India lose 2-8 against New Zealand in women's hockey

May 16, 2017

Pukekohe, May 16: Indian women's hockey team suffered an embarrasing 2-8 defeat against hosts New Zealand in the second of the five-match series here today.

Zealand
Experienced striker Stacey Michelsen (21st, 30th, 42nd) struck thrice, while Samantha Harrison (3rd), Kirsten Pearce (52nd), Madison Doar (56th), Samantha Harrison (56th) and Stephanie Dickins (60th) also sounded the board.

For India, Lilima Minz (40th minute) and Anupa Barla (49th) were the goal-scorers.

India began with positive intent but New Zealand put India on the backfoot with an early 1-0 lead when Samantha Harrison scored a 3rd minute field goal.

India couldn't clear the ball through the right wing and Samantha beautifully converted the pass into a goal from close range. A chance to equalize went begging in the 6th minute when striker Rani could not get a touch on the ball to deflect it into the post from a long-range assist.

In-form keeper Savita made a couple of saves to deny New Zealand from increasing the lead while AnupaBarla's shot was also saved by the Kiwi keeper Grace O'Hanlon in the 12th minute.

While the Black Sticks women dominated, holding their structure and looked like scoring more while keeping the Indians at bay. Though India played with high intensity, it was not enough to match New Zealand's accuracy.

After entering the second quarter with a 1-0 lead, the hosts held most of the possession and ended up scoring a brilliant field goal in the 21st minute on the counter through Stacey Michelsen.

India earned a PC in the 24th minute but it was promptly denied by keeper Sally Rutherford. New Zealand kept the pressure on India and created more chances but Savita made several saves to keep India in the game.

However, good pressing from hosts along with their ability to be patient and move the ball to drag the defenders out meant that New Zealand scored their third goal through Stacey in the 30th minute and take a comfortable 3-0 lead.

India made amends in the third quarter when they earned two PCs. Though the first went amiss, Lilima Minz managed to get a deflection to finally win India a goal in the 40th minute.

Though Stacey scored her third goal of the match in the 42nd minute, India showed grit to score their second goal in the 49th minute through Anupa Barla. This helped India narrow the gap to 4-2.

But just when India looked like they could come back into the game, their defence collapsed in the final quarter with New Zealand taking complete advantage by scoring as many as four goals in the last eight minutes of the match.

New Zealand increased their pace and attack to convert goals through Kirsten Pearce (52nd), Madison Doar (56th), Samantha Harrison (56th) and Stephanie Dickins (60th) to end the match on a high note.The two teams will play the third match on May 17.

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News Network
March 22,2024

IPL.jpg

The start of the world’s most lucrative cricket tournament in India is presenting investors with another big opportunity to cash in on the sport, months after the world’s most populous nation hosted the Cricket World Cup.

The eight-week long Indian Premier League begins March 22 for its 17th season. Since its inception, the fast-paced cricket tournament has become a corporate juggernaut to rival the National Football League in the US and the English Premier League in value.

Just as October’s Cricket World Cup boosted consumption in India for months, fans are expected to flock to restaurants, pubs and food delivery platforms over the duration of the tournament. This year’s IPL also coincides with general elections that will last for six weeks starting April 19, a period when companies are expecting higher food and drink sales as people flock to rallies and other events.

“There’s going to be a lot of spending,” said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at Bank of Baroda. “IPL, as well as the election, gives a three-month corridor with enhanced economic activity.”

Stocks in India such as McDonald’s franchise operator Westlife Foodworld Ltd. and peer Sapphire Foods India Ltd. gained ahead of the first match on Friday, as well as hotels and beverage makers. Packaged-food companies could also stand to benefit from the IPL craze, said Sachil Bobade, an analyst at investment firm Dolat Capital Market.

The IPL ecosystem was valued at $11 billion (Rs 91,721 crores) in 2023, including the value of media rights and sponsorships, according to Indian valuation consulting firm D&P Advisory.

The league is also attracting record sums of money from sponsors and broadcasters. Conglomerate Tata Group won the title sponsorship rights of the tournament in January for a record 25 billion rupees ($300 million). Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s media venture secured the digital streaming rights in 2022 for five years for $2.7 billion, while Walt Disney Co. paid roughly the same for TV rights.

“There was a serious amount of bidding even this year,” said Vinit Karnik, head of entertainment, esports and sports at media agency GroupM South Asia. “I see growth in IPL in double digits year-on-year,” he adds.

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