Star opening batter Shafali Verma believes Indian women's cricket is on an upward trend and will only grow with more medals and trophies.
Shafali played an instrumental role in the women's team defending its gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan.
Shafali was the top scorer at the Asian Games with 188 runs (an average of 188 and a strike rate over 200), which included a 49-ball century against Bangladesh in the semifinals. She played a useful innings of 40 runs against Japan in the quarterfinals and a sterling 48-run knock in the final against Sri Lanka.
India decimated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final, after crushing Bangladesh by 114 runs in the semifinals, and trounced Japan by eight wickets.
"I am very happy that India won the gold medal and that the tricolour was flying high. The full team is so happy. The more medals we win and the more trophies we clinch, the more our women's cricket will grow. And that is why I am so happy about," Shafali told PTI upon return

Shafali Verma, Shafali

Shafali played an instrumental role in the women's team defending its gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan

Press Trust of India

The Navi Mumbai franchise rights run for six years, with a first-season fee of Rs 12.21 crore; the MCA says the new team will widen the league's reach and create opportunities for local players

Bat and ball

Business Standard

New Zealand picked seven frontline pace bowlers, including a fit-again Adam Milne for their upcoming five-match T20 International series against reigning World Champions India starting October 22 in Christchurch.
White-ball captain Mitchell Santner will lead an expanded 16-man T20I squad for the action-packed five-game series spread across 11 days in four cities.
According to the media release issued by the NZC, 13 players from the squad that finished runner-up to India in this year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup have been named for the home series, including spin all-rounder Michael Bracewell and paceman Milne, who were sidelined from the tournament with respective injuries.
The 34-year-old Milne, who has accumulated 243 T20 caps (56 of those international), last played for the Black Caps against Zimbabwe over a year ago, and bolsters a line-up of seasoned T20I pace bowlers, including Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, and Jacob Duffy, as well as young guns Zak Foulkes and Nath

Kiwi pacer Jacob Duffy is playing his first T20 World Cup at the age of 26

Hard-hitting openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen will be reunited at the top of the order for the first time since their impressive T20 World Cup campaign

Young keeper-batter Vansh Bedi, who had played one T20 match for Delhi in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, allegedly received a "corrupt approach" during the recent Delhi Premier League (DPL) and promptly reported the matter to league's Anti-Corruption Unit.
The 23-year-old dashing batter-keeper, who also had a brief stint with the IPL side Chennai Super Kings in 2025 before being replaced by Urvil Patel due to injury, was a part of the Central Delhi team during the 2026 edition of DPL.
Recently a sting operation by Tehelka exposed a little known Nagaland pacer Rachit Bhatia making tall claims about fixing matches in IPL and state leagues, including spot-fixing and taking bribes from parents to get their kids into age-group teams.
On Tuesday, it was noted that a "corrupt approach" was made to Bedi but he was smart enough to follow the anti-corruption protocols.
However, Bedi in his Instagram handle clarified that he didn't receive any approach from Bhatia.
"I categorically state that 

Vansh Bedi

The 23-year-old dashing batter-keeper, who also had a brief stint with the IPL side Chennai Super Kings in 2025 before being replaced by Urvil Patel due to injury

Despite being ranked 40 places below India, Japan pushed the Indian side to the limit in the one-off T20I match in Sano

Japan vs India T20I wide ball controversy explained

India will have several confirmed medal opportunities on Day 7, with action across athletics, shooting, canoe sprint, squash and kabaddi

Asian Games 2026: All you need to know about India schedule on Sep 26

India took their total medal tally to 23 with the help of 7 medals won on day 6, including one gold, two silver and four bronze medals

Asiad 2026: Check out live updated related to India sporting events here

The Indian women's hockey team continued its unbeaten run, beating hosts Japan 3-1 to register its fourth consecutive win and virtually seal a semifinal berth at the Asian Games here on Friday.
The Indians scored through Lalremsiami (5th minute), Ishika Chaudhary (30th) and Navneet Kaur (36th).
Japan's lone goal was scored by Shiho Kobayakawa in the 46th minute.
India will round off their Pool B campaign against Singapore on Sunday.
India entered the contest after three consecutive wins in the competition. The Indian women opened their campaign with a 19-0 victory over Uzbekistan, which was followed by a 17-1 win against Indonesia, and then they defeated Thailand 20-1 to top Pool B.
The Indians continued their fine run and took the lead as early as the fifth minute through a field goal by Lalremsiami.
The Indians continued to control the proceedings and mounted numerous attacks on the Japanese defence, which stood firm.
Japan too had their chances but failed to breach the Indian

Indian women's hockey team

The Indians scored through Lalremsiami (5th minute), Ishika Chaudhary (30th) and Navneet Kaur (36th)

