Sport

Ahead of the fifth Ashes Test at the SCG, Australian and English players paid tribute to emergency personnel and civilians who responded to the Bondi Beach mass shooting, with a moving guard of honour and a standing ovation from fans.

India batter Shreyas Iyer will return to competitive cricket in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh after recovering from a spleen injury. His availability for the upcoming New Zealand series will depend on fitness clearance

Hardik Pandya smashed 11 sixes, including five in one over, on his way to a 93-ball 133 for Baroda against Vidarbha in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. His maiden List A century lifted Baroda to 293 in 50 overs

Indian driver Sanjay Takale made history by winning the H3 Class in the Dakar Rally 2026 Prologue, finishing 35th overall in Cars. Driving a Toyota HDJ 100, he became the first Indian to podium in the Dakar Cars category

Tamil Nadu Dragons defeated Hyderabad Toofans 4-2 in a shoot-out after a 3-3 draw in regulation time in the Men’s Hockey India League opener. Goalkeeper Prince Deep Singh saved two penalties, while Raheel Mohammed scored the decisive strike in Chennai

Resonance Educational Institutions, Hyderabad, felicitated student Padakanti Viswanath Karthikey, recipient of the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar. At 16, he became the youngest Indian and world’s second youngest to complete the Seven Summits Challenge. He now aims to join the NDA

World champion Meenakshi, Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain and Amit Panghal are among 600 boxers competing at the Elite Men and Women National Boxing Championships in Greater Noida from January 4-10, 2026, the first joint event for men and women

Hanamkonda defeated Khammam by 21 runs in the East Zone final of the TCA Telangana Gold Cup at Warangal. Shashank Kashyap’s unbeaten century powered Hanamkonda to 230, while M Pavan’s 115 went in vain as Khammam managed 209

Army’s Ajay Kumar won gold in the 10m Air Pistol Men’s final, while Karnataka’s Jonathan Gavin Antony completed a rare treble across Sub-Youth, Youth and Junior events. Tamil Nadu swept both Senior and Junior Trap Mixed Team titles at the National Shooting Championship

Sportive Cricket Club defeated Nizamabad by six wickets in the HCA Inter-district one-day league. Bhargav’s century powered Tarakarama past Sacred Heart, while St Andrews thrashed All Saints. Multiple teams recorded strong wins across B and C Division matches

Tilak Varma’s century and Abhirath Reddy’s 71 lifted Hyderabad to 286 before CTL Rakshann’s three wickets helped dismiss Chandigarh for 150, sealing a 136-run win in the Vijay Hazare Trophy at Rajkot, Hyderabad’s first victory of the edition

Vivaan Dave and Naisha Rewaskar saved three match points in a thrilling decider to upset top seeds Aditya Das and Ankolika Chakraborty and reach the U-15 mixed doubles final at the WTT Youth Contender in Vadodara

Shubman Gill will lead India in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting January 11 in Vadodara. Shreyas Iyer’s selection is subject to fitness clearance, while Hardik Pandya’s workload is being managed ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Kolkata Knight Riders have released pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad following a directive from the BCCI ahead of the upcoming IPL season. The franchise will be permitted to name a replacement player under IPL regulations.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has urged Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to stay active in domestic cricket whenever possible as India begin their 2026 white ball campaign and plan for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

India batter Sai Sudharsan has fractured his rib during a Vijay Hazare Trophy game against Madhya Pradesh. The injury is expected to keep him out for six to eight weeks, ruling him out of Ranji Trophy but keeping him in contention for IPL 2026

Rajasthan Royals are likely to shift their IPL 2026 home games from Jaipur to Pune’s MCA Stadium due to disputes with the Rajasthan Cricket Association. The venue has hosted international matches and IPL teams before, with BCCI expected to confirm the move soon

Sjoerd Marijne has been reappointed as India women’s hockey coach, five years after guiding the team to a historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics. His first major challenge will be the World Cup qualifiers in Hyderabad from March 8 to 14

The men’s Hockey India League 2026 begins in Chennai with Tamil Nadu Dragons facing Hyderabad Toofans in the opener. The league features eight teams, top Indian and foreign stars, and a new round-robin format before the final in Bhubaneswar on January 26

Selectors meet to pick India’s ODI squad for the New Zealand series starting January 11 in Vadodara. Pant’s role as wicketkeeper and Siraj’s return to the pace attack are key talking points, with Sarfaraz Khan and Padikkal also in contention

Hyderabad defeated Vidarbha by 20 runs in the BCCI Women’s Under-15 one-day cricket championship first-round match at Vizianagaram. Arya Nandanwar starred with four wickets, while K Deekshaja’s three-wicket haul could not prevent Vidarbha’s defeat

Sportive CC defeated Khammam by five wickets, while Ensconse outplayed Apex in the HCA B-Division T-20 cricket quarterfinals. CPS Karthikeya and Siddharth Rao starred for Sportive, while Junai Ali’s unbeaten 65 powered Ensconse to a quick chase

Gowtham Model School stormed into the HCA Inter-schools and District Under-14 cricket final with a 234-run win over Academic Heights Public School, thanks to centuries from Akhileshwar and Sai Vaibhav. The Sarrornagar unit beat Pallavi Model School in the other semi-final

Adilabad defeated Medak by four wickets, while Karimnagar outplayed Hyderabad in the Kaka Venkataswamy Memorial T-20 cricket tournament. Sai Krishna starred for Adilabad with 38 runs, while Shuanik’s four-wicket haul could not save Hyderabad