Firstpost Spodcast Episode 118: IPL 2019 to begin from 23 March, Kidambi Srikanth shines in Bengaluru Raptors' win and more

Welcome to Spodcast, the sports update on Firstpost. We begin with cricket today. The BCCI announced on Tuesday that the 2019 edition of the IPL will be played entirely at home in India. There was some speculation in December, around the time of the auction, that a part of the tournament might be moved out of India to avoid a clash with the 2019 general elections. The Committee of Administrators (CoA) met in Delhi yesterday to discuss the dates and venues. They decided that the IPL will stay in India but will begin almost weeks before the usual date. The IPL generally begins in early April and continues till the end of May. This year, it will begin on 23 March. Jasprit Bumrah, India’s stand out bowler in the Test series in Australia, has been rested for the limited overs series against Australia as well India’s limited overs tour of New Zealand. The BCCI said it wants Bumrah, who bowled more than 150 overs in the four Tests and claimed 21 wickets, to be well rested for the home series against Australia which begins February 24. That series features 5 ODIs and 2 T20 matches. The board announced, “Keeping in mind the workload of the bowler, it was best felt to give him adequate rest ahead of the home series against Australia.” Badminton news now from the PBL. India star Kidambi Srikanth led from the front as his team Bengaluru Raptors defeated Mumbai Rockets to stay in contention for the semifinals. Srikanth, the captain of the Bengaluru team, played a thrilling match against World No. 18 Anders Antonsen, eventually winning 15-14, 15-13. The world no. 8 employed his trademark smashes that saw him take an 8-5 lead in the first game, only for the Danish player to fight back and draw level at 13-13. Antonsen then made it 14-13, earning a game point but Srikanth scored two successive points to win the game 15-14. The second game was every bit as competitive, with the two drawing level at 13-13 once more. Yet again, Srikanth scored two points to win the game and match. Bengaluru needed four points to move into the top 4 in the points table. With this victory, they have knocked out the Pune 7 Aces. Football news now. First, the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Iraq defeated Vietnam 3-2 in a thrilling match on Tuesday that included a last-minute free kick by Ali Adnan that helped the 2007 champions prevail after an intense contest. Iraq are ranked 88 in the world while Vietnam are ranked 100. In I-League action, East Bengal beat Indian Arrows 2-1 on Tuesday in a hard-fought match to remain in contention for the title. East Bengal’s Laldanmawia scored off a penalty in the 26th minute and Jobby Justin scored in the 64th minute After the win, East Bengal are in fourth place with 19 points from 10 matches while Indian Arrows are in ninth place with 10 points