Sports

WTT Star Contender Chennai: Payas Shocks Sathiyan; Sharath Kamal Secures Opening Victory

Published

11 months ago

March 28, 2025

On the opening day of the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025, former ITTF Youth World No. 1 (U-17) Payas Jain pulled off a stunning upset, ousting Commonwealth Games and Asian Games medallist Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in the Men’s Singles Round of 64.

Simultaneously, the top-seeded Japanese pair, Tomokazu Harimoto and Sora Matsushima, showcased their dominance in the Men’s Doubles, while Miwa Harimoto and Miyuu Kihara achieved similar success in the Women’s Doubles event.

—

In a highly anticipated farewell match, Indian table tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal started strong with a confident victory, winning in straight games against qualifier Anirban Ghosh. Sharath also teamed up with Snehit Suravajjula in Men’s Doubles, triumphing in a thrilling five-game match against Australia’s Nicholas Lum and Finn Luu.

—

The WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025 is organized by Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). The tournament offers a prize pool of USD 275,000 and 600 ranking points for the winners, featuring top global players in action.

On Thursday, the trio of Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, and Manush Shah from Gujarat made impressive starts in the Men’s Singles. Manav and Harmeet both secured swift victories against qualifiers Divyansh Srivastava and Kim Taehyun, respectively. Wildcard entrant Manush overcame a slow beginning, pulling off a comeback from a game down to defeat Italian qualifier John Oyebode in a tightly contested match.

In an exciting all-Indian clash in the Women’s Singles, Ayhika Mukherjee narrowly defeated wildcard entrant and usual doubles partner Sutirtha Mukherjee in a gripping five-game battle. Ayhika’s defensive skill proved pivotal as she won the decider 12-10, advancing to the next round. Additionally, 15-year-old Syndrela Das and 14-year-old Divyanshi Bhowmick displayed remarkable resilience, both making impressive comebacks to secure thrilling five-game victories in their respective matches.

The top-seeded Hong Kong duo, Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem, established their dominance in Mixed Doubles with a straightforward victory. In Women’s Doubles, Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade fought hard to overcome qualifiers Taneesha Kotecha and Sayali Wani.

Interestingly, Ayhika and Sutirtha, who faced each other earlier in the day, later joined forces in the Round of 16 but were unexpectedly defeated by the wildcard pairing of Sreeja Akula and Swastika Ghosh, adding to the day’s surprises.

—

Sports

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup: Pakistan Knocked Out, New Zealand Enter Semifinals

Published

4 days ago

March 1, 2026

Namma Kudla

Mumbai: Pakistan have been knocked out of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup despite securing a narrow win over Sri Lanka. With this result, New Zealand advanced to the semifinals from the Super Eight group.

In the Super Eight match held at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pakistan batted first and posted a strong total of 212 for 8 in 20 overs.

Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman gave Pakistan a flying start. They added 176 runs for the opening wicket. This became the highest opening partnership in the tournament’s history.

Farhan scored a brilliant 100 off 60 balls. He became the first player to score two centuries in a single edition of the tournament. Fakhar Zaman supported him well with 84 runs off 42 balls.

Chasing a target of 213 runs, Sri Lanka fought hard but fell short by 5 runs.

Sri Lanka had a poor start. Pathum Nissanka was dismissed for just 3 runs. Kamil Mishara scored 26 runs, while Charith Asalanka added 25 runs to steady the innings.

Later, Pawan Rathnayake and Dasun Shanaka played attacking knocks. Rathnayake scored 58 runs off 37 balls with four fours and three sixes. Shanaka smashed 76 runs off 31 balls, including eight sixes and two fours. Their partnership raised hopes of a Sri Lankan victory.

However, Pakistan bowlers held their nerve in the final overs. Tight bowling at the death ensured a narrow five-run win for Pakistan.

Despite the victory, Pakistan were eliminated from the tournament due to net run rate. As a result, New Zealand secured the second semifinal spot from the group.

Sports

Rinku Singh’s Father Passes Away After Battling Cancer

Published

6 days ago

February 27, 2026

Namma Kudla

Sports: India cricketer Rinku Singh’s father Khanchandra Singh has passed away in Lucknow. He died at a hospital in Greater Noida, leaving the family in deep grief.

Khanchandra Singh was suffering from fourth-stage liver cancer. He was receiving treatment at Yatharth Hospital in Greater Noida. His condition became critical this week, and he was placed on a ventilator. Rinku returned home before India’s Super 8 match against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup to be with his family.

Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh expressed his condolences on X. He said he was saddened by the news and praised Rinku for his commitment to the team during such a difficult time.

Sports

West Indies Beat Zimbabwe by 107 Runs

Published

1 week ago

February 24, 2026

Namma Kudla

Sports : West Indies cricket team defeated Zimbabwe national cricket team by 107 runs in a Super 8 Group 1 match.

Batting first, West Indies scored 254 for 6. Shimron Hetmyer led the charge with 85 runs off 34 balls. Rovman Powell added 59 runs. Their 122-run partnership helped the team post a big total.

Chasing 255, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 147 runs. Brad Evans scored 43 runs, but it was not enough.

West Indies dominated the match with powerful hitting and sealed a comfortable victory.