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.
Kolkata: The return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to international cricket lasted 22 balls in all as India endured a poor start to their white-ball tour of Australia. It was a seven-wicket defeat in the first ODI which had to be curtailed to a 26-over affair owing to four rain interruptions at Perth on Sunday. Both sides wanted to bowl first in damp conditions on a pitch that had very little grass. Mitchell Marsh won the toss to put India into bat and it turned out to be a grim outing for the visitors. Perth is just warming up for the Australian summer with the sun playing hide and seek on a cloudy day. It proved to be ideal conditions for the indefatigable Josh Hazlewood who bowled accurately to menacing effect, delivering 35 dot balls while returning 2/20 in seven overs. Equally tireless was Mitchell Starc, playing his first ODI in nearly a year but picking up from where he had left. He even produced a delivery that the speed gun clocked at 176.5 kph. Add to that the incessant rain-forced breaks and India soon looked out of depth in a format they rarely play now. In such adverse conditions, India needed their most experienced batters to be firm, but both Kohli and Rohit looked scratchy before they were dismissed cheaply. Kohli's eight-ball duck was particularly disappointing, given he was returning to a venue that had witnessed his last Test hundred last year. To counter the accuracy of Starc and Hazlewood, Kohli was trying to open up his stance but ended up playing more away from his body. Starc was his chief tormentor, mixing up the lengths and teasing Kohli to drive away. More agonising was how Kohli was denied a single, the frustration prompting him to play more forward instead of letting the ball come on to his bat on a quick pitch and find the gaps. He was finally lured into a drive and brilliantly caught at backward point by Cooper Connolly. Rohit did no better, hurried by Hazlewood's bounce to edge to second slip after a slew of swing and miss shots. The first ball he faced was a 140.8 kph short of a good length delivery from Starc, and he smartly nudged it to short mid-on and took a quick single. There was a boundary off Starc hit so straight that mid-off gave up the chase as soon as the ball raced past him. But Hazlewood soon cut him to size with a bouncy delivery off length that Rohit walked across and completely missed the hoick. Two balls later, he was surprised by the extra bounce from short of length that he simply couldn't resist poking. Throughout this while, Gill was biding his time, caressing Hazlewood through cover for four, shouldering arms to the balls zipping around his off stump and keeping a sharp eye on the ones rearing from length. His dismissal came almost against the run of play, off an innocuous delivery from Nathan Ellis that strangled him down the leg. It was the sort of delivery Gill had to play at, but so feeble was the contact that India's new ODI skipper failed to put it away from the grasp of the leaping wicketkeeper Josh Phillippe. Three wickets down in nine overs, India were already staring at damage control. "When you lose three wickets in the Powerplay, you're always trying to play a catch-up game," said Gill during the post-match presentation. Why Axar Patel came ahead of KL Rahul at No.5 was a topic of heavy debate as India started getting distracted by the rain interruptions. Still, Axar did his job, farming the strike, hitting a few boundaries and trying to build a vital partnership with Rahul. Once he was dismissed, Rahul was almost on his own, shepherding the innings and trying to give it some momentum towards the end with consecutive sixes. Arshdeep Singh injected some hope by removing Travis Head early with a square third-man trap. Marsh scored just two off his first nine deliveries but once he clubbed Arshdeep for a six, the Australian captain started to weigh in with a brutal assault that included two more sixes, off Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana. Axar removed Matthew Short but Phillippe came out swinging, ensuring that Australia reached 100 in 16 overs just after he fell to Washington Sundar. From there, Marsh stayed unbeaten on 46 to ensure a comfortable win for Australia.
