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Dear reader, as 2025, a year of global tumult and volatility, rolled by, Mint's reporters and columnists looked around the corner on what is coming in 2026—to help you know what to expect and prepare for it. Tell us what you think at [email protected] was a year of sharp contrasts for Indian sport—marked by on-field success in cricket and marquee hosting ambitions, but also by mounting concerns over valuations, media rights and administrative failures.Cricket dominated on the field and in business as Team India scored crucial international wins, including a maiden victory in the Women’s World Cup this year.For once, India’s sportswomen were in the spotlight for their performance and brand deals.

Mumbai: Come January, thousands of people across India will be getting into their running shoes, perfecting their pace, getting together for practice runs in the morning, perhaps exchanging notes on their performance, sharing Strava screenshots of their completed runs, all to line up in the wee hours for one of the tens of major marathons India’s major cities will host this month and the next.Distance running—from the humble 3K and 5K for beginners to the humbling half- and full-marathons—has slowly become a national obsession as getting fit becomes aspirational. Nearly all of India’s major cities are host to at least one major marathon with an impressive title sponsor, while smaller cities and towns too begin hosting local races.More than 20 years after the Mumbai Marathon was started and became India’s biggest running event, distance running has become a serious business enterprise, generating hundreds of crores in direct revenue from participation fees and sponsorships along with additional money made from participants buying goods and travelling to these races.Marathons and other distance running events are driving annual revenue of ₹250-300 crore in the sale of clothes and shoes, travel, hotels and other components of the ‘running economy’, according to a September 2025 report by consulting firm KPMG.

Kevins for Fed Chair. Nope. Not going to happen. Meaning I see neither Kevin Hassett nor Kevin Warsh becoming chairman of the Federal Reserve in May.

2026 is poised to be a year of monumental moments, marked by a summer of Assembly elections in India, an intensifying global space race, and major sporting events — notably the FIFA World Cup and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.The year also marks the US completing 250 years of independence, Bangladesh heading to the polls for the first time since former PM Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, India hosting the 18th Brics Summit, Apple turning 50, and the long-awaited release of GTA VI, the open-world action-adventure franchise. All of these set the stage for a packed year ahead.

Cricket, Football, and Tennis at Livemint Sports. Stay ahead of the game! Follow our Asia Cup 2025 for real-time updates on India Asia Cup 2025 matches, the complete Asia Cup schedule 2025, and the latest Asia Cup points table 2025.

The essential accoutrement for auto executives this year was a cap. As in, of the red baseball variety.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Coinbase Global is getting into prediction markets in a bid to become a one-stop exchange for Americans’ trading needs, the latest sign that tech platforms offering wagers on real-world events are finding their way into every corner of Wall Street. The company has struck a partnership with prediction-markets specialist Kalshi that will allow Coinbase investors to trade on the outcomes of sports games, elections and economic indicators, using the yes-or-no bets that have come to define prediction markets.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Netflix’s audacious bid for Warner Bros Discovery has sent ripples through Hollywood, and landed squarely in Indian cinemas, where exhibitors see both a looming disruption and a surprising opportunity.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Economists and financiers have compared stockmarkets to gambling since 1936, when Keynes warned of “the capital development of a country becom[ing] a by-product of the activities of a casino". In 1999 Jack Bogle of Vanguard decried the “Wall Street casino" where only croupiers got rich, and in 2023 Warren Buffett wrote that “markets now exhibit far more casino-like behaviour than...when I was young".

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: Cricketer Virat Kohli has invested ₹40 crore to pick up a minority stake in Agilitas Sports, joining the company as an investor and business partner. As part of the deal, Agilitas has acquired One8, the cricketer’s sportswear brand.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: On 5 November, United Spirits Ltd (better known as Diageo India) informed the stock exchanges that it was “initiating a strategic review" of its investment in its 100% subsidiary that owns the two Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cricket franchises. The liquor major was considering whether to stay invested in the business of running cricket teams or not.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The tunnel swallows us whole. One moment, the autumn sunshine in northern Italy is glinting off the Temerario’s sculpted bonnet; the next, we’re plunged into artificial twilight.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Dream11, the fantasy gaming giant with 250 million users, is rewriting its playbook. It now looks to recast itself as a sports entertainment platform, betting on India’s rising ‘watch-party’ culture, where fans stream matches, interact and hang out online.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In October, when the Indian cricket team walked on to the pitch in Ahmedabad during the Test series against West Indies with the Apollo Tyres logo on their shirts, it was a moment of intense pride for Neeraj Kanwar. “It’s not just a logo.

