Sport

Former India batter Suresh Raina has backed Rishabh Pant to regain his place in India’s white-ball teams, saying the wicketkeeper-batter has the talent and X-factor to succeed if he overcomes mental blocks and plays with greater freedom

Aditya Shrivardhan, a young shuttler from Mancherial, has been selected to represent Telangana in the South Zone Inter-State Badminton Championship 2026 being held in Bengaluru from September 5 to 8. The Mancherial District Badminton Association congratulated him for his achievement.

Four Indian junior pickleball players have earned invitations to the 2026 Junior Pickleball World Championships after winning medals at the Asia Pickleball Junior Open. Aadya Vinod, Keerthi YS, Anjali Bhupendra Pol and Stuti will compete in Dallas in November

India spinner Manav Suthar took seven wickets as Warwickshire defeated Hampshire by an innings and 129 runs in the County Championship. Yuzvendra Chahal claimed nine wickets for Northamptonshire in another game, while Auqib Nabi made an impressive Surrey debut

The AIFF has announced October 16 as the start date for the 2026-27 Indian Women’s League and October 23 for IWL 2. The federation has also approved stricter coaching licence requirements and plans to expand the IWL to 12 teams

East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan believes veteran pacer Mohammad Shami still has the hunger and motivation to return to the Indian team. Kishan praised Shami's intensity and competitive spirit after his five-wicket haul helped East Zone reach the Duleep Trophy final

Uruguay have announced a strong squad for their October 6 friendly against India in Kolkata, with Real Madrid captain Federico Valverde, Darwin Nunez and Ronald Araujo among the key names. The match will also mark Diego Forlan’s start as head coach.

East Zone will face South Zone in the Duleep Trophy final in Chennai on Sunday. East are chasing their third title, while 12-time champions South seek another trophy, with several India internationals set to feature in the summit clash

Yuki Bhambri will reunite with Michael Venus for the US Open 2026 men’s doubles, hoping to build on last year’s semifinal run. Bhambri said the experience has given him confidence, while acknowledging a challenging opening against two American players.

Aryna Sabalenka briefly halted her US Open third-round match against Kamilla Rakhimova after complaining about the strong smell of weed. Her comments, including a joke that she might “get high”, sparked humorous and critical reactions across social media

South Zone captain Tilak Varma is excited to play the Duleep Trophy final against East Zone at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium. Recalling fond memories at Chepauk, including his T20 World Cup performance, Tilak said he is eagerly awaiting the crowd

Alexander Zverev and Elena Rybakina headline Day 7 of the US Open 2026 as the third round continues in New York. Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka and Taylor Fritz are also in action, while Yuki Bhambri begins his doubles campaign

Emma Navarro stunned seventh seed Karolina Muchova at the US Open, while Taylor Townsend and Jessica Pegula survived tough three-set battles to reach the fourth round. Linda Noskova and Marta Kostyuk also advanced as several contenders navigated difficult challenges.

Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth has criticised India’s full-strength squad for the Afghanistan T20I series, saying selectors should have used the opportunity to test youngsters. He also questioned the match-fitness of returning players Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana and others.

Indian teenager Anahat Singh’s London Squash Classic campaign ended in the quarterfinals after third seed Sivasangari Subramaniam beat her 11-4, 11-4 in 17 minutes. Anahat will now turn her attention to the Qatar Classic and preparations for the Asian Games.

Serena and Venus Williams’ much-anticipated US Open doubles return ended in heartbreak as Chan Hao-Ching and Maya Joint edged the 14-time Grand Slam champions in a marathon three-hour contest decided by a super tiebreak at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Carlos Alcaraz has impressed himself with his physical recovery after returning from a four-month injury layoff. The Spaniard has reached the US Open fourth round after dropping one set and will next face American Tommy Paul

Top seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka defeated Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4 in the third round of the 2026 US Open at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, advancing to the fourth round for the fifth consecutive year.

Arjuna Awardee Neeta Dhadwe is confident the Indian women’s kabaddi team can win gold at the Asian Games in Japan. The former Railways captain and coach believes India’s balance in offence and defence will help overcome key challengers

India’s international football friendly against Panama in Bengaluru has been advanced by a day to September 25 from September 26. The change follows scheduling concerns as Sree Kanteerava Stadium will host the Bengaluru Marathon on September 27, sources said

Aryan Krishna’s 187, unbeaten centuries by Kush Agarwal and Ilyaan Sathani, and R Sai Charan’s hundred highlighted HCA cricket action. Aniketh Reddy’s eight-wicket haul and TVS Narayana Teja’s five-wicket spell were among the bowling highlights on Friday

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in three games to reach the China Masters semifinals. Veteran Kidambi Srikanth, however, suffered a straight-game quarterfinal loss to Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu

Tony FC defeated Valluvarnagar Club 2-0 to qualify for the semi-finals of the Jaya Rao Memorial Football Tournament at Bolarum. Pro Kicks, St Patrick’s and Game Point also advanced, setting up Tony FC-Pro Kicks and St Patrick’s-Game Point semi-finals

Smriti Mandhana revealed how injured teammate Jemimah Rodrigues’ light-hearted pre-match banter helped ease her nerves before she smashed a record-breaking 124 against Hong Kong in the Women’s Asia Cup. The knock took Mandhana to a record 18 international centuries