Tata Group has bagged the title rights for the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah took to Twitter to make the announcement, expressing his confidence that the move will take the women’s cricket to the next level. “I am delighted to announce the Tata Group as the title sponsor of the inaugural WPL. With their support, we’re confident that we can take women’s cricket to the next level,” Jay tweeted. Notably, Tata Group also has the title rights for the Indian Premiere League. BCCI announced the schedule for WPL 2023 after the conclusion of the auction, which was held on Feb 13.
Sindhu parts ways with coach Park
After a string of disappointing performances in the last few months, PV Sindhu decided to part ways with her South Korean coach Park Tae-Sang.
Park announced the decision on social media. “She has made disappointing moves in all recent matches, and as a coach, I feel responsible. . . So she wanted a change and said she would find a new coach. I decided to respect and follow her decision. I’m sorry that I can’t be with her until the next Olympics, but now I’m going to support her from afar. I will remember every moment with her. I would like to thank everyone who has been supporting and encouraging me,”Park wrote on Instagram. Sindhu will now train with Malaysian Muhammad Hafiz Hashim at the Suchitra Badminton Academy. Hashim was the All England champion in 2003
Anish wins rapid fire bronze medal at WC
Anish Bhanwal displayed both patience and swiftness to win his first World Cup medal, five years after he started competing in the senior category. The Haryana shooter, 20, bagged the bronze medal in men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event at the ISSF World Cup in Cairo. Anish qualified for the ranking round after shooting 581 (294 + 287). In the ranking round, he shot 12, but was tied with French shooter Yan Chesnel. The shooters had to go for three rounds of shootoff, as the first two were tied at 3 and 4 shots each. In the last round of shoot-off, Anish hit 4 targets while the French shooter got only 2. “It is tough for any athlete to stay motivated without winning. Not getting a medal at the World Cup was bothering me,” A nish said after the match.
Lucknow pitch escapes sanction
The undercooked pitch at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium for the second T20I between India and New Zealand on January 29, which was dubbed as a “shocker” by India’s T20I captain Hardik Pandya, has escaped sanctions or any demerit point by the International Cricket Council, with former India fast bowler Javagal Srinath, who was the ICC match referee for that game, rating the pitch as “average.” The match saw New Zealand manage to score just 99 for 8 in 20 overs, while India managed to reach the target with just a ball to spare. In a rare occasion in T20 cricket, not a single six was hit during the match, which witnessed 30 out of 40 overs of spin on a track where the ball turned square. "To be honest, this was a shocker of a wicket," Hardik had said at the post-match presentation. Meanwhile, the spin-friendly pitches for the first two Tests between India and Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy at Nagpur and Delhi have been given an “average” rating by ICC match referee Andrew Pycroft.
