Pramod Thomas is a senior correspondent with Asian Media Group since 2020, bringing 19 years of journalism experience across business, politics, sports, communities, and international relations. His career spans both traditional and digital media platforms, with eight years specifically focused on digital journalism. This blend of experience positions him well to navigate the evolving media landscape and deliver content across various formats. He has worked with national and international media organisations, giving him a broad perspective on global news trends and reporting standards.
SANJU SAMSON recalls the favourite day in his burgeoning career. It was 2013, he was 18-years-old and had traveled from his home in Kerala to Jaipur for a trial with the Rajashtan Royals. The IPL is the ultimate dream for young cricketers. For Samson the dream became reality thanks to one of the greats of the game.
Sanju Samson
Samson had caught the eye of Rahul Dravid, the then Rajasthan Royals coach, who in just the second day of the trial came up to him and said: "Sanju, you have a very special talent and I would really love to make you play in my Rajasthan Royals team. Would you play for us?"
"If anyone asks which is your favourite day in this career, definitely that's the day, till now," said Samson.
Fast forward eight years and now Samson leads the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021. He started the tournament with an exciting century against Punjab Kings on Monday (12), though his side failed to win the match. His brilliant 63-ball 119 with 12 fours and seven sixes had almost won the game for his team.
The 26-year-old leads a star-studded team consisting of players such as England World Cup winners Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer. They also forked out an IPL record £1,6 million, to get the services of South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris.
Samson, who is captaining for the first time in the pressure-cooker of the IPL, says he is confident he can lead the Royals to success.
“There is no pressure this time. The only way is up. The role of captain is very exciting.
I am especially very happy to have Sanga (team director Kumar Sangakkara) alongside me and other senior players in the squad. Ben (Stokes), Jos (Butler) everyone is so much support and they are completely aligned with whatever the team decides,” Samson told Eastern Eye.
Kumar Sangakkara (left) with Chris Morris
“I am very much happy to do this job and very much excited looking forward to the matches ahead.”
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, matches are being played in empty stadiums. Samson said that he hopes to have some fans back soon.
“But IPL 2021 will be very different. The tournament itself coming back to India is a positive thing. Meanwhile, we all will miss the fans and energy. To be very honest, we are looking forward to having some fans on the ground. We will miss them,” the Indian international said.
“I believe there will be some good competition going around and some good entertainment for the crowd watching at home.”
When asked about the consistency, he said that when you are a batsman and looking for big hits chances of getting out is always there.
“I think it is always expecting or accepting that you may fail and at the same time keeping the intent and keeping the aggressive mindset. At the same time I need to be mature enough to understand what does the condition demand and how the wicket is behaving,” he said.
“I am getting smarter and smarter at that and I will keep on learning and getting better.”
Rajasthan Royals were underdogs in the maiden season in 2008, but they won the title. They've finished seven times in the bottom half of the table since only making the playoffs three times. It only exacerbated in 2020, when they finished at the bottom of the table.
“We are evenly balanced this time. We have found out a really good team and combination and we are comfortable with pace and spin,” Samson said.
‘Players as people first’ policy
A key to the Royals’ success will be getting Archer, arguably the world’s best fast-bowler in T20 cricket, back to full-fitness. Team director Kumar Sangakkara said Archer will not be rushed back from his elbow injury.
“Jofra's comeback depends on the experts he is working with in England. They will take a pragmatic view of how he is progressing. They will have a view on how Jofra develops beyond IPL as he is such an important part of England set up in all formats of the game. For us, it is to be guided by those experts' advice and then wait for that assessment to take place and more information comes to us,” Sangakkara said.
He added that he hopes the England fast bowler will play some part in their IPL campaign this season.
When asked about the impact of the pandemic situation in India on IPL, Sangakkara said that everyone is making efforts to minimise or to reduce any possible chance of the bubble being contaminated.
“The consequence of infection can be dramatic. We all have to take responsibility, but at this moment and having experienced what they have in place I am confident that the tournament will be played to its conclusion. The IPL is doing a professional and efficient job in keeping the tournament bubble safe,” he said.
