From the electrifying victory of the Indian cricket team in the recent T20 series to the rising star power of young badminton sensations, India's sporting landscape is ablaze with action! This week alone saw record-breaking performances in the Pro Kabaddi League, showcasing the nation's unwavering passion for indigenous sports. The upcoming Asian Games are generating immense anticipation, with athletes across disciplines sharpening their skills and aiming for glory on the international stage. We delve into the crucial role of sports sponsorships in nurturing talent and boosting India's sporting infrastructure. Furthermore, debates rage on about the future of cricket's dominance in India's sporting ecosystem, with other sports like hockey and football vying for increased attention and investment. Stay updated on all the latest scores, match analyses, and exclusive interviews with your favorite athletes. Explore the dynamic world of Indian sports—from the bustling stadiums to the quiet dedication of rising stars—right here. Discover the stories that shape the nation’s sporting spirit and witness the unfolding drama of the sporting year.
Shillong, Aug 19 (PTI) Redeem Tlang's first half goal was enough for defending champions NorthEast United to beat Shillong Lajong 1-0 and book their place in the final of the 134th Durand Cup football tournament here on Tuesday. Tlang's 36th minute goal made all the difference as Shillong Lajong lost their second straight semifinal match of the tournament against the same opponents. NorthEast United had beaten Shillong Lajong 3-0 at the same venue in the semifinal in 2024. The first half saw Shillong Lajong restrict NorthEast United from playing their free flowing attacking game, keeping Ajaraie and Jithin M.S quiet which saw chances coming at premium. The only attempts on goal were Chema Nunez's header and Andres Rodriguez's long range effort which were straight at the goalkeeper. On the other end, the home side showcased their pace on counter attacks but the final decision making was flawed, with most attempts coming through long range shots. Striker Everbrightson Sana was especially lively upfront troubling the Highlanders' defence on multiple occasions. NorthEast United took the lead in the 36th minute right after a break in play, where match official S. Senthil Nathan was replaced due to an injury by Lalit Singh Rawat. Right after the restart, former Shillong Lajong player Tlang's left footer from 30 yards found the back of the net as Lajong goalkeeper Siwel Rymbai was wrong footed by the trajectory of the ball. The Highlanders created more chances in the second half as Shillong Lajong became more adventurous in the pursuit of finding the equaliser but were unable to score the decisive second goal. Andre Rodriguez hit the post after the midfielder found himself free inside the penalty box. Moments later Ajaraie, who was out of sorts throughout the match, failed to reach an inch perfect cross by Andy and the Moroccan striker scuffed his attempted scoop from outside the box with only the goalkeeper, who was out of his line, to beat. NorthEast United used their experience to hold on to their slender lead until the end of regulation time and six added minutes to book their spot in their second straight finals. PTI PDS PDS BS BS
Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman on Saturday asserted that Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, will visit the state as announced by the government earlier, and that the sponsor has paid the match fee for the event. He said the World Cup winner is likely to come in October or November this year, and they would be treated as state guests. The government would meet their security, accommodation and other facilities. The news would come as a fresh ray of hope for football fans in one of India's surviving football hubs. Earlier, several media reports had claimed that Argentina's scheduled visit ...Read More >
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar urged party members to unite and follow Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's guidance. He refrained from commenting on his CM aspirations, emphasizing his prayers for the state's well-being after visiting Chamundi Hills.Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday called on everyone in the party to work together, abiding by the advice and message given by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, as he refused to comment on whether he was ...Read More >
Shillong, July 7: Football fever is set to grip Shillong once again as the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium gears up to host Group E matches of the 134th edition of the prestigious Durand Cup. Local favourites Shillong Lajong FC will kick off their campaign on July 26 against the Foreign Services Team, marking the city's return as a key venue in India's oldest football tournament. Adding further excitement to the local calendar, Shillong will witness a high-voltage derby clash between city rivals Shillong Lajong FC and Rangdajied United FC on July 29 -- a match expected to draw massive local support ...Read More >
Kolkata: Another win for Mohun Bagan Super Giant, another small step towards the league shield of the Indian Super League (ISL). But viewed in conjunction with where the rest are, the 3-0 win through Liston Colaco's goal between a Jamie Maclaren brace could prove to be a giant stride on way to being the first to retain the shield. With four rounds to spare, Mohun Bagan have booked a play-off berth. They have played nine at home this term and won them all. After 20 matches, Mohun Bagan have 46 points, 12 ahead of Jamshedpur FC, who have two games in hand. Dogged in their resistance till the ha ...Read More >
