Australia’s latest Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle is set to feature a new face in the squad, with 21-year-old left-arm spinning allrounder Cooper Connolly making his Test debut. The match comes after Australia’s dominant win in the first Test, where they triumphed by an innings and 242 runs. Connolly, who has yet to claim a wicket in his first-class career, will provide an additional spin option on a dry surface expected to produce significant turn. He replaces offspinner T

The chess world is embroiled in a growing feud as Magnus Carlsen, the world’s top-ranked grandmaster, leads a movement to decentralize top-level chess from the control of FIDE, the global chess federation. As Carlsen becomes the face of the rival Freestyle Chess movement, tensions have escalated further with a public spat from his rival, Hans Niemann. Niemann, the American chess prodigy who was at the center of a cheating scandal with Carlsen in 2022, openly attacked the Norwegian champ

Dhiraj Bommadevara, an emerging star in Indian archery, continues to capture the attention of fans and volunteers, especially after his notable performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Although India came close to winning its first-ever archery Olympic medal, Dhiraj and his partner Ankita Bhakat faced heartbreak when they finished in fourth place after losing to the USA in the mixed team bronze medal match. In the individual event, Dhiraj's hopes were dashed when he lost to Canada's Er

Abhishek Sharma’s stellar performance in India’s 4-1 series win over England has earned him a major rise in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings. After smashing a quick-fire 135 off 54 balls in the fifth T20I in Mumbai, which included 13 sixes and became the highest score by an Indian in T20 cricket, Abhishek jumped 38 places to claim the second spot. He now trails only Australia’s Travis Head, who continues to lead the T20I batter’s rankings, with Abhishek just 26

 Alphonso Davies has signed a five-year contract extension with Bayern Munich, keeping him at the club until 2030, the German club announced on Tuesday. The 24-year-old Canada captain had been linked with a move to Real Madrid, but he chose to remain with Bayern, where he has already won five Bundesliga titles and a Champions League.Davies, who joined Bayern from Vancouver Whitecaps in 2019, expressed his excitement for the future, saying that although he has already achieved a lot, ther

Stuttgart secured a 1-0 win over Augsburg on Tuesday, thanks to a 29th-minute goal from striker Deniz Undav, sending them through to the German Cup semi-finals. Undav, who made his loan from Brighton permanent in the summer, slotted home a clever one-two with Ermedin Demirovic, breaking through Augsburg’s defense after a deflection off Keven Schlotterbeck.While the game wasn’t Stuttgart's strongest performance, with coach Sebastian Hoeness acknowledging the win wasn’t ea

Paris Saint-Germain cruised to a 2-0 victory over Le Mans on Tuesday, securing their place in the French Cup quarter-finals. Desire Doue opened the scoring after 25 minutes, capitalizing on poor defending from Le Mans, while Bradley Barcola doubled PSG’s lead with a goal in the 71st minute. French defender Presnel Kimpembe made his long-awaited return to action after a two-year injury absence, coming on in the 81st minute.Coach Luis Enrique praised his team’s maturity and depth, h

Former tennis world number one Simona Halep announced her retirement on Tuesday after suffering a first-round loss at the WTA Cluj-Napoca tournament in her native Romania. The 33-year-old Halep was defeated 6-1, 6-1 by 72nd-ranked Italian Lucia Bronzetti."I don't know if it is with joy or sadness that I speak to you but I made this decision in my soul and conscience," Halep told the crowd. "My body no longer follows, but today I wanted to play and say my goodbyes on the cou

Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz faced a tough challenge in his first match since his quarter-final loss at the Australian Open. In the opening round of the Rotterdam Open, the top seed battled against local hero Botic van de Zandschulp, ranked 81 places below him, to secure a hard-fought 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 6-1 victory. The match lasted nearly three hours.Alcaraz admitted to feeling nervous at the start, which led to some early mistakes and allowed van de Zandschulp to take control of the matc

The BCCI has announced an updated squad for India’s three-match ODI series against England, set to begin on Thursday. The major change includes the inclusion of Varun Chakaravarthy, who was a standout performer in the recent T20I series against England, taking 14 wickets, including a five-wicket haul. His exceptional performance earned him the title of "Player of the Series." However, a major omission is that of Jasprit Bumrah, who has been named only for the third ODI, with H

