Celebrity couple Anu Poovamma and NC Ayyappa are all set to feature together in the new reality show ‘Raja Rani’ which will premiere soon on a leading Kannada general entertainment channel.
The channel airing the show has confirmed the same on their official social media handle. On the other hand, Social media is filled with best wishes for the couple. Fans are elated to see their favorite Jodi onscreen again.
The soon-to-be-launched reality show is all about testing the bond between real-life couples. Many celebrity couples from the Kannada entertainment industry are likely to be a part of the show. Besides Akarsh and Deepika, celebrity couples like Chandan Shetty- Nivedita Gowda and Neha Gowda along with her husband Chandu, Kulavadhu stars Deepika-Akarsh have also confirmed their participation in the new reality show.
For the unversed, Anu got married to cricketer and former Bigg Boss Kannada season 3 contestant N C Aiyappa in 2018.
On the career front, Anu and Aiyappa are not new to the Kannada audience. Having acted in a few Kannada films, Anu made her TV debut with daily soap ‘Muddulakshmi’, in which she played a negative character. However, she bid adieu to the show due to personal reasons. She was last seen on TV playing the character of ‘Devasena’ in supernatural fiction ‘Nandini 2’.
Aiyappa, who is a cricketer by profession, entered Bigg Boss Kannada season 3 as a celebrity contestant and made his presence felt. He was one of the most controversial contestants of the season.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> TV> News> Kannada / by TimesofIndia.com / June 30th, 2021
‘C’ Division team to figure in top tier this season
‘C’ Division team to figure in top tier this season
Bengaluru :
Scores of aspiring footballers, including those from the underprivileged section of society, from the traditional sporting hub of Kodagu will get a chance to sharpen their skills and show their class at the Bangalore Football Stadium with the Kodagu FC set to figure in this season’s BDFA Super Division League.
The club, which played in the crowded ‘C’ Division league, has taken a big leap with the owners shelling out a small fortune to nurture the players of the hilly region.
It all started with the INS Sports Centre near Kushalnagar, established five years ago by Ravi and Kamni Somaiah in memory of their son Naren, a budding footballer, who passed away in a road accident in 2015.
“We want to give the best of opportunities to the talented players in our region. And we were determined to live the dream of Naren who aspired to be a footballer. He left us at the age of 20,” Naren’s elder brother Ponnappa Iychettira, who runs the team, told TOI.
Last year, Kodagu FC did well in the ‘C’ Division, competing against Bengaluru teams. “It was a big learning experience for the players and they have emerged stronger from that,” he said.
On the foray into the top tier of the league, Ponnappa said the idea is to give a bigger platform for the boys to showcase their talent and catch the eye of scouts. “We know it is going to be tough but the main idea is to bridge the gap for talented players. If they get noticed and are picked up by other clubs then we would have succeeded in our efforts”.
Many of the players are part-timers who work in the fields, estates and double up as mechanics and painters. Their entry into the Super Division will see the best of the lot emerge as full-time players.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> Sports News> Football News / by Biju Babu Cyriac, TNN / June 29th, 2021
No one flew like Milkha Singh. We all have heard about ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh but how many of us have heard about Kunjiyanda Aiyanna from Kodagu district who had defeated Milkha Singh?
Aiyanna had trounced the Flying Sikh in a 100-metre race in 1951. While Aiyanna had clocked 10.69 seconds, Milkha Singh clocked 10.75 seconds. Who better than Aiyanna could understand the importance of 0.06 seconds?
Aiyanna represented Karnataka in the National-level 100 mts. He has a credit of winning over Milkha Singh several times at National-level Meets and held the record for 100 mts for some period, unbeaten. Aiyanna never got recognition for his achievement and his name was hidden in the annals of history.
His feat came to light only after the news of Milkha Singh passing away flashed across the media yesterday. By evening, Aiyanna became a known name in many Kodava families. Hailing from Kavadi Village at Ammathi in Kodagu district, Aiyanna was born on Aug. 2, 1929 to Kunjiyanda Chinnappa and Seethavva (Macharanda).
