Chennai, May 16 (IANS) Tamil Thalaivas have announced the appointment of Suresh Kumar as the assistant coach for season 12 of the Pro Kabaddi League. A seasoned professional with a deep understanding of the game, he brings both experience and local pride to the Thalaivas’ bench.
A former Pro Kabaddi League player, Suresh played across four seasons (Seasons 2 to 5) with franchises such as Patna Pirates, Dabang Delhi, and U Mumba. Post-retirement, he transitioned into coaching and played a pivotal role as Assistant Coach of the Jaipur Pink Panthers alongside head coach Sanjeev Baliyan. The duo guided Jaipur to strong performances over the last two seasons, showcasing tactical strength and solid team development.Suresh Kumar hails from Tamil Nadu and currently serves with the Southern Railways at ICF. His roots and understanding of the Tamil sporting culture make his appointment even more special for the franchise and its fans.”It’s a great pleasure to be part of Tamil Thalaivas as the Assistant Coach for Season XII,” said Suresh Kumar. “To be part of the Tamil family, especially when you come from the same land, is truly meaningful. I look forward to giving my best to the team and representing our state with pride.”Echoing this sentiment, Tamil Thalaivas CEO Shushen Vashishth stated, “We are delighted to welcome Suresh D as our Assistant Coach. His strong track record in player development and team strategy will be a significant asset to the Thalaivas’ setup. Having a coach from Tamil Nadu onboard brings an added emotional connect—not just for the players, but for our passionate fanbase across the state. We believe his presence will spark local pride and energise the squad as we aim for a strong season.”Earlier, Tamil Thalaivas had announced Sanjeev Baliyan as head coach for season 12. With Suresh Kumar joining him on the coaching bench, the team is poised for a focused and impactful campaign.–IANSbc/
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Brighton, May 16 (IANS) Brighton & Hove Albion head coach confirmed defender Lewis Dunk is back in their matchday squad for the game against Liverpool on Tuesday (IST).
The skipper missed out on Brighton’s 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium last weekend due to a minor hamstring issue but will be available for the penultimate game of the season at the Amex Stadium.While addressing the media, Hurzeler gave updates on the entire squad and also confirmed Geroginio Rutter is close to returning to full fitness.”Lewis [Dunk] is back in the squad. Joel [Veltman] will be back in the squad. It’s all very positive news. Kaoru had some minor issues, so hopefully he will be a possibility for us in the squad. Overall it’s very positive and we have more options.”Igor is also part of the squad, for sure. James [Milner] is doing rehab on the pitch, he’s getting closer. I’m not sure if we will see him this season, but it’s a nice process what he’s going through now. Georginio Rutter is also very close, so hopefully he’ll be back with the team next week. There’s a small chance, like I said from the beginning, that he can be an option for the end of the season, for the last game,” said Hurzeler in the pre-game conference.The German head coach was also asked about what made Liverpool champions this season. Hurzeler believes the key word for their form is consistency, not just in terms of playing but also the availability of their key players who have played a huge difference in the run-in.”I love the word consistency and I think consistency means not only regarding performance, it’s not only regarding results. It’s how many games, the likes of Salah and Van Dijk, can play. Mac Allister and Gravenberch too.”They could build a great connection on the pitch. They could build on a foundation and that’s something that is so crucial in the Premier League. The teams who have the highest availability of players, they are more successful and that’s what I think made a difference,” he added.–IANSaaa/
Jeddah, May 16 (IANS) Al Ittihad are officially Saudi Pro League Champions following their title-clinching victory at Al Raed on Thursday night. The Jeddah club, last champions two seasons ago, reclaimed the crown with two full match weeks to spare, when goals from Steven Bergwijn, Danilo Pereira and Abdulrahman Al Obud sealed the decisive win in Buraidah. Understandably, confirmation that the top-flight trophy is heading back to the port city on the shores of the Red Sea sparked wild celebrations at King Abdullah Sports City.
