Indian sports wrap, January 26: Bhambri’s exit brings curtains down on India’s challenge at Australian Open

TENNIS

India’s challenge at the Australian Open came to an end on Sunday after Yuki Bhambri and his Swedish partner Andre Goransson bowed out in the third round of the men’s doubles, here.

Bhambri and Goransson went down 6-7(7), 3-6 to Brazil’s unseeded pairing of Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos in a closely contested match that lasted just over an hour.

The Indo-Swedish combination fought hard in the opening set but failed to capitalise in the tie-break, and the Brazilians maintained their composure to seal the second set without much trouble.

With Bhambri’s exit, India’s campaign at the season’s first Grand Slam has concluded.

Bhambri had already made an earlier exit from the mixed doubles, while N Sriram Balaji had bowed out previously from the men’s doubles.

Maaya Rajeshwaran and Arnav Paparkar exited the junior Australian Open on Saturday with first round exits.

-PTI

DOMESTIC CRICKET

Bihar crushes Manipur by 568 runs in Ranji Trophy Plate final, returns to Elite group

Bihar capitalised on opener Piyush Singh’s magnificent second-innings double century and incisive bowling spells from Suraj Kashyap and Himanshu Singh to hammer Manipur by a massive 568 runs in the Plate final, sealing a triumphant return to the Ranji Trophy Elite Group on Monday.

Bihar, whose Ranji Trophy journey has been marked by turbulence, had briefly broken into the Elite Group in the 2022-23 season before slipping back to the Plate Group in 2024-25.

Now restored to the top tier, it is pressing ahead with a rebuilding phase under skipper Sakibul Gani, anchored by the promise of teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

On Monday, Bihar set Manipur an improbable target of 764 after Raghuvendra Pratap Singh fell agonisingly short of a century, dismissed for his overnight score of 90, prompting the declaration of the second innings at 505 for 6.

Bihar, which had scored 522 in the first innings and then dismissed Manipur for 264, got rid of its opponents for 195 in the second essay, with spinners Suraj Kumar Kashyap (3/32) and Himanshu Singh (3/49) taking three wickets each on the fifth and final day.

The architects of the emphatic victory were skipper Gani (108) and Bipin Saurabh (143), who struck fine centuries in the first innings, and Piyush Singh, who followed it up with an unbeaten 216 off 322 balls in the second innings as Bihar piled on the runs against a hapless Manipur.

Bihar declared after just nine balls on the final day, with Raghuvendra unable to add to the team’s overnight total of 505, prompting Gani to call an early declaration and give his side a full day to dismantle Manipur.

Bihar’s bowlers left Manipur in deep trouble at 50 for five inside 14 overs, a collapse that worsened to 70 for seven by the 23rd, before a rearguard 102-ball 74 from teenager Pheiroijam Jotin briefly frustrated the attack and delayed the inevitable.

The 19-year-old Jotin then added 83 runs for the eighth wicket with L. Kishan Singha, who made 30 off 76 balls, as the pair briefly appeared determined to deny Bihar an outright victory.

Once the partnership was broken in the 44th over, with pacer Akash Raj accounting for Kishan Singha, the outright win became a foregone conclusion. Jotin fell a few overs later, extinguishing the last semblance of resistance in Manipur’s batting.

Earlier this month, Bihar had also secured promotion to the Elite League in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, defeating Manipur by six wickets in the final.

GOLF

PGTI’s 72 The League expands with Rajasthan-based franchise

The Professional Golf Tour of India’s (PGTI) on Monday announced a new Rajasthan-based franchise for its flagship ‘72 The League’, which is scheduled to begin on February 21.

The inaugural edition of the League, jointly launched by PGTI and Game of Life Sports (GOLS), will be held across three of Delhi-NCR’s most prestigious golf venues — Classic Golf & Country Club, Jaypee Greens, and Qutab Golf Course.

The league will feature city-based franchises, each comprising 10 professional players, selected through a transparent player auction.

Leading golfers from the PGTI circuit will participate, creating one of the largest competitive platforms Indian professional golf has ever seen.

-PTI

TABLE TENNIS

Indian paddlers shine in Doha WTT Youth Contender and Feeder events

Indian paddlers enjoyed a rich haul of 10 medals, including four gold, at the 2026 WTT Star Youth Contender and Feeder events in Doha, highlighted by Ahona Ray’s top-podium finish in the fiercely contested Under-15 girls’ category.

India enjoyed a sweep of the podium in the Under-15 girls’ category, with Ahona, Ankolika Chakraborty and Naisha Rewaskar finishing in the top three positions.

Ankolika and Naisha also teamed up to secure a silver medal in the Under-15 girls’ doubles in the age group at the tournament held from January 23 to 25.

India’s gold rush continued in the doubles and mixed events. Aakash Rajavelu and Rishaan Chattopadhyay bagged the U15 boys’ doubles gold, while the duo of Divyanshi Bhowmick and P B Abhinand won the Under-19 mixed doubles gold.

Another top-podium finish came through Ankolika and Aditya Das, who secured gold in the Under-15 mixed doubles.

In the singles events, Abhinand earned silver in the Under-19 boys, Divyanshi claimed bronze in the Under-19 girls, and Aditya added bronze in the Under-15 boys, rounding off a successful campaign.

Besides the four gold, India also won three silver, and three bronze.

-PTI

Published on Jan 26, 2026