Ace Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu is gearing up for an 'Olympic-level' competition at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, where she expects to face the strongest lifters from China, North Korea, and Thailand, making it her toughest challenge yet.
Defending champions Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka face challenging US Open draws, with Alcaraz sharing a loaded half with Djokovic and Sabalenka pursuing a historic three-peat.
India's top men's doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, were eliminated from the BWF World Championships after a quarterfinal loss. However, the women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured at least a bronze medal by advancing to the semi-finals.
At the 16th Hockey Junior Women National Championship in Pune, Chandigarh, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh secured decisive wins, while Manipur narrowly defeated Maharashtra in a thrilling Division A encounter. Key players delivered strong performances, including hat-tricks, contributing to high-scoring matches and close finishes.
A controversy overshadowed Pakistan's Lord's Test after reports emerged of the PCB threatening to boycott the match if Sky Sports aired an interview with Imran Khan's sons. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed denied any knowledge of such a threat, despite the interview being broadcast and the team returning to play. The incident highlights the political tensions surrounding Imran Khan's imprisonment impacting the cricket team.
Prateek Tulsani of Maharashtra clinched the U-15 boys' title, while Tanishka Kalbhairav of Karnataka secured the U-11 girls' title at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships. Tulsani delivered a commanding performance, whereas Kalbhairav showed remarkable resilience to win her final.
Ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka, the Indian cricket team underwent an intense net session in Colombo.
Suryakumar Yadav revealed he was "completely shocked" by India's captaincy axe after leading the team to Asia Cup and T20 World Cup triumphs without losing a series.
India's Women's T20 Asia Cup campaign begins against Thailand, with the team facing questions about their recent form and consistency. Despite a strong historical record in the tournament, recent losses and individual player form, including captain Harmanpreet Kaur, raise concerns. The team aims to overcome fielding issues and batting inconsistencies, relying on key players like Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, and Deepti Sharma, as they prepare for both the Asia Cup and upcoming Asian Games.
The Junior Women's National Hockey Championship saw Haryana, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh secure victories in Division A pool matches, while Uttar Pradesh and Manipur drew. Division B also commenced with Delhi and Uttarakhand winning their respective games.
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has accused opponents and supporters of 'bullying' Vinicius Jr, citing rough treatment in their 2-1 LaLiga win against Espanyol and calling it a 'pattern that repeats itself'.
Anushka Sharma will captain India A in T20s, while Yastika Bhatia leads the One-Day and multi-day teams against Australia A across three venues.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa has moved into a joint lead with American Wesley So at the Sinquefield Cup after a decisive victory over France's Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, securing his spot in the Grand Finale.
Angad Cheema shot a seven-under 65 to retain his two-shot lead after the third round of the Telangana Open, moving to 20-under 196. Delhi's Rashid Khan matched Cheema's 65 to stay in second place, while Jairaj Singh Sandhu made a significant climb to third.
The Mumbai Cricket Association has established the Ajinkya Rahane Scholarship Fund, backed by Sharad Pawar, to support grassroots cricketers and develop Mumbai's Maidans.
The current FIH Hockey World Cup format, featuring a crossover pool system where first-round results carry forward, is causing widespread confusion among teams, fans, and media. Many stakeholders believe the complex system detracts from the game's excitement, shifts focus to mathematical calculations, and potentially favours larger teams, leading to calls for a simpler structure.
Sharmila Dhankar has won India's first-ever para athletics gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in the women's shot put F57 event. Her teammate Shilpa Shyla also secured a bronze medal after a successful protest against a Nigerian athlete, marking a historic day for Indian para-athletics.
The Sports Ministry is set to commence the nomination process for the National Sports Awards next month, following a delayed announcement of the 2025 awards. The delay was due to a re-evaluation process aimed at preserving the integrity of the honours, which resulted in no Khel Ratna awardee for 2025 and fewer Arjuna awardees than recommended. The article also details the criteria for these prestigious awards and highlights some of the notable Arjuna awardees for 2025.
Indian women's hockey coach Sjoerd Marijne expressed satisfaction with the team's fifth-place finish at the World Cup, their best in 52 years, after defeating Germany 3-1. He highlighted the achievement as a significant confidence boost for the upcoming Asian Games, emphasising the young team's potential and the need for continued focus on their own game and consistency.
Indian discus thrower Seema Kaliramna secured a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games with a throw of 58.65m, despite fouling her last three attempts. Compatriot Nidhi Rani finished fourth. Jamaica's Samantha Hall won gold, and Canada's Julia Tunks took silver.
JK Tyre has signed 11-year-old racing sensation Atiqa Mir, reinforcing its commitment to nurturing young talent in Indian motorsport. Atiqa, who has already achieved significant international success, joins an elite list of drivers supported by the company, including F1 legends Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok. Her journey also highlights the increasing presence of women in motorsport.
