Who is Manny Malhotra, named Vancouver Canucks head coach, creates hi…

Manny Malhotra, a former NHL player of Indian origin, has been named the new head coach of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, becoming the 23rd bench boss in the franchise’s history. esporist.com

Reports from North American media indicate that the Canucks have reached an agreement with Malhotra after weeks of speculation over the club’s coaching search.

The appointment marks a significant milestone for India-origin representation in professional ice hockey. Born in Mississauga, Ontario, Malhotra, 46, is the son of a Punjabi father who emigrated from India and a French-Canadian mother.

His father, Shadi Malhotra, was born in India and later worked as a research chemist in Canada.

A respected figure in Canadian hockey, Malhotra enjoyed an 18-year NHL playing career after being selected seventh overall by the New York Rangers in the 1998 NHL Draft.

He went on to play for several franchises, including the Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks, Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens.

Malhotra transitioned into coaching after retirement and steadily climbed the ranks. He served as a development coach and assistant coach with Vancouver before spending four seasons as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 2024, he was appointed head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks, Vancouver’s American Hockey League affiliate.

His coaching credentials received a major boost when he guided Abbotsford to the franchise’s first Calder Cup championship in 2025, a success that made him the frontrunner for the NHL role.

For Indian-origin sports fans worldwide, Malhotra’s elevation to one of hockey’s most prestigious coaching positions is a moment of pride and a reminder of the growing global footprint of the Indian diaspora in elite sport.

Trisha Ghosal, Taunton

In Taunton, on the eve of the T20I series decider, rain set in around mid-afternoon and never really went away, forcing both India and England to abandon plans of training outdoors and move their preparations inside. Whether the weather allows a full game remains to be seen, but for India, there may be a bigger picture to consider. With the decider followed by two warm-up matches in Cardiff, the Indian side effectively has just three games left to answer a few lingering questions before the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup begins.

One of those questions revolves around Richa Ghosh. There is no debate about what she brings to the side. On her day, she can change a match in the space of a few deliveries. The issue, however, is whether India are giving her enough time to do that. Walking in during the 14th or 15th over often means she has to start swinging from ball one. On surfaces where timing is not always straightforward, that can be a difficult assignment.

Someone like Richa does not necessarily need ten overs at the crease, but a few deliveries to understand the pace of the pitch can make the difference between winning a match and losing it. Once she is set, she has the power to recover those early dot balls. Giving her a little more time in the middle could be something worth looking at before the World Cup, much like England is doing with Amy Jones.

In the middle order, another question lingers on Yastika Bhatia. She made an impressive return after injury and immediately showed what she can offer at the top. Yet in both the games, her scoring rate has dipped after the Powerplay. In the powerplay, Yastika has scored 46 runs in 22 ball at a SR of 209.09; after the powerplay she has scores 41 runs off 54 balls at a SR of 75.92. With only a handful of matches left, India may decide this is the right time to give Bharti Fulmali another opportunity and see what different combinations look like.

That would also allow Jemimah Rodrigues to settle back into the No. 3 position. While Rodrigues has repeatedly said that batting positions are not a concern as long as her role is clearly defined, every batter enjoys knowing exactly where they fit into the side heading into a major tournament.

Then there is Radha Yadav. If she is part of the World Cup plans, India need to see her in action. Her bowling is already a known quantity, but her batting could be particularly useful in English conditions. She runs well between the wickets, can contribute valuable runs lower down the order and offers balance to the side. The next three games feel like the ideal opportunity to assess exactly how India want to use her.

The bowling department presents another interesting selection dilemma. If the weather forecast proves accurate and conditions remain overcast, Renuka Singh Thakur becomes a very tempting option. The breeze around Taunton has been constant over the last couple of days and there has been enough moisture in the air to suggest seam movement could play a role.

Those are precisely the sort of conditions in which Renuka tends to thrive. Against aggressive batters like Sophia Dunkley, her ability to move the ball could become a genuine weapon. Dunkley likes to take the attack to bowlers early, but any assistance from the conditions could bring Renuka into the contest immediately.

That said, one difficult outing should not suddenly become a major concern for Arundhati Reddy. Every bowler has off days. The challenge for the team management is deciding when to experiment and when to back players who have already delivered in the past.

The weather forecast may dominate conversations heading into the decider, but India’s team management will have one eye firmly on the bigger picture. Results matter, of course, but with only three matches left before the World Cup, every selection call, batting-order tweak and bowling experiment could prove crucial when the tournament gets underway.

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The post Three Matches, Several Questions: What Should India Experiment With Before The T20 World Cup? appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) emerged victorious in the IPL 2026 final match against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Following RCB`s triumph, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia congratulated the Royal Challengers. He also showered praises on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and said that the board will do everything to get him to the highest level of the game.

"It was a wonderful season... I hope all the fans have a lovely time during this IPL, and congratulations to RCB for winning the tournament consecutively twice. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is a wonderful player coming up, and he has a bright future. BCCI will do everything to get him to the highest level of cricket," he told reporters.

