Indian sports wrap, March 5: Vani takes one-shot lead at Women’s Pro Golf Tour

GOLF

Vani Kapoor dropped two late bogeys but maintained focus to get a birdie on the final hole to take sole lead on the first day of the fifth leg of the Women’s Pro Golf Tour here Wednesday.

Vani, winner of the fourth leg last month, shot 2-under 70 and took a one-shot lead over her good friend Amandeep Drall (71) at the Classic Golf & Country Club.

Vani and Amandeep were the only players to shoot under par on an extremely windy day when scoring was tough.

Rhea Jha was placed sole third. She landed an eagle two on Par-4 eighth but had five bogeys and one birdie in her 74.

On a rather tough day for scoring, five players were tied for fourth with rounds of 4-over 76 and the group included amateur Ceerat Kang, Anahita Singh, Oviya Reddi, Neha Tripathi and Ridhima Dilawari.

Leader Vani had four birdies against two bogeys in the round. She opened with a par and then birdied the second and the third. Then followed a series of eight pars and another birdie on Par-4 12th. She dropped back-to-back shots on the 16th and the 17th but closed with a birdie.

Amandeep Drall opened with a bogey but got the shot back on the fifth. She dropped another shot on the Par-4 13th but closed with a birdie on the 14th and the 18th for a round of 71. Amandeep Drall, who went out in the first group with Gaurika Bishnoi in the morning, was the clubhouse leader till Vani overtook her.

Two-time winner this season, Sneha Singh had a rough day with a card of 5-over 77 that saw her pick just one birdie against six bogeys. She was tied ninth with Yaalisai Verma and Gauri Karhade.

Among some other well-known names, Gaurika Bishnoi, Jasmine Shekar and Shweta Mansingh carded 81 each and were tied for the 22nd place.

– PTI

Ahmedabad Open: Harendra Gupta takes lead after second round

Harendra Gupta of Chandigarh climbed to the top of the leaderboard following a five-under-67 in the second round of the IndusInd Bank Rs.1 crore Ahmedabad Open golf championship at the Kensville Golf and Country Club on Wednesday.

The 40-year-old Harendra, with 10 titles to his credit, gained a one-shot lead over the overnight leader N Thangaraja of Sri Lanka, with his seven-under 137 in two rounds.

Yashas Chandra and Michele Ortolani of Italy were tied third at two-under 142.

The cut was declared at seven-over 151, and 56 professionals made it to the second half of the championship.

Harendra had four birdies and followed up with an eagle on the par-5, 14th hole with a 40-footer. He endured a double-bogey on the 15th but recovered with a birdie on the 17th.

“I am eager to perform well this week. I have been striking the ball well and I feel that I have regained my lost touch with my putting,” said Harendra.

Thangaraja made two birdies and three bogeys as he struggled with his putting.

The leading scores: 1. Harendra Gupta (70, 67) 137; 2. N Thangaraja (65, 73) 138; 3T. Yashas Chandra (72, 70), Michele Ortolani (68, 74) 142; 5T. Kapil Kumar (70, 74), Rohit Narwal (73, 71) 144; 7T. Dhruv Sheoran (73, 72), Ankur Chadha (71, 74), Ravi Kumar (71, 74) 145; 10T.

Rohan Dhole Patil (71, 75), Stepan Danek (73, 73), Rashid Khan (77, 69), M Dharma (75, 71), Kurush Heerjee (73, 73), Varun Parikh (73, 73), Saptak Talwar (73, 73), Arjun Sharma (73, 73) 146.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

RUGBY

India to host inaugural Rugby Premier League in 2025

In a historic moment for rugby in India, the Indian Rugby Football Union (Rugby India) and GMR Sports revealed the official logo for the inaugural Rugby Premier League (RPL), a franchise-based Rugby 7s league, set to debut in 2025.

The league will feature six city-based teams, showcasing elite talent from top rugby nations around the globe, along with top-tier players from India. 

Mr. Rahul Bose, President of the Indian Rugby Football Union, shared his thoughts on the logo, saying, “Rugby 7s is a sport of incredible speed, dazzling skill, and heroic strength, and the Rugby Premier League will showcase it in a way India has never seen before. The logo is emblematic of the energy, dynamism and high-octane action that the league will showcase. With GMR Sports’ expertise and the support of all the stakeholders, we are ready to take Indian rugby to the next level.” 

