The Committee of Administrators (COA) are all set to approve a recommendation which has been in the pipeline for a long time and was put on hold due to BCCI's battle with Supreme Court. Indian Cricketer are all set to see a five fold increase in their central contract money. This means that grade A cricketer, who are currently paid Rs. 1 crore p.a. will earn Rs. 5 crores after the hike. Grade B cricketer, who are currently paid Rs. 60 lacs p.a. will earn Rs. 2 crores after the hike. Grade C cricketer, who are currently paid Rs. 35 lacs p.a. will earn Rs. 1 crores after the hike.

Stars like Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni earn millions of rupees from endorsement deals others mostly rely on annual contract that they gave with the BCCI. 

The proposal has been placed by the members after the growth in the disparity of pay between national players and IPL players. The move is set to remove disparity so that players like Pujara and Ishant Sharma are not bothered by their IPL snubs. 

Here is the story of India's Women Ice Hockey Team, Their Struggle for Survival And Hopes for Support

While even the nobodies of cricket are being sold in crores during the IPL auctions, forget players like Stokes who garnered a fortune, most us wouldn't even earn in a lifetime, the Indian Women's Ice Hockey Team struggles for Survival amidst the tough terrains of Himalayas.

Yes, India has a women's ice hockey team. Most of us don't even know that ice hockey is played in India, (to us it's strictly Canadian domain). But these women who stationed and Skate at the frozen pond of Gupuks in Leh belong to Indian ice hockey team of women.

These women who mostly belong to the hills have passions for this unconventional sport. But if we go by the official apathy shown by concerned people, its looks like they are fighting a lost battle.

With the lack of proper equipment and facilities, the players are chipping in from their own pockets to participate in international tournaments.

Last Year, They participated in the Asia Cup in Taiwan, though they didn't bring the cup, the Team were very happy to play on a professional rink for the first time. Noor Jahan was awarded the best goalkeeper after saving 193 shots from possible 229.

But this feat doesn't encourage her anymore as she and her mates meet administration's apathy. Without funds, a proper rink, or training equipment's, they have battled many hardships.

Prepared Pool Themselves

Last Year, the girls prepared an ice rink on their own. They would fill buckets, and the frozen pool
from 8Pm to 3Am in groups of four. Even a small amount of water that splashed on their clothes would freeze. While even thinking of being out at this time in the Himalayas would normally give us the chills, these girls were determined not to let any obstacles thaw their grit and ambitions.

Odds they battles before they could get funds from state.

Another problem has been the lack of funding, which has affected their growth. To receive funding from the government, the sport needs 75% affiliate members states, which is difficult at the moment. There is an artificial rink in Dehradun, But with no caretaker or money to maintain it, it lies neglected.
Amidst all  these challenges, what the girls have is the determination to succeed.

An Example of Sacrifices made for the Game.

Stanzin Chotso, the youngest player of the team skipped the board exams of class 10th last year and decided to represent India in Chinese Taipei. And she's not alone who has been giving this game her sweat and blood by keeping her studies away from priority. Semzes Dolma will appear for her 12 Standard board exams next year, but that has not lessened her passion towards the game.

Players also aspire for speed skating

Though Ice Hockey Association of India has been trying to promote the game and prepare an ice hockey culture for the coming generations. But their efforts aren't enough to secure the future of these players. And that's why some players of this team are trying to excel in speed skating. Team's best player Rinchen Dolma, Kunzes Angmo, Disket Angmo also excel in speed skating at national and international levels.

They need a helping hand

Today these girls represent every sports person in the country who couldn't make it big himself. They represent an aspiration which seeks across all boundaries but marred by slew of odds. People can help their cause by donating whatever they can so that these girls get some help for building and upkeep of infrastructure. The money generated through this crowd funding will be used for providing the Indian National Ice Hockey team with training, accommodations, air-fare, visa, insurance, team jerseys, and equipment.

A GRAND SALUTE TO THEM !!!!

Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and South Africa have qualified for the World Cup

Sri Lanka and Pakistan have completed the list of qualifiers for the ICC women's world Cup 2017 after the last round of Super Six matches were completed at the ICC Women World Cup Qualifier 2017 on Sunday.

Sri Lanka scored a 42-run victory over Bangladesh under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method to qualify as the third side behind India and South Africa with six points in the Super Six stage while Pakistan had a forgettable outing against India in its last match to finish with four points.



