Sports समाचार

Sports | Sanju Is A Player MS Dhoni Would Want To Pass The Baton To : Irfan Pathan

The three legends of the TATA IPL and Indian cricket, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, will be keen to once again show what they are capable of as Season 19 gets underway tomorrow. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘IPL Today Live’, JioStar experts Aakash Chopra and Irfan Pathan shared their thoughts on MS Dhoni’s batting position and diminishing returns, Virat Kohli’s fitness, and which of the three is likely to have the best season. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘IPL Today Live’, JioStar expert Irfan Pathan reckoned that the addition of Sanju Samson to the CSK setup could be a sign of TATA IPL 2026 being MS Dhoni’s last: “It looks like this will be MS Dhoni’s last season. The signs are there because, if you look at the Chennai setup, they have brought in a wicketkeeper-batsman who can play for the next few years. You can build your team around him and he can be the face of the franchise, that is Sanju Samson. He has also upgraded himself in terms of form in international cricket. He has just won a World Cup and has been batting fantastically well. That is one player MS Dhoni would want to pass the baton to, someone who has the caliber to do all that and whom even the fans can identify and connect with. With Sanju’s arrival, I feel Dhoni can now say that maybe it is time for him to pass on that baton. But should this have happened earlier? Because I feel that a player like MS Dhoni cannot be just a two-over player. You do not build your legacy like that. So yes, I think the time is right.” On MS Dhoni’s ability of finishing games in the TATA IPL: “When CSK won their last trophy in Ahmedabad, there were already talks that he was coming too low down the order, even before those discussions gained momentum. But as he grew older, he also had the knee problem. So, in his mind, he was clear about his role, that he would come and bat in the last two overs and finish the game. But what happened? He was not able to finish those games. A few years ago, when Sandeep Sharma was bowling to him in the final over, MS Dhoni made that match interesting but could not finish it. We had not seen that from MS Dhoni before. That is happening more frequently now. So, if you are playing, you have to take more responsibility for your side and bat for at least four or five overs. It will be beneficial for the team.” Speaking on JioStar’s ‘IPL Today Live’, JioStar expert Aakash Chopra spoke about who, among Dhoni, Kohli or Rohit, will have the best season: “The focus will be on Virat Kohli again because the guy is so fit. Yes, there are gaps between series and he felt the pinch of those gaps in Australia, but once he started scoring runs, he found a way to be super consistent for months. So, the kind of fitness that he has achieved over a period of time makes him the best suited, also because he is an opener. So, he has more time to work himself into form. The same is true for Rohit Sharma as well, but between the two of them, I still feel Virat Kohli has it a little easier just because of himself. That is the price he has to pay for the kind of fitness and legacy he has built. It is a little difficult for Dhoni as well because he is on the wrong side of 40. For him, to not play anything for 10 months, turn up for the IPL and switch on, and also play at a number where he gets only 10-12 balls, is the toughest thing to do. Then there are also 20 overs of keeping, so his job is perhaps the toughest.” On Rohit Sharma continuing to play in his aggressive style: “When you are part of the batting order that the Mumbai Indians have, it is mandatory to set the tone for Rohit Sharma. Rohit does want to bat a certain way. He has already made his opinion very public. But if you are part of a setup where there is Quinton de Kock at the other end, followed by Tilak, Surya, Hardik, Will Jacks or Sherfane Rutherford, and then Naman Dhir, what else is the option? You need to maximise the 20 overs, which basically means maximising the first six overs. So, yes, Rohit would be expected to bat the same way, see the ball, hit the ball, that is what I am thinking for the entire Mumbai Indians setup, unless the pitch is asking you to play a slightly different brand of cricket.”

