New Delhi, June 25 (IANS) The announcement of the inaugural edition of the Shooting League of India (SLI), launched by NRAI is already making waves across the globe. As the excitement builds, fans and athletes around the world are eager to witness how this league reshapes the future of the sport.
More than 400 athletes from India, Kazakhstan, Russia, Iran, Hungary, Croatia, Azerbaijan, United Kingdom, Australia, Grenada, Italy, Australia, Austria, Serbia, USA, Spain, Thailand, Germany, Czech Republic, Norway, San Marino and Romania have already registered for the league and the number continues to grow.The registration process is open till mid July.Expressing his excitement, NRAI president Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo said, “We are truly delighted by the overwhelming response and the number of registrations we have received. It’s a strong validation of our vision for the Shooting League of India. Our aim has always been to create a world-class platform that celebrates talent, promotes healthy competition, and inspires the next generation of shooters.”The first season of the SLI will have a window between November 20 and December 2 and will feature mixed team events across pistol (10m, 25m), rifle (10m, 50m 3 positions), and shotgun (Trap & Skeet), as outlined by the NRAI Technical Committee.A total of minimum of 6 teams will participate in the competition, divided into two pools during the league stage. Players will be selected and grouped into four tiers — Elite Champions, World Elite, National Champions, and Junior & Youth Champions — to ensure a competitive mix of experience and emerging talent.The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) had announced its intention to host the Shooting League of India in November last year. The league aims to further boost the sport in the country, following recent success at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.–IANSbc/

Charlotte, June 25 (IANS) Benfica secured the top spot in Group C of the FIFA Club World Cup after a narrow 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in their final group fixture here on Wednesday (IST), thanks to a series of crucial saves by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
Already assured of a last-16 place after back-to-back wins against Auckland City and Boca Juniors, Bayern needed only a draw to win the group. Head coach Vincent Kompany opted to rotate heavily, making seven changes to the starting lineup. Key players Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Kingsley Coman, and Joshua Kimmich began on the bench, while 19-year-old summer signing Tom Bischof from Hoffenheim made his debut.Benfica broke the deadlock in the 13th minute, as Andreas Schjelderup slotted home a Fredrik Aursnes cross from the right wing, reports Xinhua.With no attempt on target in the first half, Kompany brought on Kane, Olise, and Kimmich after the break.The substitutes made an immediate impact. Kimmich’s long pass sent Leroy Sane through one-on-one, but his shot was denied by Trubin, who then made another key save to stop Thomas Muller moments later.Kimmich nearly leveled the score in the 61st minute with a low strike from outside the box, but Kane was offside while standing in front of the goalkeeper.The Bundesliga champion kept up the pressure but couldn’t find the equalizer, as Trubin again denied Sane from close range just minutes before the final whistle.Bayern drops to second in the group after the loss and will face Group D winner Flamengo in Miami on Sunday in the last-16. Benfica will host either Chelsea or Esperance de Tunis in Charlotte on Saturday.The other Group C match between Auckland City and Boca Juniors in Nashville was suspended due to potential lightning strikes after Christian Gray scored Auckland City’s first goal of the tournament, leveling the score at 1-1.–IANSbc/

Philadelphia, June 25 (IANS) Chelsea FC beat Esperance 3-0 at Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday (IST) to qualify for the knockout stage of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
With CR Flamengo having already won Group D to advance, the Blues next face Group C winners SL Benfica in Charlotte on 28 June, after the Portuguese side secured top spot with a 1-0 victory against FC Bayern Munchen.Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca made eight changes the team that had lost 3-1 to Flamengo. With the Londoners only needing a draw to go through and Espérance sitting back and looking to counter, the circumstances made for an uneventful first half until Chelsea struck twice before half-time.Enzo Fernandez played provider on both goals. In the third minute of stoppage time, the Argentinian midfielder chipped a free-kick to Tosin Adarabioyo, whose free header in the box dropped inside the far post.Espérance goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said was left standing again two minutes later. Fernandez lofted a ball to newly signed striker Liam Delap, who turned his marker and dribbled into space to slot a shot into the open net for a 2-0 Blues advantage.Maresca used the second half to play some of Chelsea’s bright young talents. Midfielder Dario Essugo and striker Marc Guiu came off the bench in the 59th minute, and winger Tyrique George and midfielder Andrey Santos entered the game in the 67th minute. Defender Mamadou Sarr was an 82nd-minute substitute.George made it 3-0 Chelsea with a blistering strike just before the final whistle.The outcome was never in doubt after those late first-half goals, and the Blues head into that Benfica showdown in Charlotte with confidence restored.Elsewhere, CA Boca Juniors exited the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 as Auckland City FC scored their first goal at the tournament and collected a hugely unexpected first point in Nashville.Wallace Yan secured a dramatic last-gasp draw for CR Flamengo, just two minutes after Denis Bouanga thought he had grabbed LAFC’s first victory of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. This game was a dead rubber, with LAFC already eliminated and Flamengo confirmed as Group D winners.–IANSbc/

