Author Archives: TARIQ ABDULLAH

India face Jamaica challenge

(PTI)

LONDON, May 26: The Indian men’s national team will return to English soil after 24 years as they take on Jamaica in the Unity Cup 2026 semi-final at The Valley here on Wednesday.

UNITY CUP INDIA VS JAMAICA Starts at 12:00 AM IST

India’s return to the United Kingdom brings with it both nostalgia and opportunity. The last time the Blue Tigers played in the UK was in 2002, also against Jamaica, when the sides met twice in friendly matches in Watford and Wolverhampton.

Now, more than two decades later, India arrive in London under head coach Khalid Jamil, with the tour-nament offering an early opportunity to test them-selves against higher-ranked opposition from the opposite ends of the globe.

The four-nation tourna-ment features India, Jamaica, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. The latter two will meet in the first semi-final on Tuesday night. The winners of the semi-finals will advance to the final on May 30, while the remaining teams will contest the third-place play-off on the same day.

“We have selected players who performed well in the ISL,” said Jamil in the press conference on Monday.

“Based on that, we will continue to build the team. Whoever performs well gets selected.” With the Indian Super League season having concluded only a few days ago, with East Bengal FC being crowned champions, the squad arrives in com-petitive rhythm and physical readiness.

Jamil has consistently stressed merit and form as the basis of selection, and the Unity Cup now presents an opportunity for several play-ers to establish themselves internationally.

The Blue Tigers, on Mon-day, arrived in the British capital with 17 players after the withdrawal of Mohun Bagan SG players. Goal-keeper Hrithik Tiwari joined a day later, while Jamil has also called up midfielder Macarton Nickson and de-fender Nikhil Barla, who reached the camp on Tues-day.

Forward Edmund La-irindika iterated that the tournament represents both exposure and an important benchmark for the team’s progress. “This is a very good exposure for us and a great experience. It is an opportu-nity to test ourselves against higher-ranked teams. We will try our best to get posi-tive results,” said Lalrindika. India, ranked 136th, enter the contest as underdogs against a 71st-ranked Jamaica side that came within a game of qualifying for the World Cup. The Reggae Boyz lost to DR Congo in the qualify-ing play-offs in March. Yet Jamil has made it clear that the challenge itself is pre-cisely why the tournament matters. “It is very good for us to be here and play in this tournament. Jamaica are definitely a stronger team, but we will try our best to do well. It is important for us to make a good start,” said Jamil, who himself toured England with the national team in 2000 and 2001.

Jamaica arrive with one of the youngest squads in the competition, carrying an average age of 22.8 years. Head coach Rudolph Speid explained that several se-nior players were rested after long club seasons, but expressed confidence in the group assembled for the tournament, which contains 11 players plying their trade in England.

Some experienced names in the Jamaican squad in-clude captain and defender Damion Lowe, right-back Dexter Lembikisa, defender Joel Latibeaudiere, who won the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup in India while represent-ing England, and midfielder Isaac Hayden.

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG, May 26: Rymbai Shkenshynriah SC joined Langsning FC from Group B in the semifinals of the 5th Meghalaya State League after the conclusion of the last quarterfinal league stage matches at the SSA Stadium here on Tuesday.

Group A winners Non-gkseh SSCC and runners-up Shillong Lajong FC also qualified for the semis, which will be played on 29 and 30 May. The final of the mega league, which is an initiative of the Meghalaya Football Association with the support of the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, will be held on 4 June.

Shkenshynriah just need-ed a draw to qualify for the last-four and reach their second consecutive MSL semifinal but came through as 5-2 winners over Nang-kiew Irat SC. All seven goals were scored in the second half, with Iaishah Bareh (56′), Hesmiki Rymbai (69′, 90’+3), Niponghi Sumer (77′) and Harita Suchen (90’+4) scoring for Shken-shynriah and Brolington Warlarpih (58′) and Justerwell Tham (81′) for Nang-kiew.

The team from East Jaintia Hills betrayed a few nerves at the start but also wanted to score early in order to put Nangkiew Irat under pressure. However, the first half was without a goal from either side but the game came alive in the second 45 minutes with Iaishah dinking the ball past Emerald Dan in the Nangkiew goal before outrunning the goalkeeper and scoring. Nangkiew lev-elled immediately, however, when a Wallamsuk Nong-khlaw shot took a deflection off team mate Brolington for the equaliser.

Rymbai Shkenshynriah (in white-blue), Nangkiew Irat (in red) players in action.

