Indian sports wrap, August 30: Pukhraj inches closer to Asian Tour card

SQUASH

Abhay triumphs in five-game thriller

Top seed Abhay Singh clinched the Tuanku Muhriz Trophy squash, a USD 15,000 PSA Challenger event in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, defeating third seed Henry Leung of Hong Kong in five games in the final.

World No 24 Abhay defeated Leung, ranked 59 in the world, 11-7, 6-11, 3-11, 11-5, 12-10 to bag his 13th PSA Tour title in 18 finals.

Abhay beat Malaysians Ameeshenraj Chandaran (9/16) 7-11, 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-3 in the semifinals, Md Syafiq Kamal 11-4, 11-13, 11-5, 11-5 in the quarterfinals and Low Wa Sern 8-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-2 in the second round following a first-round bye.

– Team Sportstar

INDIAN FOOTBALL

India U-17 women draw again in Uzbekistan

The India U-17 women’s team ended its second friendly against Uzbekistan in a 0-0 draw at the UFA National Football Centre in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Sunday.

Both sides had played a goalless draw in the first friendly as well.

The Young Tigresses will now return to Goa to continue their preparations for the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers. They will play two friendly matches against Philippines on September 26 and 29.

The Asian Cup qualifiers will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from October 5 to 11.

TENNIS

J30 Bengaluru main draw promises strong local challenge

The KSLTA World Tennis Junior J30 Bengaluru enters its main-draw phase on Monday with a strong field of India’s leading junior players, including several promising Karnataka youngsters, set to battle for honours at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium.

The boys’ draw is headed by Karnataka’s Tejas Ravi, the No. 1 seed. He will be joined by fellow state players Shreyanth Mahanthesha, Yash Kumar, Ishaan Badagi and Puneeth Manohar, giving the home contingent plenty to cheer for.

Puneeth, 14, brings particularly impressive credentials despite competing in the Under-18 junior category. The Bengaluru youngster is the Asia No. 1-ranked Under-14 player and recently represented the ITF Grand Slam Player Development Programme touring team at the Wimbledon U-14 Championships. He also won the doubles title at the prestigious Tennis Europe U-14 Super Category event in Düren, Germany, earlier this month.

The other seeded boys are Ahan Shetty (2), Niyanth Badrinarayan (3), Vivaan Mirdha (4), Pradnyesh Shelke (5), Fazal Ali Meer (6), Ayan Shetty (7) and Nithinbarath KS (8).

The girls’ draw has an even stronger Karnataka presence, with Karthika Padmakumar seeded No. 2, Disha Kumar No. 3, Shreeniti Chowdhury No. 4 and Aahida Singh No. 5. The top seed is Shaivi Dalal, while Vasundra Balajee, Tejaswi Manneni and Riddhi Shinde complete the eight seeded players.

Meanwhile, three Karnataka players have battled their way through to the final round of qualifying. Arjun Manikandan in the boys’ section, and Krishika Gautam and Pooja Nagaraj remain in contention in the girls’ draw.

Arjun reached the final qualifying round with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Raghav Sarode, while Krishika produced one of the biggest wins of the qualifying competition, upsetting No. 3 seed Nalyaazhini Krishnaprabhu 7-6(4), 6-3. Pooja also advanced, defeating fellow Karnataka youngster Avni Punaganti 7-5, 6-4.

The final round of qualifying will be played on Monday alongside the opening matches of the main draw, setting up an action-packed day of international junior tennis at KSLTA.

– Team Sportstar

CRICKET

Kerala Cricket League: Calicut Globstars thrashes Kochi Blue Tigers by eight wickets

After Saturday’s one-run win over Thrissur Titans, it was back to normal for Kochi Blue Tigers which slumped to heavy eight-wicket defeat to Calicut Globstars in a KCL 2026 match at the Sports Hub Greenfield stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

Captain Rohan S. Kunnummal’s blistering knock (78, 39b, 4×4, 7×6) laid the ground for Globstars’ emphatic win which enabled it to move to the second spot in the table with eight points while Kochi remained at the bottom with four points.

