Hurt to read Taslima Nasreen's vile remark against my son: Moeen Ali's father

Devdutt Padikkal joins RCB camp after testing negative for COVID-19

RCB opener Devdutt Padikkal has tested negative for COVID-19 and has joined the team, the franchise said in a statement. "We are pleased to inform that Royal Challengers Bangalore, left-handed batsman Devdutt Padikkal, has joined the team on 7th April 2021 with negative reports for Covid-19 as per BCCI protocols," the franchise said in a statement. "RCB medical team was in constant touch with Devdutt to ensure his safety and well-being." The left-handed batsman had earlier tested positive for COVID-19 on March 22 and had been quarantining at home since. Apart from Padikkal, Daniel Sams was the second player from the RCB team who had tested positive for the disease. The COVID-19 has become a major concern after a number of players and ground staff have tested positive. DC’s Axar Patel, KKR’s Nitish Rana and MI’s scout and wicket-keeping consultant Kiran More are the others in this list. Padikkal was one of the cricketers who was retained by the franchise ahead of the mini auctions that were held in Chennai in February. The Virat Kohl-led side is slated to begin the IPL 2021 campaign against defending champions Mumbai Indians on April 9 in Chennai. RCB have never lifted the IPL trophy despite reaching the final thrice in the past editions. RCB Squad: Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Kane Richardson, Washington Sundar, Pavan Deshpande, Finn Allen, Shahbaz Ahamad, Navdeep Saini, Adam Zampa, Kyle Jamieson, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Sachin Baby, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Daniel Christian, KS Bharat, Suyash Prabhudessai, Daniel Sams, Harshal Patel

TNCA staff vaccinated ahead of IPL 2021

The staff members of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) have been vaccinated ahead of the start of IPL 2021. The IPL is slated to begin on April 9 in Chennai when RCB lock horns with defending Mumbai Indians in the opener. “Even before the IPL venues and dates were announced, we got all our 80 staff members, including groundsmen, curators, and officials, vaccinated after getting the permission from the government and corporation. Even after getting vaccinated, we are ensuring they get tested every 10 days. We have also prepared a list of possible touchpoints,” a top TNCA official told Times of India (TOI). Chennai is scheduled to host ten IPL matches in this season. The COVID-19 has become a major cause of concern after a number of players and ground staff in Mumbai have tested positive for COVID-19. RCB’s Daniel Sams is the new addition to the list of players who have tested positive. Apart from Sams, RCB opener Devdutt Padikkal, KKR batsman Nitish Rana, MI’s scout and wicketkeeping consultant Kiran More, DC’s Axar Patel had also tested positive for COVID-19. Rana though later recovered and had joined the team back. In a latest update from the RCB, Padikkal has now tested negative and has also joined the side. RCB in a statement said that Devdutt has joined the team on April 7 with negative reports for COVID-19 as per BCCI protocols.

RCB's Daniel Sams tests positive for COVID-19

RCB bowling all-rounder Daniel Sams has tested positive for COVID-19. Sams is the second RCB cricketer after opener Devdutt Padikkal to have tested positive for the disease. According to an official statement from the franchise, the left-arm pacer had tested negative first when he arrived on April 3 at the team hotel but his second test has come out to ve positive. “Daniel Sams checked into the team hotel in Chennai on April 3rd, with a negative COVID report on arrival. His report from the 2nd test on 7th April came positive. Sams is currently asymptomatic and he is currently in isolation at a designated medical facility,” RCB said in an official statement. Sams was earlier traded to RCB from Delhi Capitals ahead of the mini auctions that were held in Chennai in February. He played three matches for DC in the last edition but didn’t pick any wickets during the course. With just a couple of days left in the beginning of the IPL 2021, the COVID-19 has become a major issue. Apart from Padikkal and Sams, KKR batsman Nitish Rana, MI’s scout and wicketkeeping consultant Kiran More, DC’s Axar Patel had also tested positive for COVID-19. The left-handed KKR batsman though recovered later to join the team. RCB are slated to begin the IPL campaign against defending champions Mumbai Indians on April 9 in Chennai.

Brazil creates history; becomes first associate to fully contract Women’s team before Men’s

In a glass breaking move, Cricket Brasil, the governing body of cricket in the biggest South American country provided its female cricket team with central contracts. The move became historic in a way that a team that has had very little exposure at the world level in cricket, was awarded central contracts even before its male counterparts were and that too at a time when the country is going through one of the worst economical phases, courtesy Pandemic. Cricket Brazil awarded 14 professional central contracts to the women’s national team. This move would also go on to raise the status of the game in Brazil and benefit 2000 girls who aspire to play the game at the highest level. The International Cricket Council (ICC) awarded Cricket Brasil with the ‘100% Female Cricket Initiative of the Year’ award. The ICC on the occasion of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on April 6, announced various awards to recognise the positive role that sport plays in people’s lives. The awards recognise the efforts of the Associate Members in the categories of ‘Development Initiative of the Year’, ‘100% Cricket Female Cricket Initiative of the Year’, ‘Digital Fan Engagement of the Year’ and ‘Cricket 4 Good Social Impact Initiative of the Year’, with one winner from each of the five regions Africa, Americas, Asia, East-Asia Pacific, Europe in each category. While Brazil won the award from the Americas region, Denmark (Europe), Samoa (East-Asia Pacific), Nigeria (Africa) and Malaysia (Asia) were the other winners in this category. While Cricket Brasil’s efforts are glass breaking no doubt, what other associations did was equally important and empowering for women in their societies. In Malaysia, players were ambassadors for #GirlsForGoals and #Cricket4WomensAid, helping in fundraising for survivors of domestic abuse. Samoa International Cricket Association started a ‘Healthy Nanas’ programme in association with the Australian Government to offer women and girls a platform to participate in sport and at the same time ensure a healthy lifestyle. They could talk to fellow women about an issue that impacts them while being on the field. The Danish Cricket Federation wanted to raise the number of girls taking up the sport and thus introduced a campaign to invite many girls and women to join the game by speaking to them in their own language. To do that they contacted young female micro-influencers on Instagram. It worked in their favour as it helped revitalize the ecosystem, with 50 women attending the first kick-off cricket session. While in most nations, it was the cricket board taking up the initiative, in Nigeria, Ijeoma Okigbo, a female journalist cum cricketer started the Girls Aspire initiative. Through this, she utilised all her lessons learnt at the ‘introduction to cricket’ course to a school in Gauraka, Niger State, to coach junior girls from underprivileged backgrounds and stop them from being forced to march on the roads. The 50 girls, who have gained confidence and respect, have become part of a cricket community.