Sports

Pune, Dec 13 (IANS) Defending champion Puneri Paltan returned to winning ways as they thrashed Bengaluru Bulls 56-18 for a difference of 38 points and the third-biggest win by a points margin in Match 110 of Season 11 of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Badminton Hall of the Balewadi Sports Complex on Friday night.

With this win, Puneri Paltan ended their losing streak of three matches as they were ably led by the eight points from raiders Akash Shinde and Mohit Goyat. In defence, Gaurav Khatri and Aman completed much-deserved High 5s for their team.

What seemed like a see-saw clash in the opening exchanges suddenly turned in favour of the Puneri Paltan, who needed just eight minutes to inflict the first All Out of the match on the Bengaluru Bulls. This gave the defending champions a strong platform to completely take the match away from their opponents. Akash Shinde was the main aggressor for the Puneri Paltan, as the Bengaluru Bulls had no answers to his raiding acumen. The defensive unit of the Puneri Paltan were equally impressive, with Mohit Goyat putting in an ankle hold to trap Jatin after Gaurav Khatri and Pankaj Mohite combined to tackle Pardeep Narwal.

With Nitin Rawal relegated to the bench, the Bengaluru Bulls' defence looked toothless. Pankaj Mohite got an easy touch on Parteek, leaving just Lucky Kumar on the mat. He was dashed out by Mohit Goyat in the very next move, leading to another All Out against the Bengaluru Bulls. A rout was imminent as the score read 26-7 at the end of the first half.

The Bengaluru Bulls – struggling on all fronts – were inflicted with a third All Out after Gaurav Khatri tackled the Dubki King. Khatri then completed his high five with a successful tackle on Pankaj, as the Puneri Paltan continued their rampage on the PKL 6 champions.

After 25 minutes, the Bengaluru Bulls succeeded in winning a super tackle after Mohit Goyat was tackled by Nitin Rawal. But they were still 25 points behind the defending champions, who did not look like stopping their scoring spree in the clash.

The fourth All Out was inflicted on the Bengaluru Bulls as the Puneri Paltan continued to run away with the victory. Aman joined Gaurav Khatri in the high-five list for the Puneri Paltan, with the Bengaluru Bulls not finding any answers to tackle the aggression of the defending champions.

As the match came to a close, substitute Aryavardhan Navale scored a massive Super Raid of five points as he took the score difference to 38 points to ensure that the home team bounced back after three losses to remain in the race for the playoffs.

--IANS

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Karnataka, Dec 12 (IANS) Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana registered big wins on Day 4 of the ongoing 7th edition of the Men's National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind 2024-25, popularly known as the Nagesh Trophy. The 7th edition of Nagesh Trophy Group A & Group B league matches began on Monday. A total of five teams from Group A & five teams from Group B will be battling for glory at the ongoing Nagesh Trophy respectively.

In Bengaluru, Karnataka secured a dominant win over Tamil Nadu. Put to bat first, Tamil Nadu scored a total of 117/9 in their 20 overs, while Karnataka defeated Tamil Nadu with a score of 87/5 in 8.5 overs.

Karnataka won by 5 wickets through the DLS method where the match was reduced to 13.0 overs with a target of 85 runs. Sunil Ramesh from the Karnataka team was adjudged as the player of the match.

In the second clash, between Delhi and Himachal, the match was abandoned due to the prevailing weather conditions in Bengaluru.

Group B action at JK Pavilion Ground saw Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry facing each other. Having to put to bat first, Pondicherry scored 142/7 in their 20 overs. Andhra Pradesh won the match by scoring 143/5 in 16.1 overs.

Gopalachary from Andhra Pradesh was adjudged the player of the match for his brilliant knock of 50 off 34 balls.

In the second game between Haryana and Bihar, Haryana having batted first managed to score a victory by scoring 192/6 in 20 overs. Bihar managed to score 162/8 in 20 overs. Deepak Malik from Haryana was adjudged the player of the match for his brilliant knock of 127 of 61 balls.

This year’s league matches are hosted across six venues, culminating in the Super 8 stage in February 2025. A total of 28 teams, including state and union territory squads and an Indian Railways team, are vying for the championship.

