Sports

Veteran Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane has signed with Amsterdam Flames as the franchise’s marquee player for the inaugural season of the European T20 Premier League (ETPL). The announcement was made on Friday, a little over a week after Rahane brought the curtains down on his international and Indian Premier League (IPL) career. The ETPL will mark Rahane’s first stint in an overseas T20 franchise league. Despite earning global recognition for his performances in Test cricket, the right-handed batter has also enjoyed a successful career in the T20 format. Across 308 T20 matches, Rahane has amassed 7,968 runs at an average…

Star India pacer Arshdeep Singh recently featured in an interview where he selected five bowlers based on their skills and abilities. His list included Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Ravichandran Ashwin. While naming Ashwin at the fifth spot, Arshdeep jokingly apologised to the veteran spinner and said he would personally send him a message. The left-arm pacer explained that Ashwin was placed last only because all the previous spots were already filled, and he holds immense respect for the legendary off-spinner. Arshdeep, who currently represents India only in white-ball cricket, is out of action as the…

Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi has achieved a major career milestone by earning his first-ever India Test call-up. The 29-year-old has been added to the squad as a replacement for Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Bumrah was unavailable for selection after not fully recovering from the left knee injury he suffered during the ODI series against England. Nabi’s consistent performances in domestic cricket paved the way for his national selection. The right-arm fast bowler has taken 104 wickets across the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, including an impressive 60-wicket haul in the 2025-26…

The Duleep Trophy is set to return for another season, with teams gradually announcing their squads for the tournament. East Zone’s squad announcement attracted attention after 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was named the team’s vice-captain. Sooryavanshi’s selection for the leadership role came after a remarkable run of performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and his two half-centuries during the T20I series against Zimbabwe. Despite his growing reputation and impressive performances, his appointment as vice-captain at such a young age sparked considerable discussion. East Zone selector Manish Vardhan explained the reason behind handing Sooryavanshi the responsibility ahead of the tournament. He…

A major controversy has erupted over FIFA’s plan to sell the ownership or stake of its tournaments to private investors. The European football governing body UEFA has strongly opposed FIFA’s move and has threatened to boycott all FIFA tournaments if the plan is not scrapped. UEFA and its 55 member associations held an emergency meeting and jointly rejected FIFA’s decision. The Football Association of England has also extended its full support to UEFA. According to UEFA, the FIFA World Cup is the result of the sacrifices of players and fans, and it will not be allowed to be commercialized.UEFA has…

Team India have received a major boost ahead of next month's two-Test series against Sri Lanka, with star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah being declared fit by the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Bumrah was included in the squad only after successfully clearing his fitness assessment. The pacer had suffered an impact injury during the recent ODI series against England, which forced him to miss the third ODI at Lord's. According to a senior BCCI official quoted by PTI, Bumrah has made a full recovery and completed all the mandatory fitness tests at the Centre of Excellence. The official also…

Cape Verde continued its historic FIFA World Cup journey on Monday as Sidny Lopes Cabral’s spectacular goal was voted the tournament’s best by fans. Lopes Cabral earned the honour for his brilliant curling strike into the top corner against defending champions Argentina during Cape Verde’s thrilling Round of 32 clash in Miami Gardens. The goal levelled the match at 2-2 in extra time, although Cape Verde eventually suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat. His remarkable effort was selected as the best among the 308 goals scored during the tournament. It finished ahead of Eldor Shomurodov’s delicate lob for Uzbekistan against Congo…

India’s Jhandu Kumar delivered a memorable performance at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow by securing the bronze medal in the men’s heavyweight para powerlifting competition. Meanwhile, Ashok Malik narrowly missed a podium finish after ending his lightweight event in fourth place despite lifting an impressive 200kg. Jhandu Kumar added another medal to India’s tally with his strong showing in the heavyweight category. Competing in a two-group format, the Indian lifter dominated Group B with a score of 130.9 points. He finished comfortably ahead of Uganda’s Dennis Mbaziira, who scored 114.1 points, and Australia’s Ben Wright, who managed 110.9 points, earning his place among the medal contenders. In the overall rankings, Nigeria’s Riluwan Idris claimed the gold medal after registering the highest score of 132.8 points. England’s Matthew Harding secured silver with 131.0 points, while Jhandu Kumar’s…

Harmanpreet Singh has been appointed as the captain of the Indian men’s hockey team for the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026, which will be hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands from August 15 to 30. Hockey India revealed a 20-player squad for the prestigious four-yearly tournament on Tuesday. India have been placed in Pool D of the FIH Hockey World Cup, where they will compete against England, Pakistan and Wales. The Harmanpreet Singh-led side will play all its pool-stage fixtures at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands. India will begin their World Cup journey against Wales on August 15, followed by a clash with England on August 17. The much-awaited encounter between traditional rivals India and Pakistan is scheduled for August 19. The leading two teams from each of the four pools will qualify for the next phase of…