Indian Sports Report, May 13: Jhulan Goswami calls Bengal Pro T20 League ‘huge platform’ for women’s cricket

CRICKET

Bengal T20 League changes women’s cricket landscape: Jhulan

On the sidelines of the Women’s Auction for the Bengal T20 League, former India pacer and Bengal cricket icon Jhulan Goswami, who also serves as a mentor of women’s cricket at the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), hailed the tournament’s impact on women’s cricket in the state and called it a «huge platform» for the next generation of players.

Earlier this week, the Bengal T20 League concluded its first-ever player auction for Season 3, where franchises built their squads from a pool of over 1,000 cricketers, with significant investments across both senior and emerging categories in men’s and women’s cricket. Shahbaz Ahmed emerged as the top choice for Rs. 12.20 lakh, while Mita Paul became the highest rated player in the women’s auction at Rs. 3 lakhs.

Goswami credited the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) with investing heavily in grassroots cricket and said the women’s game in Bengal has witnessed tremendous growth over the years. «When I played for Bengal, there were hardly 60 to 70 girls playing. Now, more than 500 girls are registered in the Bengal T20 League,» she said.

Goswami believes the league will help young cricketers get exposed to professional environments while preparing them for the pressures of top-level cricket. «There will be pressure, nervousness, social media involvement and cameras around them. Many of them have never experienced these things before. Hopefully they will overcome all this and perform well,» she said.

– Team Sportstar

FOOTBALL

Minerva Academy crowned AIFF Sub-Junior League champions

Minerva Academy FC were crowned champions of the AIFF Sub-Junior League 2025-26 after a 4-1 win over Classic Football Academy at Scamper Park, FC Madras in Mahabalipuram on Wednesday.

Khutheipham Muktar Rehman opened the scoring in the eighth minute with an olimpico, curling a corner straight into the net to give Minerva an early lead.

The Punjab side, who dominated possession and created chances at regular intervals, doubled their lead in the 27th minute when Ngayaiza Zingyo won the ball from Kangjam Rickson Singh and smashed a powerful right-footed effort past the goalkeeper.

Minerva made it 3-0 in the 33rd minute through captain Rimoson Singh Huidrom, whose long-range left-footed shot hit the post before going in. By halftime, Minerva had registered seven shots on target and had 60 percent possession.

Classic Football Academy pulled one back in the 70th minute when captain Ngangom Suman Singh scored with a looping header after a rebound from a corner. Another almost followed immediately afterwards, but Minerva goalkeeper Tonmoy produced a sharp save to keep his side’s two-goal goal intact.

Minerva sealed the win in the 90th minute after substitute Thangmingun Kipgen was fouled by Ngangom Suman Singh in the penalty area. Khumanthem Lanchenba Meitei converted the penalty, sending goalkeeper Songarin the wrong way and completing the 4-1 score.

The win allowed Minerva Academy FC to make up for last season’s final defeat and cap a dominant campaign with the title

– Team Sportstar

GOLF

Pranavi, Avani and Vani want to make their mark on the Ladies European Tour in Germany tournament

Indian trio Pranavi Urs, Avani Prashanth and Vani Kapoor will take part in the Amundi German Masters golf tournament, starting in Hamburg on Thursday, to make their mark on the Ladies European Tour.

The tournament has steadily become one of the key stops on the LET calendar, and for Indian golf it provides another important platform to showcase a new generation of talent alongside experienced campaigners.

Among the Indians in focus is Pranavi, who continues to establish himself as one of the country’s top prospects on the European circuit. The golfer from Mysuru has shown encouraging consistency over the past two seasons and has already achieved several strong LET finishes, including a tie for third place at the Andalucía Open last year.

Pranavi also has positive memories of Germany. At the 2024 edition of the tournament, she closed with an excellent 69 to finish tied for 24th alongside compatriots Diksha Dagar and Tvesa Malik. That performance underlined her ability to handle demanding European conditions and difficult layouts.

Known for its length and punishing rough, the Green Eagle course rewards patience and disciplined iron play – qualities that suit Pranavi’s established style. Having gained valuable experience from regular LET starts, she arrives better prepared to compete deeper into the weekend.

Another player drawing attention is Vani, one of the leading figures in Indian women’s golf. A multiple winner on the domestic circuit, Vani has worked to translate that success to the international stage. Her recent LET performances have been promising, especially last year in Germany, when she climbed into the top 10 after the second round with a sparkling 70.

For Vani, the challenge has often been consistency over four laps, but her experience could be crucial on a race where strategy is as important as power. With partial LET status, every strong finish is extra important in securing more starts and improving her position on the tour.

The third Indian player to watch is teenage sensation Avani, whose meteoric rise continues to captivate Indian golf fans. The Bengaluru-based golfer turned professional after a decorated amateur career that included representing India at the Asian Games and becoming the first Indian amateur to win in the LET Access Series.

Avani’s fearless approach and aggressive shots have already made her one of the most talked-about young names on the LET. Although she withdrew from the 2024 German Masters due to a dental problem after an encouraging opening round, she has since gained more experience competing against stronger international fields. Her growing confidence could make her a dangerous competitor if she gets off to a fast start.

