Sportstar

T20 WORLD CUP SPECIAL-1 A SHARPER LOOK AT PLAYERS THROUGH THE LENS OF DATA AND CONTEXT

T20 World Cups have a habit of being decided before reputations can catch up. In conditions as specific as India and Sri Lanka, roles matter more than stardom, and small patterns often explain big moments. This package looks at 11 players we believe...

WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE 2026 — AN ANALYSIS OF ALL FIVE TEAMS

Strengths Mumbai Indians stayed loyal to a continuity-first philosophy at the mega auction. Retaining Nat Sciver-brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur and G. Kamalini, and bringing back Amelia Kerr for Rs. 3 crore, ensured the core of...

I DON’T LIKE RUNNING BEYOND 60 SECONDS — NOAH LYLES

ven though he competes in the sprints — one of the few events in track and field that has never suffered a shortage of outspoken personalities — Noah Lyles stands out as someone who is probably the brashest of his generation. He enters the track with...

INDIA IN GOLF — KAPIL DEV

From a humble beginning in rural Haryana to the pinnacle of world cricket, Kapil Dev has seen it all. But over nearly three decades, the captain of the 1983 World Cup-winning team has walked many miles to cover the distance from a curious golfer to...

Deepti Sharma

Over 11 years of international cricket, the 28-year-old has amassed an enviable haul of accolades and records. Cover: Deepti Sharma (Shashi Shekhar Kashyap)

Women’s World Cup

India’s road to its maiden title triumph

BATTLE OF MINDS AT THE UPCOMING CHESS WORLD CUP

The last time India hosted the Chess World Cup — way back in 2002 in Hyderabad — for most people, Indian chess began and ended with Viswanathan Anand, who ended up as the champion at the event. Even ardent sports fans would have struggled to answer if...

Asia Cup

Cover: Tilak Varma (ANI)

MANDAVIYA: INDIA MUST BE AMONG THE TOP FIVE SPORTING NATIONS IN THE WORLD BY 2047

Union Sports Minister Dr. Shri Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the Playcom 2025: Business of Sports Summit at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, organised by Thehindu Group’s Sportstar in partnership with global consulting firm KPMG India. On the occasion, the...

WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS: INDIANS SET FOR GLOBAL TEST IN JAPAN

The Japan National Stadium in Tokyo has a special place in the history of Indian athletics. In 2021, Neeraj Chopra won the country’s first Olympic gold medal in track and field when he hurled his javelin to a distance of 87.58m at the multipurpose...

COVER STORY: INDIA MEN AND WOMEN’S HOCKEY TEAMS FACE THEIR BIGGEST TEST OF THE YEAR

The Indian men’s hockey team stumbled in its first attempt to secure a spot at the 2026 World Cup, dropping to seventh in the world after a dismal European leg of the FIH Pro League 2024-25. One win from eight matches and a record seven-game losing...

KEEPING BAZBALL AT BAY

Chess

Indian chess has never had it this good, showcasing its growing prowess with consistency and signalling that the best may still lie ahead. After five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand’s glorious years, Indian chess is now witnessing success stories...

THE GREY ZONE OF GREATNESS

As the sun sank at Lord’s in a haze of tired white flannel and sweat, Zak Crawley, as if auditioning for Richard Linklater’s Beforesunrise, wandered off twice before Jasprit Bumrah could bowl. He then called for the physio after a glancing blow to the...

NBA: OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER’S ROAD TO GLORY

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s journey to the 2025 NBA championship began with heartbreak 13 years earlier. In 2012, a young Thunder team featuring Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden reached the NBA Finals, only to fall to the star-studded...

FROM THE BLOODLINE OF CHAMPIONS

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

A long wait comes to an end as RCB lifts its maiden IPL title, defeating Punjab Kings in a nail-biting final. Cover: Virat Kohli (PTI)

ROHIT SHARMA TOOK HIS TIME IN TESTS. AND THEN MADE IT COUNT

“Iunderstand that I haven’t done justice to my potential and abilities. It’s okay. I want to stay positive and keep looking forward to every challenge that lies ahead.” These words, spoken in October 2014 during an interview at the Cricket Club of...

‘I AM NOT IN FAVOUR OF MATCH-UPS — RASHID KHAN

Rashid Khan has been one of the star performers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for eight years. But the early stages of the 2025 edition were tough for the Afghan spin ace. Returning from a hamstring injury, he struggled in his first few outings...