“This title is very important for me. I came to Al Ittihad to win, to keep winning. This is my ambition as a player. Thank God, it’s one more title in my career. Everywhere I have been, I won! One more league, the Saudi league,” former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho said to SPL’s media team.2018 FIFA World Cup winner N’Golo Kante revealed he was satisfied after lifting the trophy. “Honestly, I am feeling a lot of joy. It’s a new league; last year it was a bit difficult but this season we led the league from the beginning to the end. It’s a real satisfaction to have accomplished this effort all together,” added Kante.Laurent Blanc’s men came from behind to triumph 3-1 in Buraidah and claim the top-flight trophy with two rounds to spare. The victory lifted Al Ittihad nine points clear at the summit, meaning Al Hilal could match them on points but would still lose out because of their inferior head-to-head record.“I am very happy, very proud. Winning a league is always tough, so I am very happy. And to win it with my friends, it’s a lot of pride. As you can see, it’s like we play at home every week – it’s cool!,” said former Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar.”I am very happy because it’s my first title. In only five months here, to get this is so beautiful, so big. For me and my family, we are very happy! This is crazy, so crazy!” added former Barcelona midfielder Unai Hernandez.–IANSaaa/
Thiruvananthapuram, May 16 (IANS) Kerala football buffs will now have to wait to see their favourite player Lionel Messi and his World Cup-winning Argentine football team play on Kerala soil.
It was in November last year Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman and his team after huge efforts involving several rounds of discussions with Argentina Football Association (AFA) following a meeting held in Spain, it was announced that Messi and his team will play at least one international match in Kerala as part of their exhibition matches schedule. But, with the schedule of Argentina for 2026 now out, Kerala is no where in the scheme of things as the South American nation is scheduled to play in China, Qatar and Africa.Lionel Messi last played in India in 2011, when Argentina faced Venezuela in an international friendly at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Among the enthusiastic fans in attendance were several football lovers from Kerala, including the current CPI(M) General Secretary, M.A. Baby, who had come to cheer for Messi.Interestingly, in the football-crazy districts of Malappuram and Kozhikode, the Argentina national team enjoys the largest support base—a trend that has continued for many years. This support reached new heights after Messi led Argentina to victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.Abdurahiman, a native of Malappuram, has been working tirelessly to bring Lionel Messi to play in Kerala. Last year, he led a delegation to Spain and announced that the much-anticipated event would take place in the last quarter of 2026. However, the hopes of both Abdurahiman and the Kerala government have been dashed, and the wait continues for football enthusiasts in the state.More importantly, Kerala is set to go to the polls in April/May 2026 to elect a new government and the next edition of the FIFA World Cup is also scheduled to take place in 2026.–IANSsg/bc
Newcastle, May 16 (IANS) Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has asked his team not to get complacent despite being well poised to secure UEFA Champions League qualification with just two league games remaining.
Newcastle are currently in third place of the Premier League table and are just two points behind Sunday’s opponents, Arsenal. A win at the Emirates Stadium would see the Toons move up to second place.Arsenal come into the game on the back of a poor run in the league having won only one of their previous five games.”It’s not done yet. The picture can change game-to-game and I think we’ve got to be really focused on our next game and trying to win it.”We have been, our preparation has been good and the focus is there from the players. Nothing is achieved until it’s achieved. We have to be single minded in that and not get distracted,” said Howe in the pre-game conference.The Magpies’ head coach has led Newcastle to the famous Carabao Cup triumph at Wembley ending a 56-year trophy drought, but Howe’s side have excelled in the top flight too, surpassing their points total from last term. They could yet secure Champions League football as they sit in third place in the table, with Newcastle having registered the second-highest goal tally behind the new champions Liverpool.For his team’s exceptional performances through the season, Howe has been nominated for the Manager of the Season award. The Englishman reflected on the nomination and also spoke on striker Alexander Isak being nominated for the player of the season.”I always think it’s nice to be nominated for different things because ultimately it hopefully means you’ve had a successful season so I’m proud to be on that list.”I’m also proud for Alex [Isak, for his Player of the Season nomination], I think he thoroughly deserves it,” he added.–IANSaaa/
New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Former India head coach Ravi Shastri said he would have ensured Rohit Sharma, who recently announced his retirement from Test cricket, had taken the field for the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia in Sydney earlier this year.