Her record-shattering seven appearances at the Asian Games have yielded six medals but Indian squash star Joshna Chinappa has no plans of slowing down even though she admits to being a bit surprised at her own longevity.
Barely 10 days after turning 40, Joshna combined with Velavan Senthilkumar to be assured of a mixed doubles medal in the ongoing edition of the Asiad by progressing to the semifinals.
Joshna, who made her Asian Games debut in the 2002 Busan edition, surpassed fellow squash player Saurav Ghosal, who retired last year after playing six times in the continental multi-sport event.
Meticulous training, meditation and breathing exercises have made it possible for Joshna to remain not just active but always be a serious contender.
"I feel great, obviously, playing in my seventh Asian Games. I didn't think I would be here playing my seven Asian Games, as people say," the Chennai-based player told PTI in an exclusive interaction after her quarterfinal match at the Nagoya Ki

Jakarta: India's Joshna Chinappa (L) during the women's squash semifinal match against Malaysia's Nicol David at the 18th Asian Games 2018 in Jakarata on Friday, Aug 31, 2018. Photo: PTI

Joshna Chinappa, asian games, squash

Barely 10 days after turning 40, Joshna combined with Velavan Senthilkumar to be assured of a mixed doubles medal in the ongoing edition of the Asiad by progressing to the semifinals

India's Sachin Siwach moved to the men's 60kg quarterfinals with a scrappy win over Jordan's Mohammad Adnan Abu Jajeh at the Asian Games here on Friday.
Sachin, who received a first-round bye, started aggressively, landing a series of combinations, but the bout soon turned into a tactical affair, with both boxers relying on counter-attacks. The Indian's cleaner work earned him the round on three cards.
The second round followed a similar pattern, with the two boxers cancelling out each other's attacks and waiting for openings.
Jajeh, needing to make up ground, began pressing forward and attacking, giving Sachin opportunities to counter with sharp left-right combinations. The Commonwealth Games gold medallist again edged the round 4-1.
Desperate to turn the bout around, Jajeh came out all guns blazing in the final round, throwing punches in numbers, while Sachin stood his ground and traded blows.
But the Indian appeared to tire in the closing stages, allowing Jajeh to land a few cl

Sachin Siwach (PIC: PTI)

Sachin, now just one win away from a medal, will take on World Championships bronze medallist Shunsuke Kitamoto of Japan in the quarterfinal

Indian shooters Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet produced an excellent performance to fire their way to the gold medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Asian Games here on Friday, bouncing back in style after disappointing outings in their respective individual events.
The Indian trio of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Patil and Niraj Kumar then claimed the men's 50m rifle 3 positions team silver after logging 1762. China won the team gold with 1766 while Korea bagged bronze with 1751.
Tomar (589) and Niraj (588) also made the individual final of the 3P event in third and fourth place respectively.
Rudrankksh could not make it as only two shooters from a country can enter individual finals.
The finals however didn't go the Indians' way as Aishwary finished fifth with 327.6 while Niraj ended at the bottom of the list in eighth place.
China's Paris Olympics champion Yukun Liu won the 3P gold with a games record 360.5, while compatriot and Tokyo Olympics gold medallis

Suruchi Singh, Kamaljeet

The Indian trio of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Patil and Niraj Kumar then claimed the men's 50m rifle 3 positions team silver after logging 1762

The Indian Super League (ISL) appointed Karan Yadav as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as it operates under a new club-led model.
Yadav has most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer at JSW Sports, where he led a 300-plus crore P&L across sports franchises, talent management and brand consulting.
As CEO, Yadav will lead the League Office and the strategic, commercial and organisational direction of the ISL, working closely with the League's clubs and the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
His mandate will include shaping the League's overall strategy and commercial direction, strengthening relationships with clubs, broadcasters, sponsors and other stakeholders, while building a high-performing League Office that supports the long-term growth and sustainability of the competition.
The model also creates greater opportunity for alignment between the League Office and clubs across commercial strategy, partnerships, broadcast, fan engagement and the development of the ...

New ISL CEO Karan Yadav

As CEO, Yadav will lead the League Office and the strategic, commercial and organisational direction of the ISL, working closely with the League's clubs and the All India Football Federation (AIFF)

FIFA's member federations should each get an extra USD 10 million from its swelling cash reserves after a successful World Cup, the soccer body's vice presidents from Europe and North America said in a letter Friday to its president Gianni Infantino as they step up efforts to oust him for trying to sell stakes in the tournament to private investors.
The letter says FIFA should have cash reserves of USD 6 billion after the World Cup and can afford such a "one-off release" - which would total USD 2.1 billion to the 211 federations - UEFA's president Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF's leader Victor Montagliani tell Infantino in a letter seen by The Associated Press.
UEFA and CONCACAF want to remove Infantino - either before or at the FIFA presidential election next March - after leading a global backlash in July against his World Cup sell-off plan to investors led by Joshua Kushner.
The call for USD 10-million payments to the national federations - who will elect the next president - is

Gianni Infantino

The letter says FIFA should have cash reserves of USD 6 billion after the World Cup and can afford such a "one-off release" - which would total USD 2.1 billion to the 211 federations

Cristiano Ronaldo was included in Portugal's squad by new coach Jorge Jesus for its upcoming Nations League games on Friday.
The 41-year-old Ronaldo said that this summer's World Cup was his last, but the global star has yet to say when he plans to retire from international play. He will be 43 by the time the 2028 European Championship, the next major tournament, is held.
This was the first squad named by Jesus, who was hired to replace Spaniard Roberto Martinez after Portugal lost 1-0 to Spain in the round of 16 of the World Cup. Jesus' previous coaching job was with Ronaldo's club Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where they won the league together last season.
The 72-year-old Jesus has also coached several Portuguese clubs, including Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, is the leading scorer for men's international soccer with 146 goals. His greatest achievement with Portugal was helping it win the 2016 Euros.
Portugal will open the Nations League by ..

