Correct Answer :   Kim Cotton

Women referees and umpires judging in men's competitions is extremely rare. Scripting a new chapter in history, Kim Cotton of New Zealand became the first female on-field umpire to stand in a men's international match between two ICC full-member countries.

* She stood as an on-field umpire in a T20 match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand at the University Oval in Dunedin on Wednesday (5th April 2023).

* Cotton, 45, is not new to the profession of a cricket umpire as she has umpired in 16 women's ODIs and 44 T20Is.

* She also marked her presence in men's cricket as a TV umpire during a T20I match between India and New Zealand in 2020.

* Her name is included in some of the elite umpires as she has been one of the on-field umpires for both the 2022 Women's World Cup final (50-over) and the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup final in February.

* Before Cotton achieved the rare feat, Claire Polosak became the first female umpire in a men's international cricket in 2019 when she stood in a Onedayer between Oman and Namibia.

* But they are associate nations and not full-time ICC members.

* Polosak also became the first female match official in a men's Test match as she worked as the fourth umpire during a 2021-22 Border Gavaskar Trophy Test match between India and Australia in Sydney last year...

Source : Zeebiz

Correct Answer :   5

Former Indian cricket team captain, MS Dhoni was named among the five Indians to have been inducted with the Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) honorary life membership.

Other four Indian Cricketers : Yuvraj Singh, Maithali Raj, Suresh Raina, and Jhulan Goswami

MS Dhoni had featured in 538 international games across formats, scoring over 17,000 runs during the same.

Yuvraj Singh was an integral part of the Indian team that won the first T20 World Cup in 2007.

Correct Answer :   Sanjita Chanu

Sanjita Chanu, a two-time Commonwealth Games (CWG) gold medalist in weightlifting, has been banned for four years after failing a dope test.

* Sanjita tested positive for Drostanolone Metabolite, an anabolic steroid on the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) prohibited list, during an in-competition test at the National Games in Gujarat last September-October.

* Her dope sample was collected in a competition on September 30, 2022, during the National Games in Gujarat last year.

* It is held that the Athlete has violated Article 2.1 & 2.2 of the NADA ADR, 2021, she is hereby sanctioned with an ineligibility of four (04) years as per Article 10.2.1 of the NADA ADR, 2021, the three-member NADA Anti-Doping Disciplinary panel headed by Chaitanya Mahajan said in the order.

* Sanjita's ban will commence on November 12, 2022, the date of her provisional suspension.

* The period of ineligibility shall commence from the date of provisional suspension i.e,12.11.2022. It shall be noted that the athlete has failed to satisfy the panel that the ADRV was non-intentional as per Article 10.2.1.1 of the NADA ADR, 2023.

* This a is a huge setback for Sanjita, who will be stripped of the National Games silver medal as a result of the positive test.

* As per Article 10.10 of the NADA ADR, 2021, the athlete is hereby disqualified of all of the individual results obtained in the said Event with all Consequences, including forfeiture of all medals, points and prizes since 30-09-2022," the order, dated March 31.

* Sanjita had won gold in 48kg ahead of Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. At the 2018 edition of the CWG in Gold Coast, she was crowned champion in the 53kg category.

* The Manipuri has the option to appeal against the decision of the disciplinary panel. She can do that by approaching to the appeals panel of the NADA within 21 days from the date of receipt of the decision..

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   MS Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni completed 5000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) during a game against Lucknow Super Giants at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday (3rd April 2023).

* Dhoni became the seventh cricketer to breach the 5000-run mark in the IPL in his 208th innings. Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and AB de Villiers are also part of the 5000-run club.

* Dhoni, playing at the Chepauk after a gap of four years began his innings in style by smoking Mark Wood for a maximum in ver first ball.

* Walking in after the fall of Ravindra Jadeja, Dhoni slapped Wood over the wide of the third-man region for a maximum and then drilled the short ball well over the deep square leg boundary for his second six. In the process, the CSK skipper breached the 5000-run mark in the IPL.

* The CSK skipper tried for another maximum but was caught by Ravi Bishnoi at deep cover as CSK posted a challenging 217 for the loss of seven wickets...

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   Gregoria Mariska Tunjung

Gregoria Mariska Tunjung from Indonesia has clinched the Women's title in the 2023 Spain Masters, held in Madrid, Spain from 28 March-2 April 2023.

* She defeated Indian Badminton player, P V Sindhu.

* While Japanese badminton player, Kenta Nishimoto won the men's title.

Other winners :

* Men's doubles : He Jiting and Zhou Haodong (China)

* Women's doubles : Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning (China)

* Mixed doubles : Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Bøje (Denmark)..

Source : H T

Correct Answer :   Daniil Medvedev

Russian superstar "Daniil Medvedev" won his 4th title of 2023 after defeating Jannik Sinner in a hard-fought final in Miami on Sunday 2nd April 2023.

* It was Medvedev's maiden title triumph at the prestigious Miami Open as the former World No.1 extended his record to 24-1 in his last five events on what has been a terrific run on hard courts.

* Daniil Medvedev overcame Jannik Sinner, who is also in red-hot form in the new season, 7-5, 6-3 to win his fifth Masters 1000 title and 19th overall.

* Incidentally, each of Medvedev's 19 different title wins on the tour have come in different events. It was also Medvedev's first Masters 1000 level victory since Toronto in 2021.

* Medvedev, who showcased his rock solid baseline game, defeated Jannik Sinner in the final on the tour for the second time after his triumph over the Italian in Rotterdam in February. The Russian now leads Sinner 7-0 in head-to-head meetings.

* It was a disappointing finish for Sinner as he battled past World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final in a stunning encounter only to falter in the final hurdle.

* Medvedev, who reached the final of Indian Wells Masters last month and lost to Carlos Alcaraz, will move to No. 4 from No. 5 in the ATP men's singles rankings, which will be updated on Monday.

* The former US Open champion was going through patch form in 2022. After his shocking 3-round exit at Australian Open, Medvedev has looked in top form, extending his season's record to 24-3...

Source : I T

Correct Answer :   Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen won a chaotic Australian Grand Prix, the third round of the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship, in a race that was red-flagged three times.

* Verstappen lost his lead from pole at the start, as the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton passed him in the opening corners. But Verstappen took control after a restart following Alex Albon’s big crash, passing Hamilton using DRS in the ultra-fast section ahead of Turn 9 – while Russell went out with an engine fire.

* Despite a brief off, Verstappen looked to be cruising to victory when the race was red-flagged again when Kevin Magnussen crashed his Haas. A two-lap restart was attempted but that ended in a multi-car crash, that led to another red flag.

* Those cars that were still running then completed a final lap behind the safety car in the order of the previous restart..

Source : Motor Sport

Correct Answer :   Narendra Modi Stadium

IPL 2023 : The 16th edition of Indian Premier League will begin today i.e. on 31 March 2023 at 7:30 PM IST. IPL 2023 will begin with a clash between heavyweights Chennai Super Kings and defending champions Gujarat Titans.

* The opening ceremony will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

* The T20 cricket extravaganza will be played across 12 venues with the Narendra Modi Stadium hosting the opener while the final of the tournament will be played on 28 May 2023 at the same venue in Ahmedabad.

* Livestream of the event will be available on the Jio Cinema OTT app for free.

Who are performing at the opening ceremony?

The opening ceremony of this year's IPL will also have an element of music as Arijit Singh will perform at the event. Actress Tamannaah Bhatia and Rashmika Mandana will also be performing at the opening ceremony of IPL 2023. Apart from them, many other celebs from the film industry will be preforming. Some reports have stated that Katrina Kaif, Tiger Shroff will also be performing at the opening ceremony..

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   Shakib Al Hasan

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan became the all-time leading wicket-taker in T20 Internationals during Bangladesh’s 2nd T20I against Ireland in Chattogram on Wednesday (29th March 2023).

* Shakib’s total wickets tally now stands at 136, two more than Tim Southee’s 134. The Bangladesh all-rounder started the contest with 131 wickets to his name and picked a fifer.

* Shakib got the wickets of Ross Adair, Lorcan Tucker,Gareth Delany, Harry Tector and George Dockrell during the innings, with Dockrell being the milestone wicket.

* He finished the four over quota with figures 5-22. Earlier in the match, Shakib struck 38 runs off 24 deliveries as Bangladesh mounted 202 runs in the rain-reduced 17-over match.

* Shakib reached the record tally in 114 matches. His career bowling-average stands at 20.67 at an economy rate of 6.80. He will be in action for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League 2023..

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   Bharali Bedabrate

Indian weightlifter Bharali Bedabrate clinched the men's 67kg bronze medal at the the IWF World Youth Championships in Durres, Albania.

* The 15-year-old lifted a total of 267kg(119kg+148kg) to finish third on Monday (27th March 2023) night.

* Armenia's Seryozha Barseghyan 275kg(128kg+147kg) and Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Al Marzouq 270kg (119kg+148kg) won the gold and silver medals respectively..

Source : Outlook India