After securing India’s maiden women’s singles squash medal at the Asian Games, a vindicated Dipika Pallikal has said she will continue to fight against the “manipulated” draw with higher authorities after being let down by the officials back home.

Pallikal, who lost to World No.1 Nicol David in the semifinals on Monday, said she was pleased with her marathon winning effort against teammate Joshana Chinappa that assured her of a bronze on Sunday, especially because it proved the “authorities and her doubters” wrong.

“This win (against) was really important for me. Some people thought I did not want to face Joshana when all along I maintained that the draw was manipulated. And I still feel the same even after I have won a medal for my country. Imagine we could have won two medals if Joshana was in the other half. For future, I am exploring options how I can pursue this matter,” Pallikal told PTIfrom Incheon.

For one, Pallikal has the option of appealing to the ad hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) set up at the Incheon Games. The CAS is an arbitration institution founded in 1984 and specialises in the resolution of sports law disputes.

The first Indian to break into world’s top-10 had considered pulling out of the Games after expressing her displeasure over the draw pitting her and Chinappa in the same half. She even wrote to the Indian squash federation (SRFI) but said she did not even get a reply. The SRFI had refuted Pallikal’s claims.

“This apathy of authorities doesn’t bother me anymore. I have been dealing with it ever since I was 14. Whatever I have done, it is my own effort and the support of my coaches and family. Besides that, there is no better feeling than representing India and walk around wearing national colours.

That is mainly why I made up my mind to play here,” said Pallikal.

While the women’s draw courted controversy this time, top male player Saurav Ghosal had won back-to-back bronze medals in Doha 2006 and Guangzhou 2010 beating compatriots Ritwik Bhattacharya and Siddharth Suchde respectively in the quarterfinals, leading to allegations of a fixed draw.

The Chennai-born Pallikal, who turned 23 on Sunday, narrated how she felt in the run-up to the Games.

“The whole episode took a toll on me and I shut myself off from everything else for sometime. I was determined to prove all of them wrong. I especially need to thank my trainer (Basu Shankar), who convinced me to take part in the Games,” she said adding that fiancé and cricketer Dinesh Karthik also helped her get out of the tough phase.

Depleted by the absence of some high-profile cricketers, IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders will have a tough task at hand when they lock horns with the formidable Chennai Super Kings in the opening Group A match of Champions League T20 here on Wednesday.

Buoyed by its thumping success in the IPL T20 tournament this year, KKR is raring to go for the kill in the Champions League but their build-up to the tournament has been plagued by injuries to Chris Lynn and Morne Morkel and the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, who failed to get an NOC from the Bangladesh Cricket Association.

Led by the stylish Gautam Gambhir, the team has not given a good account of itself in the CLT20 competitions so far as even though they reached the Group Stage in 2011 and 2012 editions, they failed to go beyond. "Our record in Champions League is not that great. Hopefully we have to rectify that. There is lot to play for. CLT20 is the tournament that we have not won and we have the side that can win any tournament. So this time we are motivated to win the tournament," Gambhir said.

Besides Gambhir, KKR boasts of some high-octane performers such as Jacques Kallis, Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan, though it is missing the services of Shakib and Morkel.

"Obviously (we will miss them). I would be lying if I say I won't miss them. They are quality performers. Especially Shakib is an unbelievable performer. But it gives opportunity for other young guys who have been waiting. Hopefully they can grab the opportunity and deliver it for us," Gambhir said.

"This will also help us in next IPL if they perform well. We will have big pool to select the team for IPL," he added. The Kolkata side has practiced hard, including playing a practice match with Hyderabad XI, at the Rajiv Gandhi cricket stadium here yesterday. In the 20 overs practice match yesterday, Kallis has scored 58 runs (43b, 3x4,4x6).

The 2010 champions, Chennai, led by Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is equally poised to put its best foot forward. In a shot in the arm for the team, seasoned Dwayne Bravo is back in the side.

"We have a very good side. About the chances, it all depends on how well we adapt. The good thing for us will be, we missed Bravo during the IPL. He got injured. That really affected the strength of the side, that combination and stability of the side. It is good to have him back," Dhoni said.