Kowloon (Hong Kong), June 8 (UNI) India and Hong Kong, China's meeting on Matchday 2 of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round on June 10 is billed as the highest-stakes clash of Group C as they are the top two ranked sides in the four-team group, and are aiming for the first win of their campaign. Placed in Pot 1 for the qualifiers, India, ranked 127th, got off to a slow start with a draw against Bangladesh in March. Meanwhile, Pot 2 side Hong Kong, ranked 153, could also only manage a point in Singapore, meaning there is still nothing to separate the four sides after th ...Read More >
NEW DELHI, Jun 8: The Indian Premier League needs a 12-16 week operating window to match the brand value of top sporting leagues in the world including the NFL, NBA and Premier League, reckons Punjab Kings co-owner Mohit Burman. At USD 16.8 million, the IPL is only behind NFL (USD 36.8 million) in terms of per-match value but needs to catch up with its global rivals like NFL and leading European football leagues when it comes to the overall brand value pecking order. According to leading investment bank Houlihan Lokey, the IPL is valued at roughly USD 16 billion while one NFL franchise Dalla ...Read More >
New Delhi: Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday said authorities cannot go against demolition orders issued by courts and stressed that displaced residents have been provided accommodation.Her words came in the wake of the recent Madrasi Camp demolition for which the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has criticised her. AAP has targeted Gupta, and alleged that the displaced Madrasi Camp residents were provided homes in faraway Narela, and those lack basic amenities.Attending an event to mark the construction of a Jan Sewa camp at a slum cluster in the Haiderpur area, Gupta told reporters: "In t ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) Under-fire India football head coach Manolo Marquez stepped down on Wednesday after reaching a "mutual agreement" with the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) following a string of poor performances by the national team. The AIFF Executive Committee, in its meeting here, agreed to relieve Marquez after he expressed his desire to do so despite one year still left in his contract. Also Read | WI vs AUS 2025: Daren Sammy Holds No 'Grudges' Against TV Umpire After Barbados Fallout, Says 'I Wish He Has an Awesome Game'. "The AIFF and Manolo decided to mutually part ways ...Read More >
Imphal, July 10: Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Thursday highlighted the state's legacy as a powerhouse of sports and emphasised the importance of youth engagement through such tournaments. The Governor, while addressing the trophy showcase Ceremony of the 134th Edition Durand Cup 2025 held at City Convention Centre in Imphal, commended the Indian Army's consistent role in promoting sports and national integration. He expressed confidence that the Durand Cup would inspire a new generation of young athletes in the region. Bhalla, former Union Home Secretary, further stated that hosting ...Read More >
Aditi Chauhan, the first Indian woman to play professional football in Europe, has retired after a 17-year career. A decade after becoming the first Indian woman to play professional football in Europe, Aditi Chauhan has announced her retirement from the game, concluding a 17-year career. The former India women's team goalkeeper, now 32, aims to work off the pitch to create a "stronger pathway and ecosystem" for future players. "Thank you, football -- for shaping me, testing me, and carrying m ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 30 (PTI) About 10 lakh footballs will be distributed to schools across the country to boost participation in football and nurture a strong sporting culture among students, Union Education Minister Dharemndra Pradhan has said. The minister announced this on Sunday at the PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya, Fort William in Kolkata, where he flagged off the distribution of FIFA footballs as part of the Football for Schools (F4S). "Approximately 10 lakh footballs will be distributed to schools across the country, aiming to boost participation in football and nurture a strong sporting cult ...Read More >
Chennai, Jul 1 (PTI) The opposition AIADMK on Tuesday demanded a CBI probe into the Sivaganga custodial death, saying people had lost faith in the state police. Chief Minister M K Stalin said action has been initiated into the matter, which includes the arrest of five policemen. AIADMK chief and Leader of Opposition, Edappadi K Palaniswami slammed Stalin over the incident and said "people and us" don't believe the "drama" enacted by the CM on the matter. Referring to reports, Palaniswami claimed that the post-mortem on the victim, security guard Ajithkumar, revealed a number of injuries on ...Read More >
