Friday, December 25, 2015

SAFF Football 2015 Fixtures, Groups, Teams, Live TV Channel List

Group A Teams of SAFF 2015

  • India
  • Nepal
  • Sri Lanka

Group B Teams of SAFF 2015

  • Bangladesh
  • Afghanistan
  • Maldives
  • Bhutan

SAFF Football 2015 Fixtures Schedule

Venue: Trivandrum International Stadium (Greenfield Stadium), Karyavattom, Kerala, India

DayDateGroupTeamsTime
Wednesday23/12/2015ANepal vs Sri Lanka07:00pm BDT | 06:30 pm IST
Thursday24/12/2015BMaldives vs Bhutan04:00pm BDT | 03:30 pm IST
Bangladesh vs Afghanistan07:00pm BDT | 06:30 pm IST
Friday25/12/2015AIndia vs Sri Lanka07:00pm BDT | 06:30 pm IST
Saturday26/12/2015BBangladesh vs Maldives04:00pm BDT | 03:30 pm IST
Afghanistan vs Bhutan07:00pm BDT | 06:30 pm IST
Sunday27/12/2015AIndia vs Nepal07:00pm BDT | 06:30 pm IST
Monday28/12/2015BBangladesh vs Bhutan04:00pm BDT | 03:30 pm IST
Afghanistan vs Maldives07:00pm BDT | 06:30 pm IST
Thursday31/12/2015Semifinal 1Winner A vs Runner-up B04:00pm BDT | 03:30 pm IST
Semifinal 2Winner B vs Runner-up A07:00pm BDT | 06:30 pm IST
Sunday03/01/2016FinalWinner SF 1 vs Winner SF 207:00pm BDT | 06:30 pm IST

SAFF Football 2015 Live TV Channel List

11th SAFF Football Championship 2015 will be broadcast live in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan & other regions of the world. SAFF 2015 Football official TV broadcast partner will be confirmed soon. In Bangladesh, several channels might telecast live streams of SAFF Football 2015 which will be confirmed as tournament days come closer.

SAFF Football 2015 Sponsor

Suzuki Motor Corporation is the official Title Sponsor of the 11th SAFF Football Championship 2015 and the SAFF Football 2015 is named as SAFF Suzuki Cup 2015.
Meanwhile, World Sports Group (WSG) is the commercial partner of SAFF Football 2015.

Download SAFF Football 2015 Fixture PDF (SAFF Suzuki Cup 2015)

Football fans can download SAFF Football 2015 Fixture schedule in PDF format by clicking the Download button below.

Download SAFF Football 2015 Fixtures

Download SAFF Football 2015 Fixtures Schedule

Sunday, October 4, 2015

KERALA BLASTERS TEAM PROFILE 2015































Thursday, October 1, 2015

Top 5 Kerala Blasters players to watch out for

Report: Navaneetha Krishnan at http://www.sportskeeda.com/
After a very successful first season, the much-anticipated second instalment of the Hero Indian Super League is just around the corner. The league, like last year, promises to enthral the audience with high-quality footballing entertainment as well as the glitz and glamour off the field. 
The 8 different ISL teams will battle it out over the course of the next 3 months, across 8 different venues spread throughout the subcontinent, for the ultimate prize.
Last season’s runners-up Kerala Blasters, under new boss Peter Taylor, have gone back to the drawing boardto construct a new looking side that will look to get both their hands on the trophy this time, having come agonisingly close to doing so last year.
Continuing the build-up to the ISL we looking closely at the yellow brigade, here are 5 players from Kerala Blasters to watch out for in season 2. 

#1 Mehtab Hossain

30-year old Mehtab Hossain is one of the most experienced Indian midfielders around. Born in Madhyamgram in West Bengal, Mehtab has played for both the Kolkata giants; Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. Mehtab was part of the Indian national team side that finished runner-up in the SAFF Championships in 2013 held at Nepal.

The Bengali central defensive midfielder’s vast experience in the I-League will be key for the Blasters in midfield. He will play the holding role and will be responsible for keeping the midfield in shape. Manager Peter Taylor will be meaning to build his midfield unit around Mehtab, who most likely will lie deep and dictate terms in the middle of the park. 

#2 Sanchez Watt

A product of the Arsenal Youth Academy, Sanchez Watt will be a part of Kerala Blasters’ formidable attacking line-up in ISL 2. The 24-year old, who has represented the England national team at the under-16, under-17 and the under-19 age levels, will be one player to keep an eye out for.
Watt who has an Arsenal senior team appearance and goal to his name has reasonable experience playing in the lower divisions of English football, for teams such as Southend United and Leeds United.

