Sports

BJK Cup 2025: Shrivalli and Raina/Thombare Propel India to Historic First Victory

Published

10 months ago

April 10, 2025

The Indian team began their campaign in the Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group 1 with a 2-1 victory over Thailand in their second match, hosted by MSLTA in collaboration with ITF, AITA, and PMDTA at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune on Wednesday.

Shrivalli Bhamidipaty set the stage for the home team with a decisive win, followed by the seasoned pair of Ankita Raina and Prarthana Thombare, who secured India’s first points in the tournament.

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Bhamidipaty continued her strong performance from day one, delivering another impressive display against Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee. In just her second match representing India, she dominated her opponent, winning 6-2, 6-4 in just over an hour, giving India a 1-0 lead in the tie.

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The day’s second match featured Sahaja Yamalapalli against Mananchaya Sawangkaew in a gripping contest. Both players showcased exceptional tennis.

Mananchaya made a comeback to win the first set 6-3, but Sahaja displayed great resilience, clinching the second set 7-6 [7-3]. Unfortunately, while trailing 0-1 in the final set, the young Indian had to retire due to injury after a thrilling battle that lasted 2 hours and 23 minutes, leveling the tie at 1-1.

The doubles match became crucial, and the experienced Indian duo of Ankita Raina and Prarthana Thombare rose to the occasion, overcoming Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech and Patcharin Cheapchandej.

After clinching the first set, the Indians stumbled in the second but bounced back in the tie-break, winning the super tie-break with a scoreline of 7-6, 3-6, 10-3 in an hour and 55 minutes.

India’s next match in the Billie Jean King Cup is against Hong Kong, China, scheduled for Thursday (April 10). The tournament is supported by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Ministry of Sports and Youth Welfare (Maharashtra).

Other results:

New Zealand defeated the Korea Republic: 2-1.

Sohyun Park (KOR) defeated Renne Zhang (NZL): 6-1, 6-0 (45 mins)

Lulu Sun (NZL) defeated Dayeon Black (KOR): 6-4, 6-1 (1 hr 23 mins)

Lulu Sun and Monique Barry (NZL) won against Eunhye Lee: 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 [Tie break] (1 hr 26 mins)

Hong Kong triumphed over Chinese Taipei 2-1.

Ho Ching Wu (HKG) defeated Ya-Hsuan Lee (TPE): 7-5, 6-3 (1 hr 21 mins)

Joanna Garland (TPE) overcame Hong Yi Cody Wong (HKG): 6-4, 6-3 (1 hr 24 mins)

Hong Yi Cody Wong and Eudice Chong (HKG) won against Fang-Hsien Wu and Yi Tsen Cho (TPE): 6-7, 7-6, 10-7 [Tie break] (2 hrs 28 mins)

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Sports

Pakistan Sets 3 Conditions to Play against India in T20 World Cup

Published

3 days ago

February 9, 2026

Namma Kudla

Dubai: Pakistan has placed three conditions before the International Cricket Council (ICC) to agree to play against India in the T20 World Cup.

Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) planned to boycott the match scheduled on February 15 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The ICC warned Pakistan about possible consequences after this decision.

Now, PCB is willing to consider playing the match but has made key demands. It has asked the ICC to increase compensation for Bangladesh, pay participation fees even if Bangladesh is left out of the tournament, and grant Bangladesh hosting rights for a future ICC event.

Some PCB officials support playing against India, but PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has not agreed yet. He is expected to meet Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday before making a final decision.

So far, PCB has not officially confirmed whether Pakistan will play the match.

Sports

T20 World Cup | Pakistan Edge Past Netherlands in a Close Contest

Published

5 days ago

February 7, 2026

Namma Kudla

Colombo: The T20 World Cup began today with an exciting match between Pakistan and the Netherlands. Pakistan secured a narrow three-wicket victory despite a strong bowling performance. However, the top-order batters failed to deliver. With this win, Pakistan made a positive start to the 10th edition of the tournament.

After losing the toss, the Netherlands batted first at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo. The team was bowled out for 147 runs in 19.5 overs. Pakistan chased the modest target and scored 148 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 19.3 overs.

Pakistan started aggressively, but the Netherlands slowed their progress. Pakistan lost four wickets for 98 runs. Soon, they were in trouble at 114 for seven. Faheem Ashraf played a crucial role at the end and guided the team to victory.

For Pakistan, Sahibzada Farhan scored 47 runs, while Saim Ayub added 24 runs. Faheem Ashraf contributed an important 29 runs. The rest of the batters failed to score big. Star batter Babar Azam disappointed fans by scoring only 15 runs off 18 balls.

Earlier, Netherlands captain Scott Edwards scored 37 runs. Bas de Leede made 30 runs, Colin Ackermann added 20, and Michael Levitt scored 24 runs. The remaining batters were dismissed for low scores.

Sports

India Clinch Record Sixth Under-19 World Cup Title

Published

5 days ago

February 7, 2026

Namma Kudla

Sports: India defeated England by 100 runs to win the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 final at the Harare Sports Club. The victory marked India’s sixth title, making them the most successful team in the tournament’s history.

India batted first and posted a massive total of 411 for 9 in 50 overs. The innings was powered by 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who smashed a record-breaking 175 runs off just 80 balls. His knock included 15 fours and 15 sixes and became the highest individual score ever in an Under-19 World Cup final.

Suryavanshi also shared a crucial 142-run partnership with captain Ayush Mhatre, who scored 53 runs. Their strong batting display helped India set a daunting target of 412 for England.

England tried to fight back in the chase, with Caleb Falconer scoring 115 and Ben Dawkins adding 66. However, the team was eventually bowled out for 311, handing India a comfortable victory.

Suryavanshi was named Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament for his historic performance. The triumph once again highlighted India’s dominance in youth cricket on the global stage.