TENNIS
Dhakshineswar Suresh will get Bengaluru Open wildcard
Dhakshineswar Suresh has been named as a wildcard entrant for the singles most important draw of Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger, scheduled to be held from January 5 to 11 on the S.M. Krishna Tennis Stadium, Bengaluru.
Standing at 6’5”, the 25-year-old featured in India’s prolonged Davis Cup World Group I squad in 2024, adopted by a memorable debut throughout the September 2025 tie in opposition to Switzerland, defeating higher-ranked Swiss participant Jérôme Kym 7–6(4), 6–3 to provide India an early lead and contribute to the staff’s historic 3–1 victory on Swiss soil.
Dhakshineswar is the third Indian to obtain a most important draw wildcard after Sumit Nagal and Aryan Shah.
The Bengaluru Open, an ATP Challenger 125 occasion, provides a complete prize purse of over USD 225,000 with 125 ATP rating factors awarded to the singles champion.
-Workforce Sportstar
EQUESTRIAN
Courtroom restores Jaiveer Singh’s place as EFI Secretary Basic
A Delhi courtroom has restored the place of Col (retd) Jaiveer Singh as Secretary Basic of the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI), holding his suspension by the federation’s Govt Committee unlawful and restored his authority over the federation’s official communications and financial institution accounts.
Principal District and Periods Decide Anju Bajaj Chandna on December 22 restrained EFI from giving impact to the minutes of its Govt Committee assembly on August 21, 2025, which had prolonged Singh’s suspension and appointed one other official as appearing secretary basic.
The courtroom additionally barred Joint Secretary M M Rehman from functioning as appearing secretary basic and restored Singh’s authority over the federation’s official communications and financial institution accounts.
Singh, a former Military officer, was elected Secretary Basic of the EFI in 2019. The federation has been embroiled in extended litigation since 2019.
In November that yr, the Delhi Excessive Courtroom appointed former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi as a court-appointed observer to supervise EFI’s functioning amid allegations of mismanagement.
In Could 2024, the Excessive Courtroom ordered the reinstatement of the 2019-elected Govt Committee, together with Singh, pending disposal of associated writ petitions.
The controversy escalated in March 2025 when EFI’s Govt Committee issued a show-cause discover to Singh alleging monetary misconduct, violation of federation statutes and abuse of authority. On April 11, 2025, Singh was suspended, pending inquiry.
Singh challenged the suspension, arguing that it was imposed with out approval of the Excessive Courtroom-appointed observer and with out convening the overall meeting, as mandated beneath EFI statutes.
He additionally identified that an software in search of Excessive Courtroom permission for his elimination was withdrawn by EFI office-bearers in Could 2025.
Regardless of objections raised by the observer via emails in April 2025, EFI’s Govt Committee prolonged Singh’s suspension in an August 21 assembly and appointed an interim secretary basic.
Singh alleged that in this era, rival office-bearers modified official electronic mail credentials and opened and operated financial institution accounts with out lawful authority.
The courtroom famous that no legitimate government committee decision approving Singh’s preliminary suspension had been positioned on report and that the observer’s approval was neither sought nor obtained. It held that beneath the EFI statutes, a member of the Govt Committee might solely be suspended or eliminated by a two-thirds majority of the overall meeting.
“The position assigned to the observer can’t be undermined,” the courtroom noticed, including that the suspension of a secretary basic was a matter of “due significance” requiring adherence to court-mandated oversight.
Permitting Singh’s plea for interim reduction, the courtroom restored his useful authority as secretary basic, directed banks to raise debit freezes on EFI accounts and dismissed EFI’s software in search of trip of the interim order.
The courtroom clarified that its observations have been prima facie in nature and wouldn’t have an effect on the ultimate adjudication of the swimsuit.
-PTI
KHO KHO
Junior Nationwide Kho Kho Championship to start in Bengaluru from Wednesday, December 31
Round 35 girls and boys groups will compete within the forty fourth Junior Nationwide Kho Kho Championship to be held in Bengaluru from December 31 to January 4.
Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Delhi are the Union Territories taking part within the Championship.
The groups have been divided into eight teams every.
“It’s a competition of Kho Kho by which younger skills from all throughout the nation compete for the title. Identification of the expertise and its recognition performs an vital position in selling sport and sportspersons as we religiously goal for Kho Kho’s inclusion within the Asian Video games, Commonwealth Video games and Olympics,” stated Sudhanshu Mittal, President, Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI).
-PTI
MOTORSPORT
Muddappa again with renewed vigour for Drag Nationals 2025 finale
After a measured first half of the season, ace Bengaluru biker Hemanth Muddappa might be returning this weekend with the title in thoughts as the ultimate two rounds of the MMSC FMSCI Indian Nationwide Motorbike Drag Racing Championship 2025 will get underway right here on Saturday.
Driving for Mantra Racing, the 15-time Nationwide champion will as soon as once more saddle up throughout 4 premier classes as he chases one more milestone season.
The rider, identified throughout the paddock as India’s ‘Drag King’, presently leads two of the 4 courses he contests and stays firmly within the hunt within the different two, preserving alive the prospect of including a number of championships to an already unmatched resume.
Supported by his long-time tuner and technical companion Sharan Pratap, Muddappa will line up on his trusted superbikes, the Gen3 Hayabusa, BMW S1000RR and Ninja 6R within the Unrestricted (Tremendous Sport) class, 1051–1650cc, 851–1050cc and 551–850cc Tremendous Sport classes.
Muddappa started the season in acquainted vogue with a commanding triple, profitable the 551–850cc, 851–1050cc and 1051–1650cc courses. He returned on the final Sunday of September to safe a double within the 851–1050cc and 1051–1650cc classes.
The Unrestricted class produced new winners, with Mumbai’s Hanuman Pawshe and Bengaluru’s former Nationwide champion Alimon Saidalvi taking turns on the high, whereas Hyderabad’s seasoned Mohammed Riyaz, Bengaluru’s Mujahid Pasha and a clutch of rising riders stored the strain excessive.
Mantra Racing additionally celebrated the rise of Mumbai teen Shahrukh Khan, who swept the Indian bike classes in Spherical 2.
For Muddappa, the main target now could be on precision and execution over the ultimate two rounds, the place hundredths of a second might resolve the season.
“Each championship comes all the way down to consistency, teamwork and staying calm when it issues most,” stated Muddappa, looking forward to the decisive double-header.
“The competitors has grown stronger yearly, however that solely pushes us to work tougher. We’re prepared for the problem.”
-PTI
BADMINTON
Senior Nationwide Badminton Championships: Surya, Shruti ship high two seeds packing to achieve semifinals
Producing main upsets, native favorite Surya Charishma Tamiri and seasoned campaigner Shruti Mundada ousted the highest two seeds — Unnati Hooda and Anupama Upadhyaya — in straight video games to advance to the ladies’s singles semifinals of the Senior Nationwide Badminton Championships, right here Friday.
Surya was in full management in opposition to high seed Unnati, sealing a 21-12, 21-15 quarterfinal win in 36 minutes, whereas Shruti accounted for second seed and former nationwide champion Anupama 22-20, 21-12 in a 39-minute contest.
Within the semifinals, Surya will face Rakshita Sree after the 18-year-old got here from a recreation all the way down to beat world junior championships silver medallist Tanvi Sharma 16-21, 21-14, 21-18.
Within the males’s singles class, high seed Kiran George needed to work arduous to beat the problem of eleventh seed Rounak Chauhan 21-18, 21-18 in 41 minutes.
He’ll now face 2024 Odisha Open champion Rithvik Sanjeevi S, who defeated Okay Sathish Kumar 21-13, 22-20 within the different quarterfinal.
The opposite semifinal will see second seed Tharun Mannepalli tackle unseeded Bharat Raghav. Within the quarter finals, Tharun defeated Manraj Singh 21-13, 22-20, whereas Bharat received the higher of Ginpaul Sonna 21-17, 21-13.
