the quarter-final and the semi-final of the ITF tennis tournaments in the city recently, is widely believed to be one of the best talent to emerge in the circuit.

The 18-year-old Nidhi still proudly recalls the days when she used to cheer up shouting ‘Sania, Sania’ from the stands in the 2005 Hyderabad WTA event.

Clearly inspired by Sania’s achievements, which include two Grand Slam titles, which continue to be a distant dream for many gifted players from India now, Nidhi took to sport at the age of eight and is a huge fan of Justin Henin of Belgium and Victoria Azeranka of Belarus.

One of the most unnoticed achievements by this talented youngster was when Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy presented a cash incentive of Rs.1.5 lakh for silver medal in the Ranchi National Games.

“Yes, it would be great if we continue to host many more ITF titles and it would be even more remarkable if Hyderabad were to host WTA events,” says a smiling Nidhi.

Her coach Neelakanteshwar Rao, who trains her at IRISET and Jubilee Hills Public School, is confident of his trainee going to places.

“She has the talent, grit, determination and the willingness to put in that extra effort in training sessions,” he reminds.

Nidhi is not so naïve to relax on her latest feat for she is in the mood to keep improving.

EYES GRAND SLAM

“The road ahead is always going to be highly demanding and very competitive. There are no shortcuts for success. I will not be found wanting in my commitment and hard work to realise my dream of playing in a Grand Slam one day and then aim much bigger,” she says with all seriousness.

Right now, Nidhi is focussed to play as many as ITF events as possible to improve her rankings so that she crosses the magical top 100 mark to be eligible to compete in the WTA events.

“That is the first target and then I will think of other things,” she says.

[sandeeprai99]

And the SUN rises for MAA hyderabad

[Gudavalli]

City racers win laurels sans support

Youngsters do the city proud recording noteworthy achievements in Valley Run-2013

Though there is not much of encouragement for motor sport in Hyderabad, a group of youngsters did the city proud when they recorded noteworthy achievements in the Valley Run-2013, a popular drag racing event held in Aambi Valley, in Pune last month.

City lad Sonu Sandeep Singh Sokhi set a record of covering the quarter mile (400 metres) in 10.2 seconds on his BMW S 1000RR. A timing, which the American drag racing champion Rickey Gadson, had to struggle to equal. Gadson, a ten-time world champion, had to try at least eight times to equal the timing on a Kawasaki ZX 14 R. Gadson who gave away the prize to Sokhi was so impressed that he posed many questions on the achievement, recalls Sokhi.

“This is the biggest achievement for me because there is not much of encouragement for motor sports in Hyderabad,” the lanky youngster smiles with pride.

It is not just Sokhi from Hyderabad. There were several youngsters who put on phenomenal performance on the track. There were 15 motor sports enthusiasts from Hyderabad who participated in different events and won laurels. Amit Sarma, who drove a Honda CBR-1000, topped in the foreign 1000 CC race. Gaurav Naidu, who was riding a Yamaha R1 1000CC bike, stood third in foreign class, while Zaved came third in the Indian 350 CC two-stroke class.

Another impressive performance was that of Neeraj Kumar Sarma who clocked 9.2 seconds in 400 metres in the ‘wheely class’. There were seven participants in the ‘wheely’ class, but none of them could complete the quarter mile (400 meters), while only Neeraj completed it on his Yamaha R1 1000CC.

The winning spree of Hyderabadis is noteworthy in the backdrop of practically no support for motor sports enthusiasts. “There is no race track here unlike in Delhi or Pune. It’s only the enthusiasm that fuels us,” asserts Sokhi. Bike enthusiasts do get onto the ORR stretches for practice. But what they find highly objectionable is the media portraying them as youngsters racing for bets.

[Gudavalli]

Sania’s academy to build future

Hyderabad: Having ruled women’s tennis in India for almost a decade during which she has scaled a career-high World No.27 in singles, Sania Mirza has embarked on a new mission — churning champions on the tennis court.

