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 at Asian Games 2026 live on September 25: Follow kabaddi semifinals, medal events in shooting and athletics, full schedule, results and streaming details

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

India will have seven confirmed medal opportunities on Day 6, with action across shooting, canoe sprint, weightlifting and athletics

Asian Games 2026: All you need to know about India schedule on Sep 25

At 17, Dipanshi is about to walk onto the biggest stage of her fledgling wrestling career after nailing the Asian Games squad without competing in a single senior-level tournament, but the teenager's perspective on life goes well beyond the mat.
It was only after her selection for the continental event in March that she got a taste of senior-level competition at UWW Ranking Series in Budapest, where she finished 10th in July.
The three-time Asian championship gold medallist will represent India in the 50kg category without experience, a leap that could appear daunting for most young wrestlers but one that Dipanshi is embracing with curiosity rather than apprehension.
For her, wrestling is only one chapter of a much larger story.
"Wrestling is a part of our journey. We have to face a lot of things in life. It is very important to be a good person in life," Dipanshi told PTI in an interview ahead of the Asian Games.
"Our coach has taught us that wrestling is a part of life, it is a 

Dipanshi

The three-time Asian championship gold medallist will represent India in the 50kg category without experience

India enjoyed a productive day on the squash courts at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games here on Thursday, with Anahat Singh, Tanvi Khanna, Abhay Singh and Veer Chotrani advancing to the singles quarterfinals, while Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar also making the mixed doubles last-eight.
Junior world champion and medal favourite Anahat began her women's singles campaign with a 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-7) win over Singapore's Wai Iynn Au Yeong in just 19 minutes.
Tanvi then joined her teenage compatriot in the quarterfinals after beating Singapore's Wai Yhann Au Yeong 3-1 (5-11, 11-4, 11-5, 13-11) in 39 minutes.
The results set up an all-Indian women's singles quarterfinal between Anahat and Tanvi.
Unlike last edition, semifinalists are not assured of a guaranteed  medal in the squash singles competition.
There will be a third-fourth classification match between the two losing semifinalists for the bronze.
In the men's singles, Abhay Singh produced a commanding display to beat Sri

Anahat Singh

Junior world champion and medal favourite Anahat began her women's singles campaign with a 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-7) win over Singapore's Wai Iynn Au Yeong in just 19 minutes

Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu face a stern test after being handed challenging draws, while defending champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty got a relatively favourable route to the semifinals as the focus shifts to the individual competitions following the team championships at the Asian Games, beginning here on Friday.
India managed to secure back-to-back medals at the Asian Games after the men's team signed off with a bronze following a silver in the last edition at Hangzhou, China.
It was a 1-3 loss to China in the semifinals which saw India settle for a bronze on Wednesday. The loss can be attributed to the failure of the singles player as both Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty lost their respective matches. It was a similar story in women's team championships as PV Sindhu and Unnati Hooda came a cropper against Japanese counterparts in the quarterfinals to return without a medal.
The single stars will have to quickly recover from the disappointment and regroup as they trai

Lakshya Sen at Asian Games 2026

India managed to secure back-to-back medals at the Asian Games after the men's team signed off with a bronze following a silver in the last edition at Hangzhou, China

Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal gave Indian skeet another reason to celebrate on Thursday, shooting their way to a historic bronze - India's first-ever Asian Games medal in the mixed team event - after overcoming a nerve-wracking final made even trickier by gusty winds.
The bronze completed a remarkable three-medal burst for Indian skeet in just two days, an unprecedented haul for a discipline that has long lived in the shadow of trap and double trap.
It also brought some much-needed cheer to the shooting contingent on a day when the pistol campaign stumbled again, with the men's 10m air pistol team failing to put a single shooter into the final and returning empty-handed.
For Anantjeet and Parinaaz, there was more to the medal than its colour. Anantjeet, Bhavtegh Singh Gill and Mairaj Ahmed Khan had taken the men's team bronze on Wednesday before Parinaaz, Raiza Dhillon and Maheshwari Chauhan added the women's team bronze later that day.
Twenty-four hours on, Anantjee

Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal

The bronze completed a remarkable three-medal burst for Indian skeet in just two days

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

Two-time Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo was on Thursday announced as the International Event Ambassador for Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon scheduled to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 18.
Known for explosive finishes and remarkable consistency, the Bahamian is one of the most accomplished sprinters of her generation. She won gold in the women's 400m at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
"Running has taken me to many incredible places, but I'm especially excited to visit India, and particularly New Delhi, and be part of a race that has such a deep connection with its community," Miller-Uibo said in a release.
"The Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon brings together people from different backgrounds, with different stories and abilities, united by the simple joy of running.
"Having spent years competing at the highest level, I know that progress is built one step at a time. I hope my journey inspires runners here to trust their process, stay consistent and keep 

Delhi Half Marathon

Known for explosive finishes and remarkable consistency, the Bahamian is one of the most accomplished sprinters of her generation

In-form striker Dilpreet Singh fired a hat-trick to hand the Indian men's hockey team a comfortable 8-2 win over Korea and all but assure its place in the semifinal of the Asian Games here on Thursday.
It was India's third consecutive win, keeping them at the top of pool A. India had earlier thrashed Indonesia 13-1 and Sri Lanka 16-1 in their opening two pool matches.
Dilpreet (10th, 26th, 32nd minutes) continued his impressive form and scored three fine field goals, while Abhishek (15th, 38th) struck a brace. Shilanand Lakra (4th), skipper Harmanpreet Singh (11th) and Rajinder Singh (60th) were the other goal getters for India.
Korea's goals were scored by Kim Jae Ho (42nd) and Kim Yong Bok (52nd).
Defending champions India will next play hosts Japan on Saturday.
The Indians started on an aggressive note and never let Korea settle down.
It took just four minutes for India to take the lead through Shilanand, who tapped in an incredible aerial ball into the box from vice-captain H

Indian men's hockey team

It was India's third consecutive win, keeping them at the top of pool A. India had earlier thrashed Indonesia 13-1 and Sri Lanka 16-1 in their opening two pool matches

Indian boxer Sumit suffered a heartbreak as he was forced to concede his men's 70kg pre-quarterfinal bout against Iraq's Al Sarray Ali Qasim Hamdan following an injury at the Asian Games here on Thursday.
The 23-year-old from Haryana was leading after the first two rounds but seemed to suffer a knee injury after coping a punch and falling awkwardly in the third round and was unable to continue. The referee stopped the contest, handing the win to his opponent.
Sumit had beaten Thailand's Bunjong Sinsiri 5-0 in his opening bout.
Among others in fray, Sakshi will face Kazakhstan's Alua Balkibekova in the women's 65kg round of 16, while Parveen will take on Tajikistan's Malika Nozimova in the same round.

Sumit Kundu

The 23-year-old from Haryana was leading after the first two rounds but seemed to suffer a knee injury after coping a punch and falling awkwardly in the third round

India's fencing campaign at the Asian Games ended without a medal as C A Bhavani Devi and Shreya Gupta were eliminated in the women's individual sabre event here on Thursday.
Bhavani, India's first fencer to compete at the Olympics, advanced to the round of 16 after defeating Mongolia's Oulen Tugsjargan 15-8 in the round of 32.
However, the 32-year-old Indian ran into a tough opponent in China's Rao Xueyi and went down 5-15 in the pre-quarterfinals.
Rao, the silver medallist at the 2026 World Championships, took control early and led 8-2 at the end of the first period before completing a comfortable victory.
Shreya, meanwhile, received a direct passage to the round of 16 after finishing third in Pool 2 but could not make further progress, losing to South Korea's Jeon Ha-young.
Bhavani had finished fourth in Pool 4 to enter the knockout stage, while Shreya's third-place finish in Pool 2 also secured her passage.
In the women's foil, Mina Devi Naorem and Ashitha Stalinraj Joys had 

Shreya Gupta

Bhavani, India's first fencer to compete at the Olympics, advanced to the round of 16 after defeating Mongolia's Oulen Tugsjargan 15-8 in the round of 32

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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