Sport

The Indian women’s hockey team has been placed in Pool D alongside England, China and South Africa for the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026, with Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne expressing confidence in the team’s preparation and consistency ahead of the tournament.

New Zealand defeated South Africa by 68 runs in the second T20 at Hamilton to level the five-match series 1-1. Devon Conway scored 60, while Ben Sears and Lockie Ferguson shared six wickets as South Africa collapsed for 107

St Francis College for Women defeated Villa Marie College 38-29 to win the Osmania University inter-college women’s basketball championship. Loyola Academy secured third place with a 28-26 win over St Ann’s College, while top scorers shone in the finals

Hyderabad cricketers G Trisha and Drithi Kesari were felicitated at the BCCI Naman Awards in Delhi. Both were part of India’s Under-19 World Cup winning team, with Trisha creating history by scoring the first century in the tournament

Telangana DKR FC has become the first team from Telangana to qualify for the Indian Women’s League II. The Telangana Football Association launched the team jersey in Hyderabad, with the tournament scheduled from March 22 to 30 in Thrissur

The 87th UTT Senior National Table Tennis Championships saw PSPB men defeat West Bengal 3-0 to retain their dominance, while RBI women staged a comeback to edge PSPB 3-2 in a thrilling final, reclaiming the trophy after two years

P Leeladityavardhan of Sri Vijnana Vihara English Medium School won the juniors category of the Brilliant Trophy online chess tournament after a tie-break with Siddharth Pernati. Thamizh Amudhan Yugender finished third, while several age-group winners were also declared

Adnan Bafana, former Junior State player and BCCI Level I coach, has urged the Hyderabad Cricket Association to introduce an insurance policy for players and match officials, citing rising injuries and the example of Karnataka’s Suraksha Scheme

The ICC announced Kettle Chips as an official supporter of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 to be held in England and Wales from June 12 to July 5, strengthening the tournament’s commercial partnerships and supporting the growth of women’s cricket

North Zone clinched the JK Bose Inter-Zonal T20 Cricket Trophy with an unbeaten run, while the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai won the AC Bali Table Tennis Tournament during sporting events held alongside the SJFI Golden Jubilee National Convention in New Delhi

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy felicitated cricketer N Tilak Varma, a member of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team. The Chief Minister said Tilak’s achievement would inspire young sports talent across the State. Several sports officials attended the event

Kishan R won his second national title while Preemal J clinched her maiden crown at the ARC 34th National Tenpin Bowling Championships in Bengaluru. Preemal’s victory ended Karnataka’s 15-year wait for the women’s national title

The SJFI Golden Jubilee National Convention concluded in New Delhi with DDCA announcing cash awards for World Cup winners and the North Zone team. Several personalities were honoured while speakers highlighted the importance of cooperation between sports administrators and journalists

The National Rifle Association of India inaugurated a seven-day National Coaches Course in Jharkhand with 33 participants from five states. The programme aims to strengthen grassroots shooting by training certified coaches and expanding access to the sport nationwide.

Soumit Panda’s unbeaten 103 powered Reserve Bank of India to a convincing victory over National Insurance in the D-Division Institution One-Day League Cricket Championship in Hyderabad, while Air India, Vidyuth Soudha, ECIL, IICT Staff Club and Midhani also registered wins.

The Association of Indian Universities nominated Osmania University coach Babu Lal as observer for the National/Zonal University Taekwondo All India Championship (men’s Kyorugi and Poomsae) being conducted by DAV University until March 20.

Navneet Kaur finished as the third-highest scorer with four goals and was named Player of the Tournament as India secured a silver medal at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Hyderabad to qualify for the World Cup.

Veteran forward Navneet Kaur emerged as a key figure in India’s successful campaign at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Hyderabad, finishing as the third-highest scorer with four goals. Her standout performance included a hat-trick against Wales, earning her the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award.

The Indian Open 2026 pickleball tournament in Hyderabad will be held as an IPA-sanctioned PWR 1000 event following a partnership between Global Sports and the Indian Pickleball Association. The event will feature 1,500 participants competing for a $50,000 prize pool.

Former India captain Mithali Raj received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BCCI Annual Awards 2026 in New Delhi. Andhra cricketers Sree Charani and Shabnam Shakil were also honoured, drawing praise from the Andhra Cricket Association leadership.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has confirmed that South Africa and New Zealand will host the men’s and women’s editions of the 2026 FIH Hockey Nations Cup. Cape Town will stage the men’s tournament from 11 to 20 June, while Auckland will host the women’s event from 15 to 21 June.

At the SJFI National Convention in New Delhi, IOA president PT Usha emphasised the need for athlete-first governance, highlighting preparation, welfare and grassroots development as priorities for India’s sporting future.

Led by B Harika, the Telangana women’s team secured the silver medal in the 34th Federation Cup Throwball Championship in Tirupati. Telangana recorded several wins in the league and semifinal before finishing runners-up after losing to Andhra Pradesh in the final

India finished the World Boxing Futures Cup 2026 in Bangkok with five medals, including a gold by Chandrika Pujari. Three Indian boxers won silver while Radhamani Longjam secured bronze, highlighting the progress of the country’s youth boxing programme