HOCKEY
Odisha, Madhya Pradesh enter junior hockey nationals final
Odisha and Madhya Pradesh entered the final of the Hockey India Junior Men’s National Championship after registering contrasting victories in their respective last-four matches in Coimbatore on Thursday.
Odisha outplayed Punjab 6-4 in a high-scoring opening semifinal, with Bilkan Oram starring with a hat-trick.
Oram struck in the 28th, 41st and 52nd minutes, while Alok Kujur (11th), captain Deepak Pradhan (37th) and Amit Kiro (59th) also found the target for Odisha.
Punjab made a bright start through Amandeep, who scored in the seventh minute before Mandeep Singh doubled the lead a minute later. Ajaypal Singh (34th) and Amandeep (42nd) also scored for Punjab, but Odisha’s attacking firepower proved decisive.
In the second semifinal, Madhya Pradesh defeated Jharkhand 2-0, scoring both goals in the closing stages of the contest.
After a closely fought encounter, Rajveer Singh broke the deadlock in the 56th minute before Aashir Aadil Khan sealed the result with another goal two minutes later.
The final between Odisha and Madhya Pradesh will be played on August 8, while Punjab and Jharkhand will clash in the third-place playoff earlier in the day.
-PTI
E-SPORTS
India receive direct entry into MOBA Legends: 5v5
India have received a direct invitation to the MOBA Legends: 5v5 tournament at the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) after accumulating 2,600 points in the ENC Rankings.
India’s roster for the tournament has Gaithanlung Gonmei (Kyle), Susanta Biswas (Kimyy), Abhijeet Katkar (Asuna), Rithik Sohal (Romcom), Evancius A. Sangma (Vann), along with reserve players Mohammad Saad (Apex) and Jay Mehta.
Steve Vitug (Dale) will be India’s coach, announced the Esports Foundation through a release on Thursday.
The Legends competition will feature 32 teams competing for a prize pool of more than Rs 14.2 crore from November 23 to 29 in Riyadh.
The Esports Foundation has allocated 16 direct invitations through the ENC Rankings, and 14 places will be decided through regional online qualifiers, scheduled for August 15 to 16.
The final two slots will be filled through wildcard invitations comprising one Host Region slot and one Solidarity slot.
“One of the biggest strengths of this roster is the variety of experience each player brings. Every player has something unique to offer, whether it’s leadership, mechanics, or decision-making.
“Our focus over the coming months is to combine those strengths into a cohesive team with a clear identity and style of play. I am confident we’ll be ready to take on the challenge in Riyadh,” said coach Vitug.
-PTI
GOLF
Sharma, Lahiri join global field at India Championship
Home heroes Shubhankar Sharma and Anirban Lahiri will once again lead Indian hopes when they join the global field gathering for the second edition of the India Championship.
The multiple DP World Tour and international winners will join a host of stars – including defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, Career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy and newly crowned Open Champion Ryan Fox – in the highly-anticipated USD 4,000,000 event at Delhi Golf Club from October 15 to October 18.
Shubhankar became the youngest India player to win on the DP World Tour when he claimed the Joburg Open title in December 2017, aged just 21. He lifted a second trophy two months later after carding a sublime final round of 62 to win the Maybank Championship and capped off the season by claiming the 2018 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award and topping the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
The 30-year-old has also recorded six wins on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and represented India at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Lahiri also counts two DP World Tour titles amongst his 18 international victories, with the most recent coming on home soil at the 2015 Hero Indian Open, when he won in dramatic fashion after coming from seven shots back to defeat S.S.P Chawrasia in a play-off. He became the first Indian player to play in the Presidents Cup – going on to represent the International Team in 2015 and 2017 – and is a two-time Olympian, competing for India at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. He topped the PGTI Order of Merit in 2009 and the Asian Tour equivalent in 2015 and was twice voted Asian Tour Players’ Player of the Year.
Co-sanctioned with the PGTI, the tournament features the largest prize fund ever offered for a DP World Tour event in India and will once again take its place as part of the crucial Back 9 phase of the Race to Dubai. The stellar field gathering for the DP World India Championship this October includes Major winners McIlroy, Fox, Shane Lowry and Justin Rose, European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald and Ryder Cup stars Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland.
-Team Sportstar
Sneha sets the course ablaze with 10-under 61 to lead at WPGT event
Sneha Singh, who has been searching for form for a long time, played one of the finest rounds of her professional career as she closed her second round with seven consecutive birdies in the 11th Leg of the Women’s Pro Golf Tournament here on Thursday.
Sneha carded a 10-under 61 and, after an opening round of 2-over 73, now has an aggregate score of 8-under 134 to lead the field.
The 2023 Order of Merit winner, Sneha, has not won a single event this season. She opened with a birdie and added another on the third hole before dropping her only shot of the day. She birdied the seventh as well and made the turn in 2-under 35.
The 22-year-old was on fire on the back nine. She birdied the 10th and parred the 11th, but that was the last par she made for the day. She then birdied every hole from the 12th to the 18th to close with a 61.
Overnight co-leaders Vani Kapoor, Ayesha Gupta and Riya Jadon had contrasting fortunes.
Vani, despite an even-par 71, was the sole second-placed player, but she remained four shots behind leader Sneha. Vani had four birdies between the seventh and 12th holes, but she also dropped four bogeys, two each on the front and back nines.
Amateur Ayesha, who was outstanding on the opening day with a 67, had two birdies against four bogeys for a 73 and slipped to tied third place.
Also tied for third was Nayanika Sanga, who has also been playing in Europe. She carded a 3-under 68 with three birdies, an eagle and two bogeys.
Tvesa Malik, who had shot a 73 on Day 1, improved by five shots to card a 68 and moved to 1-under for 36 holes. She was tied seventh with Smriti Bhargava (70-71).
Four players — Anvitha Narender (72-70), Lavanya Jadon (72-70), Shagun Narain (70-72) and Riya Jadon (67-75) — were tied for 11th place. Riya Jadon struggled with six bogeys and just two birdies in a round of 75.
The cut after two rounds fell at 155, with 31 players advancing to the final round.
-PTI
SAILING
Fourteen-year-old turns heads at Openskiff World Championship 2026
Fourteen-year-old Indian sailor Zahaan Hemrajani delivered a brilliant performance at the 2026 Openskiff World Championship in Calasetta, Sardinia, finishing eighth overall in the Under-17 Gold Fleet among 106 sailors from across the world.
Representing India and the Royal Bombay Yacht Club (RBYC), Zahaan produced an exceptional series of performances throughout the championship, including a race victory and two second-place finishes.
“There are more lessons for us as parents and coaches to learn from him than there are for us to teach him. Anyone else – kid or adult – would have given up. What he did on Day 2 onward wasn’t just sailing, it was character,” Zahaan’s father, Ashish Hemrajani, said.
Published on Aug 06, 2026
