Heena Sharma Blog

  The BCCI will hold its Annual General Meeting on December 24 to discuss the induction of two new IPL franchises besides the appointment of India's ICC representative and three new national selectors. Also on the agenda is the election of a new vice-president. As per norm, the BCCI has sent a 23-point agenda to all affiliated units 21 days prior to the holding of the AGM. The most significant point is seeking approval for two new teams to make it a 10-team IPL. It is understood that the Adani Group and Sanjeev Goenka's RPG (owners of the Rising Pune Supergiants) are interested in owning new teams with one franchise surely from Ahmedabad. Another important point will be BCCI's representative to the ICC and the Asian Cricket Council. It is expected that secretary Jay Shah will be the BCCI representative in the global committees. Read More

As many as 332 cricketers will go under the hammer at the IPL 2020 auction in Kolkata on December 19 with Australia's Glenn Maxwell and South African Dale Steyn among those opting for the highest base price of Rs 2 crore. "While 997 players had initially registered for the auction, the final list has been pruned after the eight franchises submitted their shortlist of players," read an official IPL statement. Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh and Sri Lanka veteran Angelo Mathews too have opted for the Rs 2 crore base price. Only 73 slots are there to be filled in the eight franchises and only 29 of them can be foreign buys. Robin Uthappa, who was released by Kolkata Knight Riders last month, is the sole Indian player in the auction list with a base price of Rs 1.5 crore. Premier Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, who has never played in the IPL, has put himself in the highest base price bracket alongside bowling partner Pat Cummins, who has represented KKR...

India skipper Virat Kohli is just a step away from becoming the nation's most successful leader in the longest format of the game. If India manage to win the second and final Test of the series against West Indies, Kohli, who had equalled former India captain M.S. Dhoni's record of 27 Test wins in the first game of the series, will add another feather to his cap. A win in the second Test, starting at Sabina Park on Friday, will take Kohli's number of Test victories as captain to 28 - the most by any Indian captain. Dhoni had a win percentage of 45 as captain, after winning 27 matches, losing 18 and drawing 15. On the other hand, Kohli's win percentage is 55.31 -- the best among all other Indian captains in the format. In the 47 Tests under Virat Kohli, India have registered 27 wins, lost 10 games and drawn another 10. The run-machine had also surpassed Sourav Ganguly with the most Test wins in overseas matches for India as captain in the first Test of the se...

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has backed India's limited-overs deputy Rohit Sharma to be a part of the playing XI for the opening Test against West Indies and feels that not picking the batsman will be 'wrong. Speaking on his official Youtube channel, Akhtar said that since Rohit was a part of the squad for the two-match Test series against the Windies, it was important that he should also be given a chance in the XI to go out and grab his opportunity. "I know Rohit has been given chances to play in the Test format earlier and he has not been able to grab on to the opportunity. But I believe he should be included in the team. He is a big match-winner, and not including him will be wrong. He is in good form and he should be given a chance right away," the 44-year-old expressed. "When you have selected him in the squad, leaving him out of the playing XI should not be an option. I believe he will showcase his talent in the longest format of the ga...

Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) team Haryana Steelers on Wednesday announced that Panchkula’s Tau Devi Lal Stadium would be their official centre for the seventh season, PKL 2019 . The franchise also named veteran defender Dharmraj Cheralathan its captain for the 2019 edition of the league, which starts from July 20. In the presence of JSW Sports CEO Mustafa Ghouse, Haryana Steelers’ coach Rakesh Kumar said, “Dharmaraj is the most experienced player in our team, so we have appointed him the Steelers captain.” Last season, Haryana Steelers had been jolted by a string of injuries to their key players. First, Surender Nada, who had been made the side’s captain before the start of PKL 2018, was knocked out following an injury. Later stand-in captain Monu Goyat also had to miss a large part of the tournament due to injury. The Steelers management had to ask Vikas Kandola to lead the team in the absence of Monu Goyat. The Steelers coach added: “I asked Vikas Kandola to lead the team this...