Shillong, July 9: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday unveiled the Durand Cup Trophies and flagged off the Trophy Convoy for the 134th edition of this historic tournament. The three glittering pieces of silverware, the Durand Cup, the original prize and the rolling Shimla Trophy (presented by residents of Shimla in 1904), as well as the President's Cup which the winners keep permanently, will be taken on a roadshow, covering Shillong, Nongstoin, and Tura, later in the day. Shillong Lajong FC, Ryntih Sports Club and the Meghalaya Police Football Team are three teams from Meg ...Read More >
Tura, July 12: The iconic Durand Cup trophy arrived in Tura on Friday as part of the ongoing roadshow for the 134th edition of Asia's oldest football tournament. The event, organised by the Indian Armed Forces in collaboration with the Government of Meghalaya, aimed to celebrate the tournament's rich legacy and boost excitement ahead of the matches. The roadshow commenced from the P.A. Sangma Stadium in Dakopgre and passed through key areas of the town including Nazing Bazar, Araimile, Tetengkol, Hawakhana, the offices of the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police, before culminati ...Read More >
The honour is part of FIFPRO's Annual Merit Awards that recognise players giving back to their communities. The global soccer players' union will donate $10,000 to Onana's foundation. Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has won the FIFPRO Impact Award for humanitarian work, for the medical care his foundation provides to underprivileged communities in Cameroon and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Doctors have performed more than 1,200 surgical operations over the past three years in collaboration with the 28-year-old's Andre Onana Foundation, which works with medical professionals ...Read More >
Defending champions India started their men's junior Asia Cup campaign on a rousing note, thrashing lowly Thailand 11-0 in a lop-sided Pool A match in Muscat on Wednesday. Besides India and Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Japan and South Korea are the other teams in Pool A. Pool B consists of arch-rivals Pakistan, Malaysia, Bangladesh, hosts Oman and China. Araijeet Singh Hundal (2nd minute, 24th), Arshdeep Singh (8th), Gurjot Singh (18th, 45th), Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (19th, 52nd), Dilraj Singh (21st) and Mukesh Toppo (59th) struck from field play for India, while Sharda Nand Tiwari (10th) found th ...Read More >
Mumbai, Jun 5 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who inaugurated the final stretch of the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway on Thursday, swapped the driver's seat with his deputy Eknath Shinde during the inspection of the route - much like their political role reversal last year. In order to inspect the project, Shinde drove an Audi car from Igatpuri in Nashik district for a few kilometers accompanied by Fadnavis and deputy Ajit Pawar, while on their return journey, the trio travelled together with CM taking over the steering of high-end Lexus car. In the last phase of the ...Read More >
Indian Football: Manolo Marquez has stepped down as head coach of the Indian men's football team, ending his tenure with the national side by mutual agreement with the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The decision was made official on Wednesday following an AIFF Executive Committee meeting held in New Delhi. Although Marquez still had a year left on his contract, he had expressed his desire to exit the role, prompting the federation to accept his request. "The AIFF and Manolo decided to mutually part ways without any financial implications to any of the two parties. So, he is relieved f ...Read More >
Kolkata, Jul 7 (PTI) East Bengal FC will face South United FC of Bengaluru in the opening match of the 134th edition of Durand Cup football tournament at the iconic Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on July 23. The final of the tournament, which will feature 43 matches across six cities, will be held on August 23. The 24 participating teams have been divided into six groups of four teams each. Each team will face the other three once in the group stage. Six group winners and two best second-placed teams will progress to the quarterfinals, which are set to be held on August 16 and 17. ...Read More >
The Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) has shared the notification for the Common Eligibility Test (CET) 2025. The registration began on May 28 and will continue till June 12. The application process will be submitted online through the official website, hssc.gov.in. The CET exam will be held to recruit eligible candidates for various Group C and Group D posts in the state government. The last date to register for the HSSC is June 12. The commission has not shared any exam date so far, but it is expected to take place in June or July. How to apply for Haryana CET 2025? Here are the ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) Indian women's hockey team forward Deepika has been nominated for the Poligras Magic Skill Award for her incredible solo field goal against world No.1, the Netherlands during the 2024-25 FIH Hockey Pro League season. The nominations for the Poligras Magic Skill Award for the 2024-25 FIH Hockey Pro League season were released on Friday, and the deadline to vote is July 14 at 3:29 am IST. The winner is decided by hockey fans across the world based on who they think had the best moment and the goal during the season. Deepika's iconic moment took place in February 2025 du ...Read More >