"Also, most of the players have been playing international cricket and most of them have scored runs in the recent series. So, it's looking good. Still, we will have to see how quickly we adapt to the conditions," he added.

The Chennai outfit has some brilliant players like Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Francois du Plessis in its ranks who make it a formidable force.

Teams(from):

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir(c), Yusuf Pathan, Robin Uthappa(wk), Piyush Chawla, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine, Jacques Kallis, Ryan ten Doeschate, Pat Cummins, Andre Russel and Manvinder Bisla

Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni(c/wk), Suresh Raina, Ashish Nehra, Mithun Manhas, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishwar Pandey, Pavan Negi, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohit Sharma, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, John Hastings, Brendon McCullum, Samuel Badree and Francois du Plessis

The rise of Indian badminton on the global stage has been phenomenal. For a country which has produced All England champions like Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand, it is the women who now make news.

Flying out of New Delhi's IGI airport on Monday night, the badminton squad was busy rushing through the last minute formalities and was virtually unnoticed. Once it arrived in Incheon on Tuesday after a long flight via Singapore, it was time to check into the Games Village so that the players could get rid of jetlag as quickly as possible.

Mail Today caught up for a freewheeling chat with Gopichand. Dressed in a tracksuit, Gopi looked as fit as any of the players from his academy in Hyderabad, who have been doing very well in recent months. The latest addition to the list is H.S. Prannoy who won the Indonesian Masters title on Sunday.

Gopi has been very careful with his words to the media after 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal decided to shift base to Bangalore. Like in his playing days, Gopi believes more in action on the court, where he has shaped the careers of so many players. Even though rising star P.V. Sindhu has won two back-toback bronze medals at the world championship, Gopi is not willing to hazard a guess about the Indian medal prospects in Incheon.

"When I submitted my report to the Sports Authority of India and the sports ministry, I made it clear that winning a medal at the Asian Games will not be easy. They felt that as badminton has done so well in a whole gamut of competitions, the players deserved to go to Incheon," said Gopi.

This is the most realistic assessment the chief badminton coach could have made, as in the last edition in Guangzhou, Saina had crashed out in the quarter-finals.

To be sure, each time at the Majors, be it the All England or the world championship, Saina has found it tough to be at her best. Gopi cautiously avoided talking about his famous ward even as he was all praise for the depth in Indian badminton. He is even happier that regional centres will be coming up and that will provide a chance for India to produce more champions. In his view, broad-basing badminton has worked very well and results are there to see.

As Gopi and coach Madhumita Bisht were waiting to board the flight, Saina and new coach Vimal Kumar were spotted together. The soft-spoken Vimal talked about the challenge at the Asian Games for his superstar ward.

"It has been a good fortnight with Saina in Bangalore and a change always helps," Vimal told Mail Today.

Having worked with Gopichand when he was the hot star of Indian badminton, Vimal believes there is no harm in changing coaches. "There are times when a player needs a change in environment. Saina has been training hard," he said.

Each sport has its share of rivalries and the one between Saina and Sindhu is turning out to be very fascinating for the knowledgeable and the discerning. What will happen with the Indians in Incheon on the badminton courts cannot be predicted, but you can be sure this racquet sport is now at an all time high.

Kochi: Kerala Blasters, Kochi-based football franchise of the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL) co-owned by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, unveiled their team log here Monday.

The logo is built around the indomitable elephant, reflecting its pride of place in Kerala's culture and festivities.

The elephant is depicted, cradling a football within its trunk.

The team dressed in a yellow jersey and in the traditional Kerala dhoti was also present on the occasion.

"The logo reflects the cultural and sporting legacy of Kerala symbolized by the elephant. The elephant is a symbol of strength and pride, rooted in its family and community, reflecting the aspiration and spirit of Kerala Blasters", said Prasad Potluri, co-owner of Kerala Blasters.

The logo was designed by Brash Brands, a brand design and strategy firm.

