The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) organised a special ceremony to honour the Indian armed forces ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday.

Shankar Mahadevan headlined the IPL 2025 closing ceremony along with his sons Siddharth and Shivam, filled with patriotic songs like ‘Ae Watan’, ‘Vande Mataram’ and 'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani' after the success of Operation Sindoor, which resulted in India striking terror camps in Pakistan in retaliation to Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.

Helicopters carrying the flags of the three forces - Army, Air Force and Navy- flew over the stadium - as the strong crowd welcomed them with an uproar of applause. Chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ broke out in the stadium as fans acknowledged the services of the forces.

Africa all-rounder Chloe Tryon have also been nominated in the women's category for their stellar performances in limited-overs formats.

In the men's category, all-rounders Brendon McMullen of Scotland and Milind Kumar of the United States and the United Arab Emirates opener Muhammad Waseem have been nominated after their stellar show in the white-ball formats.

Rodrigues amassed 204 runs in three matches of the tri-series in Sri Lanka, including a useful 44 in the final against the hosts. Her 123 from 101 balls against South Africa was the highlight during this period, as she played a big role in India winning the three-team tournament.

South African spinner Keshav Maharaj reacted to his long-time teammate Heinrich Klaasen's decision to bid adieu to international cricket, saying the Proteas batter's retirement leaves huge boots to fill within the South African lineup.

One of the most destructive batters of the modern era, Klaasen called time on his international career that spanned just seven years, having debuted in 2018. The 33-year-old played a pivotal role in South Africa’s white-ball resurgence, helping them reach the semi-finals of the 2023 Cricket World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy, as well as the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Maharaj paid tribute to the retiring batter, recognising both his influence on South African cricket and the significant void he leaves behind.

"He's probably one of, if not the most feared batsman, especially in the white-ball game these days. Yeah, it's sad to know that he's walking away," ICC quoted Maharaj, who is preparing for the World Test Championship Final, as saying.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu fought her way into the second round of the Indonesia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament while Lakshya Sen made an early exit after a hard-fought loss in the opening round on Tuesday.

Sindhu edged past her long-time rival Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in a thrilling one-hour and 19-minute women’s singles match, winning 22-20, 21-23, 21-15.

Sindhu and Okuhara were locked in a hard-fought battle marked by unforced errors and multiple game and match points. In the opening game, the Indian shuttler displayed nerves of steel, saving a game point and firing timely attacking shots to edge it 22-20.

The second game saw Sindhu take a narrow early lead before trailing 7-11 at the interval. She rallied back strongly and earned two match points with a powerful cross-court smash. But repeated errors allowed Okuhara to draw level at 20-all and the Japanese shuttler eventually took the game 23-21.

The Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 is set to now take place on July 5 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, organisers announced on Tuesday. Initially scheduled for May 24, the event was deferred due to India-Pakistan conflict, keeping security in mind, and to show solidarity with the nation.

This landmark event, India’s first-ever International Javelin competition, is spearheaded by India’s most decorated Olympian Neeraj Chopra in collaboration with JSW Sports and sanctioned by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

“Bringing the Neeraj Chopra Classic back this quickly has taken an enormous collective effort, and we’re happy to confirm its return on July 5. Our teams have worked tirelessly, and the unwavering support from the Athletics Federation of India, the Karnataka Olympic Association, the Government of Karnataka, and our partners made this possible.

"The energy around this event is bigger than ever, and we’re set to deliver a celebration of javelin that’s bolder, better, and even more unforgettable.” said Karan Yadav, chief commercial officer, JSW Sports.

Wicketkeeper-batter Mitch Hay, allrounder Muhammad Abbas, pacer Zak Foulkes and leg-spinner Adi Ashok are the four new faces who have earned first-time New Zealand central contracts for the 2025-26 season.

Ish Sodhi, Ajaz Patel,Tim Southee and Josh Clarkson, all of whom were centrally contracted in 2024-25, were not offered contracts this year.

Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, and Lockie Ferguson have not taken the central contracts with New Zealand Cricket, saying "discussions on their casual playing contracts" are ongoing.

Hay, a 24-year-old keeper-batsman, struck an unbeaten 99 off 78 balls to anchor New Zealand’s ODI innings against Pakistan earlier this year, and also set a world record with six dismissals in a T20I during his debut tour in Sri Lanka in November.

Top seed Jannik Sinner cruised into his 11th career Grand Slam quarterfinal and third in Roland Garros with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 rout of No.17 seed Andrey Rublev.

This was Sinner's 18th consecutive match win at a Grand Slam tournament. Sinner has dropped just 30 games in 12 sets in Paris so far — and by extending his winning streak at Grand Slam events to 18, the world No.1 has tied Andre Agassi, Boris Becker and Mats Wilander for the ninth-longest unbeaten run in the Open era.

Four more wins would secure him not only a first Roland-Garros title in the process, but sole possession of seventh place on that illustrious list. Sinner’s win also gives him sole possession of the most major victories for an Italian man in the Open era.

Spanish centre-back Jose Luis Espinosa Arroyo (Tiri) has signed a contract extension with Mumbai City, keeping him with the Islanders until May 31, 2026. The upcoming season will mark the 33-year-old’s tenth in the Indian Super League, the most for any foreign player.

Tiri initially joined Mumbai City in the 2023–24 season and has since gone on to register 49 appearances for the club. Most recently, he featured in 21 matches during the 2024–25 Indian Super League campaign, contributing to nine clean sheets, 33 interceptions and 84 recoveries, serving as a pillar of the Islanders’ defence.

As a heartfelt tribute, Tiri will now don the name Rubio on the back of his jersey, in memory of his late father, a personal gesture that reflects his values and his emotional bond with the game.

Cricketer Virat Kohli-owned One 8 Commune pub and restaurant landed in trouble on Monday, as it has been charged with violation of guidelines relating to dedicated smoking zones within the premises.

The Cubbon Park Police has registered suo-moto case against the restaurant, for Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) violations.

The action on cricketer-owned and promoted restaurant comes on back of special drive by Bengaluru police, launched last month to check smoking-related violations at restaurants and bars.

An FIR has been filed against the restaurant, located on the sixth floor of Ratnams Complex on Kasturba Road near the Chinnaswamy stadium, under Sections 4 and 21 of COTPA for not having a designated zone for smoking.

According to the FIR, there was no dedicated and designated zone for smoking inside the pub. The police while scanning the pub premises during checking drive, verified the violations and subsequently booked the pub manager and staff.

Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has announced his retirement from the ODI format, effective immediately, to focus on next year's T20 World Cup and other global T20 commitments.

Maxwell made his ODI debut in August 2012 and went on to score 3,990 runs and claim 77 wickets in 149 matches.

During his career, the dynamic all-rounder played a key role in Australia’s triumphs at the World Cups in 2015 and 2023. His final ODI appearance came earlier this year against India during the ICC Champions Trophy.

Maxwell has decided to step away from the ODI format to focus on preparing for next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, the Big Bash League, and other global commitments. He acknowledged that he was no longer in a position to perform at his best in ODIs consistently.

"I felt like I was letting the team down a little bit with how the body was reacting to the conditions. I had a good chat with (Chair of Selectors) George Bailey and I asked him what his thoughts were going forward,” Maxwell told the Final Word Podcast.