Feb 2, Top Sports News: India wins U19 World Cup, Abhishek Sharma's Mumbai blitz, Arsenal thrashes City
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India thrashes South Africa to retain U19 Women’s T20 World Cup crown
India thrashed South Africa by nine wickets in the final to win the women’s U-19 T20 World Cup title for the second time in a row, at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
Chasing a paltry target of 83, India completed the job with 52 balls to spare as they reached 84 for one in 11.2 overs.
Gongadi Trisha top-scored for India with an unbeaten 44 off 33 balls while Sanika Chalke remained not out on 26 off 22 balls.
Earlier, Trisha (3/15) led the Indian bowlers during a clinical performance to bowl South Africa out for 82 in 20 overs. Vaishnavi Sharma (2/23), Aayushi Shukla (2/9) and Parunika Sisodia (2/6) also chipped in with the ball for India.
BCCI announces Rs. 5 crore cash prize for India’s winning team
The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced a cash reward of Rs. 5 crore for the U-19 Indian women’s team, led by head coach Nooshin Al Khadeer, which defended its title at the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 in Malaysia.
India beat South Africa by nine wickets in the final with Gongadi Trisha bagging the ‘Player of the Match’ award after the teenager took three wickets and scored an unbeaten 44.
Led by skipper Niki Prasad, the Indian team remained unbeaten throughout the tournament as they showcased exceptional skill, composure, and dominance.
IND vs ENG, 5th T20I: Abhishek Sharma’s blitzkrieg helps India blow England away
The series was in the bag. A boisterous crowd at the Wankhede Stadium was behind the team’s back. It perhaps resulted in a fitting trigger for Abhishek Sharma who single-handedly blew England away with a blitzkrieg that shattered a plethora of records and set a crushing defeat to help India end the T20I season on a perfect note.
Riding on Abhishek’s 135 (54b, 7x4, 13x6) – India’s highest individual T20i score – the Men in Blue piled on 247 for nine after being inserted. As it happens in most hunts of a gargantuan target, England wilted under the pressure to be bowled out for a paltry 97 in the 11th over to hand India a 150-run win. The victory meant Suryakumar Yadav laid his hands on the trophy, with the series ending 4-1 in the host’s favour.
Here is Amol Karhadkar 's report from the Wankhede Stadium.
Two-tier Test format likely before India’s tour of England
When Australia faces South Africa in the World Test Championship final, it will mark the end of the current format, which is set to be relaunched as a two-tier system ahead of India’s tour of England later this summer.
In a bid to create a “fairer competition”, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Richard Thompson, head of the ICC’s strategic growth committee, recently held talks with the apex body’s chairman Jay Shah and the two will lead the plan.
With just five months left for the next cycle to start with England hosting India at Headingley from June 20, Thompson acknowledged the urgency of the matter.
BCB independent committee to probe BPL corruption allegations
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has established an independent inquiry body to assist its Anti-Corruption Unit in probing a slew of corruption allegations over the last couple of weeks in the Bangladesh Premier League.
This marks the first official corruption investigation in the BPL since 2013 as the league faces challenge with delayed player payments and ticketing controversies.
Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Jammu and Kashmir vs Kerala quarterfinal to be played in Pune
The Ranji Trophy quarterfinal tie between Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala is set to be held at the MCA International Stadium in Pune.
According to the new rule of the BCCI, Jammu and Kashmir is to host the game as it ended Group A as the table-topper. However, the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association requested the BCCI to shift the stadium out of Jammu due to weather conditions.
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“Since it’s winter, weather would have been a major concern for us, and we did not want to take any risks. Hence we requested the BCCI to allot us a different venue,” Brig. Anil Gupta, the head of the JKCA’s BCCI-appointed sub-committee, told Sportstar.
Davis Cup: Debutants shine as India eases past Togo in World Group I Playoff tie
Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli and Karan Singh made the most of their Davis Cup debut as India wrapped up a comfortable 4-0 win over lower-ranked Togo in a World Group I Playoff tie.
S. Mukund and Ramkumar Ramanathan had provided the host a 2-0 lead after winning their respective singles rubbers on the first day.
On Sunday, in front of 2000-odd spectators on the Center Court at the DLTA complex, Rithvik and Olympian N. Sriram Balaji put the tie to bed as they took down M’lapa Tingou Akomlo and Hod’abalo isak Padio 6-2, 6-1 in 57 minutes.
In ideal conditions for tennis -- temperature in low 20s, fleeting sunlight and barely any strong winds -- Rithvik and Balaji dominated the less-experienced Togolese pair.
Here is Nihit Sachdeva 's report from New Delhi.
NBA: Lakers land Luka Doncic, trade Anthony Davis to Mavericks
The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks have sent the NBA world into a frenzy, with the teams completing a trade very late Saturday that will ship Luka Doncic to Los Angeles and Anthony Davis to Dallas.
No trade in league history had ever featured a midseason swap of reigning All-NBA selections, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
While the two stars are at the centre of the deal, the Lakers also get Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while the Mavericks -- who lost in the NBA Finals last season -- receive Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick.
The Jazz also helped to facilitate the trade and will get Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2025 second-round draft pick via the Los Angeles Clippers from the Lakers. Dallas also is sending a 2025 second-round selection to Utah.
Gukesh suffers first defeat as World Champion, loses to compatriot Arjun Erigaisi at Tata Steel Masters
GM D. Gukesh lost his first classical game after becoming World Champion against compatriot Arjun Erigaisi during the final round of the Tata Steel Masters 2025 in Wijk aan Zee on Sunday.
Gukesh, who was the joint leader with another Indian GM, R. Praggnanandhaa ahead of the last (13th) round with 8.5 points, lost his game with white pieces.
Praggnanandhaa wins Tata Steel Chess 2025
Despite losing to Keymer in the final round, Pragg bounced back to defeat Gukesh in the tiebreak! He joins Viswanathan Anand as only the second Indian to win this title.
Barcelona women lose to Levante, ends 46-match unbeaten league run
Barcelona women lost for the first time in 46 Liga F games on Saturday, suffering a shock 2-1 defeat at home by lowly Levante.
Barca, who thrashed Real Madrid 5-0 in the Super Cup last Sunday, crashed to its first league loss since May 2023.
Barcelona has only lost one other match this season, in the Champions League in October when it fell 2-0 at Manchester City.
The reigning Spanish and European champion leads second-place Real Madrid by eight points. Its last home league loss was to Huesca in February 2019.
Five-star Arsenal sinks Man City
Arsenal beat Manchester City 5-1 to keep their Premier League title hopes alive on Sunday.
In the battle between the sides that have finished in the top for the past two seasons, the Gunners prevailed to move within six points of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
Defeat leaves City still in fourth but now 15 points off the top and realistically dethroned after four consecutive seasons as champions.
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