OTHER SPORTS
SAI signs MoU with Japan’s University of Tsukuba for partnership in multiple fields
The Sports Authority of India on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japan’s University of Tsukuba that will facilitate participation of Indian athletes, coaches, and sports scientists in specialised training and exchange programmes in that country.
In a statement issued here, SAI said the MoU would also lead to enhanced cooperation in areas such as coach education, sports management, facility development, sports medicine, physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, injury prevention, sports science research and athlete performance enhancement.
The University of Tsukuba (UT) is one of Asia’s leading institutions in sports education, sports science and athlete development.
A key feature of the partnership is the focus on disciplines such as athletics, archery, table tennis, swimming and judo, disciplines in which India is seeking to expand its international competitiveness over the coming decade.
“The collaboration will also facilitate joint research projects in sports science and medicine, sports performance analysis and internship opportunities through the Tsukuba International Academy for Sport Studies (TIAS 2.0),” the SAI release stated.
The agreement was signed by University of Tsukuba President Kyosuke Nagata, and Manjushree Dayanand, Deputy Director General, SAI.
“The partnership is committed for three consecutive years and builds upon the broader sports cooperation framework established between the Governments of India and Japan in 2016 and an earlier institutional MoU signed in 2018 between the University and SAI.”
The renewed India-Japan partnership comes at a time when India is preparing for a packed international sporting calendar leading into the 2030 Commonwealth Game, which the country is set to host.
“The MoU also provides opportunities for Indian athletes, coaches, sports scientists and SAI administrators to participate in specialised training, exchange and attachment programmes in Japan, while opening avenues for higher education and academic collaboration between SAI and the University of Tsukuba.”
-PTI
CRICKET
DDCA Women’s T20 League grows to 60 teams, over 700 players for second edition
District Cricket Association (DDCA) on Friday launched the second edition of its Women’s T20 League, and the expanded version will see participation from 60 teams and over 700 players.
The inaugural season of the league in 2025 had 42 teams in it, and the addition of 18 new teams underlines the growth of women’s club cricket in the national capital.
The competition, inaugurated by DDCA President Rohan Jaitley, will feature 10 groups of six teams each, including established clubs such as Delhi Gymkhana CC, Hind CC, Young Friends CC, Delhi Blues CC and City Gymkhana.
“Last year, we started the league as an initiative in which 42 clubs participated. This year, the number has increased to around 60 clubs and more than 700 players,” Jaitley told PTI Videos.
“The intent is to give players an off-season platform that combines competition, performance review and complete training. As the league grows with time, performance and development will continue to multiply,” he added.
The matches will be played across five venues in the city: Modern School (Grounds 1 and 2) in Barakhamba Road, Shivaji College in Rajouri Garden, Guru Gobind Singh College in Pitampura and Modern School Ground in Mohan Garden, Uttam Nagar.
The DDCA vice-president Shikha Kumar attributed the increase in participation this year to growing opportunities in women’s cricket and the heightened interest following India’s recent success on the global stage.
“There is year-on-year growth. Going from around 42 teams to 60 teams is a significant achievement for DDCA and for young girls playing cricket,” Kumar said.
“Parents are increasingly realising the opportunities available in women’s cricket. The response from clubs has been very encouraging.” Kumar also said DDCA intends to expand support structures for women cricketers through additional training camps and enhanced physical and mental well-being programmes.
The DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma said the league has become an important talent identification platform for the Delhi Premier League (DPL) and future representative teams.
“Last year we had 42 teams and this year we have 60. The league is helping us create a larger database of players, making it easier for franchises and selectors to identify talent,” Sharma said.
Sharma revealed that DDCA plans to restructure the women’s competition into a divisional format from the 2026-27 season, with teams classified into multiple divisions based on performance.
Sharma also announced that women’s teams would receive prize money and facilities on par with men’s teams.
“Our president has announced that women’s teams will receive the same cash rewards as men’s teams. They will also receive the same facilities,” Sharma said.
“Our aim is to ensure the women’s league continues to grow in Delhi and helps players progress to higher levels, including representing the state and the country,” he added.
-PTI
GOLF
Veer Ahlawat leads Indian challenge in Switzerland
Veer Ahlawat was the top Indian at the end of the first round of the Swiss Challenge at Golf Sempach here.
Ahlawat carded a round of 2-under 69 and placed tied 28th while Arjun Prasad was one shot behind at 1-under 71 to be placed T-41.
Saptak Talwar had a rough day and was placed T-110 after carding 3-over 74.
Christoffer Bring of Denmark led the field after carding a bogey free 7-under 64 and he was one shot clear of four players, Haydn Barron, George Bloor, Tadeas Tetak and Tobias Eden.
Ahlawat, who played on the main DP World Tour last year, has been dividing his time between the Hotel Planner Tour and the DP World Tour.
He began his opening round on the back nine and was 1-over par at the turn. He had dropped shots early in his round with bogeys on the 11th and 14th holes along with a birdie on the 17th hole.
On the front nine Ahlawat made four birdies in six holes starting with a birdie on the second hole. His third and final bogey of the day was on the sixth hole. He finished the day with five birdies and three bogeys.
Arjun Prasad began on the back nine and made early progress with birdies on the 13th and 15th holes before dropping shots on the 16th and 18th holes to be even par at the turn. An early birdie on the front nine on the first hole allowed him to move back to below par before dropping a shot on the third hole.
