Sport

Nadine de Klerk starred with bat and ball as Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated defending champions Mumbai Indians by three wickets in the WPL opener. Her unbeaten 63 and four wickets sealed a dramatic last-over win in Navi Mumbai

Soorma Hockey Club defeated Hyderabad Toofans 3-1 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw in the Men’s Hockey India League at Chennai. Harmanpreet Singh and Amandeep Lakra scored in regulation time, while Soorma sealed victory through shootout brilliance

Jadumani Singh defeated Amit Panghal to set up a final clash with Pawan Bartwal at the Elite National Boxing Championships in Greater Noida. Lovlina Borgohain, Nikhat and Minakshi also advanced to the finals, highlighting India’s strong presence across categories

Brilliant Chess Academy will organise the 236th Brilliant Trophy Chess Tournament on January 10 and 11 at Brilliant Grammar High School, Dilsukhnagar. The event carries a prize fund of Rs 10,000. Registrations close at 1 pm on January 10

Junior national champion Hansini Mathan upset third seed Yoo Yerin of Korea Republic at the WTT Feeder Series in Vadodara. Payas Jain and Syndrela Das also stunned mixed doubles top seeds, while Priyanuj Bhattacharya defeated eighth seed Navid Shams in men’s singles

Hyderabad and Cricket Federation of India entered the final of the 19th All India Rajiv Gandhi Invitation T-20 cricket tournament. Hyderabad beat Telangana, while CFI defeated Karnataka in the semifinals, with standout performances from Sai Sharan Ravuri and Kshitij Singhania

Nithin Nayak’s century (107) powered Mahabubnagar to a 52-run win over Gadwal in the Telangana Gold Cup cricket tournament. Other standout performances came from Praneeth Reddy, Anantha Yashwanth and Umesh Sabavat as Mahabubnagar Rural and Urban teams also registered victories

Jyothi Surekha Vennam has been selected for the Indian compound women’s archery team after topping the Kolkata trials with 15.25 points. This marks her 16th consecutive selection to the national team, continuing her streak from 2011 to 2026

Karimnagar defeated Warangal by nine runs in the Kaka Venkataswamy Memorial Telangana Inter-district T-20 cricket championship at Warangal. Other winners included Ranga Reddy, Nizamabad and Nalgonda, with standout performances from Navanith Rao, David Kripal Roy and Sainad Pagidimarri

Deccan Wanderers defeated Evergreen in the semifinal of the HCA A-Division two-day league cricket championship to enter the final. In under-14 probables matches, standout performances came from Shaurya Singh, G Yuvan Srikanth Raj, Suranjeet Pattnayak and Arjun Diwakar

State Bank of India Hyderabad Circle secured third place in the All India SBI Inter-circle football championship at Bhubaneshwar, defeating Gandhinagar Circle 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out. Goalkeeper M Gopiah’s crucial save proved decisive in the victory

Five-time champions India have been drawn alongside Bangladesh, New Zealand and USA in Group B of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup. The tournament promises high-intensity clashes, starting with India’s opening match against Bangladesh on January 17.

Australia’s Ashes triumph delivered record-breaking attendances, broadcast viewership and digital engagement nationwide. More than 8.59 lakh fans attended the Tests, while television and online platforms recorded their highest-ever figures during the iconic series.

P.V. Sindhu advanced to the Malaysia Open Super 1000 semifinals after Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi retired injured mid-match. The former world champion, returning from a long layoff, reached her first Malaysia Open semifinal in eight years.

Ten-year-old Indo-American golfer Aaryash Singh Bhadoria is emerging as a promising junior talent, earning accolades across the US and abroad. Currently training and competing in India, his journey blends global exposure, discipline and sporting ambition.

Former India batting coach Vikram Rathour has been appointed Sri Lanka’s batting coach for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. He will take charge on January 18 and remain with the team until March 10

Sarfaraz Khan smashed the fastest fifty by an Indian in List A cricket, reaching the milestone in 15 balls during Mumbai’s Vijay Hazare Trophy clash against Punjab. His 62 off 20 balls was not enough as Mumbai lost by one run

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina advanced to the Brisbane International quarter-finals with straight-set wins. Sabalenka beat Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-3, while Rybakina defeated Paula Badosa 6-3, 6-2, extending her winning streak to 13 matches ahead of the Australian Open

Australia sealed a 4-1 Ashes series win with a five-wicket victory over England in the SCG Test. Usman Khawaja’s farewell ended in triumph, while Mitchell Starc starred with the ball and Carey-Green guided the hosts home in Sydney

The Telangana Triathlon Association has nominated Surendra Joseph as general secretary, replacing late M Krishna, at its executive committee meeting in Hyderabad. K Naresh Kumar was elected senior vice-president, with the resolution on appointments unanimously approved by the panel

Former national cycling champion Maxwell Trevor has been nominated by the Cycling Federation of India as athlete representative for the Indian Olympic Association summit in Ahmedabad on January 10. His presence highlights athlete involvement in sports governance discussions

The All India Football Federation has condoled the death of former India forward Sadatullah Khan, who passed away in Bengaluru at 75. A skilful dribbler, he represented India in the 1968 Merdeka Cup and enjoyed a distinguished domestic and club career

India batter Tilak Varma has been ruled out of the first three T20Is against New Zealand after undergoing abdominal surgery in Rajkot. He is stable and will return to training gradually, with his availability for later matches subject to recovery

The Union Government has notified the National Sports Board (Search-cum-Selection Committee) Rules, 2026 under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. The rules empower a committee to recommend names for Chairperson and Members, ensuring governance and compliance in national sports bodies