e-Champions captain Abhirath Reddy pulled the side out of a tricky situation to lead the side to a commanding six-wicket win over Ranga Reddy Risers in Hyderabad. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

CRICKET

TG20: Abhirath Reddy powers Hyderabad e-Champions to victory over Ranga Reddy Risers

In T20 cricket, one explosive innings can outweigh several solid contributions. Ranga Reddy Risers learned that the hard way on Thursday as M. Abhirath Reddy’s 45-ball 99 powered Hyderabad e-Champions to a six-wicket win in a TG20 clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

Asked to bat first, Risers made a brisk start through young openers Aaron George Varghese and Avanish Rao. Avanish took the attack to S. Ashwin and Yashveer Goud as the Risers raced to 62 in the PowerPlay.

The southpaw brought up a 25-ball fifty before Shanmukha Ashwin broke the 72-run opening stand in the eighth over. The dismissal slowed the momentum, with only 23 runs added over the next 3.4 overs.

Aaron, looking to get the runs flowing, soon fell to Akhil Rathod. Aditya Javvaki and skipper Tanay Thyagarajan then rebuilt with an 84-run stand, the former leading the charge with a 31-ball half-century.

Pranav struck twice in the penultimate over, removing both set batters to see Risers finish with 195 for four.

e-Champions stumbled early in the chase, Sai Vikas Reddy and Anvith Reddy fell to B. Punnaiah and Aryan Cariappa, respectively. But captain Abhirath Reddy pulled his side out of trouble.

His 31-ball 55-run partnership with M.A. Shanmukha revived the chase. Even after Shanmukha’s enterprising cameo ended, Abhirath continued to dominate, finding boundaries at will.

The skipper eventually fell agonisingly short of a century, holing out for 99 in the 16th over. By then, however, the damage had been done. Yashveer Goud (13-ball 30) and Ganesh Gadugu (25 off 19) combined for an unbeaten 42-run partnership from 16 deliveries, ensuring there were no late hiccups as e-Champions sealed victory with two overs to spare.

The win takes them to the top of the table, with two wins in two, while Risers, following their first defeat in three games, sit in second place.

-Anirudh Velamuri

HOCKEY

Indian junior men’s hockey team set for exposure tour to Belgium

The Indian U-21 men’s hockey team is set to tour Belgium next month for six high-intensity matches against the hosts, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands.

The tour will serve as a critical preparation phase for the squad under its new coach Frederic Soyez ahead of the men’s junior Asia Cup later this year. The tour will see India play two matches each against Austria and Belgium and one match apiece against Germany and the Netherlands.

Of the six matches, which will be played from July 7 to 17 2026, five will be held at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium, while the concluding match of the tour against the Netherlands will be played at the Hockey Centre of Excellence in Antwerp.

India will open their campaign against Austria on July 7, followed by the second match against the same opponents on July 8. The team will then face hosts Belgium on July 10, before taking on Germany on July 13 and Belgium again on July 14. The tour-concluding fixture against the Netherlands will be played on July 17.

Ahead of the tour, recently appointed coach Soyez stated, “I am very excited about experiencing this first tour with the group. It is a great opportunity to get to know the players better in a different environment, while also laying the foundations of our playing project.

“Tours like this are always important because they help create shared references, strengthen team cohesion and begin to build a real team identity. “These matches are very important because they immediately put us in conditions that are close to what we will face in major competitions,” the coach concluded.

—PTI

SHOOTING

NRAI Shotgun Referee Course begins with focus on technical excellence

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) today commenced its specialised Shotgun Referee Course, running from June 25 to 28, 2026. The four-day intensive programme has brought together 14 selected participants from across the country, reflecting the NRAI’s continued commitment to strengthening the technical officiating framework of Indian shooting sports.

The course is being conducted by Mr. Amar Jang Singh, Member of the ISSF Shotgun Committee, and Mr. Mehul Patel, one of the NRAI’s senior shotgun officials. Through a structured combination of theoretical and practical modules, participants will receive in-depth training on international shotgun competition rules, officiating procedures, advanced range management, and the evolving responsibilities of referees at national-level competitions.

