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India’s franchise-based leagues have benefited individual players and popularised their respective sports. But apart from the IPL, the other leagues are yet to work out a viable financial model.

In this issue

19-09-202025 STORIES

Ravichandran Ashwin, who while bowling for Kings XI Punjab in the 2019 IPL season “Mankaded” Buttler of the Rajasthan Royals, is headed for the Delhi Capitals, whose coach Ricky Ponting has said he will not allow Ashwin to use the manoeuvre.

Why Mankading? Why not Browned, or just run-out?

The Vinoo Mankad and Bill Brown incident is well known, less known is the fact that Brown had backed up too far in a first-class match too and Mankad

“Cricket is 90 per cent mental. The skill is only 10 per cent. It is about controlling your emotions and using your mind to make the right decisions,” says Darren Sammy. The former West Indies captain continues to play T20 cricket and hopes to make a come back to the national side.

Daren Sammy keen on IPL role in 2021

St Lucia Zouks captain Daren Sammy opens up on training for the CPL, future plans in the IPL and how Indian legend M. S. Dhoni had inspired him.

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

Pranesh’s immediate target is to become a GM. “I don’t know how long it will take, but I want to become one soon,” he says.

Tamil Nadu's M. Pranesh aims to become a Grandmaster

Sponsorship is still an issue for Pranesh especially when he travels abroad with either of his parents.

K. Keerthivasan

Nari Contractor, published in 'Sport and Pastime' on January 4, 1958, after scoring a century in each of his first four Ranji Trophy matches in the 1957-58 season.

Down memory lane: Gujarat’s Boys Town hero, Nari Contractor

Nari Contractor recalls his days of school cricket in Nashik and club cricket in Bombay, writing to the Gujarat Cricket Association, leading the India

“I chose javelin as I thought it was very light. But the first time I threw it, I fell down. And I realised that though the implement was very light, technically the event was very difficult,” says Annu Rani.

Annu Rani: Shifting gear with the spear

Annu Rani is the Asian silver medallist, the country’s first female javelin thrower to make the final at the World Championships in Doha last year whe

The IPL has helped democratise cricket. While a 2016 report published by auditing firm KPMG, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry, said that 41 percent of the IPL’s viewership was female (including rural women), Joy Bhattacharjya, formerly a team director at IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders, feels that the tournament has brought in a strain of meritocracy unseen in Indian sport before.

India's sports leagues: Miles to go before they reap

India’s franchise-based leagues have benefited individual players and popularised their respective sports. But apart from the IPL, the other leagues a

The Indian Super League’s advent in 2014 attracted some of the world’s biggest names in Alessandro Del Piero (in pic), Roberto Carlos, Diego Forlan, Nicolas Anelka, Zico and Marco Materazzi to Indian shores and fostered a more professional system in place.

Indian football leagues: Moving in the right direction

In six years, the Indian Super League has been recognised by the Asian Football Confederation as the top division of Indian football and has also beco

Shyam Vasudevan

Shyam Vasudevan

Action has always been riveting, both on and off the field in the IPL.

IPL: Understanding the Indian Premier League's financial levers

Those who have stayed invested since the inception of the Indian Premier League — including a majority of the eight original franchise owners — have b

Amol Karhadkar,Shayan Acharya

Champion in the last edition of the Hockey India League in 2017, Kalinga Lancers is optimistic of the future of the league.

Falling flat on finances: Indian hockey’s experiments with a league formats

The experience of playing with and against the best in the world helped the Indian players improve their strategising skills, made them confident and

Bengal Warriors and Dabang Delhi in action in the final of the Pro Kabaddi League in October 2019. Bengal Warriors took the title. Kabaddi players have been the biggest beneficiaries of the PKL, with many pocketing handsome seven-figure salaries for a four-month-long tournament.

Pro Kabaddi League: Bringing kabbadi to the mainstream

One would argue that things look great for kabaddi in India as the sport has seen an exponential growth and players are finally getting the exposure t

Shyam Vasudevan

Shyam Vasudevan

The Chennai Super Kings players leave for the UAE from Chennai.

IPL diary: Landing in 40 degrees

The 2020 IPL season is around the corner, and the talk’s all about the bio-bubble and staying safe.

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya,Shayan Acharya

Action between Chennai Spartans and Kochi Blockers in the Pro Volleyball League at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai in February, 2019. The league brought some of the world’s best players to the country, offered Indians decent money and brought in many new fans.