He joined the Indian Army and served the Artillery Division. As he was a sprinter, his commanding officers recognised his talent and began training him amidst his Army duties. Aiyanna proved to be a true sportsperson and honed his skills to reach his defining moment that came in the form of National-level 100 mts. He sprinted to glory and defeated people who later rose to be legends. But Aiyanna remained in obscurity.
Kunjiyanda Aiyanna in the first place and Milkha Singh second.
Aiyanna married Gowri (Palachanda), sister of P.M. Kalappa who served as Additional Superintendent of Police in Kodagu. The couple had two sons and a daughter — Anitha, Anil Belliappa and Arun Thammaiah. After serving the Army, Aiyanna worked for Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML). The unsung hero passed away in 1995 at an age of 65.
Speaking to SOM this morning, Arun said that his father used to speak a lot about his achievements. “He used to tell us about how he struggled hard in athletics at a time when sports was considered a least priority in India and at a time when there were not even basic facilities for sportspersons. He told us about how people from South India were called ‘Madrasis’ and were looked down upon by sportspersons from North,” Arun said.
“The discrimination was clear and my father had to remain in obscurity. No one recognised him and despite this, he gave a stellar performance on tracks,” Arun, who studied in Bengaluru Sports Hostel, said. Arun runs a wedding management firm in Kodagu while his brother Anil works for BEML, Bengaluru.
The 100-metre race in 1951 where Aiyanna trounced Milkha Singh.
Aiyanna’s brother 84-year-old Kunjiyanda Poovaiah is a resident of Gokulam in Mysuru and he was also an athlete who has participated in National Meets. “I had been to Delhi along with my brother a couple of times and since my brother was a sprinter, I did not pursue running much,” he said.“I am glad that my brother has been recognised at least now,” he added.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 10th, 2021
He is an active legend, although sometimes it is difficult for us to locate these stars in the stunt circuit.
The Indian tennis player, who reached the quarterfinals at this last Roland Garros with Franko Skugor, left Paris with a special record: 400 wins in modality.
Another step in the legendary career of the 38-year-old tennis player.
This week, in the grass of Halle, he already had time to add the 401.
source: http://www.explica.com / Explica.co / Home> Tennis / by Explica.co / June 15th, 2021
KC Cariappa was roped in by the Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2021.
In February 2015, when the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) refused to put their paddle down and looked destined to sign Karnataka’s KC Cariappa, it seemed like the stars were finally set to align for the mystery spinner.
For a man who was yet to play a First-Class or List-A game, Cariappa was the talk of the town after the Knight Riders landed the final bid at ₹2.4 Crore, 24 times his base price of ₹10 lakh. But for those devoted to the Karnataka Premier League (KPL), Cariappa’s talent was already there to see.
KKR’s investment in Cariappa came as a result of the spinner troubling the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa and Jacques Kallis among others in the nets. A ban slapped on Sunil Narine meant Cariappa was the immediate beneficiary, with KKR turning towards the spinner for a quick replacement.
However, things didn’t exactly go to plan for Cariappa, with the spinner forced to bear the onslaught from Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers in his debut IPL game. That he foxed De Villiers to scalp his maiden IPL wicket did provide a means of consolation, but his figures (1/28 from 2 overs) forced him onto the benches for the remainder of IPL 2015.
Since then, Cariappa hasn’t had a chance to feature much in the IPL. 5 matches in the 2016 season, one less game in 2017, just a solitary match in IPL 2019 sandwiched between him being unsold in 2018 and 2020, and half a season on the bench for the Rajasthan Royals in 2021.
There’s a fair argument to say Cariappa certainly hasn’t enjoyed the rub of the green, with mystery spinners not ubiquitous in modern-day cricket, at least in India. Yet, with age on his side and IPL teams in recent times willing to hinge their bets on relatively unknown talents, Cariappa is willing to take whatever’s happened on the chin.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Cariappa spoke about his IPL journey so far, admiration for Gambhir, learning from Ajantha Mendis‘ bowling videos and more.