“In the current context and circumstances of living in a bubble, training there, not having access to your regular support structures and families, there here are lots of concerns about the mental health of players. We are keeping players relaxed, interested, calm and happy. It is something that every franchise takes very seriously and Rajasthan itself is working with a host of experts, who are giving us advice.”
According to Sangakkara, the team’s policy is ‘players as people first. “We ensure that they have what they need and we have an open-door policy for questions, conversations, for anything that players need not just in terms of IPL cricket. We are concerned about their well-being mentally, physically and the well-being of their families. We take a lot of pride and real interest in getting to know the players, understanding them and support them in any which way we can.”
Watch the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL exclusively live on Sky Sports Cricket.
INDIA batting great Rahul Dravid has stepped down as head coach of Indian Premier League team Rajasthan Royals after just one season with them, the franchise said on Saturday (30).
Dravid, 52, was offered a "broader position" after a structural review of the team set-up but the former Indian captain declined the offer, the franchise said in a statement.
"Head coach Rahul Dravid will conclude his tenure with the franchise ahead of IPL 2026," it said.
Dravid had returned to the team as head coach ahead of this year's T20 tournament, but Rajasthan failed to make the playoffs and ended a dismal ninth in the 10-team table.
"Rahul has been central to the Royals' journey over many years," the inaugural IPL champions said.
"His leadership has influenced a generation of players, built strong values within the squad, and left an indelible mark on the culture of the franchise."
Dravid first joined Rajasthan as a player in 2011 and captained them for two seasons in 2012 and 2013.
The announcement comes amid rumours that captain Sanju Samson also wants to leave the franchise. Should Samson also depart, it would leave the Royals in a challenging position just months before the mini-auction.
He served as a team director in 2014 and as mentor a year later. Dravid scored 13,288 runs in 164 Test matches in a glittering career before hanging his boots in 2012.
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Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga celebrates after taking the wicket of Bangladesh's captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz during the first one-day international (ODI) cricket match at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo on July 2, 2025. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)
SRI LANKA have picked Wanindu Hasaranga in their Twenty20 squad for the Asia Cup next month though the all-rounder has been ruled out of the tour of Zimbabwe as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
Hasaranga sustained the injury during the home series against Bangladesh in July and the injury will keep him out of Sri Lanka's limited-overs tour of Zimbabwe beginning on Friday (29).
A leg-spinner who is also a handy batter down the order, Hasaranga will replace Dushan Hemantha from the squad in Zimbabwe.
Apart from Hasaranga, Sri Lanka will have strong spin options in Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana.
Angelo Mathews, who quit test cricket earlier this year but remains available in shorter formats, did not make the cut for the 16-member Asia Cup squad led by Charith Asalanka.
Another ex-captain, Dasun Shanaka, has been picked as a seam-bowling all-rounder.
The six-time champions will begin their Group B campaign against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi on Sept. 13.
INDIA and England have named their squads for the upcoming Women’s World Cup, with several surprise selections and omissions, highlighting the competitive nature of the tournament.
India’s squad announcement brought disappointment for explosive opener Shafali Verma, who was left out after a poor run of form. The 21-year-old, who last played a oneday international in October 2024, has managed just one half-century in six innings for India A.
Women’s team chief selector Neetu David insisted the door remained open for Verma, saying: “She’s in the system, not like she’s not. We’ve got our eyes on her. Hope she plays a lot more and garners experience, it’ll help serve India in the 50-overs format.”
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the 15-member Indian squad as they seek their first World Cup title after reaching two previous finals. “We didn’t want to make a lot of changes, we wanted continuity,” said Kaur, who will be leading India in the World Cup for the first time.
Nat Sciver-Brunt
The selectors welcomed back medium-pace bowler Renuka Thakur after a lengthy injury lay-off, adding experience to an attack that will be crucial on home pitches. India’s campaign begins on September 30, and they will warm up with three ODI matches against Australia.
England’s squad features the return of former captain Heather Knight despite her not playing since damaging her hamstring in May. Current coach Charlotte Edwards expressed her delight at Knight’s inclusion, saying: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to select her. She’ll be a huge asset for us.”
However, experienced seamer Kate Cross has been left out as England adapt their strategy for subcontinental conditions. Edwards has included four specialist spinners – Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Charlie Dean, and the returning Sarah Glenn – expecting plenty of turn on Indian and Sri Lankan pitches.
