Category: Sports

AN YEAR SINCE KOBE BID ADIEU

Today, 26th January 2021 marks the first death anniversary of Kobe Bean Bryant, the renowned basketball legend of America, widely known as ‘black mamba’. He passed away in a tragic helicopter crash that happened last year along with his 13 year old daughter Gianna Bryant and 7 others while traveling to Bryant’s Mamba Academy in  Thousand Oaks for a basketball match. Kobe’s shocking demise came early at the age of 41 leaving his wife Vanessa with his other daughters Natalia, Bianca and Capri. 

Kobe was born to former National Basketball Association (NBA)  player Joe Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant on August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia. Kobe started playing basketball at a very young age of 3. He joined the NBA in 1997 at the age of 17 when he signed for Los Angeles Lakers, becoming the sixth player in the history of the NBA to do so. He further went on to become the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game and the youngest NBA starter. During his long career with Lakers which stretched over an outstanding 20 seasons, Kobe managed to average 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 1,346 regular season games. Throughout his NBA career, Kobe won a MVP award, played 18 all star games and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. He was a part of the gold winning basketball team which represented the USA in the Beijing and London Olympics. He announced his retirement in 2015 owing to his fading form after a prolonged career and series of injuries.

August 24 is declared to be remembered as Kobe Bryant day by the Orange County’s Board of Supervisors to commemorate his invaluable achievements and the inspiration he was to many aspiring athletes. During his NBA career Kobe wore the numbers 8 and 24, which is chosen as a date to celebrate the talent and the cultural icon he was.

MARADONA: THE ARGENTINE BORN NEAPOLITAN

The world was in absolute shock and the Neapolitans couldn’t believe their senses when the world’s most expensive player moved to one of the world’s poorest cities and led the team which have never won a Serie A title to two Scudetti and a UEFA cup. The signing of Maradona itself was a huge reason for the people of Naples to celebrate but when he won them the titles they could’ve never imagined of, that’s the moment when the Argentine boy Diego Maradona became Santo Diego for them. With the streets of Naples painted in blue with flags and ribbons and chants hailing Diego pulsating everywhere, it took months for Neapolitans to fall back to their senses and accept that they have become the champions of Italy. And for one last time, Neapolitans were out on 25th November 2020, wearing the blue colour, carrying Diego’s photos and chanting his name through the streets of Naples, as their Saint, the greatest of all-time bid adieu to the mortal world.

Debates on Maradona’s might as a player and a person shall go on forever but for the city of Naples and its people, Maradona is so much more than just the greatest football player of all time. He will remain a godly figure, a ray of hope, an emotion that led them through their darkest times. He had the courage, conscience, and resilience to take football beyond the pitch and elevate it to a political act embarking millions of hearts with a sense of hope and feeling of redemption. 

From the slums of Buenos Aires to attaining the stature of a demigod for millions of Argentines and Neapolitans, Maradona was all a footballer could ever imagine of becoming. He has etched his name in golden scripts in the history of world football and the people of Naples, Argentina and football lovers across the globe through his charisma, leadership qualities and love for the game. Maradona might be flawed as a person but as a player, no one can ever reach the greatness he has achieved with a ball at his feet. He had qualities which no other footballing personalities can never boast about. He wasn’t a player but a politician who rebelled against the atrocities against the people. Football was just a medium for him. Diego’s might is beyond football and the politics of nations. Wherever he’s played, no one could ever own the player in Maradona. He was never a player for a particular club or country but the people, he represented them as one among them. That is the sole reason why the people of Napoli still celebrates Diego, decades after his departure, not as a person or a player but as Santo Diego, the Saint send by God to save them from all the atrocities. For Neapolitans, Maradona stays eternal, he’s the patron saint of Naples and champion of the people. And they celebrate him now and forever by singing,

‘OH, MAMMA, MAMMA, MAMMA, DO YOU KNOW WHY MY HEART BEATS?

‘I’VE SEEN MARADONA, I’VE SEEN MARADONA, AND MAMMA, I’M IN LOVE.’

FEARLESS BLASTERS WINS FIRST OF THE SEASON

After a continuous winless run of six games, Blasters tasted victory in their seventh game of the season against Hyderabad FC. In the fierce fight between two strong Indian contingents, Blasters came on top after the action-packed 90 minutes.

Kerala Blasters, one of the most followed football clubs in Asia were yet to taste their first victory in the 7th edition of Hero Indian Super League after completing six games. Today’s win was very important for the players and the coach as questions were raised from corners regarding the recruitment policy of Blasters management and the inability of Kibu Vicuna, the head coach of Kerala Blasters in finding out a perfect starting line up out of the squad.

Blasters started with five changes from their match against East Bengal FC as the Malayalee boys Sahal Abdul Samad and Abdul Hakku had their first start of the season along with Sandeep Singh, Jeakson Singh and the Australian Jordan Murray. The foreign centre back pair of Bakary Kone and Costa Nhamoinesu were dropped along with the English striker Gary Hooper and the Indians Seityasen Singh and Rohith Kumar to give way for some fresh legs.

Kerala started with not so lousy momentum and Kibu’s bold move was rewarded well when the local boy Abdul Hakku netted their first goal of the game in the 29th minute from Facundo Pereyra’s well-directed corner. The Argentine’s corner kick found the unmarked Kerala lad inside the box who brought joy to the Blaster’s camp with a stunning bullet header. On the other side, Hyderabad FC’s attempts to level the score went in vain as their strikers couldn’t find the back of the net with a disciplined Blasters defence at the back and vigilant Albino Gomez on the goal. 

