Sport

Mayank Shete and Rushil Gupta won the ‘Pickle in Pink’ charity pickleball tournament after defeating Abhishek Yelagani and Gopi Nathiddy 2–1 in a closely fought final at Cross Courts in Gandipet. The event blended competitive sport with social service.

Chennaiyin FC have signed experienced Spanish midfielder Alberto Noguera on a contract until the end of the season. The former ISL winner brings vast experience across Europe and India as the Marina Machans strengthen their squad ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Osmania University has announced dates for its inter-college championships for men, including chess, karate and best physique events, to be held at various venues in the city between February 2 and 7, officials said.

UP Warriorz have named England wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones as an injury replacement for Phoebe Litchfield for the remainder of the TATA Women’s Premier League 2026. Litchfield was ruled out after scoring 243 runs in six matches.

Thirteen Russian and seven Belarusian athletes will compete as neutral individuals at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after IOC invitations. Barred from national symbols, they passed neutrality checks, with Russian figure skaters emerging as the strongest medal contenders

Elina Svitolina stunned Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-2 to reach her first Australian Open semifinal, extending her winning streak to 10 matches. Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz also advanced, with Alcaraz chasing a career Grand Slam and Sabalenka eyeing a third crown

World champion D Gukesh lost to Matthias Bluebaum, while Arjun Erigaisi drew with Hans Niemann in round nine of the Tata Steel Masters. Abdusattorov leads with six points, Sindarov and van Foreest trail close behind, as Indian players continue to struggle

India crushed Zimbabwe by 204 runs in the U19 World Cup Super 6 stage, led by Vihaan Malhotra’s century and Abhigyan Kundu’s 61. Ayush Mhatre and Udhav Mohan took three wickets each as India reclaimed top spot in Group 2

India crushed Zimbabwe by 204 runs and Pakistan beat New Zealand by eight wickets to stay in contention for U19 World Cup semi-finals. Vihaan Malhotra hit a century, while Sameer Minhas starred with an unbeaten 76. India and Pakistan meet Sunday

Sophie Devine defended nine runs in the final over to give Gujarat Giants a thrilling three-run win over Delhi Capitals in WPL 2026. Beth Mooney scored 58, while Niki Prasad’s 47 went in vain as Gujarat completed a season double

India’s Manish Sureshkumar stunned top seed Eric Vanshelboim of Ukraine 6-2, 6-1 in the ITF World Tennis Tour men’s singles first round at Hyderabad. Vishnu Vardhan also advanced, while Keshav Chopra and Rifiq Fitradi posted strong wins

New Zealand bowling coach Jacob Oram praised India’s top three batters Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav, likening them to Sanath Jayasuriya. He admitted it was tough to contain India’s batting line-up and said motivating Kiwi bowlers remains a challenge

Indian fast bowling coach Morne Morkel praised the team’s depth and X-factor ahead of the T20 World Cup. He called Jasprit Bumrah the best bowler in the world and expressed confidence that Sanju Samson will soon regain form

Neelam Bharadwaj’s brilliant 125 guided Uttarakhand to a 69-run victory over Hyderabad in the senior women’s one-day practice match at Hyderabad. Kanchan Parihar added 78, while Neelam Bisht starred with the ball, taking three wickets

Centuries from Kabilan and D Niranjanveer powered Tamil Nadu to 448 for seven against Hyderabad on the opening day of the South Zone Inter-State under-14 cricket championship at Vizianagaram. Sanjay B and Mohd Saafir also contributed with solid knocks

India sealed the five-match T20 series against New Zealand 3-0, with strong batting and bowling depth. Coach Gautam Gambhir may experiment ahead of the World Cup, as Ishan Kishan impressed while Sanju Samson struggled to find form

Suryakumar Yadav struck back-to-back fifties against New Zealand, rediscovering his touch ahead of the T20 World Cup. Experts Sunil Gavaskar and Aakash Chopra hailed his confidence and adaptability, noting his ability to handle pacers and spinners with calculated aggression

Sanju Samson’s T20I struggles continue, with recent failures against New Zealand highlighting his inconsistency. Experts WV Raman and Zubin Bharucha believe his issues are both technical and mental, stressing adjustments in bat-speed and clarity of mindset to unlock his potential

World Champion D Gukesh defeated Vladimir Fedoseev to bounce back at the Tata Steel Masters. Anish Giri beat leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov, while Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa held draws. Abdusattorov still leads with 5.5 points after eight rounds

Young Indian shuttlers including Priyanshu Rajawat, Kiran George, Tharun Mannepalli and Anmol Kharb will begin their campaigns at the Thailand Masters Super 300 in Bangkok. Several players face seeded opponents in a crucial early-season test on the BWF World Tour

Jannik Sinner defeated Luciano Darderi to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals, joining Djokovic, Swiatek and Musetti in the last eight. Anisimova and Pegula advanced in women’s singles, while Rybakina set up a clash with Swiatek. Sabalenka and Alcaraz headline day 10

Nat Sciver-Brunt scored the first-ever century in Women’s Premier League history as Mumbai Indians beat RCB by 15 runs. Richa Ghosh’s explosive 90 kept Bengaluru in the hunt, but Hayley Matthews’ all-round brilliance sealed Mumbai’s crucial win

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek defeated Australia’s Maddison Inglis 6-0, 6-3 to reach her 14th Grand Slam quarterfinal and third at the Australian Open. She now faces Elena Rybakina, with a career Grand Slam in sight

Bihar crushed Manipur by 568 runs in the Ranji Trophy Plate Division final at Patna, earning promotion to the Elite Division. Piyush Singh’s unbeaten 216 and Bipin Saurabh’s 143 powered Bihar, while Suraj Kashyap starred with the ball