“I haven’t got too many chances in the IPL. When I got selected in 2015, my name did the rounds, but I didn’t get too many matches. ABD was my debut wicket, but after that I didn’t play, Narine came back and I lost my chance. Even the few seasons I played for Punjab, I played only a few games. I feel there wasn’t a proper balance, even in my performance.”
“But like everyone says, more the matches, higher the confidence. I still remember the first match I played, there were 1 lakh people in the Eden Gardens crowd, it was surreal. I would love to get more matches in the seasons to come and re-live those moments.”
Cariappa’s rather serendipitous introduction to cricket was preceded by his interest in playing hockey, further pushed by his family’s roots in Coorg. Often referred to as the ‘Nursery of Hockey’, Coorg’s Kodava Hockey Festival is well known across the world, and it was only natural that Cariappa found a liking for the sport.
At around 19 years of age, though, life took a turn for the spinner. Cariappa walked through the gates of one of Bengaluru’s most famous cricket clubs, the Jawahar Cricket Club, seeking to transition from tennis ball to leather-ball cricket.
A fortuitous session in the nets handed Cariappa an opportunity to shift from fast bowling to mystery spin, but the art of perfecting the variations with the leather ball did not come easily for the Kodava lad.
“When I first shifted to spin, I didn’t even know it would be mystery (laughs). When I started bowling spin, my seniors told me it was coming nicely off my hand. I started watching a lot of Ajantha Mendis’ videos, at that time Narine hadn’t made a name for himself yet. Once I started bowling well, people started calling me Mendis, that’s a good memory.”
Cariappa’s early years of cricket with the tennis ball were restricted to him trying to stifle batsmen with pace, but once he got the hang of bowling spin, things started to fall in place for him.
However, by his own admission, it needed a lot more than just some tutorials on the internet.https://3d5eb348d2dd17a3b54d55303c13dbf4.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
“It is very easy to bowl a carrom ball with the tennis ball. I didn’t have too much practice bowling with the leather ball, it was very hard despite me practicing for 2-3 hours a day. I then started watching Narine’s bowling videos, and I was shocked by the variations he had. Nowadays, times have changed, there are different types of mystery spinners as well!”
“People told me I haven’t been playing regularly for Karnataka when I went unsold in the IPL auction” – Cariappa
It’s no small truth that most of the opportunities in the IPL are a byproduct of good exhibitions in domestic circuit, even across formats. In this regard, Karnataka have boasted of probably the biggest names over the past few years, with the likes of KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Mayank Agarwal and most recently, Devdutt Padikkal becoming household names through the cash-rich league.
The aforementioned players, though, have had a lot of opportunities to prove themselves for Karnataka, while that’s a luxury Cariappa has missed out on.
The spinner has featured in quite a few Karnataka squads since his maiden Ranji Trophy call-up in 2014, but the presence of established players such as K Gowtham, S Gopal and J Suchith has forced him to remain on the sidelines.
What’s more, Cariappa’s economy rate of just 5.02 played a big role in Karnataka’s 2018-19 Syed Mushtaq Ali title win, the state’s maiden T20 trophy victory. In 11 matches of the tournament, he picked up 10 wickets and was hit for just a single six, underlining the impact he had that season.
“I feel the main problem is that I’ve played only in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Even there I’ve performed well, my economy rate is around 5-6 RPO. In 2016 KPL, I was the highest wicket-taker. Karnataka has some really good players like Gowtham, Shreyas, Suchith and so understandably my chances are less.”
“But the problem is even if you miss a year of domestic cricket, the chances of you getting picked in the IPL is less, and I have faced this issue a few times. When I went unsold, people said because I didn’t play for Karnataka, I wasn’t picked.”