That’s the focus at the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy in Murtuzaguda, a 25-minute drive from Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad.

Spread over four acres, the SMTA boasts of nine Grand Slam standard hard courts, a state-of-the-art gym and a clubhouse for now. With three more clay courts, a swimming pool, a football ground and a running track set to come up, it is being tipped as one of the best facilities in the country.

“I wish I had something like this. When I started playing, leave alone people believing that you could be a tennis player, there were no proper courts to play tennis on... makes it so much more difficult when you are fighting so many more odds to become a professional tennis player,” Sania said.

“There used to be cow dung courts and then came the clay ones. Even the courts at Lal Bahadur Stadium were of clay -right now they're hard. There were no hard courts whereas 80 per cent of the matches at competitions were played on hard surfaces... and there was this one person who owned a court somewhere in Secunderabad and was gracious enough to let us practice for some time,“ the 26-year-old recalled.

Sania felt SMTA “will probably be the best facility in the country, maybe even in the subcontinent because it is very hard to find 12 quality courts at one place.“

“The courts have been laid by the same people who have done the courts at the Australian Open, which makes them Grand Slam standard. I think in the next two or three months when it’s all set up — the football ground, the running track, the swimming pool and three more clay courts — there would be basically everything that is relevant to tennis. I was adamant about all these because what happened to me, no one really knew at that time. We didn’t know, the coaches didn’t know that physically you have to start building a base since you are 4, 5 or 6 years old,” she explained.

[Gudavalli]

SunRisers Hyderabad Rising On Social Media In IPL 6

[Gudavalli]

Indoor cricket facility to come up in Hyderabad soon

P. R. Man Singh, Indian team manager of the 1983 World Cup winning team, will soon introduce an indoor cricket facility in the city.

This essentially means it will be a 30 ft x 90 ft indoor facility and the first such centre will be at Neeraj International School, thanks to the initiative of its Director Gavish Reddy.

The indoor cricket complex will comprise the outfield and the pitch (playing area) made of astro-turf and of different colours to give it a striking contrast.

“Since, Neeraj School has been gracious enough to provide the space, the project might cost us about Rs. 30 lakh. After an in-depth study of the concept in Australia and given the craze in Hyderabad for the sport, we thought this is worth trying,” Mr. Man Singh told The Hindu. The theme of the concept is simple -- play cricket to stay fit. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that only regular cricketers have to be in action. All those who are passionate about the sport can enjoy the game as each match will last about 90 minutes,” said Man Singh.

The idea is to encourage matches of six-a-side teams wherein everyone gets a chance either to bat or bowl, the former HCA secretary said to a query. In a way, this is gully cricket in a polished format which will be played in a 24x7 indoor facility.

IMPORTANTLY, THE VETERANS CRICKET ASSOCIATION OF HYDERABAD HAS ENTERED INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH WEST AUSTRALIA CRICKET ASSOCIATION FOR AN EXCHANGE PROGRAMME OF UNDER-16 TEAMS IN THIS REGARD. “KARL DE MARIO, WHO IS AN AUTHORITY ON THIS SUBJECT, WILL BE VISITING THE CITY SOON TO GIVE A FINAL SHAPE TO THE CONCEPT,” MR. SINGH SAID

“MATCHES APART, ANYONE CAN ALSO TRAIN AT THE INDOOR FACILITY AS THE SPECIALLY DESIGNED BALLS WILL BE MUCH SOFTER AND WILL HAVE EXTRA BOUNCE THAN THE NORMAL ONES,” MR. SINGH SAID.

[Gudavalli]

IPL 2013: Soaring temperatures? 40 degrees no match for Hyderabad fans

It was a full house as the tickets were sold out more than a week ago. Nearly 30,000 turned out to watch the contest between the home team and Mumbai Indians.

Hyderabad: The blazing sun did not deter cricket-crazy fans from turning up in huge numbers to watch the IPL action between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians at the Rajiv Gandhi international stadium here Wednesday.

Braving over 40 degree temperature, the fans filled the stands long before the match began at 4 p.m.

