Sports

Indonesia Open: Sathish and Aadya Progress in Mixed Doubles

Published

1 year ago

June 5, 2025

Sathish Kumar Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath kept India’s hopes alive at the Indonesia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament by reaching the second round of the mixed doubles event on Wednesday. Unfortunately, it was a disappointing day for the Indian team overall, as all other pairs were eliminated in the first round.

Sathish and Variyath triumphed against Chinese Taipei’s Ye Hong-Wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan, securing a hard-fought victory with scores of 15-21, 21-16, 21-17 in a match lasting 45 minutes.

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In contrast, the other Indian mixed doubles teams faced early exits. Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde were defeated in straight games by Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara, with scores of 14-21, 9-21.

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Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh also struggled, losing 15-21, 9-21 to Denmark’s Mads Vestergaard and Christine Busch. Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto fought hard against the second seeds, Tang Jie Chen and Ee Wei Toh from Malaysia, but ultimately fell short with scores of 11-21, 21-16, 14-21.

Earlier in the tournament, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu advanced to the second round, while Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy faced first-round eliminations.

Satwik and Chirag bounced back after losing the first game to defeat Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana 18-21, 21-18, 21-14 in the men’s doubles. Meanwhile, Sindhu overcame Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara with a score of 22-20, 21-23, 21-15, making her the only Indian left in the women’s singles draw after Malvika Bansod retired while leading against local player Putri Kusama Wardani. Anupama Upadhyaya and Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj also faced defeats in their matches.

In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen recorded his fifth first-round exit of the season, losing to China’s Shi Yu Qi with scores of 11-21, 22-20, 15-21. HS Prannoy also exited early after a 17-21, 18-21 loss against Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan.

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Sports

Spain Beat France 2-0 to Reach FIFA World Cup 2026 Final

Published

4 days ago

July 15, 2026

Namma Kudla

Sports: Spain defeated France 2-0 in the first semi-final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 to book their place in the final. The defeat ended France’s title hopes under captain Kylian Mbappe.

Spain took the lead in the 20th minute. Young star Lamine Yamal was fouled by France’s Lucas Digne inside the penalty area. Spain was awarded a penalty, and Mikel Oyarzabal calmly converted the spot kick to make it 1-0.

The goal was Oyarzabal’s fifth of the tournament. He equalled David Villa’s record for the most goals scored by a Spanish player in a single FIFA World Cup.

Spain doubled its lead in the 58th minute. Right-back Pedro Porro scored after receiving a fine pass from Dani Olmo. The goal gave Spain complete control of the match.

France suffered an early setback when central defender William Saliba left the field with an injury in the first half. Despite having stars like Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise, France failed to score. It was the team’s first match of the tournament without a goal.

Spain also created history in the World Cup semi-finals. It became the first team to start two teenagers, 19-year-olds Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, in a World Cup semi-final.

The victory sent Spain into the FIFA World Cup final for the second time and for the first time since 2010.

Spain will face the winner of the second semi-final between England and Argentina in Sunday’s final.

France, meanwhile, missed the chance to reach a third straight World Cup final. The defeat also marked the end of coach Didier Deschamps’ long and successful journey with the national team.

Sports

Passenger Turns Flight into FIFA Watch Party during Match

Published

7 days ago

July 12, 2026

Namma Kudla

FIFA World cup: A football fan turned a regular flight into a memorable FIFA World Cup watch party by streaming the Argentina vs Egypt match for fellow passengers.

The fan paid for the airplane’s WiFi and stood at the front of the cabin with his laptop. He streamed the live match so that everyone on board could watch it.

The flight had 187 passengers. Many leaned into the aisle, while some stood up to get a better view of the screen. The passengers watched the exciting match together and cheered for the teams.

Argentina made a stunning comeback after trailing 2-0. Led by Lionel Messi, the team fought back to defeat Egypt 3-2 in a thrilling contest.

A video of the moment was shared on X and quickly went viral. Social media users praised the fan for bringing strangers together and creating a special experience during the flight.

The match also ended with a controversial VAR decision. Egypt believed they had scored a second goal after taking a 1-0 lead. However, the goal was disallowed after a VAR review.

Match officials ruled that an Egyptian player had fouled Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez before the goal was scored. As a result, the goal was cancelled, leaving Egypt’s players and many fans disappointed.

Sports

Yuvraj Singh Set to Begin Coaching Career with Delhi Capitals

Published

4 weeks ago

June 20, 2026

Namma Kudla

Sports: Former India all-rounder and cricket legend Yuvraj Singh is set to begin his coaching career in the Indian Premier League (IPL) from the 2027 season, according to reports.

Sources say that Yuvraj Singh is likely to join the Delhi Capitals coaching staff for the 20th edition of the IPL. He is expected to take up the role of batting coach for the franchise.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is also expected to return to the Delhi Capitals setup. Reports suggest that Ganguly wants Yuvraj Singh to be part of the team’s support staff.

The Delhi Capitals franchise is jointly owned by GMR Group and JSW Group. The two groups manage the team on a rotational basis for two-year periods. GMR Group was in charge during the 2025 and 2026 seasons. From 2027, JSW Group will take control of the franchise for the next two years.

Reports indicate that major changes are being planned within the team. Yuvraj Singh’s appointment is believed to be one of those changes.

During the previous JSW management period, Sourav Ganguly served as the Director of Cricket for Delhi Capitals. Recently, under Ganguly’s guidance, the Pretoria Capitals reached the final of the SA20 league. This success has increased the possibility of his return to a key role with Delhi Capitals.

Delhi Capitals had disappointing campaigns in IPL 2025 and IPL 2026. Despite having several star players, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in both seasons under captain Axar Patel.

Hemang Badani is currently the head coach of the team. However, reports suggest that his position could be under pressure after two unsuccessful seasons.

Fans are now eager to see whether the experience of Sourav Ganguly and the aggressive cricketing approach of Yuvraj Singh can help Delhi Capitals achieve better results in IPL 2027.