deccanchronicle

27/3/2026

Sports | No Fans, No Fireworks As Pakistan T20 League Begins With A Hush

Lahore, Pakistan : The Pakistan Super League got under way with a win for Lahore Qalandars against Hyderabad Kingsmen but without the usual razzmatazz accompanying cricket's shortest format -- or fans. Organisers of the T20 tournament last weekend said that matches would be played without spectators, and at just two venues instead of six, because of the war in the Middle East. Pakistan's government has introduced sweeping austerity measures designed to save fuel, with mounting concerns about supplies as the conflict drags on. As a result, Thursday night's opening ceremony -- last year marked by spectacular fireworks -- was cancelled and the green and white seats of Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium were empty. Fans such as Nadia Tufail, 40, had been eagerly awaiting the start of the 44-match tournament involving eight teams, which runs until May 3. "Watching a match in the stadium has a completely different kind of enjoyment. There is a large crowd, you get to meet different people and the experience becomes even more exciting," she said as she watched the match at home. "There is cheering, noise and celebration, which makes the atmosphere more lively and thrilling. In my opinion, the government's policy this time was due to the war situation, but such a policy should not be implemented every time. "People should be given the opportunity to go to the stadium and enjoy the match there because watching at home is not nearly as enjoyable." Before the game the normal bustle of spectators arriving at the ground was replaced by a hush, with only armed police and soldiers keeping watch. Inside, ground staff prepared the pitch and television cameras were set up, with little of the hubbub of expectation and excitement from the gathering crowds. "For us as well it's a different experience without a crowd, and we will miss it," said Pakistan's former captain, Babar Azam, who plays for PSL side Peshawar Zalmi. "The fans will miss it too because they bring a different vibe and give players a big boost. Every team has its own fans, and you get a unique kind of support there. "We will try to play good cricket so that people enjoy watching on TV, and we encourage everyone to support their teams through television and social media." Irfan Khan Niazi, from Hyderabad Kingsmen, agreed but said there was no choice. "We can't enjoy the game the same way without a crowd but given the situation, we have to make the most of it," he said. Niazi was on the losing side on Thursday night as Lahore were easy winners by 69 runs.

deccanchronicle

27/3/2026

Sports | Olympic Women's Sport To Be Limited To 'Biological Females'

Lausanne : The International Olympic Committee said on Thursday only "biological females" will be allowed to compete in women's events, preventing transgender women from competing. The IOC is re-introducing testing for gender to determine eligibility to take part in women's events from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics onwards. The move will also rule out many athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD). In a major shift of policy, the IOC is abandoning rules it brought in in 2021 which allowed individual federations to decide their own policy and is instead implementing a policy across all Olympic sports. "Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females, determined on the basis of a one-time SRY gene screening," the IOC said in a statement. They will be carried out through a saliva sample, cheek swab or blood sample. It will be done once in an athlete's lifetime. IOC president Kirsty Coventry said: "The policy we have announced is based on science and has been led by medical experts. "At the Olympic Games even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. "So it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe." In a press conference later, Coventry added: "I do feel that this policy is a policy that is supporting equality and fairness and the protection of the safety on the field of play." - Removes potential Trump clash - The new policy removes a potential source of conflict between the IOC and US President Donald Trump as the Los Angeles Olympics comes onto the horizon. Trump issued an executive order banning transgender athletes from women's sport soon after he came to office. The US leader later took credit for the IOC's new policy in a post on his Truth Social network later Thursday. "Congratulations to the International Olympic Committee on their decision to ban Men from Women's Sports," Trump wrote. "This is only happening because of my powerful Executive Order, standing up for Women and Girls!" While sports such as swimming, athletics, cycling and rowing have brought in bans, many others have permitted transgender women to compete in the female category if they lowered their testosterone levels, normally through taking a course of drugs. World Athletics welcomed the change of tack. "We have led the way in protecting women's sport over the last decade," said a spokesperson for track and field's international body. "Attracting and retaining more girls and women into sport requires a fair and level playing field where there is no biological glass ceiling. "This means that gender cannot trump biology. A consistent approach across all sport has to be a good thing." Gender testing was first introduced at the 1968 Olympics and last used at the 1996 Atlanta Games but then scrapped after criticism from the scientific community. The new policy is set to face some opposition too, especially in relation to athletes with DSD, the rare condition in which a person's hormones, genes and reproductive organs may have a combination of male and female characteristics. The British Journal of Sports Medicine said in an article this month there was "no scientific data of acceptable quality regarding sport performance advantage of people with DSDs possessing an SRY gene." It added: "Evidence regarding their athletic performance is extremely limited and problematic." The best-known DSD athlete of recent years is South African runner Caster Semenya, the two-time Olympic women's 800m champion who has male XY chromosomes. The IOC is bringing in the new policy after the women's boxing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics was rocked by a gender row involving Algerian fighter Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan. Khelif and Lin were excluded from the International Boxing Association's 2023 world championships after the IBA said they had failed eligibility tests. However, the IOC allowed them both to compete at the Paris Games, saying they had been victims of "a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA". Both boxers went on to win gold medals. Lin has since been cleared to compete in the female category at events run by World Boxing, the body that will oversee the sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

deccanchronicle

27/3/2026

विज्ञापन स्थान

पिछला1अगला