Bengaluru Bulls beat Bengal Warriors
Bengaluru Bulls beat Bengal Warriors 31-25 to take the top spot in Zone B of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) here on Wednesday. Ajay Kumar and Rohit Kumar scored nine and six points respectively to lead Bengaluru to a superb victory. For Bengal Warriors, Jang Kun Lee scored eight points but that wasn't enough as they crashed to their first defeat of the campaign. In Zone B, Bengaluru Bulls now top the table with 19 points after playing six matches. Bengal are now fourth with 11 points after three matches.
Sindhu takes charge as deputy collector
Ace shuttler P.V. Sindhu on Wednesday assumed office as a Deputy Collector in Andhra Pradesh. The Olympics badminton silver medallist took charge in the state secretariat at Gollapudi here. Accompanied by her parents, she reached the office of Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA) and assumed the charge. She reported to CCLA Chief Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha and later signed the relevant documents to formally join the service.
Inter Milan buy Dalbert Henrique
Inter Milan on Wednesday signed Brazilian left-back Dalbert Henrique on a contract from French football club Nice. "The 23-year-old has signed a contract with Inter until June 30, 2022," the club posted on its website. Nice signed Dalbert in the summer of 2016 and he established himself as one of the most interesting left-backs in Ligue 1, as he made 33 league appearances, making four assists. He was the Nice player with the most crosses (94) and the most dribble attempts (100) last season. According to Italian media reports, Inter will pay Nice more than $20 million to buy the player.
Volkswagen joins hands with UEFA
German vehicle manufacturer Volkswagen on Wednesday announced it was set to become UEFA's new partner for international football competitions, starting in 2018. The four-year deal revolves around UEFA EURO 2020, a special edition which will see matches in 13 different countries to mark the European tournament's 60th anniversary, reports Efe. "No other sport is as powerful as football or unites so many people," said Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess during the deal's presentation before the press. Volkswagen is also set to partner up with the German Football Association, starting in 2019.
Champions Cup meet venue changed
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been forced to shift the Champions Cup international football tournament from Chennai to Mumbai due to the "exorbitant" rates charged by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) for using the pitch, general secretary Kushal Das said on Wednesday. "We were trying to bring international football to Chennai after I guess 22 years. But if this is the attitude we really cannot help," Das said. Das said that work at the stadium was stalled for the last three days and the AIFF got a letter on Wednesday where the rates shocked them. SDAT was charging Rs.2 lakh per match, Rs.75,000 for practice session per day and another Rs. 75,000 (if the teams train at the Nehru ‘B' ground) of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
India A win tri-series
India A rode on Shreyas Iyer's unbeaten century and all-rounder Vijay Shankar's half-century to thrash South Africa A by seven wickets and retain the tri-series trophy here. Chasing a modest 268, Iyer (140 not out) and Shankar (72) put on 141 runs for the third wicket to rescue the visitors from a precarious 20/2 after Junior Dala removed openers Sanju Samson and Karun Nair in the first six overs here on Tuesday.
Decline in ticket sales a concern
Under-17 FIFA World Cup tournament director Javier Ceppi on Wednesday underlined the unexpected decline in the sale of tickets in the third phase in Guwahati. The city is lagging behind Kolkata and Kochi in ticket sales after it exhausted its available inventory of tickets for Phase I and II. "Ticket sales in Guwahati were extremely strong in Phase I and Phase II but have unexpectedly declined currently. Football is a religion in Guwahati and other parts of the North-East India, and hence we are not very worried about filling the stadium," Ceppi said.
Southampton sign midfielder Lemina
Southampton FC have broken their club record in signing Gabon midfielder Mario Lemina from record Italian football champions Juventus for a transfer fee of 17 million euros ($19.95 million). "The 23-year-old completed his switch from the Italian side and has joined the club on a five-year contract," Southampton said in a statement posted on their website on Tuesday. Confirming Lemina's sale, Juventus said that Southampton's cost may increase up to maximum 20 million euros ($23.47 million) on achieving given sport conditions in the course of the duration of the contract.
