Category: Sports

Navi Mumbai, Jan 14 (IANS) Mumbai Indians all-rounder Amanjot Kaur praised her skipper Harmanpreet Kaur after the latter’s match-winning knock against the Gujarat Giants on Tuesday at the DY Patil Stadium as the two-time champions handed the Ashleigh Gardner-led side their first defeat of the season.

Amanjot unleashed the beast within during the clash against GG, notched up a 26-ball 40, and contributed brilliantly during her team’s chase before Harmanpreet finished off with an unbeaten 43-ball 71 and took her team over the finish line.

The duo put on a 72-run stand and anchored Mumbai’s innings after G Kamalini and Hayley Matthews were sent packing in the powerplay.

“I am blessed. In fact, we are all blessed to witness the Harmanpreet Kaur era,” Amanjot said about batting with Harmanpreet during the post-match press conference. “As long as she is on the ground, nobody feels like switching off even for a second. Last year, she played a superb knock as well. You don’t feel the pressure while batting with her.”

“Although I haven’t batted a lot with Harman di, but I knew that because she was around, I didn’t have to worry about boundaries because she would create them. I have learnt a lot of game awareness from here. She hit an inswinger over the covers, which was very difficult. When it hits the middle of her bat, you don’t have to look, it is a six for sure,” she added.

On getting to bat at number three, she stated, “Unfortunately, Nat had to miss out because she had food poisoning. I was asked if I wanted to bat at number three, and I said I was happy to bat wherever the team needed me to bat.”

When asked about her thoughts before going in to bat during a big chase, Amanjot stated, “That depends on the situation. We were chasing a big and Kamalini got out early. With Hayley, the discussion was to capitalise on the powerplay.

“When Harry di (Harmanpreet) came in, we discussed me going after the bat balls. Since it was a big total, we planned that one of us would stay till the end, which she did and finished the game.”

The all-rounder has been playing a finisher’s role of late, and she credited the Mumbai Indians for helping her evolve in the role.

“MI has played a huge role in my role evolving. In domestic cricket, I would always play as an opener. I had never batted at number eight. God has been very kind to me. My debuts have been very good. This was my first World Cup as well. After injuries as well, my comebacks have been really good. It took me some time to get into this role.

“Before the WPLs, we would have these camps where the coaches would tell us where they see us and what they expect from us. That really helped us. I knew I would get 10-15 balls to face only and I would have to make an impact in that. MI has had a huge role for me,” she said.

Amanjot’s bowling, meanwhile, still looks like a work in progress. While she contributed brilliantly with the bat, she went on to concede 48 runs in her four-over spell, costing the team big time.

“We have both Shambin (Ismail) and Jhulu di (Jhulan Goswami), both stalwarts of the game. Also with Nat, Amelia and Hayley, we keep having discussions. You can never stop learning in cricket. You have to prove everyday why you are here and playing and not someone else. I am working on my bowling, and I am trying to be consistent,” Amanjot said of her bowling.

–IANS

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Navi Mumbai, Jan 14 (IANS) Gujarat Giants head coach Michael Klinger admitted his side paid a heavy price for repeated lapses in the field but stressed that the team’s overall commitment and preparation remain strong despite defeat against Mumbai Indians.

GG suffered their first loss of the WPL 2026 season, with an uncharacteristically untidy fielding display undoing much of the good work they had shown earlier in the tournament.

MI skipper Harmanpreet was dropped on three occasions, and several misfields and overthrows compounded their problems, a stark contrast to the sharp standards they had set in their opening two matches.

Reflecting on the performance, Klinger noted that the Giants were largely solid for most of the innings before things unravelled late on.

“We fielded really well in the first couple of games. And probably in the first 14-15 overs we fielded quite well and then all those dropped catches came in the back end in the last five-six overs,” Klinger said at the post-match press conference.

He acknowledged how costly such mistakes can be against world-class batters, but he was careful not to question his players’ work ethic.