John Brash of Brash Brands said, the logo was designed after extensive research on the world's best football clubs.

"Using the state animal, the elephant, as the starting point, we built an identity around it, reflecting its prominence in Kerala's culture," said Brash.

Already the team has commenced its training as the ISL is scheduled for Oct 12-Dec 20.

The team has 44-year-old David James, the former England goalkeeper who was capped 53 times, as manager-cum-marquee player of Kerala Blasters and also includes Michael Chopra who played the game at the highest level in various clubs in England.

Laishram Sarita Devi looks winded. She sits in a corner of the boxing ring at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi and drinks in big gulps of air. She has been sparring for roughly ten minutes, alternating two minute bouts with one minute of rest. The sweat streams off her face as she jumps up and prepares to do battle again.

Outside the ring roughly 40 other girls were shadow boxing but Sarita is one of three women - Mary Kom and Pooja Rani are the others - who will be competing in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. That’s why she is in the ring. With the tournament a week away, she needs to hone her ring craft until she is a tightly controlled spring, full of tensile strength and kinetic energy.

After she is done sparring, a coach gets in the ring with Sarita wearing punching pads. They work on combinations for a while but it is clear Sarita is tiring. Her punches still come in a flurry, but the thump they make no longer echoes around the room. She stops and the physiotherapist then spends several minutes carefully stretching her out in the corner of the ring. One leg is pushed back over her head as she lies on her back, then the other. Her shoulders are rubbed, then her neck.

The 29-year-old Sarita has spent most of her career fighting at 52 kg, but has also fought at 60 kg, 57 kg and 51 kg in the past. She won a world title at 52 kg in 2006 and also boasts of five Asian Boxing Championships and a World Championship bronze. In South Korea, she will be boxing at 60 kilos, the highest weight at which she has fought professionally.

The Asian Games has only three weight categories and so Sarita has had to move up to 60 kg from 52 kg to allow Kom to fight at 51 kg (Kom has spent most of her career boxing at 46 kg).

While Sarita is no stranger to putting on or losing weight, this time the challenge was exponentially harder. She is coming off a two-year break during which she gave birth to a son.

“I had cesarean surgery and recovering from that is very tough,” she told Firstpost after changing out of her boxing gear and into a t-shirt and shorts. “My weight went up to 85 kilos and to bring it down to 60 required a lot of work and was a big challenge.”

A closer look at Sarita's physique reveals toned arms with clearly defined biceps and legs that are lean and springy but there is still a small bulge around her waist.

“Sarita’s fitness is not what it could be”, admits head women’s coach Anoop Kumar. But he believes she has the experience to compensate for what she lacks in fitness.

That belief is backed up by the silver Sarita won at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year. It was her first competitive tournament in two years and came following the ban on India’s boxing federation.

“We didn’t receive much support during the ban and I got quite demoralised. It was a very tough time. I was not fully confident after the baby. I wondered how would I perform?

“It felt very good to come back after a two-year break and reach the finals,” she says with a shy smile.

Sarita believed she would have won the final too had the team had its own physiotherapist.

“After delivery, your body changes and it is very important for us to have a physio with the team. I had to do the recovery myself but you can’t do it properly that way.”

Sarita draws inspiration from Kom, with whom she shares both a state and a birthday. Kom won a world championship and an Olympic bronze after giving birth to twins and is now targeting an Asian Games gold medal following the birth of her third child. With quiet confidence, Sarita says she wants to help prove that becoming a mother doesn’t mean giving up your career.

“If you want to do something after having a baby, there is nothing to stop you. My aim is to win the gold. That is why I am sweating it out so much in training.

“Mary is playing Asian Games after three babies so the young girls should be getting a lot of motivation from watching us.”

There are other, bigger, dreams that are also driving her to keep boxing.

“I have never played in the Olympic Games and that remains my aim. At the Commonwealth Games I won a medal. Then if I get one in the Asian Games, only the Olympics is left to complete my collection.”