The integrity of the Taekwondo competition at the National Games has been questioned after allegations emerged that results were fixed in advance for 10 out of the 16 weight categories. In response to these claims, the National Games Technical Conduct Committee (GTCC) has replaced the director of competition, T Praveen Kumar, with S Dinesh Kumar following strong recommendations made by a three-member committee formed to prevent manipulation of the event. The GTCC chairperson, Sunaina Kumari,

Carlos Alcaraz, the top seed for the ATP Rotterdam tournament, shared his admiration for Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner ahead of his first match since his quarter-final loss to Novak Djokovic in Melbourne. Alcaraz was in high spirits despite the loss, acknowledging Sinner's "crazy" form and calling him the best player at the moment. Alcaraz praised Sinner’s consistency, noting his impressive record over the past year with only a handful of losses. The Spaniard reco

Chelsea staged a remarkable 2-1 comeback victory against West Ham in their Premier League clash on Monday, climbing into the top four of the league. The match marked Graham Potter’s first return to Stamford Bridge since being sacked by Chelsea in 2023. West Ham initially took the lead when Jarrod Bowen scored in the 42nd minute after a defensive error from Chelsea. Despite a lackluster first half, Chelsea bounced back after the break to level the score with a goal from Pedro Neto in the

The Indian badminton contingent, featuring top players such as PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen, is gearing up for the 2023 Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships. To help sharpen their skills ahead of the prestigious competition, they will take part in a five-day preparatory camp, starting Tuesday in Guwahati. The team is determined to surpass their previous bronze medal finish from the 2023 event and aim for an improved result in the championships set to take place in Qingdao, China, from Februar

India’s emphatic 4-1 series win over England was a testament to their aggressive, fearless brand of cricket, with head coach Gautam Gambhir praising his players for adopting a high-risk, high-reward approach. Gambhir emphasized the team's intention to regularly post 250-plus scores in T20Is, recognizing that such an aggressive strategy would occasionally lead to lower totals but ultimately set them up for greater rewards in the long run. India’s mindset to keep attacking, rega

India wrapped up the T20I series with a resounding 150-run victory over England at Wankhede, securing an emphatic 4-1 series win. The final match saw an explosive performance by Abhishek Sharma, whose fiery 135(54) propelled India to an imposing total of 247/9. England's response was lackluster, folding for just 97 in 11 overs against a sharp bowling display from the hosts. This comfortable win came after a tense series, where emotions ran high, and heated remarks were exchanged between t

In a dramatic conclusion to the 2025 Tata Steel Masters, R Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious after a tense tiebreaker against fellow Indian player D Gukesh. Both players finished the 13th and final round tied at the top with 8.5 points each, despite suffering surprising losses in the final round—Gukesh lost to Arjun Erigaisi, and Praggnanandhaa fell to Vincent Keymer. This set the stage for an exc

India’s U19 Women’s cricket team triumphed in the final of the T20 World Cup, defeating South Africa by 9 wickets to win their second consecutive title. Playing in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, India showcased an outstanding all-round performance. South Africa, batting first, were bowled out for a mere 82 runs in 20 overs, thanks to disciplined bowling from the Indian team.   The bowlers made an immediate impact, taking back-to-back wickets early, which set the

India's strong performance in the ICC Women's U19 T20 World Cup semifinal saw them defeat England by 9 wickets, with G Kamalini scoring a match-winning 56* off 50 balls. India successfully chased down England's total of 113/8 in just 15 overs. Spinners shine for India: The standout performers for India were left-arm spinners Parunika Sisodia and Vaishnavi Sharma

Sachin Tendulkar, a cricket legend whose records continue to inspire, will be awarded the BCCI's C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2024. With an unmatched career of 664 international games, Tendulkar holds the records for the most Test and ODI runs. He played 200 Tests and 463 ODIs, accumulating 15,921 runs in Tests and 18,426 in ODIs, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players in cricket history. Tendulkar, who made his debut at 16 in 1989, will be the 31st rec