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The Hindu
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
The stars of Indian golf excited about upcoming league
Three of the best golfers in the country who have shared rooms on the professional tour, Shiv Kapur, Gaurav Ghei and SSP Chawrasia, and pride about having more than 100 years of combined experience between them, were excited about the forthcoming Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL). In an interaction with the media, the three observed that golf in its new avatar, 'with no cut, decent prize money, fast-paced action', would attract the young talent to the game and help them grow into superstars. 'This league, combined with men, women, amateurs and juniors, will do what IPL has done for cricket. It will help promote the nextgen players,' said Shiv Kapur. Chawrasia felt that it would be a win-win situation both for the experienced players and the youngsters as both would learn from each other in dealing with the new format. Gaurav Ghei pointed out that Europe and USA had tried different formats over the years, but they were one-off events. 'To have a Tour, followed by the league in a short, concise format is exciting. It will engage youngsters and bring new viewership to the game,' said Ghei. The star professionals were unanimous that young fans did not have the patience to watch golf for long hours, and the quick format would provide the 'excitement for the fan.' Shiv was confident that Indian golf would look up once again and there was no reason why an Indian can't win a Major or be world No.1 in the times ahead. The professionals were equally unanimous that the team event would foster camaraderie and energise players to pull their weight for the team. The IGPL would also mean more opportunities for players to compete through the year. It would mean access to golf for more aspirants, giving the chance for players to represent teams and be seen on television. Shiv said that he was keen to be fully involved as a mentor and leader in building a franchise, the team, and experience the joy of sharing. 'The pressure while playing for a team is a lot different. When Karthik Singh plays Gaganjeet Bhullar, it will be a learning experience for both players,' said Gaurav.
The Print
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Print
Giving itself clean chit, Karnataka govt accepts D'Cunha panel report on Chinnaswamy stadium stampede
'The cabinet which accepted the report, we have decided that the action, legal action, as per law, will be taken against those private associations and also against the officers who are named in the report,' Karnataka's Minister for Law & Parliamentary affairs, told reporters in Bengaluru. The decision has garnered widespread criticism since the government gave itself a clean chit while laying the blame on every other stakeholder who was part of the celebration, including the police that was only following its orders. Bengaluru: The Siddaramaiah Cabinet Thursday accepted Justice John Michael D'Cunha's report on the Chinnaswamy stadium stampede in line with its stand to go after private entities and its own police officials who it held responsible for the loss of 11 lives. He added that the report recommended taking appropriate legal action against IPL cricket franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), DNA Entertainment, three office bearers of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and at least five police officers, including the former city police commissioner. Thursday's decision also adds to the strained relationship between the Siddaramaiah government and its police force as former city police commissioner suspension was criticised by the opposition and the civil society at large. The Print had reported that senior police officials warned the Siddaramaiah government against holding the felicitation for RCB at Vidhana Soudha. Siddaramaiah even fired his political secretary allegedly for insisting on going ahead with the celebrations and later telling the media the exact opposite. But, the government has refused to own up any responsibility for the 4 June tragedy even as the victory parade for RCB's maiden IPL victory was announced—and later cancelled—within a few hours on the same day, fuelling confusion and eventually leading to the stampede. At least a couple of hundred thousand people had come near the Vidhana Soudha to be part of the celebrations and the same crowd was seen rushing to enter Chinnaswamy Stadium which has a capacity of around 40,000 spectators. The Opposition continues to demand the resignations of Siddaramaiah, his deputy and Home Minister Calls to the RCB representatives went unanswered. This article will be updated as and when a response is received. DNA Entertainment Networks, the event management company responsible for organising the RCB victory celebration, meanwhile, filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court challenging the findings of the report. Also Read: 'My brother was crazy about cricket, it took his life': Chinnaswamy stampede leaves families devastated 'Wiping blood off of its hands' Apart from Dayananda, the panel mentioned the names of Vikash Kumar Vikash who was then Additional Commissioner of Police (West), Shekhar DCP (Central), ACP, Cubbon Park sub-division, and Girish, 4.K. Police inspector (Cubbon Park), in its report. Vikash has already approached multiple forums to challenge the suspension. The police had flagged the government about shortage of personnel, lack of CCTVs and the paucity of time as it had to coordinate with other departments like traffic among others, the letter shows. 