India U-15 head coach Bibiano Fernandes shares his philosophy for the upcoming FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan. He emphasises developing a strong footballing foundation, tactical flexibility, and good character among his young players, as they prepare to face teams like Laos, Bahrain, and Senegal starting October 24.
Himon Kumar Mondal from West Bengal and Tanishka Kalbhairav from Karnataka secured victories in the U-15 boys' and girls' categories, respectively, at the second National Ranking Table Tennis Championships held in Panchkula on Saturday. Mondal won a thrilling final against Rishaan Chattopadhyay, while Kalbhairav defeated Aarya Redkar.
India's U15 men's football team has been drawn into Group K for the inaugural FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival Azerbaijan 2026. Coached by Bibiano Fernandes, the team will play five qualification matches in Baku against Bahrain, Cameroon, Grenada, Laos, and Senegal, starting October 24. The tournament features 191 national teams and an 8v8 format.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has accelerated India's preparations for the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup by appointing Bibiano Fernandes as head coach and Ranjit Bajaj as team manager. The tournament, scheduled for October in Azerbaijan, will feature an 8vs8 format with direct entry for all FIFA member associations. The AIFF also addressed other matters, including the Santosh Trophy format and budget approvals.
Ranjit Bajaj has declined the manager role for the India U-15 men's national team for the upcoming FIFA U-15 World Cup, citing fundamental differences in footballing philosophy with head coach Bibiano Fernandes.
Maharashtra's Raghav Mahajan and West Bengal's Souswarya Banerjee advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the U-15 boys' singles at the second National Ranking Table Tennis Championships in Panchkula on Friday. Several other young talents also secured victories in both boys' and girls' U-15 categories, often after hard-fought five-game matches.
India's young boxers have showcased their talent at the Asian Boxing U15 & U17 Championships 2026 in Tashkent, securing victories in various weight categories.
India concluded its campaign at the Asian Boxing U15 & U17 Championships with a total of 17 medals, including two gold, seven silver, and eight bronze, with the girls' contingent leading the medal tally.
India's U-15 girls delivered commanding performances in the semifinals at the Asian Boxing U15 and U17 Championships, with nine boxers advancing to the finals across weight categories.
A 56-member Indian boxing contingent is set to compete at the Asian Boxing U15 & U17 Championships 2026 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, starting Friday.
India's U-15 boys boxing team showcased a dominant performance at the Asian Boxing U15 Championships, with six boxers advancing to the finals and seven securing bronze medals.
India's young boxers showcased their talent at the Asian Boxing U15 and U17 Championships in Tashkent, securing several victories across different weight categories.
Fifteen-year-old Indian shuttler Tanvi Patri defeated compatriot Shaina Manimuthu to win the girls' singles U17 title at the Badminton Asia U17 & U15 Junior Championships in Chengdu, China, marking her second continental title this year.
Tanvi Patri overcame compatriot Shaina Manimuthu in a three-game final to clinch the Asian U-17 title, adding another major trophy to her breakthrough 2026 season.
Minerva Public School CISCE from Mohali defeated Maqdoomiya Islamic Cultural English Medium Higher Secondary School from Kerala 3-2 to win the Junior Boys (U-17) title at the 65th Subroto Cup International Football Tournament. Other winners included Saint Patrick's High School in Junior Girls and Manik Para Vivekanand Vidyapeeth in Sub Junior Boys.
Former India spinner Neetu David, now head of scouting for UP Warriorz, highlights the need for focused power-hitting training in women's domestic cricket to strengthen both WPL teams and the national side, despite promising spin talent at junior levels.
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.
Young table tennis players Syndrela Das and Payas Jain have been inducted into the Sports Ministry's TOPS Development group, while Manika Batra's international event funding request has also been approved, aiming to strengthen India's table tennis presence on the global stage.
Divyanshi bags U15 TT bronze, U19 boys' team settles for silver
Indian wrestlers Nikita Sehrawat, Kamna Babal, and Garima secured three medals at the U17 World Championships in Baku. Nikita Sehrawat clinched a silver medal in the 57kg category, while Kamna Babal (49kg) and Garima (73kg) each earned bronze medals, showcasing strong performances on the international stage.
