Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia says FIFA's expanded 48-team World Cup format significantly improves India's chances of qualification while creating new opportunities for emerging football nations across Asia and beyond.
The Duleep Trophy final between East Zone and South Zone will feature a mix of rising talents like Devdutt Padikkal, Tilak Varma, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, alongside established players like Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, and Mohammed Shami. Players will be looking to impress selectors for upcoming national assignments, with Padikkal aiming to continue his red-ball form and Siraj seeking to regain rhythm. The match also marks Shami's 100th first-class game.
West Bengal could be the Bharatiya Janata Party's real test case of its business-friendly policies, points out Kanika Datta.
Tanya Chaudhary shattered the women's hammer throw national record with a distance of 68.35m at the Indian Athletics Series Final. Concurrently, Avinash Sable marked a triumphant return to the 3000m steeplechase, winning his first race in over a year. Both athletes are part of India's Asian Games contingent, with Sable also eyeing a 5000m entry. The event saw a lucrative prize fund, highlighting significant performances across various disciplines.
Badminton legend Saina Nehwal has expressed her openness to entering electoral politics in the future, stating her desire to contribute to India's development and continue serving the nation beyond her sporting career.
Satwik-Chirag's BWF World Championships campaign ended in a disappointing quarter-final defeat.
Kolkata, a city with a deep passion for football, is grappling with Lionel Messi's international retirement. The article explores the city's unique and enduring connection to the Argentine superstar, from his memorable 2011 visit to the emotional fan reactions to his retirement, including a controversial 2023 event.
The central government has revamped the Khelo India Scheme's funding pattern, allocating a Rs 565 crore component for states to co-share the cost of future sports infrastructure development projects over a five-year plan. This new model, part of a Rs 29,054 crore outlay, aims to increase state ownership and participation in sports development, significantly expanding the scheme's reach and athlete base.
Tanya Chaudhary broke the women's hammer throw national record with a distance of 68.35m at the Indian Athletics Series Final. Avinash Sable also made a strong return to the 3000m steeplechase, winning his first race in over a year. The event served as a crucial tune-up for Indian athletes heading to the Asian Games, with several other notable performances including wins by Harita Bhadra, Animesh Kujur, Rohit Yadav, and Tajinderpal Singh Toor.
Aakash Chopra believes India faces a challenging path to the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 final, even if they register a 2-0 series sweep in Sri Lanka.
In a no-filter conversation with Rediff's Rishika Shah, Miss India World Nikita Porwal has a few confessions to make.
Sri Lanka have gone more than a decade since their last Test match win against India, having last beaten them in the Galle Test in 2015.
Tanya Chaudhary shattered the women's hammer throw national record with a 68.35m throw at the Indian Athletics Series Final, while Avinash Sable secured an emphatic win in the men's 3000m steeplechase in his first race in over a year. Both athletes, who are part of the Asian Games team, received Rs 1 lakh prize money from the lucrative event. Chaudhary expressed her long-standing pursuit of the record and her focus on technique, while Sable aims to compete in both 3000m steeplechase and 5000m at the Asian Games after recovering from an ACL surgery.
'We desperately want India to send the army as the evacuation process needs to be escalated immediately.'
Legendary Indian hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh expressed strong frustration over India's poor performance at the FIH World Cup, criticising the team's 'underwhelming showing' and demanding accountability. He questioned the 'learning experience' narrative and highlighted issues in both men's and women's team management, urging a focus on winning rather than just playing good hockey.
The Glasgow Games will be held across four venues. India's campaign opens with two bowls matches before the opening ceremony later in the day.
India Inc's first-quarter earnings season was significantly impacted by the West Asia conflict, leading to rising costs, calibrated price increases, and margin pressures across various sectors including FMCG, automotive, steel, and cement. Companies are implementing price hikes to protect profitability, with many anticipating further escalations if input costs remain elevated.
Avishka Gunawardene acknowledged India's dominance but hailed Sonal Dinusha's breakthrough, with the young batter scoring 420 runs, including three centuries, as a major positive for Sri Lanka.
It is plain to see that the US senate bill's real objective is to derail India's time-tested strategic partnership with Russia, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha expressed immense pride in India's Commonwealth Games performance, particularly highlighting the boxers' mental strength and the overall medal tally, attributing success to government support.
'I know China will implode. It is scientifically impossible for China to control a nation through the barrel of a gun.'