It was a full house as the tickets were sold out more than a week ago. Nearly 30,000 turned out to watch the contest between the home team, which has won all three matches played here this season, and the star-studded Mumbai Indians.

The holiday crowd, on account of Labour Day May 1, many of home who turned up to see Sachin Tendulkar play for one more time, were clearly disappointed with his early departure. The crowd lustily cheered two boundaries the little master in his short stay at the crease.

It was local boy Ambati Rayudu, playing for the rival team, and Dwayne Smith who provided some entertainment with a few boundaries in the low-scoring match. The West Indian hit both the sixes of MI innings.

The fans cheered every boundary hit by the home team in their chase of 130. Carrying the Sunrisers flags they showed their excitement when Shikhar Dhawan hit Mumbai Indians bowlers for boundaries. The southpaw thoroughly entertained the crowd with some big hitting.

The crowd was not entirely partisan as they also cheered some good fielding effort by Mumbai Indians players.

It was the first day-night match here. "I don't know how people turned up in such large numbers in these hot conditions," said a security officer, who was surprised to see the enthusiasm. He felt that matches should start at 8 p.m to escape the scorching sun.

[Gudavalli]

Yudhvir award for Saina Nehwal

The award, instituted in the memory of freedom fighter, journalist and founder of the daily Hindi Milap, Yudhvir, was presented to Saina by Andhra Pradesh Lokayukta Justice B Subhashan Reddy, this evening at a function.

Hyderabad: Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal on Tuesday, conferred the 22nd Yudhvir Memorial Foundation Award for her outstanding performance in the field of sports.

The award, instituted in the memory of freedom fighter, journalist and founder of the daily Hindi Milap, Yudhvir, was presented to Saina by Andhra Pradesh Lokayukta Justice B Subhashan Reddy, this evening at a function.

The Yudhvir Memorial Award was constituted by the Yudhvir Foundation in 1991 to commemorate the lifetime work of late Yudhvir.

The annual award consists of a citation and a cash prize of Rs 50,000.

[Gudavalli]

Sindhu targets entry into top 10 by year-end

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu was all smiles and struggling to express her feelings as she was seated adjacent to her coach and mentor Pullela Gopi Chand.

“Well, in a way, Sindhu by winning the Malaysian Open Grand Prix has forced a rethink in terms of my workload for the 2016 Olympics as now I have to train two prospective medallists,” he remarked at the Gopi Chand Academy here on Monday.

And, to the delight of everyone present around, Sindhu, now ranked World No. 13, declared that her first target by this year-end is to break into the top 10 and very soon get the World No. 1 ranking. Still unable to control the smile, the 17-year-old shuttler promised to live up to the expectations of her idol, Gopi, and everyone around.

“No doubt, Sindhu has still a long way to go. You are going to be marked once you start winning and I am sure this young champion will win many more titles in the days to come. But at the same time it also means you need to be in a different zone when it comes to preparation for the big events even while making necessary changes,” Gopi said. Sindhu said by not winning any title since the Asian under-19 championship last July did not mean that she was not playing well. “There are certain things which are beyond our control on a given day. But, I am trying to master some of the finer aspects to be a consistent winner of titles,” she said. “And there were many wins against big players and the most satisfying being the one when I defeated reigning Olympic gold medallist Li Xuerui.”

DAUGHTER OF FORMER VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS -- ARJUNA AWARDEE P. V. RAMANA AND VIJAYA --, SINDHU AGREED THAT SHE HAD TO IMPROVE HER DEFENCE A LOT EVEN WHILE SHE LOVES TO ATTACK THE OPPONENT. “I AM CONFIDENT OF BEING A MUCH BETTER PLAYER IN THE DAYS TO COME,” SHE SAID.

APBA VICE-PRESIDENT V. CHAMUNDESWARANATH, WHO SIGNED A SPONSORSHIP DEAL LAST YEAR WITH SINDHU FOR FIVE YEARS, HOPED THAT THE LATTER WOULD BRING MORE LAURELS TO THE COUNTRY.