'Royal Challengers Bengaluru have a nationwide fan following. There is a shortage of security personnel and this could pose a problem since the event is being held in a hurry and lakhs of fans are expected to turn up,' DCP (Vidhana Soudha Security) Gouda wrote in a letter dated 4 June. Arvind Bellad, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, told the media that 11 people died because of the government's mistake. 'The CM and the Deputy CM to cover this up suspended the commissioner and forced Govindraj to resign because of the high command's pressure. When they ordered for the committee, we knew it was that they were covered in blood and this was an attempt to wash it,' he alleged. He questioned how everyone, including an IPL team, the state cricket association, an event management company and even the police were at fault but the head of the government was absolved of any wrongdoing. The BJP, he said, would bring up the issue in the monsoon session of the Karnataka Assembly, scheduled to commence in the second week of August. Report findings According to the D'Cunha report, the security provided by the police was 'inadequate and ineffective' to meet the exigency. Only four pages of the report was shared with the media. Most of the 11 fatalities and 71 injuries were reported at Gate No.7, 2/2A, 18, 20 and other gates were recorded. 'Out of 515 men and officers deputed for bandobust, only 79 men and officers were posted outside the gates to manage and control the crowd. Even these men and officers were not visible at the venue during the crisis,' the one-man commission found. It added that the staff working in the control room failed to alert the security staff positioned in and around the entry gates, which contributed to the severity of the incident. Despite clear signs of overcrowding, it said, the exit gates were not opened in time, which was 'a serious act of negligence' on the part of security authorities and absence of emergency protocols. 'One of the key contributing factors to the stampede was the improper and unscientific installation of the barricades and the narrow constricted entry gates. Misleading and last minute announcements created widespread confusion among fans and followers,' the report states. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: RCB marketing head, 3 from event firm that organised parade among 4 held over Bengaluru stampede
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Stampede deaths: Cabinet to act against Police, KSCA, RCB & DNA officials
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Cabinet on Thursday decided to accept Justice John Michael D'Cunha 's report on the June 4 stampede outside of Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru that claimed 11 lives and left several people injured. The government will act against all those officials, private executives and stadium office-bearers the judge has named in his report.D'Cunha, a retired Karnataka High Court judge had, early this month, handed two-volume findings to chief minister Siddaramaiah into the circumstances that led to the stampede during the victory celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team winning the IPL finals. Soon after the tragedy, the CM suspended five police officers including Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda, additional commissioner (west) Vikash Kumar Vikash, DCP (central) Shekhar H Tekkannavar and government would also separately pursue departmental enquiry against the government would now act against Karnataka State Cricket Association , its president Raghuram Bhat, former secretary A Shankar and former treasurer ES Jairam, RCB franchise's vice president ES Rajesh Menon, and DNA Entertainment Network MD Venkat Vardhan as per the Cabinet and Jairam resigned from their KSCA posts last month, owning moral responsibility for the tragic stampede.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Rishabh Pant is the India superstar who stared at death
Rishabh Pant does things his way. Whether that is batting, wicketkeeping or just his general attitude, he is box office. He set the tone in the first Test of this summer's series against England, at Headingley. Having reached a first-innings century with a one-handed six off Shoaib Bashir, Pant performed a back-flip, to the crowd's delight — and his own. Advertisement If you trapped the essence of Pant in a bottle, this would be it. Not only because of the entertainment value, unorthodox style and daring timing of the shot and the audacity of the flip, but because of what the 27-year-old has been through. That century in Leeds last month was just his second in Tests since a car accident in 2022 that left him wondering if his 'time in this world was over,' as he revealed in a 2024 interview with Star Sports. Pant sustained serious injuries to his face, wrist, ankle, toe and back, and recalled in the interview that his right knee had turned 90 degrees to the right in the aftermath. He was out of competitive cricket for 16 months, returning in time for the 2024 edition of the star-studded Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 one-day tournament. In that match at Headingley, Pant went on to become the first India wicketkeeper to score two centuries in the same Test, before scoring a quickfire 65 in the tourists' second Test win at Edgbaston. He added 74 before running himself out in the first innings at Lord's, where he injured his finger and did not keep wicket. At Old Trafford he scored his fifth 50+ score of the series — returning to bat on day two, effectively on one leg, after retiring hurt on day one with a foot injury after attempting an audacious reverse sweep off Chris Woakes. He will likely miss the fifth Test at the Oval next week but has been one of the stars of the series. His recovery from that crash, and return to the top of the world game, has been quite something. 