Hesmiki restored Shken-shynriah’s lead, slamming the ball into the top part of the net, and Niponghi made it 3-1 with an excellent free-kick from the edge of the box. Justerwell ensured that Nangkiew were still in the game after he reduced the margin with just under 10 minutes of regulation time still to play but his team were vulnerable at the back and Shkenshynriah scored twice in stoppage time to the great delight of their fans. Shkenshynriah thus finished with 12 points and Nangkiew came third with 9.

In the earlier game, Lang-sning confirmed first place in the group with a 2-0 win against bottom side Maram FC. Donlad Diengdoh (41′) and Nelson Rymbai (48′) secured victory with a goal each on either side of half time.

Langsning moved to the semifinals with five wins and one defeat, which gave them 15 points, the most of any team in either of the two quarterfinal groups. For Maram, this was their sixth loss but competing in this statewide league with the best teams from around Meghalaya should give them plenty of positives as they begin their defence of their Tura Super Division title shortly.

Both semifinals have been scheduled for 6pm on their respective days at the SSA Stadium. In the first, Nongk-seh will face Rymbai Shken-shynriah on 29 May followed by Langsning against Lajong the following day.

(PTI)

OSLO, May 26: D Gukesh emerged victorious after a bruising, nerve-jangling marathon battle against Vincent Keymer, and R Praggnanandhaa outplayed Alireza Firouzja but world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen suffered a rare opening-round defeat at Norway Chess, which began amid towering bookshelves at the historic Deichman Bjorvika public library here.

Thanks to his Armageddon triumph after a draining 144-move slugfest that lasted nearly five hours, Gukesh pocketed 1.5 points, while Keymer settled for one after the classical game had ended in a stalemate.

The marathon encounter saw the Indian world champion visibly rattled in the closing stages, even seeking clarification from the arbiter over the move count as the game drifted towards an inevitable draw despite Keymer being a pawn up.

The German, however, remained ice-cool throughout the classical battle, continuing to press on before eventually losing the Armageddon decider. But the tie-break itself ended swiftly, with Gukesh unleashing the decisive 15.Bh6, a move that sealed Keymer’s fate.

Praggnanandhaa and American Grandmaster Wesley So produced a hard-fought classical draw in a finely balanced contest before the Indian No. 2 prevailed in the Armageddon tie-break with a sharp attacking display to pocket the extra point.

However, the biggest talking point of the day was defending champion Carlsen suffering a rare defeat in classical chess to Firouzja, who claimed all three points.

The Frenchman, confined to a wheelchair after recently injuring his ankle at the Superbet Chess Classic Romania and with his foot firmly strapped in a protective “moon shoe”, showed remarkable grit and composure to stun home favourite and world No. 1 Carlsen on his own turf.

Carlsen looked in control for large parts of the contest, but crippling time trouble led to a costly blunder that handed the initiative to Firouzja. The French grandmaster capitalised with clinical precision, securing a statement victory over the hometown favourite and surging to the top of the standings.

With three points, Firouzja grabbed the early lead in the 10-round tournament, while Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa were joint second with 1.5 points apiece.

In the women’s section, Bibisara Assaubayeva scored an impressive classical victory over Indian No. 1 Humpy Koneru.

Rajasthan Royals' Yashasvi Jaiswal during a practice session in Mullanpur on Tuesday. (PTI)

MULLANPUR, May 26: The ferocity and fearlessness of a 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be pitted against the combined might of an explosive top-order when a resurgent Rajasthan Royals run into a solid Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League Elim-inator here on Wednesday.

MATCH STARTS AT 7:30 PM

Sunrisers Hyderabad made a slow start to the competition before finding sustained momentum in the second half of the tourna-ment. The arrival of regular captain Pat Cummins for the last seven league games also made a substantial impact as they won five of those contests.

Having beaten Rajasthan Royals twice in the league stage, Cummins and Co. would carry the psychologi-cal advantage heading into the high pressure knock-out fixture.

By their own admission, Royals should have qualified much earlier than the last day of the league stage but now that they are there, the Riyan Parag-led unit would be chomping at the bit to put one past Sunrisers Hydera-bad and progress deeper into the tournament.

The Royals top order comprising the sensational Sooryavanshi (583 runs), Yashasvi Jaiswal (397) and Dhruv Jurel (458) has ex-pectedly scored the bulk of the runs for the team.

Same is the case with Sunrisers’ trio of Abhishek Sharma (563 runs), Travis Head (393) and Ishan Kishan (569). A special mention is a must for Henrich Klaasen (606) at number four as he is in the middle of his best IPL season.

