After weeks of tension with FIDE, world No.1 Magnus Carlsen is eager to return to competitive play at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. The tournament’s Weissenhaus leg, starting today at a luxury nature resort, will feature a stellar lineup, including reigning classical world champion D. Gukesh.Speaking to ChessBase India, Carlsen expressed excitement about competing against Gukesh, emphasizing the challenge posed by the young Indian grandmaster. He also mentioned his desire to face Hikaru Nakamura again, referring to their previous generational battle. The tournament will also feature World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana, No. 3 Nakamura, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Alireza Firouzja, Levon
After submitting a Letter of Intent to host the 2036 Olympics last October, India has initiated an informal dialogue with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to host the centenary edition in 2030. This would mark 20 years since the country last hosted the event in 2010. Unlike the previous edition held in New Delhi, Ahmedabad has emerged as the frontrunner, with Bhubaneswar also being considered.Over the past week, CGF President Chris Jenkins and CEO Katie Sadlier visited multiple Indian cities, meeting with central and state government officials, including ministers and bureaucrats in Gandhinagar, Bhubaneswar, and New Delhi. They also inspected
In a groundbreaking move, a consortium of top tech leaders, including Microsoft head Satya Nadella, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Times Internet VC Satyan Gajwani, and billionaire Nikesh Arora, has successfully acquired a 49% stake in London Spirit for GBP 295 million. This consortium outbid Sanjiv Goenka, owner of the Lucknow Super Giants, in a four-hour-long online auction.This acquisition is part of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) ambitious plan to privatize The Hundred. With the sale of four teams, including Oval Invincibles and Birmingham Phoenix, the ECB has already secured over GBP 300 million, surpassing its initial GBP 350
Travis Head has secured his first-ever Allan Border Medal at the 2025 Australian Cricket Awards after a stellar year across all formats. He accumulated 208 votes, finishing well ahead of Josh Hazlewood (158) and Pat Cummins (147). Head's consistency saw him amass 1427 runs in the year, including four centuries, earning him the Men's ODI Player of the Year award as well.Josh Hazlewood was honored with the Shane Warne Test Player of the Year award for his exceptional performance, taking 30 Test wickets at an average of 13.17. Adam Zampa was recognized as the Men's T20I Player of the Year
A packed Wankhede Stadium witnessed a masterclass from Abhishek Sharma as he powered India to a crushing 150-run victory over England in the final T20I of the series. Abhishek’s sensational 135 off 54 balls, the highest individual T20I score by an Indian, propelled the hosts to a massive total of 247/9. His innings was laced with 13 sixes—the most by an Indian in a T20I—alongside seven boundaries.Despite losing Sanju Samson early, Abhishek launched a brutal counterattack, dismantling England’s bowling attack. His onslaught started in the third over with aggressive strokes against Jofra Archer and intensified in the fifth over when
India have already secured the series, but the final T20I at Wankhede is far from a dead rubber. England, despite competing well in Pune, lost their way in the latter stages and fell short by 15 runs. While they raised concerns over Harshit Rana’s concussion replacement, their own batting collapse proved to be the real issue.Even England skipper Jos Buttler admitted his team should have won, emphasizing that they had strong positions throughout the game but failed to capitalize. Now, with the series decided, both teams are expected to rotate their squads, giving opportunities to key players ahead of upcoming
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will officially begin selling teams for The Hundred on Thursday, January 30, with Oval Invincibles, the Surrey county-managed London side, being the first to go up for auction. The sale has generated considerable anticipation, as both the ECB and financial firm Raine Group, overseeing the sale, gear up for a disinvestment drive that is expected to attract major investors.Although there were expectations that several Indian Premier League (IPL) team owners would show interest, only four IPL franchises are still in the race, including Mumbai Indians, Lucknow SuperGiants, and SunRisers Hyderabad, with Kolkata Knight
England stormed back into the five-match T20I series with a commanding 26-run victory over India in the third match at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot. India's batting lineup faltered while chasing a target of 172, allowing England to secure a crucial win and keep their hopes alive in the series.India’s innings lacked momentum after Adil Rashid, Jamie Overton, and Brydon Carse choked the middle overs with their disciplined bowling. Rashid dismissed the in-form Tilak Varma, who was deceived by the beauty of a delivery, marking his first failure in five T20Is. Following Tilak’s departure, the Indian innings stagnated, with Hardik
India will look to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead in the T20I series against England as the two teams clash in Rajkot at the batting-friendly Niranjan Shah Stadium. After contrasting half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, India has shown dominance, but contributions from Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson remain critical. England, trailing 0-2, will rely on Jos Buttler and their top-order to step up, while contributions from Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse will again play a vital role in their middle-order stability.India's spinners and England's pacers have driven the narrative so far, but the pitch at Rajkot, which recently