Pakistan was bowled out for only 67 runs and lost by seven wickets as India got passed the target in only 22.3 Overs

But Pakistan qualified as the fourth team since Bangladesh was nowhere near a big win that it needed against Sri Lanka to Come into the Equation. Sri Lanka scored 197 for nine and then Bangladesh to 68 for five when rain stopped proceedings.

These four Teams have not only qualified for the ICC Women's World Cup 2017 but also for the ICC Women Championship. World Champion Australia, England, New Zealand and West Indies are teams to have already made it by virtue of finishing in the top four of the previous ICC Women's Championship that ran from 2014 to 2016.

Sri Lanka scored steadily after being put in to bat with opener Chamari Athapathu scoring 84 with eight four and one six. Bangladesh was 68 for five in 21 overs with Udeshika Prabodhini grabbing two for 14 when rain forced an early end.

Sri Lanka captain Inoka Ranaweera: "This(qualifying) is something that we were looking forward to from the beginning. Every player has contributed to this win. The rain gave us a scare because we were not sure whether the match would be completed today and how the run-rates would be affected. They did well early on but some quick wickets won us the Match."

The India-Pakistan match, which was live-streamed from P.Sara Stadium, was the only one to finish before their venue was hit by rain.

Put in bat, Pakistan kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and went into their shell. It was 55 for eight by the 32nd over and the innings petered out for 43.4 overs, of which 18 overs were maiden overs. Left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht finished with a carrier best five for eight, which included seven maiden overs.

India opener Deepti sharma scored 29 not out and Harmanpreet Kaur made 24 as India got to the target easily.

Pakistan captain Sana Mir: "I've to admit that we were a little worried about the run-rates as our batting collapsed. We were checking the scores of others teams. It(qualifying) was something that we wanted to do on our own but at the end of the day, we are carring positives from here. Our batting performed well in other matches and that's how we could qualify."

India captain Mithali Raj: "I'm happy with the way the team has shaped up form the first game. It has been a good tournament so far for us. Our spinners have done well through the tournament but our batting has to be better, especially if we are chasing 200 or more against top teams - that is an area that needs to be addressed."

India's unbeaten run in the tournament saw it finish with a maximum of 10 points after the Super Six stage while South Africa won all its matches except the one against India to finish with eight points. The two sides will now play the final on 21 February.

In its last match against Ireland, South Africa bowled out the opposition for 166 in 49.5 overs with captain Dane van Niekerk, Lizelle Lee and Sune Luus all taking wickets. Mary Waldron (33 Notout) and Isobel Joyce (30) were the main scorers for Ireland.

South africa was 82 for one in 21 overs when the rain came, eith opener Laura Wolvaardt(32 notout) and former captain Mignon du Preez(29 notout) putting on an unbroken 59-runs stand that saw the team to a 36 runs victory under the DLS method.

South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk; " We did not think too much about the final, we knew it would take care of itself if we played well. Hopeafully, we can end it on a high. We are very happy with the team. Every pitch is different and I'm proud of the girls and with how they have stuck it out in these conditions with the pitches also varying a little bit."

Scores in Brief;

India beat Pakistan by seven wickets at P.Sara stadium

Pakistan 67 all out in 43.4 overs( Ayesha Zafar 19, Ekta Bisht 5-8, Shikha Pandey 2-9)
India 70-3 in 22.3 overs(Deepti Sharma 29 not out, Sadia Yousuf 2-19).

Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 42 runs on DLS method at Nondecripts Cricket Club

Sri Lanka 197-9 in 50overs (Chamari Athapathu 84, Hasini Perera 32, salma Khatun 3-18).
Bangladesh 68-5 in 21overs(Nigar Sultana 24, Udeshika Prabhodini 2-14).

South Africa beat Ireland by 36 runs on Colombo Cricket Club

Ireland 166 all out in 49.5 overs( Mary Waldron 33 not out, Isobel Joyce 30, Lizelle Lee 2-12, Sune Luus 2-34, Dane van Niekerk 2-45).
South africa 81-1 in 21 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 32 not out, Mignon du preez 29 Not Out).

Today Blind Indian cricket team won T20 Blind world cup at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore. This is the second consecutive win for Blind Indian cricket team. India successfully chased 198 runs after Pakistan put together 197/9. In this tournament, both the team had played nine games with India winning 8 matches and Pakistan winning all the nine matches.

This win is led by Prakasha Jayaramaiah's unbeaten 99 runs and Ajay Reddy's 43 runs at the top. For Pakistan, Badar Munir scored highest 57 with eight fours and one six. Ketan Patel and Jaffar Iqbal picked 2-2 wickets for India, while Ajay Reddy and Sunil picked up 1 wicket each.

