Tanvi Sharma and Lakshya Sen

The Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) is back for its eighth edition. It will honor the inspiring stories and achievements of India’s top athletes from many different sports. The TOISA 2025 ceremony will take place on March 21, 2026, in Lucknow. The event will bring together well-known sports stars and new talents who made India proud in the past year.This edition, TOISA will recognize athletes in more than 45 sports categories. The awards will cover performances from January 1 to December 31, 2025. Indian sports had a fantastic year with many memorable wins and record-breaking moments at world championships and major international tournaments.In 2025, India’s badminton players performed impressively, and 10 among them have been nominated, including Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty. They competed across men’s and women’s singles and doubles, highlighting India’s rising talent in the sport.The jury for TOISA 2025 includes some of India’s biggest sports names: Leander Paes (tennis), Mithali Raj (cricket), Abhinav Bindra (shooting), Devendra Jhajharia (para athletics), Sharath Kamal (table tennis), and PR Sreejesh (hockey). These experienced athletes will help choose the winners for this year’s awards.Here are the badminton players nominated for TOISA 2025 (Men and Women):BADMINTON – MALELakshya SenDate of Birth: August 16, 2001Place of Birth: Almora, UttarakhandSport: Badminton, Men’s SinglesMajor Achievements in 2025:Australian Open: GoldHong Kong Open Super 500: SilverIn 2025, Lakshya Sen showed that he remains one of India’s top badminton players. He won the Australian Open Super 500 men’s singles title in Sydney, becoming only the second Indian male player to win the tournament. The victory ended his wait for a title and was his first World Tour win of the season. He also finished runner-up at the Hong Kong Open and reached several semifinals, showing steady form throughout the year. His semifinal run at the Paris Olympics in 2024 proved that he can compete with the best players in the world.Ayush ShettyDate of birth: May 3, 2005Place of birth: Karkala, Udupi (Karnataka)Sport: Badminton Men’s SinglesMajor Achievements in 2025:US Open Super 300: GoldAyush Shetty is one of India’s rising badminton players. He won the silver medal at the 2023 BWF World Junior Championships, showing his talent at the junior level. After that, he moved to senior tournaments and performed very well in 2025, winning his first BWF World Tour title and defeating several top players. His steady improvement and strong performances show that he has a bright future and can become one of India’s top men’s singles players.Chirag ShettyDate of birth: July 4, 1997Place of birth: Malad, MumbaiSport: Badminton, Men’s DoublesMajor achievements in 2025:BWF World Championships: BronzeHong Kong Open: SilverChina Masters: SilverChirag Shetty is an Indian badminton player who specialises in men’s doubles. His regular partner is Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and together they are among the top men’s doubles pairs in the world. Chirag is known for his speed, agility, and strong teamwork. The duo has won several international titles and medals at major tournaments like the World Championships and Asian Games, making them one of India’s most successful and celebrated men’s doubles pair.Satwiksairaj Rankireddy Date of birth: August 13, 2000Place of birth: Amalapuram, Andhra PradeshSport: Badminton, Men’s DoublesSatwiksairaj Rankireddy is an Indian badminton player who plays men’s doubles with his partner Chirag Shetty. Together, they are one of the top men’s doubles pairs in the world. Satwik is known for his powerful smashes, speed, and strong teamwork. The pair has won multiple international titles and medals at major events like the World Championships and Asian Games, making Satwik a key figure in Indian badminton and a major contributor to India’s success in men’s doubles.Kiran GeorgeDate of birth: February 11, 2000Place of birth: Kochi, KeralaSport: Badminton Men’s SinglesMajor Achievements in 2025:Odisha Masters Super 100: GoldKiran George is an Indian badminton player who has shown strong performances in international tournaments. He won the Odisha Masters title twice, in 2022 and again in 2025, which shows his consistency and improvement. Kiran has represented India in many BWF events and continues to work hard to improve his ranking. With his attacking style and confidence on court, he is seen as one of India’s promising men’s singles players for the future.BADMINTON – FEMALETanvi SharmaDate of Birth: December 22, 2008Place of Birth: Hoshiarpur, PunjabSport: Badminton, Women’s SinglesMajor Achievements in 2025:US Open Super 300: SilverWorld Junior Championship: SilverAsia Junior Championship: BronzeTanvi Sharma is a rising Indian badminton player who made 2025 a remarkable year. She won the silver medal at the BWF World Junior Championships, becoming the first Indian girl in 17 years to achieve this. She also reached the final of the US Open Super 300 and earned a bronze at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships. Tanvi is known for her speed, skill, and determination on the court. Her strong performances show that she has a bright future and could become one of India’s top women’s singles players.Unnati HoodaDate of Birth: September 20, 2007Place of Birth: Rohtak, HaryanaSport: Badminton, Women’s SinglesMajor Achievements in 2025:Odisha Master Super 100: GoldUnnati Hooda is a rising Indian badminton player who had a great year in 2025. She won the Odisha Masters, her second title at this event, and reached the quarterfinals of the China Open, where she defeated Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, a major highlight of her year. She also made it to the semifinals of the Taipei Open. Alongside her sports achievements, she scored an impressive 93% in her CBSE Class 12 exams. Known for her speed, skill, and determination, Unnati is one of India’s most promising young women’s singles players.Tressa JollyDate of Birth: May 27, 2003Place of Birth: Cherupuzha, KeralaSport: Badminton, Women’s DoublesMajor Achievements in 2025:Syed Modi International Super 300: GoldTurkey International Challenge: GoldTreesa Jolly is an Indian badminton player who plays women’s doubles with her partner Gayatri Gopichand. In 2025, she won the Syed Modi International Super 300 title and reached several other finals in international tournaments. Treesa also won the mixed doubles title at the Türkiye International Challenge with Hariharan Amsakarunan. She and Gayatri were part of the Indian team that won the historic gold at the Badminton Asia Team Championships. They reached a career-best world ranking of No. 9, making them one of India’s top women’s doubles pairs. Treesa is known for her speed, teamwork, and skill on court.Gayatri GopichandDate of Birth: March 4, 2003Place of Birth: Hyderabad, TelanganaSport: Badminton, Women’s DoublesMajor Achievements in 2025:Syed Modi International Super 300: GoldGayatri Gopichand is an Indian badminton player who partners with Treesa Jolly in women’s doubles. In 2025, she won the Syed Modi International Super 300 and reached several deep rounds in other BWF tournaments. Gayatri and Treesa were also part of the Indian squad that won the historic gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships. They reached a career-high world ranking of No. 9, becoming one of India’s top doubles pairs. Gayatri is known for her agility, smart play, and teamwork, making her a key figure in Indian badminton.