--IANS

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Kandy (Sri Lanka), Dec 12 (IANS) Jaffna Titans registered a comprehensive win against Colombo Jaguars by 40 runs to add two more points to the tally in the Lanka T10 Super League at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on a rain-marred second day.

Jaffna rode on spectacular batting by opener Kusal Mendis and his Sri Lankan teammate Charith Asalanka to post a mammoth 138/6 in 10 overs on the board. While Mendis struck 37 off just 19 deliveries, Asalanka notched up 56 off 24 with the help of five maximums and as many fours. For the Jaguars, skipper Angelo Mathews and Ali Khan picked up two wickets each.

Later, bowlers especially youngster Treveen Mathew who has been gathering praise from everyone for his spin bowling did the job for the Titans and restricted the opposition to 98/6. The Colombo Jaguars never really got the start they needed and lost wickets at regular intervals. Treveen Mathew once again showed his skills and returned with bowling figures of 3/18 in 20 overs.

Earlier, the first match on Day 2 between Kandy Bolts and Nuwara Eliya Kings was called off due to rain after just 3.3 overs.

Kandy Bolts who were batting first had put up 38/1 with Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka being not out at 26 off 11 when rain arrived. The second fixture between Galle Marvels and Hambantota Bangla Tigers was abandoned without a toss.

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Morocco, Dec 12 (IANS) At least four of the Indian women golfers playing at different venues are in a good position to qualify for the Final Qualifier at Lalla Aicha Q-School for the Ladies European Tour.

They were Sneha Singh, Vidhatri Urs, Amandeep Drall and Avani Prashanth, while Ridhima Dilawari and Nayanika Sanga can make a last-round dash to get into the final qualifiers as the Top-23 and ties are likely to make the final stage. Sneha Singh, winner of the domestic Women’s Order of Merit in 2023, is lying second in the Par-73 Noria Golf Club in Marrakech with rounds of 69-73 and trailed leader, Annika Borrelli of South Africa, who carded 69-70 by three shots.

Ridhima Dilawari (79-77) was T-35, as Top-23 and ties advance to the Final qualifier. Jasmine Shekar (77-88) was T-55 and Oviya Reddi (80-88) was T-58.

Also well-positioned to make it to the Final qualifier was Vidhatri Urs (68-77), who was tied for the lead after the first round. She slipped in the second but is very much in line to make the final stage at Samanah. Neha Tripathi (80-80) was T-55.

At the Rotana Golf Club, Amandeep Drall (71-73) was even par at the Par-72 course, while Avani Prashanth (73-72) at 1-over T-14 as the top 23 and ties move up. Nayanika Sanga (77-74) was T-38. At Palm Ourika, India’s Shweta Mansingh (73-80) was T-40 and Durga Nittur (73-82) was T-48.

England’s Rosie Belsham is in front at Samanah with Finland’s Elina Nummenpaa and French amateur Vanessa Bouvet top at Rotana, Wales’ Darcey Harry leads at Palm Golf Ourika, meanwhile American Annika Borrelli is in front at Noria.

--IANS

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Pune, Dec 12 (IANS) Bengal Warriorz and UP Yoddhas played out the 11th tie of Season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) as the match ended 31-31 at the Badminton Hall in Balewadi Sports Complex here on Thursday. A Super 10 from Pranay Rane and a High 5 from Nitesh Kumar helped their side bag three points, while Gagan Gowda registered a Super 10 for UP Yoddhas.

UP Yoddhas flew off the blocks courtesy of Gowda getting their first points, while Bhavani Rajput executed a Super Raid to get their team off to a flyer. Bengal Warriorz had to respond strongly and they did, as Siddhesh Tatkare got a Super Tackle to level things up after a rapid start. The quick exchanges continued between the two sides as Gagan Gowda registered a Super Raid to put his side back in front.

With both sides going at it hammer and tongs, Pranay Rane got a two-point raid of his own to keep Bengal Warriorz within striking distance. UP Yoddhas kept their noses in front after the first 10 minutes though. Bhavani Rajput breached the milestone of 100 raid points for this season, doing most of the raiding alongside Gowda for their side.

