by Tanish Prabhu
India lead ODI series 2-0 against New Zealand:
India’s tour to New Zealand continues to be a success, with a 2-0 lead. Both matches were rain affected, but India have held the momentum comfortably. New Zealand have most of their best players missing due to injuries and their batters have not been able to score decent number of runs in either of the two games, falling for under 200 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for this series, Kuldeep Yadav has been benched and India’s inexperienced bowling lineup consisting of Aquib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj and Gurnoor Brar, with Arshdeep Singh leading the pace attack, have been superb with the ball in both games. Kamboj is the type of bowler who isn’t quick but provides a lot of variation that deceives the batters, and it has provided him and the team with a lot of success. Kamboj has taken 4 wickets across both games and only conceding 47 runs so far in the series. Arshdeep Singh is a similar type of bowler, while the other two bowlers are quick.
Rain has played a massive part in the series so far, with the third ODI now washed out and India winning the series 2/0 with two matches to play. It has been a successful series so far.
WBBL – Scorchers on top, Gardner, Perry put Sixers second:
The Australian summer continues in the women’s competition, with the Women’s Big Bash league into its 12th year, and the Perth Scorchers are dominating.
Sophie Devine handed over the captaincy duties to Beth Mooney prior to the season, and the team continues to be at their best. Their best win so far was against the Melbourne Stars at Junction Oval, defending 130. The rain throughout the night did not stop play, and the Stars were bundled out for 109 after a clinical bowling performance.
Ash Gardner and the Sydney Sixers are currently second. She and Ellyse Perry have dominated the bat. Gardner scored 124 against defending champions Hobart Hurricanes. The Sixers look like a better team this year and their chances of winning another title looks likely, but their opponents maybe Perth Scorchers who are hard to defeat this year.
The Melbourne Stars play their final year of Big Bash before they are merged into one and privatised. After one win in their first game under Meg Lanning, who has been given the opportunity to captain again, the team has lost multiple games since. Their batting continues to be a concern, and the runs they score are hard to defend, but their bowling performances have not been the worst. It looks like they will end another season not being able to break the title drought.
Norris wins in Brazil with three races to go:
Lando Norris has claimed a thrilling victory at the São Paulo Grand Prix, mastering unpredictable weather conditions at Interlagos to lead McLaren to the top of the podium. The British driver crossed the finish line 14.6 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who produced an impressive recovery drive from 21st on the grid to finish second.
Verstappen’s teammate Isack Hadjar completed the podium in third, securing a double podium for Red Bull in a race that featured multiple spins, changing tyre strategies and challenging track conditions. Starting from pole position, Norris initially lost the lead to Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson following a strong start from both drivers.
However, Norris remained patient as the race developed, eventually reclaiming the lead after Antonelli spun and began losing ground to the leading pack. The changing weather proved a major factor throughout the 71-lap contest, with drivers initially starting on intermediate tyres before switching to slicks as the circuit dried. Rain returned during the closing stages, forcing teams to reconsider their strategies and return to intermediate tyres as grip levels deteriorated.
Norris managed the conditions effectively to secure his third victory of the 2026 season and his 50th career podium.Behind the leading trio, George Russell finished fourth, ahead of teammate Antonelli in fifth, as Mercedes secured the 2026 Constructors’ Championship. The result marked Mercedes’ ninth constructors’ title and their first since 2021, completing a successful campaign after Antonelli had already secured the drivers’ championship in Mexico. Australian Oscar Piastri finished sixth for McLaren after starting 10th, recovering four positions to collect valuable championship points. Meanwhile, Ferrari endured a difficult afternoon, with Charles Leclerc finishing eighth following a five-second penalty for contact with Lawson. Lewis Hamilton crossed the line ninth on his 400th Formula One start, having started from 20th on the grid.
Alcaraz captures Paris Masters title as Sabalenka makes winning start at WTA Finals
Carlos Alcaraz has claimed his first Paris Masters title after defeating American Ben Shelton in straight sets, while world number one Aryna Sabalenka has opened her WTA Finals campaign with an impressive victory. Alcaraz secured a 7-6(5), 7-5 win over Shelton in Sunday’s final, claiming his ninth ATP Masters 1000 title and continuing his strong return to form following a wrist injury. The Spaniard faced a competitive challenge from Shelton, who applied early pressure and created several break-point opportunities in the opening set.
However, Alcaraz held his nerve to take the first set in a tiebreak before producing another composed performance in the second to secure the championship. The victory marks Alcaraz’s third tournament title since returning from injury and provides significant momentum ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin.Shelton was unable to overcome Alcaraz despite producing an aggressive performance, with the American’s forehand errors proving costly at crucial moments.
Meanwhile, attention has also turned to the women’s game, with Sabalenka making a winning start to her WTA Finals campaign. The Belarusian defeated Karolina Muchova 7-6(2), 7-5 in a closely contested encounter, recovering after Muchova had an opportunity to serve out the opening set. Sabalenka dominated the subsequent tiebreak before holding off a late challenge in the second set to secure victory. French Open champion Mirra Andreeva also enjoyed a successful tournament debut, defeating Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-0. The 18-year-old produced an impressive display, winning the final six games of the match to complete a convincing straightsets victory. With the ATP Finals approaching and the WTA Finals underway, the world’s leading players are entering the decisive stages of the tennis season, with major titles and year-end honours still to be decided.
