Rugby Premier League: Manuel Moreno to captain Hyderabad Heroes with Prince Khatri and Max Roddick named co-vice captains
Moreno will be supported by Indian stalwart Prince Khatri and German Max Roddick who have officially been named co-vice captains for the team. The Rugby Premier League is the world's first franchise-based international league where stalwarts of international rugby will play alongside the best talent homegrown in India.
'Being named the captain for the Hyderabad Heroes is a responsibility that I am very excited about and take very seriously. Leading the team with Prince and Max is a unique opportunity to learn different leadership styles with one goal which is for the inaugural season of the RPL be an absolute success for the Hyderabad Heroes. Kudos to KLO Sports for backing the team and most importantly, it is an honour to work with and learn from legendary, DJ Forbes," said Moreno on being appointed captain of the Hyderabad Heroes.
Moreno has been chosen amongst the 14 best rugby players in the Sevens Series and currently plays for the Spanish national team. Prince Khatri has captained the Indian side a number of times and is one of the senior members of the national team. Max Roddick represents Germany and has been touted as one of the strongest bridge players across all teams.
'The Rugby Premier League is a unique opportunity to grow and to learn from the biggest names in international rugby. Being appointed co- vice captain with Max is an honour and it will give me the chance to pick up skills that will help me become a better leader. Our squad is ready and everyone has done a great job coming together despite coming from such different backgrounds and nationalities. The major credit of this goes to our coach, DJ Forbes," said Khatri.
Owned by KLO Sports, the Hyderabad Heroes have an extremely strong line-up with the biggest names in international rugby and strong Indian representation. The squad includes Prince Khatri, Javed Hussain, Sambit Pradhan, Sukumar Hembrom, Sumit Roy, Joji Nasova, Terio Veilawa, Motu Opetai, Max Roddick, Wolfram Hacker, Kevin Wekesa, Manuel Moreno Asensi and Lautaro Velez. The head coach for Hyderabad Heroes is the legendary, World Rugby, Hall of Famer, DJ Forbes.
Hyderabad Heroes begin their campaign against Kalinga Black Tigers in the third match of the league on Sunday.
Hyderabad Heroes fixtures:
June 15: vs Kalinga Black Tigers
June 17: vs Bengaluru Bravehearts
June 19: vs Kalinga Black Tigers
June 20: vs Mumbai Dreamers
June 21: vs Mumbai Dreamers
June 22: vs Bengaluru Bravehearts
June 23: vs Chennai Bulls
June 24: vs Chennai Bulls
June 26: vs Delhi Redz
June 27: vs Delhi Redz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
Rain reschedule inter-school cricket
Kanpur: Monsoon rains that lashed the city on Thursday morning washed out the two semi-finals of the Late Atma Ram Agarwal Memorial prize money inter-school cricket tournament. The matches will now be played on Friday morning and evening, as scheduled, with the final set to be played under floodlights. The first semi-final was scheduled for Thursday morning between Seth Anand Ram Jaipuria School and Methodist High School. Methodist, deciding to bat first, scored 113 runs for the loss of two wickets in 10.3 overs when rains interrupted play. The incomplete first semifinal will continue from where it was left off. The second semi-final will be played between DPS Kalyanpur and DPS Azad Nagar. Indian team member Kuldeep Yadav will be the chief guest of the final, the organisers informed. Handball: Selection trials for district and division level girls' teams for the Sub Junior State Level Girls' Handball Championship will be held at Green Park stadium on Aug 25 and August 26 at 10 am and 2 pm, respectively. The state championship will be held at Barabanki from Sept 1 to September 4. According to regional sports officer Bhanu Prasad, interested players should contact his office at Green Park during working days and bring their birth certificates and Aadhaar cards at the time of trial. Aspirants must be born from January 1-2011. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
Gaming bill set to hit advertising industry
With the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill , 2025 now passed by Parliament, the media and advertising ecosystem is grappling with the new reality. The bill, which received Lok Sabha approval on August 20, 2025, and Rajya Sabha approval on August 21, 2025, enacts a complete prohibition on online money games, defined as those involving any monetary stake or expectation of reward. Simultaneously, it promotes and regulates e-sports as a legitimate sporting activity, setting a clear new direction for the gaming industry. As mentioned in the proposed Bill, 'No person shall offer, promote, or engage in online money games or online money gaming services. Similarly, no person shall create, cause, or be involved in any advertisement in any media, including electronic communication, that