World Cup 2015 - Records Breaking Match

This year in World Cup 2015, both bowlers and batsman are giving great performances. Ten days are passed and tournament is already flooded with lot of records. World Cup first match started with 300+ scores and most of the matches are ending in 300+ scores in first innings. New Zealand, Australia, India, and West Indies are giving great performances. West Indies have scored 300+ in all matches and so did India.

New Zealand beats England with 37.4 overs spare, it is the worst defeat for a test nation. Tim Southee took seven wickets in a match, which is the best bowling for New Zealand in World Cup. McCullum smashed fastest World Cup fifty against England. Ireland chased down 300+ score against West Indies. Pakistan were reduced to 1 for 4 against West Indies, the worst start in any of the World Cup match. Eoin Morgan is the only man in World Cup 2015 to play for two different countries. He played for Ireland in 2007 and now for England as a Captain.

Finally, on 24^th February 2015, many World Cup records were broken. West Indies firing machine Chris Gayle finally turned all faces towards him in a single match. He struck first double-hundreds of World Cup in in just 138 balls. He scored 215 runs, the highest by any batsman in World Cup. He broke Gary Kirsten record of 188 runs against UAE. He is the now the fourth batsman to scored double hundred in ODIs. His double century came after exactly five years, Sachin Tendulkar scored first Double-hundreds against South Africa.

Sixteen number of sixes smashed by Chris Gayle in his innings, joint most by any batsman in ODI. AB de Villiers and Rohit Sharma have also hit 16 sixes. Gayle runs tally is above 9000 in ODIs and became second West Indies batsman after Brian Lara to achieve this feat. This was his 22^nd century, equal to Saurav Ganguly and Virat Kohli. 372 runs scored by West Indies in their innings, their highest in ODI. This is also the highest score by any team in ODI in Australia.

Gayle and Samuels scored 372 runs partnership for second wicket, which is the highest any wicket partnership in ODI. The previous record was 331, between Sachin and Rahul Dravid. 298 balls faced by Gayle and Samuels, the most for any ODI stand. The partnership record for second wicket is also broken by them. Earlier record was for 165 runs between Sunil Gavaskar and Mohammad Azharuddin in 1987. Zimbabwe scored 3 number of 275+ scores in this World Cup, the most ever for them in single edition of World Cup.

These are some of the records broken in a single match and until now in this edition of World Cup. We may see more records breaking performance in remaining matches. Stay Tuned for all.

Ranchi Rays win Hockey India League 2015

The third of 2015 Hockey India League finally ended. Played for one month between six teams, the current season gave many nail biting matches. There were two debutants in this season, Ranchi Rays and Dabang Mumbai. Hockey India League announced the prize money for 2015 edition as Rs. 2.5 crore. Debutant Ranchi Rays won the 2015 season with Rs. 2.5 crore and a trophy. They defeated Punjab warriors in the final 3-2 in a penalty shootout. The final was played at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

Though the Rays are a new team, the squad is more or less the same as that of the now non-existent Ranchi Rhinos which won the inaugural HIL in 2013. Ranchi Rays rode on goalkeeper Lovell Taylor brilliant show under the bar to earn a hard-fought 3-2 win over Jaypee Punjab Warriors in the shoot-out after the two teams ended the regulation time locked at 2-2. Playing without Captain Jamie Dwyer, Jaypee Punjab Warriors gave a tough fight to Ranchi Rays before the latter came out winners for the Hero Hockey India League 2015.

The first half of the finale match witnessed the defence of both the teams winning over the attack of the opponents as each was determined to avert any danger and not allow the other to have the better of them. Second half scored read was 0-0. The third quarter ended up 1-1. In the fourth round Punjab Warrior took lead by one goal but in the next minute Ranchi Rays made it 2-2. With the score tied, then result was dependent on Penalty shoot-out.

In shoot-out Punjab Warriors failed to get past an agile Lovell Tyler in the very first attempt when Simon Orchard failed to convert. While Christopher Ciriello and Dharmvir Singh scored easily in the next two attempts. SV Sunil and Robert consecutive misses allowed Ranchi Rays to win and lift. With the Ranchi Rays take home Rs. 2.50 crore, while Jaypee Punjab Warriors will pocket Rs. 1.25 crore for finishing in second position.

Delhi Waveriders won the third place prize beating UP Wizards 1-2. Tyler Lovell won the Man of the Match Award and Barry Middleton won the Hero Goal of the Match Award. Ashley Jackson named as the Hero most valuable player of the Tournament and won Rs. 25 Lakhs. Harmanpreet Singh won the Ponty Chadha Upcoming player of the tournament and won Rs. 20 Lakh. PR Sreejesh won the Dhruv Batra Motivator of the tournament and won Rs. 20 Lakh. Jaypee Punjab Warriors won Airtel maximum goal of the Tournament and won Rs. 10 Lakh. Uttar Pradesh Wizards won the Star Sports Fair play award trophy. Total prize pool was of worth Rs. 5.25 crores. 

