New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) As excitement mounts for the inaugural season of the Shooting League of India (SLI), Paris Olympic bronze medallist pistol shooter Sarabjot Singh said that such events will spark more interest among youngsters and bring shooting the recognition it truly deserves. Schedule to take place in a window from November 20 to December 2, the SLI will feature mixed team events across Pistol (10M, 25M), Rifle (10M, 50M 3P), and Shotgun (Trap & Skeet). Franchise teams will participate, divided into two pools in the league stage, followed by knockouts. “The idea of being part of the very first edition of (SLI) something this big is truly special,” says Sarabjot, one of India’s most accomplished young shooters, with gold medals at the World Championships, Asian Games, and ISSF World Cup, along with a bronze in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event at the Paris Olympics 2024.Players will be drafted into four competitive tiers — Elite Champions, World Elite, National Champions, and Junior & Youth Championships — ensuring a balanced blend of experience and emerging talent.For Sarabjot, the format opens the door not only to high-level competition but also to valuable cross-cultural exchange. “It is a fantastic opportunity to learn — to see how top shooters from other countries prepare and perform. I am excited to share experiences, connect with athletes from different cultures, and grow both as a shooter and a person,” he said.The league’s fast-paced format is also expected to make shooting more accessible and engaging for audiences. “A platform like this will spark more interest among young people and bring shooting the recognition it truly deserves in India,” Sarabjot noted. “I hope many new fans are drawn into the sport through this league.”Looking ahead to his own performance, he emphasises consistency and mindset. “Mentally, I plan to stay calm and focused, just like in any other match. I will keep reminding myself to enjoy the process. Technically, I will stick to my routines and adapt to the energy and pace of the league.”But beyond medals, what the 23-year-old’s values most is connection and progress. “I am looking forward to building new friendships, learning from every match, and making memories that stay with me. This league is more than just competition — it is a step forward for all of us.”Sarabjot’s signed off with a simple yet powerful message to the next generation of shooters, “Believe in yourself and never give up. Keep practising with discipline and passion.”–IANSbc/

New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) Enoch Nkwe, South Africa’s Director of national teams and High Performance, said Heinrich Klaasen had been transparent in communication with Cricket South Africa (CSA) in last few months, adding that he fully respects the keeper-batter’s decision to retire from international cricket.On Monday, Klassen announced through his Instagram account that he is stepping away from playing international cricket for South Africa. Apart from playing four Tests, Klaasen represented South Africa in 60 ODIs and 58 T20Is.“Heinrich has been a true match-winner for South Africa. He was a player capable of changing the course of a game in a matter of overs. His commitment and impact in the white-ball formats have been immense, and we thank him for his outstanding service to South African cricket.”“He has been transparent with Cricket South Africa throughout the past few months, and we fully respect his decision to retire from international cricket. We wish him continued success in the next chapter of his journey,” said Nkwe in a statement. Known for his top-notch six-hitting skills as a middle-order batter, Klaasen was also the member of the South African team finishing runners-up in 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup. His international retirement was a decision in the making after not being named in CSA’s central contracts list in April.Klaasen was previously on a white-ball contract after retiring from Test cricket in January 2024. With his international career over, Klaasen will now be visible on the T20 franchise circuit via deals with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket (MLC), Durban’s Super Giants in SA20 and Manchester Originals in The Hundred.“Heinrich has been a fantastic ambassador for South African cricket, both on and off the field. His performances in the green and gold have brought joy to many South Africans, and his legacy will undoubtedly inspire the next generation. We thank him for his contributions over the years and wish him everything of the best for the future,” added Pholetsi Moseki, CSA Chief Executive Officer.–IANSnr/

Manchester, June 2 (IANS) Manchester City have confirmed that Mateo Kovacic has undergone surgery on an Achilles injury and the Croatian midfielder is now set to miss the FIFA Club World Cup in June.
Mateo will spend the summer rehabilitating from the operation. The midfielder had played 42 games for the club this season, while racking up seven goals and two assists, and will be a big miss for Pep Guardiola’s side at theFreshly expanded into a 32-team month-long festival, this year’s inaugural edition of the new format of the Club World Cup sees many of the world’s best sides competing in 11 US cities.City previously lifted the FIFA Club World Cup in 2023, when just seven teams were in attendance in Saudi Arabia, with the Blues needing to play just twice to earn the crown.This time around, City is in one of eight groups of four alongside Wydad AC, Al Ain and Juventus – with all four sides competing for the right to play in the Round of 16.From that point, there will be single knockout ties played across the US with the ultimate goal of reaching the final at the MetLife Stadium on July 13.This competition is scheduled to be played every four years, with only the most successful sides of the previous qualification window making it.It’s a dynamic addition to an already thorough football calendar, with City aiming to add yet another piece of silverware to their trophy cabinet.Head coach Pep Guardiola recently spoke on the prospect of facing new teams for the first time.”Even in domestic leagues, there are different managers, different cultures and different styles and ways to play. Of course, (at the Club World Cup) you could be playing a team from Oceania, from Asia, from South America… There are different visions and different types of players and cultures. That’s nice,” said Guardiola in an interview with FIFA.–IANSaaa/bc