Former cricketers came down heavily on Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his "baffling innings" during India's maiden defeat in the ongoing World Cup to England but the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman continued to get the backing of skipper Virat Kohli. Set a target of 338 by England, India could manage 306/5 in their 50 overs with Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav remaining unbeaten on 42 (31 balls) and 12 (13 balls) respectively. Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly, who was doing commentary during the match, questioned the batting approach. "I don't have an explanation for that...I can't explain these singles. It's also the length and the bounce that has deceived the Indian batsmen. You can't be chasing 338 and still have five wickets in the end," Ganguly said "It's about mindset and the way you look at the game. The message had to be clear: no matter where it comes and no matter where the ball lands you have to find the boundary," he adde...

Cricket star Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been appointed the India ambassador of Italian luxury sports watchmaker Panerai . "I closely relate with the authenticity, passion and boldness that the brand embodies. These are some strong attributes that I have been applying to my career and life beyond cricket, stirring true emotions towards Panerai, and underlining my natural connection with the brand," Dhoni said in a statement. The collaboration marks the brand's commitment towards the Indian market. "M.S. Dhoni is a celebrated sportsman, a sophisticated gentleman with a distinctive persona that impeccably resonates the masculine identity of the brand's watches, said Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroue. Read More Business Standard

Ensure your winter wardrobe has puffer jackets , trench coats and more to get you through another chilly season while looking great and staying warm, say experts. Natascha Tate, In-house Stylist, LimeRoad, has a few suggestions: * Stone wash denim jacket : It is a must-have piece in every wardrobe this winter because it suits just about everyone, making waists appear narrower and looking stylish without trying too hard. * Puffer jackets: Puffer jackets have reigned supreme for some time now, and this winter, you will want to wrap up yet again in the coziest outerwear of all. * Trench coats: Selecting a trench coat depends on the temperature, weather, the occasion, layers you are wearing and your resistance to cold. You can team it with a muffler or scarf that adds to the winter look and keeps your neck warm. Matteo Lambert, Head of Collection at Bata India, has some more tips: * Riding boots: These boots are apt for women for any casual occasions. They ...

Kuldeep Yadav is the second India bowler to feature in the top-10 after number-one ranked Jasprit Bumrah and the fifth spinner to find a place in the 10 highest-ranked bowlers Sports News : India captain Virat Kohli strengthened his position at the top of ICC ODI rankings for batsmen by touching a career-high 911 point, while Kuldeep Yadav broke into the top-10 of the bowlers' chart at sixth on Wednesday. Their rise comes despite India losing the ODI series against England 1-2 last night. Kohli ended the series with scores 75, 45 and 71. He earned just two points but those were enough to take him to 911 points, highest since Australia's Dean Jones tally of 918 points in March 1991. Yadav has broken into the top-10 for the first time in his career. The left-arm wrist-spinner took nine wickets in the series, including six for 25 at Trent Bridge, which have been rewarded with a rise of eight places to a career-high sixth position, the ICC said in a stateme...

In the India vs England 3rd ODI in Leeds, Virat Kohli's men will look to plug the middle-order and death-over woes. Catch live action here Sports News : In the third One Day International (ODI) of the 3-match series, Virat Kohli-led India will look to plug their loopholes in the field when they take on Eoin Morgan’s England at the Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds on Tuesday. If India win today’s match, it will be the team's 10th successive ODI series victory. The 3-match series evenly poised England levelled the three-match series with a convincing 86-run victory at Lord's, after being comprehensively beaten in the opening match at Trent Bridge. India vs England head to head in ODIs Total Matches: 98 India: 53 England: 40 Tie: 2 No-result: 3 In England Total Matches: 40 India: 16 England: 20 Tie: 1 No result: 3 List of Indian players who scored 10,000-runs in ODIs Player Name            ...

The 'World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2018' list is topped by 41-year-old Mayweather, with $285 million earnings Current Affairs News : India cricket captain   Virat Kohli   is among the world's highest-paid athletes, according to a Forbes' compilation topped by American boxing champion Floyd May weather. Kohli, the only sportsperson from India to be featured in the list, is ranked 83rd with earnings of $24 million. Surprisingly, the 'World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2018' compilation is an all-male affair with no women being featured in the list. Kohli, 29, is not just cricket-crazy India's biggest name but is also one of the most popular athletes in the world, "boasting more Twitter followers (25 million-plus) than all but three active   sports   stars",   Forbes   said. The 'World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2018' list is topped by 41-year-old Mayweather, with $285 million earnings. This year the Indian ...