“It’s difficult when you give a player as good as Harmanpreet three chances, but at the same time, the effort – I can’t say anything bad about our effort in the field and our work with training.

“They’ve been working extremely hard with our fielding coach Sarah Taylor and all the other coaches. So certainly no issue with the effort. It’s difficult when you put good players down, catches down, and so it’s something we’ll keep working on. We’ve worked on our fielding really hard and we’ve had two good performances and probably one performance that’s not quite at our best.”

Earlier, GG made a tactical adjustment to their

batting order after all-rounder Anushka Sharma was ruled out with a hand injury sustained in the win over Delhi Capitals. With Anushka unavailable, Kanika Ahuja was promoted to No. 3, a significant change given that she had batted as low as No. 8 in the previous match and hadn’t featured in the season opener.

The decision proved inspired. After Sophie Devine’s early dismissal, Ahuja counterattacked with a fluent 35 off 18 deliveries, striking four boundaries and two sixes to inject momentum into the innings.

Klinger explained the rationale for the move and praised Ahuja’s execution.

“We probably had a couple of options in that (No. 3) spot. Once we realised that Anushka was going to be unavailable for a game or two, and we felt Kanika had been training really well. (She’s) another left-hander up the top who can play pace and spin well, and I thought she played brilliantly today,” Klinger said.

He added that clarity about her role had helped her play with freedom.

“We spoke to her about playing some strong shots, not trying to over-hit the ball, and I felt she did that really well, both to pace and spin, hitting through and over the field brilliantly.

“She started so well and still had about 19 (17.2) overs left to bat, and I think there’s even a lot of upside there and she can get some even bigger scores for us if she gets that opportunity down the track.”

The innings marked Ahuja’s first appearance at No. 3 in the WPL, with her previous highest batting position being No. 4 in a 2023 fixture against UP Warriorz. She took full advantage of the powerplay, reaching 20 off just nine balls by the end of the sixth over.

With Anushka unlikely to return until the Baroda leg begins on January 19, Ahuja is expected to continue in the role for GG’s next outing as the Giants look to bounce back and tighten their fielding standards.

–IANS

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Adelaide, Jan 14 (IANS) Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis withdrew from the Adelaide International on Wednesday due to a right shoulder injury, handing his opponent Valentin Vacherot a walkover.

As a result, the 2025 Shanghai champion, Vacherot, advances to the quarter-finals. The Monegasque player will next face either top seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Australian Rinky Hijikata.

Davidovich Fokina will play Hijikata on Wednesday evening on centre court.

Kokkinakis made his highly anticipated return to singles action on Monday evening, after nearly 12 months away following surgery to address a long-standing pectoral problem.

The home favourite suffered a flare-up of his shoulder injury but defied the pain to secure a gallant victory in his first singles match in almost a year at the Adelaide International.

In his first singles outing since January 15 last year, the South Australian played through pain to finish his comeback match, battling past Sebastian Korda in a final-set tie-break, but visibly struggled with his right shoulder throughout the match.

“It’s tough. Obviously my right arm caused by serving has plagued me my whole career. There’s a lot of what ifs, especially in my mind, if I wasn’t struggling with that. I know little niggles are normal here and there, but I feel like kind of what I’ve gone through is a little bit out of the normal,” Kokkinakis said after his match.

“It’s tough mentally. I spent all year rehabbing, trying to get it right. I had a surgery. It was a slightly different pain to last year. I’ll see how I wake up tomorrow. But, yeah, it’s tough. It puts a dampener on the win for sure,” he added.

Last February, Kokkinakis had a donor Achilles tendon attached to his right pectoral muscle and shoulder. As the first tennis player to undergo such surgery, he made his competitive return in doubles with Nick Kyrgios last week at the Brisbane International.

But the injury flared during his singles comeback, after a raucous reception as he walked onto centre court in his hometown.