England enter the tournament seeking to end an eightyear drought since their last ODI World Cup triumph on home soil in 2017. They underperformed badly at last year’s T20 World Cup and will be eager to make amends. The announcements come as organisers scramble to relocate matches originally scheduled for Bengaluru in India following safety concerns at the city’s stadium.
The opening match between cohosts India and Sri Lanka will now take place in Guwahati instead of Bengaluru, after the International Cricket Council cited “unforeseen circumstances” for moving games away from Chinnaswamy Stadium. The venue change follows a tragic incident in June when 11 cricket fans died during celebrations for IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with supporters as young as 14 crushed to death outside the stadium gates. A judicial commission subsequently deemed the ground “unsafe” to host large crowds.
The tournament faces logistical challenges beyond the Bengaluru venue change. Pakistan will play all their matches in Colombo as part of a compromise arrangement, while the final will now be held in either Mumbai or Colombo rather than the originally planned Bengaluru.
England squad: Nat Sciver-Brunt (CK), Em Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones (wk), Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
The 13th edition of the Women’s World Cup runs till November 2, with Mumbai now joining the list of Indian venues alongside Guwahati and other cities, plus Colombo in Sri Lanka.
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Gukesh, as the reigning world champion, is not in the Candidates race, and his participation will be for prize money and rating points.
GOA will host the Chess World Cup from October 30 to November 27. The FIDE World Cup 2025 carries a prize fund of USD 2 million and offers three qualifying spots for next year’s Candidates tournament.
The 206-player field includes world champion D Gukesh, Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and R Praggnanandhaa. However, Gukesh, as the reigning world champion, is not in the Candidates race, and his participation will be for prize money and rating points.
India has 21 players in the list, among them five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, who qualified through the June 2025 FIDE rating list. Anand has not played classical chess for some time, leaving uncertainty over his participation.
The event returns to India after 23 years. It was last held in Hyderabad in 2002, when Anand won the title. Indian chess has since expanded, with players like Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin among the qualified entries.
The World Cup will follow a two-game knockout format over eight rounds. Each round consists of two classical games, with rapid and blitz tie-breaks if required. The top 50 seeds will start from the second round with byes, while players ranked 51 to 206 will face off in the first round on top-half vs bottom-half pairings.
“Every round is win-or-go-home, making the World Cup one of the most dramatic tournaments on the calendar,” FIDE said on its website on Tuesday.
FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich said, “India has become one of the strongest chess nations, with outstanding players and passionate fans. After the success of the FIDE Women's World Cup held in Georgia earlier this year, we are proud to bring the FIDE World Cup to Goa.”
“It will be a celebration of chess, and a unique experience for players and spectators from around the world. The representatives of 90+ countries are expected to take part, and it will be one of the most followed events in chess history,” he added.
AICF president Nitin Narang said, “The World Cup will not only inspire millions across the country but also showcase India's growing stature as a global hub for chess.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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India hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. (Photo credit: Getty Images)
INDIA on Wednesday said Ahmedabad would be an "ideal" venue for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, as the country seeks to strengthen its case to host the 2036 Olympics.
Ahmedabad, the main city in prime minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat, has a 130,000-capacity stadium, the largest cricket arena in the world, named after him.
The cabinet approved India's bid for the 2030 Games on Wednesday. India had already submitted a letter of intent to the International Olympic Committee last year for the 2036 Olympics.
India hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, its capital.
"Ahmedabad is an ideal host city offering world-class stadiums, cutting-edge training facilities, and a passionate sporting culture," a cabinet statement said.
"Narendra Modi Stadium, the largest stadium in the world, has already demonstrated its capability by successfully hosting the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Final," it added.
Nigeria and at least two other nations are reported to be interested in hosting the Games. The event faced challenges after Victoria, Australia, withdrew from hosting the 2026 edition citing costs. Glasgow has since agreed to stage a smaller version.
The host city for 2030 will be decided in November.
India has said that if it secures the bid, the Games will be held as a "full-fledged" event. This would also feature sports like kabaddi and kho kho, which India has been advocating to include in the Olympics.
India, with a population of 1.4 billion, has won only 10 Olympic gold medals in its history.