Rio De Janeiro, June 25 (IANS) Neymar has extended his contract with Santos until December, the Brazilian Serie A club said.
The 33-year-old former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward returned to his boyhood club on a six-month deal in January after parting ways with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.Brazil’s all-time leading scorer had been linked with a move to Major League Soccer or a possible return to Europe before agreeing to remain at Santos until the end of the 2025 season.”I made a decision and I listened to my heart,” Neymar said in a statement on the club’s website. “Santos is not just my team, it is my home, my roots, my history and my life.”Here I was a boy who became a man, and I am truly loved. Here I can be myself, truly happy. And it is here that I want to fulfil the dreams that are missing in my career. And nothing will stop me. I go, I come back and I stay. Where it all began and where it will never end.”Neymar made his professional debut for Santos in 2009 and has made 243 appearances for the club, scoring 141 goals and providing 69 assists. Injuries have limited him to just 12 appearances this year for the eight-time Brazilian Serie A champions.”It is a historic and remarkable day for Brazilian football, a gift for the fans of Santos FC,” Santos president Marcelo Teixeira said.”Our idol, our boy, the prince with our number 10 shirt remains. It is a very important moment in this reconstruction process and we needed Neymar, both on and off the field.”Neymar has scored 79 goals in 128 matches for Brazil but has not represented the five-time World Cup winners since suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament against Uruguay in October 2023.–IANSbc/

Leeds, June 25 (IANS) India coach Gautam Gambhir has revealed there are no plans to change the workload of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah across the remainder of the ongoing Test series against England, despite defeat in the series opener at Headingley.
It was initially planned that the pace spearhead would only play three of the five Tests during this series as he manages his back issue. Bumrah was India’s standout bowler at Headingley – he took 5-83 in the first innings – but could not prevent England chasing 371 as the visitors suffered a five-wicket loss to England in the series opener.”We won’t change it. I think for us to manage Bumrah’s workload is more important because there’s a lot of cricket going forward and we know that what he brings to the table as well.”So before he came on this tour, it was already decided that he’s going to play three Test matches, but let’s see how his body turns up. But we haven’t decided which two other Test matches he’s going to play,” Gambhir said.With Bumrah going without a wicket in England’s chase, the hosts managed the second-highest successful fourth-innings chase in Tests. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, who had navigated a tricky period at the end of Day 4, continued a composed batting effort against India’s frontline pacers, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, as well as the second change bowlers of Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna.Seamers Prasidh and Shardul Thakur collected a pair of wickets each in England’s chase, with the more experienced trio of Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja and Bumrah all struggling to make much of an impact as the hosts drew first blood in the series.”This bowling attack has one bowler with five Tests under his belt, one has four, one has played two and one hasn’t yet debuted. We will have to give them time,” Gambhir said in defence of his bowling group.”Earlier, we used to have four fast bowlers in the squad with an experience of more than 40 Tests. It doesn’t make such a big impact in one-day or T20 matches, but when you go to Australia, England or South Africa for Tests, experience matters. These are early days.”If we start judging our bowlers after every Test, how will be develop a bowling attack? Outside Bumrah and (Mohammad) Siraj, we don’t have that much experience, but they have quality, which is why they are in this dressing room.”But we have got to keep backing them because it’s not about one tour. It’s about building a fast-bowler battery that can serve India for long time in Test cricket,” he added.England will take on India in the second Test at Edgbaston on July 2.–IANSbc/