ESPNcricinfo Awards 2014

The ESPNcricinfo Awards honour the best batting and best bowling performances across the international formats of the game for the calendar year. This year, a jury of former players decided them. Awards are given in all three formats of cricket. New Zealand Captain Brendon McCullum became the first to score a triple century in tests, which came when New Zealand was about to lose test match against India. It is voted as the top test performance of the 2014 eighth annual ESPNcricinfo awards.

The Test Bowling awards goes to Mitchell Johnson for his spell of 7 for 68 against South Africa in Centurion. His brilliant performance bundled out South Africa for 206 and set Australia to win series and the match. It was his second consecutive ESPNcricinfo award in consecutive years. Rohit Sharma, who broke his monumental 264 against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, took the award for the best ODI Batting performance. He smashed his second double ton with 33 fours and 9 sixes. His first double hundred in 2013 against Australia also won the ODI batting award.

Lasith Malinga 5 for 56, which helped Sri Lanka, beat Pakistan in the Asia Cup final in Mirpur marked as the top ODI bowling performance. In the T20 category, England Alex Hales took the award for the best batting performance with his unbeaten 116 runs, against Sri Lanka in the World T20 in Bangladesh. In the same tournament, Rangana Herath 5 for 3 against New Zealand was the best choice for the bowling performance in T20.

Sri Lankan players have figured prominently across award categories in 2014, including the Statsguru Award, which recognizes consistency in performances. Sri Lanka Captain Angelo Mattews swept three awards. He won Batsman of the Year, Best Test Batsman, and most Consistent Test Batsman. It was rewarded for aggregating more than 1200 runs in Test and ODIs. Rangana Herath was named the Test Bowler.

Indian Premier League 2015 Auctions

The 2015 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction was held in Bengaluru on Monday, 16 February. Just like last year, Yuvraj Singh turned out to be most expensive buy with the Delhi Daredevils acquiring him for Rs. 16 cr. The Second most expensive sold out was of Dinesh Karthik to Royal Challengers Bangalore in Rs. 10.5 cr. End of day, a total of 67 players were sold out of which 44 were Indians and 23 were overseas. Some of the big players remain unsold in this season.

Two time champions Chennai Super Kings bought one batsman Michael Hussey in 1.5cr. CSK bought two all rounders Irfan Pathan and Pratyush Singh in 1.5 cr and 10 Lakhs. CSK also bought three bowlers Rahul Sharma, Kyle Abbott, and Andrew Tye in 30 Lakhs and 20 Lakhs. Two Wicket keepers Ankush Bains and Eklavya Dwivedi were bought by CSK in 10 Lakhs. In total, CSK bought eight players, five Indians and three overseas.

Delhi Daredevils spent maximum amount of money this season. They bought 14 players this season. Yuvraj Singh was bought in 16 cr and Angelo Matthews in 7.5 cr. Indian bowlers Amit Mishra and Zaheer Khan was bought in 3.5 cr and 4 cr. They also bought South African all rounder Albie Morkel in 30 Lakhs and Travis Head in 30 Lakhs. Other than these DD bought Shreyas Iyer, Gurinder Sandhu, Jaydev Unadkat, Joseph, Marcus Stoinis, CM Gautam, Kona Bharat, and KK Jiyaz.

Kings XI Punjab bought only three players because they retained most of their old players. Murali Vijay was the only expensive pick in 3 cr. They also bought Nikhil Naik, Yogesh Gowalkar. Defending Champions Kolkata Knight Riders bought seven players this season. They bought KC Cariappa in 2.4 cr, James Neesham and Brad Hogg in 50 Lakhs. They also bought Aditya Garhwal, Sheldon Jackson, Sumit Narwal, and Vaibhav Rawal.

Mumbai Indians also edited their cart and bought Aaron Finch in 3.2 cr. Bowlers Pragyan Ojha, Abhimanyu Mithun, Mitchell McClenaghan were bought in 50 Lakhs and 30 Lakhs. They also bought Aiden Blizzard, Hardik Pandya, Akshay Wakhare, Siddesh Lad, J Suchitch, and Nitesh Rana. Rajasthan Royals bought Christopher Morris in 1.4 cr. They also bought Juan Theron, Barinder Saran, Dinesh Salunkhe, Sagar Trivedi, and Pradeep Sahu.