'The first time I saw Rishabh was in 2010 or 2011. He had come for trials in Roorkee (roughly 200km from Delhi). He was 13-14,' Devender Sharma, one of Pant's earliest coaches in Delhi, tells The Athletic. 'At the time, he would only hit 'lifts', so we worked on his defence, since every ball cannot be hit high.' Advertisement What stood out to Sharma was the extra second that Pant always had when playing his shots. 'He has the time and an inborn ability, a God-given gift,' he says. Given Delhi's status as one of India's premier cricketing districts – Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, and Shikhar Dhawan, among others, are from the capital – Pant followed Sharma's advice and trialled in Rajasthan, a state in north-west India over 400km from Delhi, and was selected in their under-16 team. 'Unfortunately, outsiders were dropped that year, and he had to return,' Sharma says. PPant then trained at and represented Sonnet Cricket Club in Delhi under Sharma and the late Tarak Sinha, often traveling from Roorkee to do so. In one of his league games, he played against former India international and now Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh. 'He scored a 100 against us at 16, 17 years old, hammering every bowler,' Sarandeep tells The Athletic. 'We had a few India players in the team — me, (former pace bowler) Amit Bhandari… We kept thinking, 'What is this boy all about? He doesn't have any fear, he's batting beautifully and is confident all the time'. 'I asked him, 'You don't feel any pressure of getting out because you keep hitting all the time?'. He said, 'Paaji (a Hindi term of respect), this is my game. If I am confident about hitting you, I will follow my instincts, and I am not going to change'.' More runs in league cricket and at the under-19 level for Delhi followed before Pant's debut in the Ranji Trophy, the top first-class cricket tournament in India, against Bengal in October 2015, where his wicketkeeping stood out. A key contributor to Pant's proficiency behind the stumps was the background he had in gymnastics from his early teen years. 'That has helped him move, jump, (with) his reaction time. Even when batting, you can see the spark in his foot movement,' Soham Desai, India's former high-performance coach, tells The Athletic. Advertisement Pant's mental fortitude, meanwhile, was built by overcoming setbacks from a young age. 'He came from far, stayed in my house (when) we played matches together, lived alone (away from his parents), struggled a lot in his early days — and that's what made him mentally very tough,' Sharma says. Pant starred for the India team that finished as runners-up at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, scored a triple-century in the Ranji Trophy for Delhi against Maharashtra (becoming the third-youngest Indian to do so in first-class cricket) and was picked by the Delhi Daredevils in the 2016 IPL auction. But another challenge arose when his father, Rajendra, passed away due to a cardiac arrest the following April. 'It was a very difficult time for him,' Sharma says. 'I spoke to him, motivating him, telling him that this is a part of life, that our lives are not in our control.' Soon after, Pant was fast-tracked into the India setup while legendary wicketkeeper and former captain MS Dhoni was still around the team. He made his Test debut against England in August 2018, taking seven catches in difficult conditions at Nottingham's Trent Bridge as India won the match by 203 runs. Pant's career trajectory over the next four years saw applause and amazement replace the initial criticism over his wicketkeeping and no-holds-barred batting. He helped India win the 2018-19 and 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar series away in Australia. Test centuries in England, Australia and South Africa, a feat achieved by no other Indian wicketkeeper, all came at strike-rates of 70 or better. 'People don't think someone can bat the way he does,' says Sarandeep. 'We have this old theory that in Tests, you go inside, take your time, leave the ball, see how the wicket behaves, what the bowler is doing. He has none of that: 'The ball is coming, I've seen it, I have to hit it for four'.' Pant is the showstopper on the pitch, but very different off it. 'Rishabh looks like a very flamboyant and flashy guy, but he is an old soul in a new body, a genuine guy,' Desai says. Advertisement But with Pant, reality checks often accompany success. In December 2022, he crashed on a highway while driving from Roorkee to Delhi, having just returned from a trip to Dubai. Pant was airlifted out of his car, which had suffered significant damage, and rushed to hospital. 'He usually visits me at home when he returns from a foreign country after a game,' Sharma says. 'After his accident, I went to see him, and it was very sad to see him in that state. He was broken, and asked me if he would be able to play again. He had surgery and so many stitches on his body.' The impact extended further. His nutritionist Shweta Shah, who he began working with several years earlier after criticism over his fitness, explained to The Athletic that medication and trauma had slowed down his digestion. 'We needed to rebuild from within,' she says. Shah reduced Pant's intake of meat, a psychological challenge given his love of chicken. 'Post-injury, I explained how his body needed lighter, tissue-healing meals and he understood the importance,' Shah said. 