Indian sports wrap June 29: Rahul leads from front as Nalgonda Knights opens account in TG20

CRICKET

TG20: Hyderabad e-Champions march on with win over Aces, Nalgonda Knights cruises past Palamuru Strikers to move second

Hyderabad e-Champions continued its relentless march through TG20, brushing aside Khammam Aces by 56 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Monday. A fourth successive win sees it remain the tournament’s only unbeaten side and further cemented its status as the team to beat.

Sai Vikas Reddy and Abhirath Reddy gave e-Champions a flying start with a blistering opening stand. Abhirath led the charge, hammering 24 runs in the fifth over and racing to a stunning 16-ball half-century as they finished the PowerPlay on 77 for 1.

Ved Reddy briefly stemmed the flow by removing both openers, but Ganesh Gaddu’s unbeaten 44 off 21 balls ensured e-Champions finished with a flourish.

Aces never recovered in the chase. Both openers fell inside the PowerPlay, with only 50 runs coming in that period. Mayank Gupta’s duck forced stand-in captain K. Himateja, filling in for the injured C.V. Milind, kept the runs flowing with a 34-ball fifty.

But regular wickets at the other end left him with little support as Aces finished on 155 for nine.

Rahul Buddhi’s unbeaten fifty helped Nalgonda Knights beat Palamuru Strikers by six wickets.
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Earlier, after the five-wicket defeat to Ranga Reddy Risers in its season-opener, Rahul Buddhi had stressed the need for collective contributions if Nalgonda Knights was to make an impact in the inaugural TG20.

On Monday, Rahul backed up those words with a captain’s knock as Knights cruised to a commanding six-wicket victory over Palamuru Strikers. After Md. Arfaz Ahmed and Nishanth Saranu spearheaded an impressive bowling effort to restrict Strikers to 148 for nine, Rahul’s unbeaten half-century guided the chase home with 28 balls to spare.

Palamuru stumbled early, losing three wickets in the PowerPlay for just 30 runs. Skipper Pragnay Reddy then steadied the innings with a 37-run stand alongside Chaitanya Reddy before adding 74 with Rathan Teja.

The pair rotated the strike smartly, found the boundary regularly and reached their fifties in 32 balls, taking the Strikers past 100 and setting the platform for a strong finish.

But once the duo departed, the innings lost momentum. Arfaz added a personal milestone by dismissing his elder brother, Md. Afreedi Ahmed, as Knights closed out the innings strongly.

Debutant Jashwanth Mote and Gaurav Reddy then gave Knights a brisk start before Rishab Baslas struck in successive overs. Rahul then took charge, sharing a crucial 48-run partnership with P. Nitish Reddy to put the chase beyond Strikers’ reach.

He brought up his fifty with a six off just 30 balls before hitting the winning run to lift Knights to second place. Strikers, meanwhile, remain rooted to the bottom of the table.

– Anirudh Velamuri

Andhra Premier League: Bhimavaram Bulls through to the final

Bhimavaram Bulls defeated Amaravathi Royals by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 of the Andhra Premier League at the ACA International Stadium in Mangalagiri on Sunday.

K. Karan Shinde’s 37-ball half-century gave Royals a strong start, but a flurry of wickets allowed Bulls to seize control of the contest. A late unbeaten cameo from U.A.V. Varma (34 n.o., 15b, 4×4, 1×6) lifted the Royals to 164 for nine.

Bulls made a flying start to the chase through an 89-run opening partnership between M. Hemanth Reddy and K. Revanth Reddy. Hemanth raced to a 19-ball fifty, reaching the milestone with a boundary through deep point.

T. Vigneswara Sai Sravan and M. Dheeraj Kumar then ensured there were no further hiccups, steering Bulls home with 47 balls to spare.

Earlier, rain reduced the Eliminator between Vizag Lions and Vijayawada Sunshiners to a six-overs-a-side contest.

Explosive knocks from K. Haneesh Veera Reddy (36 off 12 balls) and M. Dhanush (27 off 10) powered the Lions to 85. In reply, the Sunshiners fell 16 runs short as the Lions advanced.

-Team Sportstar

VCA senior men’s team to tour Namibia for five one-day matches in July

A 16-member senior men’s squad of the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) will tour Namibia to play five one-day matches against the African country’s national team in Windhoek from June 30 to July 10 on the invitation of Cricket Namibia.