It was 1-0 in favour of Blasters at half time and they started the second half with more intensity expecting high pressing from Hyderabad, and this move turned well as Hyderabad was forced back to their defensive duties with Murray and Rahul testing the opponent goalkeeper in regular intervals. The 34-year-old Hyderabad Goalkeeper Subrata Paul was kept on his toes all along the second half by Rahul and Murray. Hyderabad’s poor finishing and final third progression cost them the game as Jordan Murray netted the final nail on their coffin at the 88th minute to win the game for the Blasters 2-0. Sahal, Jeakson and Facundo were booked by the referee in their battle for the ball as the Blasters played and won as a team. This win should serve as a launchpad for the Blasters for the coming games. No one deserved this win more than the Blaster’s coach Kibu Vicuna who brushed aside his personal loss, stuck with the team and made personnel and philosophical changes to win with a clean sheet.

Dean Jones, former Australia cricketer passes away due to severe cardiac arrest

Jones was in Mumbai as part of the commentary team at Star Sports for IPL 2020 when he passed away on Thursday, 24 September. Former Australia cricketer Dean Jones died of a heart attack on Thursday in Mumbai. He was 59. Dean Jones was in India to fulfil his commitments for the host broadcasters of the Indian Premier League. He suffered a massive heart attack at a hotel in Mumbai after 12 PM on Thursday.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends,” Star Sports India, the host broadcasters for IPL 2020, confirmed the news of Jones’s passing in a statement.

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing away of Mr. Dean Mervyn Jones AM. He died of a sudden cardiac arrest. We express our deep condolences to his family and stand ready to support them in this difficult time. We are in touch with the Australian High Commission to make the necessary arrangements.

Dean Jones played 52 Tests and 164 ODIs for Australia during an international career which spanned 8 years between 1984 and 1992. He scored 3631 runs in red-ball cricket at an average of 46.55 with 11 hundred and 14 half-centuries.

In one-day internationals he amassed 6068 runs at 44.61 with 7 hundred and 46 fifties.

His most memorable Test innings came in 1986, when in the heat and humidity of Chennai, he battled exhaustion and illness to make a heroic 210 in what would be only the second tied Test ever.

That was just his third Test, coming two years after his debut against West Indies in 1984. With plenty to prove, he came out at No.3, and stayed in the middle for 330 minutes, despite being sick on the field and finding himself in hospital at the end of the knock.

Jones went on to make 10 more hundreds, with a career-best 216 against West Indies in Adelaide in 1989. But it was in ODIs that he really made his name, gaining a reputation as an attacking batsman and a fast runner between the wickets – and, by his own admission, also the first player to wear sunglasses on the field. He attained a high of 918 ranking points on the ICC Men’s ODI Rankings for Batting in March 1991, putting him fifth on the all-time list.

“Winning the 1987 World Cup in front of about 100,000 in Kolkata will remain the biggest moment of my career,” he had said.

Dean Jones was one of the great ambassadors of the game associating himself with Cricket development across South Asia. He was passionate about discovering new talent and nurturing young Cricketers. He was a champion commentator whose presence and presentation of the game always brought joy to millions of fans. He will be sorely missed by everyone at Star and his millions of fans across the globe.

His compatriot and fellow commentator for the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League, Brett Lee, was with him, and they had breakfast together earlier. When he suffered the cardiac arrest in the lobby of the hotel, Lee tried to resuscitate Jones by giving him CPR, but was unable to save him.

We all will miss his extra ordinary commentary that used to create a aw in all the cricket fraterninties.

Multiplayer Chess: Turning the Duels Into Battles

Chess in itself is a complicated game. Even with all the strategy, sometimes one can go only that much far. Also known as the game of kings, chess has evolved through the passage of time. It is said to have derived its roots from the indian game chaturanga. The standardized rules of chess that are followed unanimously now were discussed and fixed in the 19th century.

In this game, each player is alloted 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks and lastly, eight pawns. Each piece follows a different movement pattern, and the main objective of the game is to checkmate the opponent’s king. Checkmate refers to the position where the opponent’s king is in threat of capture, with no option to safeguard the piece. 

It is a fact that change is the only thing that is constant. Same applies to chess too. Many variants of chess, on the basis of different criterias, are popular amongst the population. If anyone is keeping up with the chess developments, then they will surely know about three and four player variants of chess. So what are these variants? Let’s see…

Triple Trouble

Three player chess, also known as three way chess, or three handed chess is specially designed for three players. Usually a non-standardized board is used, and many variations of this form exist. The pieces of three players are usually separated on the basis of colours. Three way chess variants are more tough to design as for disbalance caused by teaming up of two players will be a great disadvantage for the third one, and also not easily lovercomable. Hence, some variants declare the first player to checkmate any of the other two players as the winner. The third player might be declared to have lost, alongside the checkmated player, or, might be rewarded a half point.

The strategy in three way chess differs greatly from the traditional chess variant, as for the face against two opponents, the usual opening and defenses might not hold strong. Also, the third player is given the most advantage when the other two players exchange their pieces. This point opens a plethora of new tactics in the game. Also, in the games where the first one to checkmate wins, the players not only have to build on their attack and defense, but also have to make sure that no other player checksmates before them. Also, checkmate from both the opposing players simultaneously is a tricky situation. As for if the checkmated piece is captured by the second player, which in turn, is captured by the third player, then it is considered that the ultimate checkmate is given by the third player. But with all these complications, three way chess pushes the mind to evaluate the game even with more concentration and critical thinking.

Some variants of three way chess are:

  • Boards with triangular cells: Patented by Russian Ilshat Tagiev in 2008, this variant uses a hexagonal board with triangular cells. The cells which are not adjacent to the perimeter have three cells adjacent in an oblique fashion.
  • Boards with quadrilateral cells: Under this, variants can be sub classified on the basis of the geometry of the boards.
  • Hexagonal board: Some variants under this category are Three Man Chess (96 cell board), Self’s Three Handed Chess (144 cell board), Waidder’s Three Handed Chess (126 cell board), etc.
  • Other Boards: Megachess (roughly triangular board with 130 cells), Mad Threeparty Chess (10X10 board) etc.
  • Boards with hexagonal cells: In this type of board, usually three bishops are alloted to each player, in order to include all the cells of the hex- playing field. Some variants with this type of cells are- Chesh, HEXChess etc.
  • Circular boards: Usually has three or four sided cells. One such variant is Three Man Chess.