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger is one of the many people to have admired young Watt. Wenger on many occasions in the past has expressed his fondness for the striker’s work rate and sharpness. Sanchez’s energy and movements up top for Kerala is sure to give opposing defenders a tough time in the ISL. 


#3 Sandhesh Jhingan

Emerging Player of the season’ from the first edition of the ISL, Sandesh Jhingan is arguably one of the best Indian defenders at the moment. In India’s recent 3-0 loss to Iran in the World Cup qualifiers at Bengaluru, Jhingan put up a spirited display at centre-back.
Aerial competence and the skill to read the game from the back are namely the two main attributes of the defender hailing from Chandigarh.

Jhingan is also known for his versatility and can fit in anywhere in the backline for Kerala. Last season he played at both full back and centre back showcasing outstanding performances and earing heaps of praises from all over in the process.
Standing tall at 6 feet and 2 inches, Jhingan will once again be the stalwart in defence for Kerala this year. 

#4 Carlos Marchena

Winner of both the European Championships as well as the World Cup with Spain, Marquee man Carlos Marchena needs very little introduction. The former Villarreal and Valencia defender, will look to add an Indian Super League winner’s medal to his silverware collection when he leads out the Kerala Blasters onto the pitch in ISL 2.
The seasoned 36-year old’s presence will grace the Kerala dressing room and the young players will be able to learn a lesson or two from Marchena, both on and off the pitch.

The strong centre back that he is, Marchena is the kind of defender who would not think twice before going into a 50-50 challenge. In the past, the custodian in defence has also played in a central defensive midfielder role, which will make it interesting to see how Carlos Marchena will be employed by Peter Taylor.
However, it is guaranteed that Marchena’s experience of playing in the Spanish top flight for such a long period will be vital for the Blasters.

#5 Chris Dagnall


Chris Dagnall will be the go-to man for goals for Kerala Blasters this season. Known dearly to fans as the “The dagger”, Dagnall is a part of the strong 6 member English contingent that Peter Taylor has brought into the squad this season.
Dagnall will have huge boots to fill in, as Kerala Blasters’ top scorer from last season, Iain Hume will be no longer be with them. The 29-year-old will feel the pressure on him, to score goals on a regular basis, due to his predecessor having done so well. With close to 75 career goals, he should not find it hard to find the back of the net and will look to hit the ground running right from the off.

Dagnall, who previously played for Bradford City and Coventry City is known for his good finishing skills and his quick movements off the ball. He could prove to be the difference for Kerala Blasters this season.



Sunday, April 12, 2015

Sania Mirza becomes World number 1 in doubles, creates history for India

Charleston, USA: Sania Mirza on Sunday created history by becoming the first female tennis player from India to achieve the world number one rank in doubles, following her stupendous title win at the WTA Family Circle Cup with PARTNER Martina Hingis.
The top-seeded Indo-Swiss pair blew away the challenge of Casey Dellacqua and Darija Jurak 6-0, 6-4 in just 57 minutes in the lop-sided final of the $ 731,000 clay court event.
Sania took 470 points from the win to take her tally to 7965 as she jumped past Italy's Sara Errani (7640) and Roberta Vinci (7640) to sit atop the ranking table.
File picture of Martina Hingis (L) and Sania Mirza (R). Getty
File picture of Martina Hingis (L) and Sania Mirza (R). Getty
The official ranking chart will be issued on Monday.
Before Sania, only Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi had achieved the top rank when they dominated men's doubles circuit in the last 90s.
Sania is also first female player from the country to win Grand Slam tournaments.
It is Sania's third successive title win with Hingis and they have not lost as a single match since joining forces in March. They won trophy in Indian Wells, which was their first tournament together and followed up that with win in Miami.
Sania and Hingis have lost only three sets in 14 matches, SPREAD over three tournaments.
They have already become the world number one team in the Race to Singapore, the season-finale, where top-8 team COMPETE at the end of year.
Sania and Hingis strolled past their rivals as they bageled them in just 22 minute to take the opening set. They lost serve in the first game of the second set but broke back immediately.
If the unseeded Australian-Croatian pair had any chance to make a comeback, it was by cashing in on chances and they did not help their cause by squandering two break OPPORTUNITIES in the fifth game of the second set as the winners opened up a huge 4-1 lead.
Casey and Darija though kept fighting and gradually reduced the MARGIN.
Serving for the match, Sania and Hingis were broken, perhaps the enormity of the achievement made the Indian nervous. They kept their nerves and broke their opponents for one final time in the 10th game to close the match in their favour.