TREESA JOLLY AND GAYATRI GOPICHAND — BREAKING NEW GROUND

The last Olympic cycle for Indian badminton was mainly about ‘Sat-chi’ — the power-packed men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty — and the dreams of an elusive gold. At the same time, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand or...

Rahul Dravid

The former India captain, back with the Royals, reflects on coaching, continuity and cricket’s changing landscape. Cover: Rahul Dravid (Rajasthan Royals)

Indian track stars chase the American dream

Pradeep Senthil Kumar admits he got a bit of a shock when he started his first year at the University of Nebraska. Born and raised in Chennai, the 21-year-old was barely prepared for the biting winter cold in the American Midwest. “It rarely goes below...

MATCH-WINNERS WHO DROVE INDIA’S TITLE CHARGE

Rohit Sharma Rohit set the tone once again at an ICC tournament with his aggressive approach at the top. Though he scored 180 runs in five innings, his strike rate of 100 stood out — only three batters tallied more runs at a higher rate. His...

Manu Bhaker

The prolific shooter’s rise is all about grit, fire, and an unyielding will to conquer every obstacle

A tournament to celebrate and a test to pass

Jannik Sinner

The Italian overpowered Germany’s Alexander Zverev in straight sets to defend his Australian Open crown Cover: Jannik Sinner (AFP)

2025 DESKTOP SPORTS CALENDAR

TROUBLING BATTERS LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTRE — ASHWIN IN NUMBERS

Few players have analysed cricket as deeply as R. Ashwin. Even fewer have dared to execute their ideas on the field with the same audacity. For over a decade, Ashwin strode the globe as one of the sport’s premier spin exponents, playing a pivotal role...

HIL — A MUCH-NEEDED SHOT IN THE ARM FOR HOCKEY IN INDIA

The murmurs surrounding its return grew louder with the men’s team bagging two successive Olympic bronze medals. Five months since the podium finish in Paris, the revamped Hockey India League (HIL) will finally see the light of day. The men’s...

RAFAEL NADAL EXEMPLIFIED THE GREEK PHILOSOPHER HERACLITUS’S APHORISM — ‘CHARACTER IS DESTINY’.

Youthful exuberance fuelled a record-smashing career that captivated the sporting world for 22 years. Bouncing up and down during the pre-match coin toss, Rafael Nadal resembled a boxer primed for a title fight. His zig-zag sprint to the baseline for...

Border-gavaskar Trophy

Irrespective of which way this five-test series swings, it will be the final one for many stalwarts across both teams Cover: Pat Cummins & Rohit Sharma (Getty Images)

Hockey

When Hockey India named a “restructured” squad for the upcoming Women’s Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) last month, it was notable that the federation acknowledged more than superficial changes in the side. It wasn’t just about the presence or absence of...

Women’s T20 World Cup

New Zealand women clinch the crown

P. R. Sreejesh

He became a national symbol of optimism and pride when he stood in the goal. Now that he has bid farewell to the sport, we decipher the man hockey loved back Cover: P. R. Sreejesh (Thulasi Kakkat)

Chess Olympiad

India swept both the Open and Women’s gold medals in Budapest, marking a monumental achievement in the sport Cover: (FIDE)

A NEW SUMIT FOR INDIA

FAREWELL GABBAR, THANKS FOR THE BLOCKBUSTER ENTERTAINMENT

The Roshanara Club in Delhi holds an iconic place in India's cricket history. It was here that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was founded, and the venue has hosted numerous first-class matches. In one such game in 2010, Shikhar Dhawan...

NEERAJ CHOPRA AT PEACE WITH PARIS SILVER

It’s 12.35 in the morning. Neeraj Chopra has finally stepped outside the security gates of the Stade de France. The 26-year-old is exhausted. He has been on his feet since early that evening when he was competing in the men’s javelin throw competition....

MANU BHAKER & SARABJOT SINGH

P. R. Sreejesh

Re ecting on the signi cance of the Tokyo 2020 hockey bronze medal and a rare fourth Olympic appearance

ROHIT SHARMA AND VIRAT KOHLI MAY HAVE SAID THEIR GOODBYES TO T20I CRICKET, BUT THEIR LEGACIES WILL ENDURE FOREVER

The fans of the Indian cricket team know all about pantomime. From the disappointment of a semifinal defeat in the 2022 T20 World Cup and the harrowing pain of losing the final of the 50-over World Cup at home last year to now rising back up again...

ONE LIFT AT A TIME

Before her training sessions at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala, Mirabai Chanu takes off her shoes and places them on a footwear rack next to the main entrance of the weightlifting hall, at the other end of which there is a multi-faith...