Sport

Kane Russell scored a hat-trick, including a last-minute penalty corner, to power HIL GC to a thrilling 3-2 win over SG Pipers in their opening Men’s Hockey India League 2025-26 match in Chennai. Ky Willott and Dilraj Singh scored for Pipers

SBI Hyderabad Circle defeated host Bhubaneswar Circle 3-1 in the Inter Circle football tournament at Bhubaneswar. Captain Prakash Rao scored the opener, while Syed Zaki Raza netted twice and assisted once to earn Player of the Match honours

World champion Minakshi, two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen and Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain began their campaigns with easy wins at the Elite Men and Women National Boxing Championships in Greater Noida. Several male boxers also registered dominant victories in their categories

Mumbai Indians launched its Women’s Team campaign for the 2026 season, Aali Re… Hi Pori Mumbaichi, celebrating Mumbai’s daughters and their resilience. Rooted in city culture and a reimagined folk anthem, the film honours fearless young women who play with pride

Tatenda Taibu, former Zimbabwe captain and 2002 U19 World Cup Player of the Tournament, has been named ambassador for the 2026 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia. He hopes young players create lasting memories while showcasing their talent

Adilabad defeated Nizamabad by 30 runs in the North Zone league of the TFA Telangana Gold Cup at Nirmal. Mohammed Kashif starred with bat and ball. Armoor beat Nirmal, while Musaddiq guided Adilabad to another win in the tournament

Total Football Academy (Tofa) clinched the Hyderabad Elite 9s Cup with a 4-1 win over Brothers in the final at Battlefield Ground, Sun City. Shabbir Ali and Dr Samiuddin Ahmed presented prizes after the thrilling football contest

Hyderabad registered a commanding 10-wicket win over Goa in the BCCI Women's Under-15 one-day cricket championship second round at Vizianagaram. D Ananya and Shaik Aisha starred with the ball before Shanvi and Bhavishya Reddy sealed victory with unbeaten knocks

Nalgonda District entered the final of the HCA B-Division T-20 knock cricket tournament with a thrilling Super Over win against Ensconse in Hyderabad. DS Keerthan Praise starred with 60 runs, while Syed Ghazi Abbas impressed with both bat and ball

Bangladesh suspends IPL telecast after Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion from the tournament by BCCI, sparking controversy. The Bangladesh Cricket Board seeks ICC intervention for the 2026 T20 World Cup’s venue

Kapil Dev, PGTI President, said no decision has been made on Bangladeshi golfers’ participation in India’s Professional Golf Tour, amid recent cricket-related security concerns. He emphasized promoting team-based golf formats through the new franchise league, ‘72 The League’

Roundglass Sports has announced a partnership with India’s top-ranked singles player Sumit Nagal, strengthening its high-performance tennis ecosystem. The association reflects a shared commitment to excellence and aims to create a world-class pathway for Indian players.

Novak Djokovic announced his departure from the Professional Tennis Players Association, citing misalignment with its direction and concerns over transparency and governance. The 24-time Grand Slam champion said he will now focus on tennis, family, and contributing to the sport independently

Alexander Zverev defeated Tallon Griekspoor 7-5, 6-0 to seal Germany’s win over the Netherlands in the United Cup. Eva Lys earlier beat Suzan Lamens, and Zverev partnered Laura Siegemund to secure a mixed-doubles victory, giving Germany a 3-0 sweep

Vedanta Kalinga Lancers defeated Ranchi Royals 4-2 in their Men’s Hockey India League opener at Chennai. Alexander Hendrickx and Gursahibjit Singh scored twice each, while Tom Boon and Mandeep Singh netted for Royals. Lancers defended strongly to secure victory

Asian Games gold medallist Amit Panghal and Haryana’s Sagar advanced with contrasting wins on the opening day of the Senior National Boxing Championships in Greater Noida. Lalrambuat of Mizoram also won by unanimous decision in the bantamweight category

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India is preparing with full strength to host the 2036 Olympics, while confirming the 2030 Commonwealth Games will be held in India. He highlighted reforms like Khelo India and TOPS, and praised Varanasi’s emergence as a sporting destination

Joe Root and Harry Brook shared a 154-run stand to take England to 211 for three before bad light stopped play on Day 1 of the final Ashes test in Sydney, which also featured emotional tributes for Bondi terror victims

P Prakash Rao will captain the State Bank of India Hyderabad Circle team in the All India SBI inter-circle football championship at Bhubaneshwar from June 5. The squad includes 18 players, with ES Shyam as coach and BN Kumar as manager

Sports Authority of Telangana chairman Shivasena Reddy said retired officials who served sincerely will be engaged to promote sports. He praised cycling coach and Deputy Director G Chandra Reddy for his 37 years of service, during which Telangana produced 225 national medallists

The Apex Council of Hyderabad Cricket Association has directed 17 junior cricketers, including under-19 captain Aaron George, to report at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium on January 5 under the HCA Academy of Excellence plan. Aaron has already joined the Indian team in South Africa

Nalgonda defeated Warangal by four wickets in the Kaka Venkataswamy Memorial Telangana Inter-district T20 cricket championship, with G Prakash scoring 85. Khammam beat Mahabubnagar by 13 runs under the VJD Method, as Bunny and N Shiva starred with the bat

Defending champion Syndrela Das, top seed Divyanshi Bhowmick and Japan’s Miku Matsushima began their under-19 singles campaign with impressive wins at the WTT Youth Contender 2026 in Vadodara. Boys and under-15 top seeds also advanced to the knockout stage with comfortable victories

Bangladesh Cricket Board refused to send its team to India for the T20 World Cup citing security concerns, government advice and Mustafizur Rahman’s IPL release, seeking ICC to shift matches to Sri Lanka