Category: Sports

Lucknow: It has always been a matter of deep regret to see deserving players deliberately and unfairly shown the door by selectors. Once again, this pattern appears to have repeated itself in the run-up to the T-20 tournament. During the auction held to shortlist players for bidding, none of the Under-19 or Under-16 players were included in the list—an omission that smacks of a deliberate conspiracy and demands a thorough, impartial investigation at the highest level. Several players who delivered outstanding performances in both age-group categories last season, and who…

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Retired Ranji Veteran Ashok Bambi Colombo: Sri Lanka’s hopes of winning a Test match against India for the first time in a decade were dashed on the very first day of the opening Test at Galle. They will now be fighting simply to save the match on a pitch that promises plenty for the spinners. Sri Lanka had wanted to bat first and put up a big total to pressure India, but the toss didn’t go their way. India’s openers made a solid start, with Jaiswal looking the more aggressive…

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New Delhi: Former India hockey star and coach Rajinder Singh is confident that the Indian men’s team can reach the semi-finals of the 2026 Hockey World Cup, provided the players remain focused on converting their opportunities and maintain discipline against the counter-attacking European sides. The 2026 Hockey World Cup will be held in Belgium and the Netherlands from August 15 to 30. Rajinder Singh, a former international full-back and renowned penalty-corner specialist, believes India has the depth, experience and understanding within the squad to mount a strong challenge. “I am…

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New Delhi: Ashok Kumar Singh — the man widely remembered as “the Artist,” son of hockey legend Dhyan Chand, and the first Indian player to feature in four Hockey World Cups — believes this year’s Indian squad has what it takes to end a 51-year wait for another World Cup medal, provided the forward line stays sharp. Ashok Kumar’s own World Cup journey began in 1971, when India won bronze at the inaugural edition. Two years later, in Amsterdam, India took silver, before finally striking gold in 1975 — India’s…

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Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh T20 League Season 4 trophy and the captains of all six participating franchises reached the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, where they met Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana in a courtesy meeting. UP T20 League Governing Council Chairman Dr Sanjay Kapoor accompanied the franchise captains during the visit. Discussions focused on preparations for the upcoming fourth season of the state’s T20 cricket league and arrangements for the tournament. The visit provided an opportunity to highlight the growing profile of the UP T20 League and its role in promoting…

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Dar es Salaam: Cricket in Tanzania got its biggest boost yet this week, with ICC Chairman Jay Shah officially inaugurating the Tanzania Cricket Arena — the country’s first venue to receive full approval from the International Cricket Council. For a cricketing nation that has spent years building the sport largely from the grassroots up, having a facility that finally meets international standards feels less like a formality and more like a genuine turning point. The arena’s opening isn’t just a win for Tanzania. It’s being seen as a significant moment…

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Lucknow: As the fourth edition of the Uttar Pradesh T20 League gears up, the Lucknow Falcons find themselves at something of a turning point. The tournament runs from August 14 to September 6, 2026, and for the first time will be split across two cities — 22 matches at Lucknow’s Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, and the remaining 12, including the playoffs and final, at Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium. That dual-venue setup brings its own set of challenges, but the Falcons are heading into the season…

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New Delhi — Jammu and Kashmir pace bowler Aqib Nabi, 29, has been drafted into India’s Test squad for the upcoming two-match series in Sri Lanka after veteran fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out with a knee injury. India begin their series with a three-day warm-up match from August 7, before the first Test gets underway in Galle on August 15. The call-up marks Nabi’s first selection for the Indian Test team. Should he get a game in the series, he would become the first cricketer from Jammu and…

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New season begins December 8 in Argentina; India to host matches February 13-28 New Delhi, August 6, 2026 — India’s women’s hockey team and France’s men’s team are heading back into the FIH Pro Hockey League fold. Both sides punched their tickets by winning the FIH Hockey Nations Cup, earning a return to the elite competition when the new 2026-27 season gets underway on December 8, 2026. India’s men’s team, for its part, doesn’t need any such qualification route — a solid eighth-place finish in the 2025-26 Pro League was…

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