[Gudavalli]

Sachin's firm to manage PV Sindhu

HYDERABAD: Shuttler PV Sindhu, who landed her first title on Sunday, received a shot in the arm as she inked a deal with Universal Collectabillia, company jointly owned by ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

An avid fan of badminton, Tendulkar, who holds a substantial stake in the company, along with his friend Chamundeswarnath and Anjana Reddy are the joint owners of this merchandise and brand extension firm.

The 17-year-old shuttler signed a deal with this firm a few months back and would be managed by the company until 2016 Olympics.

Revealing this here, Chamundeswaranth, said that firm will look after Sindhu's career. "We will be managing her till next Olympics. She is a bright prospect and had just started winning titles," said Chamundi, who along with his friends gave Rs 5 lakh reward to Sindhu for winning the Malaysia Grand Prix Gold.

Coach P Gopichand said that Sindhu is lucky to be managed by such a big firm. "Getting support from such a popular firm will help her a lot. She is very lucky to get this sort of support early in her career," Gopi said.

[Gudavalli]

A perfect landing

Anup Kumar Yama, the 6th best skater in the world tells that skating has been the only constant in his life

If you ever meet Anup Kumar Yama, you’ll find yourself smiling more often. All of 28, Anup is as humble and knows how to work his facial muscles into an infectious smile that never seems to leave his countenance. Log on to Youtube and watch him glide his way across wooden and ice-rinks with panache, there are falls – many of them but he goes about his routine with that smile. “Every time we practice, we fall at least ten times,” smiles Anup. If you’re still guessing, Anup is the only skater in India to participate in ten World Championships; he is ranked number 1 in India and 3 in Asia and 6 in the world!

For 24 years, Anup has had one constant in his life – skating. He was introduced to the sport as a four-year-old by his father Veeresh Yama at the exhibition grounds in Nampally, “I saw people skating there and I thought it was very ‘cool’,” he laughs. Anup’s father realised that he had a natural flair for the sport and encouraged him at every step. Anup’s older brother is a skater too but he never took it up professionally and concentrated on coaching Anup instead. “My father was a recreational skater, he used to do a little bit of artistic skating and I used to be in awe of him. I have vague memories of him skating backwards and it always used to puzzle me,” he recalls. Like all good Indian boys Anup too has an academic qualification: a master’s degree in business management from Maharishi Institute in the city. “I had a tough time managing both,” he smirks. But in cupboards full of medals, the degree gathers dust and matters the least. Anup never had the usual troubles of convincing his parents of the importance of his sport but that did not make his training any easier. “For both, my brother and me, skating was given top priority. We used to miss out on classes; that meant going to tuitions,” he says. Skating championships ate away a chunk of Anup’s school life; that meant negotiating with teachers; add to all this a practice routine that started at 3.30 a.m.

Anup took to skating at a time when the sport, especially artistic skating, wasn’t popular. Even now the sport has a ‘punkish’ appeal; “People used to think that you just have to skate to music, no one knew of the techniques as such,” says Anup. Initially, Anup’s techniques were raw primarily because of lack of any awareness about the sport, but soon enough through networking, Anup’s coach got hold of books from the USA. “It is unfortunate but the situation across India is the same. “My seniors also didn’t know how to jump up in the air with grace and land with élan, we knew how to but the technique was lacking,” he says. People were kind enough to respond and helped Anup out with books periodically. “In fact they were surprised to find out that skating existed as a sport in a country like India,” he says. In a sport that demands a gold standard in fitness and flexibility, Anup stands out in introducing the world of skating to India with his kicks, spins, jumps and graceful landings.