Batting first Kochi Blue Tigers was pegged back by regular fall of wickets and managed to post an under par total of 150 for eight. Only Sachin Suresh (42 not out) and U. Manukrishan (30) made substantial contributions against a disciplined Globstars’ attack.

The total was never going to threaten the strong Globstars batting lineup and Rohan got into his groove early by smashing Eden Apple Tom for two sixes in the second over of the innings. Varun Nayanar (7) fell cheaply to left arm spinner P.K. Midhun but new batter K.S. Aravind wrested the momentum in the last over of the PowerPlay by hitting four boundaries off left arm spinner P.S. Jerin.

Saturday’s hero Karthik B. Nair’s first over was expensive as Rohan and Aravind plundered 20 runs to put Globstars firmly in control. The third wicket stand between Rohan and Aravind registered 101 runs off just 53 balls and when the skipper fell to a fine catch by Mohammed Ashique at deep square leg fence, the fate of the match was already sealed.

– M.R. Praveen Chandran

GOLF

Shubhankar drops in third round at British Masters

Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma was unable to build on his fine performance on the opening two days as he managed only an even par 72 in the third round of the Husqvarna British Masters.

With a total of 4-under for 54 holes, he was down to T-33 after being T-13 at the halfway stage.

The 29-year-old Sharma had four birdies, two on either side of the Belfry but also had a couple of bogeys and a double bogey.

Marco Penge and Daniel Hiller shared the lead heading into the final round. Events at The Belfry have been disrupted by weather all week but there were no delays on Saturday as the second round was completed and the final group reached the sixth in the third.

In that final group were Penge and Hillier at 11 under and they both returned at 7.00am to face 30 holes of golf. When the hooter sounded, they were both looking at birdie putts on the sixth green, with Penge 23 feet from the hole and Hillier ten feet closer.

Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin was a shot back having completed the sixth, with Paraguayan Fabrizio Zanotti and South African Shaun Norris at nine under playing the eighth and sixth respectively.

Home hero Penge and Kiwi Hillier had both completed their final four holes of round two early on Saturday morning, with Penge dropping a shot and Hillier getting home in level par.

That gave Penge a one-shot lead after 36 holes. Hillier, meanwhile, who is looking for a second win at this event after his triumph in 2023, showed no signs of rust as he played his first event since The Open after a month back home in New Zealand.

When the duo got their third rounds under way, Penge’s one-shot lead was soon extended to two as he holed an 18-footer on the first but just as soon as it had grown, it had gone.

He went over the green and failed to get up and down on the next as Hillier put an approach to tap-in range and the 28-year-old was in front when he made a two-putt birdie on the par-five next as Penge saved par after finding the water.

An approach to tap-in range of his own had Penge back level on the fourth and both men parred the fifth before the hooter sounded as the light faded in the Midlands.

– PTI

IGPL player Pukhraj Gill finishes T-19 in Jakarta, moves closer to Asian Tour card

Indian golfer Pukhraj Singh Gill moved a step closer to securing an Asian Tour card for 2027 after finishing tied-19th in the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) on Sunday.

Gill, the IGPL Tour’s Order of Merit winner, is now ninth in the ADT Order of Merit with just one event remaining in November.

The top 10 at the end of the season will earn Asian Tour cards for next year. A year ago, another IGPL star, Karandeep Kochhar, took the same route and is now playing on the Asian Tour.

Gill carded rounds of 70, 66, 68, and 69 for a 15-under total in the event, which was won by Indonesia’s Kevin Akbar.

Another Indian, Khalin Joshi, finished tied-10th after rounds of 66, 68, 69, and 67.

Aman Raj (67-69-70-73) was tied-37th, while Kartik Singh (72-70-66-69) finished tied-32nd. N Arjun Prasad and Saarthak Chibber missed the cut.