From all the directions

Four player chess, also known as four way chess and four man chess, is relatively simpler to understand. It follows some basic rules of traditional chess. The board itself, though, is different. The common board format is the standard 8X8 squares, with an extension of three rows, each of eight cells, on each side. The pieces are again differentiated on the basis of colours. Played in both team and single format, the objective is to mate the opponent kings (two in case of team game and three in case of singles). In a team game, check mating only one king successfully leads to a draw. A fun fact: If two or more players team up during a game, then also it is considered legal.

Four player chess, incidentally, has a set of common rules. Those are:

  • Pieces of a certain colour can only be moved at their own turns.
  • Pawn can move diagonally forward only in an attacking case, otherwise it has to move forward in a straight line.
  • A pawn, on successfully reaching the King’s row of any of the other three opponents, has the option to upgrade to a queen, rook, knight or bishop.
  • In most of the variations, if the move of one opponent directly places another opponent in a mate position due to the presence of a piece of third opponent, the third opponent is forbidden to capture the mated King, until the mated opponent gets the opportunity to play something in order to defend their king.

The variation in the chess world is much, much more widespread than this. If this seems interesting, check out the other variations too!

Website References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-player_chess

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-player_chess

Fantasy sport in India: Legal or Illegal

Fantasy sport is an online game that involves selection of and competition among virtual teams for points. These points can be redeemed in prizes, including money. However, when cash for stakes is involved, a fantasy game or sport is required to comply with additional legal compliances.

There is no legal definition for “fantasy sports” in India. Games of chance fall under gambling and are thereby restricted by state gambling laws. Fantasy Sport is classed as a game of skill, rather than chance. The Supreme Court of India has explained skill in terms of “superior knowledge, training, attention, experience and adroitness… although the element of chance necessarily cannot be entirely eliminated”. It is the dominant element, either ‘skill’ or ‘chance’ that determines the character of the game.

 However, games involving considerable and substantial degree of skill (mathematically, more than 50%) fall outside the extent of betting laws and consequently are legitimate in India. Courts have examined the game format of Dream11 and have considered its format as ‘game of skill’. Courts have not examined any other fantasy gaming formats and have not offered any views, judgments, or analyses the format of any other fantasy gaming platform. Whether a fantasy sport is a game of chance or a game of skill, legality is based on the modalities of each game.

As there are no set of government regulations, Fantasy industry standards in India are regulated by Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS. Self-regularisation norms for the Indian fantasy sports industry is set up by the federation until the government comes out with any standards and laws.

The gambling laws in India are State specific. In most State enactments games of skill are excluded from the application of gambling laws.

When it comes to taxation, as per the Indian rule, 18% GST is applicable on games that are skill-based, like Dream11’s format, and fantasy sports gaming. The court referred to Schedule III of the Central Goods and Services Act, 2017 which states that ‘actionable claims, other than lottery, gambling and betting’ are excluded from the scope of supply.”
To understand it definition of the gambling is reproduced hereinafter:
‘Gambling’ as per most Gambling Legislation is understood to mean “the act of wagering or betting” for money or money’s worth. Gambling under the Gambling Legislations however does typically not include (i) wagering
or betting upon a horse-race/dog-race, when such wagering or betting takes place in certain
circumstances, (ii) games of “mere skill” and (iii) lotteries (which is covered under Lottery Laws).

Online gaming is Legal up to the extent, when there is use of skill which can be said as when the chances to win are not wholly based on probability, The key points from an Indian High Court’s judgment specifically regarding (challenge to this judgment was also dismissed by the Supreme Court of India therefore it attained finality)

The Court, in its ruling, stated that playing the online game involves considerable skill, judgment and discretion and that success on online games arises out of users’ exercise, superior knowledge, judgment and attention
The Court also held that ‘the element of skill’ had a predominant influence on the outcome of the game, which follows the following format:
Participants have to choose a team consisting of at least the same no. of players as playing in a real-life sports team (e.g.11 in cricket/football, 7 in handball, 7 in kabaddi )
All contests are run for at least the duration of one full sports match
No team changes are allowed by participants after the start of the sports match
On this basis, the Court adjudged that playing on constitutes a ‘game of mere skill’, which makes the game exempt from the provisions of the Public Gambling Act, 1867 (PGA).
Finally, the Court held that the online gaming is a legitimate business activity protected under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of India.
You can find more information on the legality of Fantasy Sports in India on the website of the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG): http://www.ifsg.in. IFSG is India’s first and only self-regulatory Sports Gaming industry body formed to protect consumer interest and create standardized best practices in the Sports Gaming industry.

Fantasy Cricket launched in India

As a strategy-based game, Fantasy Cricket requires thorough sports knowledge and research skills, meaning the outcome does not depend on luck but on the actual performances on your chosen players on the field.
Till now, many such fantasy sports app or websites are available like Dream 11, Ballebaazi, Fanfight, Playerzpot, Real cricket and many more. Dream 11 is also the first and top in all others. Dream 11 is also the title Sponsor of IPL season 13, starting from 19th September in UAE under Bio secure Bubble. They offer fantasy cricket and fantasy football.

In simple words, this is legal because here you use your knowledge and understanding although there is a luck factor but not in entirety. However, if you are resident of Assam, Odisha, Telangana, Nagaland and Sikkim, you are not legally permitted to play online games for a fee. The laws are different in these Indian states.

Since fantasy sports involve skills, it does not fall in the gambling category of games in India. Other than fantasy sports in India, Indian laws have categorised Rummy, Chess, Carrom, and Wagering on Horse Races as games of skill.