Anup competed for the first time as a 14-year-old, in 1999 at the Asian and World Championship in China and Australia respectively. This is where he first experienced the international arena of skating. He realised that he was grossly under-prepared and didn’t have access to half the infrastructure that the other skaters had. “I felt miserable. Kids younger than me were doing so well. It shook me,” Determined to make a mark, Anup met and networked with many coaches abroad. A coach from France was the first of many who ended up coming to India to coach him for a while. Anup mobilised skaters from across India who were serious about the sport and formed a small group who would join the skating camp every year for 15 days and learn under the best. “Each one of the coaches I worked under had something new to share. They taught us a lot about skating the categories like roller blades, inline skating and quad-skates. Anup recalls having to struggle a lot, “At 14, when I thought I was good, I wasn’t and I had to unlearn and relearn,” he shrugs. But Anup’s struggle has paved a much smoother path for future skaters by taking the sport to the nationals and winning an array of medals. “Now, the kids can expect to be at a world-class level in ten years, it took us double that time,” he says. Anup currently has about 40 students under his wing and he realises that teaching helps him keep his fundamentals in life.

Anup used to feel special when he’d put on the skates, something he was good at. “I had a fascination for the sport and that is why I have been successful because that fascination became passion,” he says. With years of training, streaks of winning and losing, he has finally put himself on the world map. Winning apart, in 2010 Anup established the Yama School of Skating through which he has trained many enthusiastic skaters who have gone on to win national medals. “I have always wanted to give back something to the sport. The real success is when you leave a legacy of winners,” he says. If there is such a thing that bothers Anup, is the scant recognition the game gets in India considering that it is a popular sport in Europe. “I am well-recognised in Europe, but in Hyderabad people still do double take at the mention of skating. Things are however changing for the better,” he feels.

Medal Tally

Anup has over 78 gold medals at the national level; eight gold, five silver and nine bronze at the Asian level and one bronze at the world championship.

He won two bronze medals at the 2010 Asian Games in pairs and men’s singles free skating. He won a bronze medal in 2012 for Inline Artistic Roller Skating World Championship at New Zealand.

If all goes well, Anup hopes to participate in the forthcoming Olympics. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has recommended Anup for the Arjuna Award.

[Gudavalli]

Record crowd savours Sunrisers’ grand victory

The response of the crowd, just days after the game was rocked by a scandal, was a reminder that for the fan on the streets what matters is a good contest

The biggest crowd for all IPL games this season in the city – to be precise - 31, 693 at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium – savoured the memorable, final moments of the IPL game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, cheering the triumphant SRH players lustily.

They all came to the party – with faces painted, wearing colourful ‘wigs’ and waving the flags untiringly. Often bursting into a deafening roar of applause to signal every moment of triumph for SRH on the field. The Mexican Waves were there too. The crowd was on its feet when Shikhar Dhawan leapt in the air to slash Jacques Kallis over point for a six.

At the end of all, they had every reason to go back home smiling, with a sense of ‘achievement and immense satisfaction’ as their local favourites SRH scripted a memorable finish – beating KKR to make it to the play-off phase of 2013 IPL on Sunday night.

There was excitement all round as SRH battled for one last time in the league phase in front of home crowds this season. When the moment of reckoning had finally dawned, the joy of the fans knew no bounds.

“We are here to see our team win the game and qualify for the play-offs. We are not concerned about these things (spot-fixing) for the simple reason that not all cricketers can be treated on par just because some of them were allegedly involved,” argues businessman Ravinder Reddy of Sravya Graphics, a left-arm spinner who played club cricket in 70s and 80s.

The response from the fans was in tune with the expectations. The passionate appeal by SRH mentor Krishnamachari Srikkanth to treat his outfit as ‘mana Hyderabad’ seemed to have been well received.

This crowd response, just a couple of days after the game was rocked by the ‘spot-fixing’ scandal, was in fact a gentle reminder that for the fan on the streets what matters is a good contest out there in the middle even as some of the ‘players’ might just be tempted to cross the ‘Laxman Rekha’.

[Gudavalli]

[Gudavalli]

Pedal pushing from London to Paris

Eight members from the Hyderabad Bicycling Club are set to take part in the London to Paris Cycle Challenge. Hyderabad Times turns the spotlight on them.