India's U-19 boys' table tennis team defeated Hong Kong 3-1 in the Asian Youth Championships quarterfinals, guaranteeing at least a bronze medal and a direct qualification for the 2027 World Youth Table Tennis Championships. The team will now face top seeds China in the semifinals. In contrast, the Indian U-19 girls' team lost to Hong Kong and will need to qualify through a separate process, while the U-15 teams also faced defeats in their respective quarterfinal matches.
India concluded the Asian Boxing Under-15 Championships in Tashkent with a remarkable haul of 27 medals, including 9 gold, 6 silver, and 12 bronze.
Indian boxers have secured 27 medals at the Asian Boxing U15 & U17 Championships in Tashkent, with the U-15 girls securing 14 medals and the U-15 boys confirming 13 medals.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah congratulated 14-year-old boxer Mohammad Yasser from Rajouri on winning a gold medal at the Asian U-15 Boxing Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The third Delhi Premier League T20 auction will see 600 players, including prominent Indian cricketers Rishabh Pant and Pratika Rawal, go under the hammer. Eight men's and four women's franchises will participate, with specific purse allocations for bidding. Players are categorised based on their experience, with varying base prices for each category.
India's U-17 girls boxing team has secured at least 12 medals at the Asian Boxing U15 and U17 Championships in Tashkent, with several boxers achieving dominant victories.
Aryaveer Dewan will lead India's challenge at the Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships in Panzhihua, China, with a 32-member contingent aiming to surpass their previous medal haul.
The National Ice Hockey Championship has commenced in Dehradun, introducing Under-12 and Under-15 categories for boys and girls for the first time. The month-long event, organised by IHAI, aims to identify and develop young talent, inspired by the Indian women's team's recent success.
India's young table tennis players have showcased their dominance at the Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships, securing quarterfinal spots in both U-19 and U-15 categories after a successful run in the team events.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) disqualified over 500 wrestlers from a U-17 tournament in Gonda due to age fraud, exposed by a new Aadhaar-based verification system. This stringent check revealed significant discrepancies between birth certificates and Aadhaar records, with WFI vowing to continue this crackdown to ensure fair play in age-group competitions.
The 87th Inter-State Sub-Junior and Cadet National Table Tennis Championships begin in Gandhidham, with 32 teams competing for the boys U-15 title. West Bengal enters as the favourite, while other states like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra are expected to challenge.
The BCCI has announced the schedule for the 2026-27 domestic cricket season, with the Ranji Trophy being played in two phases and the Duleep Trophy kicking things off in August.
Indian girls and boys teams secured dominant victories against Sri Lanka and Maldives respectively at the ITTF-ATTU Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships.
Anika Dubey from Pune, Akanksha Gupta from Thane, and Vasundhara Nangare from Kalamb -- three girls from different corners of Maharashtra have cleared the SRFI Selection Round for the 33rd Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships to be held in China.
Joya, a 14-year-old striker, scored a dramatic late goal to secure a 3-2 victory for the India U-17 Women's team against Myanmar in a friendly match, as part of their preparations for the upcoming AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup.
Indian badminton player Shaina Manimuthu won a bronze medal at the Dutch Junior International tournament, losing in the semifinals to China's Yi Qing Yin.
Indian paddlers enjoyed a rich haul of 10 medals, including four gold, at the 2026 WTT Star Youth Contender and Feeder events in Doha, highlighted by Ahona Roy's top-podium finish in the fiercely contested Under-15 girls' category.
India recorded its best-ever showing at the Badminton Asia U-17 & U-15 Championships as Shaina Manimuthu and Diksha Sudhakar clinched gold medals in their respective categories in Chengdu, China, on Sunday.
Senior Badminton Nationals: Unnati, Tanvi, Sanskar, Chauhan begin campaign in style
Ananya Muralidharan and Divyanshi Bhowmick produced a spirited performance to clinch the U-15 girls' doubles gold at the WTT Youth Star Contender here, edging past China's Zhao Wangqi and Liu Ziling 3-2 in a pulsating final.
