Sharath Kamal hopes for a Lion-hearted turnaround
'We are not where we wanted to be. We have been having ups and downs right from the first match. The first match, at least it was equally placed where we went on to seven-each and we lost the final game,' Sharath, the Lions' mentor, said after the team went down 8-7 against Ahmedabad SG Pipers on Thursday night.
'In the last two ties, we started with a major deficit and that makes it very hard to keep catching up all the time. We have been having some good performances, but we need to start winning up front.'
Not only does Chennai Lions now find itself in a must-win position in the next match against U Mumba TT on Saturday but also needs to beat defending champion Dempo Goa Challengers by a huge margin to give itself a chance of getting closer to the knockouts.
'Tough teams, tough matches. I hope we have one big win. On an average, we need to get on to 40, so you need two matches 10 points each. We are capable of doing that,' said Sharath, with the Lions' having accumulated 20 points in its first three games.
One of the major problems with the Lions has been the first singles tie where none of their men paddlers has won a game yet. After losing six games on the trot against Kolkata ThunderBlades' Ankur Bhattacharjee and Jaipur Patriots' Kanak Jha, Kirill Gerassimenko was shunted down the order on Thursday.
But Payas Jain, the promising Indian, couldn't take a game off Ricardo Walther on Thursday. 'We have been talking to Kirill and he is a quality player. Even Payas was in fantastic shape but went down. That's where we need to have a start, which is at least putting us on an equal plane going into the mixed doubles.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
11 ISL clubs urge senior lawyers assisting Supreme Court to bring attention to their crisis ahead of AIFF-FSDL hearing
The letter from the ISL clubs came a day before an Supreme Court hearing of the case on Friday. Amici curiae Gopal Sankaranarayanan and Samar Bansal had earlier mentioned the matter on Monday before the SC which posted the matter for Friday. Mumbai City FC and Bengaluru FC are among the 11 clubs that have written to the two senior lawyers assisting the Supreme Court in the ongoing AIFF-FSDL hearing. PTI Eleven Indian Super League clubs on Thursday urged the two senior lawyers assisting the Supreme Court in a pending case to bring to its notice the existential crisis they are facing due to uncertainty over the ISL's future and the 'urgency of pronouncing judgment at the earliest'. The letter from the ISL clubs came a day before an SC hearing of the case on Friday. Amici curiae Gopal Sankaranarayanan and Samar Bansal had earlier mentioned the matter on Monday before the SC which posted the matter for Friday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Given that football clubs (across entire pyramid), their players, employees, and stakeholders are the most directly and immediately affected by the current standstill in Indian football, we have no option but to approach your good selves, as officers of the Hon'ble Court, to humbly request that our concerns be placed before the Ld. Bench,' the letter stated. More from Football 'The urgency of pronouncing judgment at the earliest, given football calendar is at a standstill across pyramid; any consequential directions flowing from the judgment be directed to be completed in a time-bound (15–30 days), to restore certainty at the earliest,' the clubs wrote. 'In the event the present proceedings are to go on beyond August 22, 2025, the processes related to conducting the leagues and any ancillary operations may be allowed and expedited so that a long-term constructive solution for all parties may be obtained at the earliest,' the clubs wrote, while mentioning that they are not parties to the case. The eleven ISL clubs which signed the letter are Bengaluru FC, Hyderabad FC, Odisha FC, Chennaiyin FC, Jamshedpur FC, FC Goa, Kerala Blasters FC, Punjab FC, NorthEast United FC, Mumbai City FC and Mohammedan Sporting. The same 11 clubs had earlier warned All India Football Federation (AIFF) that they face the possibility of shutting down entirely due to uncertainty over the ISL's future. The crisis surfaced after FSDL, the ISL organisers as well as AIFF's commercial partner, put the 2025-26 season 'on hold' on July 11 due to uncertainty over the renewal of Master Rights Agreement (MRA), prompting at least three clubs to either pause first-team operations or suspend player and staff salaries. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The current MRA, signed in 2010 between FSDL and AIFF, ends on December 8. The AIFF gets Rs 50 crore annually from FSDL under the MRA. In the letter, the clubs said with no clarity on the ISL, the revenues of the clubs have been severely affected and their survival faced immediate threat, jeopardising the livelihoods of thousands engaged in the football ecosystem – players, staff, vendors, service providers. 'Even one season's disruption would erode the trust of fans, sponsors, investors, and international federations, undoing more than a decade's progress.' The ISL clubs said they have invested hundreds of crores of rupees into youth academies, training facilities, stadium upgrades, and professional squads, creating a robust footballing structure. 'The ISL now sustains the majority of professional football players in India, providing more than 400 full-time player contracts annually, besides developmental pathways for youth and grassroots players. 