Over the next four days, the participants will undergo rigorous practical assessments and theoretical examinations aimed at testing their officiating capabilities before they are deployed to serve at upcoming national and international competitions.

-Team Sportstar

MORE SPORTS

Sports Minister reviews NDTL’s functioning; calls for anti-doping campaigns in schools

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the National Dope Testing Laboratory’s operations here on Thursday and said awareness campaigns against the “serious challenge” need to be expanded to include schools and colleges going forward.

Reiterating that abuse of prohibited substances remains a major concern for the country’s rapidly expanding sporting ecosystem, Mandaviya announced that Khelo India athletes will undergo mandatory anti-doping awareness sessions and the ‘Know Your Medicine’ app will be translated into regional languages to ensure easy availability of information.

Emphasising the importance of preventive measures against doping, Mandaviya said, “Athletes participating in the National Games and Khelo India competitions will undergo mandatory anti-doping awareness sessions.” A few months ago, the sports ministry had acknowledged that over 1300 athletes were weeded out of the Khelo India mission in the past three years. A significant number of them were ousted due to doping violations.

Highlighting the need for wider public outreach, the Minister announced that the ‘Know Your Medicine’ mobile application will be translated into regional languages.

“Making anti-doping information available in local languages would help athletes, coaches, and support personnel across the country better understand prohibited substances and ensure informed decision-making,” he explained.

Mandaviya also stressed on the need to enhance the global footprint of NDTL and stated that, “efforts should be made to increase testing of samples from international athletes at the laboratory.” Last year the NDTL tested over 7,000 samples with a positivity rate of 1.5 per cent. India has been topping the World Anti-Doping Agency’s annual list of highest dope offenders for the past three years.

Although the government is working towards amending the existing anti-doping law to criminalise trafficking and possession of banned subtsances, Mandaviya noted that punishment alone cannot address the issue .He said a societal movement promoting clean sports and clean sportspersons is essential.

NDTL is India’s only WADA-accredited laboratory. It is one of the six labs in Asia recognised by WADA. The others are in China, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, and Thailand .The meeting was also attended by among others Sports Secretary Hari Ranjan Rao, representatives of National Sports Federations, and Dr P L Sahu, Director and CEO of NDTL.

—PTI

OTHER SPORTS

India Seniors B, Men’s A teams enter Asia Cup Bridge semis

India’s Senior B and Men’s A teams advanced to the semifinals as the hosts enjoyed a strong outing at the end of the league stage of the fifth Asia Cup Bridge Championship here on Thursday.

The Senior B team, comprising Hemant K Jalan, Sukamal Das, Rajesh Dalal, Jitendra Solani, Anil Padhye and Raju Tolani topped the Swiss league with 188.78 Victory Points (VPs) to enter the last four.

The Men’s A team of Subhas Gupta, Sandeep Thakral, Sumit Mukherjee, Rajeshwar Tiwari, Sagnik Roy and Kaustabh Nandi also made it to the semifinals after finishing third with 186.47 VPs.

In the men’s event, China topped the league standings with 218.31 VPs, followed by Hong Kong China A (196.72).

Bangladesh B took the fourth semifinal spot with 174.24 VPs, while India B missed out after finishing with 170.45.

In the seniors category, Australia (166.99), Japan (146.94) and Chinese Taipei (146.60) joined India B in the semifinals. India A finished sixth with 139.75 VPs.

China dominated the mixed event, with both its A and B teams progressing to the knockouts after finishing first and second with 169.23 and 163.92 VPs respectively.

Hong Kong China (155.43) and Australia (141.14) were the other semifinalists.

India B narrowly missed out in the mixed section, ending fifth with 135.90 VPs, while India A finished 11th with 113.77.

The semifinals will be played on Friday, with each tie comprising three rounds of 16 boards each.

-PTI

Published on Jun 25, 2026