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Most of our auction purse went into putting together first eleven, reveals Royals coach Sangakkara

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Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara has credited the team’s performance this season to the painstaking effort put in by his support team during the IPL mega auction earlier this year, saying 90-95 per cent of the purse was spent on putting together the first eleven.

The Sri Lankan legend added that the entire focus was on “experience”, given the high-pressure IPL environment, and added that while the side had a “spattering of youngsters”, they were being groomed to become future stars.

Sankakkara also said that it was very difficult to overcome the big loss to Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 at the Eden Gardens and credited the boys for staging a fine comeback to defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore in Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday night.

RR defeated RCB by seven wickets with 11 deliveries to spare as the Sanju Samson-led side overhauled the modest target of 157 in 18.1 overs. England’s charismatic batter Jos Buttler hit a stroke-filled unbeaten 106, while Prasidh Krishna and Obed McCoy grabbed three wickets each to lead the Royals into the final for only the second time in the history of the tournament.

“Very satisfying (win). All the planning, all the hard work. Really tough with the close defeat to Gujarat Titans but the guys got back up and came back strongly. Jos Buttler backs his strengths and manoeuvres the bowling to bowl more and more to his strengths. The great thing is he can accelerate anytime. Overall he is a wonderful guy who thinks deeply about his game and himself. The entire bowling unit was outstanding.

“Special mention to Prasidh (Krishna). We had 16 to defend in the last game. Then Trent Boult. And Obed McCoy, his mother has been quite ill back home, but he has been able to put that aside. She is recovering well. And Ashwin and Yuzi (Chahal) have run the show. At the auction table,” said Sangakkara.

Sangakkara also revealed how, before the auction, his team compiled date on players in order to help build a winning unit.

“We spent 90-95 per cent of our purse on putting together our first XI. We worked hard on data to work on the players we wanted. We put emphasis on experience at the moment. We have a spattering of youngsters who will become stars later, but our first XI has a strong share of seasoned internationals. Full credit to Giles Lindsay, our analyst, Zubin Barucha and the rest of the staff. Wins don’t just happen. It takes a lot of planning, hard work, execution on the field,” added the Sri Lankan.

International

PM Narendra Modi Departs For 5-Day Tour Of Nigeria, Brazil, & Guyana

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday left for his five-day visit to Nigeria, Brazil, and Guyana. He will be on his three-nation tour from November 16 to 21, where he will be attending the G20 Summit in Brazil.

In his departure statement ahead of his visit, PM Modi stated that he would be first visiting Nigeria at the invitation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with a focus on reinforcing the strategic partnership between the two nations. The Prime Minister will also be meeting with the Indian community in Nigeria during his visit. He will be there in the African nation from November 16 to 17.

“At the invitation of H.E. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, this will be my first visit to Nigeria, which is our close partner in the West African region. My visit will be an opportunity to build upon our Strategic Partnership that is based on shared belief in democracy and pluralism. I am also eagerly looking forward to meeting the Indian community and friends from Nigeria who have sent me warm welcome messages in Hindi,” the statement read.

About PM Modi’s Visit To Brazil

Following this, he will be travelling to Brazil to attend the 19th G20 Summit as a member of the Troika. PM Modi stated that after India’s successful presidency in the G20 Summit last year, Brazil is expected to continue efforts to advance the Global South’s priorities. He will be there in the South American nation from November 18 to 19.

“In Brazil, I will attend the 19th G-20 Summit as a Troika member. Last year, India’s successful presidency elevated the G-20 to people’s G-20 and mainstreamed the priorities of the Global South into its agenda. This year, Brazil has built upon India’s legacy. I look forward to meaningful discussions in keeping with our vision of “One Earth, One Family, One Future.” I will also use the opportunity to exchange views on furthering bilateral cooperation with several other leaders,” the statement added.

About PM Modi’s Visit To Guyana

In the final leg of the trip, PM Modi will be going to Guyana, at the invitation of President Mohamed Irfaan Ali. This marks the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Guyana in over 50 years.