Dissecting the Esports growth in India – Before and after Pubg Ban

On the evening of 2nd September, pubg mobile and Pubg mobile lite was banned including 118 Apps in India. From few months, there was a buzz around Pubg that whether it will be banned or not, how will things unfold, when it will be banned. On Wednesday, Ministry of Electronics and IT department released a press report stating the Ban on these 118 apps. Now let’s take a leap to the growth of Esports in India. In the starting of decade 2010’s, the term Esports was having a little buzz. Those years saw the nurturing phase of Esports, like what it is, how it will be and how big it will be in coming years. Esports now has become a big and recognized field and sector in the world. The esports market was valued at USD 694.2 million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD 2,174.8 million by 2023, at a CAGR of 18.61% between 2018 and 2023. The esports market is expected to grow because of various driving factors, such as increasing popularity of video games and growing awareness about esports. Pubg has played the right ignition for the sector in India for youth and game developers.

History

Few people know that Esports was getting popular somewhere around the 10 years back. Craze for gaming was popular from very early times. But the Esports as a serious filed born somewhere in 2011. It has now become a serious career option in the world. India is also growing as a Research and development center for all the world. India due to its recent interest and its youth population, is attracting the all Esports giants. Quite a few companies are looking at India as its primary testing scenario and manufacture hub. China is already holding the no. 1 ranking in Esports while India is still ranking at 15th position. However, it has just shot up in India after the arrival of battle ground game by krafton gaming & Tencent.  2-3 years down the line, India has shown a huge growth due to some popular games like Pubg mobile and COD mobile. Freefire and Fortnite is also among the few other popular names.

Esports vs Gaming

Most of the peoples may have a clear idea but few forks might find it confusing. So, the generally we can say Esports is more like a physical sport which has its competitive side. Just like that Esports also has its competitive scenario with every game. Esports has competition game wise.  Esports also has skill set to perform in such competitions. However, gaming is kind of casual term for games. Esports and gaming is just like Club cricket and gully cricket. Esports has everything like normal sports like coaches, teams and analyst like other support staffs. Esports has grown just as it has contracts which players sign and play under a professional team.

International Competition

Esports also has same dedication and craze like immersing yourself to win for your team and specially for your country. Somewhere we all know that international Competitions holds the respect of you respective teams and you have to give all the honours possible. Esports player usually practices for 10 hours or more depending on their area of work and their focus on some specific skills or moves. An average Esports player is quite more responsive than an average gaming player who plays for fun. Just like Sports, Esports also demands Some extra efforts to get yourself at some good levels. It involves your Response time and your frequency of taps and clicks. Basically, how fast you are in compare to others. It works in milliseconds. You need to have a good hand eye coordination for better results.

Esports is now being featured in Asian games, though it was a trail but somewhere it is confirmed that it will be a part of international sports championships like Olympics in coming times. Indian gamer Tirth Mehta won the medal for India in trials of Esports in Asian games. It is just matter of time that it becomes a usual part of Olympics like other games.

Pubg the game changer in India

Back in 2018 when pubg mobile got launched in India, it became an instant hit. Whole world including Indian youth grabbed this game as their favourite and became go to game for all the users. It was a common choice for all the users of different ages and choices. The concept of Battlegrounds was fully used by this game and changed the revolution for whole Esports in India. There were some games like CSGO, DOTA2 and COC. But Everything was shattered once Pubg came and it started its some competitive series like Dream hack & PMIS (Pubg Mobile India Series). Now until September 2020 Pubg has organised more than 10 series in India alone. Some Esports team has grossed high no. of fan followings like SouL, TSM, Fnatic, OR and Team IND. The esports has also increased the field of streaming scenario a lot in the whole world and also in world.     

Statistics of Esports in India

According to one statistics website named statista.com, the value of gaming industry in FY2020 is around 87.8 billion Indian rupees. Which is nearly 25.8B Rs more than previous of 62B in FY2019. A rapid penetration and affordability of smartphones, along with cheap mobile data have led to mobile phones being the most preferred device for gaming. The value of the mobile gaming market in India was projected to reach about 405 million U.S. dollars by the year 2022. This marked a significant increase in the sector’s market value from about 266 million dollars in 2016. The total no. of gamer in FY2020 is 365M while in FY2018 was near 269M.

Impact of Pubg Ban

Pubg ban in India has resulted in Tencent loosing approx. 14 Billion Dollars in market. The share of tencent has seen a fall of 2% until now. Pubg is among the topmost downloads in game scenario with 150M downloads. Tencent holds a 10% stake in PUBG’s parent company Bluehole.  Tencent Games is a part of Tencent Holdings, which is a Chinese multinational conglomerate. However, this move by India comes amid fresh border tensions with China in Ladakh when India spoiled repeated attempts by Chinese troops to transgress into the Indian side of Line of Actual Control (LAC) with intentions to unilaterally change the status quo. As most of players belong to Pubg right now, we can literally quote that they have literally lost their job in peak time of market. Lockdown had rightly supported them but now they are completely lost with some diminishing hopes that Pubg makes a comeback soon. Best thing to them is still this that they have support of audience and the fans.

Fau-G: New game

Just after the Ban news of Pubg came out with other 118 Apps, there comes the big announcement by Actor Akshay Kumar of a new game named Fau-G. However, its poster got involved in controversy of copying the poster from an old movie project. Public on the other hand has given mixed reactions to the game. Most of the people are saying that Ban of Pubg has created a large void which is not easy to fill. Audience has high expectation from this game as pubg has set the standards too high. There is also questions over its worldwide Competitive scenario. One thing is sure that International competition is too far and not probable in coming time. We personally as Indian audience don’t want another game like china i.e. “Game for Peace”. This makes them completely distanced from the international experience in competitive terms and in user base.