Prasad made a birdie on the sixth hole before making his final bogey of the day on the seventh. He finished the round with a late birdie on the ninth hole to end the day at 1-under 70. He is currently placed T-41 on the leaderboard.
Talwar had a difficult start to the week as he carded 3-over 74 to find himself placed T-110 on the leaderboard. Talwar began his day on the front nine and recorded his sole birdie of the day on the fourth hole before dropping shots with a bogey on the eighth followed by a double bogey on the 12th and a bogey on the 18th hole.
Christoffer Bring started his day on the front nine and carded four birdies in the first seven holes before making par for the next six holes. Bring made another three birdies in the last five holes to end the day at 7-under 64. There are four players tied for second place at 6-under par.
-PTI
Weekend work on putting pays Kochhar dividends at AM Green IGPL Bharath Classic
Last week front-runner Karandeep Kochhar experienced a missed cut and had a rare weekend off. Stung by the reverse, Kochhar spent the weekend at the Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort course working on his short game.
It paid off on the first day of the US$500,000 am green IGPL Bharath Classic at the same venue as he carded a 6-under 66 and placed himself one shot behind the leader, Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong (65).
Another Indian Aryan Roopa Anand, a recent winner at IGPL Congo, was also in the Top-10. He shot 4-under 68 and was Tied-eighth.
Kochhar, 26, winner of four pro titles in India, added his first IGPL win last year at the IGPL Dubai and has been in good form. He was Tied-fourth at the Philippine Golf Championship and then Tied-fifth at the high-profile International Series Japan. He also made cuts at the New Zealand and Singapore Opens.
Kochhar said, “I think the key to this round was putting. I felt like I hit the ball well last week as well but the putter was the main difference. The pace on the greens wasn’t there. I would say, I was really much more comfortable than I had been the last a week, but yeah, I think, but I think I’d really put in a lot of work over the last few days, trying to sort off my putting, and I’m very happy that it showed.”
“I put in a lot of work over the weekend and the first few days on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday as well. So I think all of that, all of that work really showed. in today’s round. The course wasn’t playing that easy, I would say, especially midway through the round. It was really windy and that whole stretch of 12, 13, 14, 15 is not easy.”
“The conditions weren’t easy. I think today was definitely a little windier than last week. The tees were also pushed back compared to last week. It made a lot of difference because on a couple of holes, what lines you take off the tee changes. I hit a hybrid on one par-three and a couple for my second shots on par-4s. The course was definitely playing longer.”
Kochhar said, “I think I played really well overall. I drove it well, hit the irons well and putted well. I think last week I struggled with my putting.”
He added, “I am looking forward to the next few rounds. The course is in great shape. It’s not short, it’s quite windy, the greens are good. So I’m looking forward to the next couple of days.”
-Team Sportstar
YOGA
India wins five gold medals at World Yogasana Championships
Host India delivered a commanding performance in the inaugural World Yogasana Championships 2026, clinching five of the first six gold medals on offer to underline its dominance in the sport’s biggest-ever global showcase at the Eka Arena.
West Bengal’s Abhay Burman (Senior Male) and Ritu Mondal (Senior Female) set the tone for the host with gold medal-winning performances in the Traditional Yogasana category, sparking a remarkable run for the Indian contingent before an enthusiastic home crowd.
Roshan Thapa added another gold medal to India’s tally by winning the Senior B Male category with an impressive score of 65.67 points. Bangladesh’s Md Mamun Khan Babu (58.57) and Kyrgyzstan’s Danil Rykov (53.55) finished second and third respectively.
The host rounded off with Jyoti Deurkar claiming gold in the Twisting Body Individual Senior B Female category, scoring 46.14 points ahead of Oman’s Olimuthu Navamani and Japan’s Saori Kyuei.
-Team Sportstar
BRIDGE
Host India fields strong squads for Asia-Pacific Bridge Championship
India will field its strongest-ever contingent across the men’s, women’s, mixed and senior categories at the Asia Cup Bridge Championships 2026, scheduled to be held from June 21–27 at the Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon in Panjim, Goa.
Organised by the Bridge Federation of India (BFI), the continental championship will bring together 46 elite teams representing the finest bridge-playing nations from Asia and Oceania in what promises to be one of the most competitive editions in the tournament’s history.
The Indian contingent will feature some of the country’s most accomplished international stars, including Sumit Mukherjee, Rajeshwar Tiwari, Anil Padhye, Sukamal Das, Kiran Nadar, Monica Jajoo, Puja Batra, Sayantan Kushari, Sagnik Roy, Rajeev Khandelwal and Himani Khandelwal, among others.
India’s rise as a major force in international bridge was firmly established at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, where the country secured its first-ever Asian Games gold medal through the legendary partnership of Pranab Bardhan and Shibhnath Sarkar, who captured the men’s Pairs title.
Their historic achievement remains one of the defining moments in Indian bridge and continues to inspire the current generation of national players.
The Indian challenge this year will be spearheaded by 2018 Asian Games bronze medallists Sumit Mukherjee and Rajeshwar Tiwari.
The contingent also features Asian Games bronze medallist Kiran Nadar, one of India’s most decorated bridge players, who will partner long-time teammate B. Satyanarayana in the mixed teams category.
– PTI
Published on Jun 05, 2026