Newdelhi: Former India captain Rahul Dravid on Saturday said of the three formats of the game, ODI cricket at present was largely irrelevant and struggling to survive and consequently there should be more tournaments like Champions Trophy or World Cup to give it a proper context.

"I think one-day cricket is seriously struggling. One-day cricket, without a context, is struggling. One-day cricket, if you look at it from the point of view of Champions Trophy or the World Cup, is relevant," he said at an interactive session after delivering the 6th Dilip Sardesai Memorial Lecture here.

"I think all the other one-day cricket should actually be driven towards playing Champions Trophy and World Cup. I think there are meaningless one-day games and too many one day games can actually be a problem.

"So, that is something that can be cut off and people can play less one-day (bilateral) cricket and more ODI tournaments," Dravid said.

"When you have three formats of the game and playing 10 months a year and playing different tournaments, it is going to be harder and harder on players to manage the workload," the 41-year-old cricketer said.

Speaking about the proliferation of illegal bowling actions with highly successful Pakistan off-spinner Saaed Ajmal having recently banned for it, Dravid said 'chucking' was not a crime but a technical fault that can be corrected.

"The ICC has a rule in place. When they reviewed a lot of old film footage they actually found that having that elbow bent at 15 degrees was actually pretty normal. That is what everyone was doing. Glenn McGrath had a slight bend in his elbow but up to 15 degrees, so he was not chucking. They have a system in place.

"What I am really glad about is that they are enforcing it strictly and they are reviewing it. I give them the benefit of doubt. The ICC is being more vigilant and they are not saying that once you have cleared in 2009, you can't be checked again. So they have got to keep monitoring it and watching it closely and if bowlers develop different kinds of deliveries, then why not have them checked?"

Wellington: The risk of corruption and malpractices in cricket is the biggest threat that next year's World Cup faces. In order to battle the menace, New Zealand police has warned cricketers to stay clear of suspicious persons - unknown women in particular - during the gala cricketing event Down Under.

With chances of fixers and bookies using female 'honey-traps' to possibly lure players, the New Zealand Herald reported that the police force in the country is on high alert. "We know they (fixers and bookies) bring in women into the country to fraternise with players," Superintendent Sandra Manderson - police chief for the event - was quoted as saying. "Afterwards, they'll ask the players to do something and if they refuse they'll say, 'Well, see these photographs? They will be with your wife, your neighbours, your parents.' There are millions and millions of dollars at stake in match fixing."

Despite an increased effort to combat fixing, cricket has seen several instances of high-profile cricketers being caught in its web. Kiwi batsman Lou Vincent was one such high-profile name who admitted that he was guilty of underperforming on the field.

While the International Cricket Council and its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) have taken some steps, the threat increases manifold in the run-up to a major event like the World Cup.

Glasgow: India were left red-faced after Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary general Rajeev Mehta and senior international wrestling referee Virender Malik were arrested in Glasgow on separate charges late Saturday night.

Mehta was arrested on charges of alleged drunken driving and Malik for alleged sexual assault.

Sources here told IANS that both Mehta and Malik were not part of the Indian contingent but went to Glasgow in their respective official capacities. Mehta was an invitee of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and presented medals to winners. Malik had officiated in the wrestling competitions in the Commonwealth Games.

The two will be presented in court Monday.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman confirmed the arrests of the two Indian officials but refused to divulge any details.

"On August 2, a 49-year-old man was arrested following reports of alleged drunken driving in City Centre of Glasgow. On August 2, a 45-year-old man was arrested following reports of an alleged assault in the west of Glasgow," said the spokeswoman.

Asian Lite, a London newspaper, reported that Mehta was allegedly driving without a licence at Glasgow city centre and was above the legal alcohol limit and Malik was allegedly involved in sexual assault in a hotel in the west of Glasgow.

The Indian High Commission in London, in a statement, said they are closely monitoring the case.

"We have learnt about the detention of two members of the Commonwealth games contingent (sic) by the local (Glasgow) police. Our consulate in Edinburgh has deputed an official to Glasgow to keep in close touch with the police authorities to ascertain full factual details of the case. We are also close in touch with the team," the High Commission said in a statement.