Suryakumar Yadav of India poses for a photo with the trophy after victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Final between India and New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium on March 08, 2026 in Ahmedabad, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: Riding high on a historic triumph in Ahmedabad, India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav unveiled an ambitious blueprint: lead India at the 2028 LA Olympics, win gold, and defend the T20 World Cup title later that year in Australia and New Zealand.“The next goal is Olympic gold and also the T20 World Cup that year,” a jubilant Surya told reporters after India trounced New Zealand by 96 runs to become the first team to win back-to-back T20 World Cups.

Surya is not wrong to set a lofty standard for the current India team, which has produced unreal consistency in this format since he took over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma in 2024.Surya has impressive numbers as captain. Since taking reins after the 2024 World Cup, India have been the team to beat in the shortest format. Under Surya, India have played 52 matches, won 42 (including two in Super Overs) and lost only eight games, with two matches ending in no result.

Suryakumar Yadav of India interacts with the crowd following the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Final between India and New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium on March 08, 2026 in Ahmedabad, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)

The record under Surya is enviable, but with talent waiting in the wings, age not on his side, a poor run of form, and a cloud over his injured wrist, he may not be the right man to lead India into the future.Before the T20 World Cup, Surya’s form had nosedived. He had gone 23 innings without a fifty. In that period, his strike rate was below 120. But he bounced back in style at the right time just before the T20 World Cup, slamming three fifties in a five-match T20I series against New Zealand. He carried that form into the T20 World Cup, scoring a magnificent 84 off 49 balls in India’s opening match against the USA.After that, Surya again struggled with his form. In the tournament, he scored 242 runs in nine innings at an average of 30.25 and a strike rate of 136.72. He crossed 30 thrice – against Pakistan, the Netherlands and Zimbabwe – and looked shaky against quality spin in the middle overs.

