FENCING

Bharat Mandapam set for historic sports competition debut

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has officially sanctioned financial grants under the Assistance to National Sports Federation Scheme to the Fencing Association of India towards organisation of the 26th Senior Asian Fencing Championships, scheduled from June 19 to June 24.

The tournament also marks the historic first time that the world-class Bharat Mandapam complex at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi will host a competitive sporting event since its inauguration in 2023.

The Fencing Association of India (FAI) has officially locked in a powerhouse 24-member national contingent, evenly split with 12 male and 12 female athletes. Rising stars as well as Khelo India Athletes (KIAs) Karan Singh (Sabre), Shreya Gupta (Sabre), and more, join Target Asian Games Group (TAGG) athletes Bhavani Devi (Sabre) and Taniksha Khatri (Épée) in the 24-member squad; 17 members are KIAs.

The Senior Asian Fencing Championships opens on Friday with the individual Men’s Sabre and Women’s Foil preliminary pools and elimination rounds, followed by the Opening Ceremony, starting at 6pm. The continental team knockout stages take centre stage from June 22.

– Team Sportstar

CRICKET

Shahbaz, Sumanta half-centuries help Shrachi Rarh Tigers move top of the table

Captain Shahbaz Ahmed and Sumanta Gupta’s fifties guided Shrachi Rarh Tigers to a seven-wicket win over Kolkata Royals Tigers in its last league match and placed it at the top of the table in the Bengal T20 League at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday.

Royal Tigers relied on its skipper Abishek Porel’s attacking half-century (94 n.o., 53b, 7×4, 6×6) to put up 165 for five. Rarh Tigers, which had already booked its spot in the semifinals, achieved the target with more than two overs to spare.

Even as Royal Tigers lost wickets regularly, the left-handed Porel, opening the innings, held on to one end before playing some attractive shots on both sides.

Sumnta (60, 40b, 7×4, 2×6) gathered most of his fours on the off-side and sixes on the leg. Shahbaz (78 n.o., 45b, 4×4, 6×6) picked his areas to play big shots. They added 115 runs for the second wicket as Rarh Tigers cruised to victory.

On Wednesday, Servotech Siliguri Strikers defeated Rashmi NES Medinipur Wizards by seven wickets to enter the last-four.

In the women’s competition, Howrah Warriors and Murshidabad Kueens posted wins to secure semifinal slots alongside Rarh Tigers and Siliguri Strikers.

-Team Sportstar

SQUASH

Abhay-Velavan win first match

India’s top men’s pair of Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar got off to a winning start in their title defence at the 3rd Asian Doubles Squash Championships in Sarawak, Malaysia.

The top seeds eased past South Korea’s Oh Seojin and MinWoo Lee 11-7, 11-10 in Pool A, with a combination of touch and control taking the pair through in what was a fast-paced and hard-hitting contest.

Meanwhile, compatriots Rahul Baitha and Suraj Chand won against Singapore’s Samuel Quek Wei Yi/Justin Yap 11-3, 11-3 but lost a close contest to Japan’s Naoki Hayashi/ Ren Makino 8-11, 11-8, 6-11 in Pool B.

In mixed doubles, second seeded Velavan/ Joshna Chinappa thumped Cordelia Hsu/ Pan Hong Rui (TPE) 11-2, 11-3 in Pool B as the pair looks to better last year’s bronze-medal finish.

In women’s doubles, second seed Joshna/ Rathika Seelan won all three outings on the opening day in six-team Pool B, defeating Singapore’s Jayna Lim/Jacintha Han 11-5, 11-5, Japan’s Sugimoto Risa/ Erisa Sano 11-9, 11-8, and compatriots Janet Vidhi/ Pooja Arthi 11-5, 11-8.

Seventh seed Janet/ Pooja won their other two matches of the day, beating higher-seeded Sugimoto/ Erisa 8-11, 11-4, 11-5, with Janet displaying impressive width and Pooja finishing, and putting it past Singapore’s Wai lynn Au Yeong/ Naisha Singh 9-11, 11-6, 11-8.

– Team Sportstar

CHESS

IM Suresh holds Iniyan to draw; Iniyan in sight of title

IM Harsh Suresh held leader, GM Iniyan Pa to a draw in the 8th but this may be just a temporary setback, as the National champion still leads the rest of the field by a point and needs only a draw in the final round to emerge champion in the Master’s Section of the 360 ONE Global Chess Festival, being played at the World Trade Centre.

Favourites fumbled and stumbled in the other two categories too. Overnight sole leader Viresh Sharnarthi who was on a roll in the Challengers Category was shocked by lower rated Ashirwad Swain of Orissa and dropped down to third place with 6 others, all having scored 6.5 points. Nithin Babu also stunned higher rated FM Arun Kataria, with both jointly leading this Category with 7 points each.

IM Harsh Suresh in action at 360 ONE Masters Chess tournament.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Iniyan with 7 holds on to a full point lead over next placed Boris Savchenko. Harsh Suresh, Aakash Sharadchandra Dalvi , Apoorv Kamble and Ajay Santosh Parvathareddy are bunched behind with 5.5 points each.

