Manisha Kalyan’s Goal Not Enough as India End Asian Cup Campaign
India’s campaign in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 came to an end after a 3–1 defeat to the Chinese Taipei women’s national football team in their final Group C match at Western Sydney Stadium in Australia on Tuesday. The result meant the India women’s national football team finished bottom of the group without a point, bringing their tournament journey to a disappointing close. India started the must-win match with urgency and looked to push forward quickly through the wings. However, a defensive lapse gave Chinese Taipei an early advantage. In the 12th minute, a poor back pass from Sanju went straight to Chen Jin-wen, who quickly squared the ball to Su Yu-hsuan. With goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu already off her line, Su had the simple task of tapping the ball into the empty net to make it 1–0. Despite the setback, India continued to attack and tried to create chances through the flanks. Their efforts paid off in the 39th minute when Manisha Kalyan produced a moment of brilliance. The winger struck a powerful free kick from long range, with the ball hitting the underside of the crossbar before bouncing over the goal line to level the score at 1–1. India’s joy was short-lived as Chinese Taipei regained the lead in stoppage time of the first half. Pyari Xaxa was penalised for handling the ball inside the box, leading to a penalty. Hsu Yi-yun’s spot kick hit the post but rebounded off the back of goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu and rolled into the net. The unfortunate deflection was recorded as an own goal, giving Chinese Taipei a 2–1 lead going into the break. The second half remained open with both sides creating opportunities. India pushed forward in search of another equaliser but struggled to convert their chances despite getting into promising positions. Chinese Taipei eventually sealed the match in the 77th minute when Chen Yu-chin exploited a large gap in India’s defence, ran onto a through ball, sidestepped the goalkeeper and calmly slotted the ball into the net to make it 3–1. India finished the match with 13 attempts on goal but only three were on target, highlighting their struggles in front of goal. The defeat also capped a difficult tournament for India, who had earlier lost 2–1 to Vietnam in their opening match before suffering an 11–0 defeat against Japan. With three losses in three games, India ended their AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 campaign winless and without a point.
Manu Bhaker Tops 10m Air Pistol Final at National Selection Trials
Olympian Manu Bhaker won the women’s 10m air pistol final in the National Selection Trials T3 (Group A). The event ended on Tuesday at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi. Bhaker entered the final as the last qualifier. However, she delivered a strong performance in the final round. She took the lead after the second series and held it until the end. She finished with 246.1 points. Trial two winner Sainyam finished second with 241.9 points. Esha Singh secured third place with 220.6 points. Palak Gulia, the Asian Games champion, finished fourth with 200.2 points. Anjali Choudhary took fifth place after scoring 179.8. Surbhi Rao ended sixth with 158.2 points. Deaflympics medallist Pranjali Prashant Dhumal finished seventh with 138.7. Muskan placed eighth with 117.0. Earlier in the qualification round, Esha Singh topped the table with 580-21x. Surbhi Rao finished second with 578-12x. Muskan qualified third with 577-15x. Anjali Choudhary scored 575-19x to qualify fourth. Sainyam followed with 575-16x. Palak Gulia scored 574-14x, while Manu Bhaker qualified seventh with 574-11x. The national squad shooters will now attend a coaching camp in New Delhi. The camp will run from 11th March to 21st March.
After T20 Glory, Gambhir Already Eyes the 2027 World Cup
India may have just celebrated their T20 World Cup triumph, but head coach Gautam Gambhir is already looking ahead. His next focus is the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup. Only two days after the title win, Gambhir said preparations for the 50-over World Cup will begin soon. He revealed that the team management plans to finalise a roadmap by the end of the Indian Premier League 2026 season. The 2027 tournament will take place in South Africa, with Namibia and Zimbabwe joining as co-hosts. Gambhir said the selectors and coaches will start identifying players suited to those conditions. India will play several ODI matches before the tournament. Gambhir believes those games will help shape the final squad. “Planning for the 2027 World Cup will happen during the IPL itself,” Gambhir said. “There will be around 25 to 30 ODIs between IPL 2026 and the World Cup. We do not play much 50-over cricket these days. The earlier we begin planning, the better it will be.” Gambhir also stressed that South African conditions will demand careful preparation. The pitches there usually offer pace and bounce. “South Africa is not an easy place to play cricket,” he said. “We must find the right combination and pick players who can adapt to those conditions. The selectors and coaches will work on it. By the end of IPL 2026, we want a clear blueprint for the 2027 ODI World Cup.” The upcoming ODI fixtures will also draw attention to senior players such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Their performances could influence India’s long-term plans in the format. India’s next ODI assignment begins on June 14 with a three-match series against the Afghanistan national cricket team. The team will then travel to England for another three-match ODI series.
BCCI Create New Record After India’s T20 World Cup Triumph
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a massive cash reward of ₹131 crore for the Indian team after their victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The announcement sets a new record for the board. The previous highest reward came in 2024. At that time, the BCCI had announced ₹125 crore after India won the T20 World Cup in Barbados under Rohit Sharma. This time, the board increased the prize after India created history in Ahmedabad. Suryakumar Yadav’s team defeated New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The win helped India defend the T20 World Cup title successfully. The victory also marked another milestone. India became the first team to win the T20 World Cup three times. In an official statement, the BCCI congratulated the entire squad. “The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a cash reward of INR 131 crore for Team India following their triumphant campaign in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026,” the board said in its release. The statement also highlighted the significance of the achievement. “India lifted the prestigious trophy after defeating New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, successfully defending the title and becoming the first team in the history of the tournament to retain the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” the release added. The board also praised the players, support staff and selectors. “The Board congratulates the players, support staff, and selectors once again on this historic achievement and wishes them continued success in the future.” Apart from the BCCI reward, the team also received prize money from the International Cricket Council (ICC). For winning the tournament, India earned USD 3 million from the ICC. This amount is roughly ₹27.48 crore. The prize money came from a record tournament pool of USD 13.5 million. This was a 20 percent increase compared to the previous edition. Teams also received bonuses for match wins during the tournament. Each victory in the group stage and Super Eight stage brought a reward of USD 31,154, which is around ₹28.6 lakh.