While Trent Boult was signed for Rs 12.50 crore, the Mumbai-based franchise spent an amount of Rs 9.25 crore to land Deepak Chahar. Mumbai Indians' have assembled a lethal pace attack at the two-day IPL 2025 auction held in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). The five-time IPL champions had already retained their star pacer Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the auction. At the mega auction, MI decided to acquire the services of two other quality fast bowlers - Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar. While Boult was signed for Rs 12.50 crore, the Mumbai-based franchise spent Rs 9.25 crore to land Chahar. Reacting to the po ...Read More >
Brendon Kleynhans is a maths teacher at South African College School, one of the country's most prestigious alma maters. It luxuriates in the leafiness all around the most genteel part of Cape Town, with Newlands a mere long boundary away. If that brings to your mind's eye a slight, chinless, reticent, bespectacled individual sporting a combover, a pocket protector and - dread word - slacks who declines to step out of the safety of suburbia, you need that eye tested. "During camps it's half-pace," Kleynhans told Cricbuzz in the Kingsmead nets on Tuesday as the South Africans completed their ...Read More >
November 28, 2024: In the first Test against England at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand's Kane Williamson played a pivotal role, helping the hosts reach 319/8 at stumps on Day 1. Williamson, making his return to international cricket after injury, played a composed innings, narrowly missing out on his 33rd Test century, as he was dismissed for 93. His knock was crucial in steadying the Black Caps' innings, following an early setback where Devon Conway (2) was dismissed cheaply. Williamson formed key partnerships with Tom Latham (47), Rachin Ravindra (34), and Daryl Mitchell (19), an ...Read More >
India have only one worry ahead of the second Test against Australia in Adelaide, and it became more clouded after the pink-ball warm-up game on Sunday at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. India are all set to welcome back captain Rohit Sharma in the line-up, after having missed the opening Test, but ae yet to figure out his batting position. Rohit did not travel with the Indian team to Perth as he stayed back in Mumbai for the birth of his second child. He joined the Indian camp midway through the opening Test and played his first match on Sunday in the warm-up tie against Australia Prime Ministe ...Read More >
Australia lost the first Test by 295 runsAustralia faced their first Test defeat in PerthAustralia are looking to make a comeback in Adelaide Australia retained their 13-member squad for their second Test against India, confirmed selector and coach Andrew McDonald. On Monday, the Aussies lost the Perth Test by 295 runs to go 0-1 down in the five-match series against India. It was also the first time Australia lost at the Optus Stadium after winning four matches on the trot since 2018. McDonald, however, showed faith in their squad to make a turnaround in the Pink-Ball Test, starting December ...Read More >
Mumbai Indians (MI) made strategic moves in the IPL 2025 mega-auction, securing New Zealand pacer Trent Boult for ₹12.50 crore. MI owner Akash Ambani praised Boult’s invaluable skill in swinging the new ball, acknowledging the team’s struggles when he wasn’t playing for them in recent years. The franchise also acquired England’s Reece Topley for ₹75 lakh and New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner for ₹2 crore. MI further strengthened their spin department by signing young Afghan talent Allah Ghazanfar for ₹4.80 crore, who has impressed with his performances in international cricket. ...Read More >
Parth Jindal penned an emotional farewell note for Rishabh Pant who played nine years for the Delhi Capitals. After nine years with the Delhi franchise, Rishabh Pant will play for the Lucknow Super Giants in the upcoming IPL season. Delhi Capitals' co-owner Parth Jindal on Tuesday (November 26) lamented Rishabh Pant's departure from the franchise and hoped to reunite in the foreseeable future. Capitals had released their captain Pant ahead of the IPL mega auction where he drew a record bid of Rs 27 crore from LSG. DC even tried to get their captain back on day one of the auction but could no ...Read More >