Dubai, June 2 (IANS) Atiqa Mir, a 10-year-old Dubai-based Indian karting prodigy, has become the youngest driver from the region to secure a place in a professional motorsport development programme, following her signing as an official AKCEL GP Academy Driver.
A rising star in the karting circuit, Atiqa Mir has already made a name for herself with her fearless driving, consistent podium finishes, and an unwavering passion for racing. She has competed in some of the world’s most prestigious karting championships, including the Rotax Euro Trophy, Rotax International Trophy, IAME Series (UAE and Europe), WSK Euro Series, WSK Super Master Series, and the Champions of the Future Academy.AKCEL GP is the UAE-based high-performance motorsport team competing in FIA F4, Formula Regional Middle East Championship, and FIA. The Academy will serve as a cutting-edge training ground for the next generation of racing talent from the UAE and abroad. The Academy’s inaugural batch will feature 15 promising young drivers and is committed to offering a structured and competitive pathway beginning with elite karting championships and advancing through the ranks of single-seater racing.Reflecting on this new chapter in her journey, Atiqa said, “Racing is everything to me. It’s where I feel strong, fast, and free. Joining AKCEL GP Academy is a dream come true, and I want to show young girls like me from Dubai and India that we can compete at the highest levels. One day, I hope to race in Formula 1,and I’m ready to work hard to get there.”Atiqa’s induction into AKCEL GP Academy not only accelerates her journey toward professional racing but also breaks new ground for young girls in motorsport, especially in Asia and the Middle East. Her signing also reflects a deeper cultural evolution in the sport—one that celebrates diversity and inclusion. As one of the very few young girls competing in high-level karting internationally, she represents a new wave of female participation in motorsport. Her rise coincides with broader movements such as F1 Academy and FIA Women in Motorsport, which aim to level the playing field for female racers. In this context, her success as a Dubai-based, South Asian female driver is both symbolic and powerful.Speaking on Atiqa’s signing, Amit Kaushal, Group Chairman of AKCEL, said, “Atiqa’s talent, focus, and composure on track are well beyond her years. We’re proud to welcome her to the AKCEL GP family and support her long-term journey toward Formula 1. Over the next 15 years, we’re committed to guiding her development from karting to single-seaters, as she grows into a world-class racer and future F1 contender.”As Atiqa begins her training in Abu Dhabi, she will follow a carefully structured development program designed to prepare young drivers for the demands of professional motorsport. Her training will combine simulator sessions, physical conditioning, mental coaching, race craft development, and in-depth performance analysis.A key focus of her time with AKCEL GP Academy will be competing in championships across the UAE and Europe, providing her with essential on-track experience and exposure to high-level competition early in her career. The goal is to lay a strong foundation of skills, discipline, and racecraft with a clear vision of Formula 1 as the ultimate destination.–IANSaaa/bc

New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the Indian athletes’ superb show…

Jaunpur, June 2 (IANS) The world of politics and sports is set to converge again, with Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj and cricketer Rinku Singh of IPL fame tying the knot soon. The couple have finalised their wedding plans, with ceremonies scheduled across Uttar Pradesh.

The marriage of SP MP and acclaimed cricketer has aroused intense excitement in their hometowns as well as among their fans, as this marks a rare instance of politician and sportsman heading for marital bliss. Priya Saroj’s father Tufani Saroj exclusively spoke to IANS about their wedding and gave a peek into the wide-ranging festivities that will begin with their engagement in week’s time from now. “We’re currently focused on the engagement scheduled for June 8. Preparations are in full swing. We’re organising everything, including the guest list—who’s coming from the family, how arrangements will be made—it’s all part of the planning,” he said.When asked about celebrity attendees, Saroj said, “I haven’t invited any celebrities as of now. Let’s see who turns up.”On the possibility of Samajwadi Party leaders Akhilesh Yadav and Dimple Yadav attending, he said, “I haven’t personally met them, Priya has invited them too. If they’re in Lucknow, they will definitely come.”Regarding the presence of cricketers like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Tufani Saroj responded, “I don’t have any direct connection with the cricket world. Only Rinku knows which of his colleagues might attend. They may come for the wedding, but I’m not sure about the engagement.”Priya Saroj-Rinku Singh’s engagement will take place on June 8 at a prominent venue in Lucknow, while the wedding ceremony is slated for November 18 at the Taj Hotel in Varanasi.Priya Saroj, a first-time MP and practicing advocate, represents the Machhlishahr constituency and is known for her legal acumen and youthful energy. Priya Saroj is among India’s youngest MPs. Hailing from Karkhiyaon village in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi, Saroj has continued her father’s legacy with her career in politics. Her father, Tufani Saroj, is a three-time MP and current MLA from UP’s Kerakat. Priya began her career as a politician in 2024 after she was elected as the MP of Machhlishahr. She defeated BJP veteran BP Saroj by over 35,000 votes.Rinku Singh, hailing from Aligarh, plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League and has become a household name with his impressive game. –IANSjk/mr