– Team Sportstar

WINTER SPORTS

Indian contingent for Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025 gets grand send-off ceremony in Delhi

Special Olympics Bharat, on Wednesday, organised a grand send-off ceremony for the 49-member contingent (comprising 30 athletes and 19 support staff members) ready to represent India at the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025 in Turin, Italy at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi.

The ceremony was graced by minister of youth affairs and sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, alongside the president of Special Olympics Bharat, Dr. Mallika Nadda and executive director of Special Olympics Bharat, Dr. V.K. Mahendru.

The tournament is, scheduled to take place in Italy from March 8 to March 15 will see 30 players from Team India, participating across 6 sports disciplines – Alpine Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Floorball, Short-track Speed Skating, Snowboarding and Snowshoeing. Special Olympics World Winter Games will bring together 1500 athletes from 102 countries, who will compete in 8 sports disciplines.

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said, “Our incredible Indian athletes participating in the Special Olympics World Games embody the spirit of determination, resilience, and excellence. Your dedication and passion inspire the nation, proving that true strength lies in the courage to push boundaries. The entire nation is extremely excited to witness you all in action. Fly the tricolor high with your success, the entire country is backing you.”

– Team Sportstar

CRICKET

BCA appoints Anand Yalvigi as director of cricket operations

Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) president Rakesh Tiwari is looking forward to working with former cricketer Anand Yalvigi, who has been appointed as Director of Cricket Development and Operations by BCA.

Former Ranji cricketer Anand Yalvigi has been appointed as the Director of Cricket Development and Operations by BCA.

This appointment has been made in the light of the decision taken in the last general body meeting of the Bihar Cricket Association.

Anand Yalvigi a former first-class cricketer comes with a vast cricketing experience. He has represented India Junior teams and was a part of two winning Ranji teams – Karnataka & Mumbai. He also held positions as selector for the Mumbai Junior and Ranji teams a few years back.

Speaking on the appointment, BCA President Rakesh Tiwari said, “We are pleased to welcome Anand Yalvigi as the Director of Cricket Development and Operations at the Bihar Cricket Association.”

“With his vast experience in cricket and sports management, we are confident that his leadership and vision will contribute significantly to the growth and development of cricket in Bihar. We look forward to working together to take Bihar cricket to new heights,” added Tiwari.

Along with his First-Class experience, Anand has been a Sports Management Professional where he has had almost two decades of Sports Management and Cricket Operations experience.

In his vast career, he has managed various cricket leagues and projects related to cricket development.

He shall be heading the Cricket operations and game development where he shall manage be responsible for creating fresh game development policies, Cricket operations, infrastructure management, Analysis- Analysis and provide administrative support on operational policies and Liaison with the BCCI on matters relating to Cricket.

“With his vast experience, leadership skills and understanding of the game, The Bihar Cricket Association is hoping that he will help Bihar Cricket to achieve greater heights in the coming season,” BCA said in a statement.

-PTI

TENNIS

ITF women’s tournament: Sahaja Yamalapalli stuns top seed Carlota Cirez

Sahaja Yamalapalli sustained an attacking game, unleashing fierce forehand, to out-gun top seed Carlota Cirez of Spain 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the $30,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the Tennis Project, Baliyawas, on Wednesday.

On a day when the gusty winds caused havoc at the arena, scattering everything around, the 24-year-old Sahaja candidly observed that the wind was not blowing in anyone’s favour.

“It was tough conditions, but it was same for everyone. We had to adapt, and I am happy with the way I was able to execute our game plan,” said Sahaja.

Accompanied by Spanish coach Pau Martin Sole with whom she had been working from the recent $100,000 event in Bengaluru, where she had reached the quarterfinals, Sahaja said that the focus was to consistently play a high quality game irrespective of the opponent or score, with the sole aim of getting to the next level.

In the pre-quarterfinals, Sahaja will play Vaidehi Chaudhari who was equally explosive in dismissing qualifier Shruti Ahlawat for the loss of one game.

“Shruti played great in three matches, pulling it off with courage, with only three weeks of training. She ran out of fuel today. She had good work ethic now, and is quite aware of what needs to be done,” said coach Namita Bal who had helped Shruti tackle competition with confidence after having been out of the circuit for more than two years owing to a back injury.