directly or indirectly encourages participation in online money games or promotes online money gaming.' The immediate concern for the advertising market is the ban on advertisements and promotions of online money games. This category has been one of the most aggressive spenders on media over the past four years with a sharp focus on digital platforms and cricket sponsorships, particularly the Indian Premier League (IPL). According to PwC report 2024 the total size of the Indian online gaming market was INR 33,000 crore in 2023, estimated to reach INR 66,000 crore, growing at a CAGR of 14.5 percent between 2023–2028. Industry executives estimate the ban could wipe out INR 4,000 to 5,000 crore in annual ad spends. Of this, around INR 1,000 to 1,500 crore was on TV, mostly during the IPL, while digital could lose INR 3,000 to 3,500 crore. Ad spends at stake According to Vanita Keswani , CEO, Madison Media Sigma , a potential ban on real-money gaming platforms will create a short-term dent in ad revenues, as the category has been among the most aggressive spenders across TV and digital. However, the industry has historically rebalanced over time with new categories stepping in. She said, 'Digital will feel the sharper impact, given gaming's heavy reliance on app installs, influencer campaigns, and performance spends. Television too will lose out, especially during cricket properties where gaming brands had become near-dominant advertisers.' Sandeep Goyal , managing director of Rediffusion, said, 'If real-money gaming platforms are banned, it will directly affect advertising spends. The immediate impact will be on the IPL, where companies like Dream11 and My11Circle were among the main sponsors. Digital advertising will take the biggest hit, estimated at INR 4,000 to 5,000 crore, which is around 5 to 6 percent of the total ad market of INR 1 lakh crore. Television exposure was largely limited to the IPL at about INR 1,000 to 1,500 crore.' Revenue realities In FY23, Dream Sports, owner of Dream11, posted revenues of about INR 6,380 crore and allocated nearly INR 2,960 crore towards advertising and promotions, close to half of its topline. Games24x7, which operates My11Circle and RummyCircle, reported revenues of roughly INR 1,990 crore, of which INR 1,420 crore went into promotional spends, accounting for more than 70 percent of its revenue. Mobile Premier League (MPL) recorded INR 874 crore in revenue with around INR 118 crore spent on advertising, indicating a comparatively restrained approach but still reflecting the sector's heavy dependence on marketing to drive user acquisition. This shows that unlike traditional consumer sectors, real-money gaming companies consistently channel a disproportionately large share of their earnings into advertising, which explains the magnitude of disruption the proposed ban on promotional activity could cause across digital, television and sports sponsorships. A senior broadcaster, requesting anonymity, placed the overall impact closer to INR 5,000 crore and pointed out that outside sports, the spends from these companies were relatively limited, probably not exceeding INR 500 crore across any medium. He added that he does not expect other categories to step in to compensate for this shortfall, suggesting the industry will have to absorb a direct loss. Echoing the view, Keswani said that while fintech, e-commerce, OTT and D2C brands may partly fill the gap, it is unlikely to match gaming's scale immediately. Sponsorship fallout Dream11 was among the top five advertisers in India in 2024 with ad spends of INR 1,200 to 1,400 crore, according to the Madison Advertising Report 2025. It ranked fifth overall, ahead of several large FMCG and auto players. Games24x7 spent an estimated INR 350 to 500 crore on advertising in the same year. These companies were heavily backed by venture funding and invested significantly in television sponsorships, digital campaigns, influencer-led marketing, and offline activations such as metro branding. The IPL is expected to bear the brunt of the fallout. Dream11 has been an official sponsor of the league since 2019 and took the title sponsorship in 2020. It has remained one of the most visible advertisers across team jerseys, on-ground activations and television commercials. Not just IPL, it has also been an official partner of Women's Premier League (WPL) and Pro Kabaddi League ( PKL ). My11Circle entered the IPL ecosystem in 2023. In 2024, the company secured the fantasy gaming category sponsorship rights with a winning bid of INR 125 crore per year for five years, as reported in GroupM's Sporting Nation Report 2025. The deal, valued at INR 625 crore over the contract period, was one of the most significant category investments in the league's recent history. If the proposed Bill is cleared these contracts will face immediate disruption, leaving the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to seek new category sponsors. Industry trackers suggest the gap will be difficult to fill in the short term given the scale of investment by gaming platforms. Impact beyond adex Industry observers shared that beyond sponsorships, the ripple effects will be felt across advertising agencies, production houses, content creators and influencer networks. Dozens of agencies had dedicated teams servicing gaming clients, producing high-volume campaigns and executing performance-led media plans. The prohibition will bring these mandates to a halt. 