Sports

Mohali, Sep 7 (IANS) The much-anticipated arrival of India captain Shubman Gill lit up the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League on Sunday, as the Fazilka Falcons held their nerve to clinch a thrilling one-run victory over Arshdeep Singh’s Ludhiana Lions in Match 15.

Playing his first match of the season for the Falcons, Gill wasted little time in showing the crowd exactly what the hype was about. Opening the innings, the star batter smashed a scintillating 40 off just 21 balls, striking seven fours and a six to give Fazilka a flying start and send the crowd into a frenzy.

With Ludhiana Lions captain and India pacer Arshdeep Singh leading his side, the contest had plenty of star power from the outset. After Arshdeep won the toss and elected to bowl, Gill took centre stage, producing an explosive knock that set the tone for a high-octane encounter.

However, Ludhiana found a way to fight back through Kartik Chadha, who produced a remarkable spell to derail the Falcons’ momentum. Chadha claimed the prized wicket of Gill and finished with outstanding figures of 4/9 in his four overs, putting the brakes on Fazilka’s scoring.

Despite the setback, important contributions from Prerit Dutta (36 off 23) and Jaiveer Bhinder Singh (21 off 18) helped the Falcons recover and post a competitive 170/9 in 20 overs.

Chasing 171, the Ludhiana Lions were under pressure early as Fazilka’s bowlers struck at regular intervals. Opener Karteek Sharma attempted to steady the innings with a patient 32 off 29 balls, but the Lions continued to lose wickets as the required run rate climbed.

Just when the chase appeared to be slipping away, Krish Bhagat and Madhav Pathania produced a stunning late revival. The pair launched a counterattack, putting the Falcons’ bowlers under immense pressure and stitching together an unbeaten 61-run partnership from just 29 balls.

Pathania was particularly destructive, smashing an unbeaten 37 off 16 balls, while Bhagat remained not out on 28 off 23 balls, keeping the Lions firmly in contention heading into the final over.

With 19 runs required from the last six balls, the game went down to the wire. The Lions kept their hopes alive until the very final delivery, but with six needed off the last ball, Pathania could manage only a boundary, leaving Ludhiana agonisingly short of victory.

The Falcons therefore held on for a dramatic one-run win, bringing a thrilling finish to a match that had the crowd on the edge of their seats.

For his explosive contribution at the top of the order and the impact of his much-awaited first appearance of the season, Shubman Gill was named player of the match.

–IANS

hs/

Bhopal, Sep 6 (IANS) With Indian shooters set to begin their final training camp for the Asian Games in Bhopal from Monday, experienced pistol shooter Rahi Sarnobat believes the city was the ideal choice for the crucial phase of preparations, citing the similarity in weather conditions to those expected at the competition venue.

“I think Bhopal was the best choice for this Asian Games. When we learned that a camp was being held here, we checked the temperature and humidity at the competition venue. They are very similar to those in Bhopal,” Rahi told IANS.

The Indian shooting contingent will use the Final Camp to fine tune their preparations ahead of the Asian Games, with athletes also focussing on maintaining their mental composure and adapting to the conditions they are likely to encounter during competition.

Rahi also appreciated the establishment of the Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy and said she has witnessed its growth since the beginning of her shooting career.

“Actually, I have been watching MP Academy for many years. I mean, since I started shooting, MP Academy was there. But in the last 7-8 years, the way MP Academy has shown development, it is really very good…” she added.

The rising infrastructure and support for Indian shooters have also been complemented by government initiatives like the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), Khelo India. TOPS is a program that supports elite athletes in various sports, and Khelo India has played a key role in providing financial and equipment support to young athletes who may not be receiving adequate support. Such programs have enabled shooters like Vidarsha to create a better support system and give the athletes the means to pursue their goals. The young shooter also spoke about how he has dealt with the pressure of performing at the highest level. She accepted that pressure to perform is part of an athlete’s journey but does her best to block it out by focusing entirely on her preparation.

Rather than worrying about the final score, Vidarsha focuses on her technique and the “feel” of each shot, a mindset that helps her manage anxiety and remain composed during competition. She also keeps her social media usage to a minimum during preparation, prioritising training and deliberately avoiding online distractions. Vidarsha believes the support available to Indian athletes has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. She pointed to the increased backing from the central government following India’s successes at the Olympics and Asian Games, including the development of new sports centres and dedicated shooting facilities across the country.

–IANS

hs/

Valencia, Sep 6 (IANS) Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the La Liga season in emphatic fashion, cruising to a 5-0 victory away to Valencia on Sunday as Lamine Yamal scored twice and Fermin Lopez contributed a goal and two assists.

