Mumbai Indians plotting shock comeback for Hardik Pandya. Here's what GT is likely to get
It's likely to be a cash-only deal as MI are set to pay ₹15 crore to GT to get back star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya in their side before IPL 2024.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya is in talks with five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai
Indians for a shock return in what could be the most talked about trade in the league's history.
Pandya's IPL career started with MI back in 2015 and now multiple reports confirm MI are in talks with
Pandya for him to return to the fold as they see a long-term captain in him.
It's likely to be
a cash-only trade with MI ready to shell out ₹15 crore for the star all-rounder. Confirmation of whether
the deal goes through or not may come only in the final hours of the trading day deadline on Sunday.
It’s as of yet unclear if that would mean Pandya playing the next IPL under Rohit Sharma for a
year. Pandya has been leading the Indian team in T20Is for much of 2023 with Rohit having last played a
game in the format only in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup last year.
Besides, for the trade
to materialize, MI will have to release more than one big player to have enough funds available – they
are sitting with merely ₹5,00,000 currently. Pandya’s worth is ₹15 crore and that may force the Mumbai
franchise to release a player like Ishan Kishan ( ₹15.25) or even Jofra Archer ( ₹8 crore) if his return
to fitness looks bleak. There has also been a suggestion that Gujarat want Cameron Green and another
player.
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Shami attacks Marsh for putting feet on World Cup trophy. ‘Hurt me a lot. Everyone wants to lift it over their head...’
Mohammed Shami wasn't too pleased with Mitchell Marsh's celebration after Australia's win in the 2023 World Cup.
Australia produced a strong performance in the final of the 2023 World Cup, beating India by six wickets
to clinch a sixth title. The Pat Cummins-led Aussie side defied the odds to beat the high-flying home
side that was on a ten-match unbeaten run in the competition. After opting to bowl on a sluggish surface
in Ahmedabad, Australia bowled Rohit Sharma's men out on 240 before chasing down the target with seven
overs remaining, as conditions grew conducive towards batting under the lights.
However,
following the match, a picture from Australia's celebrations went viral on social media platforms, with
Indian fans heavily criticising Mitchell Marsh, one of the members of the Aussie winning squad. In the
picture, Marsh can be seen resting his foot on the top of the World Cup trophy, and many Indian fans
criticised the Australian all-rounder for showing a lack of respect.
Earlier this week, Mohammed
Shami, India's star bowler who ended as the 2023 edition's highest wicket-taker (24 dismissals in 7
matches), spoke about the picture as he arrived in Amroha to visit his village. Shami spoke strongly
against Marsh's celebration, stating that he was “hurt” with the celebration.
“This hurt me a lot as well. All countries fight for this trophy, everyone wants to lift the trophy over
their head. And I didn't like that he rested his foot on that trophy. He should not be doing that,” said
Shami during an interaction with media persons.
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Will the Padukone switch lift Sindhu's fortunes?
PV Sindhu has been struggling to find her best form and will hope the Indian legend can change that.
In 2014, Saina Nehwal stunned the badminton world by making a bold move of shifting base from Hyderabad
to Bengaluru. The Olympic medallist ‘split’ with childhood coach Pullela Gopichand and moved to the
Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) to train under U Vimal Kumar.
Criticised initially,
the move yielded results which defined the 33-year-old's career. Under Vimal, Saina became a world No.1
— the only Indian female yet, reached the All England Open final and won two World Championship medals
(silver and bronze).
Exactly nine years later, compatriot PV Sindhu has made a similar move. She
will now train under the great Padukone in the hope of resurrecting her career even as she aims for an
unprecedented third consecutive Olympic medal.
Sindhu enjoyed a successful 2022 when she won an Asian Championships bronze, the Swiss Open and
Singapore Open titles before claiming the Commonwealth Games gold when she suffered a stress fracture in
her left foot that put her out of action for six months.
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Before Paris, a trial awaits India's shooters..
Four domestic trials will decide the names of the Olympians but leaving it too late will mean preparation will be impacted
India's shooters are about to enter an unknown territory in the run-up to the Paris Olympics next year.
A set of four domestic trials will confirm their places for the Olympics. That puts them in a tricky
situation as the shooters will have to first prioritise getting selected for the team before they can
think of stepping up for the Paris Olympics.
This is the first time that the national shooting
federation (NRAI), having burnt their fingers in the previous two Olympics, has put the onus of
selection completely on domestic trials that will judge a shooter on current form. It is a far cry from
their previous Olympic selection policies of round-the-year assessment.
Indian shooters have so
far won 13 quota places -- all the eight Paris Olympic spots in rifle have been grabbed -- but no one
knows who will be on the flight to Paris until the selection trials, the dates of which are yet to be
announced, are finished. The quota place winners will have a small advantage of bonus points, but that
too has been drastically cut down from last time, throwing the competition for a prized spot in the
Paris Olympics squad wide open.
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Five-star PSG rout Monaco ahead of Newcastle clash
Mbappe's penalty against his former club restored PSG's lead and two superb goals in the space of three minutes by Dembele and Vitinha put the game out of sight
Ousmane Dembele scored his first Paris Saint-Germain goal in stunning fashion as the reigning French
champions crushed Monaco 5-2 in Ligue 1 on Friday to cement their lead at the top of the table.
Goncalo Ramos opened the scoring early on for PSG but a howler by home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma
gifted Takumi Minamino the equaliser soon after.
However, Kylian Mbappe's penalty against his
former club restored PSG's lead and two superb goals in the space of three second-half minutes by
Dembele and Vitinha put the game out of sight.
Folarin Balogun pulled another back for Monaco but substitute Randal Kolo Muani put the seal on PSG's
win in stoppage time.
Paris have now won seven and drawn one of their last eight Ligue 1 games and this result moved them four
points clear of second-placed Nice, who are in action on Sunday. Monaco remain third but are six points
adrift of the leaders.
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