Sporting Financial News

MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, and Rishabh Pant have captured the hearts of fans across the nation with a delightful video that has gone viral on social media. The trio was spotted reveling at the sangeet ceremony of Pant's sister, Sakshi, in the picturesque town of Mussoorie, where the atmosphere was electric with joy and laughter. The wedding festivities, marking Sakshi's upcoming marriage to businessman Ankit Chaudhary, have been nothing short of grand, and the cricket legends added a special touch to the occasion by swaying to the enchanting sufi melody of ‘Dama Dam Mast Qalandar’. The video, which surfaced on Wednesday, showcases the dynamic trio dancing with infectious energy, reminding everyone of the joy that cricket brings both on and off the field.

Cincinnati Bearcats will be taking on the 12th-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys in the first round of the 2025 Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday afternoon. The two teams met just days ago in the regular-season finale. Oklahoma State took home a 78-67 win in the final game. But Cincinnati came into the tournament as 7.5-point favourites, seeking to snap a three-game losing streak. The tip-off is scheduled for 12.30 pm ET (5.30 pm GMT) at the T-Mobile Centre in Kansas City, Missouri. The victor of this match-up will advance to play 5-seed Iowa State in the second round on Wednesday, according to the CBS Sports report.

Delhi High Court on Tuesday said Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik among others could challenge the Centre revoking the suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela also requested the single judge, hearing the wrestlers' plea against the 2023 WFI election, to expedite the proceedings. The Centre on March 10 revoked its order suspending the WFI on December 24, 2023 for lapses in governance and procedural integrity by the new body, elected on December 21, the same year, and restored its status as a national sports federation. The bench, while closing the proceedings on WFI's appeal against the single judge's order on restoring Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) ad-hoc committee to run its affairs, observed the committee had to work only till the Centre's suspension was in force. Referring to the March 10 decision, the court observed nothing remained to be adjudicated in the WFI appeal. «Needless to state, it will be open to any party, if aggrieved by the order dated March 10 passed by the sports ministry, to challenge the same before appropriate court,» it said.

Holi bank holidays: March 13 & 14, 2025

FanCode, the official broadcaster of Formula 1 in India, will stream all F1 races in Hindi and select regional languages for the first time, aiming to make the sport more accessible to a wider audience. This move aligns with a growing trend among sports broadcasters in India, where regional commentary options are being expanded to attract more viewers. Broadcasters like Star Sports have introduced dedicated channels in southern languages, and major sporting events such as the IPL now offer streaming in multiple regional languages ranging from Bhojpuri to Tamil. However, this shift comes amid political debates over language preferences, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin recently raising concerns about the imposition of Hindi. FanCode will offer Sky Sports’ F1 coverage, including pre- and post-race analysis through popular shows such as The F1 Show, Ted’s Notebook, Ted’s Qualifying Notebook, and The Chequered Flag. Indian fans will have the option to access the entire F1 season for ₹899, while a race weekend pass is available for those looking for one-time viewing.

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) on Monday announced the launch of admissions to undergraduate promgrammes for students excelling in the National and International Olympiads. These are competitive examinations that challenge students in several academic subjects and skills. Termed as ‘Science Olympiad Excellence’ (ScOpE), this admission is outside the JEE (Advanced) Framework and students under this initiative will be admitted from the academic year 2025-2026. ScOpE is similar to the admissions through Sports Excellence Admissions and Fine Arts and Excellence modes. It will have two two supernumerary seats per programme of which one seat will be exclusively for women students..

Indian cricket, Varun Chakravarthy had a brush with the silver screen. In 2014, he played a cameo in the Tamil movie ‘Jeeva,’ a sports drama that unknowingly mirrored his own life’s journey. The film depicted a cricketer’s struggle against odds, much like Varun’s real-life battle to carve a niche for himself in professional cricket. Not stopping at movies, he also made an appearance in the popular cooking reality show "Cooku with Comali". However, his true calling lay elsewhere—in cricket, where he would rise to fame as India’s mystery spinner, leaving batsmen baffled with his unorthodox variations. Varun Chakravarthy has been a key architect of India's ICC Champions Trophy win. He has been the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament. In the finals against New Zealand, he put the Kiwis on the backfoot with two crucial wickets. 33-year-old Varun Chakravarthy made his T20I debut in July 2021 and became the second-oldest player after Farokh Engineer to debut in ODIs in February 2025. He plays for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket and is a key spinner for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

real money gaming companies, AIGF, EGF and FIFS, have jointly signed a "code of ethics" which their member companies will adopt for promoting user safety and responsible gaming practices, including KYC verification, spending limit etc, a join statement said on Monday. The members of these gaming industry bodies include Dream11, My11Circle, Khelo Fantasy Live, SG11 Fantasy, WinZO, Games24X7, Junglee Games etc. «The All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), and the E-Gaming Federation (EGF), today jointly signed a 'Code of Ethics' (CoE) »The CoE is aimed at enforcing consistent standards of user safety across the industry through the implementation of responsible gaming and advertising policies and mandates annual third-party audits and comprehensive reporting mechanisms to ensure accountability and transparency," the statement said.