Pubg unban

Recently pubg announced that he is breaking his partnership with Tencent. Actually, it is specific to India only. Tencent will not be involved in any scenario in India. Pubg was involved in developing its mobile version. So, all the distribution and development will be solely handled by Bluehole and pubg corporation. However, pubg has stake in Bluehole company, which was taken earlier 3-4 months back. Now let’s see how many days it will take pubg to make a comeback in India. It may take 2 weeks to 2 months or more.

Esports as a career

Even though Esports has seen an upper high in few years but still it is bound under a strict bubble. While Pubg and other games are coming but in India Esports is mostly about Pubg mobile. More than 85% gamers are regular player of Pubg mobile both in terms of Pubg mobile competitive and streaming.  Parents in India are now quite comfortable about their children’s career in sports. If you are dedicated and good at it, parents will allow you for sure. But Esports is still not so popular in India around the middle-aged parents. Parents are still unknown to this field and its possibility of being a career. It’s not they are reluctant instead it’s that they are completely unknown to this platform. Still it’s not that difficult to survive in the gaming Community. Hard work can conquer anything to everything, one needs to dedicate soul and work to achieve the fame and gaming is not an exception. There are many opportunities to create in future but there is no professional option in India till now. With the ban of Pubg, everything has come to halt as there is way ahead to even plan the destination. Even established players are mostly pubg players and they have to start everything from scratch again. There is expectation to get streaming service watching a low too due to this decision. So, it has lowered more than it has grown in recent years. This reason is this that no other game has such big fan base like pubg and still it will benefit other games, but it is unlikely to take place of Pubg. However, Pubg would be putting blood and soul to somehow bring it back in action. For now, Esport is just like which is open to many glorious but nothing to offer and accept.

IPL Schedule Announced

Yesterday BCCI announced the much-awaited schedule of IPL 2020. This year’s IPL is 13th season of IPL. This is 2nd time IPL is happening completely outside of India. Last time it was in year 2009 due to Elections in India. IPL season 2 was held in South Africa. This year IPL is going to start from September 19th to November 10th.

IPL schedule was released too late this year. The reason for the delay in schedule was reportedly the different travel restrictions due to COVID-19 in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Contrary to the BCCI’s plan of organizing only six double-headers, this schedule has as many as 10 afternoon games to give time to the teams to travel with the matches set to take place in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi in three different legs.

The league phase will run across 46 days, with the last match of the league to be played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians in Sharjah on November 3.

DateDayMatchTime (IST)Venue
September 19SaturdayMI vs CSK7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
September 20SundayDC vs KXIP7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
September 21MondaySRH vs RCB7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
September 22TuesdayRR vs CSK7:30 PMSharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
September 23WednesdayKKR vs MI7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
September 24ThursdayKXIP vs RCB7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
September 25FridayCSK vs DC7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
September 26SaturdayKKR vs SRH7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
September 27SundayRR vs KXIP7:30 PMSharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
September 28MondayRCB vs MI7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
September 29TuesdayDC vs SRH7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
September 30WednesdayRR vs KKR7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
October 1ThursdayKXIP vs MI7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 2FridayCSK vs SRH7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
October 3SaturdayRCB vs RR3:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
DC vs KKR7:30 PMSharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
October 4SundayMI vs SRH3:30 PMSharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
KXIP vs CSK7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
October 5MondayRCB vs DC7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
October 6TuesdayMI vs RR7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 7WednesdayKKR vs CSK7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 8ThursdaySRH vs KXIP7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
October 9FridayRR vs DC7:30 PMSharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
October 10SaturdayKXIP vs KKR3:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
CSK vs RCB7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
October 11SundaySRH vs RR3:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
MI vs DC7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 12MondayRCB vs KKR7:30 PMSharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
October 13TuesdaySRH vs CSK7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
October 14WednesdayDC vs RR7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
October 15ThursdayRCB vs KXIP7:30 PMSharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
October 16FridayMI vs KKR7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 17SaturdayRR vs RCB3:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
DC vs CSK7:30 PMSharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
October 18SundaySRH vs KKR3:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
MI vs KXIP7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
October 19MondayCSK vs RR7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 20TuesdayKXIP vs DC7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
October 21WednesdayKKR vs RCB7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 22ThursdayRR vs SRH7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
October 23FridayCSK vs MI7:30 PMSharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
October 24SaturdayKKR vs DC3:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
KXIP vs SRH7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
October 25SundayRCB vs CSK3:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
RR vs MI7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 26MondayKKR vs KXIP7:30 PMSharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
October 27TuesdaySRH vs DC7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
October 28WednesdayMI vs RCB7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 29ThursdayCSK vs KKR7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
October 30FridayKXIP vs RR7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 31SaturdayDC vs MI3:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
RCB vs SRH7:30 PMSharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
November 1SundayCSK vs KXIP3:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
KKR vs RR7:30 PMDubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
November 2MondayDC vs RCB7:30 PMSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
November 3TuesdaySRH vs MI7:30 PMSharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah

There will be 10 double-headers with the first match starting at 3:30PM IST. The first double-header is on October 3 — RCB vs RR in Abu Dhabi, and DC vs KKR in Sharjah. Also, as reported earlier, the afternoon matches are set to begin at 3:30 PM IST while the evening games will commence on 7:30 PM IST. A total of 24 matches will take place in Dubai, while Abu Dhabi and Sharjah will host 20 and 12 games respectively.

After the tournament opener on Saturday, Dubai will host its first game on Sunday when Delhi Capitals take on Kings XI Punjab followed by the third match on Monday between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The IPL action will shift to Sharjah on Tuesday, 22nd September where Rajasthan Royals will host Chennai Super Kings.There will be 10 double headers with the first match starting at 3:30PM IST and 2:00PM UAE time. All evening matches will start at 7:30PM IST and 6:00PM UAE time. In all, 24 matches will be held in Dubai, 20 in Abu Dhabi and 12 in Sharjah.

