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Sachin Tendulkar Kerala Blasters have a huge motivator, says assistant coach

September 29, 2015

Mumbai, Sep 29: Ishfaq Ahmed's role at Kerala Blasters will not be limited only to the playing but it is going to double up this season of the Indian Super League (ISL) as he is the assistant coach to Peter Taylor.

sachin

Kerala Blasters finished runners-up last time around and Ishfaq believes they have every chance of lifting the trophy this time around after being unlucky in the finals against Atletico de Kolkata last season.

The Blasters lost 1-0 to Kolkata in the dying moments of the title clash bit Ishfaq says it hasn't hurt the team's morale, which is where it should be. "We have the potential and players to go all the way this season. Players are positive ahead of the season and the dressing room atmosphere is fantastic," the assistant coach told IBNLive.

"The Indian contingent is gelling well with the foreign players and both are helping each other settle in ahead of the new season," Ishfaq said during a telephonic conversation.

The former Pune FC (I-league) midfielder is amongst the players retained by the Kochi-based franchise for the second season and now given the added responsibility.

When asked how are their preparations going ahead of the season that kicks off October 3, he sounded pretty confident and said the pre-season camp went brilliantly and the plan is working fine at the moment. "We are loving every bit of the moment in Trivandrum. Although everyone took time to get used to the food, eventually we have coped with that and enjoying our pre-season training. Everything is going according to the plan and the coaches and players are happy with the proceedings.

"The fitness level is being tested and most of the players are ready for the first game. We we are confident that everyone will be ready before our first game of the tournament," Ishfaq added.

Kerala won just one of their first five matches in the league last season and were expected to be knocked out but the team, co-owned by star Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, fought back and peaked at the right time to make it to the final.

When asked about the influence the legendary batsman has on the team, the midfielder was full of awe and admiration. "It is a huge honour to be around Sachin Tendulkar. He just loves sport and that motivates everyone. He is easily approachable and is ready to share his views.

"Last season, ahead of the final, he was very positive. He said 'just go and enjoy your game and never put yourself under any pressure.' He told us that winning and losing is part of game and that we have to give our 100 per cent out there.

"After we lost the final, he still had a smile on his face and talked to each and every player and consoled them. He is always there to motivate the players and his influence in the dressing room is very very positive," Ishfaq said.

Taylor has been named the manager of the Kerala outfit for the new season. The 62-year-old Taylor, who had coached the England senior team for a match, was at the helm of the England youth team for a long period. He has also coached David Beckham and Ishfaq was all praise for him.

"Some players know him before the ISL, so the understanding is there. He is treating every player the same and his experience will surely help the team in the new season. He's a top-quality coach and we are looking forward to the new season. His man-management is top draw," Ishfaq concluded.

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Agencies
August 6,2020

New Delhi, Aug 6: The BCCI on Thursday suspended the IPL title sponsorship deal with Chinese mobile phone company Vivo for the event's upcoming edition amid heightened tensions in Sino-India diplomatic ties.

The BCCI sent out a one-line statement, without giving details, saying that Vivo would not be associated with the IPL this year. "The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd have decided to suspend their partnership for Indian Premier League in 2020," the statement said.

Meanwhile, Vivo released its own statement saying that the two entities "have mutually decided to pause their partnership for the 2020 season".

Vivo won the IPL title sponsorship rights for five years from 2018 to 2022 for a reported sum of Rs 2,190 crore, approximately Rs 440 crore per annum.

The two parties are now working out a plan in which Vivo might come back for a fresh three-year period starting 2021 on revised terms.

However, a top BCCI official offered a different view. "Here we are talking about diplomatic tensions and you expect that after November, when IPL ends and before the next IPL starts in April 2021, there would be no anti-China sentiment? Are we serious?" a veteran BCCI official said on conditions of anonymity.

The anti-China sentiment in the country peaked after the violent face-off between the Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh. India lost 20 soldiers in the clash, while China also acknowledged unspecified casualties.

The stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) caused outrage across India with several calls for boycotts of Chinese companies and products.

The BCCI is now likely to float a tender for new IPL title sponsors as mandated by its constitution. The glitzy T20 league starts on Sept. 19 in the UAE, forced out of India due to the rising COVID-19 cases.

The new development is in stark contrast to what came out of Sunday's IPL's Governing Council meeting, where it was decided that Vivo, along with all the other sponsors, will remain on board.

This was after the BCCI had announced in June that all sponsorship deals pertaining to IPL will be reviewed in the aftermath of the clash in the Galwan Valley.

However, after Sunday's meeting, there was a huge backlash on social media about the BCCI holding on to Vivo.

Both parties then began thrashing out an amicable separation plan, at least for this season.

However, the end of this deal could spell losses for the franchises as they get a substantial share from the sponsorship pool. Half of the annual Vivo sponsorship money is distributed equally among eight franchises, which comes to Rs 27.5 crore.

"As of now, it will be very difficult for the BCCI to match the sponsorship amount at such short notice. Therefore, both BCCI and the franchises should be prepared to lose out on some money -- BCCI more but each franchise from Vivo's exit will potentially lose 15 crore," the official said.

"This year will be difficult for everyone but the show must go on," the official said.

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Agencies
January 23,2020

Aurangabad, Jan 23: An FIR has been registered against three people including former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin for allegedly duping a travel agent, Mohammad Shadab, of more than Rs 20 lakh.

However, Mohammad Azharuddin has refuted allegations and said: "I strongly rubbish the false FIR filed against me in Aurangabad. I am consulting my legal team and would be taking action as necessary."

Azharuddin's personal assistant Mujeeb lives in Augurangabad and has good relations with the travel agency of Shadab.

The travel agent alleged that Mujeeb asked him to book some flight tickets but did not pay the amount.

The police have booked the three under Section 406, 420 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

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News Network
May 11,2020

Karachi, May 11: Pakistan might play more Test matches during their tour of England if it goes ahead as scheduled in July after the West Indies pulled out of an assignment there in June owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pakistan Cricket Board and the England and Wales Cricket Board officials are due to have a video conference on May 18 to discuss how they should proceed with the tour given the situation because of the pandemic.

"At present we have to play three Tests and three T20 internationals but the number of Tests could be increased and the tour could start a bit early in July," a PCB source said.

The source said that the ECB could offer to organise a four or five Test series against Pakistan if the West Indies tour didn’t go ahead.

Issues that are likely to be discussed in the May 18 meet are a quarantine period for Pakistani players when they arrive in England in July and limiting the venues for the matches and playing before empty stadiums.

PCB CEO Wasim Khan confirmed the video conference but said so far, the ECB has not spoken to them on increasing the number of matches on the tour which is scheduled between July and September.

"Things will be clear after the meeting but whatever decision we take we will consult our captains and head coaches before giving any confirmation," Khan said.

The PCB has so far kept mum on the chances of the series taking place in England because of the COVID-19 situation.

But with the British government due to announce measures to ease the lockdown in the country, it appears Pakistan could be touring on schedule.

Some former players have, however, asked the PCB to tread on the side of caution.

"If the West Indies have decided to postpone their series in June because of safety reasons and because of the situation then the PCB should also be very careful before taking up any offer from the ECB," a former captain said.

The West Indies Cricket Board said its players have to be convinced of their safety for it to commit to the assignment, which "is not possible in June."

"...we will continue our discussions with the ECB and other Internationals Boards on trying to find new dates," it said in a recent press release.

"We will only travel to England to play the series if our players can be assured that it is safe to do so," it added.

Pakistan is also scheduled to play an ODI series against Ireland while in UK but that series could be rescheduled and also be held in England.

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