Bhubaneswar, June 25 (IANS) Rujula S. of Karnataka clocked 26.36 sec in the 50m Women Freestyle, improving the national meet record as well as Best Indian Performance, by breaking the long-standing record of Shikha Tandon in the 78th National Aquatics Championships at the Aquatic Centre, Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, on Tuesday.While Rujula surged to break the long-standing mark by clocking 26.36, Avantika Sudhir Chavan of the Railways Sports Promotion Board finished second in 26.58, while Karnataka’s upcoming swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu finished third in 26.69 seconds.Among other noteworthy performances on the day, Olympian Aryan Nehra, Kushagra Rawat, and Aneesh Gowda set the pool on fire with their last 50m in the 400m Men Freestyle. Aryan Nehra won the gold with Kushagra coming in close behind him, while Aneesh Gowda settled for the bronze. Bhavya Sachdeva of Delhi clocked 17.35.07 in the Women’s 1500m Freestyle, claiming a gold and the National Meet record, while Shristi Upadhyaya won her second individual medal, a bronze, for hosts Odisha. Olympians Srihari Nataraj and Sajan Prakash also won their respective events with ease, while Tamil Nadu set a new meet record in men’s 4 x 100 medley relay.Key results: Women’s 1500m Freestyle: Bhavya Sachdeva DELHI 17:35.07 NMR; Vritti Agarwal TELANGANA 17:41.36; Thanya Shadakshari KARNATAKA 17:41.4.Men’s 400m Freestyle: Aryan Nehra GUJARAT 3:55.96; Kushagra Rawat DELHI 3:56.84; Aneesh S Gowda KARNATAKA 3:57.17Women’s 200m Butterfly: Astha Choudhury RSPB 2:20.63; Roshini Balasubramanian TAMILNADU 2:20.77; Shristi Upadhaya 02 ODISHA 2:23.11Men’s 200m Butterfly: Sajan Prakash POLICE 1:58.98; Bikram Changmai RSPB 2:02.13; Dharshan.S KARNATAKA 2:03.11Women’s 50m Backstroke: Vihitha Nayana Loganathan KARNATAKA 29.99; Sanjana Manguesh Prabhugaonker GOA 30.68; Soubrity Mondal BENGAL 30.70Men’s 50m Backstroke: Srihari Nataraj KARNATAKA 25.70; Rishabh Anupam Das MAHARASHTRA 26.02; Akash Mani KARNATAKA 26.12Women’s 50m Freestyle: Rujula S KARNATAKA 26.36 NMR; Avantika Sudhir Chavan RSPB 26.58; Dhinidhi Desinghu KARNATAKA 26.69.Men’s 4 x 100m Medley: Tamil Nadu (Nithik Nathella, Danush Suresh, B.Benedicton Rohit, Adhithya Dinesh) 3:45.09 NMR; Karnataka (Utkarsh Santosh Patil, Manikanta L, Chinthan S Shetty, Tanish George Mathew) 3:48.16; Railways Sports Promotion Board (Devansh Maheshkumar Parmar, Anoop Augustine, Bikram Changmai, Sathya Sai Krishnan M) 3:49.60–IANSbsk/

Leeds, June 25 (IANS) India skipper Shubman Gill admitted they had their opportunities but failed…

Ostrava (Czech Republic), June 24 (IANS) Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra won the javelin throw title in the Ostrava Golden Spike 2025 meet with a best throw of 85.29 metres in the one-day competition on Tuesday.Neeraj had clinched victory in the prestigious meet with one throw remaining as his best effort of 85.29m remained unbeaten after six rounds, securing him yet another top podium finish this season. This is the second title for Neeraj within a month after he triumped in the Paris Daimond League meet a few days back.The 27-year-old Neeraj from Haryaha produced his best effort on his third turn as he finished first, while Douw Smit of South Africa, with 84.12m, and Anderson Peters of Granada, with 83.63m, finished second and third, respectively. Neeraj, who made history for India by winning the gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and bagged silver in Paris in 2024, had recently stood first in the Paris Diamond League and was looking to continue that winning streak in Ostrava.He managed to do that, though the distance he achieved on Tuesday would disappoint him. Neeraj Chopra had a few weeks back had crossed the 90m mark and is hoping to achieve the feat once again.But that did not happen on Tuesday, as he started with a foul in his first attempt. He managed 83.45 in his second attempt but made a grand comeback by throwing the spear to 85.29 in his third turn. That gave him the lead with Samit Douw in second position at 84.12m and Anderson Peters in third with 83.63.Neeraj could not improve his distance in his fourth, fifth, and sixth throws but managed to clinch the top spot. Chopra records a distance of 82.17m in his fourth attempt, and followed that up with a distance of 81.01m in his fifth and deliberately fould his sixth and last throw as he was not able to execute it properly and gain a good distance. –IANSbsk/