Last week, Rohit ended his Test cricket with 4,301 runs in 67 matches at an average of 40.57, including 12 centuries and a career-best score of 212. As India’s Test captain from 2022, Rohit led the team in 24 Tests and won on 12 occasions, including the side becoming runners-up in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final.But a poor run of form since September last year meant Rohit’s Test career was in a tricky situation. In the home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, Rohit was able to cross the 50-run mark only once, while averaging only 10.93.After missing the first Test in Perth due to the birth of his son, Rohit came back to play in the next three Tests, but scored just 31 runs. That poor run resulted in Rohit, 38, sitting out of the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test at the SCG in January.”I saw Rohit a lot at the toss (during an IPL match). At the toss, you don’t get enough time to speak. Though I did put my hand on his shoulder in one of the games. I think it was in Mumbai, and I told him, if I were the coach, you would have never not played that last Test match.”You would have played that last Test match because the series wasn’t over. And I’m not someone who threw in the towel with the scoreline 2-1. If your mindset is you feel you are… that’s not the stage, you leave a team,” said Shastri on The ICC Review show.With the series poised at 2-1 at that time, Shastri further elaborated why Rohit should have played the Test match in Sydney. “That was a 30-40 run game. And that’s exactly what I told him. The pitch was so spicy in Sydney. Whatever kind of form he was in, he’s a match-winner.“If he had gone, sensed the situation, sensed the condition and smashed it for even 35-40 at the top, you never know. That series would have been level. But that’s each one to his own. Other people have different styles. This would have been my style and I let him know it. It’s sitting in my heart for a long time. I had to get it out. And I told him that.”The Test retirements of Rohit and Virat Kohli means that India will enter a new era of Test cricket when their much-awaited five-match tour of England starts on June 20 in Headingley. The five Tests against England will also mark the beginning of the new ICC World Test Championship cycle for India.–IANSnr/bc
New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Amidst the debate over who should be appointed as India’s new Test captain, former opener Wasim Jaffer said Shubman Gill should lead the Test team on the upcoming tour of England whenever ‘automatic choice’ Jasprit Bumrah needs rest.
With Rohit Sharma announcing his retirement from Tests earlier this month, Gill has been widely seen as a front-runner to lead a new-look Indian Test team in the five-match series in England, starting on June 20 at Headingley. India hasn’t won a Test series in England after the 2007 tour, where they won 1-0 under Rahul Dravid’s leadership.“I think Bumrah is an automatic captaincy choice, unless he doesn’t want the responsibility. He should be the captain with Gill as VC – stepping in whenever Bumrah needs rest. This way Gill could also be groomed without the pressure of being the full time captain,” wrote Jaffer, who played 31 Tests for India, on his ‘X’ account on Friday.Apart from Gill, who is currently the captain of Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2025 and Bumrah, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are also in the race to be India’s next Test captain. Bumrah has captained India in three Tests, and was at the helm when they won the Perth Test in last year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia.But his fitness issues mean Bumrah is not a certainty yet to play all five Tests on the tour of England. Bumrah suffered a back injury during the final Test of the Australia tour at the Sydney Cricket Ground and didn’t bowl at all in the second innings.That back injury, which previously needed an operation in early 2023, also resulted in Bumrah missing India’s victorious 2025 Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai. Rahul, meanwhile, led India in three Tests, including a 2-0 series win in Bangladesh in December 2022. India are also scheduled to play Tests against England in Edgbaston (July 2-6), Lord’s (July 10-14), Old Trafford (July 23-27) and The Oval (July 31 to August 4).–IANSnr/bc
New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Mumbai Indians received a significant boost ahead of the IPL 2025 resumption, with England’s Will Jacks confirming his availability through an Instagram post that showed him on a flight back to India.
