Bengaluru Raptors wins Premier Badminton League

Bengaluru Raptors became the first team in the Premier Badminton League to win back-to-back titles when it scored a 4-2 win over the first-time finalist North Eastern Warriors, in the fifth Edition final.

Once again, with scores tied two-all, it was a doubles match which decided the fate of the winner. And this time the mixed doubles pair of Chan Peng Soon and Eom Hye Won, playing the Trump match for Raptors lived up to the expectations of the huge number of Bengaluru fans in attendance to get the better of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Kim Ha Na and win the trophy for their team.

Earlier, in the first men's singles match, Sai Praneeth, World Championships bronze medallist and captain of Raptors, came back strongly after losing the first game to outplay world No.18, Lee Cheuk Yiu. It was a performance which should have pleased even World No. 2 and Praneeth’s teammate Tai Tzu Ying. Though he was erratic in the first game, the crowd favorite stepped into a different zone in the next two games, especially after winning a 39-stroke rally point at the start of the second game.

Then in the men’s doubles, Warriors pair of Bodin Isara and Lee Yong Dae, playing their Trump match, had to put their best foot forward to ward off a spirited challenge from Arun George and Rian Agung Saputro to keep their team in the hunt.

In the decider with scores 13-all, Saputro, who was just brilliant right through, faltered with a service error and then messed up a simple net point to hand over the match and a 2-1 overall lead to his opponents on the night. For Raptors, world No. 2 Tai Tzu Ying remained unbeaten in this edition with another dominant display to outsmart world No. 10 Michelle Li. This made the tie's score two-all.

Bangladesh won Under-19 Cricket World Cup

In a big victory for Bangladesh cricket, the country’s under-19 squad pulled off an upset against India to win the under-19 Cricket World Cup. India were the defending champions in this format and the most successful team at this level. But the Bangladeshi boys had impressed throughout the tournament this time and showed their mettle in the final against the favorites.

It was a low scoring match where the disciplined Bangla bowlers bundled India out for just 177. And when it was India’s turn to bowl, they gave away far too many extras — 33 to be exact — that cost them dearly. Plus, India’s performance in the field was sub-par with some crucial catches dropped, especially that of Bangla captain Akbar Ali who would eventually go on to steer his side to victory with a steely 43 not out.

The positives for India included the performance of Yashasvi Jaiswal who was brilliant throughout the tournament, scored an 88 in the final and was adjudged the player of the series. Then Ravi Bishnoi too had the Bangla batsmen bamboozled for a while, picking up four wickets. But it would be all in vain.

For Bangladesh, this is their first-ever global cricket title, showing that they have truly arrived. Plus, they also say that sporting success is a good indicator of the development of a country. The under-19 World Cup victory confirms Bangladesh’s economic growth story of recent years and contradicts the narrative of a poor, desperate nation.

Big Bash League 2020

Sydney Sixers won the 2019-20 Big Bash League title with a 19-run victory over Melbourne Stars in a rain-shortened final at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The match was reduced to 12 overs per side and started one hour 10 minutes late after persistent rain on Saturday.

Sixers opener Josh Philippe hit a superb 52 off 29 balls to help his side post 116-5. The Stars struggled in reply, losing key men Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell early as they made only 97-6. It is the Sixers' first title since winning the inaugural Twenty20 competition in 2011-12, while the Stars have now lost all three of their Big Bash finals.

England's James Vince struggled as he chipped to mid-on for two before Philippe and Australia batsman Steve Smith started to find the boundary. Once Smith holed out for 21, Stars’ spinners Adam Zampa and Maxwell reduced the hosts to 68-4, but a vital stand of 48 between Jordan Silk (27 not out) and Philippe, who hit three sixes, led the Sixers to what seemed to be a par total.

Stars opener Stoinis set the record for the most runs in a single edition of the Big Bash this year (705) and he started ominously with a four and six off Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon in the first over of the reply. But Stoinis picked out deep square leg off his fourth ball, before fellow opener Nic Maddinson tamely lofted the superb Josh Hazlewood to Vince for a duck and Maxwell was trapped lbw by Steve O'Keefe for just five.

The reeling Stars fell into complete disarray at 25-4 when Peter Handscomb was carelessly run out by Smith attempting a second run that was never on. Despite some defiant late hitting by Nick Larkin (38 not out) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (19 not out), the visitors never threatened the target. The Sixers would have been awarded the title had the match been abandoned after winning the right to host the final by beating the Stars, who had topped the group stage, in the earlier qualifier round.