Arsenal commenced their Premier League title defence with a commanding 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Coventry City. Goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Odegaard secured the win, showcasing Arsenal's intent for the season.
Hyderabad Black Hawks U21 have won the inaugural Guardians Trophy, defeating hosts Goa Guardians U21 3-1 in the final. The tournament provided a crucial platform for emerging Indian volleyball talent, with individual awards and prize money distributed to top performers.
Bangladesh achieved a historic nine-wicket victory over top-ranked Australia in the first Test in Darwin, marking their first Test win in Australia. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto credited the team's focus on pace bowling for this significant upset, highlighting a shift in mindset among young fast bowlers. Hasan Mahmud was named Player of the Match for his nine wickets, including 6-55 in the first innings.
Indian hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh has called for a complete 60-minute performance from his squad in their "do-or-die" FIH World Cup match against Olympic champions Netherlands. Both Harmanpreet and coach Craig Fulton believe India can upset the hosts by playing smartly, maintaining impeccable defense, and capitalising on their underdog status.
Sri Lanka's Sonal Dinusha scored an unbeaten 133, his second century of the match, to help the hosts salvage a draw against India in the second Test, denying them a series sweep.
India's javelin star Neeraj Chopra secured second place at the Lausanne Diamond League with an impressive throw of 88.05m, narrowly missing the top spot to Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage.
Lakshya Sen suffered a shock second-round exit at the BWF World Championships after losing to USA's 18-year-old Garret Tan in a thrilling three-game contest in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Indian women's doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have reached the quarterfinals of the World Championships, putting them one step closer to securing a medal.
Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek advanced to the Cincinnati Open women's semi-finals, with Pegula overcoming Amanda Anisimova in a tough three-setter and Swiatek progressing after Elena Rybakina retired due to injury. In the men's draw, Flavio Cobolli reached his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, defeating Tommy Paul, and will face Arthur Fils.
Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen secured a hard-fought victory against Collins Valentine Filimon in the opening round of the BWF World Championships, attributing his win to crucial tactical adjustments after losing the first game. He will now face Garret Tan of the USA.
Sri Lankan cricket officials are considering a balanced pitch for the second Test against India at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), moving away from a spin-friendly track. This decision aims to provide equal opportunities for both batters and bowlers, similar to the Galle pitch, and support their young batting lineup. The SSC pitch character has evolved over the years, with less home advantage since the retirement of legendary players.
England seized total control at Lord's after bowling Pakistan out for 110, building a 261-run lead as Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer dismantled their batting.
Dempo Goa Challengers secured a thrilling 8-7 victory over HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades in Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7, with Bernadette Szocs clinching the decisive final game. The win maintains Goa's unbeaten record, highlighted by strong performances from Szocs and teenage sensation Abhinandh PB.
Dempo Goa Challengers secured a thrilling 8-7 victory over HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades in Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7, with Bernadette Szocs clinching the decisive final game. The win maintains Goa's unbeaten record, highlighted by strong performances from Szocs and teenage sensation Abhinandh PB.
Dempo Goa Challengers secured a thrilling 8-7 victory over HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades in Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7, with Bernadette Szocs clinching the decisive final game. The win maintains Goa's unbeaten record, highlighted by strong performances from Szocs and teenage sensation Abhinandh PB.
JK Tyre has signed 11-year-old racing sensation Atiqa Mir, reaffirming its commitment to nurturing young talent in Indian motorsport. Mir, who has already achieved significant success on the international karting circuit, including podium finishes and victories in Europe, is the first Indian supported by the F1 Academy and the highest-ranked female in her category. This sponsorship highlights her potential as an emerging talent and JK Tyre's legacy in supporting top Indian drivers.
G Sathiyan played a pivotal role in Dabang Delhi TTC's 9-6 victory over UP Prometheans in the Ultimate Table Tennis' seventh season tie. Delhi secured the win after being tied 6-6, with Sathiyan's mixed doubles and men's singles performances proving decisive. The match also saw the introduction of the Table Tennis Review (TTR) system in UTT.
Rajvardhan Tiwari and Debanshu Chakraborty secured quarterfinal victories in the Under-11 Boys category at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships in Kanpur. The tournament also saw thrilling five-game matches and a remarkable comeback by unseeded Inaaya in the girls' section, highlighting emerging talent.
The Indian men's hockey team lost 1-3 to Olympic champions the Netherlands in a critical second-round match of the FIH World Cup in Amstelveen. The Netherlands scored three field goals in the second half, while India's sole goal came from a Harmanpreet Singh penalty corner.
