GOLF
Vani Kapoor dropped two late bogeys but maintained focus to get a birdie on the final hole to take sole lead on the first day of the fifth leg of the Women’s Pro Golf Tour here Wednesday.
Vani, winner of the fourth leg last month, shot 2-under 70 and took a one-shot lead over her good friend Amandeep Drall (71) at the Classic Golf & Country Club.
Vani and Amandeep were the only players to shoot under par on an extremely windy day when scoring was tough.
Rhea Jha was placed sole third. She landed an eagle two on Par-4 eighth but had five bogeys and one birdie in her 74.
On a rather tough day for scoring, five players were tied for fourth with rounds of 4-over 76 and the group included amateur Ceerat Kang, Anahita Singh, Oviya Reddi, Neha Tripathi and Ridhima Dilawari.
Leader Vani had four birdies against two bogeys in the round. She opened with a par and then birdied the second and the third. Then followed a series of eight pars and another birdie on Par-4 12th. She dropped back-to-back shots on the 16th and the 17th but closed with a birdie.
Amandeep Drall opened with a bogey but got the shot back on the fifth. She dropped another shot on the Par-4 13th but closed with a birdie on the 14th and the 18th for a round of 71. Amandeep Drall, who went out in the first group with Gaurika Bishnoi in the morning, was the clubhouse leader till Vani overtook her.
Two-time winner this season, Sneha Singh had a rough day with a card of 5-over 77 that saw her pick just one birdie against six bogeys. She was tied ninth with Yaalisai Verma and Gauri Karhade.
Among some other well-known names, Gaurika Bishnoi, Jasmine Shekar and Shweta Mansingh carded 81 each and were tied for the 22nd place.
– PTI
RUGBY
India to host inaugural Rugby Premier League in 2025
Rugby Premier League logo.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Rugby Premier League logo.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
In a historic moment for rugby in India, the Indian Rugby Football Union (Rugby India) and GMR Sports revealed the official logo for the inaugural Rugby Premier League (RPL), a franchise-based Rugby 7s league, set to debut in 2025.
The league will feature six city-based teams, showcasing elite talent from top rugby nations around the globe, along with top-tier players from India.
Mr. Rahul Bose, President of the Indian Rugby Football Union, shared his thoughts on the logo, saying, “Rugby 7s is a sport of incredible speed, dazzling skill, and heroic strength, and the Rugby Premier League will showcase it in a way India has never seen before. The logo is emblematic of the energy, dynamism and high-octane action that the league will showcase. With GMR Sports’ expertise and the support of all the stakeholders, we are ready to take Indian rugby to the next level.”
– Team Sportstar
WINTER SPORTS
Indian contingent for Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025 gets grand send-off ceremony in Delhi
The grand send-off of 49-member Indian contingent for World Winter Games.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The grand send-off of 49-member Indian contingent for World Winter Games.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Special Olympics Bharat, on Wednesday, organised a grand send-off ceremony for the 49-member contingent (comprising 30 athletes and 19 support staff members) ready to represent India at the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025 in Turin, Italy at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi.
The ceremony was graced by minister of youth affairs and sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, alongside the president of Special Olympics Bharat, Dr. Mallika Nadda and executive director of Special Olympics Bharat, Dr. V.K. Mahendru.
The tournament is, scheduled to take place in Italy from March 8 to March 15 will see 30 players from Team India, participating across 6 sports disciplines – Alpine Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Floorball, Short-track Speed Skating, Snowboarding and Snowshoeing. Special Olympics World Winter Games will bring together 1500 athletes from 102 countries, who will compete in 8 sports disciplines.
Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said, “Our incredible Indian athletes participating in the Special Olympics World Games embody the spirit of determination, resilience, and excellence. Your dedication and passion inspire the nation, proving that true strength lies in the courage to push boundaries. The entire nation is extremely excited to witness you all in action. Fly the tricolor high with your success, the entire country is backing you.”
– Team Sportstar
CRICKET
BCA appoints Anand Yalvigi as director of cricket operations
Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) president Rakesh Tiwari is looking forward to working with former cricketer Anand Yalvigi, who has been appointed as Director of Cricket Development and Operations by BCA.
Former Ranji cricketer Anand Yalvigi has been appointed as the Director of Cricket Development and Operations by BCA.
This appointment has been made in the light of the decision taken in the last general body meeting of the Bihar Cricket Association.
