Sport

World Champion D Gukesh begins his Tata Steel Masters 2026 campaign against Javokhir Sindarov. Arjun Erigaisi faces Praggnanandhaa, while Aravindh Chithambaram meets Matthias Bluebaum as Indian Grandmasters aim for a strong start in the prestigious Wijk Aan Zee tournament

Vishvaraj Jadeja’s unbeaten 165 powered Saurashtra to a nine-wicket win over Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final. Supported by Harvik Desai and Prerak Mankad, Saurashtra chased 291 with ease to set up a final against Vidarbha

Ranchi Royals defeated JSW Soorma Hockey Club 4-1 in their final home game of the Men’s Hockey India League. Tom Boon scored twice, while Mandeep Singh and Manmeet Singh Rai added goals to secure their third consecutive win

Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Gujarat Giants by 32 runs in WPL 2026, with Shreyanka Patil taking a maiden five-wicket haul and Radha Yadav scoring 66. The win took RCB to the top of the points table

Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the T20I series against New Zealand due to a side strain. Ravi Bishnoi replaces him, while Shreyas Iyer has been added for the first three matches in place of injured Tilak Varma

Lakshya Sen lost to Lin Chun-Yi in the India Open 2026 quarterfinals after a close three-game battle. Sen won the opening game but Lin fought back to seal victory 17-21, 21-13, 21-18 in Delhi

Nizamabad defeated Adilabad by seven wickets in the Telangana Inter-district T20 semi-final, with Y Srikar Reddy scoring 99. Khammam beat Nalgonda by six wickets, thanks to Bunny, Teja Naidu and Mohammed Rizwan, setting up a final clash

The HCA Under-14 probables matches in Hyderabad saw centuries from Shreyas Ande, Sai Vaibhav and Yuvan Raj, while T Umesh and P Vivaan Reddy impressed with five-wicket hauls, highlighting both batting and bowling talent

Indian shooting legend Jitu Rai said the Shooting League of India will expand the sport’s reach and raise competitive standards. Speaking at the UP Prometheans launch, he praised the facilities and predicted the league will produce world-class champions

The second edition of the Chief Minister’s Cup begins January 17 in Telangana, spanning five stages from village to state level. Officials said the initiative aims to nurture rural talent and strengthen Telangana’s representation in the 2036 Olympic Games

Hyderabad were bowled out for 123 in the BCCI Women’s Under-15 One-Day pre-quarterfinal at Puducherry, with Shaik Aisha scoring 31 not out. Maharashtra chased down the target in 24.4 overs, led by Niheera Sharma’s fluent 51

DP Legends clinched the Dadpally Premier League invitation cricket tournament with a six-wicket win over DP Kings in the final. The tournament was organised by Sports Village of Hyderabad and the Sanaya Group of Companies.

UP Warriorz registered their first win of WPL 2026 with a disciplined bowling effort and a composed chase against Mumbai Indians. Harleen Deol starred with a fluent 64 as the Warriorz reached the target with 11 balls to spare.

The 58th Senior National Kho Kho Championship concluded in Kazipet, Telangana, with Railways (Men) and Maharashtra (Women) retaining their titles. Maharashtra edged Odisha 23-22 in the women’s final, while Railways defeated Maharashtra 26-21 in the men’s final.

India’s women’s futsal team suffered a 1-3 defeat to Bangladesh in their second match of the SAFF Women’s Futsal Championship 2026 in Bangkok. Bangladesh captain Sabina Khatun scored twice, while Sumaya Matsushima added a third to seal the win.

Australia’s Mitchell Starc and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt have been named ICC Players of the Month for December after standout performances in the Ashes and Ireland series. Starc took 16 wickets and scored crucial runs, including a match-winning 77 in Brisbane, while Wolvaardt struck three centuries across ODIs and T20Is, amassing nearly 400 runs.

Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth was eliminated from the BWF India Open after a hard-fought three-game loss to France’s Christo Popov in the round of 16. All Indian mixed doubles pairs suffered first-round exits.

The Indian senior women’s football team has left for a training camp in Türkiye as part of their preparations for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 in Australia. Key players Soumya Guguloth and Karthika Angamuthu are sidelined with injuries.

The Government of Assam, through its Directorate of Sports & Youth Welfare, has partnered with the Inspire Institute of Sport to establish a High-Performance Satellite Sports Centre in Guwahati. The centre is expected to elevate Assam’s sporting identity and strengthen India’s Olympic pipeline.

Sunil Gavaskar expressed surprise at New Zealand’s ease in chasing nearly 300 against India in the second ODI at Rajkot, crediting the 150-plus partnership between Will Young and Daryl Mitchell. Gavaskar praised Mitchell’s fitness and commitment, while Simon Doull highlighted his confidence against spin and aggressive stroke play.

In another match Srikanth found his way back after an indifferent opening game to defeat compatriot M. Tharun 15-21, 21-6, 21-19

India began on the front foot, pressing high and moving the ball quickly across the court, but Bangladesh survived the initial pressure through disciplined defending and sharp counter-attacks

In the other men's semi-final, defending champions Railways defeated Odisha with a score of 25-17 to enter the final

Lee, who smashed 86 in the previous game, did bulk of the work in the run chase for Delhi Capitals with 67 off 44 balls