This year’s IPL was originally scheduled to be held from March 29 to May 24 but was postponed barely two weeks before the start of the tournament due to the coronavirus outbreak. Then, as the number of cases increased, the league was indefinitely postponed, but the postponement of the T20 World Cup cleared the decks for the league to take place in the September-November window.

UEFA Nations League

The UEFA Nations League was founded in 2018. It was formed with the aim to rejuvenate national team football. The UEFA and its 55 member associations wished to have more competition in national-team matches, as most associations, a lot of coaches, players and fans increasingly were of the opinion that friendly matches do not provide for adequate competition. Thus, the basic desire of forming the league was to provide value addition to national team football.

The Format of the League- The format of the League features promotion and relegation. The 55 European national teams were divided into four leagues in accordance with UEFA’s national association coefficient rankings at the end of the first edition of UEFA Nations League which was held in 2018/19. League A includes the top ranked teams while League D has the lowest.

As per the latest rules, as of 24 September 2019, Leagues A, B and C will now feature 16 teams each while there are seven teams in League D, for the current 2020/21 edition. As per this new feature, 2 League C teams will be relegated to League D for the third edition of the competition in 2022/23. Those two teams will be determined by play-offs to be played between the four fourth-ranked teams from each League C group. This was done with the desire to minimize the number of ‘friendly’ matches. It would also add to the commercial value of the League as the total number of matches played would increase from 138 to 162. As for the Finals, the four group winners of League A would play each other to determine the UEFA Nations League winner. The defending champions are Portugal.

For the ongoing 2020/21 edition, the group stage matches will be played on 3,4,5 September and 6,7,8 September then on 10,11 and 13,14 October, followed by 14,15 and 17,18 November 2020. Given below is a list of the results of the matches held so far on 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th September.

Thursday 3 September

A4 Ukraine 2-1 Switzerland

A4 Germany 1-1 Spain

B3 Turkey 0-1 Hungary

B3 Russia 3-1 Serbia

B4 Bulgaria 1-1 Republic of Ireland

B4 Finland 0-1 Wales

C3 Moldova 1-1 Kosovo

C3 Slovenia 0-0 Greece

D1 Faroe Islands 3-2 Malta

D1 Latvia 0-0 Andorra

Friday 4 September

A1 Italy 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina

A1 Netherlands 1-0 Poland

B1 Norway 1-2 Austria

B1 Romania 1-1 Northern Ireland

B2 Scotland 1-1 Israel

B2 Slovakia 1-3 Czech Republic

C4 Belarus 0-2 Albania

C4 Lithuania 0-2 Kazakhstan

Saturday 5 September

A2 Iceland 0-1 England

A2 Denmark 0-2 Belgium

A3 Sweden 0-1 France

A3 Portugal 4-1 Croatia

C1 Cyprus 0-2 Montenegro

C1 Azerbaijan 1-2 Luxembourg

C2 North Macedonia 2-1 Armenia

C2 Estonia 0-1 Georgia

D2 Gibraltar 1-0 San Marino

Sunday 6 September

A4 Spain 4-0 Ukraine

A4 Switzerland 1-1 Germany

B3 Hungary 2-3 Russia

B3 Serbia 0-0 Turkey

B4 Republic of Ireland 0-1 Finland

B4 Wales 1-0 Bulgaria

C3 Kosovo 1-2 Greece

C3 Slovenia 1-0 Moldova

D1 Andorra 0-1 Faroe Islands

D1 Malta 1-1 Latvia

Matchday 2 will continue on September 7 and 8.

Badminton – The Underrated Racket Sport

  

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Have you ever compared the ratio of the number of spectators binging on cricket or football to that of badminton? I bet most of you already know the answer to this. The inclination is more towards the prior two than the latter. 

  The society still claims badminton to be predominantly a female sport. It originated way back in India during the British colonization. Due to facts like the shuttlecock is made out of light & soft feathers & the sport doesn’t require a lot of strength to play it got tagged so. But even though the sport was mainly attended by the men, in the beginning, it later gradually got favoured more by the females more.

    But as we see modern society breaks off the stereotypes by proving themselves with some serious actions on-board. As we see Saina Nehwal shares no less spotlight than Srikanth Kidambi in the sports world. 

    So if you’re a beginner, this is all you need to note into your mind before beginning the game :

  •  ‌Warm-up before the game 

 Prepare your body with some good warm-up exercises. Ideally, you could start with a gentle jog around the court or some skipping. Once your pulse is raised and your body is feeling warmer. As the game involves a lot of stamina & reflex movements. So one might end up cramping themselves without proper warm-up exercises. 

  •  ‌Check the racket grip & shuttlecock flight

 So rackets of 85-90 gms are considered as lightweight and recommended for beginners. This helps one in quick reflex strokes and recovery & easy on your wrists and shoulders, reducing the chances of injury. Poor quality or faulty and should be avoided as it may reflect the improper projectile motion of the shuttlecock. 

  •  ‌Keep a central base position

 By positioning yourself in the middle of your area of play you are more likely to focus & reach over the whole area. 

  •  ‌Be prepared for any outcome

 As badminton is a fast-paced, unpredictable game you must be prepared to move in any direction at any given time. So it is important to know your body’s limitations. 

  •  ‌Game planning

 Strategize your game. This needs psychological make-up before playing. When starting out with minimal skill, try to understand your opponent’s psychology and use their weakness to your advantage and catch them out.

     As in any sport, choosing the right shot is essential to excel in Badminton. If you are a beginner, then you need to know the five essential badminton shots – Clear, Drive, Drop, Smash, Net – to step up your game. 

   Every game should be treated sportingly. It is the golden rule in sport. Don’t hype up upon victory neither feel depressed upon losing. The spirit of a true player lies upon learning from every experience they face. Take an account your weaknesses & tackle them accordingly. Build a strong profile by indulging in practice sessions if you want to seek it as your career. 

