Neeraj Chopra Misses Top Spot By 1cm, Finishes 2nd In Diamond League Final

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Anderson Peters, who had won bronze in Paris Olympics, hurled the spear to a distance of 87.87m to claim the numero uno position

Neeraj started the competition with a throw of 86.82m, and followed up with a throw of 83.49m before the 87.86m throw in his third attempt

Neeraj had won the Lausanne leg in 2022 and 2023 and finished second behind Vadlejch in the winner-takes-all finale in Eugene, USA, last year

New Delhi, Sept 15: Ace Indian javelin throw athlete Neeraj Chopra finished in second position in Brussels with a best throw of 87.86m at the Diamond League Final, Sunday.

Neeraj missed out on the top spot by just 1cm margin. Anderson Peters hurled the spear to a distance of 87.87m to claim the numero uno position. He won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.

Meanwhile, Julian Weber of Germany, with his best attempt of 85.97m, finished third. Fourth-placed Adrian Mardare registered a throw of 82.97m. Japanese thrower Genki Rodrick Dean finished fifth with a best throw that barely breached the 80m-mark (80.37m). Ukrainian Arthur Felfner came in sixth with a furthest throw of 79.86m on his penultimate attempt.

The Indian started the competition with a throw of 86.82m. He followed up with a throw of 83.49m. Neeraj hurled the spear to a distance of 87.86m in his third attempt.

He came close to Anderson's mark and was just one cm away from him.

Neeraj couldn't breach the 85m mark in his next two attempts. He finished the event with a throw of 86.46m. Neeraj's best throw saw him finish at the second spot once again.

Neeraj has been struggling with his fitness this season and is expected to meet a doctor to rectify a groin injury that has affected him all season and came in the way of his quest to hit the 90m mark.

He had won the Lausanne leg in 2022 and 2023 and finished second behind Vadlejch in the winner-takes-all finale in Eugene, USA, last year.

(IANS)

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Formidable India Aim To Begin Home Season On A High Against Confident Bangladesh

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

New Delhi, Sept 18: Amidst a crazy heatwave in Chennai, a formidable Indian side will be aiming to begin its international home season on a high against confident Bangladesh in the Test series opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium Thursday.

While India are returning to red-ball action after a gap of six months and last defeated England 4-1 in January, Bangladesh come on the back of a remarkable 2-0 series win over Pakistan, their first series victory over the side in Test cricket, in Rawalpindi, indicating that they won’t be just mere pushovers this time around.

Bangladesh’s recent good form and India’s home domination has led to anticipation about how this Test series would pan out, as compared to chatter around its previous editions being of lopsided affairs.

The red-soil pitch will bring good bounce and carry, but with soaring temperatures in Chennai, spinners will come more into picture.

India will be welcoming back Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul into Test cricket action after varying long periods of absence. Their return means Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel will be warming the bench. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja along with Kuldeep Yadav will be the key in leading India’s charge with spin, while their valuable batting runs would also be an aspect which will be the difference between a good total and a winning score.

For Bangladesh, they come with a dash of belief in their abilities and confidence to continue their good work after the historic triumph in Rawalpindi. With Chennai set to aid spinners, it means either Taijul Islam or Nayeem Hasanis are likely to enter the playing eleven.

With head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe stating Bangladesh have all bases covered, it means they have all the ingredients in their arsenal – crafty spinners, exciting pacers and gritty batters – to surprise India in Chennai. The task may be improbable, but with nothing to lose, Bangladesh will be buoyed to shine bright under unforgiving Chennai heat, provided India immediately hits the ground running as a dominant force at home.

The Squads

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Kumer Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Jaker Ali Anik.

* Match starts at 9:30am on JioCinema (digital) and Sports18 (TV)

(IANS)

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IPL 2025 Mega Auction To Take Place In November End Or Early December: Sources

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

New Delhi, Sept 18: The mega auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will be held in November end or early December, BCCI sources informed Wednesday. The rules and regulations for the same will be released by Board for Cricket Council of India (BCCI) in a couple of days, they said.

The IPL has held two large auctions in the past 10 years, with four-year intervals in between. The first major auction was held in 2014, then in 2018--when the Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings made their comeback after a two-year suspensions.

About developments related to the mega auction, sources close to BCCI confirmed to IANS that auction is likely to be scheduled in November end or early December . "IPL 2025 auction will take place in November end or early December this year. Rules of it will be out in couple of days," BCCI sources told IANS.

The 2021 mega auction was forced to be postponed by one year due to the Covid-19 outbreak. In both cases, teams added an extra year to the contracts of their players.

Like the 2022 auction in February and the 2023 and 2024 auctions in December, the upcoming IPL mega sale is most likely going to be a two-day affair.

In the last mega auction held in 2022, the IPL teams were permitted to retain up to four players. With the end of the three-year cycle approaching, there are differing opinions among franchises about the optimal number of retained players. While some teams argue for a larger retention cap, possibly up to eight players, others are comfortable with the existing limit of four or five.

(IANS)

Neeraj Chopra Misses Top Spot By 1cm, Finishes 2nd In Diamond League Final

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