SPORTS

Dakar (Senegal), Nov 11 (IANS) Indian boxers raised hopes of claiming two gold medals in the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics on Wednesday, with Gunjan reaching the summit clash in the women's 48kg category in Dakar, Senegal.Her win gave India another chance of ending its quest for a gold medal in the ongoing Dakar 2026.Gunjan became the second Indian pugilist to reach the finals when she defeated Great Britain's Lily Bassett 4-1 to clinch a commanding win on points and keep her winning momentum going.Gunjan's bout with Lily Bassett was scored 30-27, 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 and 30-27 by the five judges, with four of them giving it in favour of the Indian boxer.In the final, Gunjan will take on Bouthaina Bensalah of Algeria, who reached the final with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Michela Guglielmon of ...

New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) India fast bowler Arshdeep Singh announced his engagement to actor-model Samreen Kaur on Wednesday, sharing the happy news on social media with pictures from the proposal, just hours after completing his move from Punjab Kings to Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2027.Samreen also shared pictures from the special moment on Instagram, showing Arshdeep slipping an engagement ring onto her finger. She accompanied the photographs with an emotional message celebrating their relationship.“And of all the things life could have given us, I am the happiest it gave us each other. To a lifetime together,” Samreen wrote.The engagement announcement comes nearly four months after Arshdeep made his relationship with Samreen public. It also came a few hours after Arshdeep's blockbuster ...

Wijk aan Zee (Netherlands), Nov 11 (IANS) World No.14 Nihal Sarin will be the lone Indian among the world's elite chess players in the Masters section of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, the international chess tournament widely known as the ‘Wimbledon of Chess’, which will be played from January 15 to 31, 2027.The 89th edition of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament (TSCT) will bring together established stars and a new generation of chess talent like World Championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov, Alireza Firouzja, Vincent Keymer, defending champion Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Anish Giri and Levon Aronian, among others.The Masters field brings together players from different generations. Alongside experienced top players such as Levon Aronian and Anish Giri, the line-up includes y...

Dubai, Nov 11 (IANS) Eugenio Chacarra has enjoyed a breakthrough season on the DP World Tour, but the 26-year-old Spaniard faces perhaps his biggest examination yet as he heads into the season-ending Tour Championship with Rory McIlroy breathing down his neck.The Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates will provide the setting for a high-stakes showdown between the man who has dominated the Race to Dubai standings this season and a player who has made winning it almost a habit.Chacarra leads McIlroy by 533.93 points, with American Patrick Reed also mathematically in contention, but the Spaniard knows that his biggest challenge could come from the Northern Irishman, who has won the season-long title seven times and is chasing a record-equalling eighth.For Chacarra, this is unfamiliar territor...

Dhaka, Nov 11 (IANS) Suhail Ahmad Bhat’s 38th-minute penalty and Priyansh Dubey’s late saves took India into the SAFF Championship semifinals with a 1-0 win over Maldives in their final Group B match at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday.The defending champions finished the group stage with six points, ahead of Pakistan on three, while Maldives bowed out without a point.India will face either Bangladesh, Bhutan or Sri Lanka in the semifinal on November 14. The opponents will be confirmed after the last Group A match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka takes place later on Wednesday.Head coach Naushad Moosa made seven changes to the side that defeated Pakistan 3-2, with Abhishek Suryavanshi, Muhammed Uvais, Suhail Ahmad Bhat and Ricky Shabong retaining their places. Priyansh Dubey repl...

Jaipur, Nov 11 (IANS) Vani Kapoor and Ridhima Dilawari will be the leading contenders as the 14th leg of the 2026 Women's Professional Golf Tour (WPGT) gets underway at Rambagh Golf Club in Jaipur on Thursday.Vani and Ridhima have been the players in form this season, and the field will be headed by the duo, though a lot of other stars will also fancy their chances as the season comes down to the last two events in 2026.Vani and Ridhima have been very dominant on the domestic circuit. Ridhima, who leads the Order of Merit, has won four times and been runner-up twice, while Vani has won twice and been the runner-up three times. Ridhima has played all 13 events so far and leads the Merit list, while Vani has made 10 starts and is second on the Money list.All the other winners this season, ba...

Perth, Nov 11 (IANS) England batter Joe Root believes his side must become more adaptable and gain experience in different playing conditions if they are to challenge for the upcoming World Cup, with the three-match ODI series against Australia providing another opportunity for the young squad to develop.Speaking ahead of the opening ODI, Root emphasised the importance of learning to handle different surfaces and match situations as England look to build a more rounded team."We're a team that wants to be more adaptable. If we are going to challenge that World Cup, we're going to have to be able to adapt our games," Root told reporters in Perth on Wednesday."We're quite young and inexperienced in many ways. So the more experience we have on different surfaces, different situations in games....

Dakar (Senegal), Nov 11 (IANS) Indian boxer Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei stormed into the final of the Men's 50kg boxing competition at the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics in Dakar, defeating Colombia's Izzon Jeffrey Galea Arevalo 5-0 on points in the semifinal bout on Wednesday.Playing from the red corner, Meetei dominated the bout and won it on the cards scored by all five judges. The bout was scored 28-27, 28-27, 28-27, 29-26 and 28-27 by the five judges.In the final, Meetei will meet Kristian Jubani of Ireland, who blanked Alan Jesus Ocampo Cano of Mexico 5-0 in the other semifinal.Meetei had defeated Namibia's Abraham Kalenga via Referee Stops Contest (RSC) in Round 1 at 1:57 to advance to the semifinals and assure India of a medal.In the quarterfinals, he handed Faye Cheikh Ibrahima Fall o...

Bengaluru, Nov 11 (IANS) Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday launched the logo for the 27th All India Police Lawn Tennis Championship, scheduled to be held in Bengaluru from November 16.The logo was unveiled at the office of the Director General and Inspector General of Police, in the presence of senior IPS officers, including Karnataka DGP Dr M.A. Saleem, CID DGP Pranab Mohanty and Housing Corporation DGP Arun Chakravarthy. The official T-Shirt and cap were also launched on the occasion.Addressing the gathering, Priyank Kharge stressed the importance of physical fitness, mental fitness and discipline in policing, stating that all three were essential for police personnel.Kharge, who said he was also a tennis tournament player, spoke about his association with the Karnata...

London, Nov 11 (IANS) England Women’s tour of the West Indies next April will go ahead without a Test match, said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which added that the fixture has been done away with, making room for four red-ball games at home before the Women’s Ashes against Australia takes place at Headingley in 2027.The trip to the Caribbean, which takes place after the English domestic season begins, will now consist of three T20Is and three ODIs. According to the ECB, the calendar no longer had room for the Test that had originally been planned.As per the ECB, Cricket West Indies (CWI) has agreed to the request, and the ECB praised the board for its cooperation during the talks. England last played a Test match against India at Lord’s, which they lost by 270 runs.“We apprec...