Hitesh also completed 50 tackle points for the season as UP Yoddhas held onto their slender lead. Nitesh Kumar got on the board for the Bengal Warriorz, tackling Bhavani Rajput on a do-or-die raid to make it a one-point game. It was his defensive efforts that ensured the Bengal Warriorz stayed in the hunt after a high-octane first half that closed at 15-13.

It was a relatively slower start to the second half as the two raiding units resorted to the do-or-die strategy. Fazel Atrachali got his first tackle of the game, while Manjeet bagged a raid of his own to even the score at 16-all within five minutes of the second half. However, Dabang Delhi K.C. regained their lead after a Super Tackle by Hitesh, who completed his High 5.

Bhavani Rajput got a successful do-or-die raid before Pranay Rane returned the favour with a two-point read to keep the scores level. Nitesh Kumar completed his Hi-5 with a hundred percent tackle rate. Fazel Atrachali followed it up with a tackle of his own, as the Bengal Warriorz inflicted an All Out and got the lead for the first time in the night.

UP Yoddhas got their noses back in front courtesy of a Super Raid from Gowda as he completed his Super 10. Pranay Rane carried on his lone battle as the raider for Bengal Warriorz, registering a Super 10 of his own. With the game coming down to the wire, UP Yoddhas had a three-point lead.

Fazel Atrachali executed a brilliant Super Tackle before Vishwas S. made a late impact to help Bengal Warriorz level the scores 30-30 with under a minute to go.

After a thrilling 40 minutes, the two teams ended on level terms at 31-31. As a result, UP Yoddhas remain in fourth place on the points table, while Bengal Warriorz will need other results to go their way to remain in the hunt for playoffs.

--IANS

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Muscat (Oman), Dec 12 (IANS) India dominated on all fronts and defeated Thailand 9-0 in their fourth Pool A match at the Women’s Junior Asia Cup here on Thursday. With this win, India progressed into the semifinals of the event and also sealed a spot in the FIH Junior World Cup 2025, to be held in Chile.

Deepika (28’, 31’, 35’, 55’) scored four goals and now leads the scoring charts of the tournament with ten goals. Kanika Siwach (23’, 25’, 40’), Lalrinpuii (27’) and Sakshi Rana (17’) also contributed with goals.

India started the game strong and dominated the possession in the first quarter and created good chances. India received two penalty corners but couldn’t make them count as the quarter ended all square.

India found the opening goal early in the second quarter as Captain Jyoti Singh provided an assist to Vice Captain Sakshi Rana whose powerful shot from distance found the net.

Moments later in the 23rd minute, India received their third penalty corner. The ball went to Kanika Siwach who scored from a brilliant drag-flick to increase the advantage. India added another goal in the 25th minute as Kanika Siwach scored from another penalty corner to make it 3-0.

The fourth goal came soon in the 27th minute with a field goal by Lalrinpuii and the fifth came from Deepika in the 28th minute through a penalty corner.

The third quarter began with a penalty corner for India which was converted by Deepika. The top-scorer of the tournament, she scored another field goal in the 35th minute to complete her hat-trick.

In the 40th minute, India played a string of good passes in the shooting circle and found the eighth goal with a close-range strike from Lalrinpuii.

Thailand did well to fend off India’s attacks in the fourth quarter but Deepika continued her scoring spree and bagged a field goal to end the game 9-0 and progress into the semifinals.

India will next face Japan in the semifinals on December 14 at 18:00 hours IST to fight for a spot in the grand finale.

--IANS

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Gurugram, Dec 11 (IANS) Indian golfers held the spotlight on the opening day of the fourth edition of the US Kids Golf Indian Championships at the Classic Golf and Country Club. Many of the opening round leaders have been winners in local tour events and have also won medals at past Indian and other international events.

A total of 79 players from seven countries are taking part in the event, which awards WAGR points besides Junior Scoreboard and AJGA, which help gain spots into US Kids major international events.

The three-day 54-hole event saw a stunning performance from Pritish Singh Karayat who carded 6-under 66 to open a six-shot lead over three others, He had eight birdies, four on either side of the course and had one bogey each side of the course. Vivaan Ubhayakar, Armaan Thapar and Ranveer Singh Dhupia all shot even par 72 each at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course.