The defending champions dominated the contest from the start to go on to 12 points from four matches, opening up a three point lead over second-placed Real Madrid. Valencia, meanwhile, stayed bottom with just one point from their opening four games.

Barcelona went ahead in the sixth minute when Fermin’s pass into the box found Yamal, who lofted a finish over Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski from a tight angle.

Fermin then got in on the scoring, finding the net from 18 yards after being set up by Anthony Gordon in the 22nd minute.

The visitors remained firmly in control after the break, scoring a third in the 50th minute.

Racing in behind the Valencia defence after receiving a pass from Yamal, Fermin sent a low ball across the six-yard box for Raphinha to tap in at the far post.

Fermin and Raphinha linked up well again with the former creating two more chances for the Brazilian in the second half. Dimitrievski denied the first and Raphinha failed to connect cleanly with the second.

Barcelona kept creating chances at will, Rodri heading against the crossbar before Pedri added the fourth in the 79th minute.

Gabriel Jesus made his Barcelona debut after his move from Arsenal, coming off the bench.

There was still time for Yamal to complete the rout, the youngster sweeping home from close range for his second of the nite.

Barcelona’s league tally went up to 17 goals in their first four games, demonstrating their strong attacking start to the defense of their title.

–IANS

hs/

Monza, Sep 6 (IANS) Kimi Antonelli produced a sensational comeback drive at his home Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, storming from 19th on the grid to claim victory at Monza after overtaking Mercedes teammate and title rival George Russell in the closing stages.

After receiving an engine penalty, Antonelli began the race towards the back, but he then moved quickly up through the field by means of excellent speed and bold moves to overtake other drivers. The Virtual Safety Car, which came into effect during the race, was important in his rise, since Antonelli used the caution period to stop and get a new set of medium tyres while Russell remained on the track with his used hards.

Antonelli’s different tyre strategy gradually gave him the upper hand, enabling him to close in on Russell in the last stages of the race. Although he briefly went through the gravel when attacking his teammate, he managed to recover and secure a remarkable win over 53 laps at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

Russell came in second place, about four seconds behind Antonelli, while Max Verstappen of Red Bull took third position after a determined race which involved a number of bold overtakes.

Lando Norris won a closely fought race against his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to end in fourth place, while Lewis Hamilton was the top-scoring driver for Ferrari, coming in sixth after Charles Leclerc had a serious crash at the last corner on the second lap.

The fact that Pierre Gasly had surprised the field by securing his first Formula 1 pole position during Saturday’s Qualifying session meant that he was unable to keep up with the other drivers at the front and ended up in seventh place; Arvid Lindblad, Franco Colapinto and Yuki Tsunoda filled out the rest of the points-scoring positions.

Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg drove in the Audi cars, there being an incident in which Hulkenberg fought with Liam Lawson at Turn 4, and this was then looked into by the stewards. Carlos Sainz came in thirteenth for Williams, placing him ahead of Lawson, Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon, who are teammates at Haas, Alex Albon, and the Cadillac drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were also among those who retired late, Alonso going back to the pits due to suspected damage to his car and Stroll pulling out because of a problem with the hydraulics.

The outcome marked a remarkable turnaround for Antonelli, who had been the championship leader at the start of the weekend but was obliged to start from 19th position due to his power unit penalty.

The Italian’s recovery was all the more remarkable because of the strength of the opposition on the front row. During Qualifying, Gasly and Alpine had given one of the surprises of the season, the Frenchman taking advantage of the team’s latest chassis improvements and the Mercedes power unit to get pole position.

Russell was starting in the front row as he had secured pole position ahead of Gasly and had in fact beaten the Frenchman at an online chess game earlier.

At the beginning Piastri qualified in third position but was given a three-place grid penalty for having impeded Lawson in Q2, which promoted Leclerc and Hamilton to the second row and raised Verstappen to fifth place.

As a result of receiving a penalty, Antonelli’s position fell from seventh to nineteenth, and both Albon and Lawson were also given engine penalties. Lawson was subsequently required to start from the pit lane due to modifications made to the rear wing of his Red Bull under parc ferme conditions, and Alonso too had to start from the pit lane after changes to the power unit following qualifying.

Before the race, everyone was focused on whether Gasly would be able to turn his surprising pole position into a win, and Sebastian Vettel added to the excitement by driving Michael Schumacher’s 2002 Ferrari during a special demonstration run.

The tyre strategy was another issue that was widely discussed. Gasly and Russell chose the medium tyres, while Leclerc, Hamilton and Verstappen went with the soft ones. Antonelli started with the hard tyres together with Tsunoda and Alonso.