Ankita Raina bounced back after losing the first set to tame Riya Bhatia 5-7, 6-3, 6-2. She will play Zeel Desai, who was quite smart in easing her way past Clara Vlasselaer of Belgium for the loss of five games.

The results:

Singles (first round): Sahaja Yamalapalli bt Carlota Cirez (Esp) 6-4, 6-2; Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Shruti Ahlawat 6-1, 6-0; Daria Kudashova bt Shrivalli Bhamidipaty 6-3, 1-6, 6-3; Kristina Dmitruk bt Priska Nugroho (Ina) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3; Sohyun Park (Kor) bt Ekaterina Yashina 6-4, 6-1; Ikumi Yamazaki (Jpn) bt Ekaterina Reyngold 7-5, 2-6, 6-1; Amandine Hesse (Fra) bt Pooja Ingale 6-0, 6-2; Maria Tkacheva bt Anastasia Gureva 7-5, 6-3; Antonia Schmidt (Ger) bt Smriti Bhasin 6-3, 6-1; Polina Iatcenko bt Kira Pavlova 6-1, 6-0; Mei Yamaguchi (Jpn) bt Maria Golovina 6-1, 6-1; Ankita Raina bt Riya Bhatia 5-7, 6-3, 6-2; Zeel Desai bt Clara Vlasselaer (Bel) 6-2, 6-3; Rinon Okuwaki (Jpn) bt thasaporn Naklo (Tha) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; Ekaterina Makarova bt Francesca Pace (Ita) 6-4, 7-5.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

Niki Poonacha loses early in Rwanda

Niki Poonacha, seeded No.1 with Courtney Lock of Zimbabwe, was beaten 6-3, 6-2 by Corentin Denolly and Clement Tabur of France in the doubles pre-quarterfinals of the $160,000 Challenger tennis tournament in Kigali, Rwanda.

The results:

$160,000 Challenger, Kigali, Rwanda Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Corentin Denolly & Clement Tabur (Fra) bt Niki Poonacha & Courtney Lock (Zim) 6-3, 6-2; Maxime Janvier (Fra) & Andrea Picchione (Ita) bt Siddhant Banthia & Alexander Donski (Bul) 6-4, 7-6(3).

$15,000 ITF men, Torello, Spain Singles (first round): Alberto Campos (Esp) bt Dev Javia 6-4, 6-2.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

MORE SPORTS

Khelo India Para Games to be held in Delhi from March 20 to 27

Around 1230 para athletes, including international players, will compete at the second edition of the Khelo India Para Games (KIPG) scheduled to be held from March 20 to 27.

The para athletes, many of them medallists at 2024 Paris Paralympics and 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China, will compete in six disciplines — para archery, para athletics, para badminton, para powerlifting, para shooting and para table tennis.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will host the para athletics, para archery and para powerlifting disciplines while the IG Stadium complex will stage the para badminton and para table tennis events.

Prominent para athletes competing in the KIPG 2025 include Paris Paralympics gold medal winners Harvinder Singh (archery), Dharambir (club throw) and Praveen Kumar (high jump).

“The phenomenal rise of our para athletes is a huge inspiration to sportspersons at large. This ‘can do’ attitude is really motivating and I am sure we will see some great performances at the upcoming Khelo India Para Games,” Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a release.

-PTI

HOCKEY

Senior Women National Championship 2025: Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand emerge victorious

The fifth day of the 15th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2025 saw Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand emerge victorious, while Hockey Uttarakhand at the Tau Devi Lal Hockey Stadium, Panchkula.

In the first match of the day, Uttarakhand defeated Assam 9-0 in Division ‘B’ to win three games in a row and ended Pool A on top of the standings to earn promotion to Division ‘A’ in the next season. Preeti Sharma (16’, 18, 52’) and Vartika Rawat (23, ‘35’, 45’)scored impressive hattricks while Captain Mamta Bhatt (4’, 57’) and Hema Singh (19’) also contributed with goals in Uttarakhand’s dominant win.

In the opening Division ‘A’ match, Madhya Pradesh edged out a 2-1 win over Uttar Pradesh in Pool D. Hritika Singh opened the scoring for the winning team in the first quarter courtesy of a field goal from Hritika Singh (7’). After a tightly contested second quarter, the game opened up again after half-time as Uttar Pradesh Captain Rajni Bala (31’) scored the equaliser. In the final quarter, Neelu Dadiya (53’) scored the all-important winner as she converted a penalty corner to give her side a crucial three points.