Anand Yalvigi a former first-class cricketer comes with a vast cricketing experience. He has represented India Junior teams and was a part of two winning Ranji teams – Karnataka & Mumbai. He also held positions as selector for the Mumbai Junior and Ranji teams a few years back.
Speaking on the appointment, BCA President Rakesh Tiwari said, “We are pleased to welcome Anand Yalvigi as the Director of Cricket Development and Operations at the Bihar Cricket Association.”
“With his vast experience in cricket and sports management, we are confident that his leadership and vision will contribute significantly to the growth and development of cricket in Bihar. We look forward to working together to take Bihar cricket to new heights,” added Tiwari.
Along with his First-Class experience, Anand has been a Sports Management Professional where he has had almost two decades of Sports Management and Cricket Operations experience.
In his vast career, he has managed various cricket leagues and projects related to cricket development.
He shall be heading the Cricket operations and game development where he shall manage be responsible for creating fresh game development policies, Cricket operations, infrastructure management, Analysis- Analysis and provide administrative support on operational policies and Liaison with the BCCI on matters relating to Cricket.
“With his vast experience, leadership skills and understanding of the game, The Bihar Cricket Association is hoping that he will help Bihar Cricket to achieve greater heights in the coming season,” BCA said in a statement.
-PTI
TENNIS
ITF women’s tournament: Sahaja Yamalapalli stuns top seed Carlota Cirez
Photo of, Sahaja Yamalapalli swings into her explosive forehand in the
match against Carlota Cirez in the ITF women’s tennis tournament in
Gurugram on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit:
Kamesh Srinivasan
Photo of, Sahaja Yamalapalli swings into her explosive forehand in the
match against Carlota Cirez in the ITF women’s tennis tournament in
Gurugram on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit:
Kamesh Srinivasan
Sahaja Yamalapalli sustained an attacking game, unleashing fierce forehand, to out-gun top seed Carlota Cirez of Spain 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the $30,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the Tennis Project, Baliyawas, on Wednesday.
On a day when the gusty winds caused havoc at the arena, scattering everything around, the 24-year-old Sahaja candidly observed that the wind was not blowing in anyone’s favour.
“It was tough conditions, but it was same for everyone. We had to adapt, and I am happy with the way I was able to execute our game plan,” said Sahaja.
Accompanied by Spanish coach Pau Martin Sole with whom she had been working from the recent $100,000 event in Bengaluru, where she had reached the quarterfinals, Sahaja said that the focus was to consistently play a high quality game irrespective of the opponent or score, with the sole aim of getting to the next level.
In the pre-quarterfinals, Sahaja will play Vaidehi Chaudhari who was equally explosive in dismissing qualifier Shruti Ahlawat for the loss of one game.
“Shruti played great in three matches, pulling it off with courage, with only three weeks of training. She ran out of fuel today. She had good work ethic now, and is quite aware of what needs to be done,” said coach Namita Bal who had helped Shruti tackle competition with confidence after having been out of the circuit for more than two years owing to a back injury.
Ankita Raina bounced back after losing the first set to tame Riya Bhatia 5-7, 6-3, 6-2. She will play Zeel Desai, who was quite smart in easing her way past Clara Vlasselaer of Belgium for the loss of five games.
The results:
Singles (first round): Sahaja Yamalapalli bt Carlota Cirez (Esp) 6-4, 6-2; Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Shruti Ahlawat 6-1, 6-0; Daria Kudashova bt Shrivalli Bhamidipaty 6-3, 1-6, 6-3; Kristina Dmitruk bt Priska Nugroho (Ina) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3; Sohyun Park (Kor) bt Ekaterina Yashina 6-4, 6-1; Ikumi Yamazaki (Jpn) bt Ekaterina Reyngold 7-5, 2-6, 6-1; Amandine Hesse (Fra) bt Pooja Ingale 6-0, 6-2; Maria Tkacheva bt Anastasia Gureva 7-5, 6-3; Antonia Schmidt (Ger) bt Smriti Bhasin 6-3, 6-1; Polina Iatcenko bt Kira Pavlova 6-1, 6-0; Mei Yamaguchi (Jpn) bt Maria Golovina 6-1, 6-1; Ankita Raina bt Riya Bhatia 5-7, 6-3, 6-2; Zeel Desai bt Clara Vlasselaer (Bel) 6-2, 6-3; Rinon Okuwaki (Jpn) bt thasaporn Naklo (Tha) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; Ekaterina Makarova bt Francesca Pace (Ita) 6-4, 7-5.
-Kamesh Srinivasan