Cristiano Ronaldo

The 41-year-old Ronaldo said that this summer's World Cup was his last, but the global star has yet to say when he plans to retire from international play

Raphinha scored a hat trick as Barcelona earned yet another big win, routing Racing Santander 7-2 for its best-ever start to a season.
The Catalan club had never won seven games in a row. It has won six straight in the league and another in the Champions League.
Gabriel Jesus and Lamine Yamal also found the net for Barcelona, which has scored at least five goals in five of its seven matches across all competitions this season.
In the English League Cup, Manchester United was stunned 3-2 by Brighton after squandering a two-goal lead to crash out in round three.
In the Europa League, Benfica beat AC Milan 2-0 on the road in the first round of the league stage.
Barcelona and Raphinha stay red-hot in Spain
With his hat trick, Raphinha took his league-leading tally to nine goals in six matches. The Brazil forward has scored a goal in all but one game this season.
"Happy for the goals and for the victory, which is the most important thing," Raphinha said. "The players have the hunger 

Raphinha

The Catalan club had never won seven games in a row. It has won six straight in the league and another in the Champions League

The India vs Panama match will begin at 7:30 pm IST; fans can watch the match live on Sony Sports and stream it on SonyLIV

India vs Panama football match: All you need to know

India's Manush Shah and Diya Chitale stunned World No. 4 Doo Hoi Kem and Wong Chun Ting of Hong Kong in the quarterfinals to assure themselves of a medal in the table tennis mixed doubles event at the Asian Games here on Friday.
Chitale and Shah defeated their opponents 3-1 (11-6, 13-15, 11-9, 11-5) to reach the semifinals, confirming the nation's first medal in table tennis at the ongoing edition.
This is India's second mixed doubles medal at the Asiad after Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra won bronze in Jakarta eight years back.
The Indian duo will face China's Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin in the semifinals later in the day.

Manush Shah and Diya Chitale

Chitale and Shah defeated their opponents 3-1 (11-6, 13-15, 11-9, 11-5) to reach the semifinals, confirming the nation's first medal in table tennis at the ongoing edition

Seasoned Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash, Rishabh Das and Utkarsh Patil qualified for the finals of their respective events at the Asian Games here on Friday.
Prakash, competing in his last Asian Games, clocked 2:00.94 to qualify for the men's 200m butterfly final in  sixth place.
The duo of Das and Patil, on the other hand, made the 200m backstroke final.
Das was particularly fast, finishing the heats in overall fourth place with a time 2:00.53 while Patil, who clocked 2:02.13, was ninth.
The top 10 swimmers across heats move to the final.
However, there was disappointment in the men's 400, freestyle event with both Dhanshan Shashikumar and  Aneesh Gowda failing to make the final.
While Gowda finished 17th with a time of 3:58.08, Shashikumar signed off in 18th place, clocking 3:58.73.
Dhanush Suresh too failed to make the final's cut finishing a disappointing 21st (28.40) in the 50m breaststroke heats.

Sajan Prakash

Prakash, competing in his last Asian Games, clocked 2:00.94 to qualify for the men's 200m butterfly final in sixth place

Indian shuttlers were off to a winning start in the Asian Games singles and doubles competitions with Unnati Hooda and the mixed pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila registering facile victories in their first-round matches here on Friday.
Unnati defeated North Korea's Mi Song Yu 21-9 21-10 in a 30-minute contest to move into the second round.
Tanisha and Dhruv got the better of Maldives' Nibal Ahmed and Aminath Nabeeha Abdul Razzaq 21-8 21-7 in a 21-minute clash to move ahead.
The Indians endured mixed results in the team events with the women's squad led by P V Sindhu failing to fetch a medal.
The men's team ended with a bronze, unable to better the silver claimed in the previous edition.

Unnati Hooda at the BWF World Championship 2026 round of 32 match against Canada's Michelle Li (Image credit: BAI)

Unnati defeated North Korea's Mi Song Yu 21-9 21-10 in a 30-minute contest to move into the second round

The special-edition can is part of Coca-Cola's 'Own a Piece of History' campaign and features the FIFA World Cup Trophy along with the date of Spain's historic victory

Coca-Cola's FIFA World Cup 2026 special can

The bank's campaign for the Aichi-Nagoya Games includes a film airing in seven languages on more than 25 TV channels, alongside print, outdoor and digital advertising

Indian Olympic Association, IOA

Wages fell to a six-year low and operating profit returned, but £69.6 million in net financing costs weighed on the club as debt rose to £689 million and cash remained tight

Manchester United

Mbappe had been associated with Nike since he was nine years old. His contract with the US sportswear giant expired on July 31, ending a relationship that lasted almost 20 years

Kylian Mbappe leads the Golden Boot race with 10 goals

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