Leeds, June 24 (IANS) Bazball continues to redefine the boundaries of Test cricket, and at Headingley, it delivered one of its most stirring statements yet. England chased down a mammoth 371 on the final day to seal a remarkable five-wicket win over India, going 1-0 up in the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley here on Tuesday.This was England’s second-highest successful run chase in Test history and the second-highest ever against India.The chase was built on a rock-solid platform provided by openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, who added 188 for the first wicket. Duckett led the way with a sublime 149 off just 170 balls, mixing composure with calculated aggression. Crawley was fluent for his 65 before falling, but the damage was done. Even though Shardul Thakur brought India back into the game for a brief period with two wickets in two balls—removing Duckett and Harry Brook—it was England’s calm middle-order that ensured the momentum wasn’t lost. Joe Root, playing in front of his home crowd, remained unbeaten on 53, while debutant Jamie Smith showed maturity beyond his years with an unbeaten 44. Their unbroken 71-run stand took England past the target, with Smith slog-sweeping Ravindra Jadeja for six to seal the match in style.India, despite holding the upper hand at several key moments, will rue their missed chances. They had the match in their control on more than one occasion but allowed England back in repeatedly through collapses and sloppy fielding. After losing the toss, India posted a massive 471 in the first innings, thanks to hundreds from Shubman Gill (147), Rishabh Pant (134), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (101). At 430/3 in the first innings, a total beyond 550 looked inevitable, but a dramatic collapse saw them lose their last seven wickets for just 41 runs—an opening England were quick to exploit.England’s response was equally resolute. Duckett (62), Ollie Pope (106), and Harry Brook (99) kept them in the contest. Brook, dropped multiple times during his innings, rode his luck but ensured England stayed in touch. India had England at 276/5 at one stage, but the lower order staged a counter-attack, adding 189 runs for the final five wickets. England ended just six runs behind, reducing the match to a one-innings shootout.In the second innings, KL Rahul’s patient 137 and another brilliant century from Rishabh Pant (118) gave India a golden opportunity to bat England out of the contest. The pair added 195 for the fifth wicket, and at 333/4, India were firmly on top. But once again, they fell away alarmingly, collapsing to 364 all out, losing six wickets for just 31 runs as England’s seamers, especially Josh Tongue and Stokes, cashed in with the second new ball. This recurring inability to finish strong was a theme throughout the match for India.England’s chase of 371 was historic on multiple counts. It is now the second-highest successful chase on the final scheduled day of a Test match, only behind Australia’s 404 at the same venue in 1948. It also made Headingley the only ground in the world to witness three successful fourth-innings chases of more than 350, underlining its status as a venue of epic finishes. Remarkably, this match also became only the third instance in Test history where all four innings saw scores of 350 or more.India’s fielding, however, left a lot to be desired. Dropped catches, misfields, and poor decision-making on the ground allowed England breathing room. Bumrah, the leader of the attack, went wicketless in the second innings, while Prasidh Krishna proved expensive throughout, registering an economy rate of 6.28 in the first innings—the worst by an Indian Test bowler who has bowled 20 or more overs. Thakur bowled in inspired spells but lacked support at the other end.In the end, it was Joe Root’s calmness and Jamie Smith’s confidence that carried England home. The roar at Headingley as Root reached his 66th Test fifty—matching the number on his shirt—was only matched by the final cheers when Smith slog-swept the winning runs. Brief scores: India 471 and 364 lost to England 465 and 373/5 in 82 overs (Ben Duckett 149, Zak Crawley 65; Shardul Thakur 2-28, Prasidh Krishna 2-69) by five wickets.–IANShs/

Mumbai, June 24 (IANS) The Kaligna Black Tigers and the Hyderabad Heroes produced a couple of clinical performances during Season 1 of the Rugby Premier League at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex (Andheri Sports Complex) here on Tuesday evening.Whilst the Tigers saw off the challenge of the Mumbai Dreamers, the Hyderabad Heroes defeated the Chennai Bulls. Interestingly, the Heroes and the Bulls had both secured qualification for the knockouts on Monday.In the first game of the day, the Kalinga Black Tigers produced a clinical and dominant display against the Mumbai Dreamers, defeating them 33-5.The Kalinga Black Tigers started well as they kept the Mumbai Dreamers at bay, and just before the end of the first quarter, Perry Baker scored a well-worked try, after which Maurice Longbottom converted easily. A little later, the Tigers doubled their lead when Baker scored yet another try, and Ethan Turner converted his kick with aplomb. At half-time, the Kalinga Black Tigers led 14-0.After the break, the Tigers continued their dominant display as Ethan Turner now had a try to his name. At the other end, though, the Dreamers finally managed to get on the scoresheet as Elias Hancock went over the line.Any hopes of a comeback for the Dreamers, though, were snuffed out by the Tigers as Lucas Lacamp scored a couple of quick tries and Longbottom polished off the conversions with ease.In the second game of the day, the Hyderabad Heroes and the Chennai Bulls played out a fantastic game of rugby, with the Heroes prevailing on the night. The Heroes won 17-0, making this only the second occasion in the tournament when a team had failed to register a point.The Hyderabad Heroes started the contest well with Kevin Wekesa and Terio Tamani scoring important tries in the first half. Tamani was also able to convert his kick, giving the Heroes a comfortable 12-point lead. Bhupinder Singh then put the seal on the win with his try in the final moments of the game.–IANSbsk/