The fan, who was diabetic, died shortly after being taken to hospital, web news portal G1 and the website of Estado de Minas newspaper reported. 

The paper added local health officials had to treat some 100 people during the game, including a 50-year-old woman for a heart problem during the penalties and a young man whose nose was fractured in a fight.

Bollywood's reigning queen Deepika Padukone will add a dash of glamour to the the UEFA Champions League to be held in Lisbon, Spain, Saturday. She is "honoured" to be a guest at the event's finale.

The final will be played between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

"(I am) Honoured to be UEFA's guest for the Champions League final in Lisbon. Looking forward to a competitive game of football with two of Europe's best teams," Deepika said in a statement.

The match will be shown live on TEN Action.

Chandigarh: Yuvraj Singh's father Yograj on Sunday came out in defence of his son, saying the left-handed batsman, who struggled for his 11 runs off 21 balls, should not be singled out for India's loss in the ICC World Twenty20 final.

"Yuvraj should not be singled out," Yograj said when asked if his son consuming 21 deliveries was the main reason behind India loosing the title clash against Sri Lanka at Mirpur. (Sri Lanka win maiden crown)

Even as Virat Kohli struck his fourth half-century of the tournament with yet another superb effort but Lankan bowlers applied brakes on a struggling Yuvraj which certainly hampered the scoring rate to a large extent.

Yuvraj turned out to be a disaster as he looked completely out of sorts which even frustrated the in-form batsman at the other end. The last four overs produced only 19 runs due to Yuvraj's failure to get big hits.

But Yograj said when a team loses, there is widespread criticism from all quarters.

"When we lose, there is criticism from all sides. Ups and downs are part of life and part of this game as well," he said.

Referring to the lean patch Yuvraj has gone through in recent times, Yograj said, "When a player some times goes through lean patch, the state of mind becomes such that he starts thinking if he does not make runs he may be out of the team or the team may lose."

"When West Indies lost the 1983 World Cup to India, Sir Viv Richards went to Indian dressing room and congratulated the team saying they played better cricket and deserved to win," he said, adding that the sportsman's spirit in the game was more important.

He felt Yuvraj should play more domestic cricket and suggested that he should also spend some days with his father to receive coaching tips

The online sale of tickets for the seventh edition of the IPL, the first half of which has been shifted here due to the general elections in India, will start on Thursday.

The tickets will be available on www.iplt20.com and www.ticketmaster.ae.

They will also be available at select Lulu Hypermarkets in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, from April 6 while stadium box-office sales will start on April 10. The first leg of the IPL has been shifted out due to a clash of dates with the general elections scheduled from April 7 to May 12

The tickets will be available in different denominations.

The minimum price for the Abu Dhabi matches is AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham) 20 for a single match, and AED 30 for double-headers.

In Dubai, a ticket for one match will start at AED 30, and AED 50 for double-headers. In Sharjah, tickets will start at AED 30 for a single match, and AED 40 for the double-headers.

Eight teams will strive to win the coveted trophy between April 16 and April 30 at three different venues in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

The first of 20 matches of the UAE leg will be played on April 16 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, with reigning champions Mumbai Indians taking on Kolkata Knight Riders, the 2012 winners.

“I have spent a lot of time over the years in this wonderful country and it is great to see the excitement and buzz being generated prior to a tournament of this magnitude, here in the UAE,” said Sunil Gavaskar, Interim President BCCI-IPL, said.

Chairman of the IPL Governing Council Ranjib Biswal said the event would be exciting for the cricketing fraternity and people of the UAE.

“I want to thank the UAE government, the Emirates Cricket Board, the administrations of Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, as well as the three sports councils, for their support and commitment to host the IPL. The 20 matches to be played in the UAE will feature top cricketers from all over the world. I am sure that the opportunity to witness their heroes in action will prompt them to flock to the stadiums,” he said.

The Emirates Cricket Board has a proven track record in terms of hosting significant cricket series and tournaments.

The ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2014, was held here recently.