All India Senior Ranking Badminton Tournament returns to Chennai
The All India Senior Ranking Badminton Tournament 2026 will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai from July 16 to 23.
This marks the return of a senior national ranking tournament to Tamil Nadu after a gap of more than five years. Chennai last hosted the same in 2021, the first national badminton tournament to be held following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tournament has attracted an overwhelming response from players across India, receiving 1,452 entries, including more than 700 entries in the men’s singles category alone.
There will be local representation as well, including Sankar Muthusamy, former World Junior No. 1 and World Junior Championships silver medallist; S. R. Diksha, the reigning Under-17 Asian Champion; and Sathish Kumar, former World Top-50 player in both men’s singles and mixed doubles.
The tournament will, however, be without two leading Tamil Nadu shuttlers. Reigning men’s singles national champion Rithvik Sanjeevi will not be participating, while Hariharan Amsakarunan is currently representing India at the Japan Open.
The championship will feature India’s leading senior shuttlers competing across all five disciplines—men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles—for valuable national ranking points.
-Team Sportstar
India juniors end UK Tour with three wins ahead of Asia Cup
The Indian junior women’s hockey team finished its exposure-cum-competition tour of the UK with three wins and four losses as it stepped up preparations for the Women’s Junior Asia Cup, to be held in Moqi, China, from September 4 to 13.
India opened with back-to-back defeats to Scotland, losing 2-3 and 1-3, before bouncing back emphatically with a 6-0 thrashing of USA Under-21. Sukhveer Kaur scored twice, while Kajal, Shashi Khasa, Purnima Yadav and Puja Sahoo also found the net.
The team then defeated England U-21 2-0 through goals from Binima Dhan and Roshni Aind. India’s next match against USA U-21 ended 1-1 after Puja Sahoo’s Penalty-Corner strike was cancelled out by Reese Anetsberger’s penalty stroke, with the Americans winning the ensuing shootout 3-2.
India responded with another 2-0 victory over England U-21, courtesy of Krishna Sharma and Purnima Yadav, before ending the seven-match tour with a narrow 1-2 loss to Belgium U-21.
Captain Shileima Chanu Khaidem said the tour provided valuable exposure against varied international opposition and helped the team identify areas to improve ahead of the Junior Asia Cup.
Team Sportstar
Robin Menon. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Sportons Media India Pvt. Ltd. has launched SCL60, a hybrid cricket league that brings aspiring players and former stars into the same competitive ecosystem, combining mentorship with match experience. The league’s talent development programme, The Gurukul, will be led by Robin Menon, who has mentored India internationals including S. Sreesanth, JP Yadav and Tinu Yohannan. After attracting over five lakh registrations through nationwide trials, 180 players have been shortlisted for a residential mentorship programme before progressing to the inaugural SCL60 player auction.
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Suraj Chand will represent India at the Asian Games this year. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
India’s fifth-ranked squash player, Suraj Chand, has been selected to represent the country in the mixed doubles event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, after qualifying through the national selection trials in Chennai. Ranked World No. 126, the Somaiya Vidyavihar University student recently reached the quarterfinals of the Asian Mixed Doubles Squash Championship with Rahul Bhatia.
Earlier this year, Suraj won the HCL PSA Indian Tour in Chennai without dropping a game, claiming his fourth PSA Challenger Tour title. He was also part of India’s bronze medal-winning team at the 2024 FISU World University Squash Championship.
- Team Sportstar
Joachim Chuah, Rouqaia Othman emerge champions in Chennai Squash PSA Challenger
Joachim Chuah of Malaysia and Rouqaia Othman of Egypt, the top seeds in the men’s and women’s sections respectively, emerged champions in the Squash PSA Challenger Tour-Chennai at the Indian Squash Academy on Wednesday.
Chuah defeated Egypt’s Adham Roshdy in straight games 12-10, 11-7, 11-8 in the final, while Rouqaia edged out South Korean sixth seed Hwayeong Eum in a thriller 11-6, 10-12, 19-21, 11-7, 11-8 for the title.
- Team Sportstar
Faker named Game Ambassador of the Esports World Cup and the Esports Nations Cup
The Esports Foundation (EF) today announced that Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, the most decorated and influential player in League of Legends history, has been named a Game Ambassador for the Esports World Cup (EWC) and Esports Nations Cup (ENC) through 2028. His career has transcended competitive gaming, elevating him to national hero status in the Republic of Korea and reflecting the rise of esports athletes as cultural icons for a digital generation.
Faker joins Cristiano Ronaldo and Magnus Carlsen in the Esports Foundation Ambassador Program. Together, they represent the expanding global culture of competition: the reach of traditional sport, the evolution of competitive gaming and the athletes who built esports itself.
Faker will represent the perspective of esports players across the Foundation’s international events, athlete initiatives, media engagements and leadership forums, helping strengthen the connections among players, fans and organizations.