“Gambhir wouldn’t compromise on the field, he was a very good captain” – Cariappa on his time with KKR
Cariappa spent just one season with the Knight Riders in IPL 2015, but it took only those many months for him to have some fond memories of the franchise. Cariappa reserved special praise for his KKR skipper Gambhir, who was his first captain in the IPL.
“Gambhir was a very good captain. He was a little strict in terms of bowling discipline, and effort on the field was something he wouldn’t compromise. Outside the field, he didn’t bother you. On the field, you had to give your 100% and that’s what I loved.”
The 27-year-old also had some words of praise for Sanju Samson, who led the Royals in IPL 2021.
“Samson was really good, he is always calm. When I played U-19, he also played that same season for Kerala. The way he captained the side in IPL 2021, he always ensured the players were brimming with confidence.”
“The RR management treats domestic and international players with the same respect”
As for his maiden season with his third IPL franchise, the Rajasthan Royals, Cariappa lamented the temporary cancellation of the tournament owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, but he had some positive things to say about the team.
“RR look at every player the same, there are no assumptions. Ben Stokes is such a warm person, he would come and talk to us while we would eat. Buttler would talk the least, he is always smiling, and when you see him you get really positive vibes. Even in the practice sessions, whether you are international or domestic, it didn’t matter, we were all looked after very well.”
He delved a little deeper into how his Karnataka teammate, Gopal, was at his pranking best during quarantine periods of IPL 2021.
“Shreyas is a prank master. When he was in quarantine, he would call up everyone through the hotel phone. He’s a very jolly guy. I was close with Miller and Tewatia in the RR camp, I have played with them before. This season was turning out to be good, hopefully when it resumes we should be in a good position to start off well.”
As for the opportunities that could come knocking at his door in the months or years to come, Cariappa is confident of making the most of what comes his way. There might be some mystery shrouding the future of domestic cricket or even the IPL, but for the talented spinner, there isn’t a shadow of doubt enveloping his final goal: give his 100% on the field, carpe diem and don the national jersey in the near future.
Out-of-favour Team India batter Robin Uthappa has revealed how former fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad inspired him to make a comeback to the national side back in 2007.
The right-handed batter from Karnataka has represented his country in 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is since making his debut in 2006.
Uthappa made it to the Indian side on the back of consistent performances in domestic cricket. He was soon rewarded with a place in the Indian team as a replacement for Virender Sehwag in the final ODI against England. He made the most of the opportunity by scoring 86 runs, the highest by an Indian on debut at the time.
That conversation with Venky helped me regain focus and get runs: Robin Uthappa
However, he soon hit rock-bottom and was left out of the squad after bagging a duck against West Indies. Robin Uthappa returned to domestic cricket for Karnataka, who was coached by former fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad back then.
During a chat with the Grade Cricketer, the 35-year-old revealed how a conversation with the coach helped him regain his focus and regain his form again.
“I scored a 50 in the first innings of the second game of the season and I was very happy with myself,” Robin Uthappa said during a podcast with the Grade Cricketer. “And then he called me to his room and he said, ‘Rob want to have a conversation with you.’
“He showed me the highest run-scorers list of that season. He said you are number 47. He said, ‘you are an Indian cricketer who has had a great start to international cricket but you are at 47th place. Is that where you want to be when the season ends?”
That kind of keyed me in to really focus and get runs. I got a hundred in the second innings and ended up scoring 850 runs in the season – top scored in the country with 4-5 hundreds and simply because of that one conversation with Venky (Venkatesh Prasad),” Robin Uthappa said.
That season, Robin Uthappa racked up 857 runs from just seven matches, making it impossible to keep him out of the national side. He was also part of the squad that won the World T20 in 2007. However, another poor patch in 2008, in which he only managed 179 runs from 11 matches, led to his downfall in international cricket.