health ministry has asked the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the cricket board to ban all forms of tobacco and alcohol advertising, including surrogate ads, at stadiums and related events, as well as during telecast sessions on national television. In a letter to IPL chairman Arun Singh Dhumal, director general of health services Atul Goel also sought doing away with the sale of tobacco and alcohol products in all affiliated events and sports facilities. The letter, dated March 5 and also addressing the Board of Control for Cricket in India, asked the sports bodies to discourage sportspersons (including commentators) from directly or indirectly endorsing products linked to alcohol or tobacco.

Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday accused the BJP of poisoning society and asked his supporters to respond to the ruling party's favoured 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan with 'Jai Shivaji' and 'Jai Bhavani'. He was addressing Sena (UBT) workers at an event here. «If anyone says Jai Shri Ram, do not let the person leave without making sure that he says Jai Shivaji and Jai Bhavani. »The BJP has poisoned our society. I am going to give the BJP a tough time for what they have done to our society," he said.

Amit Shah on Sunday laid the foundation stone of the Rs 316.82 crore 'Para High Performance Centre' in Gandhinagar virtually and reiterated India's resolve to host the 2036 Olympics. He said 10 big stadiums are going to be built at the Sardar Patel Sports Complex, located next to the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, he said. «India has resolved to hold the 2036 Olympic Games in these 10 complexes. Gujarat has already started preparations for this event,» Shah said. The Para High Performance Centre will play an important role in providing world-class training to Gujarat's para athletes through excellent infrastructure for state-level, national-level and international competitions, Shah said.

anti-India slogans during a cricket match in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, they have claimed that the teen attended a madrasa for studies and wasn't interested in playing the sport or watching matches. On February 23, a complaint was lodged against the boy, his father, who is a scrap dealer, and his mother in the Tarkarli Road area of Malvan over the alleged raising of anti-India slogans during an India-Pakistan cricket match. The couple was arrested, and the teen was presented before a juvenile board. In the days that followed, the family's shop and house were razed by the civic authorities, who claimed that the structures were unauthorised.

ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand, Team India's head coach Gautam Gambhir outlined the reason behind shuffling the batting order and revealed that Axar's number five role allows him to express himself and exhibit his talent to the world. India will play New Zealand in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy on March 9 at the Dubai International Stadium. India is undefeated in the tournament so far, and the Kiwis have looked rock solid with bat and ball under Mitchell Santner's captaincy. The clash promises to be an epic sequel to the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy final, which New Zealand won. Men in Blue would like to avenge losses to the Blackcaps in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal and 2021 ICC World Test Championship final.

StubHub is reportedly planning to launch an Initial Public Offering (IPO) later this year. The ticket resale marketplace company has started early discussions with investment bankers about a potential public offering, according to a New York Times report.

Stephen A Smith, a former newspaper reporter, has signed a new five-year contract with ESPN that is worth $100 million, according to a report. As per the agreement, Smith will continue to star on “First Take”, the ESPN's popular morning program, while scaling back some of his other required appearances on the network. Sources told The Athletic. Reports suggest that ESPN will pay Stephen A Smith $20 million annually under his new contract, compared to the $12 million per year he received under his previous deal.

AFP Sport looks at five key factors that could decide the fate of the title clash.

Governor Gavin Newsom, suggested that Democrats made a mistake by permitting transgender athletes to take part in female college and youth sports. Newsom stated that he believes the involvement of transgender athletes in women’s sports is «deeply unfair.» Newsom’s comments on the issue roiled political debates nationwide.

Hyundai Creta EV, launched at the Auto Expo 2025, starts at ₹17.99 lakh (ex-showroom). It offers five main variants and two battery options: 42 kWh and 51.4 kWh. The model with the 42 kWh battery boasts a single-charge range of 390 km, while the 51.4 kWh model reaches 473 km.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Mumbai: JioStar will lay off more than 1,100 employees as the newly formed joint venture between Reliance Industries Ltd's Viacom18 and The Walt Disney Co.'s India unit cuts overlapping roles following the merger, said multiple people aware of the development. “The departures started a month ago, and they are not ending anytime soon," said one of the people quoted above.

The reduction in the headcount, aimed at driving efficiency, will affect staff at Adidas's headquarters in Herzogenaurach and will progress on a voluntary basis, CEO Bjorn Gulden told reporters. Gulden took the reins at the sports outfitter in 2023 in the wake of its damaging split with West — who now goes by Ye — over anti-Semitic remarks by the rapper.

The new Panigale V4 comes with a series of updates, including changes to its design, electronics, and chassis to enhance performance, handling, and overall rider experience. Following its international debut last year, this superbike is now available for Indian enthusiasts eager to get their hands on Ducati's flagship offering.