Royal Challengers Bangalore bought some star players this time. They bought Dinesh Karthik in 10.5 cr, Darren Sammy in 2.8 cr, David Wiese in 2.8 cr, Sean Abbott in 1 cr, Adam Milne in 70 Lakhs. They also bought Sarfraz Khan, Badrinath, Jalaj Saxena, and Bhavane. Sunrisers Hyderabad team looks quite promising after buying in form players this season. They bought Trent Boult in 3.8 cr, Praveen Kumar in 2.2 cr, Kevin Peterson in 2 cr, Eoin Morgan in 1.5 cr, Ravi Bopara in 1 cr, Kane Williamson in 60 Lakhs. They also bought Laxmi Shukla, Prasanth, Hanuman Vihari, and Siddarth Kaul.

These 67 players are bought in this season. No Player from Pakistan and Sri Lanka was bought in this season. Only Angelo Mattews and Lasith Malinga made into IPL this season. Overseas players were bought mostly from England, New Zealand, Australia, and West Indies. After completing charts of teams with new players, this season is again going to be very interested. Sunrisers Hyderabad can give tough competition in this season and so Delhi Daredevils.

Cricket World Cup 2015

The 2015 Cricket World Cup is the 11^th Cricket World Cup, currently being hosted by Australia and New Zealand from 14 February 2015 to 29 March 2015. Fourteen teams will play 49 matches in 14 venues, with Australia staging 26 games and New Zealand hosting 23 games. The final match of the tournament will take place at Melbourne Cricket Ground. The ICC has named Sachin Tendulkar as the 2015 Cricket World Cup Ambassador for the second time, after 2011 Cricket World Cup where he was the Ambassador. India is the defending champions, having won the tournament in 2011 defeating Sri Lanka in the finals. Now, let us have a look on all teams and key players from each team.

Afghanistan- This debutant team of this year got good experience in T20 Cricket and beaten both Ireland and Scotland in 2015. Key Players are Nawroz Mangal and Captain Mohammad Nabil.

Australia- The hosts, the favorites, and the team to beat. They have won 11 of their last 13 ODI. Key Players are David Warner, Mitchell Johnson, Steve Smith, and Glenn Maxwell. Captain Michael Clarke is also in good form and Coach Darren Lehmann guidance can make this team fifth time champion.

Bangladesh- Always a threat but not quite the dangerous underdogs they were in 2007 and 2011. Whitewashed Zimbabwe in recently but have not beaten any of the top eight team since 2013. Key Players are Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, and Tamim Iqbal. Captain is Mashrafe Mortaza.

England- Founder country of Cricket but have never won the World Cup. This time they got some all-rounders and a captain in form. Key Players are Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Joe Root, Stuart Broad, and James Anderson. Their Captain is Eoin Morgan.

India- Defending champions and good performer team in last four years in major tournaments. Played three major finals and won two. Current conditions are little shaky but captain cool is always good to watch. Key players are Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Captain is Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Ireland- Famous win over Pakistan in 2007 and England in 2011 are still remembered. This team can beat any top performing team. Key Player is Ed Joyce and captain is William Porterfield.

New Zealand- Currently the best team in form and favorite to win the tournament. Played six semi-finals until now. Key Players are Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Boult, Vettori, and Southee. Captain is Brendon McCullum.

Pakistan- Line up looks shaky after absence of Hafeez. Star batsman Afridi is in good form. Key players are Umar Akmal, Afridi, Irfan, and Ahmed Shahzad. Captain is Misbah-Ul-Haq.

Scotland- Goal is to register first win at World Cup. Good performing team with key player and captain Preston Mommsen.

South Africa- Top most team in ODI with a star line up. This is the team to watch out for in this season. This team have never won any major tournament. Key Players are Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn, Philander, Morkel, Faf du Plessis, David Miller, and Duminy. Captain is AB de Villiers.

Sri Lanka- Runner up of last two world cup tournaments and winner of 2014 T20 World Cup. Most consistent performing team always. Key Players are Lasith Malinga, Jayawardene, Sangakkara, and Dilshan. Captain is Angelo Mattews.

UAE- Another opportunity to play in World Cup. Key Player is Khurram Khan, 43 year old all rounder and oldest player in the tournament. Captain is Mohammad Tauqir.

West Indies- Never Underestimated team with huge and power hitters. Key Players are Chris Gayle, Smith, Sammy, Russell, and Samuels. Captain is Jason Holder.

Zimbabwe- One of the underdog’s team from the past. They have experienced and consistent players in the team. Key Players is Brendan Taylor. Captain is Elton Chigumbura.

These are the 14 teams of the tournament this year. Event will start on 14 February 2015. Opening match will be played between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Auckland.