The show must go on

The corona-virus pandemic has upended all areas of life and certainly, sports is no exception to this. Cancelled tournaments, postponed tournaments, matches without spectators, the sports community has witnessed it all. Every aspect of sports has been affected, from the athletes themselves to media coverage. Economically speaking, matches without spectators incur significant losses but the impact of the pandemic is much more drastic than that.

The global value of the sports industry was estimated to be $471 billion in 2018. Now due to the global pandemic, every part of the sporting value chain has been affected, from athletes, teams and leagues, tournaments, to the media that cover these games. Even the Summer Olympics that were to be held in Tokyo this year was pushed to 2021 owing to the prevailing conditions. The Indian Premier League (IPL), which is the richest cricket league in the world, was postponed indefinitely by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in March and is now slated to commence from 19th September 2020.

It is a fact that the sports fraternity will continue to be under some stress even after the world starts adapting to living the new normal life because even when the economy is fully opened, fans’ wearing masks, gloves, and practising social distancing would become the new defining features of life.

From the perspective of an athlete, most sports are played in front of a packed stadium but now due to social distancing, this will not happen. The players will not get the satisfaction of seeing a full-house as they are forced to play in front of empty stands. Even when respective governments begin to allow spectators, it would not be anywhere close to the full capacity for a long time owing to the prevalent social distancing norms.

In Taiwan, the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CBPL) games were played in front of dummy spectators made out of cardboard sheets. This was a desperate attempt to give players a sense of playing in front of audience and also to make the game look better on TV. 

In the case of IPL, the BCCI generates revenues in the form of broadcasting rights. The BCCI is not relying on the sale of tickets as the revenues generated from auctioning the broadcasting rights make up for the most part. In a pandemic hit world, other sports can seek to implement the same. Needless to say, in order for that to happen, the league and the sport must be popular enough to bring in the required cash flow.

It will require a significant period of time for things to go back to being the same they were. But until then, all sporting action cannot and will not be paused. There are huge sums of money involved in hosting any league or sporting event, they must go on even if with certain modifications and restrictions which are the need of the hour. Till the time the threat of the virus fades away, we have no choice but to adapt to the new lifestyle trends. The show must go on.

Benefits of jumping rope

When was the last time did you try jumping ropes? May be in your P.E classes back in school. Next,What is the first thing that comes to your mind when someone says exercise or training? Gym, I guess? Well, for most people losing weight and staying in shape  means hitting the gym and running miles on the treadmill. But if you want to stay fit and active, going to the gym or registering yourself for any fitness class is not always necessary. All you need is a jumping rope, free space and a little motivation. Yeah, your read it right! Well, some of the benefits of jumping ropes are-
1)  Burns calories- Did you know that only a handful of exercises burns calories as jump rope do?  Even jumping at a moderate rate can already burn upto 10-16 calories a minute. Further more skipping a rope for 10minutes, is around the same thing as running an 8-minute mile. Jumping rope is thus as intensive and effective as any other exercises could be.
2) Improves bone-density- High calcium diet is widely known to increase bone density, but so thus, jumping rope. According to studies jumping for 10mins a day can provide greater bone-building benefits than running. Even for athletes simply jumping ropes is one of the top effective exercises for boosting bone density.
3) Develops agility- if you want to move quickly and feel light on your legs, jumping rope for 1mins every day, helps you achieve that. It also helps your body connect to your mind and make neural muscular adjustments, improving your balance. It targets your calves, knees and ankle joints.
4) makes a good brain workout- one of the amazing things about jumping ropes is that it doesn’t benefit your outer appearance, but also your brain. It has  stronger impacts on your cognitive functioning by improving the development of right and left hemisphere of your brain, thus boosting your memory and mental awareness.
5) Affordable and versatile- jump rope is easy to incorporate whether in your daily morning or evening routines. Depending on your free time it can be either used as a warm up or as an intensive exercise. All you need is just a rope, sufficient space , a flat surface to ensure your smooth rhythm and footing.
  So, now are you giving jump rope a chance? I hope you are. Then, what are your waiting for? Just grab a jump rope and enjoy the workout at the comfort of your own home. Losing weight while jumping rope would be the most effective way to stay fit during this pandemic. So just get started and work for getting your desired body, today!

IPL 2020: CSK going through rough phase.

Cricket

Milestone for Raina playing for CSK

Back to back bad news for Chennai Super Kings is not a sign of positivity just when 3 weeks are left to kick-start of IPL 2020.

On Friday yellow army got a huge blow when 13 personals from Chennai camp were tested positive for COVID-19. Two of them were the players while others were from staff of Chennai Super kings. Just after 1 day, Mr. IPL- Suresh Raina opted out of IPL 2020. Reports were stating that Raina took this decision due to Personal reasons in which increasing risk of COVID-19 played a role too. Yesterday it was reported that 2 players who were tested positive, one of them is a top order young batsman and another is an Indian seamer.

Firstly, it was said that he takes this step due to security reasons amid COVID-19. Out of other conflicts, few speculations have emerged citing the reasons of Raina missing the IPL2020. One of them is family emergency and other is about Raina being unhappy with his suite in place where CSK is staying for IPL2020 in Dubai. Reports came that veteran was unhappy with management as his room was not having proper balcony. It was rounding that he complained of not getting freshness between the scenario of Bio-secure bubble constructed around the team and management. But nothing is official as no updates been given on the recent activity yet.

Possibility of something unwell in CSK camp took a hype after the recent interview of former BCCI president N Srinivasan by Outlook. CSK owner stated that the sudden step by Raina gave a little shock to team but Ultimately Skipper Dhoni has everything under control.

“Cricketers are like prima donnas … like the temperamental actors of the olden days. Chennai Super Kings have always been like a family and all seniors players have learnt to co-exist,” said Srinivasan.

Srinivasan said the team was quickly trying to get over the Raina episode.

