
Chandigarh: Amarjit Singh Mehta re-elected PCA president
The other office-bearers are: Deepak Bali (vice-president), Kulwant Singh (secretary), Siddhant Sharma (joint secretary) and Sunil Gupta (treasurer).
Electoral officer Rajeev Sharma (IAS retd) said all office-bearers have been elected unopposed for the upcoming three-year term.
Kulwant Singh is the AAP MLA from Mohali while Deepak Bali is adviser to the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Board. Sunil Gupta, a businessman from Bathinda, is the vice-chairman of the Punjab Economic Policy and Planning Board, with the rank and status of cabinet minister.
Gupta said the PCA general body has unanimously approved all agenda items, including the T20 league Sher-e-Punjab Tournament for the 2025-2026 season.
Eleven apex council members were also elected during the meeting. They are Arminder Singh, Rajat Bhardwaj, Chanchal Kumar Singla, Amit Bajaj, Birdevinder Singh Natt, Prabhir Singh Brar, Gauravdeep Singh Dhaliwal, Kamal Kumar Arora, Amrinder Vir Singh Barsat, Sahebjit Singh Sehmby and Vikram Kumar.
Players felicitated
On the occasion, PCA felicitated players and coaches who brought laurels to Punjab in different tournaments. Uday Pratap Saharan, skipper of the U-23 men's team, and head coach VRV Singh were honoured for winning the Col CK Nayudu Trophy, the U-23 State-A Trophy and the Col CK Nayudu Trophy vs Rest of India. Umesh Gill, skipper of the U-16 men's team, and head coach RP Singh were feted for leading the team to the runners-up position in the Vijay Merchant Trophy. Jyoti, captain of the Punjab U-15 women's team, and coach Yograj were honoured for guiding the team to runners-up spot in the one-day tournament this season.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Akin to Bihar, special intensive revision of electoral rolls likely in J&K
Minerva Academy FC from Punjab won the U-14 Dana Cup in Denmark, scoring a stunning 15-0 victory in the final. This follows their earlier Gothia Cup triumph in Sweden, with the team scoring 110 goals across seven matches and conceding just one.


Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Indian Express
Chandigarh to Lord's: Abhay spins his way into the big league
Written by Gracy Singh Abhay Tipnis, who spent his school years at Lawrence School, Sanawar, and Yadavindra Public School, Patiala, and honed his game at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium in Mohali, is quietly weaving his cricketing journey across domestic and international grounds — one net session at a time. The Madhya Pradesh-born left-arm spinner, deeply connected to Chandigarh and Punjab through his training and early cricket, recently found himself bowling to legends at one of the sport's most iconic venues: Lord's. 'I've been actively involved in the training sessions for both India and England during the ongoing Test match at Lord's,' Tipnis told The Indian Express. 'I've bowled to some of the best — Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant — and even to top England batters. They asked me to bowl like Jadeja,' he adds with a grin, recalling the thrill of imitating his idol Ravindra Jadeja for England's batsmen. Cricket came early to Abhay. 'I used to watch my father, Rajiv Tipnis, practise regularly. That's what hooked me to the game early on,' he says. His maternal grandfather, Dr Harish Singh Dhillon, former headmaster of both YPS Mohali and Patiala as well as Lawrence School, Sanawar, was another major influence. 'He had a very positive impact on me. He was always supportive of both my sports and academic interests, and more importantly, he inspired thousands of children as an educator. He also instilled a strong value system in me, which continues to guide me on and off the field.' His formative years in schools known for their strong sporting culture and his stints with the Punjab U-14 and U-16 teams, playing alongside future stars like Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma, cemented his bond with the region. 'I've spent most of my vacations in Chandigarh, especially training at the PCA stadium in Mohali,' he recalls. 'That place shaped me. It feels like home.' Tipnis is upbeat about cricket infrastructure in the Tricity. 'It's great that Chandigarh has its own cricket association, the UTCA. It really helps young aspirants shape their journey in the sport. There's a lot of untapped potential here that deserves more attention and exploration,' he says, underscoring the importance of grassroots systems in building the next generation of cricketers. Tipnis's professional debut came in the prestigious C K Nayudu Trophy in 2019, where he represented Madhya Pradesh against Karnataka, announcing his arrival with a five-wicket haul. Since then, he has been part of net bowling camps for several IPL teams and now serves as an overseas professional for Manchester Cricket Club. Looking ahead, his ambitions remain clear yet grounded. 'I see myself playing Test cricket for India as a left-arm spinner and a reliable all-rounder,' he says. Among those who've shaped his game, he counts Jadeja, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, and Virat Kohli. 'They've all influenced my game in different ways. Gautam Gambhir, in particular, has been very supportive,' he adds, reflecting on the value of mentorship for young cricketers. From the school fields of Punjab to the hallowed turf of Lord's, Tipnis's journey is a quiet testament to perseverance, early passion, and the ecosystems — family, school, and cricketing institutions — that make sporting dreams real.


Hindustan Times
19 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
HT Kick Off: Finally, some football
As they say in cricket Wednesday, also the first day of the fourth India-England Test, was a moving day. It began with the National Sports Governance Bill being introduced in Parliament and a meeting of the technical committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to ready a shortlist for Manolo Marquez's replacement and finished with East Bengal beginning the Indian Oil 134th Durand Cup with a bang. The Indian Oil 134th Durand Cup will, hopefully, keep the focus on the pitch.(Samir Jana/HT) Bill for change The sports governance bill has been some time in the making, the journey beginning in 2011 through then Union sports minister Ajay Maken. Even though they are on different sides of the political divide, sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya gave credit to Maken for 'doing good work in shaping the National Sports Code, 2011." With the National Sports Election Panel, National Sports Tribunal and the all-powerful National Sports Board, the bill will change the way sport is governed in India and align the country with the USA, UK, China, and Japan once it becomes law. 'While the law is expected to streamline things, it remains how the right balance between autonomy of BCCI and state oversight can be achieved,' HT said in an editorial. The context is cricket but the larger point of maintaining autonomy is relevant to football where FIFA does not take kindly to third-party interference. The bill being introduced in the Parliament.(Sansad TV/ANI videograb) Lawyer Rahul Mehra is among those who do not see it as a big beautiful bill. Mehra has his facts right and makes more than a few points but it is equally true that, as per the union sports ministry, there are more than 350 cases related to sport that were in courts when the bill was tabled. Football is a case in point. The litigation has dragged on and on and the new AIFF constitution remains a work in progress. Since the bill lists eligibility criteria for election, it will direct who can contest for the president's and other post in AIFF. But that is for later. Jamil frontrunner More immediate is the need to find a replacement for Manolo Marquez. India are likely to use the September window and they play Singapore in crucial Asian Cup qualifiers in October so it is likely that a coach who knows the country and the players will be considered. Which could make Tarkovic the third among equals. Tarkovic coached the Slovakia team that beat Poland 2-1 in the Euro 2020 and though he is 52 and has an idea of football in Asia, he is not familiar with India. Jamil and Constantine are. But it is possible that Jamil's run with Jamshedpur FC last term, taking the unheralded side to the semi-final of the Indian Super League and the Super Cup, could make him the favourite for the job. East Bengal begin with a bang On the business of favourites, 16-time champions East Bengal began the Durand Cup giving notice that they are in it to win it. True, there will be sterner tests than young debutants South United FC but what better than starting with a 5-0 win. Naorem Mahesh Singh enjoyed the start to his stint as captain with a peach of a goal, new comer Bipin Singh scored and Dimitrios Diamantakos got a goal in his first match. That three players from the bench scored will please coach Oscar Bruzon. East Bengal have made a raft of signings including Edmund Lalrindika, Jay Gupta and imports Miguel Figueira, Mohammed Rashid and Kevin Sibilla. They will hope it will be enough to build a squad that can win a 17th Durand Cup whose prize purse has been upped over 250% to ₹3 crore. Durand Cup has survived World Wars and the wars independent India fought. In 1928, Lord Irwin gave away the prizes and in 1935 government officials were granted leave to watch matches . It is fitting that a competition with such rich history puts our focus back on what is happening on the pitch. Hopefully it will be that way till August 23. By then, FC Goa will have played their Asian Champions League 2 qualifier and Mohun Bagan Super Giant began training for the main round of the same competition in September. Durand Cup's 43 matches is not a lot and the uncertainty of when ISL will start remains, but along with India's matches, we can look forward to some football. Play of the week