'It is respectfully submitted that a league of this calibre cannot be assembled at the last minute and requires long-term buy-in to obtain best possible deals. Broadcast agreements, sponsorship deals, player registrations, and logistical arrangements ideally require long-term buy-in and stability, and even thereafter approximately 6–8 weeks of advance certainty to implement every season. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Therefore, the current delay has already placed us in a situation where any further delays may cause irreparable harm and there is an urgent need for certainty in the greater interest of the entire football ecosystem, including clubs, players, staff, and all other stakeholders.' They said that the loss of even a single ISL season would have catastrophic and irreversible consequences for Indian football as a whole – including the well-being of the players and staff associated with the sport, the professional league structure including the I-League and lower divisions, grassroots academies, and other football competitions – all of which depend on the stability of the top-tier competition. Current deadlock The clubs also submitted that 'this deadlock has indirectly arisen in the present case because there is, as we understand, a verbal stay/injunction on any discussions in relation to the MRA effective April 30, 2025'. 'This has created an anomalous situation where no resolution or forward planning for the 2025–26 season and beyond can take place. As matters stand, there is no certainty beyond 8 December 2025, when the current commercial partner demits its term. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'At that point in the calendar, ordinarily less than a quarter of the season would have been completed, leaving the league and, by extension, the wider pyramid in complete limbo. For the entire footballing system, it is also crucial that a long-term, stable solution is arrived at urgently. 'Clubs have multi-year sponsorships and contractual commitments, and several sponsors have already withdrawn due to the prevailing uncertainty. 'No commercial partner can be expected to invest or commit resources under an interim arrangement or for short term, given sheer scale and complexity of organizing a tournament like ISL and securing long-term broadcast and sponsorship partnerships. Therefore, it is imperative the current proceedings be expedited to provide necessary certainty for the league.'
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Sinquefield Cup: Gukesh held by Sevian, Praggnanandhaa draws with Abdusattorov
World champion D Gukesh was held to a draw by the lone wild card Samuel Sevian of United States, while fellow Indian R Praggnanandhaa also split the point with Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan in the third round of the Sinquefield Cup here. With his second draw in as many days, Praggnanadhaa remained in the leading group of three players that now include Fabiano Caruana of United States besides the overnight co-leader Armenian-turned-American Levon Aronian. Caruana handed Alireza Firouzja of France his first loss in the tournament in the lone decisive game of the day. Aronian was held to a draw by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, while another American Wesley So split the point with Duda Jan-Kryzsztof of Poland. With six rounds still to come in the $3,75,000 prize money tournament, Praggnanadhaa, Aronian and Caruana share the lead on two points each and they are now followed by Wesley, Firouzja, Vachier-Lagrave, Sevian and Gukesh -- who all stand a half point behind. Duda is next in line on one point, while Abdusattorov opened his account to be on a half point from his first three outings here. For Gukesh, first draw in the tournament was rather easy with black pieces. Samuel Sevian tried his hands at the Rosslimo variation against the Sicilian defense but Gukesh was always in control. The middle game arrived and passed smoothly as both players exchanged pieces at regular intervals leading to a drawn endgame. Praggnanandhaa played his first black after two white games and chose the Nimzo-Indian defence wherein Abdusattorov, struggling to find his form, could not get much. The players reached an opposite coloured Bishops endgame where the draw was a just result. It could have been an uneventful day but for Caruana who played a fine positional game to outwit Firouzja. The Fianchetto variation against the Nimzo gave Caruana a spatial advantage as his pieces stood better in the middle game and after a fine grind the American pushed his central passed pawn to the seventh rank for the desired effect. With the top four places in the Grand chess tour at stake for the grand finale later this year, Caruana seemed pleased with his victory. The American observed that Vachier-Lagrave has almost qualified and the rest of the bunch is fighting for the last spots. Results round 3: Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 0.5) drew with R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 2) Fabiano Caruana (Usa, 2) beat Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 1.5); Duda Jan Kryzstof (Pol, 1) drew with Wesley So (Usa, 1.5); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 1.5) drew with Levon Aronian (Usa, 1.5) Samuel Sevian (Usa, 1.5) drew with D Gukesh (Ind, 1.5).
