Sport

Tanvi Sharma, Ashwini Bhat K, Shikha Gautam and Tharun Mannepalli were promoted to the India Open 2026 main draw after top players withdrew. Tanvi will debut against Wang Zhi Yi, while Tharun faces Kidambi Srikanth in men’s singles

Grace Harris smashed a 40-ball 85, including the fastest fifty of the season, to lead Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a nine-wicket win over UP Warriorz in the WPL. Smriti Mandhana added 47 as RCB chased 144 in 12.1 overs

SG Pipers defeated Hyderabad Toofans 2-1 in Ranchi to claim their first win of the HIL 2025-26 season. Tomas Domene scored twice, while goalkeeper Tomas Santiago denied a late penalty stroke to secure victory despite Toofans’ relentless pressure

The Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2026, a HSBC BWF Super 750 tournament, begins January 13 in Delhi. PV Sindhu, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy stressed its importance as a build-up to the BWF World Championships 2026, to be held at the same venue

India announced its Davis Cup 2026 Qualifiers squad to face the Netherlands in Bengaluru on February 7–8. Sumit Nagal, Yuki Bhambri and Karan Singh will play, with Digvijay Singh in reserves. India qualified after defeating Switzerland in 2025

Sunshine defeated Mahesh CC by three wickets in the HCA C-Division one-day league quarterfinal. In the Under-14 multi-day probables, centuries by M. Dakshdeep and Mahaprasada powered Team C to a commanding position on the opening day.

C. Karthik Sai of Hyderabad clinched the Open prize-money chess tournament organised by A2H Chess Academy, scoring 4.5 points from five rounds. S. Srujan Keerthan finished second on tie-break, despite matching the winner’s score.

Hyderabad will host the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup qualifiers from March 8 to 14 at the GMC Balayogi Hockey Complex. Eight teams, including hosts India, will compete for seven remaining berths for the 2026 World Cup.

India all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the remaining ODIs against New Zealand after reporting rib discomfort during the first match in Vadodara. Ayush Badoni has been named as his replacement for the final two games.

Fourteen-year-old Ravi Kumar Bonnelu of Hyderabad won a bronze medal at the International Sailing Regatta in Chennai, braving rough seas against sailors from seven countries. The performance marks a milestone for Hyderabad sailing on the global stage.

Ranchi Royals registered their first win of the Men’s Hockey India League season with a stunning 4-1 comeback against defending champions Shrachi Bengal Tigers. Tom Boon scored twice as the Royals netted four goals in the final six minutes.

People from different faiths joined the Sports4Peace Cricket Tournament in Hyderabad to celebrate Christmas, Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti and Sankranti. Organised by COVA Peace Network, the event featured matches, cultural talks and a special ‘Play for Peace Match'

Ranga Reddy defeated Medak by nine wickets in the Kaka Venkataswamy Memorial Telangana Inter-district T20 cricket championship at Mahabubnagar. Adilabad also registered a 22-run win over Hyderabad, with A Santosh scoring 97 in their total of 192

P Sathwik Reddy won the juniors title with a perfect score at the Brilliant Trophy chess tournament in Hyderabad. RVSS Ramanjaneyulu clinched the Open crown, while several boys and girls emerged winners across age categories. Nigama Sree and Siva Satyanarayana won special awards

Payas Jain bagged the mixed doubles crown with Syndrela Das and entered both men’s singles and doubles finals at the WTT Feeder Series 2026 in Vadodara. Anusha Kutumbale will face Korea’s Ryu Hanna in the women’s singles final

Sophie Devine’s blazing 95 and two wickets in the final over powered Gujarat Giants to a four-run win over Delhi Capitals in WPL 2026. Nandini Sharma’s maiden hat-trick stood out, but Delhi fell short chasing 209 in Navi Mumbai

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka defended her Brisbane International crown by beating Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-3. The Belarusian claimed her 22nd career WTA title and fifth in Australia, becoming one of only three women to defend the season-opening WTA 500 event

Hyderabad will host the World Junior 10K Run on February 1 at Gachibowli Stadium. Organised by Spotonn Sports with GHMC support, the event will see over 3,000 children from 50 schools participate across multiple race categories, including specially-abled participants

Virat Kohli scored 93 and Shubman Gill hit 56 as India defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the opening ODI at Vadodara. Kohli became the quickest to 28,000 international runs, while Kyle Jamieson’s four wickets kept the visitors in the contest

Rahil Pillarisetty and Rajender Beedani win titles in their respective categories in the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2025

India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the ODI series after suffering a side strain during a practice session in Vadodara. The selectors have named Dhruv Jurel as his replacement in the squad.

India won the toss and chose to bowl against New Zealand in the first ODI at Kotambi Stadium. Shubman Gill said the decision was aimed at testing combinations in Indian conditions, as the hosts suffered a setback with Rishabh Pant ruled out of the series.

Villarreal strengthened their grip on third place in La Liga with a 3-1 home win over Alaves, sealing their best-ever first half of a top-flight season, while late goals decided matches involving Real Sociedad, Valencia, Girona and Real Betis.

India begin their three-match ODI series against New Zealand at Vadodara, with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in prime form. Shubman Gill returns as captain, while Michael Bracewell leads a new-look Kiwi side missing several frontline players