With the lights turning off, Gasly managed a straightforward escape to keep the lead going into the first chicane; behind him, Leclerc and Hamilton were side by side, Hamilton seeming to be pushed onto the gravel and thus dropping in the standings.

Verstappen and Piastri also nearly made contact, Verstappen managing to get ahead and end up in fourth place.

–IANS

hs/

Windhoek, Sep 6 (IANS) A clinical South Africa put up a dominant all-round display to outclass Zimbabwe by 48 runs in the final and claim the T20I tri-series title at the Namibia Cricket Ground here on Sunday.

Riding on a rapid half-century from Jordan Hermann and a 23-ball 32 from Dewald Brevis, South Africa posted a formidable 205/5 in their 20 overs after electing to bat first. In reply, Zimbabwe’s top order collapsed under pressure before being bowled out for 157 in 18 overs.

Despite missing opener Lhuan-dre Pretorius due to a niggle, South Africa asserted their authority early. Hermann smashed a 24-ball fifty, laced with eight fours and a six, while sharing an 84-run opening stand with Connor Esterhuizen (32).

Brevis maintained the momentum in the middle overs by hitting two fours and as many sixes, while Rubin Hermann chipped in with 27 off 16 balls, including three fours and a six, to propel the Proteas past the 200-run mark via a 47-run stand for the fifth wicket.

For Zimbabwe, right-arm pacer Brad Evans (2-36) and left-arm fast bowler Newman Nyamhuri (2-51) were standout bowlers. Chasing a daunting target of 206, Zimbabwe suffered a disastrous start when opener Ben Curran was dismissed for a first-ball duck by Eathan Bosch. Duan Jansen and Bosch made swift inroads into the top order by reducing Zimbabwe to four wickets down inside the powerplay.

Skipper Sikandar Raza survived an early reprieve when a caught-behind dismissal off Bosch was overturned due to a no-ball. But Proteas captain Bjorn Fortuin (3-24) quickly ended his resistance to leave the chase in tatters.

Evans produced a spirited late fightback for Zimbabwe, striking his maiden T20I fifty in a 52-run ninth-wicket partnership with Kundai Matigimu. However, Kwena Maphaka broke the stand before Zimbabwe’s innings eventually folded in the 18th over.

Jansen finished as the pick of the seamers with 3-38, while Bosch picked up 2-22, as South Africa defeated Zimbabwe for the third time in the last eight days. The tournament served as a crucial warm-up event for 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup co-hosts South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. South Africa will next feature in a three-match bilateral ODI series against hosts Namibia, with Fortuin continuing as captain.

Brief Scores: South Africa 205/5 (Jordan Hermann 53, Connor Esterhuizen 32; Brad Evans 2-36, Newman Nyamhuri 2-51) beat Zimbabwe 157 (Brad Evans 56 not out, Bjorn Fortuin 3-24, Duan Jansen 3-38) by 48 runs

–IANS

nr/

Chennai, Sep 6 (IANS) Ajit Agarkar, Chairman of the senior men’s selection committee, was spotted in the stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday to watch the Duleep Trophy final between South Zone and East Zone. It marked Agarkar’s first public appearance days after missing a crucial BCCI review meeting in Mumbai.

Agarkar, sitting alone in the corporate box on day one’s play, monitored the action as several India and domestic stars pressed their cases ahead of upcoming India ‘A’ assignments. His presence comes after his absence from last Thursday’s review meeting, convened to address recent series losses in England and Ireland, as well as chalk out the roadmap for 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup.

His absence fueled widespread speculation regarding his future with the national selection panel. Addressing concerns over his absence, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia clarified that Agarkar was unable to attend the meeting due to prior travel arrangements and connectivity constraints.

“He was out of station. He could not be a part of the meeting because this meeting was called at very short notice, and our head of the selection committee, Ajit, was not in town, so he could not join it. He was in such an area that he could not join online, in spite of our best efforts,” Saikia had told reporters at that time.

The high-level review meeting in Mumbai was attended by head coach Gautam Gambhir, Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, and T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer, as well as BCCI President Mithun Manhas, Joint Secretary Prabhtej Singh Bhatia, and CoE head of cricket VVS Laxman.

With reports pointing to Agarkar’s contract likely to end later this month, Saikia dismissed rumours that the meeting included deliberations on the selection committee’s tenure or future administrative extensions.

“There was no such discussion in the meeting. There was no discussion over the selection committee. Our whole focus was performance in England and Ireland, as well as the recent Test series in Sri Lanka and what we are going to do in the upcoming series, plus the World Cup, which is our ultimate goal,” Saikia added.