After the match on Saturday he made an impassioned plea to all fans of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo, "abuse us, criticize us but please come to watch the Indian national team" Current Affairs News : Sunil Chhetri, one of the greatest footballers the country has produced, will play his 100 th   international match today when India will take on Kenya in Intercontinental Cup at Mumbai Football Arena. Earlier, in his 99 th   match, he scored a hat-trick to seal the game for India against Chinese Taipei and equalled David Villa's record of 59 goals. After the match on Saturday, he made an impassioned plea to all fans of Lionel Messi,   Neymar   and Cristiano Ronaldo: “Abuse us, criticize us but please come to watch the Indian national   team.” India cricket captain Virat Kohli was the first to support Chettri, urging sports lovers to come forward and watch the   national   football side play, in an instagram post. With less than ...

2018 FIFA World Cup, the 21st edition of the tournament, is taking place in Russia, which was awarded the hosting rights in December 2010 Sports News : The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be the 21st version of the mega tournament, a quadrennial international football contest played by the men's national teams of the member nations of FIFA. It is scheduled to take place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights on 2 December 2010. This will be the first World Cup held in Europe since the 2006 tournament in Germany and the first ever to be held in Eastern Europe. A total of 64 matches will be played in 12 venues located in 11 cities and the final will take place on 15 July at the   Luzhniki Stadium   in Moscow. Here is a list of the 12 stadiums that are going to host the mega event. Central stadium   is located in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The stadium has a capacity of accommodating 35,000 people. Out of the 12 stadiums of...

In the 47th match of Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets, thanks to unbeaten 94-run knock by Jos Butler IPL 2018 : In the 47th match of the   VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL 2018), chasing a competitive target of 169, Rajasthan Royals won the match by 7 wickets. Opener Jos Butler was the key player in the run chase as he made unbeaten 94 runs, hitting his 5th consecutive fifty in the IPL, equalling Virendra Sehwag's record. With this win, RR move to the fifth position on the VIVO IPL points table . Butler was well supported by Captain Ajinkya Rahane, who made 37 runs. After Rahane's wicket, Sanju Samson supported Butler as well. Butler's fine innings made sure that the run chase was never an uphill task for Rajasthan Royals. Samson was trying to make sure there were balls to spare to make some positive impact on the net run rate. He was dismissed for 26. Butler hit a six to win the game for RR by 7 wickets. Ea...

Mumbai Indians beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 102 runs and moved to the fourth spot on the VIVO IPL points table. Ishan Kishan made 102 runs IPL 2018  :  In the 41st match of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, Mumbai Indians pulled a stellar performance against Kolkata Knight Riders, defeating them by 102 runs at the Eden Gardens. With this victory, Mumbai also climbed to the fourth spot of the VIVO IPL points table. Put to bat first, Mumbai Indian set the target of 211 runs for Kolkata Knight Riders. As the saying goes –fortune favours the brave–when it seemed that Kolkata bowlers would finish off Mumbai’s innings even before 20 overs, Ishan Kishan emerged and bravely went for big shots. He ended up hitting 62 runs off just 21 balls including six sixes. Rohit Sharma also contributed significant runs. Earlier, Mumbai openers Suryakumar Yadav and Lewis were exposed to Spin bowling. Piyush Chawla got the breakthrough in his first over and Lew...

In the 40th match of Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) Rajasthan Royals beat Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by 15 runs to keep their hopes alive in the tournament. Rahul scored 91 Rajasthan Royals players Celebrate wicket of Kings XI Punjab batsman Ravichandran Ashwin during IPL 2018 cricket match at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. IPL 2018   :   In the 40th match of VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL 2018), chasing 159, Kings XI Punjab lost the match to Rajasthan Royals by 15 runs, despite K L Rahul’s brilliant 91-run innings. Only Stoinis could manage to get into double figures other than Rahul, rest of the batsmen were dismissed in single figures. Gayle, Nair, Ashwin, Tiwari, all failed to score runs. Krishnappa Gowtham dismissed Gayle and Ashwin in one over. Earlier, Jos Butler powered RR to 58 with a remarkable inning of 82. With this win, they RR still have the hopes alive of making it into the playoffs. Rajasthan Royals moved to the sixth position on the VIVO IPL point...