Notwithstanding the de-structive abilities of both the top orders, Jaiswal and Head have not been as consistent as they would have liked. The Eliminator presents them the ideal opportunity for a game changing effort for their respective teams.

Sunrisers are arguably the most destructive side of the tournament and therefore it was hardly a surprise that Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara was inquired about his plans to deal with the opposition’s belligerent top four.

“They’re a good side, aren’t they? They bat well. They trust themselves to go hard and they’ve done it the whole tournament. We have got to hold the line, really. Be disciplined and understand that they’re not a side that you’re going to limit to 120, 130. But we’ve got to be ag-gressive (with our) lines and lengths.

“Even if you’re trying to bowl a good length ball, or a slower ball, it has to be bowled with intent. With the Sunrisers, yeah, it’s going to be a tough clash for us. Let’s see in two days’ time what we come up with,” Sangak-kara said after sneaking into the play-offs. The Sri Lankan legend would bank on lead-ing wicket taker Jofra Archer (21 wickets) to come up with another match-winning spell in the powerplay on Wednesday night, like he did in the must win clash against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede, making the ball talk with both conventional and cross seam.

Nandre Burger and Brijesh Sharma too have been impressive in patches, operating in all phases of the game.

Young leg-spinner Yash Raj Punja has emerged as the lead spinner ahead of Ravi Bishnoi in his debut IPL sea-son while veteran Ravindra Jadeja needs to do more with both the bat and ball.

At the top of the order, trust Sooryavanshi to show no respect to the likes of Cummins, leading wicket taker Eshan Malinga (19) and Sakib Hussain. If the teenager is off the blocks in the powerplay, he could very well take the game away from the opposition.

Another wrist spinner in his rookie season, Shivang Kumar, too has made his presence felt in the middle overs for Sunrisers.

The Mullanpur Stadium, which staged four league games this season, has of-fered a good batting surface with 220 plus being scored in three of those contests in-cluding a 254 by home team Punjab Kings.

PTI

NEW DELHI, May 26: When Jessica Davies, wife of Australian batter Travis Head, recently spoke about the torrent of online abuse directed at her family after her husband’s on-field skirmish with Virat Kohli, it wasn’t merely another episode of fan rivalry crossing the line.

Neither was Shrestha Iyer’s anguished reaction after being viciously targeted for appearing in a light-hearted social media video with Punjab Kings’ content team.

These are not isolated cases of “passionate fandom” turning ugly.

They are symptoms of a toxic ecosystem — an organized, monetized and now uncontrollable hate industry that cricket’s peripheral commercial machinery knowingly helped create over the past decade.

What began as aggressive social media marketing has gradually mutated into a Frankenstein’s monster.

“There are agencies that can charge anything between Rs 25,000 to Rs 2 lakh for spreading unmitigated hatred against a particular player,” an industry insider told PTI.

“To run a campaign, customized stats could be given. Now it’s up to them to make the topic trend. Obviously the rates will be different for hours of trending and trending for days,” the insider added.

The social media game around cricketers changed dramatically nearly a decade ago when platforms stopped being merely tools of engagement and became commercial goldmines.

A player’s social media following increasingly determined the value of his digital endorsement deals at a time when traditional advertising revenue through linear television began shrinking.

One viral hashtag could translate into endorsement deals worth crores. And that’s when the ecosystem changed permanently.

“And here entered a very important component. The sports management firms that handled players’ image and commercials,” a senior BCCI official familiar with the workings of the system said.

“The managers would comb through profiles of social media aggregators with decent following. They would be engaged to amplify a player’s social media traction,” the official explained.

Soon, fan clubs multiplied exponentially. Algorithms rewarded outrage over nuance, abuse over analysis and tribal loyalty over sporting appreciation.

What initially looked like harmless fan engagement slowly became weaponized propaganda.Managers, agencies and social media operators found that inorganic amplification worked both ways — glorifying one player and systematically tearing another down.

What nobody anticipated was how quickly this ecosystem would slip out of institutional control.

Bots became armies. Rival fan groups became digital lynch mobs. Manufactured trends became accepted public discourse.

The abuse was no longer restricted to players. Families became collateral dam-age.Wives, sisters and even children became easy targets in a culture where anonymity removed accountability and hatred became currency.

Jessica Head and Shrestha Iyer are suffering today because cricket’s wider commercial ecosystem spent years incentivizing online polarisation without caring about its eventual human cost.