'We replaced (meat) with plant-based proteins, vegetable stews, khichdi (a dish containing rice and pulses)… We also cut down on the wheat-heavy foods and fried snacks he grew up enjoying.' After being discharged from hospital, Pant rehabbed under Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon, away from the public spotlight at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru in south India. Sharma recalls that despite Pant's doubts, his commitment never wavered. 'The doctors told him to do rehab exercises twice a day — he would do it three times. He started in the morning and continued until 11 or 12 at night,' he said. Desai had seen that commitment during Pant's time with the India team. 'If you ask him to do something for eight to 10 reps (of an exercise), he'll do two or three more; to hold an isometric position for 45 seconds, he'll do it for 55,' he says. 'Now, I don't give him anything around 17, his (jersey) number. Because if I do, like (ask for) 12 or 15 reps, he will do 17.' Pant's mental fortitude was crucial to his recovery, too. Advertisement '(Dr Pardiwala) says that Rishabh has recovered — along with the rehab, training and treatment — (because of) his mind,' Desai says. 'If someone thinks something can be done in 10 days, he will want to do it in 10 hours. Creating ceilings, boundaries, limits — that context does not exist within him.' The car crash altered Pant's worldview. 'Earlier, it was all about cricket but after the accident, he has slowed down and is seeing things differently. He understands there is life beyond and bigger than cricket,' Desai says. Becoming captain of Lucknow in the IPL and deputy to the Test side's new skipper Shubman Gill has helped him mature too. Pant's return after receiving clearance from the NCA to resume cricketing activities was complicated. 'The flip he did after scoring a 100, we used to do them in the gym, because that is a great way to train explosiveness,' Desai says. 'These were not in the training programme. I used to write 'Rishabh Pant Time' in the programme, and he would understand that is (when) he would need to do it. 'Those words were not used for the first one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half months after he came back. He was very fearful of hurting himself again. But our conversation was, 'Rishabh, jab ye karenge (when you do this), we are back'.' It took two-and-a-half months, but eventually Pant was practising his flips again. A return was in the offing. At the 2024 IPL, Pant's first time in the competition since his accident, saw him score 446 runs in 13 matches. His return to Test cricket began with a century against Bangladesh in Chennai, followed by a 105-ball 99 against New Zealand in Bengaluru. The next 13 Test innings brought just 397 runs, prompting questions over Pant's place in the side. The 2025 IPL, which saw him leave Delhi to join Lucknow and become the most expensive player in IPL history at ₹27 crore ($3.1million/£2.3m at current exchange rates), was largely unsuccessful too. A 151-run output with a strike-rate of just 107.1 in 13 matches as team captain brought widespread criticism. Advertisement Pant turned to Sharma for guidance. 'I advised him to slow down his strokes, reduce his aggression and stroke-play, so that fewer mistakes are made. In the IPL, six out of 10 days, he was getting out playing reverse shots, so he worked on that,' Sharma says. An unbeaten 118 off 61 balls in Lucknow's final league-phase game against eventual champions Royal Challengers Bangalore signalled that Pant may be back. This England series so far has offered more evidence he might be. Click here to read more cricket stories on The Athletic.
News18
3 hours ago
- News18
RCB stampede victim's earrings ‘stolen during post-mortem', alleges mother
Bengaluru, Jul 24 (PTI) The mother of a 14-year-old girl who died in the June 4 stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium during the RCB victory celebrations has filed a police complaint, alleging that her daughter's belongings, including a pair of gold earrings, were stolen during the post-mortem. Speaking to reporters after lodging the complaint on Thursday, Ashwini, mother of the deceased girl Divyanshi, said the earrings—gifted by the family—had deep emotional value and were missing when her daughter's body was returned after the autopsy. The complaint was filed with the Commercial Street Police station in the city. 'She (Divyanshi) did not remove them for one year. They were gifted by our family. The earrings hold deep emotional value and I wanted to save those earrings as a keepsake," Ashwini said. The woman alleged that despite approaching hospital authorities, including the dean, and visiting multiple police stations in the days following her daughter's death, she received no proper response. 'We tried filing a complaint with another police station, the hospital, and we had met the dean and others. They have agreed that the theft happened, but they didn't hand them over. It's not about the value of the earrings. We hold them dear as she was very fond of them," she said. Commercial Street Police said a case has been registered under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to theft. 'We are in the process of investigating the allegations," a police official told PTI. The stampede on June 4 near Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and left several injured. The incident occurred during a victory parade organised by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru franchise after their successful IPL campaign, when a massive crowd gathered outside the venue, leading to a stampede. PTI JR SSK SA view comments First Published: July 24, 2025, 17:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