Agarkar’s appearance at Chepauk assumes significance as selectors assess form and fitness for five home and away ‘A’ Tests scheduled against Australia ‘A’ and New Zealand ‘A’ over the next two months. Previously, Agarkar’s fellow committee members Ajay Ratra, RP Singh, SS Das and Pragyan Ojha were present to monitor players during the Duleep Trophy quarter-finals and semi-finals at the CoE Grounds in Bengaluru.

–IANS

nr/

Chennai, Sep 6 (IANS) Clocking 100 first-class appearances felt like a distant dream for Shreyas Gopal. But with that achieved via taking the field for the ongoing Duleep Trophy final, the Karnataka leg-spin bowling all-rounder said he is driven by an even larger mission: proving that leg-spinners still have a vital role to play in red-ball cricket.

Gopal, along with veteran India pacer Mohammed Shami, completed the milestone of 100 First-Class matches during the ongoing Duleep Trophy final between South Zone and East Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday.

“Definitely not, but everyone dreams of playing for the country, playing 100 First-Class games. It’s a very special achievement and I’m very grateful for this opportunity. I’m very happy about this,” Gopal told reporters at the end of day one’s play.

Gopal’s career has enjoyed a significant second wind since returning to Karnataka after playing for Kerala in 2024. In the previous Ranji Trophy season, he finished as the third-highest wicket-taker with 48 scalps alongside hitting five half-centuries with the bat.

“I put in a lot of work, especially on bowling. I was told that there are not too many leg-spinners who have played upwards of 30-50 games. I wanted to make a point to show that leg-spinners can play red-ball cricket and still be successful.

“I put a lot of work into my bowling. Batting was a little more gifted for me, in the sense that I grew up as a batsman so I had that natural ability to bat, but bowling took a lot. I bowled a lot of weeks, months and years,” he added.

According to Gopal, the primary shift in his bowling approach over recent seasons has been tactical rather than purely technical. “Using the crease, understanding what situation it is and when to attack, when to defend.

“Most times it will come off, sometimes, like today, it is not going to come off. But as long as you go in with a plan, as long as you try and achieve something with a goal, it at least gives you a sense of direction. If you just go there without a plan, most times you are not going to be aware of what’s going to hit you.”

With over a decade of experience of playing domestic cricket, Gopal, who ended up with 0-77 in 19 overs on day one, signed off by emphasising on the importance of emotional equilibrium through the unpredictable nature of the game. “I think it’s very important to stay neutral, not get too carried away with success, and on days like today, not feel too terrible about it.

“There was a person who once told me that it’s harder to handle success than failure. When you’re successful, you can get carried away a lot easier. When you don’t get that success, you want to do so much better, so you try and work a lot harder. But it’s very important that you work as hard as when you’re successful and when things are falling.”

–IANS

nr/

Bengaluru, Sep 5 (IANS) Ganges Grandmasters stopped the winning juggernaut of American Gambits while defending champions Alpine APL Pipers registered their second consecutive win in the Global Chess League (GCL) in Bengaluru on Sunday.

Ganges Grandmasters, playing two matches on day 2, put behind the disappointment of losing to Alpine APL Pipers in the first match of the day to convincingly beat the Gambits 9-7 and move to second spot in the standings.

Pipers had earlier beaten the Ganges Grandmasters 11-6 while PBG Alaskan Knights had defeated Mumba Masters 11-6 for their first win of the tournament.

The second day of action at the GCL Season 4 proved to be a treat for fans as they witnessed some clinical victories and great escapes.

However, Nihal’s victory wasn’t enough for the Gambits to get the winning edge as player of the match Polina Shuvalova defeated Bibisara Assaubayeva to win her third game in three rounds.

Ian Nepomniachtchi then turned the tables on 2026 Candidates winner Javokhir Sindarov in a rook-pawn endgame to put his team ahead. Gambit’s Daniil Dubov could not convert his advantage against Leinier Dominguez Perez into a win despite stretching the game 101 moves.

Earlier, Vidit Gujrathi and Koneru Humpy registered their second straight win with black pieces to put the Pipers in the driver’s seat despite women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh suffering another reversal.

Vidit made the most of a slight error from Leinier Dominguez Perez to win in 38 moves and Humpy once again showed her class with a systematic dismantling of Stavroula Tsolakidou in 41 moves.

But with Divya going down against Shuvalova, the Ganges Grandmasters had a chance to narrow the margin of defeat as Ian Nepomniachtchi having a clear advantage with almost over 5 minutes on hand going to the endgame against Magnus Carlsen on the icon board.