'The impact is not limited to advertising. A wide ecosystem of agencies, production houses, content creators and influencers will be affected. These platforms also invested in offline branding such as OOH and activations. If there are 50 to 100 gaming players, that means dozens of agencies had teams working on them, films were being produced and media plans were being executed. With the ban, all of that comes to a halt,' said Goyal. Online platforms which hosted the bulk of these programmatic and performance-led campaigns, are also expected to see a decline in revenues from this category. Experts indicate that offline branding might also get impacted. The Bill does not restrict e-sports, which the government plans to recognise and promote under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. However, advertising in e-sports is negligible compared to real-money gaming platforms, meaning the proposed ban is set to leave a significant gap in the media and sports sponsorship ecosystem.
NDTV
31 minutes ago
- NDTV
"If Selectors Really Like Shreyas Iyer, He Should...": Ajit Agarkar Sent Harsh Message On Asia Cup Snub
Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes that the Indian selectors and management didn't do justice to in-form Shreyas Iyer by axing him from the 15-player squad for next month's Asia Cup. Shreyas' omission from the squad after a bumper Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season with Punjab Kings (PBKS) as captain has sparked criticism from fans and former cricketers. India's chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained Shreyas' absence during the squad announcement and told reporters, "With regards to Shreyas, it's not his fault, nor is it ours. It's just that you can pick 15, and at the moment you'll have to wait for his chance." The majority have voiced in favour of the 30-year-old, citing several reasons for his inclusion in the highly anticipated tournament. Kaif has now joined the ranks and admitted that he has struggled to understand Shreyas' absence. "Shreyas Iyer's name didn't come up; the selectors said that it was a difficult task to fit him since only 15 could be selected. I can understand all that. I approve of you in this. But even after praising him, his name wasn't even in the standbys," Kaif said on his YouTube channel. What surprised Kaif more was that Shreyas couldn't even find a seat in the reserves list. The former gun-fielder questioned the logic behind Dhruv Jurel being named in the reserves despite the presence of wicketkeepers Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma. "There is Jaiswal in the list, and you have Jurel. There is no need for Jurel. If the selectors really like Iyer, he should have been named in the standbys. If someone got injured, he could've gone there," he said. "You won't see Shreyas Iyer in the Asia Cup, which I think was wrong. His name should be in the standbys 100 per cent. Speaking of Jurel, you see Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson are already there in the squad. You pick Jurel there, and kept Parag in the standbys. I think there is no justice with Shreyas Iyer," he added. Shreyas was India's highest run-getter and overall second-highest run-getter in CT 2025, with 243 runs in five matches at an average of 48.60, with two fifties and a best score of 79. He concluded his run in IPL 2025 as the sixth-highest run-getter, after garnering 604 runs in 17 matches and innings at an average of 50.33, at a strike rate of 175.07 and six fifties. His best score was 97*. Another name that caught many by surprise was the explosive all-rounder Rinku Singh. Despite an underwhelming run with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, Rinku still remained in the grand scheme of things. According to Kaif, Rinku's stint in the UP T20 League, especially with the ball, could have swayed the selectors' minds. "Rinku Singh's selection, in my opinion, is because in the UPT20 League, he is bowling in the tournament as well. Since Washington Sundar is not in the 15-member squad, even Rinku Singh can bowl 2-3 overs on the UAE pitch," he said. India will kick off their campaign against the UAE on September 10, while the high-voltage game against Pakistan is scheduled for September 14, with both fixtures set to be played in Dubai. India will play their final group stage fixture against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi. Team India squad for Asia Cup: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
