CRICKET
Men’s Bilateral T20 Cricket Series for the Blind 2025: India beats Bangladesh, takes unassailable 3-0 lead
Team India delivered a dominant performance in the men’s bilateral T20 cricket series for the Blind 2025, securing a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the third league match at D5 Sports, Manipal University Campus, Yelahanka in Bengaluru on Tuesday. With this emphatic win, India sealed the series 3-0,
Opting to field first after winning the toss, India’s bowling unit put up a disciplined effort, restricting Bangladesh to 173/4 in 20 overs.
B3 Salman led Bangladesh’s fightback with a steady 50 off 38 balls, while India’s T. Durga Rao (B3) impressed with a three-wicket haul to keep the opposition in check.
In response, Sunil Ramesh (B3) stole the show with an unbeaten 96 off just 46 balls, while Nakula Badanayak (B2) played a crucial supporting role with 50 off 31 balls. Their blistering 100-run opening partnership ensured India raced to the target in just 14.4 overs, sealing the win in dominant fashion.
-Team Sportstar
TABLE TENNIS
WTT Youth Contender Vadodara 2025 kicks off at Sama Indoor Sports Complex
The WTT Youth Contender Vadodara, a part of the WTT Youth Series, will be played in India for the first time from 25th February to 1st March 2025 at the Sama Indoor Sports Complex.
A total of 165 Indian players will compete across 12 categories, alongside participants from eight countries, all vying for the top prize.
The event kicks off with the U/17 and U/13 boys’ and girls’ categories on the first day, where Divyanshi Bhowmick and Abhinand Prathivadi start as favourites.
Big names like Ankur Bhattacharjee, Sayali Wani, and Divyanshi Bhowmick will take the court to showcase their talent and prove their dominance in their respective categories, while other talented players such as Syndrela Das, Taneesha Kotecha, and Sarthak Arya look to challenge the favorites. The Indian stars will also face tough competition from players like Choi Jiwook (WR 13 – Korea), Rohan Dani (England), and Taavi Samaraveera (Sri Lanka), who will be competing in their respective events.
Complete Fixtures:
26th February 2025:
• U/17 Boys and Girls: Round 1 to Round of 16
• U/13 Boys and Girls: Round 1 to Round of 16
27th February 2025:
• U/15 Mixed Doubles: Round of 32 to Semi-Finals
• U/19 Mixed Doubles: Round of 16 to Semi-Finals
• U/17 Boys and Girls: Quarterfinals to Finals
• U/13 Boys and Girls: Quarterfinals to Finals
28th February 2025:
• U/15 Boys and Girls: Round 1 to Round 3
• U/19 Boys and Girls: Round 1 to Round 3
• U/11 Boys and Girls: Round 1 to Round 3
• U/19 Mixed Doubles: Finals
• U/15 Mixed Doubles: Finals
1st March 2025:
• U/15 Boys and Girls: Round of 32 to Finals
• U/19 Boys and Girls: Round of 32 to Finals
• U/11 Boys and Girls: Quarterfinals to Finals
-Team Sportstar
TENNIS
Delhi University Inter-College: Host Lady Shri Ram College beats Sri Venkateswara College
Anya and Kavya Nayyar helped host Lady Shri Ram College to a 2-0 victory over Sri Venkateswara College in the quarterfinals of the Delhi University inter-college women’s tennis tournament on Tuesday.
In the semifinals to be played on March 1, LSR will play Indraprastha College which beat Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education and Sports Sciences (IGIPESS) 2-1.
The other semifinal will be between Jesus and Mary College against Gargi College.
While Jesus and Mary scored a 2-1 win over Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Gargi got a walkover.
The results (quarterfinals):
Lady Shri Ram College bt Sri Venkateswara College 2-0 (Anya bt Tarini 6-0; Kavya Nayyar bt Pragya 6-4).
Indraprastha College bt Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education and Sports Sciences 2-1 (Baani bt Anjali 6-2; Anushka lost to Jahnavi 2-6; Poorvi & Steisha bt Jahnavi & Anjali 6-0).
Jesus and Mary College bt Shri Ram College of Commerce 2-1 (Priya lost to Pushti Laddha 2-6; Lakshmi Gowda bt Bhumi Kakkar 6-3; Kashvi & Lakshmi bt Pushti & Bhumi 6-4).
-Kamesh Srinivasan
$40,000 ITF Women’s Tournament: Anjali Rathi beats Weronika Ewald in first round
Qualifier Anjali Rathi beat Weronika Ewald of Poland 6-2, 6-4 in the first round of the $40,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the Ahmedabad Tennis Foundation courts on Tuesday.
Anjali will next face Polina Iatcenko. Vaishnavi Adkar fought her way past Ekaterina Yashina in three sets, to set up a second round against fifth seed Haruka Kaji Japan.