The 2026 Hockey World Cup saw Argentina break the Netherlands' dominance in women's hockey, while Germany successfully defended their men's title. The tournament, co-hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium, featured simultaneous men's and women's events, highlighting shifting hierarchies and India's mixed performance with promising women's results and disappointing men's outcomes.
Ayush Shetty, Unnati Hooda, Simran Singhi, and Kavipriya Selvam are set to make their BWF World Championships debut as India hosts the prestigious badminton event after 17 years, offering a significant platform for these rising stars.
India finished fourth at the 2026 Commonwealth Games with 39 medals, overcoming the absence of traditional medal-winning sports. The contingent's success was driven by a record-breaking boxing campaign, a historic performance in judo, and strong contributions from para athletes, showcasing the country's expanding sporting depth.
'We're going to play in a lot of different conditions over the next 12 months. It's going to require different efforts. It may not look like the traditional thing all the time.'
Indian men's hockey team vice-captain Hardik Singh has taken responsibility for the team's 1-3 defeat against the Netherlands at the FIH World Cup. He attributed the loss to a "one per cent lapse" in an otherwise strong performance, highlighting how small errors proved costly in a high-stakes match. Defender Amit Rohidas also acknowledged unforced errors in the final quarter.
AI4Bharat at IIT Madras and Josh Talks AI have launched 'Voice of India', a multimodal AI evaluation platform designed to assess AI systems against Indian conditions, languages, accents, and dialects. This platform aims to provide scientifically rigorous, India-specific evaluations, covering areas like Voice AI, large language models, document processing, safety, cultural appropriateness, and Indian legal reasoning, to build trust and enable informed deployment decisions.
Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2026 season due to an ankle ligament tear, forcing him to miss the upcoming Asian Games.
The fifth edition of the J&K Open golf tournament, featuring a doubled prize purse of Rs 1 crore, is set to begin at the Royal Springs Golf Course in Srinagar. Defending champion Shaurya Bhattacharya will compete against top Indian professionals and international players, with the event also aiming to boost golf tourism in the region.
Former India drag-flicker Jugraj Singh has lauded current captain Harmanpreet Singh as a 'trump card' for the upcoming FIH World Cup, citing his aggressive playing style and consistent performance in crucial moments. Jugraj, who sees his own reflection in Harmanpreet's game, rates him among the world's top three drag-flickers and believes the team is well-prepared to end India's long wait for a World Cup medal.
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, highlighted the importance of dialogue in resolving bilateral issues between India and Bangladesh, expressing optimism for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to India. His remarks come amidst diplomatic strains over Bangladesh's demand for the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, whose virtual media interaction from New Delhi caused outrage in Dhaka.
Indian athletes are undergoing a unique acclimatisation process at NSNIS Patiala and Bengaluru, spending nights in makeshift shipping container rooms. This initiative by the Sports Authority of India aims to prepare them for the unusual container-style accommodation awaiting them at the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan, ensuring logistical issues do not distract from their performance.
The Mumbai Cricket Association has established the Ajinkya Rahane Scholarship Fund, backed by Sharad Pawar, to support grassroots cricketers and develop Mumbai's Maidans.
Indian athletes delivered a strong performance at the Commonwealth Games, with weightlifter Harjinder Kaur and long-distance runner Gulveer Singh securing silver medals. Additionally, three Indian boxers, Priya Ghanghas, Preeti Pawar, and Jadumani Singh, advanced to the semifinals, guaranteeing at least bronze medals for the country.
'...his victory in securing the champion's title is a fitting recognition of his extraordinary talent and unwavering perseverance.'
Apple Inc, which had planned to shift only 10 per cent of its global production base from China to India with respect to iPhones at the end of FY26, is currently churning out one out of every four iPhones in the world from India.
While introducing the Bigg Boss 20 contestants, host Salman Khan got candid about his breakup, his ignorance about memes and the world of social media, and was surprised to learn that ScoutOP makes Rs 30 lakh a month playing esports.
Shreyas Gopal celebrates his 100th first-class match, reflecting on his journey from imitating Anil Kumble to becoming a successful leg-spinner and all-rounder in domestic cricket. He discusses the challenges of red-ball cricket, his dismissals of Virat Kohli, and his cherished moments with Karnataka and MS Dhoni.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam will miss this week's first test in against England after injuring his right hand during a warm-up match and Salman Ali Agha will deputise, head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed said on Tuesday.
Despite a population of 1.45 billion, India's football team is ranked a lowly 138th in the world and failed to qualify for next year's Asian Cup, highlighting deep-rooted systemic issues and a failure to implement reforms that keep the World Cup dream distant for fans.
