SQUASH
India qualfies for three finals at Asian Doubles Championships
India continued its strong run at the Asian Doubles Squash Championships, hosted by the Asian Squash Federation in Kuching, Malaysia, with pairs reaching the finals in all three categories – Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles. India has now confirmed four medals at the event.
Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh defeated Malaysia’s Ainaa Armani and Syafiq Kamal, winning 11-8, 10-11, 11-5 in a 46-minute battle. They will now face the Malaysian top pair, Rachel Arnold and Ameesshraj Chandran, who earlier defeated India’s Velavan Senthilkumar and Joshana Chinappa 8-11, 11-7, 11-9 (37 mins) in another closely contested match.
Abhay and Velavan continued their strong run, defeating Hong Kong China’s Chi Him Wong and Ming Tang 11-5, 11-9 in a physically demanding 42-minute semifinal to set up a final clash with Pakistan.
In the women’s doubles semifinal, Joshana and Anahat defeated Hong Kong’s Po You Kirstie Won and Yee Lam Toby 11-7, 11-6 in just 22 minutes.
– Team Sportstar
PICKLEBALL
World Pickleball League Launches ‘WPBL On Tour’
The World Pickleball League (WPBL) today announced the launch of ‘WPBL On Tour’, a series of off-season events including a unique multi-city tournament. The off-season initiative of franchise-led tournaments and events aims to expand community engagement in India’s fastest-growing sport.
WPBL on Tour will be held in the six franchise cities over four months, with each franchise hosting a city-based tournament. The World Pickleball League will enable the franchise to organise tournaments that will be open to local pickleball players and enthusiasts, and offer an unparalleled opportunity to them to compete under the banner of their city’s team.
“WPBL On Tour’ is our way of empowering our franchises to grow their local presence, build loyal communities, and embed pickleball into the cultural fabric of their cities with a year-round engagement,” said Gaurav Natekar, Co-founder & CEO, World Pickleball League.
– Team Sportstar
HOCKEY
Hockey India Masters Cup: Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra reach final of inaugural season
Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have successfully registered their name as the finalists for the inaugural season of the Hockey India Masters Cup after defeating Chandigarh and the Hockey Association of Odisha, respectively in the semifinals.
In the first semifinal, Tamil Nadu defeated Chandigarh 3-0 in the men’s category to become the first finalist. Vinoth Kumar AP (1’) started the game with an outstanding goal in the first minute of the match. Sudharsan S (40’) and captain Adam Antony Sinclair (54’) also scored one goal each to secure their berth in the final stage of the tournament.
In the second semifinal, Maharashtra won 4-1 against Odisha to enter the final. Leonard Keith Pereira (4’, 17’) scored a brace, while Vikram Pillay (38’) and Karl Gomes (43’) also scored one goal each to put their team in a strong position. On the other hand, Captain Lajrus Barla (27’) managed to score the consolation goal for Odisha.
Chandigarh will now face off with Odisha for the Bronze medal match on Friday before the final game.
-Team Sportstar
Khelo India
Khelo India University Games to be held in Jaipur
The fifth edition of the Khelo India University Games will be hosted jointly by the Poornima University and the Rajasthan University in Jaipur in November.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the Union Sports Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya.
“These Games, for under-25 age group, offer great opportunity for athletes who seek a national platform to impress our numerous scouts looking for the best talent in the country,” said the Minister.
The University Games are expected to feature about 4000 athletes from 200 Universities.
Chandigarh University had topped the medals table in the last edition hosted in the North-East, while Lovely Professional University and Guru Nanak Dev University had placed second and third respectively.
– Kamesh Srinivasan