In the other Division ‘A’ match of the day, Jharkhand defeated Tamil Nadu 9-2 in Pool C to kickstart their tournament. Elin Dungdung (13’, 24’) and Captain Albela Rani Toppo (17’, 34’) scored braces while Promodni Lakra (15’), Horo Sanjna (27’) Rajni Keketta (39’), Sushma Kumari (50’) and Nikki Kullu (60’) also featured on the scoresheet. S Soniya (31’) and Vairavi M (51’) scored the two consolation goals for Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu.

In the Division ‘C’ yesterday, Andhra Pradesh defeated Puducherry as Lotia Mary (50’) and Patan Mujiya Begum (58’) scored two late goals to win the fixture. This was followed by the last match of yesterday when Arunachal Pradesh played out a goalless draw against Jammu & Kashmir in Division ‘C’.

Later, Maharashtra will face off against Punjab and Haryana will take on Karnataka in their Division ‘A’ matches.

-Team Sportstar

POLO

Radha Mohan Rajinder Mohan Gold Vase polo tournament: Rajnigandha Achievers defeats Jindal Panther

Abhimanyu Pathak and Shamsheer Ali scored all the goals in guiding Rajnigandha Achievers to a 8-6 victory over Jindal Panther in the Radha Mohan Rajinder Mohan Gold Vase polo tournament at the Army Equestrian Centre, Delhi Cantonment, on Wednesday.

The results: Rajnigandha Achievers 8 (Abhimanyu Pathak 5, Shamsheer Ali 3) bt Jindal Panther 6 (Siddhant Sharma 5, Simran Shergill).

-Kamesh Srinivasan

SNOOKER

Pankaj Advani beats Himanshu Jain 4-1 in round of 32 clash at CCI Snooker Classic

Reigning champion Pankaj Advani on Wednesday recorded a 4-1 win over Telangana’s Himanshu Jain in a round of 32 contest of the CCI Snooker Classic here.

Advani, who is representing PSPB, lost the first frame but bounced back with breaks of 61 in the third frame and 71 in the fifth frame to underline his title hopes, recording a 4-1 (43-77, 72-56, 80(61)-33, 64-51, 80(71)-6) victory.

Advani has won the tournament’s last two editions.

In another game, India No 3 and PSPB’s Aditya Mehta beat Karnataka’s Yogesh Kumar 4-3 (42-77, 53-86(40), 57-41, 60(41)-49, 87(87)-10, 24-68, 115(66)-8).

Ishpreet Singh Chadha, who has been competing in the pro snooker circuit in UK, defeated Railways’ E Pandurangaiah 4-1.

Ishpreet compiled sizeable breaks of 51 (1st frame), 84 (2nd), 105 (3rd) and 84 (5th) to complete a 81-9, 84-1, 115-4, 44-95, 84-25 win and to cruise into the round of 16.

-PTI

MORE SPORTS

Australia-India Sports Excellence Forum inaugurated in Gujarat

The Minister of State for Sports, Raksha Khadse, inaugurated the Australia-India Sports Excellence Forum at the GIFT City, Gujarat, on Wednesday.

“A passion for sports is a common thread that connects India and Australia. Through this historic forum, we are expanding this partnership beyond cricket and hockey into areas of elite athlete development, sports infrastructure, and investment in sporting industries. India’s ambition to host the 2036 Olympics reflects our nation’s growing strength and commitment to sports,” said the Minister in her address.

The forum, attended by the Australian High Commissioner Philip Green, and the Gujarat Sports Minister, Harsh Sanghavi, among others, aims to leverage Australian expertise in sports development and introduce best practices in the Indian sports ecosystem. Discussions are centred around talent development, major sporting events management, diversity and inclusion, developmental pathways from grass root to elite level sports, apart from sports science. The objectives include knowledge sharing on Olympic and Paralympic Games organisation, encouraging corporate investment and trade in sports-related industries, enhancing athlete performance through advanced sports science and technology, and building a road map for the future.

“I am confident that exchanges like this will contribute towards making India a global sporting force. The culture of sports will continue to grow and with such strong partnerships we will develop world class infrastructure and training facilities,” said Raksha.

The forum will help formulate a set of recommendations to guide Indo-Australian collaboration in sports.

-Kamesh Srinivasan