New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen has announced his retirement from international cricket, adding that this decision will now allow him to spend more time with his family.Klaasen had previously retired from Tests, where he made just four appearances, to focus on white-ball cricket commitments for South Africa, where his last international appearance for them came in the 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final defeat to New Zealand.“It is a sad day for me as I announce that I have decided to step away from international cricket. It took me a long time to decide what’s best for me and my family for the future. It was truly a very difficult decision but also one that I have absolute peace with.“From the first day, it was the biggest privilege representing my country and it was everything that I have worked for and dreamed about as a young boy. To have played with the Proteas badge on my chest was and will always be the biggest honour in my career.“I look forward to spending more time with my family as this decision will allow me to do so. I will always be a big Proteas supporter and would like to thank everyone that supported me and my teammates during my career,” wrote Klaasen on his Instagram account on Monday.Klaasen, 33, made his international debut in 2018 and went to play in 60 ODIs and 58 T20Is for South Africa, amassing 2141 and 1000 runs respectively across formats. While he smashed four centuries and 11 fifties in ODIs, Klaasen had five T20I half-centuries against his name.Known for his belligerent six-hitting as a middle-order batter, Klaasen was also the member of South African team finishing runners-up in 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup. “I have made great friendships and relationships that I will treasure for life.”“Playing for the Proteas gave me the opportunity to meet great people that changed my life, and to those people I can’t say thank you enough. My road to wearing the Proteas shirt was different than most and there were certain coaches in my career that kept believing in me – to them I will always be grateful,” he concluded.–IANSnr/

New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) Ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru playing the IPL 2025 final against Punjab Kings, batting coach Dinesh Karthik believes the coaching group, led by Andy Flower, has nailed the process of ensuring players are improving as cricketers during their time of competing.
Come Tuesday, RCB will be playing an IPL final for the fourth time at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, after finishing as runners-up in 2009, 2011 and 2016 editions. They are up against PBKS, who are in an IPL final just for the second time.PBKS and RCB had finished in first and second spots in the league stage, with the latter winning over the former in Qualifier 1 at Mullanpur. “When you have a team doing well like we did in the first half, you’re almost assured of playing the same 12 for most games unless there’s an injury. So you have a group of players, at least eight to ten, who know they might not start or play in that game.“Keeping their motivation levels up, keeping them hungry, and making sure that when the opportunity comes, they’re ready for it is one of the biggest challenges. I must admit, Andy and the group have tried really hard, and they have nailed the process which has kept players not only hungry but also improving.“Because when they improve, they feel they’ll get back better cricketers, either for the domestic sides or for the international sides. That has been a feature of what we’ve tried to achieve in this short two-month period. I would like to think, and this is feedback only the players can give, that we have genuinely made them slightly better than where they were when we came in,” said Karthik in a video posted by the franchise on their YouTube account on Monday.RCB also had to bring in Mayank Agarwal as a replacement for injured Devdutt Padikkal, while bringing in Blessing Muzarabani and Tim Seifert as overseas replacements of Lungi Ngidi and Jacob Bethell, who missed the playoffs stage due to national duties. In between, Bethell filled in for an ill Phil Salt as the opener alongside the talismanic Virat Kohli.“When you prepare for an auction, you prepare for starting 12 without a doubt. But then comes the rest of the players who could play in case of loss of form, injury, etc. We were most proud of that aspect of our auction. The kind of players we chose, almost everyone who stepped in found a way to deliver for the team. Credit should go to individuals more than anything else. They were waiting for an opportunity, seeing how this team functioned.“They enjoyed being part of the team, but most importantly, when the opportunity came, they grabbed it with both hands and did a really nice job. Jacob Bethell coming in for Phil Salt is a good example. The innings he played, 50 in the second match, was just pure class. Everyone was happy to watch those players,” added Karthik.Further talking about how Agarwal came on board as Padikkal’s replacement, Karthik explained, “When somebody gets ruled out, it’s obviously unfortunate, but you try to replace that player as best you can. Devdutt’s injury happened, and then there’s a process to figure out when he will be ready.“When we knew he wasn’t going to be ready, we went through the scouting process. The scouting process is very strong. Malolan Rangarajan heads it and one of Mo Bobat’s greatest strengths was how well he scouted for the English team. The process we go through is quite fascinating.“When Malolan goes through the names we want, it’s very close to how we look at players and what we do, and then the whole group sits and decides. It was obvious that Mayank is the right choice. We know what he’s done before. He’s a local boy as well, and he’s won so many games with the bat. It almost became a simple choice once that name was given.”Mo Bobat, RCB’s Director of Cricket, further spoke about how the side adapted to challenges in their way, including of not winning games initially at their home venue M Chinnaswamy Stadium, to enter the title clash. “I think we can play really well and lose a game, and I can take a sense of satisfaction from that, but the opposite is also true. I think we could win a game and not play the way I think we should, and I’d be quite disappointed with that.”“So my main aim is just playing the way that we set out, and by and large we’ve done that, so I find that very satisfying. The other thing that I’m really pleased about is we’ve adapted really well to the challenges. In any season, it’s never just a straight line towards winning a trophy.”“There are loads of speed bumps along the way and you have to be able to adapt to those challenges. For example, slightly tricky home conditions, we had to adapt to that. And starting with predominantly away fixtures at tough venues, we had to adapt to that as well, which was tricky. We’ve also had a few injuries that we had to adapt to, and it’s been good to see other players come in and do well.”–IANSnr/bc