Kokkinakis has a protected ranking that allows him to enter the Australian Open singles from January 18 and is also scheduled to play doubles with Kyrgios. However, his participation in the season’s first major is now in serious doubt.

–IANS

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Madrid, Jan 14 (IANS) Athletic Club qualified for the quarterfinal of Spain’s Copa del Rey, but not before suffering for 120 minutes away to second division Cultural Leonesa.

Athletic played for an hour with 10 men against a side that pushed the 2024 Cup winner to the limit, before finally succumbing to an Unai Gomez penalty in extra time.

The home side started brighter of the two and was rewarded when Ivan Calero opened the scoring with a smart finish to finish off a counter-attack, reports.

Athletic needed time to react, but was level after 26 minutes when Gorka Guruzeta turned and scored from outside of the penalty area.

The visiting side’s joy lasted around a minute when Calero put Cultural back ahead after Manu Justo broke the offside trap to set him up with an excellent pass, with the goal given after a VAR check.

It didn’t take long for Guruzeta to make it 2-2 with another turn and shot after a cross from Nico Williams, but it was soon 3-2 after Ruben Sobrino netted a penalty for Cultural after Dani Vivian’s handball as Athletic’s defense continued to struggle.

There was still another goal in the first half when Nico Williams had his heels clipped and Oihan Sancet kept his calm to make it 3-3 from the spot.

Both sides were slightly more cautious at the start of the second half, although Athletic was reduced to 10 men in the 56th minute when Aitor Paredes was sent off for speaking out of turn to referee Jose Hernandez.

With an extra man, Cultural tried to take the game to Athletic, but neither side found a winner in 90 minutes and the game went into extra time.

There was more drama when Cultural substitute Yayo Gonzalez forced the ball into the Athletic goal after the visitors failed to clear a corner, but VAR eventually ruled the goal out for offside, and just two minutes later the unfortunate Yayo caught Nico Williams in the penalty area to allow Gomez to score the winner.

Atletico Madrid also progressed to the quarterfinals with a 1-0 win away to Deportivo La Coruna with Antoine Griezmann deciding the game after 60 minutes.

In the day’s only all-La Liga tie, Osasuna raced into a 2-0 lead away to Real Sociedad, with Jon Moncayola scoring a stunning effort before a Mikel Oyarzabal own goal doubled the lead.

Real Sociedad improved in the second half with Benat Turientes making it 2-1 with 15 minutes still to play and Igor Zubeldia levelled in the third minute of injury time.

With no further goals, Real Sociedad goalkeeper Unai Marrero was then his side’s hero with two saves in the penalty shootout to see his side through.

–IANS

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Berlin, Jan 14 (IANS) Nikolas Nartey struck late to settle a breathless five-goal contest as VfB Stuttgart claimed a dramatic 3-2 home victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.

Stuttgart entered the night full of confidence after having routed Bayer Leverkusen and made only one change, welcoming Ermedin Demirovic back into the starting line-up for the first time since October.

Eintracht, fresh from a high-scoring draw with Borussia Dortmund, were forced into several alterations and began with clear attacking intent, reports Xinhua.

The visitors were rewarded inside five minutes when Rasmus Kristensen glanced home a header from Ritsu Doan’s delivery to stun the home crowd. Eintracht continued to play at a high tempo but suffered an early setback when new arrival Younes Ebnoutalib was forced off following a heavy collision.

Stuttgart gradually took control and drew level in the 27th minute as Demirovic capitalised on a handling error by goalkeeper Kaua Santos to finish from close range.

The hosts completed the turnaround eight minutes later when Deniz Undav’s low effort took a decisive deflection on its way in.

Sebastian Hoeness’ side dominated for long spells after the break and created a string of chances, but Eintracht remained dangerous. Ansgar Knauff rattled the crossbar as the visitors threatened on the counter, while Stuttgart failed to extend their lead despite several clear openings.

The momentum swung again ten minutes from time when substitute Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab marked his Bundesliga debut by drilling home to make it 2-2.