The tour will provide the reigning Vijay Hazare Trophy champions valuable international exposure in the pre-season.

The squad will be led by Yash Kadam, while Yash Rathod has been named the vice-captain.

The touring squad comprises a mix of established players as well as emerging talents identified through their performances in the recently-concluded Vidarbha Premier League.

The five matches are tentatively scheduled to be played on July 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10.

The Squad: Yash Kadam (captain), Yash Rathod (vice-captain), Adhyayan Daga, Aditya Ahuja, Rohit Binkar (wk), Vedant Jajoo (wk), Parth Rekhade, Mandar Mahale, Mohd. Faiz, Aditya Thakare, Nachiket Bhute, Saurabh Dubey, Sanmesh Deshmukh, Jagjot Sasan, Varun Bisht, Gaurav Farde.

-PTI

SQUASH

Om Semwal edges out Hugo Jaen in HCL Squash PSA Challenger – Mumbai

India’s Om Semwal edged out Spain’s Hugo Jaen 15-13, 8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9 in 69 minutes in the men’s opening round of the HCL Squash PSA Challenger Tour-Mumbai at the Juhu Vile Parle Gymkhana Club on Monday.

– Team Sportstar

GOLF

Akshay Bhatia posts another top-five finish as Hovland wins Travelers in Monday finish

Akshay Bhatia continued his impressive run on the PGA Tour, finishing tied fifth at the rain-hit Travelers Championship after carding a solid four-under 67 in the final round here.

Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland totalled 21-under to get into a play off that was pushed to Monday. Hovland came back and won with a birdie on the first play off hole got his 12th PGA Tour win but first in over a year.

The 24-year-old Bhatia, an Indian-origin golfer ended the week at 18-under 262 after rounds of 66, 62, 67 and 67 at TPC River Highlands.

Although he slipped from a share of third to tied fifth on the final day, it was yet another encouraging performance from one of the brightest young stars on the PGA TOUR.

Bhatia made a positive start with three birdies on his opening nine holes to stay within striking distance of the leaders. His only blemish came with a bogey on the 10th, but he recovered with another birdie at the par-five 13th.

Despite creating several opportunities over the closing stretch, he could not convert enough birdie chances to mount a late charge.

Fellow Indian-origin players also ended the week with respectable performances.

Aaron Rai, the reigning PGA Championship winner, signed for a one-under 69 to finish tied 30th at 11-under. Sahith Theegala produced his best round of the tournament, a five-under 65, to climb into tied 51st place on seven-under overall.

While Bhatia completed his round, attention shifted to a dramatic battle for the title between World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Norway’s Viktor Hovland.

The final round was interrupted for nearly 90 minutes because of thunderstorms that swept across the course, forcing players off the fairways.

After play resumed, fading daylight prevented tournament officials from staging the playoff even though Scheffler and Hovland finished regulation tied at 21-under 259.

As a result, the championship was decided on Monday in a sudden-death playoff, marking the first PGA TOUR event to extend into an extra day since The Players Championship last year.

-PTI

Diksha caps impressive European run with strong finish at Czech Ladies Open

India’s Diksha Dagar continued her excellent run on the Ladies European Tour (LET), signing off with a tied 12th finish after carding a fine four-under 68 in the final round of the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open here.

India also enjoyed another encouraging week through Pranavi Urs, who fired one of the day’s best rounds with a five-under 67. Starting from the back nine, Pranavi caught fire on her inward stretch, playing her second nine in six-under 30 with an eagle and four birdies to climb into a tie for 24th at the end of the tournament.

Experienced Vani Kapoor rounded off her campaign with a one-under 71. She mixed three birdies with two bogeys to finish tied 49th after rounds of 68, 70 and 71, another positive sign after returning to weekend action following a lengthy gap.

Avani Prashanth, Ridhima Dilawari and Hitaashee Bakshi missed the cut in the low scoring event.

While the Indian contingent delivered another solid collective performance, the tournament belonged to Finland’s Noora Komulainen, who finally celebrated her maiden Ladies European Tour title after almost 14 years on the circuit.

Coming into the final day after rounds of 66 and 69, Diksha produced another composed performance, highlighted by a spectacular eagle on her closing hole. Her three-round total of 13-under 203 left her just outside the top 10, backing up last week’s tied-third finish at the Dutch Ladies Open and underlining her growing consistency on the LET this season.