In addition, the Prime Minister will attend the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit, where he will meet with leaders from the Caribbean nations to renew historical ties and explore opportunities for deeper cooperation.

“My visit to Guyana, at the invitation of H.E. President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, will be the first-ever visit of an Indian Prime Minister in over 50 years. We will exchange views on giving strategic direction to our unique relationship, which is based on shared heritage, culture, and values. I will also pay my respects to one of the oldest Indian diaspora, who migrated more than 185 years ago, and engage a fellow democracy as I address their Parliament,” the statement read.

“During this visit, I will also join leaders from the Caribbean partner countries for the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit. We have stood together through thick and thin. The Summit will enable us to renew historical ties and expand our cooperation into new domains,” it added.

During his visit to Guyana, PM Modi will receive the highest national award from the Commonwealth of Dominica. The Caribbean nation will bestow the Dominica Award of Honour, on PM Narendra Modi, in recognition of his contributions to Dominica during the COVID-19 pandemic and his dedication to strengthening the partnership between India and Dominica.

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National

PV Sindhu Exits In Pre-Quarters Of Japan Masters, India’s Campaign Ends

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India’s campaign came to a premature end as double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu crashed out in the pre-quarterfinals of the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 badminton tournament here on Thursday.

World no. 20 Sindhu was the lone Indian in contention after the exits of Lakshya Sen and women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand.

Sindhu squandered a game lead to lose 21-17 16-21 17-21 against Canada’s Michelle Li, ranked 23rd in the world, in a women’s singles match that lasted one hour and 15 minutes.

It was neck and neck between the two shuttlers in the first game before Sindhu took a marginal 11-8 lead and from there on kept her nose just ahead to take early advantage.

Trailing, Li came out attacking in the second game and raced to a 8-3 lead before Sindhu clawed back as the scoreline read 16-16 at one time.

But Li then upped her game and pocketed five straight points to draw parity in the contest.

The decider witnessed a close battle between the two shuttlers till 17 points when Li forced the pace, pocketing four straight points to wrap up the match. The Canadian was also helped by Sindhu’s unforced errors.

Li will play Siouth Korea’s Yu Jin Sim in the quarterfinals.

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Sports

‘The Doctors Warned Me’: Neymar Gives Update About Injury After Limping Off Just 30 Minutes Into His Second Al-Hilal Appearance

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Brazilian superstar Neymar recently made his comeback to the football pitch in Al Hilal’s match against Esteghlal. However the joy was shortlived as Neymar was substituted after 30 minutes into the match. The 32 year-old forward had to come off with three minutes remaining, having seemed to pull up after stretching his leg out for the ball in the penalty area.

After the match Neymar updated about his injury on social media, he said: “I felt like a CRAMP but very strong! I will do exams and hope it’s nothing more It’s normal for this to happen after 1 year, the doctors had already warned me, this is why I need to be careful and have more minutes to play.”

Neymar’s struggle with injury

Al Hilal had planned a slow return for Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, who suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury during Brazil’s qualifier against Uruguay shortly after joining the Saudi side and underwent surgery last November.

Neymar undewent knee operation, only making his return two weeks ago when he came off the bench late in the AFC Champions League win against Al-Ain. It is not yet known how severe Neymar’s latest issue, but the ex-Barcelona star will be out of action for the next three weeks regardless.

Neymar was also left off Brazil’s latest squad for a pair of November World Cup qualifiers, with coach Dorival saying the team and federation didn’t want to rush his return to the national team.

Despite Neymar getting injured, Al-Hilal managed a 3-0 win against their Iranian opponents thanks to a hat-trick from Aleksandar Mitrovic. Al-Hilal remains top of the 12-team group, where the top eight will advance to the Round of 16. It is above Saudi Arabian rival Al-Ahli on goal difference after the team from Jeddah thrashed Al-Shorta of Iraq 5-1

Whats next for Al Hilal?

Al-Hilal’s next match is scheduled on Nov 25, where they will be facing Al-Sadd. Currently Al Hilal have topped the chart by winning 4 out of 4 matches.

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