MotoGP to enter India

Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing. It is currently divided into three classes: MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3. All three classes use four-stroke engines. In 2010, the new Moto2 600 cc four-stroke class replaced 250 cc two strokes. In 2012, 125 cc two-strokes were replaced by Moto3 250 cc four-stroke class with a weight limit of 65 kg with fuel and the engine capacity of MotoGP increased from 800 cc to 1,000 cc.

Grand Prix motorcycles are purpose built racing machines that are neither available for purchase by the public nor can be ridden legally on public roads. This contrasts with the various production-based categories of racing, such as the Superbike World Championship, that feature modified versions of road-going motorcycles available to the public. This sport was started in 1949. The constructors of MotoGP World Championship are Ducati, Honda, and Yamaha. Bridgestone is the tyre supplier for MotoGP races since 2011. Marc Marquez is the current Champion of MotoGP from Honda.

Recently, the sport commercial chief said that MotoGP is ready for a foray into India convinced it has a better future than Formula One in World’s largest motorcycle market. India first hosted a Formula One grand prix in 2011 to positive reviews from the global community but was dropped from the calendar after the third race in 2013. Problems over Taxation, with Formula One classified as entertainment rather than a sport in India, as well as the considerable bureaucracy in bringing equipment into the country have been seen as obstacles to the race returning.

Association is hopeful they had the right mix to be successful in India, which is the world largest motorcycle market after China. Cost of organizing a MotoGP race is less than Formula One and there is a manufacturer in India. Mahindra, who are participating in the Moto3 world Championship as constructor and will supply motorcycles to four Teams. It needs MotoGP three things to be successful in India, first a manufacturer, which is Mahindra. Second is an Indian rider, which is not there and for there is Asian Talent Cup. Third is to have a grand prix. The 2015 MotoGP season will have 18 races and the target for the promoters is to increase it to 20 in the next two years. 

Australian Open 2015 Winners

The first major tournament of Tennis had finished in Melbourne and world have two new champions in Australian Open 2015. The tournament was played between 19 January 2015 to 1^st February 2015. Novak Djokovic won the fifth Australian Open title and Serena Williams won her sixth Australian Open title after five years. Top remains on the top in rankings. Serena is now remains unbeaten in her last fourteen games of Grand Slam matches. Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray third time in Finals.

Here is the journey of Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic to the finals of Australian Open 2015. Serena Williams won first round from Van Uytvanck by 6-0, 6-4. Then she won second round beating V. Zvonareva by 7-5, 6-0. Serena won her third round match beating E. Svitolina 4-6, 6-2, 6-0. She beats G. Muguruza in fourth round by 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. In Quarterfinals, D. Cibulkova lost to Serena in straight sets by 6-2, 6-2. In Semi Finals, Serena beats M.Keys and won in two sets by 7-5, 6-2. Then in Finals, Maria Sharapova lost to Serena Williams by 6-3 and 7-6 and lost her chance of winning Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic won first round beating A. Bedene by 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. In second round, A. Kuznetsov lost to Novak by 6-0, 6-1, 6-4. In third round, Novak beats F. Verdasco by 7-6, 6-3, 6-4. In fourth round, Novak beats G. Muller by 6-4, 7-5, 7-5. In Quarterfinals, Novak beats M.Raonic by 7-6, 6-4, 6-2. S. Wawrinka lost to Novak in Semi-Finals by 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. At last, in Finals, Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray by 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-0. Last two matches were long matches for Novak in this tournament.

In Men’s double Italy Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini defeated Pierre Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut by 6-4, 6-4. This was the first title for the team. In women’s double Bethanie Sands and Lucie Safarova defeated Chan Yung Jan and Zheng Jie by 6-4, 7-6. This was the first title for the women team in their respective careers. In Mixed Doubles Martina Hingis and Leander Paes defeated Kristina Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor by 6-4, 6-3. This was second win for Hingis with Indian pairs. Last time she paired with Mahesh Bhupati in 2006.

In Boys Singles Roman Safiullin defeated Hong Seong Chan by 7-5, 7-6. In Girls Singles Tereza Mihalikova defeated Katie Swan by 6-1, 6-4. In Boys doubles Jake Delaney and Marc Polmans defeated Hubert Hurkacz and Alex Molcan by 0-6, 6-2. In girls doubles Miriam Kolodziejova and Marketa Vondrousova defeated Katharina Hobgarski and Greet Minnen by 7-5, 6-4. These were some of the results of Australian Open 2015. Other than this, there was Wheelchair tournament. The next major tournament in Tennis will be French Open, which will run from 25 May to 8 June in France.