Just as the match appeared destined for a draw, substitute Nartey arrived to meet Josha Vagnoman’s delivery and fired in his first league goal to decide the contest in the 87th minute.

The win lifts Stuttgart from fifth to third in the table, leaving them four points behind second-placed Borussia Dortmund, while Eintracht remains seventh.

“It was a deserved victory for Stuttgart. The spirit was there, but it is frustrating that we have taken only one point from games against two top teams. Now the focus is on turning the heavy effort we are putting in into points,” said Eintracht coach Dino Toppmoller.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, runners-up Borussia Dortmund eased to a 3-0 win over hapless Werder Bremen, Mainz edged Heidenheim 2-1 in a match between two relegation-threatened teams, while the match between Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen was postponed due to unsafe wintry conditions.

–IANS

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Navi Mumbai, Jan 13 (IANS) Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur praised youngsters for taking responsibility after the two-time champions thrashed Gujarat Giants by seven wickets at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday. Harmanpreet praised the younger players for embracing responsibility, crediting their preparation and readiness to contribute whenever the team required them.

“Good to see all these girls taking the responsibility and doing their bit for the team. They are always ready to do whatever the team requires. It’s only the preparation. Good to see them preparing really well and wherever the team needs them, they are ready,” she said.

After opting to field, the Mumbai Indians endured a blistering start from the Gujarat Giants, who surged to 62/1 in the powerplay and reached 99/3 at halfway, led by Beth Mooney and Kanika Ahuja. A late onslaught from Bharti Fulmali (36* off 15) and Georgia Wareham (43*)—including 62 runs in the final five overs—powered Gujarat to a daunting 192/5, despite wickets from Shabnim Ismail, Hayley Matthews, Nicola Carey, and Amelia Kerr.

“It was a good game. While bowling, we gave away too many runs. We will have to sit and discuss plans. Amanjot and I calculated well, she batted really well, and then Nicola took the pressure off me,” said Harmanpreet Kaur, Player of the Match and Mumbai Indians captain.

The MI captain stressed the importance of composure and clarity in high-scoring tournaments, highlighting the need to assess match situations, bat deep, and execute plans effectively while chasing imposing totals.

“In tournaments like this, you have to score big and then chase big totals as well. You have to go and bat for your team. We have to bat well and calculate what the team requires. You have to go out and execute yourself.

Downplaying personal milestones, Harmanpreet said her focus remained solely on batting for the team, adding she was unaware of her tally of five WPL half-centuries against the Giants.

Harmanpreet, who enjoyed three lives during her innings, went on to register her fifth half-century against the Giants and became only the second player in WPL history, after Nat Sciver-Brunt, to cross the 1000-run mark.

Nicola Carey then provided the finishing touches with a fluent unbeaten 38 off 23 balls, laced with six boundaries. Harmanpreet sealed the chase with the winning boundary in the final over, finishing on a superb 71 off 43 deliveries, which included seven fours and two sixes.

“Every match is important. I want to just go out there and bat for my team. I didn’t know this stat.”

–IANS

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Navi Mumbai, Jan 13 (IANS) Gujarat Giants captain Ashleigh Gardner rued missed chances in the field and dropped catches of “best player in the world” as Harmanpreet Kaur guided Mumbai Indians to a seven-wicket victory at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday.

Chasing a daunting target of 193, the Mumbai Indians showed composure and firepower in equal measure, with Harmanpreet (73 not out) finishing the game in style to cap a dominant batting display from the Kaurs — Amanjot (40) and Harmanpreet.

Harmanpreet, who enjoyed three lives during her innings, went on to register her fifth half-century against the Giants and became only the second player in WPL history, after Nat Sciver-Brunt, to cross the 1000-run mark. Nicola Carey then provided the finishing touches with a fluent unbeaten 38 off 23 balls, laced with six boundaries. Harmanpreet sealed the chase with the winning boundary in the final over, finishing on a superb 71 off 43 deliveries, which included seven fours and two sixes.

