New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) Gaganjeet Singh Bhullar, the veteran Indian golfer, has signed on with the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) as an Icon player, and will be leading one of the six franchises in the highly-anticipated tournament.The Arjuna Awardee expressed his excitement, describing IGPL as one of the most exciting golf ventures in many years, and explained the reasons behind his participation.”Golf is an individual sport. But whenever I have had the opportunity to represent my country, I…

Gwalior, Aug 6 (IANS) Former WWE wrestler and team ambassador of the Pro Panja League side Sher-e-Ludhiana, ‘The Great Khali’ believes India’s path to hosting the 2036 Olympics lies in the grassroots of the country and believes increasing the number of tournaments across sports will help develop a winning mentality for the team. In an exclusive conversation with IANS, Khali spoke on India potentially hosting the 2036 Olympics and stated he believes his PPL team will go on to win season 2 o…

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) Top-ranked women’s T20I bowler Sadia Iqbal has earned a promotion to Category ‘A’ in Pakistan women’s central contracts list for the 2025/26 season. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also said Diana Baig (promoted from Category C to B) and Rameen Shamim (from Category D to C) have also earned contract upgrades. Sadia joined skipper Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali and Sidra Amin in terms of Category A players. Aliya Riaz (Category B), Natalia Parvaiz (Category D), Sidra Na…

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) Ahead of the Premier League 2025-26 season, Granit Xhaka reflected on his decision to join Sunderland, expressing his excitement for the new challenge and belief in the club’s future plans.The midfielder joined Sunderland from Bayer 04 Leverkusen for an undisclosed fee and signed a three-year contract at the Stadium of Light.”I felt I needed a new and big challenge. When I spoke with the club, I was very excited to come here—to feel the energy, the mentality, the peop…

Toronto, Aug 6 (IANS) Taylor Fritz edged 2024 finalist Andrey Rublev, while Ben Shelton moved past Alex de Minaur to set up an all-American semifinal at the Canadian Open. Fritz was narrowly denied another serving shutout to claim a 6-3, 7-6(4) win. Holding match point at 5-4 in the second set after a serving masterclass, Fritz seemed destined to claim his 42nd consecutive hold before an against-the-script lapse that saw Rublev convert his fourth break point of the game to level the match and so…

Montreal, Aug 6 (IANS) Clara Tauson scored a 6-1, 6-4 win over reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys at the Canadian Open to move into her second WTA 1000 semifinal of 2025. Tauson needed just 27 minutes to win the opening set, and while the second set proved more challenging for Tauson, the late push by Keys came too late. With back-to-back wins over Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys, Tauson has notched multiple Top 10 victories at a single tournament for the first time in her career, earni…

Bulawayo, Aug 6 (IANS) New Zealand have suffered another injury blow, as the pace bowler Will O’Rourke has been ruled out of the second Test against Zimbabwe with a back injury, New Zealand Cricket said on Wednesday. O’Rourke experienced back stiffness on day three of the New Zealand’s nine-wicket win in the first Test last week after taking three for 28 from his 10 overs in the second innings.NZC said O’Rourke has been sent home to undergo further assessment. Left-arm seamer Ben Lister, who…

Beijing, Aug 5 (IANS) The 2026 World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London will feature 64 teams each in the men’s and women’s events, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) announced here on Tuesday.The expanded format marks the centenary of both the first table tennis world championships, held in London in 1926, and the founding of the ITTF the same year. The tournament will grow from the 40-team format used in recent editions.According to the schedule, the Copper Box Aren…

Chengdu, Aug 5 (IANS) With two days to go for the opening ceremony of the 12th World Games, International World Games Association (IWGA) President Jose Perurena Lopez has declared that Chengdu’s preparations have exceeded all expectations, positioning the event to make history.”My expectation two years ago was high, high, high, but I think it’s covered all my expectations,” Perurena told Xinhua on Tuesday. “We guarantee Chengdu will organise the best World Games in our life, because the quality …

New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) West Delhi Lions cruised to a commanding 8-wicket victory over South Delhi Superstarz, thanks to a sensational opening stand between Ankit Kumar and wicketkeeper-batter Krish Yadav in the second season of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.Chasing a target of 186, the Lions’ opening pair came out all guns blazing. Ankit Kumar and Krish Yadav stitched together a massive partnership of 158 runs in just 14 overs, putting the chase firmly in their te…