BADMINTON
Badminton Asia Junior Mixed Team championships: India beats Sri Lanka in opening match
India kicked off its Badminton Asia Junior Mixed Team championships campaign in style as it thrashed Sri Lanka 110-69 in its Group D clash in Indonesia on Friday.
The mixed doubles combination of Vishnu Kode and Reshika U began India’s march with a 11-5 win over Keneth Aruggoda and Isuri Attanayake in the relay point system where a team had to bag 110 points to win the match.
Sisters Gayatri and Mansa Rawat then extended India’s lead to 22-14 against Attanayake and Sithumi De Silva before junior world no. 1 Tanvi Sharma stamped her class against Sithuli Ranasinghe to make it 33-21 for India.
Not one India singles player or pair lost any 11-point relay and by the time the match reached the half way mark the winners had taken a 55-31 lead.
India will now face United Arab Emirates in its second group game on Saturday before taking on Hong Kong China on Sunday which could decide who tops the group standings.
-Team Sportstar
BASKETBALL
FIBA Women’s Asia Cup, Division B: India out of semifinals race
India women’s basketball team lost 76-93 to Thailand, ending its hopes of reaching the semifinals of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup (Division B) in Shenzhen, China, on Friday.
India will take on Kazakhstan in a classification match for 5th-6th place on Saturday.
-Team Sportstar
FOOTBALL
Punjab FC extend Leon Augustine’s contract until 2027
Punjab FC has announced the extension of the contract of Leon Augustine ahead of the upcoming season on Friday.
The versatile player will remain in the club until 2027. The 26-year-old initially signed for The Shers in the 2023-24 season and will continue his journey with the club after some impressive performances last season, where he played in multiple positions across the field for the club.
After making only four total appearances in his first season at the club, Leon made 20 appearances in the ISL last season playing 1020 minutes and scored once against Odisha FC.
– Team Sportstar
Shillong Lajong names Birendra Thapa as new head coach
Meghalaya’s Shillong Lajong FC on Friday has appointed former player and long-time club associate Birendra Thapa as the club’s new head coach ahead of the upcoming I-League season.
Popularly known as Coach Biru, Thapa brings with him nearly two decades of experience, having been associated with the club since 2001 in multiple roles, including player, team manager, and assistant coach.
Thapa played for the club from 2001 to 2009 and was part of the historic squad that qualified for the 2009-10 I-League season.
– PTI