Qualifier Smriti Bhasin, Zeel Desai, Humera Baharmus and Akanksha Nitture were the other Indian players to make progress.
The top 16 players including Sahaja Yamalapalli, Ankita Raina, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty and Vaidehi Chaudhari had a bye in the first round and will play their second round on Wednesday.
The results:
Singles (first round): Akiko Omae (Jpn) bt Bunyawi Thamchaiwat (Tha) 6-0, 4-6, 7-5; Anjali Rathi bt Weronika Ewald (Pol) 6-2, 6-4; Francesca Pace (Ita) bt Diana Marcinkevica (Lat) 5-7, 6-2, 6-4; Smriti Bhasin bt Vidhi Jani 6-1, 6-3; Anastasia Gureva bt Ikumi Yamazaki (Jpn) 6-3, 6-4; Antonia Schmidt (Ger) bt Paavanii Paathak 6-3, 6-4; Zeel Desai bt Sonal Patil 6-1, 6-1; Rinon Okuwaki (Jpn) bt Soha Sadiq 6-4, 6-0; Funa Kozaki (Jpn) bt Michika Ozeki (Jpn) 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-5; Kanako Morisaki (Jpn) bt Pranjala Yadlapalli 6-2, 6-3; Ekaterina Reyngold bt Kira Pavlova 6-4, 7-5; Maria Golovina bt Margot Phanthala (Fra) 6-3, 2-6, 6-0; Vaishnavi Adkar bt Ekaterina Yashina 6-4, 1-6, 6-4; Humera Baharmus bt Priyanshi Bhandari 6-2, 6-3; Honoka Kobayashi (Jpn) bt Saumya Vig 6-3, 6-4; Akanksha Nitture bt Pooja Ingale 6-2, 6-2.
-Kamesh Srinivasan
Yuki and Popyrin upset top seeds in Dubai
Yuki Bhambri in partnership with Alexei Opyrin of Australia knocked out the top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 4-6, 7-6(1), [10-3] in the doubles pre-quarterfinals of the $3,415,700 ATP tennis tournament in Dubai on Tuesday.
The results:
$3,415,700 ATP, Dubai, UAE Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Yuki Bhambri & Alexei Popyrin (Aus) bt Marcelo Arevalo (Esa) & Mate Pavic (Cro) 4-6, 7-6(1), [10-3]; Jamie Murray (GBR) & John Peers (Aus) bt Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan & Vijay Sundar Prahanth 6-4, 7-6(6).
SHOOTING
NRAI announces Indian team for Shotgun World Cup
Olympians Kynan Chenai and Mairaj Ahmad Khan spearhead the Indian trap and skeet teams for the Shotgun World Cup to be staged in Nicosia, Cyprus, from May 3 to 12.
As per its policy, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) will seek to keep the second string of shooters, as per its selection rankings, in competitive shape with regular international exposure.
The team:
Trap:
Kynan Chenai, Shardul Vihan, Bhowneesh Mendiratta; Sabeera Haris, Kirti Gupta, Rajeshwari Kumari.
Skeet:
Mairaj Ahmad Khan, Abhay Singh Sekhon, Rituraj Singh Bundela; Yashasvi Rathore, Maheshwari Chauhan, Parinaaz Dhaliwal.
-Kamesh Srinivasan
GOLF
Celebrity Pro-Am: Vani Kapoor, Amandeep Drall to spearhead India squad
Vani Kapoor, Amandeep Drall, Sneha Singh, Neha Tripathi, Shweta Mansingh and Jasmine Shekar will be some of the leading golfers taking part in the Queens of Golf Women’s celebrity pro-am event to be staged at the Classic Golf and Country Club in Gurugram on March 8.
The one-day event on women’s day will feature 20 professional women golfers teaming up with 20 senior corporate executives and sports celebrities.
The professional golfers will also compete in a stroke play format for individual awards.
“We want to provide a platform to our hard working women golfers, where their talent and contributions to the sport are duly recognised,” said the Founder of Queens of Golf, Saket Mansingh.
“This is not just a golf event. It is a celebration of women’s empowerment through sport and a means to showcase the immense depth of their talent,” said Kavita Singh, president of Women’s Golf Association of India.
-Kamesh Srinivasan
Chhattisgarh Open: Shaurya Binu takes sole lead after first round
Shaurya Binu, the leader on the opening day of Chhattisgarh Open golf championship in Naya Raipur on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Shaurya Binu, the leader on the opening day of Chhattisgarh Open golf championship in Naya Raipur on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Shaurya Binu shot a 9-under 60 to take the sole lead on the opening day of the SECL Rs.1 crore Chhattisgarh Open golf championship at the Fairway Golf and Lake Resort on Tuesday.
The Bengaluru pro Shaurya, who had won two titles on the PGTI last season, was followed one shot behind by the Delhi duo of Harshjeet Singh Sethie and Honey Baisoya.