Taking to Instagram story section, Jacks shared a special post, featuring his boarding pass, accompanied with an Indian tricolour emoji along with a back arrow.A consistent presence in MI’s campaign, Jacks featured in 11 of their first 12 matches, contributing 195 runs across nine innings and chipping in with five wickets through his off-spin. His impact has been notable, having earned Player-of-the-Match honours in crucial home wins against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants, underlining his value as a dependable all-rounder in the side.Though Jacks has returned to India ahead of MI’s last two group-stage games but his availability for the final stages of the season is in doubt due to international duty as he has been named in England’s limited-overs set-up for the West Indies series, clashing with the rearranged knockout stage.The 25-year-old all-rounder’s return puts an end to speculation around his participation after foreign players were flown home due to rising military tensions between India and Pakistan earlier this month.The IPL was temporarily suspended following an air strike alert that led to the abandonment of the May 8 fixture between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala. Since then, uncertainty has gripped the availability of overseas stars.With the World Test Championship final beginning on June 11, several key players from Australia and South Africa—including Mitchell Starc and Jake Fraser-McGurk—have opted out of the remaining matches.IPL 2025 will resume on Saturday with Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Kolkata Knight Riders at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.–IANShs/
Mohali, May 16 (IANS) Punjab FC received a ‘Premier 1’ Club Licence for the 2025-26 season from the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the only club in the country to receive it without any sanctions.
The decision was made by the Club Licensing Committee of the AIFF after conclusion of the evaluation process. The committee reviewed comprehensive reports and documentation before finalising the decisions, after receiving applications from 15 clubs. Punjab FC were the only club to receive the ‘Premier 1’ Licence without any sanctions for the 2024-25 season.Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 champion and League Shield winner Mohun Bagan Super Giant FC, Kolkata giant East Bengal, FC Goa, Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC, Jamshedpur FC and Mumbai City FC have received a license with sanctions due to minor non-fulfilment of B criteria.”This is a proud moment for everyone at Punjab FC. This recognition is proof to our commitment to operational excellence, transparency, and upholding the highest standards in club management. From our youth development structure to our first-team operations, we’ve always strived to set benchmarks for professionalism and integrity. This not only validates our efforts but also motivates us to continue pushing the standards of Punjab FC and Indian football forward,” technical director of Punjab FC Nikolaos Topoliatis said.Punjab FC finished tenth in the Indian Super League season with 28 points and reached the quarterfinals of the Kalinga Super Cup. The youth teams of the club have continued their dominance in youth football this season, winning the recently concluded AIFF U-17 Elite Youth League beating Jamshedpur FC in dominant fashion.They also defended the Dream Sports Championships, easing past Mohun Bagan Super Giant. The Sub Junior (U-15) side currently leads their respective group in the final round of the AIFF Sub Junior League.Meanwhile, I League champion Churchill Brothers FC Goa, which was promoted to the ISL for next season. along with Hyderabad FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Odisha FC, NorthEast United FC, Mohammedan Sporting Club, and Inter Kashi, did not get the licenseThe AIFF said the clubs whose applications have been rejected have the right to either appeal the decision, or request an exemption to participate in the National Club Competitions, as per applicable licensing regulations.The Indian Club Licensing system is pivotal in maintaining the quality, professionalism, and infrastructure of football clubs in India. It is an annual process wherein clubs acquire the necessary license to partake in AFC and National club competitions for each season. These licenses are categorised into ‘Premier 1’ for Indian Super League clubs and ‘Premier 2’ for I-League clubs.AIFF Club licensing Premier 1 results for 2025-26 season -License Granted without sanctions: Punjab FCLicense Granted with sanctions: Mumbai City FC, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Bengaluru FC, Jamshedpur FC, FC Goa, Chennaiyin FC, and East Bengal FC.License rejected: Hyderabad FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Odisha FC, NorthEast United FC, Mohammedan Sporting Club, Churchill Brothers FC Goa and Inter Kashi.–IANSbc/
New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar reflected on the surreal moment when Virat Kohli handed…