‘Lost the battle, not the war’: Shreyas Iyer promises to bounce back Qualifier 2
Punjab Kings suffered the worst defeat in IPL Play-off history as Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased down 102 with 60 balls to spare. It seemed like the good old PBKS that fans were accustomed to witnessing. But under captain Shreyas Iyer, PBKS have improved by leaps and bounds in IPL 2025. Even when PBKS could only manage 111 against Kolkata Knight Riders, they bounced back, saving the lowest total ever. Hence, Iyer is not giving up on the dream to win the maiden IPL title for PBKS. He has a message for fans after the RCB humiliation: ‘We lost the battle, not the war’. “Not a day to forget, but got to go back to the drawing board. We lost a lot of wickets in the first innings. There’s a lot to go back and study on. I am not doubting my decisions, to be honest. Whatever we did in terms of planning, outside the ground, I think it was on point. It was just that we couldn’t execute it on the field. I can’t even blame the bowlers, as it was a low total to defend. At the end of the day, we have to bat according to the situation and we have to live up to it. We have lost the battle, but not the war,” Shreyas Iyer said after the match. Punjab Kings will now face the winner of GT-MI in Ahmadabad in Qualifier 2 on June 1. PBKS have already beaten both teams in their own backyard this season. They began the IPL 2025 campaign with an 11-run win over Gujarat Titans in Ahmadabad and beat Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets in Mumbai.
Chef-de-Mission plans to point out the ‘injustice’ Bengal faced in the Khelo India Youth Games in his report to SAI
Subrata Dey, Chef-de-Mission of Bengal in the recently concluded Khelo India Youth Games in Bihar, is likely to highlight the injustice faced by state players, especially in the Yoga event, in his report to the Sports Authority of India (SAI). Simultaneously, Dey has planned also to submit the report to the Bengal Olympic Association (BOA), trying to make the parent body aware of the poor performance by Bengal in the Youth Games which took place from 4th to 15th May. Bengal which fielded 166 participants in the Youth Games acquired only 15 medals. Dey however revealed, “We submitted eight protests in Yoga. But none of our protests were accepted by the judges. Even, on a few occasions in Yoga we noticed that the final listing was made where our participant placed within the top three. But at the time of the announcement, the same participant was seen being placed at seventh or eighth!” According to the Chef-de-Mission, Bengal boys were equally deprived of justice in football. “During our match against Odisha, the boys were randomly heckled by opposition footballers. The referee overlooked all those fouls. In our last group league match against Meghalaya, the referee did the same thing. We were forced to crash out of the competition by the biased referring where two of our footballers were sent off despite the fact that they made no major offense,” mentioned Dey. But at the same time, Dey observed the lack of determination among the participants in a few more disciplines as he said, “We could have had a few more medals in some disciplines. I want to submit the report to BOA also. I feel the performance is alarming at the youth level. If we fail to perform in the youth stage then we will fade out at the senior level. Youth is the age when one should be nourished properly so that he or she can excel at the senior level. I want to make the association aware of the fact.” Dey however heaped a lot of praise on the infrastructure the Bihar government constructed for the Youth Games.
‘Players have to take responsibility’: Maguire
As part of ‘United We Play Season 5’, Manchester United stars Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot, and André Onana made a special visit to Mumbai, engaging with fans and young footballers while offering candid insights into their turbulent 2024/25 campaign. Speaking exclusively to NDTV, the trio shared their thoughts on what went wrong during the season and what lies ahead for the club. Harry Maguire, Manchester United’s former captain, didn’t hold back when reflecting on the Premier League season. “Players have to take responsibility,” Maguire said. “We slipped in the Premier League. We were more focused on the Europa League, but that’s no excuse.” Goalkeeper André Onana defended incoming manager Rúben Amorim, whose appointment has been met with skepticism from some corners. “People called Amorim the worst manager,” Onana noted. “But he has his ideas, and he will not change his style of play. We have to adapt to his vision.” Full-back Diogo Dalot emphasized the need for a cultural and mental shift at the club. “We need a lot of change—and change is happening. In the club, in the squad,” he said. “Players need to be mentally strong to play for United.” The players’ visit was part of Manchester United’s commitment to nurturing young talent and engaging with fans worldwide. With key voices within the squad acknowledging the need for transformation, hopes are high that this marks the beginning of a new era for the Red Devils.
