CRICKET
HCA forms committee to boost district infrastructure in Telangana
Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has announced the constitution of the District Cricket Infrastructure Development Committee to strengthen cricket infrastructure and administration across the districts of Telangana.
The committee, which will work in alignment with the vision of the Single Member Committee, will focus on promoting the development of the game in the State while also enhancing the coordination with district cricket stakeholders.
Chaired by former HCA secretary T. Sheshnarayan, the committee includes Ramakrishna Udupa (HCA member), M. Rajashekar (Mahbubnagar district representative), C. Venkat Rao (Khammam district representative) and M. Venkat Reddy (Nizamabad district representative).
It is expected to work hand-in-hand with the Ambati Rayudu-led Cricket Operations Committee.
-Team Sportstar
GOLF
Diksha stays in top-10 of Merit list despite AIG Women’s Open missed cut
Despite missing the cut at the AIG Women’s Open, Diksha Dagar is the top Indian on the LET Order of Merit, occupying the sixth slot.
The two-time LET winner is placed eighth in the Race to Costa del Sol standings, underlining the consistency she has shown throughout the 2026 season, which has included multiple top-10 finishes.
The Hero-supported Diksha will once again spearhead the Indian challenge as the Ladies European Tour resumes with the PIF London Championship at Centurion Club later this week.
Diksha will be aiming to consolidate her position among the Tour’s leading players and strengthen her bid for another top-10 finish.
India will have a strong presence at Centurion Club with four other players in the field. Rookie Avani Prashanth has enjoyed an encouraging debut season on the LET and is currently 45th on the Order of Merit.
Pranavi Urs, also backed by Hero, is close behind in 48th, while five-time LET winner Aditi Ashok occupies 58th after a mixed campaign.
Hitaashee Bakshi is continuing to gain experience in her first full LET season, and is placed 127th.
South Africa’s Casandra Alexander is the Race to Costa del Sol leader, while Singapore’s Shannon Tan, the 2025 LET Order of Merit champion, will also be looking to contend for the title.
For Diksha, the week presents another opportunity to reinforce her status as India’s leading performer on the LET this season.
A strong finish could not only cement her place inside the top 10 of the Order of Merit but also keep her in contention for one of the best season-ending finishes of her career.
With valuable Race to Costa del Sol points on offer, the PIF London Championship assumes added significance as the battle for the season-long honours enters its decisive phase.
Among the Indians, all eyes will once again be on Diksha Dagar as she looks to continue leading the country’s charge on the Ladies European Tour.
-PTI
Vidhatri ready to battle experienced stars in 11th Leg of Hero WPGT
Led by Vidhatri Urs, the winner of the previous leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour, each and every winner this season will be present at Clover Greens for the event’s 11th Leg in Hosur, starting on Wednesday.
The field includes 53 players, including eight amateurs, as the field sizes have consistently gone past 50 in recent weeks.
The addition of top amateurs each week has added to the spice as the amateurs have shown that they are ready to take on the best pros in the country on the domestic front.
Vidhatri’s win in the 10th Leg, which came after a long gap, also showed that she is back in the frame and ready to take centre stage once again.
Vani Kapoor, Tvesa Malik, Ridhima Dilawari and Amandeep Drall, all seasoned pros, will vie for the honours against some of the new stars like Jasmine Shekar, Mannat Brar, Vidhatri, Anvitha Narender and Heena Kang.
One former Hero Order of Merit winner, Sneha Singh, who has been inconsistent of late, will also be hoping to find the rhythm that made her one of the strongest players on the domestic scene.
The same is the case with Neha Tripathi, who was once a formidable force on the Tour, but has the ability to beat the best.
Two young amateurs to watch out for could be Ananthi Vivek and Ceerat Kang, whose sister, Heena, is also in the field. Another pair of sisters in the field are Lavanya and Riya Jadon.
The Clover Greens Golf Course is an 18-hole golf resort located near Bengaluru, featuring a very scenic course.
The Tour is coming to the course for the second time this season. The previous staging was the ninth leg which was won by Vani Kapoor.
-PTI
Khalin Joshi fires 63 to lead on day one of J&K Open
Khalin Joshi fired an eight-under 63 to take the opening-round lead at the Rs 1 crore J&K Open 2026 golf tournament at the picturesque Royal Springs Golf Course here on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old Bengaluru golfer produced a calculated round featuring nine birdies and a lone bogey on the 17th hole to establish a two-shot advantage.
Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu and Gurugram-based rookie Harman Sachdeva shared the second place after carding matching six-under 65s.
Joshi, a former Asian Tour winner and multiple winner on the DP World PGTI, began the second half of the season in impressive fashion following up on his Andhra Open triumph in Visakhapatnam in April.
Two chip-ins highlighted his round. He found the bottom of the cup from the left of the green on the par-three third before chipping in again from short of the 15th green.
“I putted really well and also chipped in twice, which was special because I hadn’t holed a chip in a long time. I’m very happy with the way I played today,” said Joshi.
Joshi has fond memories of Royal Springs, having previously performed well at the venue in 2014 and 2021.
“We all treat coming to Srinagar like a holiday, with the golf being a bonus. The course is stunning and I don’t think any picture can do justice to this place. It feels like we’re in heaven. I’m looking forward to enjoying the views and hopefully putting together three more good rounds,” he added.
Ajeetesh Sandhu, playing alongside Joshi, mixed eight birdies with two bogeys. The 37- year-old made an uncertain start but settled into his round after striking his approach to four feet for a birdie on the difficult fourth hole.
“The birdie on the fourth changed the momentum and helped me settle down,” said Sandhu.
“I came into the event feeling fresh after spending a month at home, working in the gym and practising with my coach.” Sandhu, a former Asian Tour winner, led Rajasthan Regals to victory at the inaugural edition of the DP World PGTI’s ‘72 The League’. He is dividing his time between the Asian Tour and the DP World PGTI and has recorded consecutive fifth-place finishes at the Andhra Open and the Boulders Classic this season.
Playing his first competitive round in Srinagar after a long gap, Sandhu also enjoyed the return to Royal Springs.
“It’s great to be back. The scenery is beautiful, the people are welcoming and walking around this course helps take your mind off the usual stresses of competitive golf,” he said.
The 18-year-old Harman Sachdeva, playing his rookie season, returned the only bogey-free round of the day, a six-under 65. The Gurugram golfer has made seven starts this season, with a tied-fifth finish at the DP World Players Championship in Kolkata being his best result.
Gaurav Pratap Singh of Noida, Divyanshu Bajaj of Kolkata, Angad Cheema of Chandigarh, Rashid Khan of Delhi and the Czech Republic’s Stepan Danek were tied for fourth after shooting identical three-under 68s.
The par-four 11th hole was shortened and played as a par-three due to waterlogging caused by heavy rain over the last two days.
-PTI
Published on Aug 04, 2026
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