Ahmedabad's IPLs team has been named Gujarat Titans. CVC Capital Partners, which owns the new franchise, said, “With the world’s largest stadium as the team’s home, the team’s name echoes the ambitious spirit of Gujarat.” The Titans will be based out of Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been appointed as the captain. The team management, the statement said, will be led by former England batsman Vikram Solanki, who will hold the position of director of cricket, with Ashish Nehra as the head coach. Ex-Indian coach Gary Kirsten will act as the Titans’ mentor and batting coach. Siddharth Patel, who is associated with the franchise, said, “Our core philosophy of being both a courageous and open-hearted team has inspired every decision as we built this franchise from the ground up. We want this group to achieve great things for Gujarat and its passionate fans, which is why we have chosen the name ‘Titans’. Our aim for this franchise is to be one of the most inspiring and inclusive anywhere in the world. ”
India-Pak match tickets sold out in five minutes
Excitement is building for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, with general ticket allocations for two match-days sold out on the first day of going on sale to the public. General Ticket allocations have all been sold for India v Pakistan at the MCG on October 23 and the double-header that features South Africa v Bangladesh and India v Group A runner-up at the SCG on October 27. This comes after 200,000 tickets were sold during the pre-sale period across the 45 matches being played in Australia from October 16-November 13 later this year. Such was the demand to see one of world cricket’s biggest rivalries, the allocations for the India-Pakistan match were sold within five minutes of going on sale. Over 800,000 fans are expected to attend the global showcase for men’s T20 cricket when it comes to Australia.
England omit Anderson and Broad for Windies tour
England’s all-time leading Test wicket-takers James Anderson and Stuart Broad were the highest-profile casualties as the ECB reacted to the drubbing in Australia with sweeping changes to the squad for the three-test tour of West Indies next month. Anderson and Broad have taken a combined 1,177 wickets in Tests but were left out of the 16-man squad by a selection panel comprising of interim managing director Andrew Strauss, interim head coach Paul Collingwood and head scout James Taylor. Squad: Joe Root (captain), Jonathan Bairstow, Zak Crawley, Matthew Fisher, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
Tasnim wins crown in Iran, 1st singles title
India’s Tasnim Mir won her first singles title in the senior women’s category, capturing the 30th Iran Fajr International Challenge 2022, in Shiraz, Iran. The 16-year-old shuttler overcame a mid-match stumble to beat second seed Yulia Yosephine Susanto of Indonesia 21-11, 11-21, 21-7 in 51 minutes. In the semis, she had thrashed top seed Martina Repiska of Slovakia 21-15, 21-6 in just 24 minutes.
The teen, who was recently crowned the junior world no. 1, said, “I am very happy to win my first title in the women's category. This will boost my confidence for future competitions. I dedicate this title to my coach and parents. ”Asked about the difference between playing at the senior and junior level, the shuttler, who hails from Mehsana district, said, “The players at the senior level are more experienced, older than me.” Mir said, "Sometimes, I find it difficult to compete against them. In India, I played two tournaments and suffered defeats at the hands of senior players.” For the record, Tasnim had lost in straight games to Malvika Bansod of Maharashtra in the pre-quarters of the Odisha Open in Cuttack last month, and Aakarshi Kashyap of Chhattisgarh in the quarters of the All India senior badminton tournament in Chennai in December 2021.
Australia name squad for Pak tour
Australia named a full strength squad for its first Pakistan tour in 24 years, with spinners Mitchell Swepson and Ashton Agar drafted to back up their formidable pace attack. Pat Cummins’ side - which recently lost coach Justin Langer in acrimonious circumstances - are slated to play a three-Test series in Rawalpindi, Karachi and Lahore from March 4. Bowler Josh Hazelwood will be back in action after missing most of Australia’s recent 4-0 demolition of England in the Ashes. Scott Boland who thrilled fans with a stunning debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during that series - including a spell that saw him take six wickets for seven runs - has been retained. The Squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.
Auctioner's sudden collapse
As RCB and Punjab were locked in a bitter bidding war for Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, the auction room went into a tizzy as auctioneer Hugh Edmeades collapsed and fell off the podium. He lay motionless on the floor and a medical team was called in. Later, it was revealed that ‘postural hypotension’, or a sudden drop in blood pressure, led to his collapse. The auction was stopped and early lunch was taken. IPL chairman Brijesh Patel got in touch with commentator and presenter Charu Sharma, a resident of Bengaluru. Sharma took over as the stand-in auctioneer and proceedings resumed after an hour and a half. “He is stable now,” the BCCI said.
