You don’t have permission to access “http://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/employee-requests-sick-leave-founder-rejects-it-and-orders-hr-to-dock-pay-my-sign-to-switch-company-11213436” on this server.

Reference #18.6fdd417.1773458438.33dac56

https://errors.edgesuite.net/18.6fdd417.1773458438.33dac56

Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani has revealed that, as the head coach of Southern Brave in The Hundred, he intended to select Pakistani players in the auction but did not sign any until the very end.

The recent fiasco involving India and Pakistan players once again escalated during the Hundred. Indian owners took over several franchises in the ECB-controlled league, and hence, the media speculations stated that they might have issued a directive to restrict coaches from bidding on players of Pakistani origin.

Southern Brave is one of the franchises that has sold its stake to Indian owners. The Delhi Capitals owners have bought the stakes, and hence, Delhi Capitals appointed Hemang Badani as the head coach of the franchise in The Hundred as well.

Your daily dose of cricket!

Delhi Capitals coach aimed to bid for Pakistani players

Ever since the Sunrisers Leeds, owned by Sunrisers owner Kavya Maran, bid for Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed and acquired him in ‘The Hundred auction,’ the debate over the inclusion of Pakistani players has been fueled.

Hemang Badani said that his franchise, the Southern Braves, also intended to bid for some Pakistani players and had a few names on their list, but did not end up buying them since they did not seem necessary in their aim to build the best possible squad.

“We had a few players in our list,” Badani said when asked about the possibility of signing Pakistani players.

Speaking of the squad, he said that they already had the likes of South Africa batter Tristan Stubbs and Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, while what they needed was a lead spinner, and they got Adil Rashid for the job. The Capitals also bought Australian all-rounder Nikhil Chaudhary, who is a cricketer of Indian origin.

Hemang Badani reveals the real mantra behind a successful auction

The Delhi Capitals coach emphasized that discipline and patience are crucial during the auction, especially because plans can never go 100% on track in such a fast-moving process.

“The major thing about auctions is that you need to be disciplined and stick to your plan,” he said. “Even when you feel the auction isn’t going in the direction you wanted, you still have to be patient and adapt quickly. The minute you start panicking, things can go wrong.”

He also added that no team can ever walk out of the auction with every target they had thought of having before the start of the auction. However, if a team manages to get around 70-75% of their players, one should be happy.

Badani opens up his groundwork behind player investments in The Hundred

Southern Brave not only bought the former players, but also went on to buy the most familiar cricketer, Chris Jordan. He has been a longtime favourite at the Utilita Bowl. The head coach added that he had been a special player for the Braves, and he understands the conditions very well.

He also made a futuristic investment in English U-19 cricketer Thomas Rew, whose performance in the U-19 World Cup had impressed the Delhi Capitals coach.