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
3 hours ago
- First Post
She Shakti 2025: Footballer Ashalata Devi, F4 racer Mira Erda open up on hurdles faced by Indian women in sport, equal pay and more
In a conversation with Firstpost Sports Editor Rupha Ramani on She Shakti 2025, football star Loitongbam Ashalata Devi and Formula 4 racer Mira Erda shared their journeys into professional sport, discuss pay gap between male and female athletes and more. Indian football star Loitongbam Ashalata Devi and Formula 4 racer Mira Erda opened up breaking barriers in sport traditionally viewed as male bastions in an inspiring chat with Firstpost Sports Editor Rupha Ramani on She Shakti 2025, where the spotlight is on women leading from the frontlines. Both Ashalata and Mira have been trailblazers in their own fields; while the former became the first Indian woman footballer to complete 100 international appearances recently, Mira holds the distinction of being the first Indian woman to bag a podium in Formula 4. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And at She Shakti, the two shared their contrasting journeys into taking up sport professionally. Ashalata, for instance, became a key member of the Blue Tigresses despite the hostility that she faced during her childhood. More from Football 'I don't remember too many women footballers in action when I started playing the game. My parents did not support me back then, maybe because there was no awareness on women playing football. I would receive a beating for playing football as it was seen as a sport for boys, and not girls,' Ashalata said. 'It was quite difficult back then, but it was when I got the opportunity to represent India at the U-17 level that my parents finally began to support me. They have been quite supportive since then, urging me to not give up every time I got injured. It was quite difficult back then, but we've come a long way since then with greater awareness among parents as far as women's sport is concerned,' she added. 'Still a struggle for a lot of people to consider motorsport and women together': Mira Mira, on the other hand, revealed that while her father was quite supportive of her not only exhibiting an interest in motorsport but taking it up professionally, she revealed that it was her competitiveness with her brothers than inspired her to get behind the wheel and accelerate her journey towards becoming a racer. 'I was nine when I started racing professionally, but before that, anything with speed – I'm happy, I'm up for it. My dad used to take me on long drives, and I used to enjoy that. And when my dad started a go-karting track in Vadodara where we are based out of, I used to look at my brothers drive, and no – I'm very competitive when that happens. I don't want to let them enjoy, I want to enjoy too. The first time I ever sat in a go-kart, I hit the tyre barriers,' Mira said at the event. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Only the fact that they were enjoying, and I enjoyed speed, I was like, 'I am going to get over that fear, and get back into it.' She (Ashalata) said that her parents were not supportive, but over here, it was totally opposite for me. My dad was the one who pushed me into it and he's seen that there's a spark in me, and I am lucky to have parents who have supported me into such an unconventional sport because back in 2010, nobody could relate motorsport and women together. 'Even now, it's still a struggle for a lot of people to consider both of them together. But over the years, I've been lucky enough to see the change and be a part of the change where now if we wear the helmet, nobody knows if it's a girl or a boy. And then it's all about who works hard and who drives the best out there,' she added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ashalata, who is part of the Indian women's side that after a clinical qualifying campaign in Thailand, used the occasion to raise awareness on the disparity of pay between male and female footballers in India. The Indian women's football team qualified for the AFC Asian Cup on merit for the first time ever after a clinical qualifying campaign in Thailand. AIFF 'Not only do women get less opportunities compared to men, on top of that we keep fighting for equal pay. Female footballers earn a meagre five per cent of the salaries of male footballers. It's very difficult for us, and makes us think that we're not professional footballers in the first place. 'Equal pay will help give women footballers a sense of belonging in professional sport. And if there's no job security and decent pay after working so hard and achieving so much, then parents understandably will be apprehensive about their daughters taking up sport as a career. Equal opportunity and pay thus are important,' Ashalata added. Watch the full episode here:
