BCCI struggling to find new head of Sports Science for CoE

The Centre of Excellence in the Garden City has been without a head of Sports Science and Medicine for nearly eight months, since it parted ways with Nitin Patel. cricket-ipl.co.za

There has been a lot of focus on the injury management of several Indian cricketers in the last few weeks, with the finger of blame unfairly pointed at the CoE. VVS Laxman, the head of the CoE, and Devajit Saikia, the secretary of the BCCI, emphasised that the objective wasn’t to fill the Patel hole in a hurry, but to find a qualified and experienced replacement who understood the demands of the role.

“We are still on the lookout,” Laxman, the India stalwart whose tenure is due to end in December, emphasised during an interaction on Sunday. “But you have to find someone who is qualified and capable enough to take up that position.

Candidates pull out

“Andrew [Leipus, the former Indian physio who was also with the CoE] was part of the interview process when Nitin was selected in 2022. We reached out to Andrew [to replace Patel] the moment we got to know that Nitin didn’t want to continue. Andrew almost agreed and then backed out. The second interview process was an extensive one. The first choice was from Australia, but he also backed out at the last minute. The second and third candidates are already working at the CoE. It is our responsibility to upskill them while looking to identify someone of stature and experience and knowledge.”

Limited options available

Saikia read from the same page when he added, “They are very limited persons, not only in India but across the world. Therefore, we are facing some problems. But the process is on to find the right candidate.”

Outlining the CoE’s injury-management protocol, Laxman said, “The process starts with diagnosing the injury and finishes with a player declaring fit after the two RTP [Return To Play] matches. After diagnosis, players are sent to the CoE. We clinically examine and assess them. Based on that assessment, we know what the plan of action is for them to recover and join the team.

“Once the player is ready for the next phase, which is strength and conditioning, the S&C coach plays their part. Then they go to the skill part; we build up the load, and they play two RTP matches before we declare the player fit. We know the benchmark of every player, from skill and fitness points of view. Until the benchmark is met or bettered, we don’t release the player. The whole idea is that when they go back to their respective teams, they are up and running.”

Colombo [Sri Lanka], August 9 (ANI): Indian spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said that skipper Shubman Gill is “very much ready" for the first Test against Sri Lanka, having missed the first two days of the warm-up clash against Sri Lanka XI after a hit on the finger during training.

Gill made a return to the action during the final day of the warm-up clash, scoring a quick 44 in 54 balls, laying the foundation of an easy 207-run chase for India that will give them plenty of morale ahead of the two-match Test series starting from August 15 onwards at Galle.

Speaking about Gill’s return to action, Bahutule said that keeping him away from the field was “a precaution" and the batter has been doing “absolutely fine".

“It was just a precaution more than anything else. And he has been absolutely fine. He has been doing his training. And the management decided that we could just take that precaution of not putting him into that first day (of the practice match). And I think everything, the way he batted in the second inning, was again flawless. He is very much ready for the Test match," said Bahutule as quoted by Cricinfo.

SL XI won the toss and opted to bat first and declared at 363/8 in the first innings. Ravindu Rasantha (71 in 143 balls, with six fours and a six), Nishan Fernando (66 in 65 balls, with 11 fours and a six) and skipper Sonal Dinusha (52 in 72 balls, with five fours and a six) made half-centuries.

Manav Suthar (2/33), Ravindra Jadeja (2/64) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/76) were the leading bowlers for India. Aqib Nabi, drafted as Jasprit Bumrah’s injury replacement, did not bowl any overs. Meanwhile, Saransh Jain (0/54), who got his first call-up, got some action with the ball.

In response, India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal (0) early, but a 96-run stand between KL Rahul (40 in 67 balls, with five fours and a six) and Devdutt Padikkal helped them get back in the game. Ravindra Jadeja (63 in 117 balls, with seven fours) had a 74-run stand with Padikkal before he was retired hurt. Rishabh Pant (2), Dhruv Jurel (1) were dismissed for poor scores.

Padikkal also had an 82-run stand with Manav Suthar (41 in 90 balls, with five fours and a six) and stood tall when India declared at 357/6, trailing by six runs. Padikkal made a sensational 142* in 164 balls, with 18 fours at number three. In the lower order, Saransh (22 in 45 balls, with three fours) and Gurnoor Brar (36* in 18 balls, with four sixes) posted handy knocks.

Asanka Manoj (2/32) and Ramesh Mendis (2/77) were the leading bowlers for Sri Lanka XI.

In their second innings, SLXI declared at 200/6, with Nishan Fernando (63 in 73 balls, with 10 fours), Nipun Dhananjaya (46 in 56 balls, with five fours) and Anjala Bandara (35 in 48 balls, with four boundaries and a six) playing handy knocks.

Jadeja (2/33) and Brar (2/37) were among the top wicket-takers for India, with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna also getting a wicket each. Nabi also got to throw five overs, conceding 27 runs.

In the chase of 207 runs, Jaiswal (61 in 46 balls, with nine fours and two sixes, retired hurt), put on a 105-run stand with skipper Gill (44 in 54 balls, with seven fours) who made a return to action on the final day.

Pant (28 in 68 balls, with a four and three sixes) and Jadeja (22 in 32 balls, with three fours, retired hurt) played crucial knocks. In the end, Mohammed Siraj (32* in 15 balls, with a four and four sixes) and Saransh Jain (2*) stayed unbeaten as India ended the match at 214/4 in 45 overs. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

The Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer Kulwant Khejroliya has opened up about his time as a net bowler for the Mumbai Indians, where he had an interaction with Rohit Sharma, and how the former India captain, then the captain of the five-time champions, guided him while he used to bowl in the nets. He also shared his experience of how the other cricketers used to talk.

Apart from that, he also shared the experience of playing for the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the dressing room atmosphere. He also spoke about his current Indian Premier League (IPL) captain Shubman Gill. In 2026, the left-arm pacer came back to the franchise after being away for a year.

GT pacer shares insights on bowling to Rohit Sharma

While speaking on SportsYaari, Kulwant Khejroliya was asked about his interaction with Rohit Sharma at MI, he saw Rohit Sharma as he is, firstly the senior, and Rohit Sharma is a superstar in Mumbai. He also shared his experience of bowling alongside Lasith Malinga, Mitchell Johnson, and Jasprit Bumrah.

Khejroliya said on bowling to Rohit Sharma, "It was good. When I used to bowl in the nets, I used to bowl to him as well. So, he [Rohit Sharma] used to tell me that I have to do this more. I have to focus more on this in bowling."

𝗞𝘂𝗹𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗞𝗵𝗲𝗷𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘆𝗮 | 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗬𝗮𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲
Rohit bhai helped me a lot during my time at Mumbai Indians. I used to bowl to him in the nets, and he would guide me on what to improve and where to focus. With legends like Malinga, Mitchell… pic.twitter.com/Zw8JlGSHp0

— Sports Yaari (@YaariSports) August 10, 2026

"Similarly, in bowling, there was Malinga sir, Mitchell Johnson, Bumrah bhai. All the bowlers were legends. So, when I used to bowl to them, I used to watch their bowling. And when I used to bowl, if they had anything to tell me, they used to talk to me and tell me. In practice, they helped me a lot in practice matches. So, it was a lot of fun."

Kulwant Khejroliya opens up on playing for RCB

Apart from that, he also spoke about the dressing room atmosphere of RCB, as Kulwant Khejroliya featured for the two-time IPL champions in the 2018 and 2019 IPL seasons, making his tournament and franchise debut on April 8, 2018. He made his debut under Virat Kohli and played five matches in total. He said:

"In the dressing room, all the teams you see in the franchise have a very good environment. If a team wins, it has a better environment, and if a team loses, it has a bad environment. But still, everyone is so mature and sincere, so the environment is not bad because everyone knows what his role is and what is the importance of the team. So, everyone knows."

"Only the spectators feel that this is their environment. Sometimes, a season goes by where you make such a good team, and after that, no one's performance comes out because performance is always up and down."

"But that doesn't spoil the atmosphere. And yes, if there is a senior player in your team, someone with more experience, then the atmosphere is not bad anyway. In the RCB, there was a champion last year. Rajat was my friend. He also did very good captaincy. "

Kulwant Khejroliya praises Shubman Gill

Kulwant Khejroliya also spoke about his current captain, Shubman Gill, whom he played with in 2026 for GT. The pacer described Gill as a calm and cool captain.

He stated, "I have been with him for the last two years. I have a very good experience with him. And he is very supportive, cool and calm. If you have a plan, you can tell him that this is my plan. So, you don't have to change it in between. No, no, you don't have to do this. First of all, follow your plan and bowl accordingly. Tell him what your plan is."

