SPORTS

New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated the Indian women's football team on clinching the SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 title, stating that their success will inspire more youngsters to take up the sport in the future. India women ended the wait of seven years to reclaim the SAFF championsip title after defeating defending champions Bangladesh 3-1 in a gripping final at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa, on Saturday.The Prime Minister lauded the team’s consistent performance throughout the tournament and extended his best wishes for their upcoming international campaigns.The triumph capped a remarkable campaign for the hosts, who won all four of their matches, scoring 18 goals and conceding just one, while ending Bangladesh’s hopes of...

New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday extended her "heartiest congratulations" to the Indian women's football team for clinical execution and lifting the SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 title. India reclaimed the SAFF Women’s Championship title after seven years, defeating defending champions Bangladesh 3-1 in a gripping final at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa, on Saturday.Lauding the team’s performance throughout the tournament, the President said their historic triumph would serve as a powerful catalyst for aspiring young female athletes across the country."Heartiest congratulations to the Indian Women’s Football Team on winning the SAFF Women’s Championship 2026! Our women footballers displayed exceptional skill, determination and teamwork throug...

Mumbai, June 7 (IANS) SOBO Mumbai Falcons sealed their place in the final of the inaugural T20 Mumbai Women’s League after registering their third successive victory with a comprehensive 39-run win over Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburb at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. Defending a competitive total of 143/7, the Falcons produced a clinical bowling display to dismiss the Tigers for 104 in 18.2 overs. The chase got off to the worst possible start for the Tigers as skipper Humairaa Kaazi was dismissed for a duck by her opposite number Sayali Satghare before the team could open its account.Opener Sanika Chalke and Sejal Raut attempted to rebuild the innings with a 47-run partnership for the second wicket. Sejal made 15 before falling in the seventh over, while Sanika looked set for a bigge...

Ahmedabad, June 7 (IANS) Twenty-year-old Ritu Mondal, the daughter of a mason from a small village in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, has made the country proud by winning two gold medals at the inaugural World Yogasana Championships in Ahmedabad. More importantly, the achievement has brought her a step closer to a dream she shares with her family, representing India on the biggest sporting stages and one day winning an Olympic medal. For Ritu, these medals are the result of years of hard work, sacrifice and determination. Her parents and elder brother, who travelled to Ahmedabad to watch her compete, were overcome with emotion as they saw her celebrate her victories with the Indian flag wrapped around her shoulders.“My father works as a mason, and despite our financial difficulties, my fa...

New Chandigarh, June 7 (IANS) India tightened their grip in the ongoing one-off Test against Afghanistan, declaring at 564/8 and striking early through debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar to leave the visitors at 28/1 in 5.4 overs and trail by 536 runs at tea on day two’s play. Off-spin bowling Washington Sundar anchored the lower order with a composed 52 not out, his sixth Test fifty, while Mohammed Siraj provided fireworks with a career-best 22 off just 12 balls, before India’s declaration came in 127 overs. Sundar’s fifty was marked by a wristy flick for four off Safi, after slamming a commanding pull for six.Promoted up the order, Siraj swung freely, hitting a six and four boundaries before Mohammad Saleem Safi cleaned him up. Safi, who had gone wicketless in his previous four inter...

Indore, June 7 (IANS) Bundelkhand Bulls continued their winning run in the women’s competition of Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) T20 Scindia Cup 2026 with a thrilling four-wicket victory over Gwalior Shernis. After being put in to bat by Bundelkhand Bulls at Daly College, Indore, Gwalior Shernis scored 117/6 in their 20 overs.Openers Nuzhat Parween and Aashna Patidar gave the Shernis a steady start, adding 37 runs for the first wicket before Aashna was dismissed for 16 off 15 balls.Parween then joined hands with Soumya Tiwari, and the duo stitched together a valuable 41-run partnership to keep the innings on track. However, the Shernis suffered a collapse after the skipper’s dismissal for 38 off 45 deliveries, losing wickets at regular intervals.Bundelkhand Bulls seized control through discip...

New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) Promising left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Manav Suthar recalled the emotional moment of his India call-up, revealing that his sister told him that his name had come up for the Indian team for the one-off Test against Afghanistan. India added Suthar to the XI for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Mullanpur. Before the game began on Saturday, Suthar, who played for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 under India’s red-ball skipper Shubman Gill’s leadership, earned his first cap from senior spinner Kuldeep, becoming India's first specialist spin-bowling Test debutant since Axar Patel made his debut in 2021."I was in my room when my sister called me. Maybe she was watching the squad announcement event. She told me that my name had come up...

New Chandigarh, June 7 (IANS) India declared their innings at 564/8 in 127 overs on day two of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, with Washington Sundar unbeaten on a composed 52. For Afghanistan, pacer Mohammad Saleem Safi finished with 6-140. The declaration came at 1:33pm local time, signalled by captain Shubman Gill after Sundar reached his fifty The all-rounder, often shuffled in the batting order, once again underlined his value with the bat by mixing patience with timely aggression. His fifty was marked by a wristy flick for four off Safi, after slamming a commanding pull for six.India’s lower order added quick runs before Gill called time. Debutant Manav Suthar struck two lusty sixes to push the total past 500, but his attacking cameo ended when he became Safi’s fifth victim. Mo...

New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has a knack for keeping things simple, even as the noise around the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup has started to take centrestage. The chatter about India being in the ‘group of death’, batting frailties or the scars of the group stage exit in the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup fades quickly when she speaks with the utmost clarity. Hardened by previous setbacks at global events, India finally broke the trophy drought with the ODI World Cup won at home in 2025. Now, India seeks to clinch its first Women’s T20 World Cup title in England and Wales, expectations from all quarters are on a high when Harmanpreet & Co. take the field on June 14 against Pakistan in Birmingham.But Harmanpreet insists that one thing has still not changed - of ...

El Jadida, June 7 (IANS) Karandeep Kochhar stayed as the best Indian at the USD 500,000 IGPL Bharath Classic with one more to go in the Asian Tour event.The 27-year-old Chandigarh golfer shot 2-under 70 as he moved to 7-under total but slipped from Tied-fifth overnight to Tied-10th as the wind continued to challenge the golfers.The leader is Thailand’s Settee Prakongvech, who carded 68 and moved to 13-under and three ahead of his nearest rivals, overnight joint leader Runchanapong Youprayong (71) and Sweden’s Charlie Lindh (67).For Kochhar it was a day of missed opportunities as he failed to convert the chances he created especially towards the finish.Kochhar, who has already logged two Top-5 results on the Asian Tour this season, and is searching for his maiden Asian Tour win, played in t...