New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes Shreyas Iyer’s recent improved play in IPL 2025 has stemmed from him being snubbed from being selected for the Indian team on their upcoming five-match Test tour of England.Iyer recently hit an unbeaten 87 in leading Punjab Kings to a five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and set up his team’s meeting in the title clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. If PBKS manage to win the title clash, it will be their maiden IPL championship triumph.”I actually was gutted…but he’s accepted that really well and he’s moved on. He’s just got that real hunger in his eyes to do well every time that he plays for us here and wants to win games of cricket and wants to evolve and develop into the best leader and captain that he can be.”Certain other players that have been picked in that (Test) squad have done it on the back of good first-class cricket and good IPL seasons leading up to that selection and Shreyas has done absolutely everything the same as some of those other players.”So I was disappointed that he didn’t get picked as I actually felt that he would get picked. But he didn’t. And I think that probably makes him a little bit hungrier for us when these playoff games come around,” said Ponting on The ICC Review show.Ponting and Iyer previously combined forces at the Delhi Capitals, where the side entered the playoffs from 2019 to 2021, including an appearance in the final in 2020. “I enjoy playing a bit of a role with him as we work really well together.””We talk a lot together about the game and tactics and, I think he said last night that he said ‘that I leave it to Ricky to look after the tactical stuff and pick the players, and then he hands it over to me and I go and execute it out on the field’. And that’s the way we’ve worked, this year and it’s been nice to get that sort of working relationship back together again,” he concluded.–IANSnr/ab

Chennai, June 2 (IANS) Chennaiyin FC have retained Jiteshwor Singh for the long term after the Indian midfielder penned a three-year contract renewal that will keep him at the club until 2028.
Jiteshwor joined the Marina Machans in 2022 after a breakout season with I-League team NEROCA FC and was a stalwart in the Chennaiyin sides for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. The 23-year-old started the 2024-25 season on the sidelines but had earned his place back in the starting eleven midway through the campaign with distinguished performances.Addressing his renewal, Jiteshwor said, “Chennaiyin is home to me, and I’m delighted to extend my journey here. This season, I had to work hard to earn my place back in the team, and I’m grateful for the trust the club has shown in me. I’m excited for what’s ahead and ready to give my all for the club next season.”Jiteshwor’s extension strengthens the team’s core as the Marina Machans look to the future. The youngster’s tenacity and talent in the centre of the pitch stood out over the course of the season, earning him a spot in the starting XI and praise from head coach Owen Coyle, who expressed his delight at tying Jiteshwor down for the long term.“Jiteshwor signing his new deal is fantastic for the football club, fantastic for Jiteshwor, and everyone else involved. We recognise what a talented player he is. This season has been a bit stop-start for him, but you can now see the impact he is making in the team, and he’s only going to get better,” Coyle said.“There’s been interest from lots of other clubs, but Jiteshwor himself showed his commitment to the club. He knows what we’re trying to build. As much as this has been a tough season, he knows exciting times are ahead and we’re delighted to get him on board for the long term,” he added.Hailing from Manipur, Jiteshwor spent his youth career with Eastern Sporting Union and Rising Athletic Union before joining I-League side NEROCA in 2019. A brief loan spell at the Kolkata-based I-League 2 team Bhawanipore Club aside, the young midfielder spent three seasons with NEROCA, where he was adjudged the I-League Emerging Player of the Year in 2021-22. Since joining Chennaiyin in 2022, the midfield engine has played 54 times across all competitions.–IANSab/bc