India batsman Ajinkya Rahane is excited at the prospect of playing with pink ball in the Duleep Trophy tournament later this year.
The Indian Super League will be expanded to 10 teams this season with the organisers on Monday announcing two more franchises after a bidding process, with Bengaluru FC set to ply in the three-year-old ISL by leaving I-League.
Bengaluru FC rode on Sunil Chhetri double strike as they beat Salgaocar FC 3-2 in their Group B league match as the 36th Federation Cup football tournament kicked off in Vasco.
Trouble erupted after East Bengal suffered a 1-2 defeat to Churchill Brothers as fans booed coach Trevor Morgan and a home side support staff member was seen abusing referee Santosh Kumar.
The 72-year-old, also an eminent Congress leader, passed away today after being in coma since 2008, when he had suffered a stroke.
Chhetri's first professional contract was with Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan at a tender age of 17. It was a big challenge to overcome for a teenager and he buckled under pressure at times.
Chuni Goswami needs insulin daily and due to the 21-day nationwide lockdown his medical supervisor is not able to attend him but his wife Basanti is 'managing' it somehow. Former India hockey captain Gurbux Singh remembers the World War II and also the partition but said he never witnessed anything like the current crisis.
National football team coach Wim Koevermans has announced his squad of 21 players for India's two international friendlies which are scheduled to be held this month.
"I am very excited about joining the TMC. I will work for the development of Bengal," he said.
AIFF's Club Licensing Committee decided that based on the reports all the fourteen License Applicants failed to clear the Licensing Test.
India's chief coach Anil Kumble has advised Test specialist Wriddhiman Saha to take complete rest for two weeks which will mean that the wicket-keeper batsman will be missing Bengal's first two Ranji Trophy games against Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Wriddhiman, who will be 32 in less than a fortnight had kept wickets for more than 452 overs during the three Test matches against New Zealand. Add to it, two knocks of 50 plus in pressure situation at the Eden Gardens to win the Man of the Match award.
Wriddhiman Saha presented another dimension to his batsmanship as he geared for the upcoming Indian Premier League hitting 14 sixes in a 20-ball hundred during a T20 inter-club game.
In a stunning development in Indian football, two-time champions Churchill Brothers were thrown out of the I-League along with three other teams for failing to fulfil the AIFF's club licensing criteria.
'You cannot achieve everything in one day and in the long path, there will be ups and downs in your life.'
Odisha FC made a strong case for play-off qualification with a 2-1 victory over Hyderabad FC in the Indian Super League encounter, in Hyderabad, on Wednesday.
Bengaluru FC conceded two late goals in dramatic fashion as they lost 0-2 to 10-man Abahani Limited Dhaka of Bangladesh in their AFC Cup group match in Dhaka.
Aizawl FC have threatened to 'fast unto death' after finding themselves in the bizarre position of staring at relegation next season despite winning India's top division title on Sunday.
Sunil Chhetri, who holds the national record of most international matches and most number of goals, made it clear that retirement plans are currently not on his mind.
Laxmi Negi/Rediff.com caught up with the two footballers to find out more about their time in the country.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field
With the nationwide lockdown in place to fight the spread of COVID-19, the first condolence meeting held on virtual platform. Banerjee had died on March 20 after a prolonged illness while Goswami succumbed to cardiac arrest on April 30.
Kohli backed Ravi Shastri to continue as India head coach
Salgaocar held on to their first half strike by Gilbert Olivera to beat Shillong Lajong 1-0 and came out of the relegation in the Hero I-League in Vasco on Saturday.
Ruling out competition with Parthiv Patel, India wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha on Thursday said the Test series against Australia next year will be easier than the recently-concluded one against England, which the hosts won 4-0.
Bilic took over the reins at West Brom in 2019 and was tasked with gaining promotion from the Championship to the top flight.
It's not only bouquets and brickbats but also bangles at Eden Gardens, recollected former India captain Chandu Borde.
Kushal Das feels their model could be used as a case study for institutions and international sports federations which have seen their bio-bubble being breached
National football coach Stephen Constantine may have ruled Michael Chopra out from representing India but the British PIO today said he's not lost hope and was waiting the 53-year-old's exit. Hitting out at the India coach, the Kerala Blasters forward said: "Stephen Constantine can say whatever he wants. Personally, it's not a problem for me. Well has he achieved anything in the game as a player? No." There had been reports that All India Football Federation may not be too keen to extend Constantine's contract that gets over in February, a month before the Asian Cup qualifiers begin.
A former India international, who won the SAFF Cup in his debut season in 1997, Jamil had been at the helm of Mumbai FC for seven seasons but his moment of glory came when he guided Aizawl FC to their maiden I-League title in a path-breaking last season.
While the venue for the senior national team is fixed, a lot also depends on the state governments as far as organising the camps for the U-16 outfit and U-17 women's side are are concerned.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Indian pacer Mohammed Shami will be making a comeback after a long injury lay-off. The speedster recently featured in the first pink ball day-night game in India, which was played at Kolkata. Shami is currently training hard for the upcoming series in West Indies. Shami, whose return from injury was during IPL 9, bowled in tandem with his Delhi Daredevils captain Zaheer Khan.
Real Kashmir FC co-owner Sandeep Chattoo, on Friday, said his side is now on a mission to make the 'paradise on earth' a paradise for the beautiful game.
Ranti Martins missed a penalty and the chance to score his 200th goal in the country's top league.
Such a person is rare in today's film world, notes Amit Khanna.