Akbar capitalised on home advantage and strong local support to become the first Indonesian to win the tournament.

The 28-year-old closed with a superb nine-under 63 to finish at 25-under and win by two strokes over Singapore’s James Leow and Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan.

Defending champion Matt Killen of England signed off with a 67 to finish tied-fourth alongside overnight leader Han, who carded a 68.

-Press Trust of India

Pranavi slips to Tied-15th in Irish Open

Indian golfer Pranavi Urs added 2-under 70 in the third round but slipped to Tied-15th in the Women’s Irish Open in County Kildare.

The Mysuru golfer has now shot three sub-par rounds of 69-70-70 to be 7-under for 54 holes with one more round to go.

Pranavi, the only Indian to make the cut out of the four who started the week, opened with birdies on the second and third but gave both shots back in the next two holes. Then followed birdies on the seventh and the 10th to end the day with eight straight pars for 70 on a wet day.

Diksha Dagar, Tvesa Malik, and Avani Prashanth missed the cut earlier.

South African Casandra Alexander will take a three-shot lead into the final round as the South African looks to complete a wire-to-wire victory and earn her first Ladies European Tour (LET) win of the season.

-PTI

BADMINTON

Dev Ruparelia, Ishita Negi win boys’ and girls’ titles in India Junior International GP

Dev Ruparelia and Ishita Negi won the boys’ and girls’ titles, respectively, at the India Junior International Badminton Grand Prix, while Pavan and Punith Suresh claimed the boys’ doubles crown in Pune on Sunday.

The top seeded Ruparelia from Mumbai needed only 46 minutes to brush aside the challenge from Uttarakhand’s Nishchal Chand 21-16, 21-16. While Ruparelia won the first game with ease, the second game was a close contest with Ruparelia leading 18-16 at one stage.

Chand committed a fault at service on which Ruparelia capitalised to win the second game.

Delhi’s Ishita beat Maharashtra’s Gatha Suryawanshi 21-19, 21-18 in the girls’ final which lasted 36 minutes.

Pavan and Punith recorded a 25-23, 21-19 victory over the Indonesian pair of Arybka Okta Disabian and Muhammad Zilazik Artando Zakaria.

In the girls’ doubles, Thailand’s pair of Chantharat Marndakul and Pearploy Suttiwarayanon upset the fourth seeded Diya Bheemaiah and Keerthy Manchala 21-15, 21-11.

The Indonesian pair of Zakaria and Afizzah Rahmadhani won the mixed doubles title, defeating Punith and Aditi Deepak Raj 24-26, 21-17, 21-16.

– PTI

MOTORSPORT

Kairav Roberson, Rehan Khan Rasheed win titles

The inaugural IAME Series India 2026 concluded at the floodlit Madras International Karting Arena in a blaze of spectacular fireworks, while the sharp showers that caused a stoppage did not dampen the competitiveness of the fifth and final round which concluded close to midnight on Saturday.

The first-ever day-night competitive karting at the MIKA, organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) proved to be challenging, by way of slippery track dotted with water puddles, but the young drivers, especially those in the Mini and Mini Under-10 categories displayed plenty of pluck and courage in countering the conditions. However, the number of laps in Finals in all classes, that were run on resumption, was reduced.

In the process, Chennai’s Kairav Roberson (MSPORT), who topped all the sessions, and Rehan Khan Rasheed (Momentum Motorsports) emerged Overall winners in the Senior and Junior classes, respectively.

Shiv Neel (NKRA by KKM), son of India’s first Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan, from Coimbatore swept to title triumph in the Mini category and little Aruthran Prabhu from Kumaraburam (Kartkrew Motorsports) bagged the title in the Under-10 class.

All the four overall winners received a ticket to participate in the IAME Asia Finals in Macau, scheduled for 11–13 December 2026.

– Team Sportstar

Published on Aug 30, 2026

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