INDIAN FOOTBALL

Bengaluru FC, FC Goa, Punjab FC set for Japan tour

The top three teams from the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL), India’s premier Under-21 youth football competition, will go on an international exposure tour to Japan.

The U-21 teams from Bengaluru FC, FC Goa and Punjab FC have earned the opportunity to compete against top Japanese opposition as part of the Foundation’s continued investment in youth development.

The tour, taking place from July 11–23 July in Fukuoka, will see the three Indian clubs compete against leading Japanese youth sides Avispa Fukuoka U-18, Sagan Tosu U-18, Giravanz Kitakyushu U-18 and FC Baleine Shimonoseki U-21.

Recognising that player development goes hand in hand with coach development, the programme also includes a dedicated three-day coach education module for six coaches from the participating clubs at Avispa Fukuoka. The curriculum will include sessions on Individual Development Plans, player progression and high-performance environments, alongside interactions with the Football Director of FC Machida Zelvia, whose club has risen from the J2 League to the AFC Champions League Elite Final in just three years.

Beyond football, the delegation will participate in cultural visits to the Nagasaki Peace Stadium, Atomic Bomb Museum and Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, reflecting Reliance Foundation’s holistic approach to player and coach development.

– Team Sportstar

Oriental Cup 2026 begins tomorrow with defending champion DPS RK Puram taking on Government Girls Senior Secondary School

The Oriental Cup 2026 is set to kick off at the Dr. Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, with defending champion DPS RK Puram and Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Faridabad headlining the opening-day action as it begins its title defence.

The fourth edition will bring together more than 48 teams from schools across Delhi-NCR in the boys’ Under-17 and girls’ Under-19 categories. In a change from the previous edition, the tournament will be played entirely in a knockout format, with matches in the initial stages comprising two 15-minute halves.

Defending boys’ champions DPS RK Puram will begin their campaign in the opening match of the tournament against Vasant Valley School. DPS RK Puram lifted the 2025 title after edging past The Mother’s International School 5-4 in a penalty shootout in the final and will return to the competition aiming to become the first boys’ team to successfully defend the Oriental Cup title.

TENNIS

Karnataka’s Puneeth and Shrishti set for historic Wimbledon debut

Karnataka’s Puneeth Manohar and Srishti Kiran, are set to make their grass-court debuts at the Under-14 Junior Championships at Wimbledon.

The tournament will take place at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in London from Thursday, July 9, to Sunday, July 12. Incidentally, Puneet and Srishti are the only Indians representing the country in the U-14 category.

Both the 14-year-old Bengaluru athletes earned their exclusive qualification spots following successful campaigns at the ITF Asia Under-14 Development Championships Finals held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where they secured their places on the elite ITF Grand Slam Player Development Programme (GSPDP) touring team.

Puneeth enters the tournament as Asia’s No.1 ranked player in the Under-14 division, a milestone he secured after clinching the Week 1 singles title in Colombo.

-Team Sportstar

SQUASH

Amarya Bajaj clinches Dutch Junior Open U-13 Title

India’s rising squash player Amarya Bajaj delivered a sensational performance to capture the Dutch Junior Open 2026 Under-13 Boys’ title, overcoming a series of world-class opponents, including Daniel Stevenson of England, 3-1 in the final.

Amarya began his campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over an Egyptian opponent in the opening round before overcoming a strong challenge from England’s Arlo Smith (3-0) in the second round. In the pre-quarterfinals, he stunned the No. 1 Kaelen Low of Singapore 3-0, followed by another impressive win over an Egyptian Badr Hassan, 3-1 in the quarterfinals.

His toughest challenge came in the semifinals, where he blanked the European No. 1 Alex Kosztyu from Hungary in a high-quality contest to book his place in the final. There, Amarya produced another exceptional performance to defeat the top-seeded English player, sealing the prestigious Dutch Junior Open title.

– Team Sportstar

ESPORTS

Benjamin Bok beats Vidit Gujrathi at ‘India Rising: Road to EWC’, secures World Cup 2026 spot

Dutch Grandmaster Benjamin Bok secured qualification for the Esports World Cup 2026 Chess competition after defeating Indian GM Vidit Gujrathi 2-1 in sets at the India Rising: Road to EWC, held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai.

The event is a first-of-its-kind gaming and youth culture festival launched by JioBLAST and the Esports Foundation (EF), where, alongside the competitive action, outstanding achievements across the Indian gaming ecosystem were recognised through the inaugural Gaming Honours, celebrating creators, players and organisations shaping the industry’s growth.

James Cunningham, head of strategy, Esports Foundation, said: “India has established itself as one of the world’s most exciting gaming markets, and India Rising: Road to EWC demonstrated both the scale of its community and the quality of its competitive talent. Together with JioBLAST, we’re proud to have created a meaningful qualification pathway that connects Indian audiences and players with the global Esports World Cup ecosystem.”

