Azharuddin dismisses HCA charges, writes to BCCI

HYDERABAD: Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin on Saturday dismissed the charges levelled against him by the Hyderabad Cricket Association president G Vivek and said he has written to the BCCI about the developments in HCA. Controversy broke out at the Hyderabad Cricket Association...

Malian forward Diabate signs for Leicester

LONDON: Malian forward Fousseni Diabate signed for Premier League side Leicester City from French Ligue 2 outfit Ajaccio on Saturday the English club announced. Diabate has made 20 appearances for Ajaccio this term. The France-born 22-year-old has represented Mali at Under-20 and under-23...

Uncle Toni still 'more than anything' for Nadal

MELBOURNE: World number one Rafael Nadal embarks on a new era without his coach and uncle in the players' box at the Australian Open but the Spaniard said he would always welcome advice from his lifelong mentor with open arms. Nadal returns to Melbourne Park, where he lost a thrilling five-set...

India face Australia in U-19 World Cup opener

MOUNT MAUNGANUI: Optimism mingled with an eagerness to know what lies ahead as India's potential future stars geared up to lock horns with Australia in their big-ticket campaign opener of the ICC U-19 World Cup on Sunday. Coached by the distinguished Rahul Dravid, there is no dearth of talent...

Gavaskar questions India's team selection for 2nd Test

CENTURION: Former captain Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday questioned India's team selection for the second cricket Test against South Africa, saying opener Shikhar Dhawan's "head is always on the chopping board". India made three changes to their playing XI, with KL Rahul replacing Shikhar Dhawan...

Mumbai up against a resurgent Blasters

Mumbai: Mumbai City FC will welcome a resurgent Kerala Blasters when they take on the visitors from South at the Mumbai Football Arena on Sunday night. The two teams are separated by just three points at the halfway stage of Hero Indian Super League, and Kerala's new head coach David James...

Back to wall, Dynamos’ hope to fight for survival

​​Delhi: Delhi Dynamos, on the brink of being eliminated from the competition, face an uphill task of overcoming the table toppers Bengaluru FC in the Hero Indian Super League Super Sunday clash at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here. The home side desperately needs a win if they have to keep...

Centurion Test: Proteas ask India to field first

Centurion: South Africa have won the toss and asked India to bowl first in the penultimate second Test of the three-match series at the SuperSport Park here on Saturday. Following the toss, Indian skipper Virat Kohli said, "No-brainer, we'd have batted as well. There seems to be a lot lesser...

Over 1000 players sign up for IPL Player Auction 2018

Mumbai: The Indian Premier League (IPL) Player Registration closed on Friday, with a whopping 1,122 players signing up to be a part of the mega Player Auction 2018, which is slated to take place in Bengaluru later this month. The player auction for the 2018 edition of the IPL will be held...

Nadal wants to start afresh at 2018 Australian Open

Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal has said the bitter disappointment of last year's narrow five-set loss to Roger Federer in the Australian Open final will not give him any extra motivation for this year's opening Grand Slam. "It is impossible to be more motivated than last year or any year,"...

Sanchez future uncertain as United, City circle

London: Arsene Wenger admitted today that Alexis Sanchez's future is up in the air as Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola stayed tight-lipped over potential moves for the forward during the January transfer window. Guardiola's bid to buy Sanchez collapsed at the end of the summer transfer window...

Boult destroys Pakistan as New Zealand take series

Dunedin:A withering spell by Trent Boult saw New Zealand destroy Pakistan by 183 runs in the third one-day international here today to comfortably wrap up the series in Dunedin. New Zealand have won all three matches so far and captain Kane Williamson said the target is a clean sweep of...

Players need to put in more efforts: Kohli

Centurian: Indian captain Virat Kohli said that the players need to put in more efforts as the team cannot afford to play loose shots. "I don't think we need to panic because of collapses. People need to apply themselves much better, whether you are playing five batsmen or six. Even if we...

5 wrestlers, among 6 killed in Maharashtra road accident

Mumbai: Five wrestlers and a driver were killed in a major road accident in Sangli district of Maharahstra early on Saturday, police said. The accident took place around 1 a.m. when an SUV carrying the grapplers rammed headlong into an oncoming tractor carrying sugarcane. Five others,...

Saudi women score right to watch men's soccer in stadiums

JEDDAH: Women in black abayas and fluorescent orange vests stood at the gates at King Abdullah Stadium, welcoming people into the family section that, for the first time in Saudi Arabia, allowed women to attend a men’s soccer match. As the two teams al-Ahli and al-Batin faced each other...

Bayern down Leverkusen 3-1 as Bundesliga restarts

BERLIN: Champions Bayern Munich survived some late pressure to win 3-1 and end Bayer Leverkusen’s 12-game unbeaten league run as they stretched their lead at the top to 14 points on Friday when the Bundesliga resumed after the winter break. Javi Martinez and Franck Ribery scored either side...

Stan Wawrinka feared for career during long layoff

MELBOURNE: Stan Wawrinka feared his debilitating knee injury might be the end of a glittering tennis career boasting three grand slam titles and said he had only been cleared to play the Australian Open two days before the tournament. The 32-year-old Swiss also spoke on Saturday of his former...

Conte refuses to rule out Chelsea exit at end of the season

London:  Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has refused to commit his long-term future to the club, saying there is a possibility that he may leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season. According to reports in British media, Chelsea are looking at potential replacements for the Italian,...

Federer still the man to beat at Melbourne Park

MELBOURNE : It might be argued that 36-year-old fathers of four have no business winning grand slam titles but try telling that to Roger Federer as the evergreen Swiss bids to claim a record-equalling sixth Australian Open crown in two weeks’ time. Federer will saddle up for a 19th time...

Zequinha provides hope for ATK as NorthEast United suffer

Guwahati: ATK held their nerves to defeat NorthEast United FC 1-0 in a vital away victory in the Hero Indian Super League clash at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati, on Friday. The victory lifts them to sixth place after nine matches and suddenly gives them hope, and takes some wind...

Guardiola and Kane win December Premier League awards

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was named December's Premier League manager of the month for a record fourth consecutive time, while Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane equalled Steven Gerrard's tally with his sixth player of the month award. Kane scored eight goals in six matches last...

Second Test: Faf du Plessis surprised by brown pitch

CENTURION: South African captain Faf du Plessis was surprised to see brown grass on the pitch that will be used for the second Test against India, starting at SuperSport Park on Saturday. But there were no surprises for Indian captain Virat Kohli. "It looks a really lively pitch," Kohli...

Funny, people who wanted Rahane out now want him in, says Kohli

CENTURION: India captain Virat Kohli on Friday took a dig at critics questioning Ajinkya Rahane's exclusion in the first Test against South Africa, stating that those who wanted his deputy's omission are now clamouring for his comeback. "It's funny how things change in a matter of weeks,...

Chennaiyin, Pune grapple with coach suspension

Chennai:FC Pune City got four points from their last two matches while coach Ranko Popovic was serving a four-match ban. However the visitors will now have to overcome the absence of not just their coach at the touchline but also their talisman Marcelinho for a crucial Hero Indian Super...