Sport

Ananya Dandu’s fine spell of six for 23 helped Hyderabad beat Jharkhand by nine runs in the BCCI women’s under-15 one-day cricket tournament at Vizianagaram. Hyderabad finished second in the group to qualify for the knockout phase

G Nikil Sekhar’s five-wicket haul helped Team F beat Team I in the HCA Under-14 probables matches in Hyderabad. Other notable performers included Ritesh Reddy, Jagath Roshan, Naksh Reddy, Raghaav Narayan, Medhansh Agarwal and B Sudhamsh

Reynold Vincent Paul of South Central Railway has been nominated to the five-member selection panel tasked with choosing the Indian Railways football team for the upcoming National Football Championship, alongside officials from Northern, Southern and Central Railways.

Ananya Dandu’s impressive 6/23 helped Hyderabad edge past Jharkhand by nine runs and qualify for the knockout stage of the BCCI Women’s Under-15 One-Day Tournament, while G. Nikil Sekhar starred in HCA Under-14 probables matches.

Fourrise Sports LLP launched the first season of the Fourrise Premier League in Hyderabad, aiming to build a professionally managed corporate cricket ecosystem. The league will feature 96 teams and over 1,400 players from multiple sectors across the Telugu States.

Ahead of India’s first international match at the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium, Indian players including Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Prasidh Krishna praised the venue’s facilities and atmosphere before the opening ODI against New Zealand.

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra and javelin great Jan Zelezny have mutually ended their coaching partnership after a successful phase that saw Chopra breach the 90-metre mark. The Indian star will now chart his own training path ahead of major global events.

Group C of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 features former champions England and Pakistan alongside hosts Zimbabwe and Scotland. With strong recent form and home advantage in play, the group promises closely fought contests from the outset.

PV Sindhu’s Malaysia Open Super 1000 campaign ended with a straight-games semifinal loss to China’s Wang Zhiyi, as unforced errors and a squandered second-game lead proved costly in her first tournament after injury.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia met VVS Laxman, head of the Centre of Excellence, to review current activities and chart its future roadmap. The meeting in Mumbai also involved top officials, amid reports linking Laxman to Team India’s coaching role

Nadine de Klerk starred with bat and ball as Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated defending champions Mumbai Indians by three wickets in the WPL opener. Her unbeaten 63 and four wickets sealed a dramatic last-over win in Navi Mumbai

Soorma Hockey Club defeated Hyderabad Toofans 3-1 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw in the Men’s Hockey India League at Chennai. Harmanpreet Singh and Amandeep Lakra scored in regulation time, while Soorma sealed victory through shootout brilliance

Jadumani Singh defeated Amit Panghal to set up a final clash with Pawan Bartwal at the Elite National Boxing Championships in Greater Noida. Lovlina Borgohain, Nikhat and Minakshi also advanced to the finals, highlighting India’s strong presence across categories

Brilliant Chess Academy will organise the 236th Brilliant Trophy Chess Tournament on January 10 and 11 at Brilliant Grammar High School, Dilsukhnagar. The event carries a prize fund of Rs 10,000. Registrations close at 1 pm on January 10

Junior national champion Hansini Mathan upset third seed Yoo Yerin of Korea Republic at the WTT Feeder Series in Vadodara. Payas Jain and Syndrela Das also stunned mixed doubles top seeds, while Priyanuj Bhattacharya defeated eighth seed Navid Shams in men’s singles

Hyderabad and Cricket Federation of India entered the final of the 19th All India Rajiv Gandhi Invitation T-20 cricket tournament. Hyderabad beat Telangana, while CFI defeated Karnataka in the semifinals, with standout performances from Sai Sharan Ravuri and Kshitij Singhania

Nithin Nayak’s century (107) powered Mahabubnagar to a 52-run win over Gadwal in the Telangana Gold Cup cricket tournament. Other standout performances came from Praneeth Reddy, Anantha Yashwanth and Umesh Sabavat as Mahabubnagar Rural and Urban teams also registered victories

Jyothi Surekha Vennam has been selected for the Indian compound women’s archery team after topping the Kolkata trials with 15.25 points. This marks her 16th consecutive selection to the national team, continuing her streak from 2011 to 2026

Karimnagar defeated Warangal by nine runs in the Kaka Venkataswamy Memorial Telangana Inter-district T-20 cricket championship at Warangal. Other winners included Ranga Reddy, Nizamabad and Nalgonda, with standout performances from Navanith Rao, David Kripal Roy and Sainad Pagidimarri

Deccan Wanderers defeated Evergreen in the semifinal of the HCA A-Division two-day league cricket championship to enter the final. In under-14 probables matches, standout performances came from Shaurya Singh, G Yuvan Srikanth Raj, Suranjeet Pattnayak and Arjun Diwakar

State Bank of India Hyderabad Circle secured third place in the All India SBI Inter-circle football championship at Bhubaneshwar, defeating Gandhinagar Circle 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out. Goalkeeper M Gopiah’s crucial save proved decisive in the victory

Five-time champions India have been drawn alongside Bangladesh, New Zealand and USA in Group B of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup. The tournament promises high-intensity clashes, starting with India’s opening match against Bangladesh on January 17.

Australia’s Ashes triumph delivered record-breaking attendances, broadcast viewership and digital engagement nationwide. More than 8.59 lakh fans attended the Tests, while television and online platforms recorded their highest-ever figures during the iconic series.

P.V. Sindhu advanced to the Malaysia Open Super 1000 semifinals after Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi retired injured mid-match. The former world champion, returning from a long layoff, reached her first Malaysia Open semifinal in eight years.