Kolkata, Jul 7 (PTI) East Bengal FC will face South United FC of Bengaluru in the opening match of the 134th edition of Durand Cup football tournament at the iconic Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on July 23. The final of the tournament, which will feature 43 matches across six cities, will be held on August 23. Also Read | Highest Test Match Aggregates for Batter, From Shubman Gill to Wiaan Mulder; Check Full List. The 24 participating teams have been divided into six groups of four teams each. Each team will face the other three once in the group stage. Six group winners and two b ...Read More >
Kolkata: For the first time, in its vernacular language outreach, the Eastern Command of the Indian Army has started using regional languages, including Bengali, Assamese and Manipuri, on social media handle during its posts on Durand Cup 2025. "Indian Army has started sharing information in vernacular languages in Bengali, Assamese and Manipuri, apart from English and Hindi. It is aimed to connect and reach out to more number of people, especially the non-English speaking people, who are conversant in vernacular languages, so that the information has better reach," CPRO Himanshu Tiwari told ...Read More >
Chandigarh: Punjab chief ministerBhagwant Mann on Thursday said the government will table a bill in the assembly on Friday to introduce harsher punishment for religious sacrilege. However, the law will not be enacted immediately, as the government plans to hold consultations with stakeholders before finalising the legislation.Mann said the decision was taken in a meeting of the cabinet earlier in the day. After the legislation is tabled, Punjab govt will gather suggestions on the law from stakeholders, including religious organisations and people, he added.Sources said said the new legislation ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Jul 1 (PTI) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said there is no discussion on leadership change and stressed on strengthening the hands of CM Siddaramaiah and the party's government in the state. Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress President, asked party leaders and legislators not to speak to the press on the leadership change issue. He said a notice will be issued to Ramanagara MLA H A Iqbal Hussain, who has been making statements that Shivakumar should become the CM. Speculation over leadership change has resurfaced with some party MLAs, including ...Read More >
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 17 (ANI): The 134th Durand Cup Organizing Committee (DCOC) announced that the total cash prize money pool of this year tournament will increase three times to ₹3 Crore. The announcement was made during the trophy unveiling ceremony in Kolkata as the City of Joy geared up to host Asia oldest football tournament. Along with the winners and runners up, teams reaching the semi-finals and quarterfinals along with three individual awards will also receive a share of the prize pool, as per a release from Durand Cup. The three trophies of the Durand Cup were showca ...Read More >
Kolkata: The 134th Durand Cup Organizing Committee announced that the total cash prize money pool of this year's tournament will increase three times to Rs 3 crore. This year IndianOil Durand cup, oldest in Asia, will kick off on July 23 and will be played in five states-Assam, Meghalaya, Shillong, Bengal and Jharkhand. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be present at the grand finale on August 23. Lt Gen Mohit Malhotra AVSM, SM, Chief of Staff HQ Eastern Command and Chairman Durand Cup Organising Committee, said, "I am delighted to announce that this year the tournament has sign ...Read More >
Lucknow, Jul 17 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh's capital city has secured the third position in the category of urban spaces with population exceeding 10 lakh, while Prayagraj was adjudged the Cleanest Ganga City in the ninth edition of the Swachh Survekshan. Lucknow also became the first city in the state to achieve a 7-star Garbage Free City rating in the 2024-25 survey. Gorakhpur achieved double success, ranking third in the Safai Mitra Surakshit Sheher category and fourth among cities with a population between 3 to 10 lakh. Agra has been recognised as the Emerging Clean City of Uttar Pradesh, securi ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) Aditi Chauhan says she didn't know that a national women's football team existed in India when she kicked the ball for the first time. Nearly two decades later, she retires as a trailblazer, having become the first Indian woman to play professional football in Europe. "Playing football, I didn't know there was a national team first of all. So I started because of the fun of the game," the 32-year-old recalled in an interview with PTI Videos. "When I started, I never imagined that, you know, everything that I achieved... it was not even a dream that I could imagine," ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) After stepping down as Indian men's football team head coach earlier this month, Spaniard Manolo Marquez on Friday re-joined FC Goa to helm the club for the 2025-26 season. FC Goa announced that Marquez has signed to continue as the head coach for the upcoming season, his third at the club. "No one forgets the Don and the Don never forgets home. Welcome Back Boss," FC Goa posted on their social media handle. "I was very happy during the previous two seasons, where the team showed consistent improvement each year. The level of organisation that the club operates with ...Read More >