Beginning the final round one shot behind the lead, Komulainen surged home with four successive birdies over her closing holes to card a six-under 66 and finish at 18-under par. That score matched those of Australia’s Justice Bosio and Sweden’s Lisa Pettersson, forcing a three-way playoff at Royal Beroun Golf Club.

The playoff returned to the par-five 18th, where all three players chose to lay up before attacking the green with their third shots. Komulainen produced the decisive approach, knocking her wedge to within six feet. After Bosio and Pettersson failed to convert their birdie opportunities, the Finnish veteran calmly rolled in her putt to secure a long-awaited breakthrough victory in her 199th LET appearance.

-PTI

TABLE TENNIS

Asian Youth C’ships: U-19 boys assured of medal, girls bow out in quarters

India’s U-19 boys’ team on Monday defeated Hong Kong 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the Asian Youth Championships in Bangkok to assure itself of at least a bronze medal and a direct berth in the next year’s World Youth Table Tennis Championships.

Hong Kong drew first blood when Li Ki Ho beat Priyanuj Bhattacharyya 11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8. India quickly restored parity as PB Abhinandh overcame Wong Alvin 8-11, 11-7, 11-3, 5-11, 11-4 in a hard-fought five-game encounter.

MR Balamurugan then put India ahead with a commanding 11-8, 11-4, 11-7 victory over Lo Ka Kit, before Abhinandh sealed the tie, defeating Li Ki Ho 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6.

The Indian boys will now take on top seeds China in the semifinal.

Having reached the semifinals, India are assured of at least a bronze medal, with all four semifinalists also securing automatic qualification for the 2027 World Youth Championships.

It is a significant achievement for the Indian boys, who had earlier topped Group 2 with identical 3-0 victories over Thailand and Uzbekistan before receiving a bye into the quarterfinals.

The Indian U-19 girls, however, fell short of the medal rounds, losing 1-3 to Hong Kong in the quarterfinals. They will now have to qualify for next year’s World Youth Championships through the Asian qualification process.

Hong Kong opened the tie with Su Tsz Tung edging Syndrela Das 11-6, 11-8, 10-12, 4-11, 11-6 before Mak Ming Shum doubled the lead with a 11-9, 11-5, 11-9 victory over Divyanshi Bhowmick.

India pulled one match back through M Hansini, who produced one of the best performances of the tie, overcoming Yuen Sum Lok 11-13, 11-4, 18-16, 11-7 after saving a match point in the third game.

But Hong Kong sealed the contest when Su Tung returned to defeat Divyanshi 11-7, 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-8 in another closely contested five-game match.

Meanwhile, in the U-15 girls’ team event, China beat India 3-0 in the quarterfinals, while the Indian paddlers beat Thailand 3-2 in a tough Round-of-16 tie.

Earlier, the U-15 boys lost to Japan 3-0 in the quarterfinals, with Vatsan Duklan, playing the third rubber, stretching his opponent, Ukyo Kobayashi, before losing 6-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-7, 4-11.

-PTI

BADMINTON

Badminton Asia Junior Team C’ship: India loses to Hong Kong in quarters

India’s campaign in the Badminton Asia Junior Mixed Team Championship came to an end following 1-2 loss against Hong Kong in the quarterfinals here on Monday.

India started strong in the opening match with Dev Ruparelia and Tanvi Patri giving the team a strong start as India led 22-12 after two matches.

The doubles combinations then ensured that their was no hiccups as they clinched the set 55-44.

But the start of the second game turned things around for Hong Kong as Can Yee Hei beat Ruparelia 11-8 and IP Sum Yau extended their lead to 22-16. The doubles combinations could not cut down the deficit as the match went into a decider.

Ruparelia once again gave India a lead by beating Chan 11-9 but Yau managed to close the gap to 22-21.

The mixed doubles combination of Bjorn Jaison and Dianka Waldia kept India ahead with a 33-32 lead as the match against Cheung Sai Shing and Wing Chi Chu ended 11-11.

Tanvi Reddy Andluri and Baruni Parshwal went down to Chu and Yi Kiu Yu 5-11 and India could not recover from that and lost the set 43-55.

-PTI

Published on Jun 29, 2026