ECB and BCCI join hands to scuttle ambitious Saudi T20
LONDON, June 25: The ambitious Saudi T20 league, which is believed to be a USD 400 million project, won’t be backed by the BCCI or the England and Wales Cricket Board as they try to protect their respective flagship tourneys from getting diluted, British newspaper The Guardian has reported.“During discussions at the World Test Championship final at Lord’s this month, the ECB and BCCI agreed to unite in opposing the new league. The boards agreed they would not issue “no objection certificates” to their players to sign up for the new competition, as well as lobbying the International Cricket Council (ICC) to withhold their endorsement,” the newspaper wrote.Apparently Cricket Australia (CA) was keen on partnering with Saudi investors in the league.“Under plans that emerged in Australia this year, Saudi’s SRJ Sports Investments has pledged to inject USD 400m to set up the new league, which would have eight teams playing four tournaments in different locations each year in a set-up that has been compared to tennis’s Grand Slams,” Guardian said.For CA, the main aim is to earn profit from the cash inflow by a private investor as the Big Bash League (BBL) franchises are owned by the governing body and the states. (PTI)
5th Khelo India University Games to be held in Jaipur
NEW DELHI, June 25: The fifth edition of the Khelo India University Games (KIUG) will be held in Jaipur in November with more than 4,000 students expected to take part in the competition, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Wednesday.Poornima University and Rajasthan University will jointly host the Under-25 multi-sport Games which will see participation of more than 200 Universities.Like previous editions, there will be at least 20 disciplines on the KIUG 2025 programme. Chandigarh University had won the team championships at KIUG 2024, co-hosted by Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland and Tripura.Lovely Professional University came second while Amritsar’s Guru Nanak Dev University was third.A total of 770 medals — 240 gold, 240 silver and 290 bronze — were on offer in the 2024 edition, held in North-east India for the first time.Over 200 universities competed for 11 days in the KIUG 2024 with around 4,500 athletes taking part in 20 sports. (PTI)
Over 400 athletes register for inaugural Shooting League
NEW DELHI, June 25: The upcoming inaugural Shooting League of India (SLI) is generating plenty of interest as more than 400 athletes have already registered for the event, organisers National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) said on Wednesday.Shooters from India, Kazakhstan, Russia, Iran, Hungary, Croatia, Azerbaijan, United Kingdom, Australia, Grenada, Italy, Australia, Austria, Serbia, USA, Spain, Thailand, Germany, Czech Republic, Norway, San Marino and Romania have registered for the league and the number continues to grow.The first season of the SLI will have a window between November 20 and December 2, 2025 and will feature mixed team events across pistol (10m, 25m), rifle (10m, 50m 3 positions), and shotgun (trap and skeet), as outlined by the NRAI technical committee.A minimum of six teams will participate in the competition, divided into two pools during the league stage.Players will be selected and grouped into four tiers — elite champions, world elite, national champions, and junior and youth champions — to ensure a competitive mix of experience and emerging talent. (PTI)
Two Americans fail doping tests in Chinese basketball league
BEIJING, June 25: The Chinese Anti-Doping Agency has released the names of two American basketball players who failed in-competition tests in April during the domestic league.In a statement released on Tuesday, the Chinese Basketball Association said it had been notified by the agency of doping violations involving Montrezl Dashay Harrell and Troy Akeem Gillenwater.It said both players tested positive for Carboxy-THC and that both have given up the right to have their “B” samples tested. The CBA said it will impose penalties on the players once the anti-doping agency makes a final decision on the case.Carboxy-THC is found in cannabis. The World Anti-Doping Agency bans all forms of psychoactive cannabinoids during in-competition periods.Harrell, who was playing for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers at the time of the doping test on April 15, has been associated with four NBA teams. (PTI)
