Sport

Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bowl against India in the third and final T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. India made one change, bringing in Yash Thakur for Arshdeep Singh, while Afghanistan made two changes

US Open runner-up Ben Shelton has withdrawn from the Laver Cup and will be replaced by Brandon Nakashima on Team World. No reason was given for Shelton’s withdrawal. Nakashima will make his Laver Cup debut in London from Sept. 25 to 27

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy says he and doubles partner Chirag Shetty have learned to control their emotions on court and quickly move past mistakes. The pair are preparing to defend their Asian Games men’s doubles gold after winning the China Masters title

The EFI National Qualifier for the Junior National Equestrian Championship 2026 began at Nasr Polo & Equestrian Academy in Hyderabad on Thursday. Nearly 50 horses and young riders from leading equestrian clubs are participating in the qualifying competitions

A. Ramesh defeated J. Kanakaiah Raju 25-1, 25-0 in the Telangana State senior-ranking carrom selection tournament at the Regional Carrom Coaching Centre, LB Stadium. Several other players also registered wins in matches held in Hyderabad on Wednesday

Government Boys High School, Bolarum, defeated Dr Kalam High School, Mehdipatnam, 2-0 in the Hyderabad District School Games Federation Under-17 boys’ football tournament-cum-selection tournament at Gymkhana Ground. St Peter’s School and Jubilee Hills also registered wins in the tournament

Former Asian heyball champion Sundeep Gulati will headline a strong field at the NSCI Open 8-Ball Pool tournament in New Delhi from September 26 to October 5. Reigning world billiards champion Sourav Kothari and other leading cueists will compete

Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha has been named ICC Men’s Player of the Month for August 2026 after scoring 420 runs at an average of 140 against India. He hit three centuries and a half-century across the two-Test series

Indian athletes at the Costa Serena cruise ship are facing cramped rooms and accommodation issues ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Some athletes waited over 12 hours for rooms, while competitors also face long journeys to training venues

St Francis College won the Osmania University inter-college swimming championship with 15 points. The meet featured 50m, 100m and 200m events, with swimmers from CBIT, Tapasya, Reddy College and Kasturba College also featuring among the medal winners

The All India Tennis Association is introducing the National Tennis Mixed Doubles Championship, with Telangana hosting the inaugural edition in Hyderabad. The event will feature a 32-team main draw, a ₹10 lakh prize purse and will be hosted for three years

SAI is facilitating a Japan training stint for India’s senior judo team ahead of the 2026 Asian Games and World Judo Championships. A 14-member delegation, including 11 judokas and three coaches, is training at Tsukuba University until October 2

The Asian Games 2026 will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with India targeting another strong medal haul. Here are the details on when the Games begin, where to watch the opening ceremony and how Indian viewers can follow the action live

Lionel Messi scored his 100th goal for Inter Miami as the club defeated Cruz Azul 2-0 to win the Campeones Cup. Casemiro added a second-half header, while goalkeeper Dayne St Clair made six saves to preserve the clean sheet

Steve Smith has recalled the emotional impact of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal ahead of Australia’s Test tour of South Africa. Smith said he still experiences occasional flashbacks but is not concerned about facing a hostile reception on his return

The BCCI has announced India’s squads for the white-ball home series against the West Indies, with Hyderabad set to host the fourth T20I. The selection committee also named Rest of India’s squad for the Irani Cup against Jammu & Kashmir

China, Japan, South Korea and Iran advanced to the men's basketball semifinals at the 2026 Asian Games after winning their quarterfinals. China will face host Japan, while South Korea will meet Iran in Friday's last-four matches in Nagoya

Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam is set to play domestic first-class cricket for the first time since 2019, representing OGDCL in the President's Trophy. The move follows a major PCB squad shake-up after Pakistan's disastrous Test tour of England

Centuries by Mickil Jaiswal and HK Simha and five-wicket hauls by Shashank Mehrotra and M Ruthik Yadav highlighted Wednesday’s HCA Senior Men’s Multi-Day Super League. The day also featured big scores in Under-23, Under-19 and inter-school cricket competitions

Ten-year-old Balina Harini, a Class VI student from Habsiguda, won silver in the Under-11 girls category at the inaugural Cadet Road National Cycling Championship. A chess player too, Harini had interacted with world champion D Gukesh last year

Novak Djokovic has confirmed his return to the China Open in Beijing after an 11-year absence. The 24-time Grand Slam champion last played at the ATP 500 event in 2015 and will return following his first-round US Open defeat

BCCI president Mithun Manhas and Team India captain Shreyas Iyer-led squad met Japan’s ambassador ONO Keiichi ahead of their historic T20I in Sano on September 22. The Suzuki Cup marks 75 years of India-Japan diplomatic relations and promotes sporting exchanges

Former India captain Viren Rasquinha says the men’s hockey team will face pressure at the 2026 Asian Games after a below-par World Cup campaign. He calls for greater intensity, sharper attack, better penalty-corner variations and stronger team defence

Afghanistan star Rashid Khan says winning a World Cup before his retirement would be his biggest achievement. The leg-spinner also discusses his batting improvement, leadership change, fitness, family, Afghanistan’s rise and the team’s quest for greater consistency