The tragedy is that the same ecosystem that once celebrated “engagement metrics” is now horrified by the monster those numbers created. As cricket’s digital footprint continues to expand, the incidents involving Jessica Davies and Shrestha Iyer have once again exposed the darker side of modern fandom, where online engagement often comes at the cost of basic decency and humanity. What was once projected as passionate support for players has increasingly turned into organised toxicity fuelled by algorithms, anonymous accounts and commercial interests chasing visibility at any cost. (PTI)

(PTI)

MULLANPUR, May 26: Nitish Reddy has flourished in a bigger role and is a much improved T20 cricketer from the last Indian Premier League season, said Sunrisers Hyderabad assistant coach James Franklin here on Tuesday.

A much fitter Reddy has made an impact both with the bat and his medium pace bowling for SRH this season, and Franklin said the Indian all-rounder has made significant improvements in his game.

“Last year, Nitish probably took a lot of learnings. There were a few things, form (wise), probably didn’t start exactly how it wanted to for him. Obviously, there might have been a bit more expectation with having just recently been involved with India…” said Franklin ahead of the IPL Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals here on Wednesday.

Reddy has chipped in with seven wickets and 264 runs in 13 games lower down the order this IPL, compared to 182 runs last season while he bowled only 30 balls.

“He has done quite a bit of work on his bowling, he (has) looked as confident as ever with the bat in the early part of our campaign. In terms of the prep work, in the first couple of games he got some validation on that in terms of get-ting a couple of little cameo scores and partnerships,” said Franklin. “That just gives you that validation, as I said, that confidence as a batter to go out and perform a role. His role has obviously been slightly deeper this year as opposed to last year as well, sort of of more (about) coming in with maybe six or seven overs to go at No. 5 or No. 6, and he has played some unbelievable cameos for us in finishing off innings and his bowling as well.”

(PTI)

DHARAMSALA, May 26: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru marched into a second successive IPL final with a 92-run demolition of Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 here on Tuesday, powered by skipper Rajat Patidar’s blistering unbeaten 93 off 33 balls and a ruthless pace assault that ripped apart their opponents’ top-order inside the powerplay.

Put into bat, RCB piled up a daunting 254 for five, with Patidar producing one of the most destructive knocks of the season, peppering the boundaries with effortless ease after being handed reprieves early in his innings.

The RCB captain tore into the GT attack in the death overs, ensuring his side crossed the 250-run mark in emphatic fashion. Patidar turned the game on its head, smashing nine sixes and five fours after surviving two dropped chances, as RCB plundered 86 runs in the last five overs to seize complete control of the contest. In fact, they got 114 runs off last six overs.Chasing a mammoth target, Gujarat Titans desperately needed a flying start but their hopes were dented inside the powerplay as both in-form openers departed cheaply.Sai Sudharsan’s dismissal turned out to be a bizarre one as his bat slipped out of his hands while attempting a shot off Jacob Duffy (3/39) and crashed into the stumps, leaving the batter stunned on 14.GT suffered a bigger setback soon after when skipper Shubman Gill was cleaned up by the red-hot Bhuvneshwar Kumar for just two, the seasoned seamer once again showcasing his mastery with the new ball.

Bhuvneswar (2/28) showed that he still is an asset for any team. He is now a Purple Cap holder with 26 scalps. The twin blows pushed Gujarat firmly on the back foot against a fired-up RCB attack.Josh Hazlewood (1/39) then got into the act by castling Jos Buttler (29) while Rasikh Salam struck twice in the final powerplay over — dismissing Nishant Sandhu (5) and Jason Holder (0) — to leave the Titans gasping at 51 for five.The battle of equals soon turned into a lop-sided affair as a desperate GT seemed to have buckled under scoreboard pressure.Washington Sundar (8) and impact player Rahul Tewatiya (68) had an unenviable task at hand. The game had already been reduced to a formality in the face of the challenge GT faced.

Eventually, GT were bowled out for 162, sending RCB into their fifth final (2009, 2011, 2016, 2025, 2026).GT, the 2022 champions, will have another shot at making the final on Friday when they take on the winner of the Eliminator between Rajasthan Royal and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Earlier, the RCB innings began at a furious pace with Venkatesh Iyer (19) taking on Mohammed Siraj with audacious strokeplay, including three early boundaries, before Kagiso Rabada dismissed him for 19 soon after being hit for a six.During his lively spell, Rabada also tested Virat Kohli with sharp bounce and pace in an engaging duel, but the RCB talisman weathered the challenge to score a brisk 43. Alongside Devdutt Padikkal (30), Kohli ensured RCB maintained momentum, helping the side to a commanding 76 for one in the powerplay.