AHMEDABAD, INDIA – MARCH 08: Suryakumar Yadav of India reacts during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Final between India and New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium on March 08, 2026 in Ahmedabad, India. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

In Delhi against Namibia, he was undone by 35-year-old left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz. On a double-paced surface at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Surya looked all at sea against Pakistan’s spin trio of Saim Ayub, Usman Tariq and Mohammad Nawaz. Surya’s 29-ball 32 took the momentum away after a fiery start by Ishan Kishan.In the next fixture against the Netherlands, he again halted things with a 28-ball 34. If not for Shivam Dube’s 31-ball 66 and lusty blows from Hardik Pandya, India could have been in danger as the margin of victory was only 17 runs.Against South Africa, Surya scored 18 off 22 balls during a painstaking stay at the crease. The Indian captain found his groove against Zimbabwe in Chennai with a fiery 33 off 13 balls. It was his second impactful knock of the tournament.

AHMEDABAD, INDIA – MARCH 08: Suryakumar Yadav of India reacts during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Final between India and New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium on March 08, 2026 in Ahmedabad, India. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

In a virtual quarter-final against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens, he again faltered. His 16-ball 18 sucked the momentum out of a high-scoring chase.In the semi-final, on a belter at the Wankhede where balls were flying, Surya was stumped off Adil Rashid. This was the second time in the tournament that he was caught fishing outside the crease.In the final, when India were cruising at 200 in the 15th over, he decided to come out to bat instead of sending in an in-form Tilak Varma or Shivam Dube. However, his stay lasted just one ball as he went for a golden duck.

Despite his batting failures, he became the third Indian captain to lead the side to a T20 World Cup crown, following in the footsteps of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.With Jasprit Bumrah’s golden four overs, India will again go to LA 2028 and the next T20 World Cup as favourites, and that is a no-brainer. But Surya certainly may not be the right person to lead India at the Olympics and in the next T20 World Cup. India should thank Surya for his service and start preparing a blueprint under a new captain.

Mumbai: Nine months after the tragic stampede at M Chinnaswamy stadium that led to 11 loss of lives, cricket is set to return to the Bengaluru arena with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) slated to meet Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026’s season opener on March 28.

The announcement made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) though comes with a caveat. Matches in Bengaluru require clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka.

The committee will be conducting a meeting and inspection of the stadium on March 13 “during which a full-scale mock demonstration of match-day arrangements will be carried out to assess the stadium’s preparedness for hosting IPL matches,” according to a BCCI statement.

Following the unfortunate incident during the celebration function in the aftermath of RCB’s title win, the Justice D’Cunha report has south widening of gates to smoothen entry and exit points to the stadium. Chances of cricket returning to Chinnaswamy brightened after the new Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) dispensation led by Venkatesh Prasad worked earnestly with the state government to fulfill all safety requirements to the extent possible in the old stadium.

Defending champions RCB have announced that they will be playing five of their seven home matches in Bengaluru with two matches to be played in Raipur, this year. Runners up Punjab Kings is the other franchise to have chosen to play their home matches in more than one location – four in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur.

The scheduling has become a complex task this year with three host states set to undergo state assembly elections during this period. As a result, dates of only the first 20 matches of the 74 have been announced. A total of ten venues – Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad will be playing hosts in the first half of the league. Four of the sixteen playing days until April 12, will have four double headers. The first double-header of the season will take place on April 4 when Delhi Capitals face Mumbai Indians in the afternoon match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, followed by Gujarat Titans taking on Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

There will be considerable interest around the league with India’s newly crowned World Champions set to take the field, turning up for different franchises. Also because the big names to have retired from T20I cricket MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will also be taking centre stage – the only tournament, they are now seen playing the T20 format.