He went onto make a comeback in 2014 following another dream run in domestic cricket but failed to replicate it on the biggest stage. The veteran batter was recently seen in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) plying his trade for Chennai Super Kings. He had to warm the benches in the presence of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis at the top of the batting order.
source: http://www.sportskeeda.com / Sports Keeda / Home> Cricket> News / by Ankush Das / May 20th, 2021
Robin Uthappa recently shared an intriguing anecdote from his international cricket days where Shoaib Akhtar had threatened the batsman not to play one of his trademark ‘walking shots’. The speedster had said that he might even bowl a beamer in response if he sees Uthappa walking down the pitch again.
India won the 5-match ODI series in 2007 against Pakistan by a margin of 3-2, and Robin Uthappa was part of India’s ODI set-up at the time. The batsman recently spoke about the threat he received from Shoaib Akhtar for playing one of his ‘walking shots’.
“We were playing a game in Guwahati. And since it’s in the east of India, it gets dark there early. Back then, we did not have two new balls. After 34 overs, we used to get a ball which used to be 24 overs old but slightly better. Shoaib was bowling and Irfan and I were batting. I think we needed 12 to win off 25 balls or something like that.
“I remember he bowled a yorker to me. I missed it from the arm and only saw it coming straight into the blockhole. I stopped the ball dead there. That was 154 something clicks. Next ball was a low full toss and I hit the ball for four. So after that, we needed 3 or 4 runs to win and I told myself, ‘Man, I have to walk out to Shoaib Akhtar and hit him. How many times will I get that opportunity.’ He bowled a length ball and I did it; it took the edge and it went for four. We won the match,” Robin Uthappa said on ‘Wake Up With Sorabh’ YouTube channel.
Adding further to the story, the Karnataka batsman said:
“We went to Gwalior for the next game (4th ODI) and I remember we all were having dinner together. I think we hung out in someone’s room and having a meal. Shoaib bhai was there as well. He came to me and said ‘Robin… well played. Good game’. And then he said ‘One more thing… you walked out and hit me today. If you do that again, even I don’t know what will happen… you might get a beamer directed at your head.’ After that, I didn’t even dare walk out to him.” Robin Uthappa said.
Happy birthday to Robin Uthappa! He was a part of India’s successful 2007 @ICC Men’s
#T20WorldCup campaign and was among their top five run-scorers
Nov 11, 2020
________________
Robin Uthappa didn’t have the best of times in the 2007 ODI series against Pakistan, scoring only 31 runs across 4 innings. Yuvraj Singh was the star of the show for India, winning the Man of the Series award for his performance against the arch-rivals.
Robin Uthappa didn’t get a game for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021
The 35-year-old was part of the 2021 edition of the IPL for the Chennai Super Kings. However, before the tournament was postponed, Robin Uthappa failed to get a game for the Chennai outfit.
With Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis showing impressive form at the top of the order, the veteran batsman could not break into the playing XI.
The batsman’s best days in the IPL came in KKR’s jersey when he won the Orange Cup during the 2014 season and helped the Kolkata franchise win their second title.
source: http://www.sportskeeda.com / SportsKeeda / Home> Cricket> News / by Ayush Chaurasia, Analyst / May 16th, 2021
She was the first woman referee from India to officiate in 88 international hockey matches
The first Indian woman umpire who started her international career in 2004 and the first woman referee from India to officiate in 88 international hockey matches Mundanda (Puchimanda) Anupama, wife of Mundanda Mithun Mandanna of Nelaji village in Kodagu, passed away in Bengaluru this morning. She was 41.
She was selected by the Federation of International Hockey as one of the youngest umpires among ten men and women in the world. She had a passion for sports when she was nine and since then she never looked back. She was the first woman referee from India to officiate in 88 international hockey matches, junior world cup and three Commonwealth Games.
Born to Puchimanda Shivappa and Shanthi Shivappa (Achhandira) at Bittangala, Anupama was awarded the Best Umpire (Women) India by Sardar Gyan Singh Memorial Hockey Society in 2007. Anupama represented India in the umpires seminar held at Singapore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Chandigarh and New Delhi and represented Karnataka as a player in the sub-junior and senior women’s National Hockey Championships. She officiated as the umpire in the four-nation tournament held at Singapore in 2007 and refereed the finals between Australia Vs Malaysia.
