Gupta, 56, was a Rajya Sabha member and was minister for steel in the United Progressive Alliance government.
Cricket has been the driving force behind change in the sporting ecosystem in India but women's participation in other sports in the country still needs more support and platforms for exposure.
National coach Pullela Gopichand on Wednesday defended Indian Badminton League's decision to reduce the base price of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa before the IBL Players' auction, saying it was done so that the doubles specialists do not incur financial loss.
Badminton and cricket are two of his favourite sports. He was here with us for about an hour, Vimal Kumar said.
According to the report, published on Tuesday, the event's prize money of $4.2 million is much more than the combined prize money of all other sports leagues in the country.
The Jwala Gutta-led Krrish Delhi Smashers will lock horns with Ashwini Ponnappa's Pune Pistons in the tournament opener of the inaugural Indian Badminton League, which kicks off in Delhi on Tuesday.
Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly were among the host of high-profile winning bidders, as the organisers of the much-anticipated Indian Super League unveiled the eight franchises for the event in Mumbai on Sunday.
'Mountaineering is never 'easy'. Nothing is in your hands, you have to be prepared. That's the same for life as well.'
Pune Pistons secured a close 3-2 victory after icon player Ashwini Ponnappa and Fischer Nielsen Joachim won the deciding mixed doubles match.
The Badminton Association of India will investigate doubles player Jwala Gutta's alleged role in provoking some players of her Indian Badminton League (IBL) team Krrish Delhi Smashers against playing a match versus Banga Beats.
In women's singles, both Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu climbed up the ladder despite not playing in any recent tournaments.
Upset with the organisers' last-minute decision to slash her base price at the IBL auction despite being listed in the icon players' category, ace doubles shuttler Jwala Gutta says she will let her racquet do the talking in the Indian Badminton League.
Tata group has been a constant in India's sporting landscape and the conglomerate's involvement only grew under Ratan Tata.
Disappointed over their base price in Monday's players' auction being slashed at the last minute, doubles specialists Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa declared that the Indian Badminton League's decision was "disrespectful" and "absurd".
The Indian Badminton League has named Under-19 players for five of its franchises, in addition to those picked at the auction. According to IBL rules, each franchise had to pick an India Under-19 player, who will be the 11th player in the respective squads.
Mumbai Masters owner Sunil Gavaskar is waiting with bated breath to meet the world's No 1 shuttler Lee Chong Wei. He says it will be a "thrill" to watch the Malaysian in action in the inaugural Indian Badminton League.
The postponement of the players' auction might have raised some concerns about the upcoming Indian Badminton League but the organisers claimed that top international players from 17 nations including China and Indonesia have agreed to release their top stars for the event.
Led by Saina Nehwal, Hyderabad Hotshots defeated Awadhe warriors 3-1 to lift the crown of the inaugural Indian Badminton League at the NSCI Stadium on Saturday.
Led by Saina Nehwal, Hyderabad Hotshots defeated Awadhe warriors 3-1 in the final to win the inaugural Indian Badminton League, at the NSCI Stadium, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
Olympic bronze medalist Saina Nehwal says the inclusion of former Olympic champion and her childhood hero Taufik Hidayat in her team Hyderabad Hotshots will serve as a moral booster in the upcoming Indian Badminton League.
Krissh Delhi Smashers' icon player Jwala Gutta, who missed her team's Indian Badminton League tie against Mumbai Masters, is yet to recover from a shoulder injury but the ace doubles shuttler is hopeful of playing against Awadhe Warriors on Thursday.
In the biggest match of the Indian Badminton League, World No 4 Saina Nehwal did not disappoint.
Young men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty too entered the quarter-finals after getting past Chinese Taipei's Liao Min Chun and Su Ching Heng 21-17, 21-16 in the second round.
Embattled shuttler Jwala Gutta moved the Delhi high court on Wednesday against the Badminton Association of India after its disciplinary committee recommended a life ban on her for an alleged code of conduct breach in the Indian Badminton League.
Elated after an unbeaten run that helped Hyderabad Hotshots lift the inaugural Indian Badminton League trophy, Saina Nehwal said she expects the $1 million event to become as big as cricket's IPL in the coming years.
The Jwala Gutta-led Delhi Smashers weakened Banga Beats' hopes of a semi-finals berth after they defeated the hosts 4-1 in the inaugural Indian Badminton League in Bangalore on Sunday.
Defending champion Ajay Jayaram continued his dominant run at the Dutch Open, reaching the semi-finals of the men's singles competition of the $55,000 Grand Prix tournament in Almere, Netherlands.
Mumbai Masters managed to eke out a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Banga Beats in their opening encounter of the inaugural Indian Badminton League (IBL) at the Siri Fort Sports Complex in New Delhi on Thursday.
Star shuttler Saina Nehwal is over the moon after being picked up by Hyderabad Hotshots in the inaugural players' auction of the Indian Badminton League in New Delhi on Monday, and said she will give her best to help her team win the upcoming franchise-based event.
Krrish Delhi Smashers staged a great fightback after losing the first two matches to down Hyderbaad Hotshots 3-2, in the Indian Badminton League in Lucknow.
Spearheaded by Malaysian world No 1 Lee Chong Wei, Mumbai Masters took a winning 3-1 lead over Delhi Smashers in the Indian Badminton League match at the NSCI courts, in Mumbai, on Tuesday night.
Neeraj Chopra's preparatory camp in Switzerland gets ministry approval
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar on Monday unveiled the team jersey and anthem of Kerala Blasters, the Indian Super League team co-owned by him, and promised to support local talent in the state.
Already through to the quarter-finals, defending champions India continued their rampaging run as they beat Australia 4-1 in their final group A match of mixed team competition at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
World No 1 men's shuttler Lee Chong Wei's coach Tey Seu Bock of Malaysia was appointed chief coach of Mumbai Masters for the inaugural Vodafone Indian Badminton League on Sunday.
American tennis great Andre Agassi is set to visit India in January to officially flag off a major pickleball event in India.
Ace shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa, on Wednesday, said that Indians do not do well in mixed doubles in the international stage as the male partners always want his female team-mate to play in a fixed position.
After guiding Hyderabad Hotshots to the inaugural Indian Badminton League title, Saina Nehwal has cited fatigue and will skip the Japan Open Super Series tournament.
The Badminton Association of India's disciplinary committee has recommended a life ban on top Indian doubles shuttler Jwala Gutta for trying to stop some players of her franchise Krrish Delhi Smashers from playing a match against Banga Beats in the Indian Badminton League.
Olympic and World Championship silver medallist P V Sindhu feels the experimental service law in badminton could have come at a better time.
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