Monday, December 1, 2014

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Monday, August 6, 2012

Discus thrower Gowda qualifies for final

India's Vikas Gowda became only the seventh Indian to qualify for the finals of the track and field event at the Olympic Games when he hurled the disc to 65.20 metres for an automatic selection.
Gowda, who trains in the USA, breached the 65m mark in his second attempt, having managed a throw of 63.52 m in his first throw.


The automatic qualification standard for the discus final was set at 65m. Iran's Ehsan Hadadi was just behind Gowda with a throw of 65.19m. The finals will be held tomorrow at 7.45 p.m. local time. (Wednesday morning 12.15 a.m. IST).

Gowda is also only the second Indian to make the finals in track and field at the ongoing Games after Krishna Poonia, who eventually finished seventh in women's discus throw.

The other five Indians to make it to the final round of Olympic Games' track and field events are Milkha Singh (400m), Gurbachan Singh Randhawa (110m hurdles), Sriram Singh (800m), P T Usha (400m hurdles) and Anju Bobby George (Long Jump).

Mary Kom ensured another medal for India

Boxer M.C. Mary Kom ensured another medal for India from the 2012 London Olympics with a convincing 15-6 victory over Tunisian Maroua Rahali in the quarter-finals of the women's 51kg category at the ExCel Arena here Monday.

The winners of the two semi-finals compete for the gold medal while the losing semi-finalists are awarded a bronze each.

The Indian, a five-time World Champion, put in a dominant performance. But her style Monday was in stark contrast to her performance Sunday, when she beat Karolina Michalczuk of Poland.

In the first round, she sized her opponent and relied heavily on defensive tactics. She time and again tried to get inside of her opponent to land a punch but the Tunisian was able to keep her distance.

Both fighters did not throw many punches and the round ended 2-1 in the Indian's favour.

The second round, too, was similar as the diminutive Indian tried to keep away from her taller opponent. Relying on one-off punches, Mary Kom frustrated her opponent with her quick evasive measures.


Fighting conservatively, Mary Kom still was narrowly able to edge out her opponent 3-2.

With only a two-point lead, the Indian put the hammer down as she went for her opponent. Like in her pre-quarters bout, Mary Kom displayed her quick feet and fast hands with a flurry of combination punches.

She stepped inside her opponent, who had an advantage of height, and landed some telling blows. With the Tunisian clearly reeling under the pressure of the punches, Mary Kom went for the kill winning the round 6-1.

The fourth was a formality as the Indian conserved her energy and relied on counter-attacks. Her opponent too seemed to be out of energy, not even trying to reduce the seven-point deficit.

In the semi-final, the 29-year-old Indian, famously known as 'Magnificent Mary', faces Great Britain's Nicola Adams, who is seeded second in the tournament.

At the 2012 World Championship, Mary Kom was defeated in the quarter-finals by Nicola.

For the first time in India's history, two female athletes have won medals in the same Olympics. Saina Nehwal gave India its maiden badminton Olympic medal, a bronze, Saturday.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Irfan finishes 10th in 20km race walk

India's K.T. Irfan finished a creditable 10th in the men's 20km Race Walk competition with a new national record in the London Olympics here on Saturday.

Irfan clocked 1::20:21 in the race participated by 56 walkers, bettering the old national record of 1::20.35 in the name of Gurmeet Singh.
Gurmeet finished 33rd with a timing of 1::23:34 while the third Indian in the fray, Baljinder Singh was 43rd in 1::25:39.
Irfan did not begin well as he was 27th after the 6-km mark but went ahead at fifth after the 8-km distance. He could not maintain his place after that though he hung on to the leading pack for a while.
Irfan improved upon his earlier personal best of 1::22:09 which he recorded in the IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Russia in May.
All the three Indians had qualified for the Olympics after achieving 'A' qualification standard.

Ding Chen of China won the gold in Olympic record timing of 1::18:46 while the silver and bronze went to Erick Barrondo (1::18:57) of Guatemala and Zhen Wang (1::19:25) of China.
Athletes compete in the men's 20-kilometer race walk near Buckingham Palace during the 2012 Summer Olympics

Saturday, August 4, 2012

London Olympics badminton: Saina Nehwal wins bronze

London: India's Saina Nehwal won the bronze medal in badminton singles at the London Olympics 2012 after she was declared winner in the play-off match as her Chinese opponent Wang Xin retired hurt.



Wang won the first game despite the injury she suffered at the end of the first game. She came back in the second game to win a point but the injury haunted again before finally pulling out of the match.

Saina Nehwal vs Wang Xin: As it happened...

