Sports briefs: Pranav wins prize money chess tournament
Mushing Ajay and Aamuktha Guntaka, with 4.5 points each, finished second and third, respectively in the Bodda Pratyusha International Chess Academy prize money chess
Hyderabad: Pranav Akula won the Bodda Pratyusha International Chess Academy prize money chess tournament with five points.
Mushing Ajay and Aamuktha Guntaka, with 4.5 points each, finished second and third, respectively.
Final placings: 1. Pranay Akula, 2. Mushini Ajay, 3. G Aamuktha, 4. Challa Saharsha, 5. JwalinMehta, 6. M Advik Reddy, 7. Afreed T Khan, 8. Ch Kartikeya, 9. G Sathvik and 10. Ch Karthik Sai.
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Hyderabad Open Golf from Feb 18
The Hyderabad Open Golf Tournament, an initiative of the TGolf Foundation, was officially launched on Monday with a poster launch at Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club, Hyderabad. Regarded as India’s Premier Amateur Golf Championship, the tournament will be held from February 18 to 21, 2026, bringing together top amateur golfers from across the country.
Madhusudhan Rao, Head of Business – Emaar India, NRN Reddy, Founder, TGolf Foundation, Papi Reddy, General Manager, Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club, and Prashanth Reddy were present.
Registrations for the Hyderabad Open are now open, and interested players can register by scanning the QR code available on the official tournament poster.
Hosted at the iconic Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club, one of India’s most challenging and scenic championship courses, the Hyderabad Open is expected to attract leading amateur golfers, golf enthusiasts, and key stakeholders, further strengthening Hyderabad’s position as a major golfing destination in India.
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Pratiksha’s ton helps Hyderabad win
V Prathiksha cracked a century (100n.o., 62b, 10×4, 3×6) to help Hyderabad score a 97-run win against Himachal Pradesh in the BCCI Women’s (under-19) one-day cricket championship here on Monday.
Batting first, Hyderabad scored 242 for six in 50 overs, with Prathiksha well supported by K Nidhi (65) and A Hasini (37).
In reply, Himachal was bowled out for 145 in 42.2 overs with K. Srivalli (three for 38) and N Babita (four for 27) being the main wicket-takers.
The scores: At Lucknow: Hyderabad 242/6 in 50 overs (K. Nidhi 65, Hasini A 37, V. Prathiksha 100 no, Dhanya Laxmi 3/63) bt Himachal Pradesh 145 in 42.2 overs (Kanu Priya 33, K. Srivalli 3/38, N. Babita 4/27).
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Shyam named Andhra football coach
ES Shyam of State Bank of India (Hyderabad Circle) has been appointed head coach of the Andhra Pradesh team for the 79th Santosh Trophy national football championship to be held in Anantapur from December 17 to 2.
Andhra will be playing against Puducherry on August 17, Tamil Nadu on August 19, and Andaman and Nicobar on August 21.
Earlier major assignments include being head coach of Telangana for two years, one year with Uttarakhand, and this is third year for Andhra Pradesh, which failed to qualify for the knock-out.
The 56-year-old Shyam from the City happens to be the first one to get the prestigious AFC A-License Certificate and is also currently the coach of the State Bank of India.
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Aditya Vardhan to lead Hyd
Aditya Vardhan will lead Hyderabad in the Vijay Merchant Trophy cricket championship (under-16) league match against Haryana at Mulapadu from December 18 to 20.
The team: Aditya Vardhan (capt), Huzaifa Imran (vice-captain), G Parthiv Varma, Ram Charan Markatta, C Sai Thanishq, P Prince, Guru Vidhwan (wk), B Varsity Reddy (wk), Md. Basheer, P Dheeraj, Ved Reddy, Ayush Malhotra, BS Sai Sarath, S Ritvik, G Karan. Stand-byes: G Murali Akshith, K Sai Nehal, Harsh Chandra, Sabyasachi Pradhan and P Tanush Chandra.
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Shahbaz replaces Axar
India allrounder Axar Patel has been ruled out of the remaining two IDFC First Bank T20Is against South Africa due to illness.
However, he is with the team in Lucknow, where he will be further medically assessed.
The Selection Committee has named Shahbaz Ahmed as his replacement for the T20Is in Lucknow and Ahmedabad.
India’s updated squad for the last two T20Is: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed.