“Yeah, we did. It’s a cliche, but catches win you matches. We pride ourselves on how we fielded. And tonight, you can’t drop the best players in the world. We have played three close games so far and are disappointed to finish on the losing side,” said Ashleigh Gardner, Gujarat Giants Women captain.

The Giants captain was candid about her tactical choices, acknowledging Harmanpreet Kaur’s dominance against her and reflecting that she could have used herself more with the ball despite having multiple bowling options.

“I don’t have a good match-up over Harmanpreet. She has a wood over me. I thought I under-utilised myself when I’m the captain, and it happens when you have eight bowling options. In hindsight, I was the best option. I can say that standing here. But I could have bowled more overs. But I wasn’t a good match against her.”

Gardner highlighted the Giants’ middle-order firepower, praising Georgia Wareham and others for consistently delivering at the back end and backing 193 as a total that should have been enough to win.

“We have a lot of firepower in the middle. Wareham, we have seen what she’s been able to do at the back end. It’s a pleasing thing to see them do their thing. 193 is a winning target.”

Emphasising the collective approach, Gardner said the focus was on smart running and boundary-hitting, adding that while individual disappointment was inevitable, the Giants had executed their batting plans well in the final overs.

“I guess after our batting innings, I walked towards her and said that it was a team play. We needed to find the boundaries, and we wanted someone to run between the wickets well and clear the ropes. It will be disappointing for her. But I think we finished the innings well.”

–IANS

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Mumbai, Jan 13 (IANS) Jasmine Shekar, a consistent performer on the Women’s Pro Golf Tour, got off to a fine start with two late birdies helping her to a solid round of 3-under 67, that gave her the sole lead after the first round of the first Leg of the Tour in 2026, at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Jasmine, who won once in 2025, was one shot clear of young pro Lavanya Jadon, who also had one win last season. Lavanya carded 2-under 68, and the only other player with a par or better score was former winner, Seher Atwal (70), at the Par-70 layout.

Sneha Singh and Amandeep Drall, two of the multiple winners in 2025, were among five players who shot 2-over 72 each and were tied fourth. The others were Ridhima Dilawari, Jahanvi Bakshi, and Khushi Khanijau.

Jasmine played each of the 15 events in 2025 and finished third on the Order of Merit behind Vani Kapoor, who skipped this week, and Amandeep Drall. Birdies on the third and the eighth saw her turn in 2-under 35, and she added further gains on the 16th and the 17th, while dropping her lone shot of the day on the Par-3 13th hole.

Lavanya opened with a bogey but made no further errors and picked up strokes on the second, sixth, and 12th. Seher Atwal had four birdies and four bogeys in her round of 70. She had two birdies and two bogeys on either side of the BPGC course.

Sneha Singh was 3-over through 17 before picking her first and only birdie on the 18th, while Jahanvi had three birdies in the last six holes after three bogeys and a double bogey earlier on. Amandeep Drall birdied twice while dropping four bogeys, and Ridhima had one birdie against three bogeys. Heena Kang, who turned pro last season and won once in four starts, opened the new season with 75 and was tied-16th.

Four players, including the hugely talented US-bound amateur Zara Anand, shot 3-over 73 each and were tied-ninth. The other three were Shweta Mansingh, Ananya Garg, and Shagun Narain.

Debutant pro Saanvi Somu had a tough start with 6-over 76 and was 19th, while Vidhatri Urs (77) had three straight double bogeys on the back nine and was Tied-20th.

The new season has begun with as many as 10 new players joining the pro ranks as women continue to propel Indian golf to new levels.

–IANS

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Ranchi, Jan 13 (IANS) Jugraj Singh scored his first hat-trick of the season to ensure a commanding 5-3 win for the Sharchi Bengal Tigers against Tamil Nadu Dragons in the ongoing Hockey India League 2026 (Men) at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Hockey Stadium in Ranchi on Tuesday.