Giving them a close fight were Arshvant Srivastava and Sidhant Nathan who carded 2-over 74 each as the group promised a tense battle over the next two days.

Nihal Cheema in Boys 7-under with 2-under 34 for a nine-hole round, Kabir Goyal 71 (-1) in Boys 9, and Jot Sarup Gupta 71 (-1) in Boys 10 and Sohraab Singh Talwar 72 (Even) in Boys 11 were the other top stars scoring par or under in the first round.

Cheema had four birdies against three bogeys, while Kabir Goyal had four birdies against three bogeys. Jot Sarup had two birdies against one bogey in Boys 10 while Sohraab had four birdies and four bogeys.

Among girls, Naina Kapoor turned in a fine show with 2-under 70 and led the section. Naina Kapoor had five birdies against three bogeys. Shambhavi Chaturvedi (75) was ahead in the Girls' 13-14 segment. Ahana Shah (37) and Aahana Shrivastava (38) were in a close fight with Girls 7 and under.

The three-day event awards Priority Status which can help golfers qualify for US Kids Major events in regional, international, European, World teen and world championships. This is the fourth edition of the premier junior international championship.

Leading scores: Round 1:

Boys 7&U: 1. Nihal Cheema 34; 2. Keeon Agarwal and Shabd Agarwwal 48

Boys 8: T-1. Rohit Patel (US) 46 and Samar Singh 46

Boys 9: 1. Kabir Goyal 71; 2. Divjot Gupta 73

Boys 10: 1. Jot Sarup Gupta 71; 2. Drona Singh Dhull 76

Boys 11: 1. Sohrab Singh Talwar 72 (ev); 2. Siddhant Sharma 75 (+3)

Boys 12: 1. Vidit Agarwal 78 (+6); 2, Dhruv V Singh (86 (+14)

Boys 13-14: 1. Smyaan Gupta 74; T-2. Devvraj Singh Rajawat, Rannvijay Singh Gill and Rayan Sao and Sohang Singh Kantor – all 78

Boys 15-18: 1. Pritish Singh Karayat 66 (-6); 2. Vivaan Ubhayakar, Armaan Thapar and Ranveer Singh Dhupia – all 72 (Ev)

Girls 8 & U: 1. Ahana Shah 37; 2. Aahana Shrivastava 38

Girls 9-10: 1. Ria Nenavath 91; 2. Aaradhya Bhatnagar 92

Girls 11-12: 1. Naina Kapoor 70; Aanya Dandriyal 81

Girls 13-14: 1. Shambhavi Chaturvedi 75; 2. Riddhima Singh 79

Girls 15-18: 1. Ayesha Gupta 80; 2. Nayonika Kapoor 85

--IANS

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Kandy, Dec 11 (IANS) Galle Marvels etched a comfortable win against Kandy Bolts by seven wickets in the Lanka T10 Super League at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Marvels were handed a target of 101 runs which they achieved in the 8th over. After a steady start, Galle lost some wickets in quick succession and were 39/3 when Andre Fletcher and Shakib Al Hasan took charge.

The two batters stitched an unbeaten partnership of 63 runs for the fourth wicket. Fletcher struck 41 not out off 21, a knock decorated with four maximums and three fours while Shakib chipped in with 20 not out off 8 to take the team over the line.

Earlier, Kandy Bolts did not have a great start to the innings as they lost two wickets at a score of five on the board. But it was Sri Lankan wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Chandimal's efforts that took the team to 100/5 in their allotted 10 overs. Chandimal scored 66 off 25 before getting cleaned up by Jeffrey Vandersay.

Galle Marvels' Binura Fernando who impressed everyone with his economical bowling, returning with figures of 3-9 in two overs, was adjudged Player of the Match.

Rain plays spoilsport

Rain played spoilsport during the second encounter after the fixture between Nuwara Eliya Kings and Colombo Jaguars was called off. Nuwara Eliya Kings had put up 79/1 in 6 overs before rain arrived and the match was eventually abandoned. Opener Avishka Fernando remained unbeaten at 50 off 18.

