A team in the Indian Premier League, Delhi Daredevils has been renamed as Delhi Capitals, the franchise announced on Tuesday. The announcement and release of a new logo was carried out in an event. Property development company, the GMR Group successfully bid for the Delhi-based team for a sum of USD 84 million in January 2008. the team finished as one of the semifinalists in the opening two editions, but since then, they have made it to the play-offs only once (way back in 2012) in nine years. The GMR Group, ahead of the 2018 edition, entered into a 50-50 partnership with Mumbai-based steel company Jindal South West (JSW) Sports for the ownership of the team. The Delhi-based team is now set for a revamp of personnel as they released as many as 10 players and trading off three players to get hold of Shikhar Dhawan from Sunrisers Hyderabad. Delhi can fill up to ten slots- seven Indian positions and three overseas spots, having retained 14 players from the previous team during the auction on December 18.
West Indies Batsman Chris Gayle Awarded $220k in Damages for Defamation
West Indies batsman Chris Gayle was awarded A$300,000 ($220,770) in damages by an Australian court on Monday, almost a year after he won a defamation case against Fairfax Media over an alleged incident during the 2015 World Cup. New South Wales Supreme Court Justice Lucy McCallum gave the ruling for articles published in January 2016 that alleged the cricketer had exposed himself to a masseuse during the tournament. Gayle had previously sued the news agency over a number of articles published in January 2016 across a variety of Australian news outlets over the same claims. Chris Gayle's spokesman Grant Vandenberg addressed the media after the verdict saying Gayle was “vindicated today by the judge, he's already been vindicated by the jury”. He said, “All he wants to do is play cricket and he'd really, really love to come back to Australia — a country that he loves as much as anywhere — and play in the Big Bash.”
Prithvi Shaw ruled out of first test in Adelaide
India was dealt with a major injury scare last week as opener Prithvi Shaw injured his left ankle while fielding during a warm-up match against Cricket Australia XI. In visible pain, Shaw immediately grabbed his lower left leg after attempting to take a catch on the boundary. The 19 year old was carried off the ground by two India officials. Shaw was expected to open the batting for India in the first Test this week against Australia in Adelaide. The BCCI tweeted, “The medical team is assessing Prithvi Shaw at the moment. He hurt his left ankle while attempting to take a catch at the boundary ropes.” It later added, “UPDATE - Prithvi Shaw ruled out of First Test against Australia in Adelaide.” BCCI also released a statement saying, “Opening batsman Prithvi Shaw suffered a left ankle injury while attempting a catch at the boundary ropes in the tour game against CA XI at The Sydney Cricket Ground. Shaw underwent scans this morning and the reports revealed a lateral ligament injury. Shaw will be unavailable for the First Test against Australia in Adelaide. He will undergo an intensive rehabilitation program to hasten the recovery and be available for selection at the earliest.”
Tatenda Taibu plans comeback to professional cricket
Tatenda Taibu's career has taken a fresh launch as he signed up to play Sri Lanka's Baduralia Sports Club. Reports claim he said he made a comeback as a player because of his son, who has never seen him play. In a statem
ent, Taibu said, “I have said many times that my life is not guided by emotion or well-set plans, but I believe I am led by a voice inside my heart which I cannot ignore. My son Tatenda Jnr also often asks how I used to play, now that he has taken a liking to the sport. He didn’t really get the chance to see me as he was too young at the time. I have stayed extremely fit and healthy and feel I’m still one of the fittest cricketers around, so I thought maybe I can let him see for himself how I can perform.” The 35 year old Zimbabwean wicket-keeper batsman was the youngest ever Test captain back in 2004, at the age of 21. He last played representative cricket in February 2012, before retiring from all forms of the game to focus on church work. He has turned in an overall 28 Tests, 150 one-day internationals and 17 Twenty20 Internationals.
IOA submits interest to bid for 2032 Olympic Games
In a bid to bring the Olympics to India in 2032, the International Olympic Committee has submitted a formal expression of interest to bid for the event, and is set to approach the government for support. IOA president Narinder Batra told the visiting International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach that India would consider bidding for the games. The move was welcomed by Bach. The IOA submitted a formal expression of interest to the IOC, after which, IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta had a meeting with the three-member bid committee of the IOC headed by Jacqueline Barrett, Associate Director Olympic Games/Olympic Candidatures, during the body's Board meeting in Tokyo earlier this month. “We are dead serious about this bid for the 2032 Olympics. So, we have already submitted to the IOC the letter expressing our interest in hosting 2032 Olympic Games. I had a meeting with the Bid Committee of the IOC. They welcomed the move and said that India should have hosted an Olympic Games much earlier,” Mehta said. This is the first time that the IOA has officially submitted its expression of interest to host an Olympics. “At the first stage, a country expresses its interest to bid for the Olympics and at a later stage the proposed host city or cities is mentioned in the bid. India has not bid or expressed interest to host Olympic Games earlier,” he added.