This was the second edition of T20 Blind World cup and India have successfully defended the title they had won in 2012.

Well done Blind Indian cricket team..!!

Do you remember who scored half century in just 15 balls against Sunriser Hyderabad in 2014 IPL edition...
Or
Do you remember who scored century in just 37 balls against Mumbai Indians in 2010 IPL edition.

He is non other than Yusuf Pathan.

He is back with his action in franchise based T20 league. But now not in Indian Premier League (IPL). He became first male Indian cricketer to sign for an overseas franchise based T20 league which will be played in Hong Kong. BCCI and Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) has already given No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Yusuf Pathan.

He played for India last time in 2012 and he still trying hard for comeback in Indian cricket team. This league is scheduled on March 9-12 and will be playing for Kowloon Cantoon.

He thinks that this league will not affect his domestic commitment and he is very excited about this new challenge.

We are giving best wishes to Yusuf Pathan.

Former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni have always been known for his out of ordinary hairstyle and has always been experimenting with his different hairstyle since the start of his career. Here a list of top 9 different hairstyle of MS Dhoni.


1. Long hairstyle

2. Bald look

3. Mohawk Hairstyle

4. Spiky Hairstyle

5. Crew cut

6. Jarhead Hairstyle

7. Side Swept Hairstyle

8. Long beard

9. Latest Hairstyle in promotion of MS Dhoni: The untold story film

Blind Cricket- Everything you should know about:

Blind cricket is a version of the sport of cricket adapted for blind and partially sighted players. It has been governed by the World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) since 1996. So far, four Blind World Cups have been held, New Delhi, India (1998); Chennai, India (2002) and Islamabad, Pakistan (2006). In 2012, the first Blind World Cup T20 was held in Bangalore, India. Blind cricket relies on common use of the 'sweep shot', in order to provide maximum chance of the bat hitting the ball.

Blind cricket was invented in Melbourne in 1922 by two blind factory workers who improvised the game using a tin can containing rocks. The Victorian Blind Cricket Association was founded shortly after, in 1922, and the first sports ground and clubhouse for blind cricket was built at Kooyong, Melbourne in 1928. The rules of blind cricket are based on the standard Laws of cricket with some essential modifications.

Blind Cricket World Cup:

1998 winner South Africa

The first World Cup competition was held in New Delhi, India. The organisers faced a great difficulty when the government of India withdrew sponsorship at the last minute. South Africa defeated Pakistan in the final. India and Australia were the two semi-finalists.

2002 winner Pakistan

The second World Cup was held in Chennai, India in December. Pakistan defeated South Africa in the finals.

2006 winner Pakistan

The third World Cup was held in Islamabad, Pakistan, under the leadership of Aga Shaukat-Ali, the founder of Pakistan Blind Cricket Council.

2014 winner India

On 7 December 2014, India defeated Pakistan in the final at Cape Town, South Africa.

T20 Blind Cricket World Cup

The first T20 Blind Cricket World Cup was held at Aditya Academy Ground in Bangalore, India in 2012. India defeated Pakistan by 29 runs in the final.

Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI):

Starting 2011, Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) is in place of Association for Cricket for the Blind India (ACBI) set up in 1996. George Abraham is the founder of the registered voluntary body. Its objectives are to use competitive cricket to teach the blind to look at life positively, gain in confidence and strive to be winners rather than dependents; and to use the game as a medium to transmit the message of ability and talent to the society.

Rules of Blind Cricket:

Blind Cricket follows the standard Cricket rules along with some modifications to facilitate the blind players. The modifications are

• First of all, the players are not all fully blind. In fact, there's fixed composition in the playing 11 that consists of a certain number of fully blind(called B1 category), partially blind( called B2 category) and partially sighted (called B3 category) cricketers.

• The ball that is used to play with is filled with some ball bearings so that it can be heard by the fully blind batsmen and fielders. All they do is hear the bearings inside the ball and play shots(or catch it)

• The bowling is underarm (always).

• The bowler shouts "Ready?" before releasing the ball to which the batsman must respond by saying "Yes". Then the bowler shouts "Play" before releasing the ball.  The umpire declares a ball no ball if the timing of these calls by the bowler is inappropriate (too early or too late).

• There are special exemptions given to B1 players. Every run they score is doubled before adding to the scoreboard. They can take a catch on one bounce and it is out. 

Conclusion:

Blind Cricket is a true manifestation of excellent human spirit and an instinct to perform, regardless of the disabilities. It is the time we give Blind Cricket true respect that they deserve.

To know more, please watch this video: