KSCA T20: Agarwal, Padikkal, Pandey among stars to go under hammer in auction
Bengaluru(PTI): Prominent Karnataka state stars such as Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal and Manish Pandey are among 700 cricketers who will be up for grabs during the player auction here on Saturday, ahead of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20.
This year's tournament will be held at a single venue the M Chinnaswamy Stadium from August 14 to 30. Mangaluru Dragons and Shivamogga Lions have been added to the tournament, expanding the number of participating teams to six.
The existing teams are defending champions Gulbarga Mystics, runners-up Bengaluru Blasters, Mysuru Warriors and Hubli Tigers.
Each of those franchises will have a purse of Rs 50 lakh and they will have to purchase a minimum of 16 players and the squad strength should not exceed 18.
Players will be slotted into four categories. While the Category A will feature India and IPL players, the Category B will have all senior players who have played BCCI state tournaments such as the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
The Category C will consist of players from all other BCCI tournaments, and Category D is reserved for all registered players of KSCA.
BK Sampath Kumar, the commissioner of Maharaja Trophy and KSCA vice president said, "Last edition was a tremendous success. We saw many young players make the most of the opportunity. We want to see more youngsters from Karnataka showcase their potential.
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Congress to challenge Waqf bill's constitutionality in Supreme Court 'very soon'
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday said it will "very soon" challenge in the Supreme Court the constitutionality of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 that has been passed in Parliament.
The opposition party also said it will continue to resist all "assaults" of the Modi government on the principles, provisions, and practices that are contained in the Constitution.
Parliament early Friday approved the Bill after the Rajya Sabha gave its nod to the contentious legislation following an over 13-hour debate.
In a post in Hindi on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "The atmosphere in the country regarding the Waqf Board Amendment Bill is such that it feels like this bill has been brought to harass minorities. Late at night in the Lok Sabha, when this bill was passed, it received 288 votes in favour and 232 votes against. Why did this happen? This means there are many flaws in the bill."
From this, one can guess that despite opposition from various parties, this bill was brought arbitrarily, he said.
"This 'might is right' -- won’t be good for anyone!" Kharge said.
In a post on X, AICC general secretary in-charge organisation Jairam Ramesh said, "The INC will very soon be challenging in the Supreme Court the constitutionality of the Wakf (Amendment) Bill."
"We are confident and will continue to resist all assaults of the Modi Govt on the principles, provisions, and practices that are contained in the Constitution of India," he said.
The discussion on the Waqf Bill in the Rajya Sabha witnessed staunch objections from opposition parties, which termed the Bill "anti-Muslim" and "unconstitutional" with the government responding that the "historic reform" would benefit the minority community.
The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. It was passed in the Lok Sabha early Thursday, with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.
Ramesh also said that the INC's challenge of the CAA, 2019 is being heard in the Supreme Court.
The INC's challenge of the 2019 amendments to the RTI Act, 2005 is being heard in the Supreme Court, he noted.
"The INC's challenge to the validity of the amendments to the Conduct of Election Rules (2024) is being heard in the Supreme Court.
"The INC's intervention to uphold the letter and spirit of the Places of Worship Act, 1991 is being heard in the Supreme Court," the Congress leader added.
The Waqf Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. It was passed in the Lok Sabha early Thursday, with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.
Parliament also approved the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2025, with the Rajya Sabha giving its nod. The Lok Sabha had already given its assent to the Bill.