Hardik Pandya played an excellent knock of 69 runs in 30 balls to lead Baroda to a three-wicket win over Tamil Nadu in a high-scoring Group B match at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Wednesday. Hardik's innings included four 4s and seven 6s. Out of those seven sixes, four came in the 17th over bowled by left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh. Chasing a stiff total of 222, Baroda was at 121 for 4 when Hardik came out to bat after the dismissal of his elder brother Krunal. The equation came down to 66 needed off 24 balls when Gurjapneet, a 6'3" seamer bought for Rs 2.2 crore by five-time Indian Prem ...Read More >
Williamson's impressive performance despite early setback Williamson walked out at his usual number three position after Devon Conway's early exit. NZ were earlier invited to bat. He soon found his groove and stitched a solid partnership with captain Tom Latham. While the likes of Latham, Rachin Ravindra, and Daryl Mitchell couldn't make the most of their starts, Williamson remained unfazed. His masterful navigation of the field was a treat to watch. Williamson's 93 off 197 balls took New Zealand past 220. He struck 10 fours in his knock. The Kiwi batter completed his 36th half-century in Te ...Read More >
NEW ZEALAND: A pair of former cricket legends Martin Crowe and Graham Thorpe will be honoured as New Zealand and England announced that future Test matches between the two sides will be played for the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, according to ICC. The trophy will pay tribute to New Zealand legend Martin Crowe and England great Graham Thorpe, with the winner of all future series between the two countries to be awarded the trophy. Crowe made 17 Test centuries at an average of 45.36 across a 14-year international career last century, while Thorpe almost mirrored those stats with 16 Test hundreds with a ...Read More >
Tasmanian all-rounder Beau Webster is on the brink of making his Test debut, with reports indicating he has been included in Australia's squad for the second Test against India at the Adelaide Oval. Webster's call-up comes in the wake of Australia's crushing 295-run defeat in the series opener at Perth Stadium, with selectors drafting him as injury cover for Mitchell Marsh. The veteran all-rounder has been managing lingering fitness concerns and was reportedly "sore" following the Perth Test. "(Marsh) has been battling a couple of little niggles since the UK tour," Australian captain Pat Cum ...Read More >
Parth Jindal, co-owner of the Delhi Capitals, welcomed new purchase KL Rahul with open arms and vowed to treat the experienced India batter with 'love and respect'. Rahul had a controversial exit from his previous franchise Lucknow Super Giants. The post-match scenes from the last IPL - which captured LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka publicly having an outburst on his captain, Rahul - were indications of cracks forming between the two. They even met at a dinner soon after to sort everything out, but it only lasted a little while. Finally, when the franchise did not retain Rahul, it became clear that th ...Read More >
Allan Border expresses his disappointment over the team's inability to contain Virat Kohli during the first Test in Perth Melbourne: Expressing his disappointment over the team's inability to contain Virat Kohli during the first Test in Perth, former Australia captain Allan Border questioned the tactics of skipper Pat Cummins. Kohli, who had not scored a Test century in 18 months, roared back to form with an unbeaten 100 in the second innings as India secured a thumping 295-run victory over the hosts. "I was really disappointed in the way we let Kohli roll on to a hundred without much resist ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], November 29 (ANI): Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting lauded star Indian batter Virat Kohli for a century against Australia at Perth, pointing out how trusting his game during the second innings paid off well for him. After a terrible home Test season against Bangladesh and New Zealand, with horrific outings against the Kiwis in a losing cause, Virat rose above all critics, questioning and doubts with yet another magnificent ton at Perth's Optus Stadium. With this century, he shattered many records as a visiting batter and continued his love affair with playing in Aust ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): Sophie Ecclestone's position as the premier T20I bowler is under threat, with her England teammate Sarah Glenn closing the gap in the latest ICC Women's T20I Player Rankings. Ecclestone, who took just two wickets in England's recent 3-0 series victory over South Africa, saw her lead at the top shrink to a mere 23 ratings points. Also Read | India vs Pakistan in Men's Junior Asia Cup 2024 Final! PR Sreejesh's Side Beats Malaysia 3-1 To Set Up Summit Clash Against Archrivals. Sarah Glenn emerged as a standout performer during the series, claiming five wick ...Read More >