German Esther Henseleit is back on the Ladies European Tour (LET) this week and is competing on home soil. The two-time LET winner hails from just outside Hamburg and is looking forward to the test that the North Course at Green Eagle Golf Courses will provide.

Because the event is so close to home, Henseleit will have many family and friends supporting from the sidelines.

Denmark’s Smilla Tarning Soenderby is also here this week as a two-time winner after her victory at the MCB Ladies Classic – Mauritius. The Dane earned her first victory via a play-off at the 2023 KPMG Women’s Irish Open and secured her second victory thanks to a birdie putt on the final hole of the Legend Course at Constance Belle Mare Plage.

-Press Trust of India

Football

Swami Vivekananda U20 Men NFC: Meghalaya one win away from quarter-final berth

NARAINPUR, CHHATTISGARH: Meghalaya moved a step closer to qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Swami Vivekananda U-20 National Men’s Football Championship from Group A after defeating Andhra Pradesh at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama on Wednesday.

In the other match in Group A, Jharkhand defeated Rajasthan, while in Group C, Kerala defeated Chandigarh and Uttarakhand registered a comfortable win over Andaman and Nicobar.

Meghalaya 8 (Alex Manar 9′, 45′, Mebanlamlynti Masharing 16′, 28′, Ryan Gibbs Kharnaior 48′, 50′, Phermanbha Lyngdoh 58′, Sholinstar Syngkli 84′) defeated Andhra Pradesh 1 (B. Bharath Kumar Reddy 25′)

Meghalaya defeated Andhra Pradesh 8-1 at Ground 1 of the RKM Ashrama to move closer to the quarter-finals.

Alex Manar, Mebanlamlynti Masharing and Ryan Gibbs Kharnaior scored two goals each, while Phermanbha Lyngdoh and Sholinstar Syngkli added one goal each. B. Bharath Kumar Reddy was the only goalscorer for Andhra Pradesh.

Jharkhand 2 (Roushan Kumar 41′, Animesh Champia 79′) defeated Rajasthan 1 (Rudra Pratap Singh 6′)

Jharkhand opened its account in Group A with a 2-1 win over Rajasthan at Ground 1.

Rajasthan took the lead in the sixth minute through Rudra Pratap Singh, but Jharkhand leveled just before half-time through Roushan Kumar. Animesh Champia then scored the winner in the 79th minute.

Meghalaya consolidated its position at the top of Group A with nine points from three matches and needs just a draw against Rajasthan on May 17 to secure top spot and progress to the quarter-finals.

Kerala 5 (Sheril Shaji Thomas 3′, 12′, 29′, Calwin Thomas 71′, Usman TH 86′) defeated Chandigarh 1 (Sarthak Ghosh 70′)

In Group C, Kerala registered a 5-1 win over Chandigarh at Ground 2 at the RKM Ashrama.

Sheril Shaji Thomas scored a hat-trick in the first half to put Kerala in control. Sarthak Ghosh pulled one back for Chandigarh in the 70th minute but Calwin Thomas and Usman TH scored late goals to seal the win for Kerala.

Uttarakhand 9 (Sanjay Mehra 5′, Yash Mittal 25′, Gourav Singh 36′ p, 75′, Harshit Mahar 38′, 67′, Deboshish Mazumdar 81′, Abhinav Yadav 87′, Naveen Kumar 90+3′ og) defeated Andaman and Nicobar 1 (P. Mohammed Hasir 26′)

In the second Group C match of the day, Uttarakhand defeated Andaman and Nicobar 9-1 at Ground 2.

Sanjay Mehra and Yash Mittal scored early for Uttarakhand before P. Mohammed Hasir pulled one back for Andaman and Nicobar. Uttarakhand then pulled away, with Gourav Singh and Harshit Mahar scoring two goals each.

Deboshish Mazumdar and Abhinav Yadav scored late goals before Andaman and Nicobar’s Naveen Kumar scored an own goal in injury time to complete the result.

Uttarakhand moved to provisional top spot in Group C with three points from one match, while Kerala were also on three points but trailing on goal difference.

– Team Sportstar

TENNIS

Kriish and Manish bag win in Karnataka Open ATP Challenger R-16

Kriish Tyagi and Manish Sureshkumar kept Indian hopes high with victories in the round of 16 of the Karnataka Open ATP Challenger at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium here on Wednesday.

It was a milestone for the two as they competed in the Challenger quarter-finals for the first time.

Wildcard entrant Tyagi recorded a fluid 6-4, 6-4 victory over Japan’s Yuta Kawahashi.

The 19-year-old, fairly new to the senior ranks, showed good composure in crunch points and excelled with a strong forehand, hitting winners down the line at will.

Manish defeated qualifier Alastair Gray, who retired midway through the second set due to illness. Manish’s reliable groundstrokes helped him win the first set 6-4 before his opponent began to decline.

Gray struggled to chase the ball, causing the match to end prematurely. Earlier, Mukund Sasikumar defeated second seed Hamish Stewart 4-6, 4-6.

– Ashwin Achal

Published on May 13, 2026