The Indian Premier League (IPL) was established in 2008. It was after India won the T20 World Cup in 2007. The league combined cricket with entertainment and commercialism. But in 2013, the Delhi Police arrested three cricketers from the Rajasthan Royals franchise. They were S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan. They were charged with spot-fixing.

The Mumbai Police also arrested Vindu Dara Singh, diamond dealer Priyank Sepany, and Gurunath Meiyappan. Meiyappan was the team principal of Chennai Super Kings. He was charged with illegal betting. Raj Kundra, co-owner of Rajasthan Royals, was also arrested.

The RM Lodha Committee imposed a two-year suspension on the teams involved. Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended. The three players were acquitted by the Patiala House Court. However, in January 2016, the BCCI gave Ajit Chandila a life ban.

Several bookies were arrested. Sunil Bhatia admitted to fixing matches in the IPL, Indian Cricket League, and Bangladesh Premier League. Vinod Mulchandani was arrested in Ahmedabad. Cash, laptops, and mobile phones were seized from him.

Call records showed that Vindu Dara Singh was in frequent contact with Gurunath Meiyappan. The Mumbai Police summoned Meiyappan. He was arrested on May 24, 2013, for betting, conspiracy, and cheating. CSK distanced itself from him. They claimed he was only an honorary member of the management team.

Raj Kundra was interrogated on June 5, 2013. He allegedly confessed to betting on his own team. He was suspended by the BCCI on June 10, 2013.

On March 25, 2014, the Supreme Court told N. Srinivasan to step down as BCCI President. He was Meiyappan’s father-in-law. The Court said his continued presence was “nauseating” and could affect the investigation.

In October 2013, the Supreme Court formed a committee led by Justice Mukul Mudgal. It included L. Nageswara Rao and Nilay Dutta. Sourav Ganguly also assisted the investigation.

The committee submitted its report in February 2014. It cleared Srinivasan of direct involvement in spot-fixing. However, it noted that BCCI officials knew about Meiyappan’s betting but did nothing. Meiyappan was exonerated from spot-fixing but was found guilty of betting. Raj Kundra was also found to have connections with bookmakers.

Dhoni Reveals How the 2013 IPL Scandal Affected Him

MS Dhoni broke his silence on the 2013 IPL fixing scandal. He called it the most difficult and depressing phase of his life. He spoke about it in a docudrama called “Roar of the Lion.” The series focuses on the scandal and Chennai Super Kings’ comeback after a two-year suspension.

Dhoni said 2013 was the most difficult phase in his life. He had never been as depressed as he was then. He compared it to the 2007 World Cup, where India lost in the group stages. But he said that happened because they did not play well. In 2013, the angle was completely different. People were talking about match-fixing and spot-fixing. It was the most talked-about thing in the country.

Dhoni said they deserved punishment but questioned the quantum of it. He said there was a mixed feeling when they learned CSK would be banned for two years. He questioned what the team did wrong. He said there was a mistake from the franchise, but were the players involved? He asked what mistake the players made to go through all that.

Dhoni said fixing a match requires the involvement of the majority of players. He said his name also came up in talks of fixing. He said spot-fixing is possible, but match-fixing needs the involvement of most players.

Dhoni said his silence may have been misunderstood. He said people think he is strong and often do not ask how he is doing. He did not want to talk about it to others, but it was scratching him inside. He did not want anything to affect his cricket.

In a trailer for the documentary, Dhoni called match-fixing a bigger crime than murder. He said cricket gave him everything. The biggest crime he can commit is not murder but match-fixing. It has a bigger impact because people lose faith in the game.

Dhoni said Gurunath Meiyappan was part of the team, but in what capacity is debatable. He said they all knew him as the son-in-law of N Srinivasan. He did not know if anyone introduced him as the owner or team principal.

Dhoni called his association with CSK like a match made on a matrimonial site. He described it as an arranged marriage.

FAQs

Q. What was the 2013 IPL spot-fixing case?

A. Players were accused of manipulating specific events for money.

Q. Which Rajasthan Royals players were arrested?

A. S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan were arrested.

Q. Which IPL teams were suspended?

A. Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended for two years.

Q. Who was Gurunath Meiyappan?

A. Gurunath Meiyappan was linked to Chennai Super Kings and found guilty of betting.

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