Not many would fancy the idea of cycling 520 kilometers for charity. But members of the Hyderabad Bicycling Club are not only peddling for charity, but are doing so via a long route - London to Paris. And the team is a diverse mix of young and old, with the star attraction being Aditya Mehta, a double silver medalist at the Asian Para-Cycling Championship, who is hoping to "cycle the last two days without his prosthetic limb." With just few days to go for the challenge, the Indian delegation is geared-up to pedal in the right direction.

Each of the eight members of the Indian delegation is contributing £1000 each to take part in the U Foundation 7th Annual London to Paris Cycle Challenge that will kick off on May 28, where they will be joined by over 100 cyclists from across the world. DV Manohar, chairman, HCC, who is leading the pack, believes the cycling expedition isn't just about covering long distances and endurance.

He was a 57-year-old diabetic when he took part in the fifth edition of the cycling expedition in 2011. "It is gruelling no doubt, but the bike ride is more about meeting like-minded people from diverse backgrounds sharing their fund-raising stories. It's all about friendship, group effort and collective spirit," shares Manohar, who happened to take to cycling to fight diabetes at the age of 55 again - 40 years after he'd last cycled as a 15-year-old. "I had begun cycling just 15 months prior participating in the cycling challenge a couple of years ago. I'm hoping to better my time in this year's challenge," shares the 59-year-old.

While Manohar is the oldest in the group, Aditya Mehta, the double silver medalist at the Asian Para-Cycling Championship, is all enthused to finish the last leg without his prosthetic limbs. "I've been practicing for the last couple of months and am quite confident. Last month I rode 86 km to Vikarabad with just one leg successfully. A couple of weeks ago, I was planning to cycle up to Nizamabad, but had a flat tyre at Kamareddy (about 120 km) and had to stop there. I am feeling good and hopefully will be able to complete the second half of the challenge without my prosthetic," explains Aditya. The cyclist, through his feat, is hoping to inspire more people who've lost their limbs. "I just want to show myself and people around that losing a limb is not the end of the world," he says.

Srinivas Hosamane, country head of a Hyderabad based MNC and his wife Asha, Prashanth Krishnadas, a city based jeweller and Dharmin, 20-year-old son of DV Manohar complete the team. At 20, Dharmin is the youngest member of the team. Currently studying in the US, Dharmin had participated in 2011 edition of the race along with his dad. "I had a fall on the third day of the challenge and suffered a minor fracture. I am keen on going the whole hog this time," shares the youngster, who will be joining the team directly in London.

The challenge begins from Kent, London and ends in Paris four days later with the participants covering distances of 140 kilometers a day. The first day is the toughest with participants having to cover a gruelling 145 km distance to Dover Port through mountains with steep climbs and thick forests. The race kicks off at 7 am and the participants need to reach their destination before 4 pm to catch the last ferry to cross the English Channel. The ferry then drops them off at the port town of Calais in France. The second day too involves a 140 km ride through numerous steep climbs in the scenic countryside of France ending at Arras. The next destination is a little over 100 km ride through picturesque countryside to Compeigne. A 100 km ride to Paris completes the challenge.

The charity foundation uses the funds raised from the event to educate underprivileged children in Mfuwe, Livingstone and Lusaka areas of Zambia. However, the money raised by the cyclists from Hyderabad - after deducting the expenses for the challenge - will be used to help educate under privileged children in the city.

"The last time we had suggested the foundation to take up charity work in India as well and they seemed very interested and suggested that if the participation from India increases, they would give it a serious thought," shares Manohar.

And looking at the way Hyderabad has responded to taking up cycling again, it could well happen very soon. "Recently in collaboration with the GHMC, we setup the country's first ever cycling station. In collaboration with APICC, we are getting a cycling track constructed in the Cyberabad area. We will set up a second cycling station there in the next couple of months when the track is constructed fully. I am sure, in the next couple of years we will have a lot more people cycling to work. Now with a cycling track and a cycling station as well, it will encourage more youngsters to take to cycling," signs off Manohar.