Chennai find themselves in unfamiliar territory, sitting eighth on the points table after three matches. They’ve managed just one win and suffered back-to-back defeats against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals. In contrast, Delhi Capitals are soaring. They’ve won both their matches this season and currently sit in second place, behind Punjab Kings.

From overwhelming perfume to clumsy sunglasses, the French president's quirky habits may be more than mere personal quirks; they may be deliberate shows of strength. French President Emmanuel Macron's image management seems to be designed to reinforce charisma, control, and presence, blending political theater and personal branding in a distinctly French manner. According to a shocking new book, Emmanuel Macron makes fun of his aides by wearing «industrial amounts» of cologne and carrying a box of «ugly» sunglasses.

Volkswagen, the German automaker, has told its car dealers that it plans to add an import fee later this month to the price of imported cars sold in the United States. The company's move is one of the first and clearest examples of automakers using price increases to deal with the 25% tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on car and auto parts imports. The tariffs on vehicles went into effect Thursday, and the levies on parts will become effective May 3. In a Tuesday memo to dealers, Volkswagen said that the exact fees would be determined by the middle of April. The New York Times reviewed a copy of the memo. The automaker also told dealers it planned to cut back on sales incentives and had halted rail shipments of cars to the United States from its plants in Mexico, although shipments by sea continue. Volkswagen plans to hold cars that are subject to the tariffs in port for «the near term.» It also told dealers that the price of the Volkswagen Atlas sport utility vehicle, which is made in Chattanooga, Tennessee, could be affected by the tariffs because it includes important imported components. The extent of the impact most likely will not be known until May, the memo said. The automaker, including its Audi and Porsche brands, imports almost all the cars it sells in the United States. Besides the Atlas, Volkswagen also assembles the ID.4 electric sport-utility vehicle in Tennessee.

In the core Male 15+ ABC audience segment, the tournament reached 109 million viewers. The average TVR-a combination of reach and time spent-stood at 4.34 TVR for the MF 2+ category and 5.4 TVR for the male 15+ ABC segment. With a TVR of 6.4, this season has recorded the highest-ever rating for a 74-match format among male 15+ AB audiences in urban India excluding Covid-19 years of 2020 and 2021. Watch time touched 65 billion minutes for 2+ All India TG, making it the highest in IPL history, including the Covid-19 years. Further, the live reach for this target group touched 319 million unique viewers, the second-highest ever, while high definition (HD) reach soared to 47 million, marking a 30% increase compared to IPL 2024. Engagement levels also hit a record high, with an average time spent of 70 minutes per user, reflecting a 6% increase from the previous season.

Rugby Premier League (RPL), a franchise-based league introduced by Rugby India in collaboration with GMR Sports. GMR Sports holds the commercial rights to the RPL.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the defending champions, and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), last season's runners-up, will be under pressure to turn around their fortunes when they face off in a crucial IPL encounter on Thursday. Both teams have struggled in their recent outings, with two losses in three matches, and are in urgent need of a win to stay in the hunt for the playoffs. KKR, led by Ajinkya Rahane, had initially shrugged off concerns following a heavy defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore, stating that there was no reason to panic. But after the team's shaky form continues — a stark contrast to their near-perfect record in IPL 2024 — the mood in the KKR camp is understandably more cautious.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : A global shake-up in the toy trade is underway, and India may have just been dealt an unexpected advantage. Washington has slapped a 26% reciprocal tariff on Indian goods, citing what it claims is an average 52% tariff on US imports into India.