Sports
LA 2028: Cricket will feature six teams each in men’s and women’s events

Lausanne, April 10: Cricket at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games will be played in the T20 format, with six teams competing in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, the Organisers said.
The event programme and athlete quotas for LA 2028 was approved by the Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday.
The organisers said that a total of 90 athlete quotas have been allocated for each gender, allowing every team to name a 15-member squad.
The cricket venues for LA28 are yet to be confirmed.
Cricket is one of five new sports to feature at the upcoming Olympics. The IOC approved cricket’s inclusion for LA28 two years ago, along with baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash.
Cricket was included in the LA28 sports programme during the 141st I0C Session in Mumbai along with Flag Football, Lacrosse, Squash, and Baseball/SoftbalI. It is already part of two of the other multi-sport extravaganzas, the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
Both men’s and women’s cricket tournaments, played in the T20 format, were part of the Asian Games in 2010, 2014 and 2023.
Eight teams participated at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games while at the Hangzhou Asian Games, 14 teams competed in the men’s event while nine played the women’s competition.
With the inclusion of boxing, approved by the IOC Session in March 2025, the LA28 sports programme is composed of 31 sports, with an additional five sports proposed by the Organising Committee and approved by the IOC in 2023.
With a total of 351 medal events, 22 more than at Paris 2024 (329), the LA28 programme maintains the core athlete quota of 10,500, with an extra 698 quota places allocated for the five sports proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee (baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash).
In the initial sports programme, with 10,500 athletes, the number of female athletes is 5,333 and the number of male athletes 5,167. The additional sports add 322 female athletes and 376 male athletes. In addition, six mixed events were added to the event programme. Out of 351 events, there are 161 women’s events, 165 men’s events and 25 mixed events.
National News
Farhan signalled AK-47, but Gill & Abhishek launched BrahMos to dismantle Pakistan: Kaneria on India’s win

New Delhi, Sep 22: Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria shared his blunt views on Pakistan’s loss to India in the Super Four clash of the ongoing Asia Cup, saying the Indian openers left Pakistan’s bowlers clueless with their ruthless counterattack.
Batting first, Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 58, while Faheem Ashraf’s unbeaten 20 off eight balls gave Pakistan late momentum as they posted 171/5 in 20 overs.
In reply, Abhishek Sharma stole the spotlight with a whirlwind 74 off 39 balls, smashing six fours and five sixes. Alongside Shubman Gill (47 off 28), he added 105 runs inside the first 10 overs to set up India’s six-wicket victory and a strong start to their Super Four campaign.
“Sahibzada Farhan signalled an AK-47, but then Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma launched a BrahMos of their own with the bat — and Sharma even followed it with a flying kiss. That’s how you do it. The Indian openers’ counterattack was so destructive that Pakistan players were left bamboozled. There’s ‘dhulai’ and then there’s ‘maha dhulai’. This was the latter,” Kaneria told media on Monday.
He further added, “When you have players like Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill as openers, even 200 can look like a small total against them on such a wicket. Both are class players.”
Kaneria also criticised Pakistan’s tendency to look for scapegoats after a defeat, this time pointing to Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal.
Zaman had made a brisk start, flicking Bumrah for four and then driving him for another boundary. But his innings ended in the third over when he edged a slower delivery from Hardik Pandya to wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, with the third umpire confirming the dismissal.
“Now Pakistan will look for another scapegoat, and they’ve found one in Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal. He’ll cry now, saying he wasn’t out. But it was a clear and clean catch by Sanju Samson — the gloves were clearly underneath the ball. And yet Pakistan will surely cry over it, talking about ‘benefit of doubt’. Fakhar will cling to this excuse,” said Kaneria.
India will next face Bangladesh on Thursday, while Pakistan will aim to bounce back against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
International News
He is a very unorthodox thinker: Gavaskar praises Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy decisions

Dubai, Sep 20: India’s cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar praised T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav for the decisions he took during the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025 clash against Oman. Suryakumar led India to their third consecutive win in the tournament as the Men in Blue move to the Super Fours stage unbeaten.
In the team’s third and final group stage game against Oman on Friday, Suryakumar decided not to walk out to bat during India’s innings as they opted to bat first. All other 10 players of the playing XI got game time with the bat as the skipper demoted him to No. 11.
Many experts and pundits criticised the move, but Gavaskar believed it to be a sensible decision. Speaking on Sony Sports Network, the former India captain said:
“If he had batted for even one over, he could have hit a few fours and sixes, and that would have been good for him. But the way he batted against Pakistan, maybe he does not need batting practice. He may have thought that Kuldeep Yadav’s batting could come in handy if India lose quick wickets in one of the matches. Perhaps that’s why he may have sent Kuldeep in to bat.”
Calling the 35-year-old Mumbai batter an ‘innovative thinker,’ Gavaskar added: “He is a very unorthodox thinker. We saw in Sri Lanka that he himself bowled and also gave Rinku Singh the ball. He turned the game, which seemed to have slipped away, on its head and won India the match. He is an innovative thinker. Maybe that’s why he did not bat and sent in Kuldeep and Arshdeep Singh.”
Notably, India defeated Oman by 21 runs to make it three wins in a row.
The group stage of the Asia Cup concluded with the Men in Blue’s match against Oman on Friday, with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan moving to the Super Fours.
Six games will be played in the second stage of the tournament. Every team will play the other three opponents once, and the sides finishing in the top two of the points table will progress to the summit clash.
India will commence their Super Fours campaign with a match against arch-rivals Pakistan on Saturday, 21 September, followed by games against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on 24 and 26 September, respectively.
National News
Sport is one area where there’s no bias or reservation based on caste or age: Shashank Singh