Commenting on the successful conclusion of India’s biggest gaming festival, Charlie Cowdrey, CEO, JioBLAST, said, “India Rising: Road to EWC reflects our long-term commitment to building India’s gaming ecosystem by creating a platform where competition, creators, fans, and industry can come together. The enthusiasm we’ve witnessed throughout the festival reinforces India’s emergence as one of the world’s most exciting gaming markets. This is only the first chapter, and we look forward to expanding the platform in the years ahead while creating more pathways for Indian talent to connect with the global stage.”

-Team Sportstar

GOLF

Aditi records third-place finish; Diksha tied 7th at Hulencourt Women’s Open

Indian golfer Aditi Ashok finished a creditable third, while Diksha Dagar signed off tied seventh at the Hulencourt Women’s Open.

Aditi carded a two-under 70 in the final round on Sunday to finish at nine-under 279, three shots behind Spain’s Carolina Lopez Chacarra, who closed with a four-under 68 to claim the title at 12-under 276.

Overnight leader Kelsey Bennett of Australia faltered with a one-over 73 to finish runner-up at nine-under.

Aditi and Diksha had begun the final round tied for third at five-under, five shots behind Bennett.

Diksha, however, struggled to a three-over 75 and slipped into a share of seventh at two-under 286 alongside Finland’s Noora Komulainen (70), USA’s Brianna Navarrosa (69), Australia’s Kirsten Rudgeley (69) and South Africa’s Nadia van der Westhuizen (69).

Pranavi Urs produced one of the rounds of the day, firing a six-under 66 to climb into a tie for 18th at even-par 288.

Youngster Avani Prashanth signed off with a one-under 71 to finish tied 42nd at six-over 294.

-PTI

HOCKEY

Hockey India names players for sub-junior men’s national camp ahead of Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship 2026

Hockey India has announced names of the 15 players who will be part of the sub-junior men’s national camp in preparation for the inaugural Men’s Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship 2026, set to take place in Muscat, Oman, from July 20 to 25.

The camp is being conducted from July 7 to 18 at Panjab University, Sector 14, Chandigarh, where the country’s promising young players will train under the guidance of coach and former India captain Sardar Singh.

All 15 players in the group were also part of the Indian squad that featured in the recently-concluded Under-18 Men’s Asia Cup 2026 where the team clinched the gold medal after defeating host Japan 4-1 in the final.

– Team Sportstar

CRICKET

TG20: Khammam Aces make inaugural playoffs

There was pressure. There were expectations. And then there was K. Himateja. The southpaw stood tallest when it mattered most, hammering an unbeaten century to seal Khammam Aces’ spot in the inaugural TG20 playoffs with a 19-run victory over Medak Falcons at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

That this was Himateja’s final appearance before departing for the Emerging Men’s Tournament in Bengaluru made his knock all the more unforgettable.

Aces stumbled early as G. Sai Krishna Reddy and Wafi Kachchhi fell to T. Ravi Teja. Himateja, however, wrested back control, combining with Mickil Jaiswal to take the score to 57 for two in the PowerPlay before Arjun Gorrapalli broke the stand.

The breakthrough barely dented the momentum. Himateja and A. Prateek Reddy stitched together a commanding 99-run partnership, with Prateek playing the supporting role as Himateja raced to a 24-ball fifty.

A brief rain interruption failed to break his rhythm. After play resumed, Madhukar Manne dismissed Prateek, but Himateja marched on to his maiden TG20 hundred in just 55 balls, before an unbeaten 32-run stand (17 balls) with captain C.V. Milind to lift Aces to 190 for five.

Falcons came out firing, Shrunjith Reddy and Naman Agarwal plundering 57 runs in the first five overs. But Vidyananda Reddy swung the contest in the final over of the PowerPlay, dismissing Naman and Ravi Teja.

Shrunjith reached a 39-ball fifty, but once Wafi Kachchhi rattled his stumps, the chase unravelled. Ishan Sharma’s cameo (15-ball 34) only delayed the inevitable, as Falcons ended the season rock bottom, while Aces climbed to the second spot.

The scores: Khammam Aces 190/5 in 20 overs (K. Himateja 103 n.o., A. Prateek Reddy 32, T. Ravi Teja 2/48) bt Medak Falcons 171/7 in 20 overs (Naman Agarwal 32, Shrunjith Reddy 60, Ishan Sharma 34, Y. Harshith Sai 2/31, E. Vidyananda Reddy 2/7, Wafi Kachchhi 2/15).

– Team Sportstar

CHESS

Abhijeet Gupta held for draw but retains lead in Pune International Grandmaster

Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta was on Monday held for a draw by IM Akshay Borgaonkar but retained sole lead after the seventh round of the Pune International Grandmaster Round Robin chess tournament here.

Gupta remained at the top position with a total of 5.5 points.

Advik Agarwal registered an impressive victory over compatriot Nitish Belurkar to climb to fourth place in the standings with 4 points.

IM Kushagra Mohan defeated Belarusian GM Fedorov Alexei to move into third place with 5 points, whereas India’s IM Ashwath S continued his fine run by defeating Belarusian GM Alexey Alexandrov, maintaining second place with 5 points.

LMST de Silva from Sri Lanka recorded a convincing victory over USA’s FIDE Master Vaidyanathan Kannan.

-PTI

Published on Jul 06, 2026