Sooryavanshi showcased his exceptional skills in the recently concluded edition of the cash-rich league. He finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer. Having played 16 matches, the left-handed batsman scored 776 runs with an average of 48.50.

With this, he became the youngest "Orange Cap" winner at the just 15 years and 65 days old. The previous record was held by Gujarat Titans` opening batsman Sai Sudharsan, who won it at 23 years and 231 days in 2025, while Shubman Gill had set the record in 2023 at 23 years and 263 days.

IPL 2026 final, Gujarat Titans vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Match summary

With an aim of chasing the target of 156 runs, RCB scored 161 runs for the loss of five wickets in 18 overs.

Impact Player Venkatesh Iyer smashed 31 runs in just 16 balls, with the help of four boundaries and two maximums. Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed on one run in four balls.

Skipper Rajat Patidar scored 15 runs before departing. Facing 13 balls, he smashed a boundary and a maximum. Krunal Pandya`s innings also came to an end with one run in two balls. Tim David accumulated 24 runs in 17 balls before departing. His knock included three boundaries and a maximum.

Facing 42 balls, stalwart Virat Kohli garnered an unbeaten 75 runs, laced with nine boundaries and three maximums. Shouldering him was wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma, who scored an unbeaten 11 runs in 14 balls, with the help of a boundary.

Gujarat`s Rashid Khan claimed two wickets. Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, and Arshad Khan also bagged one wicket each. Impact Player Prasidh Krishna and Jason Holder went wicketless in the IPL 2026 match against Bengaluru.

Earlier, having been put to bat first, GT`s opening batsman Sai Sudharsan managed to score 12 runs in 12 balls, including two boundaries. Captain Shubman Gill registered 10 runs in eight balls, with the help of two boundaries.

Facing 18 balls, Nishant Sindhu scored 20 runs, which included three boundaries. Wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler departed after scoring 19 runs in 23 balls. His knock included a boundary. Arshad Khan lost his wicket in 15 runs in six balls, including two maximums.

Later, Jason Holder was dismissed on seven runs in five balls, including a boundary. Washington Sundar played a fighting knock of an unbeaten 50 runs off 37 deliveries, laced with five boundaries. Rashid Khan also scored seven runs in three balls, including a maximum. Rahul Tewatia registered seven runs in five balls, including a boundary. Kagiso Rabada stayed unbeaten on three runs in three balls. With this, the Titans posted a total of 155 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs against the Royal Challengers.

Bengaluru`s Rasikh Salam returned with the figures of three wickets for 27 runs in four overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood claimed two wickets each. Krunal Pandya also chipped in with one wicket. Jacob Duffy went wicketless in the IPL 2026 match against the Titans.

Eagle Thane Strikers (ETS) opener Shashwat Jagtap stole the show in his debut match on Day One of the T20 Mumbai League (TML), becoming the first centurion of Season-4. Jagtap’s match-winning unbeaten century (50-ball 100 not out) helped ETS beat Bandra Blasters (BB) by nine wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.

Jagtap, who is pursuing a degree in sports management at the International Institute of Sports Management (IISM) reckoned that he’s giving equal importance to the studies given the uncertainties in sport. “We all know how uncertain cricket is, so I’m pursuing sports management [first year] as a back-up plan because I like the field of sports a lot. It’s not difficult to manage both cricket and studies together, if you can give proper time to both,” Jagtap said during the post-match press conference on Monday.

Tarmale claims 3-28

Put into bat, Bandra outfit posted 189-9 in the allotted 20 overs with Jay Jain (21-ball 45) and Om Keshkamat (26-ball 40) being the chief contributors. For the Thane side, pacers Onkar Tarmale claimed 3-28, while skipper Shardul Thakur and left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar took two wickets apiece.

In reply, riding on Jagtap and Sumeir Zaveri’s (36-ball 80) 155-run opening stand, ETS chased down the target convincingly in 15.2 overs. His innings were laced with 14 fours and three sixes, which exhibited his front foot as well as back foot batting skills perfectly.

No chance last season

Interestingly, Jagtap, was part of Maratha Royals team last season, but didn’t get to play a single match for the defending champions.

Brief scores
BB 189-9 in 20 overs (J Jain 45, O Keshkamat 40, S Parkar 30; O Tarmale 3-28, S Thakur 2-33, A Ankolekar 2-34) lost to ETS 194-1 in 15.2 overs (S Jagtap 100*, S Zaveri 80) by 9 wkts

Indian team will expect more from the dependable duo of Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh as it aims to sort out its middle order woes going into the third and final Women’s T20 International against hosts England here on Tuesday.

With the series locked at 1-1, a victory in the decider will not just be another overseas bilateral win but a shot in the arm for either team before the start of the Women’s T20 World Cup later this month. For India, this series is also the dress rehearsal to check out the ideal combinations based on English conditions going into the marquee event.

For England also, batting has been a concern, as Amy Jones’s 67 is the only half-century across two games.

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