Pro Volley League: A one-edition wonder

Just as the players were hoping that the Pro Volleyball League would go from strength to strength, came the rude jolt. In November 2019, the Volleybal

Punjab Panthers’ M. C. Mary Kom in a bout against Bombay Bullets’ Ingrit Lorena Valencia (in red) during Big Bout Indian Boxing League at the Gautam Buddha University Indoor Stadium, in Greater Noida, in December 2019. The response and excitement from the boxing federation, coaches, boxers and audiences to the maiden boxing league was electrifying.

Big Bout Indian Boxing League: Potential to make a difference

Even though Big Bout managed to attract only a few overseas boxers, the league — held in December — served as an excellent opportunity for elite India

$\Action in a mixed doubles match in the Premier Badminton League at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Gachibowli in Hyderabad in February 2020. “The popularity of the game has spread far and wide with PBL,” says Sportzlive Executive Director Mangipudi Prasad.$

Premier Badminton League: A starry affair looking for financial stardust

“At this point we are in a wait and watch mode about the next season as it depends on so many factors which are beyond our control,” says Mangipudi Pr

V. V. Subrahmanyam

Babita Kumari of UP Dangal in action against Sofia Mattsson of Haryana Hammers. “It has made a lot of difference to the sport. This was an opportunity for the wrestlers to have another source of income while learning and improving,” said Dipin Kapur, one of the team owners of the Hammers.

Pro Wrestling League: A launch pad to shine on the bigger stage

Home-grown wrestlers reaped the benefit of spending time with and competing against some elite overseas wrestlers in the Pro Wrestling League.

Everyone is chasing ATP and WTA points. Indian juniors aren’t getting a chance to play against seniors and foreigners unless they go abroad,” says Vijay Amritraj.

Indian tennis leagues: Mired in financial difficulties

The legendary Vijay Amritraj feels that the ideal condition to grow the game and help sustain leagues such as Champions Tennis League is for a bunch o

India’s top paddler Sharath Kamal said it’s a good start.

Ultimate Table Tennis: Players strike gold, but finances still a worry

Despite the laurels on the table, Ultimate Table Tennis hasn’t really been able to cash in on it, both in terms of increasing viewership in India or a

The victorious Sevilla team with the trophy after the final in Cologne, Germany, on August 21. The club maintained its perfect record of lifting the Europa League trophy whenever it has reached the quarterfinals.

Sevilla savours a sixth Europa League title

The Spanish club lifted the Europa League trophy for the fourth time in the last seven seasons, defeating Inter Milan 3-2 in the final in Cologne.

Bayern Munich added a sixth European crown at the Estadio da LUZ in Lisbon.

Champions League: Single-leg knockout matches the new normal?

Without the comfort of home games or the restraints of away matches, the shackles were off, which made for much more exciting viewing. It also helped

Anirudh Velamuri

Anirudh Velamuri

Many twists and turns in India's Olympiad victory

By becoming the joint champion, India has proved yet again that it is a force to reckon with at the highest level.

P. K. Ajith Kumar

Lewis Hamilton (centre) with runner-up Valtteri Bottas and third-placed Max Verstappen. Hamilton led every lap of the race and only had his point for fastest lap taken away towards the end by Daniel Ricciardo, who qualified his Renault in fourth and finished in that position.

Lewis Hamilton, the unstoppable force in Formula One

The British driver held on to the lead cleanly through La Source at the start, and the only chance that Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen had of gett

Then KKR skipper Sourav Ganguly and coach John Buchanan in a conversation ahead of an IPL encounter. (File Photo)

IPL 2020: For John Buchanan, split captaincy is still a good idea

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) turns 13, John Buchanan still feels split captaincy is a good idea for teams, especially in longer tournaments.

Shayan Acharya,Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

Rohit Sharma has been recognised for his ever-rising accomplishments with the bat.

National Sports Awards: Why different yardsticks for different athletes?

Given the apparent discrepancies in the process of selection for the National Sports Awards, it is time for the Sports Ministry to bring into force th

At 38, Anderson's body has endured tremendous stress, and at varying points when his torso screamed “give up,” he puckered his face and willed himself to become England’s leading wicket-taker ahead of a legend like Ian Botham (383) or his bowling partner and buddy Stuart Broad (514 and counting).

James Anderson scales Mount 600 in Test cricket

Never a fire-spewing fast bowler like a Brett Lee or Shoaib Akhtar, Anderson’s unerring accuracy and swing (both conventional and reverse) made it ext

K. C. Vijaya Kumar

Sheldon Cottrell

IPL 2020 - Sheldon Cottrell: Want to show fans plenty of salutes in UAE

West Indies fast bowler and Kings XI Punjab's latest recruit Sheldon Cottrell says IPL going ahead is great news for cricketers and fans.

Ayan Acharya

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