The highest seeds in girls’s doubles, Rutuparna and Swetaparna Panda have been additionally knocked out within the pre-quarterfinal stage by Riduvarshini Ramasamy and Sania Sikkandar, who gained 21-16, 21-19.
-PTI
GOLF
Yuvraj Sandhu strikes to the highest of TATA Open leaderboard with scorching 64
Yuvraj Sandhu fired a scorching eight-under 64 to maneuver to the highest of the leaderboard after spherical two of the TATA Open, the PGTI’s season-finale, right here on Friday.
Sandhu (67-64), who performed at Beldih on Friday, totalled 11-under 131 on the midway stage to steer by three photographs and transfer up seven positions from his in a single day tied eighth.
Sandhu, a six-time winner on the PGTI this yr, has already gained the 2025 PGTI Order of Advantage crown and thus sealed his spot on the DP World Tour for subsequent yr. He’s now eyeing a report seventh title on the PGTI.
Twenty-one-year-old Shubham Jaglan (68-66), enjoying his third occasion on the PGTI, struck a four-under 66 at Golmuri in spherical two to maneuver up 4 spots into second place at a complete of eight-under 134.
The midway minimize was declared at two-over 144. Fifty-three professionals made the minimize.
In spherical one, one half of the sector performed its 18 holes at Beldih Golf Membership, whereas the opposite half of the sector performed its 18 holes on the Golmuri Golf Membership.
In spherical two, each halves of the sector switched venues. In rounds three and 4, the main teams will play their first 9 holes at Golmuri earlier than shifting to Beldih to play their second 9 holes.
Sandhu, who was 4 off the lead after spherical one, collected three consecutive birdies on the front-nine. He had a minor blip with a bogey on the tenth earlier than occurring a birdie-spree with six straight birdies from the eleventh to the sixteenth.
Sandhu’s back-nine birdies included two top-class up and downs, two lengthy conversions from a spread of 12 to fifteen ft and two four-feet conversions.
“I used to be feeling the consequences of enjoying back-to-back weeks until the primary spherical on Thursday. There was exhaustion. However at present my physique felt significantly better, I used to be extra accountable for issues and in a position to swing freely. Consequently, my ball-striking was additionally considerably higher,” stated Sandhu.
-PTI
SHOOTING
Suraj Sharma sweeps senior and junior 25m speedy hearth pistol nationwide titles
Madhya Pradesh’s Suraj Sharma delivered a golden double, sweeping each the senior and junior males’s titles within the 25m speedy hearth pistol on the Nationwide Taking pictures Championships on Friday.
Suraj started the senior closing in dominant vogue, hitting 19 of his first 20 targets, and went on to shut the competition with 31 hits, ending three away from defending champion Vijayveer Sidhu of Punjab, who settled for the silver medal with 28 hits.
Rajasthan’s Bhavesh Shekhawat rounded off the rostrum, claiming bronze with a complete of 24 hits.
Earlier within the qualification spherical, Ankur Goel topped the standings with a robust rating of 582-20x. He was adopted intently by Vijayveer, who shot 580-18x, whereas Adarsh Singh completed third with 579-22x. Suraj certified fifth with 579-12x.
Earlier within the RFP junior males closing, Suraj produced one other composed show to win the gold medal with 30 hits.
Mukeshi secured the silver medal, ending with 25 hits. Haryana’s Jatin settled for the bronze medal with 22 hits after a shoot-off, having earlier shot 575-13x in qualification.
Within the senior staff class, Punjab claimed the gold medal with an combination rating of 1725, led by Vijayveer, Udhayveer Sidhu, and Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu.
Haryana secured the silver medal with 1722 via the mixed efforts of Adarsh Singh, Mandeep Singh, and Sameer, whereas the Navy claimed bronze with 1711, courtesy of Pradeep Singh Shekhawat, Rajat Kumar Yadav, and Omkar Singh.
-PTI
Printed on Dec 26, 2025