India’s star batter Virat Kohli, ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, reflected on his memorable century on Perth’s challenging pitch during the 2018/19 series, calling it his best knock in Australia. However, Kohli faces immense pressure this series, struggling with form after scoring just 488 runs in 2024 at an average of 20.33. Once a dominant force in Test cricket, his performance has dipped since 2020, raising questions about his place in the team. With the five-Test series kicking off in Perth on November 22, Kohli aims to rediscover his magic on Australian soil and silence his c ...Read More >
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Kiwi batter Kane Williamson helped New Zealand seat in the driver's seat of the first Test match against England at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday. Christchurch [New Zealand], November 28 (ANI): Kiwi batter Kane Williamson helped New Zealand seat in the driver's seat of the first Test match against England at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday. At Day 01 stumps, New Zealand stood at 319/8 with Glenn Phillips (41*) and Tim Southee (10*) unbeaten on the crease. Also Read | Pakistan vs Zimbabwe Live Score Updates of 3rd ODI 2 ...Read More >
New Delhi : Ahead of the second Test against Australia, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh recollected his memories of playing against Aussies and said the battle between the teams forced them to put in extra effort on the field. After the Ashes rivalry in red-ball cricket, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has gained much popularity among cricket fanatics with India not losing the series since 2016. "It was our job. We were playing to win against Australia. You get to know how good of a player you are when you play against a bigger team like Australia, and Australia was a very good team. They we ...Read More >
In a remarkable feat during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Gujarat's Urvil Patel smashed a 28-ball century, making him the fastest Indian to achieve the milestone and the second-fastest in T20 history. Patel’s explosive knock of 113* off 35 balls helped Gujarat chase down 156 in just 10.2 overs. His innings featured 7 boundaries and 12 sixes, including 24 runs off 5 balls against Tripura captain Mandeep Singh. This innings broke Rishabh Pant’s previous record of 32 balls for the fastest T20 century by an Indian. Patel's power hitting has certainly added a new chapter to T20 cricket history! ...Read More >
Chris Silverwood has been appointed as Essex's new Director of Cricket, completing a return to the Club with whom he won the 2017 County Championship title. Silverwood, 49, succeeds Anthony McGrath after seven years away, and will begin the role in mid-December. He previously spent eight seasons on the Eagles coaching staff, two of which were as Head Coach, before departing to become England Men's fast bowling coach after the 2017 title triumph. Silverwood was initially appointed as bowling coach at The Cloud County Ground in 2010, and six years later, oversaw promotion to Division One in h ...Read More >
Australia faces mounting pressure ahead of the second Test against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with concerns over Marnus Labuschagne's form. Labuschagne has scored just 123 runs in his last 10 Test innings, sparking calls for his exclusion. Former pacer Mitchell Johnson suggests dropping him for domestic cricket, while young talent Sam Konstas impresses with a century in a warmup match. However, ex-England captain Michael Vaughan advises stability, warning against lineup changes that could disrupt team cohesion. He believes the Day-Night Test in Adelaide offers Labuschagne a chance to ...Read More >
Indore, December 3 (IANS): Gujarat opener Urvil Patel on Tuesday smashed his second T20 century in just six days, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Uttarakhand at the Emerald High School Ground. Patel blazed to a 36-ball hundred, leading Gujarat to a commanding eight-wicket victory in just 13.1 overs. Patel's century made him the first batter in T20 cricket history to notch up two hundreds in fewer than 40 balls. This milestone comes hot on the heels of his record-breaking 28-ball century last week against Tripura on the same ground. Chasing a target of 183, Patel unleashed a breathtaki ...Read More >
Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat in the second ODI against Pakistan in Bulawayo on November 26. Pakistan made two changes to their squad after losing the first match by 80 runs on the DLS method. Tayyab Tahir and leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed made their ODI debuts, replacing Haseebullah Khan and Mohammad Hasnain. Pakistan's key players, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Babar Azam, were rested as they tested bench strength ahead of next year's Champions Trophy. Zimbabwe, after their impressive win, retained their winning combination for the match. The third ODI will be held in Bulawayo on Thu ...Read More >
New Zealand's veteran fast bowler, Tim Southee, has announced his retirement from Test cricket. The 35-year-old cricketer will play his last match on home soil in Hamilton next month, which will be the third and final Test of England's tour of New Zealand. Meanwhile, the pacer has enjoyed operating against the Brits in whites. Here we decode his Test numbers against England. As per ESPNcricinfo, Southee has claimed 72 wickets across 19 Tests against the English side at a higher average of 34.81. The tally includes four fifers and a match 10-wicket haul. Richard Hadlee (97) is the only Kiwi bo ...Read More >
New Delhi: The IPL 2025 mega auction has concluded, with all teams finalizing their squads of at least 18 players. As is often the case, the RCB management finds itself under scrutiny for its player selections. Retaining only three players -- Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal -- RCB entered the auction with three RTM (Right to Match) cards but opted to use just one, securing Swapnil Singh. Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif expressed his thoughts on RCB's decision to let Will Jacks go to Mumbai Indians for ₹5.25 crore in the IPL 2025 auction. Kaif termed it a "massive miss" for RC ...Read More >
Delhi Capitals made a strong impression at the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, assembling a well-balanced squad for the upcoming season. Key signings included former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis (Rs 2 crore), India pacer Mukesh Kumar (Rs 8 crore - RTM), and Sri Lankan bowler Dushmantha Chameera (Rs 75 lakh). The team also secured uncapped talents like Donovan Ferreira and Ajay Mandal. Co-owner Parth Jindal hailed the squad as “balanced,” while head coach Hemang Badani expressed confidence in their Indian core. Delhi Capitals’ full squad now includes big names like KL Rahul, Mitchell Starc, and T ...Read More >
The IPL 2025 mega auction, held on November 24-25 in Jeddah, saw a record-breaking total of Rs 639.15 crore spent by 10 teams on acquiring 182 players. Among the 577 players up for grabs, 13 Australians were sold, with pacer Josh Hazlewood fetching the highest bid at Rs. 12.50 crore from Royal Challengers Bangalore. Other notable signings included Mitchell Starc (Rs. 11.75 crore, Delhi Capitals), Marcus Stoinis (Rs. 11 crore, Punjab Kings), and Mitchell Marsh (Rs. 3.4 crore, Lucknow Super Giants). Punjab Kings made a significant splash, purchasing five Australian players, including Glenn Maxwe ...Read More >
The IPL 2025 auction in Jeddah saw records shattered, with Indian players dominating the headlines. Arshdeep Singh broke Yuvraj Singh's nine-year-old auction record, fetching ₹18 crore, only for Shreyas Iyer to surpass it with ₹26.75 crore. Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player, bought for ₹27 crore by Lucknow Super Giants. However, Jitesh Sharma's IPL salary hike was the talk of the auction, as he secured ₹11 crore, a staggering 5500% increase from his previous ₹20 lakh. Royal Challengers Bengaluru picked him up as a wicketkeeper-batter to replace Dinesh Karthik. Other big earners inc ...Read More >
1. PCB reiterates stance on Champions Trophy, not willing to accept hybrid model The PCB has come forward and made it clear to the ICC that they will not accept the much-debated hybrid model of the tournament. (READ MORE) 2. 'Lalit, where is my Porsche?' - Lalit Modi narrates tale of gifting luxury automobile to Yuvraj Singh In a recent discussion, he recounted an episode from 2007 which involved former World Cup-winning Indian legend, Yuvraj Singh. (READ MORE) 3. Batter gets dismissed in bizarre fashion after cell phone falls on stumps The unusual mode of dismissal occurred during a Gram ...Read More >
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Cheteshwar Pujara wants K L Rahul to open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second Test against Australia despite the arrival of skipper Rohit Sharma. Canberra, Nov 29 (PTI) Cheteshwar Pujara wants K L Rahul to open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second Test against Australia despite the arrival of skipper Rohit Sharma. Rohit's absence in the series opener in Perth allowed India to move Rahul to the top of the order from the middle order. Also Read | La Liga 2024-25: Straightforward Matches for Real Madrid, Ba ...Read More >