This was an important win for the Tigers, who were placed 7th in the pool table before this match started, but jumped up to fourth place with this win — keeping their hopes alive in the league.

While Jugraj became only the second player to get a hat-trick of goals after Kane Rusell from HIL GC team who has three hat-tricks in the league so far, goals from Sukhjeet (33′) and Abhishek (55′) helped the Tigers clinch a winner while Adrohit Ekka (36′), Thomas Sorsby (48′) and Blake Govers (51′) scored for the Dragons.

The defending champions, Shrachi Bengal Tigers, were quick to get off the blocks with Abhishek creating the first real shot on goal, but didn’t quite find success. However, an infringement while defending saw the Accord Tamil Nadu Dragons give away a penalty stroke in the 11th minute. Jugraj Singh, who was the top scorer from the previous edition, was on par with the legendary David Harte in the goalpost. He kept the ball low and fierce to beat Harte into the goal.

The 1-0 lead put the Tigers in good standing. Though the second quarter was goalless with the Dragons trying their best to equalise with Uttam Singh leading the charge for them, there was not much they could muster from the attempts. Tigers’ coach Valentin Altenburg was not a happy man at half-time, expressing that his team could get ‘a lot of things right’ in this match, and they seemed to do exactly that in the third quarter, which they began with a sensational goal by Sukhjeet Singh. It was a good combination between Tommy Willems and Abhishek, which was eventually finished well by Sukhjeet. This took the Tigers’ scoreline to 2-0.

Though Dragons found a breakthrough in the 36th minute when Adrohit scored from a penalty corner, the quarter belonged to the Tigers with two back-to-back goals coming in from Jugraj Singh, who completed a hat-trick of goals with the 43rd and 45th minute goals.

This put the Tigers in a comfortable 4-1 lead, but they squandered it in the final quarter when they allowed the Dragons to bounce back with two goals in the 48th and 51st minutes through Sorsby and Govers. The final few minutes were nail-biting with video referrals, giving the Tigers an advantage.

A penalty corner in the 55th minute proved crucial in the Tigers’ win, with Abhishek scoring from a fine variation. After injecting, Abhishek positioned himself well to pick up a deflection off Tom Grambusch’s dragflick. This put them ahead 5-3 and eventually helped seal the match.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has rejected allegations of dirt and poor conditions at the venue of the 2026 India Open badminton tournament in New Delhi made by Danish World No. 20 Mia Blichfeldt, claiming her comments were about general playing conditions and not related to the Indira Gandhi Multi-purpose Indoor Stadium, the playing arena for tthe BWF World Tour Super 750 event.

In an official statement, BAI general secretary Sanjay Mishra claimed that Blichfeldt’s comments were “not about the playing arena specifically” and were rather about “KD Jadhav Stadium, which serves as the training venue, and not the main playing arena”.

The main draw of the 2026 India Open started on Tuesday and soon landed into controversy with Blichfeldt urging “the BWF to review the setup ahead of the World Championships this August”, which will be held at the same venue.

“Mia’s comments were made in a broader context around general playing conditions and personal health sensitivities, and not about the playing arena at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open specifically. She has clearly stated that the competition venue itself is well-maintained. As mentioned in her conversation regarding the warm-up area, it is important to note that she was referring to the KD Jadhav Stadium, which serves as the training venue, and not the main playing arena,” said Sanjay Mishra in the official statement issued by BAI.

“As an athlete who is more sensitive to dust and environmental factors, she was sharing a personal perspective on how conditions can sometimes impact her health. The playing arena has been kept clean, dirt-free, and pigeon-free, and several players have expressed satisfaction with the conditions at the venue,” he added.

It is worth noting that Blichfeldt had made similar allegations about the India Open last year, too, blaming the dense smog in India and bird droppings inside the stadium for the illness she suffered after the event.

–IANS

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