Sport

Under the FIFA and AIFF-backed Football for Schools Programme, the Telangana Football Association distributed 19,502 footballs to 3,171 schools across the State to promote grassroots football and encourage sports participation among schoolchildren.

Dipendra Singh Airee’s resolute half-century rescued Nepal from a top-order collapse as they posted 133 for 8 against West Indies in their Group C match at the Wankhede Stadium, with Jason Holder starring with a four-wicket haul.

In tennis, Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty of Telangana and Ankita Raina won ITF Womens doubles title

Anand defeated Neelkant Dambre, a very popular tennis player from Goa, 6-2, 6-3 in the final

Aiden Markram’s explosive 86 guided South Africa to a seven-wicket win over New Zealand in Ahmedabad, virtually sealing their Super 8s spot in the T20 World Cup. The Proteas chased 176 in 17.1 overs, topping Group D with six points

Adil Rashid’s three wickets and Tom Banton’s unbeaten 63 helped England beat Scotland by five wickets in Kolkata, keeping their Super Eights hopes alive in the T20 World Cup. Scotland collapsed from 113/3 to 152, undone by England’s spinners

India face Pakistan in the T20 World Cup’s marquee clash at Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium. With Abhishek Sharma’s fitness uncertain and Pakistan’s spin attack ready, India’s middle-order stability will be key. Rain could also impact the high-voltage encounter

Lorcan Tucker’s explosive 94 and disciplined bowling helped Ireland thrash Oman by 96 runs in a Group B T20 World Cup clash in Colombo. Ireland posted 235, the highest total of the edition, boosting their Net Run Rate significantly

England won the toss and opted to bowl against Scotland in the Group C T20 World Cup 2026 match at Eden Gardens. Both teams announced unchanged playing XIs, with captains expecting a competitive encounter on a fast, batting-friendly track.

Oman chose to bowl against Ireland in a do-or-die Group B match of the 2026 T20 World Cup at the SSC. With both teams needing a win to stay in Super 8 contention, key changes were made to the playing XIs.

India opener Abhishek Sharma, recovering from a stomach infection, returned to training ahead of the T20 World Cup clash against Pakistan. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy said Abhishek looks set to play after missing the Namibia game due to hospitalisation

Junaid Siddique’s five-wicket haul and Aryansh Sharma’s unbeaten 74 guided UAE to a five-wicket win over Canada in the T20 World Cup. Sohaib Khan added 51 as UAE chased 150 with two balls to spare

Zimbabwe stunned Australia by 23 runs in Colombo for their second-ever T20I win over the former champions. Brian Bennett’s unbeaten 64 and Blessing Muzarabani’s 4/17 powered Zimbabwe to a famous victory in the ongoing T20 World Cup

USA registered their first-ever T20I win over the Netherlands in Chennai, riding on Saiteja Mukkamalla’s 79 and Harmeet Singh’s 4/21. Shubham Ranjane added a quickfire 48 not out as USA posted 196/6 before bowling out Netherlands for 103

India outplayed Luxembourg 15-5 in the International Arena Polo Championship at Hyderabad Polo and Riding Club. Captain Yusuf Azmi scored six goals, with Kunwar Vishal Singh, Mohammad Nayeemuddin and Chaitania Kumar also contributing to India’s dominant victory

Telangana’s Sabhavath Babu Naik, a former student of Lingala institution under retired physical director Bhasker Goud, has been selected to represent India in the Indo-Indonesia Ball Badminton Test Series in Bali. His achievement inspires Telangana Social Welfare athletes

CV Anand defeated Manikanna 6-4, 6-4 to enter the semifinal of the 55+ singles category at the 23rd Hyderabad Open tennis tournament. Matches across age groups saw wins for Madhusudhan Rao, G Raja, Meher Prakash, Gajapathi and Rama Mohan

India finished on top at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship in Delhi with 94 medals, including 51 gold. Amanpreet, Suraj, Sift and Dhavalika Devi starred as Indian shooters swept podiums and dominated team events across categories

Falaknuma FC defeated Young Sporting FC 5-1 in the TFA C-Division football league at Gymkhana Ground, Hyderabad. Harison Singh scored a hat-trick, while Prasanth and Fardeen added one each. Zaheeruddin scored for Young Sporting. Sky Kings face Young Dynamos next

Rahul Radhesh and Pranav Varma guided Hyderabad to 276/6 against Bengal in the CK Nayudu Trophy. Md Liakhath Hussain and Abhishek Murugan hit centuries in the HCA B-Division league, while Medak and Karimnagar won their under-19 semifinals

Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty and Ankita Raina entered the final of the W 75 Pune NECC Deccan Rs 60 K ITF Women’s Tennis Tournament after defeating Belarus pair Polina Bakhmutkina and Maria Golovina 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinal

Hyderabad’s Snehit Suravajjula saved six match points to upset Japan’s Mizuki Oikawa and enter the men’s singles pre-quarterfinals of the WTT Star Contender Chennai. Sathiyan-Harmeet and Payas-Syndrela also registered impressive wins in doubles events

Zimbabwe pulled off a stunning 23-run victory over Australia in the T20 World Cup 2026, powered by a brilliant bowling display from Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans. Sachin Tendulkar and Ravichandran Ashwin lauded the team’s character and fielding efforts.

Pakistan hockey players were left stranded in Canberra after their hotel bookings were cancelled due to unpaid bills by the Pakistan Hockey Federation. The team spent hours on the roads before being accommodated, adding to their struggles in the FIH Pro League