She was the umpire in the three-nation tournament held at Italy and also umpired the Central American and Caribbean games, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 2006. In 2008, Anupama officiated as the umpire for two four-nation tournament at Rotterdam in Holland and also at Bremen in Germany. Anupama umpired the Junior Asia Cup held at Malaysia in and was the umpire in the youth Olympic Games held at Australia in 2009.
She started her sports career at the age of nine as an amateur athlete at Sports School Kudige in Kodagu. At 13, she joined the Sports Authority of India, Madikeri, where she got into hockey. She represented the State in sub-junior and senior national championships several times. She has also officiated in events in Asia, Africa, and America and European continents.
She had a passion for umpiring and she cleared the umpiring exam in 2001 and first officiated as an umpire at Cheppudira Family Hockey Tournament in Kodagu and went onto make international name and fame. Anupama’s goal was to be an Olympics umpire. “I am happy I chose this profession. This motivates me to focus more on the job and I will be happy if one day I get to officiate in the Olympics,” she had stated in one of her interviews.
Recently Anupama was selected as Executive Council Member by Karnataka State Hockey Association.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / April 18th, 2021
Anupama had officiated in junior women’s World Cup and the Asia Cup among other major hockey events.
One of India’s former international hockey umpires Anupama Punchimanda lost her battle with COVID-19 in Bengaluru on Sunday. She was 40!
Punchimanda, a former national level player, took to officiating early in her career and excelled as an umpire.
She oversaw a number of big-ticket events like the 2005 Junior Women’s World Cup in Santiago, Chile, the 2013 Hockey World League Round II in New Delhi and the 2013 Women’s Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur.
“Anupama Punchimanda was one of the first few women in India to umpire at very reputed international tournaments,” Hockey India president Gyanendro Ningombam said in a statement.
“We at Hockey India share the grief of her family and friends and we extend our deepest condolences to Anupama’s family members.”
Punchimanda’s death comes just a few days after former Indian footballer and Olympian Ahmed Hussain died following complications related to the novel coronavirus. Hussain was 89 years old.
India have been dealing with a second wave of COVID-19 over the past few weeks with the ministry of health and family welfare reporting 1.8 million active cases as on April 18 with 177,150 reported deaths.
source: http://www.olympicchannel.com / Olympic Channel / Home / by Naveen Peter / April 18th, 2021
Canara Bank beat Coorg Gulf in penalties to clinch the fifth edition of the five-a-side CHAIROS Hockey Cup 2021 held at the at FM Cariappa Hockey Arena turf ground, Shanthi Nagar.
The proceeds of the three-day tournament, organised by Coorg Challengers Chickpet Association, under the aegis of Hockey Karnataka, were donated to Cheshire Homes India, Bengaluru.
Dr AB Subbaiah, Olympian, Arjun Awardee and Hockey India Secretary inaugurated the tournament which brought together 23 of the best state level teams from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
An exclusive Limited edition CHAIROS SPRINT sports watch by QNET was awarded to Team Coorg Gulg’s MG Poonacha, who was adjudged the Man of the Match.
Canara Bank’s Prithviraj GN who received the Player of the Tournament honour bagged Limited edition CHAIROS CHRONO + Blue sports watch from QNET.
The teams included an array of world-class players who have represented India at global hockey tournaments and many of them have been a part of the world’s biggest sporting stage, the Olympics.
An exhibition match was played before the finals, comprising players who are sports icons from yesteryear and Olympians.
Considering the COVID-19 situation, all teams strictly followed the safety and health protocols while also doing PCR tests.
Social distancing norms were strictly implemented to ensure safety of the spectators as well.
source: http://www.mykhel.com / MyKhel / Home> Hockey> News / by Ranjit / April 15th, 2021
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ur masks cause it’s high time.
