Sports

Lakshya Sen of India lost to Nhat Nguyen of Ireland in straight games in the men's singles opening round of the French Open Super 750 badminton competition in Paris, resulting in a dismal early departure. The 29th-ranked Nhat, who exacted revenge for losing to the Indian in the Denmark Open only a week ago, defeated the World No. 16 7-21, 16-21 after the player appeared unprepared for the match. After a successful run to the Hong Kong Open final earlier this month, Lakshya entered the match as the favorite but failed to maintain any consistency. His timing and shot choice failed him right away, and he made a lot of unforced mistakes that let his opponent take the lead. Lakshya's deep throws kept missing the lines, but Nhat, who was renowned for his steep smashes and keen anticipation, ...

Former captain Rohit Sharma gave all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy his first India ODI cap prior to the series opener against Australia at the Optus Stadium. Curiously, Reddy made his Test debut at the same location in Perth during India's historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy series tour of Australia last year. The star player for India at the time, Virat Kohli, gave him his Test cap. The only four Test matches Nitish has played after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy are two from the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England and two from the most recent series against the West Indies. His time in England was cut short when he suffered a left knee injury in a bizarre gym accident in Manchester.

The globe Boxing Cup Finals 2025, which will be held from November 14–21 at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida, will feature the best fighters in the globe vying for glory. The week-long event, which is being hosted by India for the first time, will feature top boxers, including the champions of the 2025 stage, vying for the famous World Boxing Cup trophy. Male and female competitors in ten weight classes will compete for the top Olympic-style boxing titles. With 17 medals, including four golds, six silvers, and seven bronzes, India enters this year's finals ranked inside the top five in the global medal standings, building on the success of the first edition in 2024, which included stages in England, the USA, and Mongolia before the Finals in England. "Hold...

The world's top player in each of the three current forms will be crowned the FIDE World Combined Champion in 2027, marking the start of a fourth World Championship title in chess. On Wednesday, the Norwegian Chess organizers revealed the Total Chess World Championship Tour, which has been approved by FIDE, the world chess regulatory body. The Norwegian Chess organizers told The Indian Express that they had already discussed the idea with a few players, including world champions Magnus Carlsen, D Gukesh, and Ding Liren, who gave encouraging comments and stated that they planned to participate. There are currently three chess world championships: the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship event, which selects the World Rapid Champion and the World Blitz Champion annually in December...

After a gap of several months, first-class cricket is returning to the scenic hills of Meghalaya, with the Ranji Trophy once again set to be hosted in Shillong. The excitement among cricket fans is palpable as Meghalaya take on Mizoram in their Plate Group opener at the Meghalaya Cricket Association (MCA) Ground, Polo, starting October 15. The match will commence at 8:30 am, with the organisers welcoming spectators to witness the much-awaited home fixture. Cricket lovers in Shillong are eagerly anticipating the resumption of domestic red-ball action in the city, which has steadily become a growing hub for cricket in the Northeast. The picturesque MCA Ground, surrounded by lush green hills and a cool autumn breeze, is once again ready to host top-class cricket after a long wait. Leading...

Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first football player to achieve billionaire status, as per the most recent Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The Portugal great's estimated net worth is $1.4 billion. After reportedly agreeing to a new deal worth over $400 million with Saudi team Al Nassr in June, the 40-year-old striker's fortunes began to rise. In addition to a ten-year Nike contract for around $18 million a year, Ronaldo made over $550 million in compensation between 2002 and 2023, according to Bloomberg. He also received lucrative endorsement deals with Armani, Castrol, and other brands, which increased his wealth by more than $175 million. With an annual salary of 177 million pounds ($237.52 million), incentives, and an estimated 15% stake in his Saudi Arabian club, Ronaldo was already t...

At the National Hockey Centre in Canberra, the Indian junior women's hockey team lost to their U21 squad by a slim margin of 2-3 in their opening game of the Australia trip. India's goals came from Lalthantluangi (47') and Sonam (54'), whereas Australia's goals came from Bianca Zurrer (36'), Evie Sransby (45'), and Sammy Love (59'). Both teams were unable to break the impasse in the close match, and the first half ended without a goal. Bianca Zurrer's successful penalty corner gave Australia the lead in the 36th minute. Then, in the 45th minute, Evie Sransby gave Australia another penalty corner goal to increase their lead. India recovered the match with two important goals to tie the score in the fourth quarter. Lalthantluangi first reduced the deficit in the 47th minute by converting...

India advanced to the Asia Cup final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium here after defeating Bangladesh by 41 runs in a Super 4 stage match. India swept out Bangladesh for 127 in 19.3 overs after they had scored 168 in the allotted overs. Varun Chakaravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah each took two wickets, but Kuldeep Yadav took three. Saif Hassan used 51 balls to score 69 runs. Earlier, Abhishek Sharma ignited India's batting attack against Bangladesh with a scorching performance, scoring 75 off just 37 balls to help the side reach 168/6 in 20 overs. In addition to giving India a strong start, the left-hander's assault broke the record held by his guru, Yuvraj Singh, for the most T20I innings by an Indian player with five or more sixes. Abhishek now has six of these knocks, second on...

In the Super 4s match between India and Malaysia at the Asia Cup Rajgir, Bihar 2025, Hockey India celebrated the legendary drag flicker Harmanpreet Singh on reaching 250 international caps. Earlier in the day, Harmanpreet said, "This is a very special and emotional moment for me," after being ecstatic to reach this milestone in front of the home crowd and get his 250th shirt from the team's head coach Craig Fulton. So far in my career, I have been showered with love from hockey fans, and I am thankful for all of the support. "In addition to the fact that we have won consecutive Olympic medals, the past few years have been particularly memorable since my daughter has been supporting me at some of the games. So far, the experience has been very unforgettable, and I hope to keep adding to In...

World Champion Neeraj Chopra finished second in the season-ending Diamond League Final here night after making his highest throw of the evening on his sixth and final turn, throwing the javelin to 85.01. Chopra ended third at 84.35 after three fouls and two legal throws, but he beat Keshorn Walcott on his last-second attempt. With his runner-up result, the Indian legend and current World Champion was able to continue his incredible record of 26 consecutive top-two performances on the international circuit. A few weeks prior to the World Championships in Tokyo in October, Chopra lost the championship he had won the previous year in a match. He fell short of his personal best of 90.23 meters in this Swiss city, finishing third in a field of seven athletes with a best effort of 84.35 mete...