ALSO READ: Blessing Muzarabani ditches PSL team, joins KKR for IPL 2026

NEW DELHI: In a major departure from the existing law, The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill 2026 introduced in Lok Sabha on Friday proposed to omit the clause that allowed “self-perceived gender identity” to be the basis for self-determination and identification for approval for transgender certificate by the district magistrate.“The existing vague definition of the expression “transgender person” not only makes it impossible to identify the genuine oppressed persons to whom the benefits of the Act are intended to reach,” the statement of objects and reasons of the bill introduced by social justice and empowerment minister Virendra Kumar explained.It underlines that a transgender person “shall not include, nor shall ever have been so included, persons with different sexual orientations and self-perceived sexual identities”.“The protection and benefits that are provided under the Act are vast in nature, and therefore, care has to be taken that such identification cannot be extended on the basis of any acquirable characteristics or personal choice or claimed self-perceived identity of an individual,” it added.The govt has justified the proposed changes. “The purpose of the Act was to protect a specified class of persons socially and culturally known as transgender people who face societal discrimination of an extreme and oppressive nature,” says the statement of objects of the bill. “The purpose was and is not to protect each and every class of persons with various gender identities, self perceived sex, gender identities or gender fluidities,” it added.The bill also proposes to create specific offences with graded punishments that reflect the gravity of the harm, the irreversibility of the injury, and the particular vulnerability of child victims.A medical board headed by chief medical officer has been introduced in the bill, and if passed in the current form, the district magistrate will, going forward, issue a certificate of transgender identity, after examining the recommendation of the medical board cited as “authority” to be constituted by the central or state govts.As of now a person applies for the transgender certificate on the portal of the ministry and the application where the transgender person gives an affidavit of their self perceived identity is then taken up by the district magistrate for verification of documents and approval for certification. Since the 2019 law was enacted and implemented in 2020 after the rules came in September, just about 32448 certificates have been issued as per the latest data on the National Portal For Transgender Persons.The bill defines a trans person as the one “having such socio-cultural identities as ‘kinner’, ‘hijra’, ‘aravani’ and ‘jogta’, or eunuch, or a person with intersex variations or a person who, at birth, has a congenital variation in one or more sex characteristics as compared to male or female development:- primary sexual characteristics; external genitalia, chromosomal patterns, gonadal development endogenous hormone production or response.”“Also, any person or child who has been, by force, allurement, inducement, deceit or undue influence, either with or without consent, compelled to assume, adopt, or outwardly present a transgender identity, by mutilation, emasculation, castration, amputation, or any surgical, chemical, or hormonal procedure or otherwise will be included in the definition.The bill said that the current law also prohibits discrimination and abuse against transgender persons but its penal provision addresses only general wrongs and criminal offences and prescribes a maximum of two years’ imprisonment. The proposed amendments make room for stricter penalties and punishments.For instance imprisonment ranging from six months to two years have been prescribed for crimes ranging from compelling a transgender person to indulge in the act of forced or bonded labour, denial of the right of passage to a public place to forcing a trans person to leave home or village. Similar punishment is prescribed for cases involving cases of physical, sexual, verbal, emotional and economic abuse of a trans person.If a trans person is kidnaped and suffers mutilation, castration or any surgical, chemical, or hormonal procedure; or permanent or severe injury with the intent of compelling to compel the person to adopt or outwardly present a transgender identity against their will, the offence shall be punishable with 10 years to life imprisonment. In addition a fine not less than Rs 2 lakh will be levied. For the same crime involving a child the punishment will be life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5 lakh.If someone by force or threat compels any person, whether or not such person is a transgender person, to dress, present, or conduct themselves outwardly as a transgender person against the will of such person and engage them in begging or forced labour, the punishment will be between 5 to 10 years. In case of a child the punishment can range between 10 to 14 years.

Aakash Chopra has weighed in on the role of Rohit Sharma at Mumbai Indians, stating that the veteran opener should remain involved for the entire duration of a match rather than being utilised only as an Impact Player in the Indian Premier League.Sharing his views, the former India opener said that if Rohit is fully fit, it would be more logical for him to take part in the game from start to finish instead of appearing solely as a batting substitute. According to Chopra, limiting a player of Rohit’s calibre to just a few overs with the bat does not maximise his overall contribution to the team.“Logically, if you are fit, you should play the whole game and not be substituted. Especially when you are batting second, you shouldn’t come in as an impact player. An opener is not used to watching 20 overs of the match from the dugout,” Chopra told Jio Hotstar.Chopra further explained that opening batters generally prepare for a match by staying involved in the game from the beginning, which helps them get into the right mindset before heading out to bat.“Opening batters are used to staying on the field, preparing accordingly and then hitting the ground running. Rohit Sharma is the fittest, meanest and maybe the strongest at this point in time, so he should be on the ground for all 40 overs. That’s actually how Mumbai Indians will be able to make full use of Rohit Sharma,” he added.Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh also shared a similar opinion, suggesting that Rohit’s experience and leadership qualities make him far too valuable to be restricted to a substitute role. He emphasised that Rohit’s presence on the field could prove crucial for captain Hardik Pandya, especially during pressure situations.“Rohit Sharma has been used as the 12th man who just bats, but I feel that the kind of leader he has been, a player like him should be on the field. In tough matches, when you need to take certain calls, when a captain sometimes needs a shoulder to lean on, Rohit Sharma can do that for Hardik Pandya,” Harbhajan said.Rohit, who led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles during his captaincy stint, was frequently used as an Impact Player by the franchise during the 2025 season. The move had sparked debate among fans at the time.The seasoned opener endured a difficult campaign last year, managing only 240 runs across the tournament. As the new season approaches, Rohit will be keen to turn things around and make a stronger impact with the bat.