Sports

Orleans Masters: Ayush Shetty Shocks Former World Champion; Prannoy Advances to Second Round

Published

11 months ago

March 7, 2025

At the Orleans Masters badminton championship, 19-year-old Ayush Shetty from India made headlines in the men’s singles category by securing a straight-games victory over former World Champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore during a Round of 32 match on Wednesday.

Ayush, a promising player from Karnataka, triumphed over Loh, who claimed the BWF World Championship title in 2021, with scores of 21-17, 21-9 in a match that lasted just 36 minutes at the BWF World Tour Super 300 event held at the Palais des Sports. The right-handed player, who recently earned a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 2023, quickly established a 4-1 lead in the first game, although Loh managed to narrow it down to 4-3.

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After winning four consecutive points, Ayush faced a resilient Loh who leveled the score at 9-9 and 12-12. However, from a 14-13 position, Ayush pulled ahead to lead 18-13, ultimately sealing the first game at 21-17. The second game saw Ayush in complete control, as he raced to an 11-2 lead and maintained his advantage despite Loh’s attempts to recover. He finished strong, winning the game 21-9 and marking a significant victory in their inaugural match against each other.

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It was a mixed day for India; veteran H.S. Prannoy began his campaign with a win, overcoming World No. 24 Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei in a closely contested three-game match, finishing at 21-11, 20-22, 21-9 after 60 minutes. However, fellow Indian Kiran George faced defeat against Jia Heng Jason Teh of Singapore, losing in three games with scores of 21-15, 16-21, 10-21 in just over an hour on Court 3.

In women’s singles, Malvika Bansod had to retire due to injury while trailing 6-21, 5-21 in her first-round match, and Unnati Hooda was eliminated in the first round by top-seed and World No. 1 An Se Young of South Korea, losing 9-21, 15-21.

In mixed doubles, the Indian pair of Rohan Kapoor and G. Ruthvika Shivani won against Ye Hong Wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan of Chinese Taipei in a grueling first-round match, with scores of 20-22, 24-22, 21-16 after an hour of play. Unfortunately, another mixed doubles duo, Ashith Surya and Amrutha Prathumesh, lost to Malaysian pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, with scores of 10-21, 15-21.

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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.