GT clawed their way back through disciplined middle-overs bowling.Rashid Khan delivered tight overs while Jason Holder struck twice in three deliveries to remove Kohli and Padikkal, slowing RCB’s charge significantly. Kulwant Khejroliya too kept things tidy initially as the Titans appeared to have regained control. (PTI)

(PTI)

MULLANPUR, May 26: Dasun Shanka, a Sri Lanka captain, says he has been blown away by the composure and poise of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and he has not seen a “kid” like him in the dressing room.

Shanaka is seeing Sooryavanshi’s meteoric rise from close quarters as his Rajasthan Royals teammate. The 15-year-old has the world cricket in awe of him with his special six hitting ability.

The left-hander from Bihar got out for four in the previous game against Mumbai Indians while in the game before, he smashed 93 off 38 against Lucknow Super Giants.

Asked how Sooryavanshi deals with the highs and lows of the game, Shanaka said his calm approach stands out.

“He is very professional. It’s not about failing or getting runs, but what he does at the practice and how he behaves in the dressing room. How cool he is. I haven’t seen a kid like him behaving like that in the dressing room like that,” said Shanaka ahead of the IPL Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Wednesday.“Even the seniors will (rookies) put them under a lot of pressure, but this guy is very cool. I really love the way he is coping with things, whether he fails or he gets runs. He is a very natural kid. I see a lot of potential in him. Lot of good things,” added the seasoned Sri Lankan all-rounder.

(Agencies)

GABORONE, May 26: Cameroon scripted a dramatic world-record victory over Sierra Leone in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier, pulling off the biggest one-wicket win in men’s T20 cricket history in terms of balls remaining.

Chasing a modest target of 65, Cameroon survived a sensational batting collapse to reach the target with one wicket in hand and 26 balls to spare, surpassing the previous record held by Portugal, who had defeated Gibraltar by one wicket with 19 deliveries remaining in 2023.

The low-scoring thriller also witnessed a rare statistical feat as both teams produced five-wicket hauls in the same T20 International. Cameroon’s Julien Abega starred with the ball, claiming 5 for 24, while Sierra Leone’s Samuel Conteh answered with an impressive 5 for 23 during the chase.

It marked only the second occasion in men’s T20I history that two bowlers had picked up five-wicket hauls in the same match, the previous instance coming in a game between Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea in 2019.

Both sides entered the contest searching for their first victory of the ongoing qualifier after losing their opening matches, and Abega immediately set the tone for Cameroon with a wicket off the very first ball of the game.

Sierra Leone never recovered from the early blows as wickets tumbled regularly throughout the innings.

They slipped from 22 for one to 39 for six before eventually being bowled out for just 64. Only one batter managed to score in double figures, while three players were dismissed for ducks.

Abega’s spell proved devastating, with four of his five wickets coming through clean bowled dismissals, while Roger Atangana chipped in with three wickets to complete the collapse.

However, Loic and Bomnyuy were the only Cameroon batters to reach double figures in an extraordinary match that will long be remembered for its drama, collapses and record-breaking finish.

(PTI) PERTH, May 25: The Indian women’s hockey team would look to kickstart its preparations for the FIH Nations Cup on a positive note when it takes on Australia in the four-match series starting here on Tuesday.

The Salima Tete-led side will aim to build vital momentum ahead of the crucial FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup to be held in Auckland from June 15 to 21.

Fresh from an encouraging display in Argentina earlier this year, where India drew the four-match series 2-2 against the world No. 2 side after losing the first two matches, the visiting team enters this tour with confidence.

The squad spent the last few weeks grinding through high-intensity tactical drills at the national training camp in SAI Bengaluru, which helped the players sharpen their skills, structural play, penalty corner variations and overall match fitness under the watchful eyes of chief coach Sjoerd Marijne.

India captain Salima said the players are upbeat about the tour.

“The entire squad is really looking forward to this tour. Playing against Australia, especially on their home turf, is always a tough challenge, and that is exactly what we need at this stage of our preparations. Every match in Perth will be crucial for us,” she said.

“We want to head into the Nations Cup in Auckland with momentum and confidence. Australia will push us to our limits, and we want to use that to become a stronger unit.”

The 22-member Indian team has an exciting mix of youth and experience, with rising talents Sonam, Hina Bano and Lalthuantluangi eagerly waiting for their opportunity.

Currently ranked ninth in the FIH World Rankings, the Indian team is ready to pull out all stops to challenge its eighth ranked opponents.