New Delhi, Sep 18: Punjab Kings cricketer Shashank Singh shared what keeps him motivated and energised during tense moments, as well as how he manages disappointing situations. He was last seen on the field during the IPL 2025 final in Ahmedabad, where his team finished runners-up as Royal Challengers Bengaluru claimed their first trophy.
Shashank was very vocal about his aspirations and mentioned how his dream to represent India at the biggest stage keeps him motivated to do well. He spoke about his journey and growth over the years, and how his family played a key role in shaping his career as a cricketer.
“While my family has always been supportive, many others have also backed me throughout my career. All my coaches who have taught and trained me so far, as well as my teammates, have also played a part. However, my mum, dad, and sister have been the biggest supporters, and a lot of credit goes to them,” Shashank told IANS in an exclusive interview.
“Looking back on my journey, I started playing for MP, then we moved to Bombay, and later I returned to Chhattisgarh. Eventually, I began gaining recognition in the IPL. It’s been a long journey, and like every other cricketer, I faced many ups and downs. But I believe I have overcome them all, and I am currently in the right zone.
“My dream of representing the Indian national team is something I believe I am very close to achieving. I am working hard because cricket is all about dedication and discipline, and I feel I am on the right path,” he added.
Despite his impressive numbers in domestic cricket, the PBKS batter has not managed to break into the national side. Speaking on what might have went wrong, Shashank stated, “My job is to deliver good performances and assist the team in winning. That has always been my motivation, to lead the team to victory. I cannot concentrate solely on my individual performance and the runs I score in each game, because cricket is a team sport. Ultimately, it matters how many matches I have helped the team win.”
“To be very honest, I don’t know why I’m not a part of the national side yet. I don’t have an answer to that. I think I’m trying to tick all those required boxes at the highest level, at the domestic level, at any level I play cricket, where I learn and improve my game as a player.”
Shashank highlighted the importance of winning trophies in domestic cricket, adding, “If you ask me what’s going wrong or the missing link, I think it might be because my state hasn’t won any championships yet. Players from other states have a championship title to their name, whether it’s the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the Ranji Trophy, or the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy; they win matches. I believe that helps them gain recognition at the highest level.
“My team doesn’t have trophies yet, so there might be a 1% chance that’s the reason. But besides that, I don’t think I lack any attribute needed to represent India at the highest level. I have the qualities that an Indian player must possess, and I hope that dream turns into reality soon.”
Even after impressive performances at the IPL for Punjab Kings over the years, Shashank hasn’t found his name in the Indian squad. When asked if that affects him mentally, he said, “Obviously, I get disappointed. I think about the reasons and details for a few days and then move on. It’s ultimately up to me how I perceive it, and my job is to perform well and help the team win. All you can do is follow the schedule and train properly, hoping to achieve the end goal. I am following the same process instead of banging my head and wondering why things didn’t fall into place. That’s beyond my control.”
When asked how he copes with the pressure and disappointments, the Chattisgarh cricketer added, “It’s essential to stay strong mentally. Firstly, you should be grateful that you’re playing cricket at a high level in a country where the competition is fierce. That’s always a motivating factor. I’m not the first person to be here, nor will I be the last. Many have rightfully had their chance when they deserved it, and many will have in the future. You must always have belief. I’ll never say that I’ve always been talented. I worked hard to get here, and I believe in myself that I can do it. I always think I’m the best when I step onto the ground, and that always motivates me to keep improving every day.
The 33-year-old believes that age doesn’t matter if a cricketer’s statistics show their true ability. He feels that selection depends on a player’s merit, and that age cannot prevent anyone from reaching greatness.
“Sport is one area where there’s no bias or reservation based on caste or age. Selection is solely on merit. If I’m hitting the world’s best bowlers for fours and sixes, running from long on to long off while fielding, being quick between the wickets, and proving to be an asset for the team, then I believe no force can prevent me from playing cricket at the highest level,” he said.
“Age is nothing. People say age is just a number, but for me, it’s irrelevant and doesn’t matter. There are numerous examples of players and athletes continuing to perform beyond a certain age and dominating the sport. If I’m playing fast bowlers who bowl at a pace of 160 and not fearing them and performing well across departments, then I don’t think age will play a role. If you’re putting up stand-out performances and your stats do the talking, then age is literally nothing,” he concluded.
-
Crime3 years ago
Class 10 student jumps to death in Jaipur
-
Maharashtra12 months ago
Mumbai Local Train Update: Central Railway’s New Timetable Comes Into Effect; Check Full List Of Revised Timings & Stations
-
Maharashtra12 months ago
Mumbai To Go Toll-Free Tonight! Maharashtra Govt Announces Complete Toll Waiver For Light Motor Vehicles At All 5 Entry Points Of City
-
Maharashtra12 months ago
False photo of Imtiaz Jaleel’s rally, exposing the fooling conspiracy
-
National News12 months ago
Ministry of Railways rolls out Special Drive 4.0 with focus on digitisation, cleanliness, inclusiveness and grievance redressal
-
Maharashtra10 months ago
Maharashtra Elections 2024: Mumbai Metro & BEST Services Extended Till Midnight On Voting Day
-
National News1 year ago
J&K: 4 Jawans Killed, 28 Injured After Bus Carrying BSF Personnel For Poll Duty Falls Into Gorge In Budgam; Terrifying Visuals Surface
-
Crime12 months ago
Baba Siddique Murder: Mumbai Police Unable To Get Lawrence Bishnoi Custody Due To Home Ministry Order, Says Report