--IANS

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Pune, Dec 11 (IANS) Former winners U Mumba delivered a dominant display against Tamil Thalaivas in Match 106 of Season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League, winning 47-31 in the Badminton Hall of the Balewadi Sports Complex here on Wednesday. Led by Ajit Chouhan’s Super 10, Manjeet’s nine points and Amir Mohammad Zafardanesh’s eight-point game, they completed a 15-point rout as they jumped back to second place on the points table.

It was a rollicking start for U Mumba who were breathing fire in the first six minutes, rocketing to a 9-0 lead. Amirmohammad Zafardanesh and Ajit Chouhan came out all guns blazing to put Tamil Thalaivas under pressure from the start and inflicted an All Out without wasting much time at all.

Tamil Thalaivas responded strongly after having their backs against the wall, courtesy of Moein Shafaghi getting some momentum for his side. They inflicted an All Out of their own, closing the gap to make it a close contest after a rapid start to the game.

The two teams went back and forth in the closing stages of the first half before U Mumba imposed themselves on their opponents again. The season two champions got their noses in front once more, inflicting another AllL Out to close out the first half with a 22-14 lead.

Moein Shafaghi got a couple of points on a do-or-die Raid early in the second half to try and give Tamil Thalaivas some momentum as they looked to close the gap on the opposition. However, he was fighting a lone battle as U Mumba kept hold of their eight-point lead heading into the final ten minutes of the contest.

Ajit Chouhan and Manjeet carried on their superb raiding form, while Amirmohammad Zafardanesh also contributed on both ends of the mat, ensuring U Mumba stayed on top in this contest. Ajit Chouhan completed his Super 10 as his team extended their lead to 13 points with under five minutes to go.

U Mumba inflicted a third ALL OUT on the Tamil Thalaivas, putting the result of the game beyond all doubt with an unassailable lead as the clock ran down. They continued to pile on the misery on Tamil Thalaivas, eventually completing a 15-point rout as they moved to second place on the points table. Meanwhile, Tamil Thalaivas now find themselves in a difficult spot, needing to win all their remaining matches to have a chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

--IANS

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Muscat, Dec 11 (IANS) China defeated India 2-1 in a tightly-contested third Pool A match at the Women’s Junior Asia Cup here on Wednesday as they topped Pool A. By winning these three points, China confirmed their spot in the semifinals as the Pool A winners.

In the crucial clash on Wednesday, Jinzhuang Tan (32’) and Lihang Wang (42’) were the goalscorers for China while Deepika (56’) scored her seventh goal for India to lead the tournament’s top scorer's leaderboard.

The first quarter saw both sides attack aggressively on all fronts looking for an early opening goal. India created plenty of chances but wasn't incisive enough in the shooting circle.

India received an early penalty corner but their attempt on goal was saved by China’s strong backline. China too received a penalty corner towards the end of the first quarter. Jinzhuang Tan took a powerful shot on goal which was met by a crucial save by Nidhi, India’s goalkeeper to keep the scores level.

In the second quarter, India received two back-to-back penalty corners but couldn’t capitalise on the opportunity and score the first goal. After a tightly fought first half, both sides couldn’t be separated and headed back into their dugout with no goals scored.

In the opening minutes of the third quarter, Xueling Zeng of China launched a dangerous counterattack as she dribbled past the Indian defence from the left wing and was ultimately brought down by Nidhi in the shooting circle and won a penalty stroke for her side. Captain Jinzhuang Tan stepped up to take the stroke and bagged the first goal with a powerful shot past Nidhi.

China built on the momentum and created a plethora of chances after taking the lead. In the 42nd minute, China scored through a penalty corner as their top-scorer, Lihang Wang drag flicked the ball into the net to increase the advantage.

China enjoyed a two-goal lead heading into the final quarter and ended the game strong by dictating the tempo of the game and dominating possession. India gave a final push in the dying minutes of the match to get one goal back. They won the ball in a crucial position and Kanika Siwach played the perfect pass to Deepika who scored a goal from close range. With that, India reduced the deficit but couldn’t manage an equaliser and lost the game 2-1.

--IANS

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