KKR vs RCB at Eden Gardens to kick off IPL 2025 season
New Delhi, Feb 16: The BCCI on Sunday unveiled a 74-match schedule for the 18th Indian Premier League that will be held across 13 venues, starting on March 22 with three franchises playing at least a couple of their home games at their designated second bases. The event will kick off with a clash between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens on March 22 and culminate at the same venue on May 25 in a schedule that did not offer any surprises. A schedule features 12 double-headers. The games will be held over 65 days across 13 venues, with Dharamsala, Guwahati, and Visakhapatnam hosting a couple of IPL fixtures each. The playoffs will be staged in Hyderabad and Kolkata after the league stage. Hyderabad will host Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator on May 20 and May 21, respectively, with the action shifting to Kolkata for Qualifier 2 on May 23. The IPL will continue with its two-group structure after the 2022 expansion to a 10-team format. Each team will play the other sides in their group twice, one pre-determined team from the opposite group, and the remaining four teams from the other group once. (PTI)
MI sign Mujeeb Ur Rahman in place of injured Ghazanfar
Mumbai, Feb 16: Five-time champions Mumbai Indians on Sunday announced the signing of Afghanistan off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman as a replacement for Allah Ghazanfar who has been ruled out of the IPL 2025 due to an injury. The 18-year-old Afghan spinner had suffered a fracture in the L4 vertebra, specifically in the left pars interarticularis, and he will miss the upcoming Champions Trophy as well. Ghazanfar had sustained the injury during Afghanistan’s recent tour to Zimbabwe. Mujeeb was one of the youngest ever players to have represented Afghanistan and made an instant impact, leading to an IPL debut at the age of 17. Mujeeb has played over 300 T20 (international and domestic) games taking 330 wickets at an economy of around 6.5. Mumbai Indians had signed the rising 18-year-old off-spinner Ghazanfar for Rs 4.80 crore in the IPL mega auction. (PTI)
Ugandan Kiplimo smashes men’s half-marathon world record
Barcelona, Feb 16: Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo set a men’s half-marathon word record on Sunday and also became the first runner to go under 57 minutes. The 24-year-old Kiplimo set a time of 56 minutes, 41 seconds at a road race in Barcelona, smashing the previous record of 57:30 by Ethiopian distance runner Yomif Kejelcha last year in the Spanish city of Valencia. World Athletics said it was the greatest single improvement on the men’s half-marathon record, and that Kiplimo benefited from ideal weather conditions of 13 degrees Celsius with no wind. Kiplimo won a bronze medal in 10,000 meters at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. (AP)
Tejas Dhingra retains title at National Equestrian C’ship
Meerut, Feb 16: Tejas Dhingra of Beeya’s Riding Facility retained the title at the National Equestrian Championship (show jumping) with a fine performance at the Modi Equestrian Academy here on Sunday. Defending champion Dhingra secured his victory with 16 points in the Championship Tour, finishing ahead of Amar Sarin of Tarc Equestrian Centre and Ashray Butta of EGC Stables, who ended as joint runners-up. Meanwhile, it was double delight for Yashaan Zubin Khambatta of Tarc Equestrian Centre as he emerged victorious in both the novice and medium tours. Sehaj Singh Virk and Abhishek Chopra shared second place in the medium Tour, while Narayan Singh joined Yashaan on the podium for the novice Tour, securing the runner-up position. A standout performance came from 13-year-old Sravya Vohra, the youngest rider in the championship, as she finished in the fifth place. Her exceptional composure and flawless performance throughout the rounds earned her a special appreciation prize from the Modi Equestrian Academy and the Equestrian Federation of India. (PTI)
Anisimova beats Ostapenko to win Qatar Open title
Doha, Feb 16: Amanda Anisimova won the Qatar Open on Saturday for her third career title and first since 2022. Anisimova beat former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-3 in a final disrupted twice by showers. After the second rain delay, Anisimova won the last three games to become the first American to win the Doha title since Monica Seles in 2002. Ranked 41st, Anisimova was close to a top 20 debut. The 37th-ranked Ostapenko, from Lativa, appeared in her 17th final and missed out on her ninth career singles title. She was also undone by 10 double faults. (AP)
Unseeded Kyrian Jacquet beats Billy Harris to win Delhi Open title
New Delhi, Feb 16: Frenchman Kyrian Jacquet continued his impressive run in India, adding the Delhi Open singles title to his trophy cabinet on Sunday, just days after claiming the Chennai Open crown. Unseeded Jacquet beat second seed Billy Harris of Britain 6-4, 6-2 in the final at the DLTA Complex Centre Court to win the title. Jacquet’s win over Harris made him the third Frenchman in a row to win the Delhi Open singles title after Stephane Robert (2016) and Geoffrey Blancaneaux (2024). (PTI)
Mandaviya urges youngsters to use cycles as commuting option
Mumbai, Feb 16: Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday urged the youngsters of the country to use cycles as a commuting option whenever possible to remain healthy and promote a better environment. Mandaviya led Fit India Movement’s flagship programme, Sundays on Cycle, here this morning with an aim to create awareness among the masses to lead a fit and healthy lifestyle through cycling, while also promoting a solution for pollution. “I urge everyone, especially younger people, to use cycles to commute whenever possible. This will not only make them healthy; it will improve the overall health of our environment,” he said. Besides riding for good health, the message of this week’s Sundays on Cycle was #FightObesity. (PTI)