-Team Sportstar
Bogey free Ridhima takes lead in 10th Leg of Women’s Pro Golf Tour
Ridhima Dilawari, who won three of the first six events this season, fired a bogey free four-under 68 to lead by one over three players after the first round of the tenth leg of the Women’s Pro Golf Tour on Wednesday.
Ridhima, who was T-8 and T-9 in the last two legs, led by one over last week’s winner Vani Kapoor, the experienced Amandeep Drall and Vidhatri Urs, who is looking to recover her form and rhythm.
The trio shot three-under 69 and were chasing Ridhima hard.
Saanvi Somu, who has been knocking on the doors of her first win on the Women’s Pro Golf Tour, first as an amateur and now as a pro, was all alone in the fifth place with 1-under 71.
Ananya Datar and Kashika Misra carded even par 72 each to be tied for the sixth place, even as Mannat Brar and Riya Jadon shared the eighth place with 1-over 73 each.
A big bunch of six players Prakruthi Sastry, Jasmine Shekar, Shagun Narain, Neha Tripathi and amateurs Ananthi Vivek and Ananyaa Sood shared the 10th place after carding two-over 74 each.
Among the big names further behind were Tvesa Malik (75) in Tied-16th alongside young Lavanya Jadon.
-Team Sportstar
India clinches three gold, ten silver, four bronze in women’s section at Asian U-19 & U-23 Boxing Championships
India capped off a stellar campaign in the women’s section at the Asian U-19 & U-23 Boxing Championships, securing a total of five gold, ten silver, and four bronze medals across U-19 and U-23 categories in the finals held in Jakarta.
In the U-19 women’s category, India secured two gold and six silver medals, underlining the depth of its youth programme. Chandrika Bhoresh Pujari (51kg) delivered a dominant performance to clinch gold with a 5:0 win over Uzbekistan’s Nazokat Mardonova, while Prachi also secured gold with a convincing victory over Indonesia’s Dira Artika.
India’s other finalists in the U-19 category put up strong fights but settled for silver, contributing to the team’s overall tally.
In the U-23 women’s category, India registered an equally impressive showing with one gold, four silver, and four bronze medals.
Nisha (54kg) led the charge with a commanding 5:0 victory over Japan’s Koiin Kokufu to clinch gold. India’s other gold medallists in the category continued their strong form to finish on top of the podium.
Meanwhile, Nikita Chand (60kg), Kajal (65kg), and Muskan (75kg) fought hard in their respective finals but settled for silver after facing strong opponents from Uzbekistan. The bronze medals came from semifinal finishes, further highlighting India’s consistency across weight categories.
-Team Sportstar
Atiqa outqualifies two Mercedes F1 juniors for pole position
India’s 11-year-old racing prodigy Atiqa Mir gave another compelling example of her precocious talent by out-qualifying two Mercedes F1 junior drivers for pole position in the Champions of the Future Academy Program Round 3.
Despite no testing on a rather technical Leopard Circuit, Atiqa, the first Indian to be backed by Formula 1 Academy, set sizzling pace in qualifying of the karting series.
She beat established Mercedes F1 Junior drivers like Niccolo Perico of Italy and Devin Titz of Germany for pole position besides setting an event record, earning the plaudits from one and all in the paddock.
Atiqa’s special performance in qualifying came after she swept Round 2 of the COTFA series in Greece last month.
Post the stellar pole position, Atiqa secured P2 and P3 in the Heats after engrossing battles.
In the final, Atiqa started P2 and passed Niccolo for the lead. However, due to an engine mis-fire, she couldn’t hold on to the lead and lost places finally before recovering to finish P6.
The results don’t reflect Atiqa’s sensational speed but she did make a mark with the audacious move for the lead on Lap 1 against Niccolo after outpacing him in qualifying.
On Day 2, Atiqa was hit by engine trouble and qualified 27th. The organisers were quick to change her engine but the damage was done by then.
A recovery drive followed and she charged through the field in every heat to start the final 18th on the grid.
In the Final, Atiqa passed as many as nine karts in only one and a half laps before a fellow driver forced her out of the race with a collision from the side. The errant driver was duly penalised.
Reflecting on a rollercoaster weekend, Atiqa said: “A bittersweet weekend for me, but I was able to show my pace against the world’s best and beat them. I feel confident in the kart every time I am on the track but the engine and equipment let me down this weekend.
“It could have easily been another couple of podiums but they weren’t meant to be. Motorsports can be harsh sometimes. I am happy with my performance and couldn’t have done anything more” Atiqa’s father Asif Mir, who is India’s first national karting champion, said his daughter did all she could considering the sequence of events.
“Atiqa had a stellar weekend and set the event record at Viterbo. The results don’t show the true picture. The DNF in Final was heartbreaking but she is a strong girl and will recover soon,” he said.
Atiqa will next be seen racing in Sweden later this month.
-PTI
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Published on Jul 15, 2026