“My thinking is that if you are reluctant or not happy, go back. I don’t force anyone to do anything … sometimes success gets into your head,” Srinivasan said.

‘Dhoni not worried at all’

“I spoke to MS (Dhoni) and he has assured me that even if the numbers go up, there was nothing to worry. He spoke to the players through a zoom call and asked them to remain safe. You really don’t know who a passive carrier is,” Srinivasan said. He also declared it as a golden opportunity for the top order batsman “Rituraj Gaikwad” and he should be back soon after testing negative in some days. “I have got a solid captain. Dhoni is simply unfazed by anything. That is giving everyone in the team a lot of confidence,” Srinivasan said.

Srinivasan believes that Raina will want to come back.

“The season has not begun yet and Raina will certainly realise what he is missing and certainly all the money (a salary of 11 crores per season) he is going to lose,” the CSK boss said.

One of CSK source illustrated that “He is unavailable this season and that is clear from the official statement issued by the CSK. Now there are certain things that have not gone down too well with the top people. It looks highly improbable that someone who has retired and likely won’t play any cricket will come back for CSK. Maybe, he will be back in the auction and someone else might pick him,” the source said while speaking with PTI.

Suresh Raina is only behind the Indian skipper Virat Kohli in terms of Highest run getters in IPL history.32-year-old all-rounder who is also quoted as “chinna thala” by his yellow army fans, retired from international cricket along with his CSK skipper on August 15. Raina is CSK’s highest run-getter with 4527 runs from 164 IPL games. The left-hander has also scored 5368 runs in 193 matches along with 1 century and 25 odd wickets.

Above all the developments unfolding, one thing is pretty clear that it is not good news for CSK and their fans. IPL schedule has not been declared yet and it is not expected to be declared soon recently due to news of players being positive after a week period of Bio-secure bubble. It has also questioned the security and authenticity of Bio secure environment in team hotels at UAE. With a little push in practice sessions for CSK camp, IPL schedule is likely to get affected.

There is still no news on how players will travel and take tests for COVID-19 before each match or how all of this will be arranged in given time span. In UAE 2 teams are staying in Abu Dhabi while some are staying in Dubai only. But the catch here is that protocol for travelling to these cities is not same. Abu Dhabi has strict policy than Dubai of getting at least negative before 48 hours of duration. IPL is still having many things to clear as reports are coming that one of the crew members who was supposed to fly on 30th august has been tested positive. Three crews were about to fly for Broadcasting management handled by Star-sports for setup and quarantine before IPL starts.

BCCI and IPL council has been in dilemma of making a flexible schedule. For all chances like, if one team or bunch of players gets positive, schedule might be designed in a way that gives that team a time of recovery and other teams may play their other games with remaining teams. Although it’s a huge task for management to overcome all such problems and be full proof ready for anything that may fall across in 2 months of IPL season.

NATIONAL SPORTS DAY 2020

“Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one-yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown.”

– Ross Perot

The National Sports Day in India is celebrated on 29 August, on the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. It creates a spirit of leadership and sportsmanship in an individual.

It emphasized being healthy, fit, and stress-free. It put forward the legacy of the introduction of new sports along with enhancing the different messages given by old ones.

The day is celebrated with great fanfare with walkathons and football tournaments held across the country. In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched ‘Fit India Campain’ on the occasion of National Sports Day. The nationwide campaign aims to encourage people to inculcate physical activity and sports in their everyday lives. The Ministry of AYUSH has issued guidelines to implement the Fit India Active Day Programme. The programme is launched to make sure children practice fitness even when they stay home. The programme also intends to create immunity against COVID-19.

Live sessions are to be conducted under the programme. These live sessions shall be accessed by students through Instagram and Facebook. The programme has been launched under the partnership of CBSE.

This day is remarked every sports person who made India in various national and international levels. The day mark a connection between fitness with patriotism. Everyone on this day should do at least one activity related to fitness maybe it is walking, jogging, or cycling. Lets together but separated enjoy the day and bring a change.  

SPORTS

FOOTBALL

Champions League: Lionel Messi’s toughest task as Barcelona face up to Bayern Munich –

Lionel Messi might never have been faced with a more daunting task at Barcelona than engineering a victory against Bayern Munich here on Friday.

The only surviving former winners of European club football’s greatest prize — with five titles each — meet in a heavyweight Champions League quarterfinal behind closed doors at the Estadio da Luz.

It is not often that Messi’s Barcelona comes into such a big European tie as the underdog, but it has this time, with Quique Setien’s team having lost to Real Madrid in the Spanish title race while Bayern appeared flawless on the way to winning a German league and cup double.

Messi is now 33, yet Barcelona appears more reliant on him than ever.

CRICKET

Australia’s tour of England to end on September 16, IPL-bound players can only play from September 26 –

England and Australia’s IPL-bound players are likely to miss the first week of the Indian Premier League after it was announced that the two teams will play six white-ball games from September 4-16 at Southampton and Manchester respectively.

England and Australia will be playing three T20 Internationals at the Ageas Bowl on September 4, 6 and 8 while the ODIs will be held on September 11, 13 and 16 at Old Trafford.

The latest that the players can touch base in UAE is September 17 or 18 and as per the IPL SOP, will be quarantined for six days with RT-PCR tests on days 1, 3 and 6. On the seventh day, they will be entering the bio-bubble provided they test negative on all three occasions.

TENNIS

Novak Djokovic to play the U.S. Open- Novak Djokovic confirmed on Thursday he will play at the US Open, ending speculation about his presence at the first Grand Slam tournament since the coronavirus restart.

It is preceded by the Western and Southern Open, which is normally played in Cincinnati but has been moved to New York this year.

Djokovic’s decision to take part in the US Open is a major boost for the tournament after a host of headline names pulled out.

The list of absentees includes four-time champion Rafael Nadal and woman’s world number one Ashleigh Barty.