Madhvendra Pratap Sharma continued his dominance by defeating Vinayak Koleru to retain his one point lead having tallied 7.5 points. A draw in the last 9th round is all he needs to be a clear-cut winner of the Junior Masters. Ankit Das, Balanandan Ayappan and A Amanlal have all scored 6.5 points and have a mathematical chance in case they win their games and Madhvendra ends on the losing side.

Apart from the cash prizes, at stake are norms and most importantly the winners of this edition of the Challengers and Juniors Category directly qualify to next year’s edition of the elite Masters Category. This will make the last round more exciting as the players in contention will go all out for the top place.

In other notable results WIM Oshini Gunawardhana Devindya needing 1.5 points from the last two games to garner a WGM norm suffered a heart -breaking loss against IM Vedant Panesar.

Boris Savchenko after a loss to Inayan has covered plenty of lost ground and has a mathematical chance to have a crack at the title.

– Team Sportstar

GOLF

Diksha leads four Indians as LET resumes at Dutch Ladies Open

Golfer Diksha Dagar will lead a group of four Indians as they return to action at the Dutch Ladies Open, hoping to build momentum as the European summer swing gathers pace.

After a two-week break in the Ladies European Tour schedule, leading the Indian challenge will be Diksha, Pranavi Urs, Avani Prashanth and Hitaashee Bakshi, all of whom have enjoyed encouraging moments this season and will be aiming for a strong finish at Goyer Golf & Country Club in Eemnes, the Netherlands from June 19-21.

Diksha, the most experienced of the Indian quartet, has once again been the country’s leading performer on the LET this year. The left-hander has been a model of consistency, making regular cuts and remaining well placed in the Order of Merit. Having won twice on the LET during her career, she will be looking to convert another solid week into a title challenge.

Pranavi has continued to grow in confidence during her second full LET season. The Bengaluru golfer has shown flashes of the form that made her one of India’s brightest prospects and will hope the break has helped her recharge before the busy run of tournaments across Europe.

Avani, one of the Tour’s promising young professionals, has also displayed steady improvement in her rookie campaign. The former world No. 1 amateur from India has adapted well to life on the LET and will look to string together four strong rounds against a competitive international field.

Joining them is Hitaashee, who earned her LET card through Qualifying School and has been gaining valuable experience in her first full season on the circuit. The Delhi golfer has steadily settled into Tour life and will be keen to make the most of every opportunity during the summer schedule.

– PTI

Amateur Zara opens two shot lead over Lavanya in 8th leg of Hero WPGT

Amateur Zara Anand led the youth brigade into contention as she opened a two-shot lead over the field in the eighth leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour at the Bangalore Golf Club.

The 17-year-old from Noida, who is headed to college golf in the US later this year, put herself in a good position to launch her bid for her first win on the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour after multiple runner-up finishes.

Zara added a 2-under 66 to her first round 4-under 64 at the Par-68 layout and at 6-under 130 for two days, she was two shots ahead of the first round co-leader Lavanya Jadon, another young promising star.

Lavanya added even par 68 to her first round 64 and is now 4-under 132.

One shot further behind is yet another young star, Smriti Bhargav (65-68), who is tied third with the 24-year-old Durga Nittur (65-68).

– PTI

ESPORTS

S8UL’s Trackmania athletes qualify for Esports World Cup 2026; Spark becomes India’s sole representative in the competition

S8UL Esports, a global name in esports and gaming content, has secured representation in its fifth title at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 after all three of its Trackmania athletes advanced through their respective regional open qualifiers.

United Kingdom’s Alexander Page (Whizzy), the USA’s Neal Kamdar (Neal), and India’s Kunal Upreti (Spark) will represent the organization in Trackmania’s EWC debut, with Spark emerging as the sole Indian competitor in the field.

Trackmania is widely regarded as one of the world’s most unique and skill-intensive racing esports titles, challenging players to navigate custom-built tracks filled with jumps, loops, drifts, and technical corners. At EWC 2026, the title will feature 32 of the world’s top competitors battling for a prize pool of USD 500,000 (~ Rs.4.7 crore) from August 19 to 22.

– Team Sportstar

FOOTBALL

Khaimingthang Lhungdim signs three-year contract extension with Punjab FC

Punjab FC has signed a three-year extension with defender Khaimingthang Lhungdim before the 2026-27 season.

Lhungdim has been a part of the Punjab FC setup since joining from NEROCA FC ahead of the I-League 2022-23 season. Having arrived during the club’s I-League (now known as Indian Football League) campaign, the defender has been part of the club’s journey over the past four seasons. He was part of the historic I-League winning side which became the first team to gain promotion to the Indian Super League.

Since joining the Shers, Lhungdim has made 85 appearances across all competitions, contributing one goal and seven assists. A versatile defensive presence, he has featured regularly for the club in domestic competitions and was among Punjab FC’s captains during the 2025-26 Indian Super League season.

The defender made 12 appearances in the ISL during the 2025-26 campaign, continuing to provide experience and leadership within the squad.

-Team Sportstar

Published on Jun 18, 2026