“I was eager to start this week well since I missed the cut in the first two events of the season. I have been focusing on my swing and rhythm. I executed that well today. Even though it is a short course, it offers a variety of challenges,” sad Shaurya, as he talked about tackling head winds while trying to hit the smaller greens, and staying away from the hazards, on the par-69 course.
Among the leading golfers, Udayan Mane (63) was tied seventh, Om Prakash Chouhan (66) was tied 34th, Manu Gandas (67) was tied 48th, Aman Raj (69) was tied 79th and Rashid Khan (70) was tied 95th.
The leading scores:
1. Shaurya Binu 60; 2 T. Harshjeet Singh Sethie, Honey Baisoya, Mani Ram 61; 5 T. Jamal Hossain, M Dharma 62; 7 T.Ranjit Singh, Akshay Sharma, Aadil Bedi, Arjun Sharma, Kartik Sharma, Udayan Mane 63; 13T. Manish Thakran, Jairaj Sandhu, Kshitij Kaul, Shaurya Bhattacharya, Dhruv Suri, Angad Cheema, Aryaman Aditya Mohan, Abhinav Lohan, Harendra Gupta, Koichiro Sato, Syed Ahmed, Khalin Joshi, Sanjay Kumar, Raunil Kukar 64.
-Kamesh Srinivasan
Amateur Mannat grabs two-shot lead in fourth leg of WPGT
Amateur Mannat Brar shot 2-under 68 to grab a two-shot lead over the field after the first round of the fourth leg of Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Mannat, who will represent India at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championships in Vietnam next week, looked set for a very low round as she was four-under through 12 holes, but three bogeys in a span of four holes from the 14th to the 17th saw her fall back.
She finished with a birdie on the 18th for a 68.
Three players — Kriti Chowhan, Seher Atwal and Shweta Mansingh — were tied for the second place with rounds of even par 70 each.
Some of the other big names did not have a great day as Ridhima Dilawari (74) was T-16, Gaurika Bishnoi and Khushi Khanijau (75 each) were T-21, Amandeep Drall (76) was T-23, and Rhea Purvi (77) was T-25.
-PTI
ROWING
Asmita rowing league for women all set for historic start in Hyderabad
The Hussain Sagar Lake here will stage the country’s first-ever city-based rowing league — ASMITA Rowing League — from February 26 in what could be a huge fillip to the sport.
Backed by the Government of India’s Khelo India mission, the league will see participation by eight teams — Bhopal Waves Queen, Chennai Ranis, Cochin Queens, Cuttack Rowing, Deccan Queen Pune, Hyderabad Queen, Kolkata R-Oars and Ludhiana Team Rowing — and 250 girls in U-19 and U-23 age groups and five different events.
Organised in collaboration with the Rowing Federation of India, the tournament will also reward the top-6 finishers in each event — Single Sculls (W1x), Double Sculls (W2x), Quadruple Sculls (W4x), Coxless Pairs (W2) and Coxless Fours (W4) — with attractive cash incentives.
National chief coach Ismail Baig, who has accompanied the Indian team to five Olympic Games and seven Asian Games, praised the union government for taking up the cause of promoting women’s sport and particularly rowing.
“We are staging such a city-based league for the first time in this sport. Since it is being organised for the first time, we have relaxed certain rules to encourage more and more kids to come and compete,” Baig said in a Sports Authority of India (SAI) release.
-PTI
BADMINTON
Mannepalli makes it to main draw of German Open
India’s T Mannepalli advanced to the main draw of the German Open badminton tournament, while Sankar Subramanian and Rithvik Satish Kumar were eliminated in the qualifying rounds of the Super 300 tournament on Tuesday.
Mannepalli, ranked 59th in the world, defeated Liao Jhuo-Fu of Chinese-Taipei 21-11, 22-20 in the first round of qualifiers before overcoming Israel’s lower-ranked player Misha Zilberman 21-14, 16-21, 21-11 in the next round.
He will take on world No. 54 Magnus Johannesen of Denmark in the opening round of the main draw.
Subramanian got the better of Jonathan Matias 21-19, 21-9 in 42 minutes in the opening round of qualifiers before bowing out to Frenchman Arnaud Merkle 23-21, 14-21, 9-21 in one hour 12 minutes.
Satish Kumar’s campaign ended early with a 19-21, 11-21 defeat to Israel’s Daniil Dubovenko in just 38 minutes.
In women’s singles qualification, upcoming shuttler Unnati Hooda defeated France’s Anna Tatranova 21-13, 21-16, while in women’s doubles qualification Arathi Sunil and S. Varshini Viswanath lost to the Dutch-Danish pair of Debora Jille and Sara Thygesen 13-21, 14-21.
Ayush Shetty, Kidambi Srikanth, Priyanshu Rajawat, Kiran George have been given direct entry into the main draw, which will commence on Wednesday.
-PTI
