Mumbai, June 19 (IANS) Iniyan Pa of Tamil Nadu, the top seed, lived up to his billing, dominating proceedings from start to finish to emerge Champion in the Masters Category of the Global Chess Festival, which concluded at the World Trade Centre.Already in sight of the title after the penultimate round, the composed 24-year-old National champion settled for a quick and short draw against Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy to claim one of the biggest chess titles in the country in his debut appearance a…

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) The going has been great for India so far in the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. With two wins out of as many games, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side have themselves in a good space to enter the semi-finals. But with tougher opponents like South Africa, Bangladesh and Australia coming up, India have to step up in all aspects if they are to enter the knockouts. Mithali Raj, the former India captain, addressed questions around the Indian team, its various talking points an…

Houston, June 19 (IANS) The Netherlands will clash with table toppers Sweden in an exciting clash in Group F of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Houston Stadium on Saturday.The Netherlands entered the tournament as Group F favourites and were close to securing the three points and getting a good start, but their chances were ruined by Japan’s Daichi Kamada, who netted a header in the 88th minute to help the Asian side draw the match 2-2. The Netherlands would look to make a good comeback and come …

Macau, June 19 (IANS) Ashmita Chaliha continues her strong run in the Macau Open BWF World Tour Super 300 with a convincing win over Korea’s Kim Min Sun to reach the women’s singles semi-final here on Friday.Ashmita defeated Kim 21-16, 21-18 in just 37 minutes to set up a last-four clash against another Korean, Park Ga Eun, who received a walkover in the quarterfinals from second seed Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand.The opening game between Ashmita and Kim was a neck-and-neck affair till …

New York, June 19 (IANS) Canada’s 6-0 thrashing of Qatar on Friday (IST) was marred by a horrific injury to Ismael Kone, who had to be carried off on a stretcher following a dreadful challenge from Qatar’s Assim Madibo, who was sent off for the challenge.Speaking after the game, Canada coach Jesse Marsch admitted the shock caused by the injury, but insisted that Kone’s broken leg will only serve to unite his players even more to claim the country’s first-ever World Cup win.”It was right in front…

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) India drag-flicker Deepika credited the specialised training camps conducted for the national women’s hockey team for helping players sharpen their skills and perform at a higher level, as India advanced to the semifinals of the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup in Auckland.”The specialised camp allowed us to work closely with experienced coaches and focus on parts of our game that need attention. The guidance and feedback we received were invaluable. I am thankful to Hock…

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) Former India captain Mithali Raj on Friday said the unavailability of off-spin bowling all-rounder Shreyanka Patil is a ‘setback’ for the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side and that the team management may have to turn to Radha Yadav to fill the void in the bowling combination ahead of a crucial Group A clash against South Africa in the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup.Shreyanka made a return to the India T20I set-up after a long injury layoff due to shin splints and thumb fr…

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) Former India all‑rounder Yuvraj Singh is set to take up his first formal coaching assignment in the Indian Premier League (IPL), by joining the Delhi Capitals support staff for the 2027 season.Yuvraj, who has won the 2007 Men’s T20 World Cup and 2011 Men’s ODI World Cup, has mentored several young cricketers in recent years, including Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, and Abdul Samad, apart from training Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant…

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) Paralympic high jump champion Praveen Kumar has already set his sights on the next cycle, declaring the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games as his primary target as he looks to build on his growing list of international achievements.Reflecting on his rise in para athletics, Praveen admitted he never imagined reaching the heights he has achieved.“No, I didn’t think that I would reach this far,” he said in an upcoming episode of the Quest Talk podcast by iQOO. “There ar…

Leeds, June 19 (IANS) England Women will look to continue their unbeaten start in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 when they take on Scotland Women in Match 16 of Group 2 at Headingley in Leeds on Saturday.England have looked impressive so far in this tournament and remain at the top of Group B, having won both of their games so far. Any victory on Saturday would see the Three Lions move one step closer to a place in the semifinals, as they have the quality on both fronts to compete right thro…