SAINA NEHWAL DECLARED WINNER

Wang Xin is still struggling from the cramps she nurtured in the first game.

Saina Nehwal lost the first game against Wang Xin 18-21 in the bronze medal match.

Great comeback. Wang finishes the game. 21-18

Looks like the Chinese world no 2 is suffering from a cramp. Match interrupted.

Saina saves another two gamepoints. 18-20

Saina with another drop. 16-20

Saina saves a gamepoint with a good drop shot. 15-20

Gamepoint for Wang.

Good comeback by Wang. 19-13

Long rally. Too deep but just in. Saina earns point. 13-18

Just in. Wang tried a high clear. Saina read well to leave it. Earned Point. 12-17

Unforced error from Saina again. 17-10

A good drive from Saina. Earns point. 10-15

Clever drop by Saina after to break a long rally. 9-15

Wang surprises Saina with a flick. Good wrist play. 15-8

Good net shot. Saina gains point. 7-14

Just wide. Error in judgement again by Saina. 12-6

Passing shot form Wang. Wang leads. 11-6

Error in judgement from Saina. 8-6

Wang failed to clear the net. 6-6

Saina on backfoot. 5 all.

Clever play from Wang.Hits it deep. Earns point. 4-5

Tried for a drop. Point for Wang. 2-4

Long rally. Point for Saina 3-0

Saina gets another point. 2-0

Saina wins point after a long rally. 1-0

The match is underway.




Saina Nehwal vs Wang Xin bronze medal match begins in a short while.

Saina’s record against the Chinese read 2-4 who lost her semifinal match against compatriot Li Xuerui.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Saina Nehwal sails through to the semi-final

Saina Nehwal sails through to the semi-final beating Tine Baun 21-15, 22-20.


Saina takes the advantage and match point for Saina.

Baun's smash is wide and it is deuce.

Saina saves the second game point, as she hits the shuttle just millimetres inside the baseline.

Game point for the Dane.

Another long rally, Saina goes deep and hits the net. 19-17.

Whatay smash by Saina. 17-18 for the Indian.

Long rally, Saina gets the point. 16-18.

Powerful smash by Baun. 18-15.

Baun leads 16-15 as she fetches a point with a precision push.

Saina hits the net, 15 all.

Cross Court placement by Baun. 13-14.

Error by the Dane, long shot. 12-14.

Saina hits it wide. 13-12.

Saina hits it long. 13-11.

Saina leads by 11-10 going into the break.

Saina draws level. 10-10.

Saina gets a point near the net. 9-10.

Baun is on a roll in this Game after conceding many free points in the first.

Strong smash Baun. Dane leads 9-7.

Saina hits a straight smash.

Good judgment by Saina as Baun hits it long, but only just.

Baun hits the backhand straight, Saina misses. 7-4 to the Dane.

Another long shot by Baun. 4-4.

Saina leaves and the shot is long from Baun.

Baun tried a drop but the shuttle hits the nets.

Another unforced error by Baun 1-2.

Second game is underway now.

Saina scored 10 points without service and 11 points with service.

GAME 1: Nehwal 21 : 15 Baun

Saina takes the first set 21-15 with a strong smash.

3rd Game point saved by Baun. 20-15

Game point for Saina.

Baun hits the net again. 19-11.

Two quick points for Baun. 11-17.

Long rally and Saina gets the point, shuttle lands just inside the baseline. 17-9

Baun with an error again 8-15.

Good return by Baun and Saina was not quick with the turn.

Baun with a powerful cross court smash gets a point 7-10

Another error by the Indian, quick points for the Dane.

Saina hits it long.

Error from the Danish again, hits it wide.

Another powerful smash by Saina.

Precision smash by Saina after a long rally.

The match his underway.

After a long delay the match between Saina and Baun will start shortly.

Live updates from the quarter-final match between No.4 seed Saina Nehwal and No.5 seed Tine Baun of Denmark.

Due to another match at Court 2, Wembley Arena the Saina Nehwal game has been delayed for more than an hour now.

The match has now ended and Saina will be up next.

Keep watching this space for the live update.

Past Results for Nehwal

R16 NEHWAL S 21:14, 21:16 YAO J

GP NEHWAL S 21:4, 21:14 TAN L

GP NEHWAL S 21:9, 21:4 JAQUET S


Not so good news from the Boxing Arena as Jai Bhagwan crashed out of the Olympics.

The game has been delayed a bit.

The match was scheduled to start at 14:02 BST and 6:32 pm India time

No.4 seed Saina Nehwal and No.5 seed Tine Baun of Denmark in the quarterfinal of women’s singles event.