But the world no. 1 Norwegian once against showed why he is called the king of endgames as he fought back after trading the queens to play out a draw.

Speaking after her match, player of the Mlmatch Humpy, “After the opening I was very clear that I was in a better position. Definitely, I could have played much better but I also wanted to play fast and I think I played well enough to win.”

Later, PBG Alaskan Knights jumped to fourth place in the standings as Arjun Erigaisi, Player of the match Nino Batsiashvili and Abhimanyu Mishra won their matches with white pieces to register a comfortable victory over CheQ Mumba Masters. 15-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus looked good to beat Shakhriyar Mamedyarov but could not find the right combination under time pressure and eventually resigned after 82 moves.

–IANS

hs/

Chennai, Sep 6 (IANS) Young Jharkhand batter Shikhar Mohan credited senior partner and captain Ishan Kishan’s constant guidance behind him making a fluent 85 on Duleep Trophy debut, as he played a vital role in putting East Zone in command on opening day of the 2026/27 Duleep Trophy final against a star-studded South Zone.

Drafted into the playing eleven as a replacement for Jharkhand teammate Virat Singh, Mohan and Kishan added 94 runs for the third wicket to rebuild the innings. Kishan remained unbeaten on 111 at the end of day one’s play, with Kumar Kushagra giving him company on 63 not out, as East Zone’s score read 385/4 in 79 overs.

“Ishan bhaiya was giving me a lot of advice while batting. He was telling me what shot is on and what is not. Thanks to that, we had a great partnership,” Mohan told reporters at the end of day’s play.

Mohan earned his place in the East Zone side following an outstanding debut Ranji Trophy season, in which he scored 613 runs at an average of 55.72. Though a specialist opener, he adapted seamlessly to the number three position.

“My journey has been very good so far. My first season in Ranji Trophy went very well, so coming into this match, I just wanted to carry that forward. I was looking to maintain that form from the Ranji Trophy.”

“I didn’t face any problem. The openers are Abhimanyu bhai and Vaibhav bhai, so obviously there is no space as an opener. My mindset was that wherever I get a chance, I should do well for the team,” he added.

South Zone pacers attempted to test Mohan with a short-ball tactic in the post-lunch session, but the youngster displayed remarkable restraint before inside-edging off a bouncer from Chama Milind.

“They had five fielders on the leg-side. The plan was that I would leave the ball first, and when they get tired, they will give me chances to score run. I made a poor decision and got out.”

He signed off by crediting his time of playing Jharkhand T20 league for helping him cope with the big-match atmosphere in front of a sizable Sunday crowd at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. “I think it helped a lot. The crowds there were also very good, so today when there was a big crowd, it felt normal to me.”

–IANS

nr/

Tashkent, Sep 6 (IANS) India on Sunday blanked Bangladesh 3-0 in their final Group B qualifier to boost their hopes for a place in the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027.

Danny Meitei Laishram, Vishal Yadav and Md Arbash scored for the Indian side in a strong win at the Do’stlik Stadium in Tashkent, which has kept the Blue Colts very much alive in the race for their first entry into the AFC U20 Asian Cup after 20 years.

India now have six points from their three games in Group B and are placed second. They can be displaced by Syria, who have three points from two games but have a game against the group-toppers Uzbekistan. If Syria lose their game or play a draw, India would end second and be one of the seven best runners-up places across the eight groups.

Danny opened the scoring for India in the 25th minute before Vishal gave the Blue Colts a two-goal cushion with his acrobatic finish on the hour mark. Coming off the bench, Md Arbash then put India 3-0 up as they ultimately sealed the contest with a powerful strike in the 79th minute.

Danny did a good job for India early when he put Md Abdul Riyad Fahim under pressure, forcing the Bangladesh defender into conceding possession cheaply to Hateem Ali. The India striker displayed excellent awareness and gave a good ball to the unmarked Danny inside the box, who then nailed the finish for an early lead.

Danny himself nearly put India 2-0 up after the half hour mark when his free-kick headed towards the goal; however, the goalkeeper was quick to make the save.

The second half began in the same fashion, with the Blue Colts attacking as an opportunity opened up near the hour mark when Rishikanta flicked a long throw in the box to Vishal, who nailed an acrobatic finish for a double lead.

Bangladesh looked for their chances and were aggressive in the last half an hour, but they could not break the Indian defence. India made changes in the 72nd minute, bringing in Md Arbash and Prashan Jajo for Danny and Vishal.

Abrash did wonders soon after coming on the pitch as he hit a fierce one into the top of the net from his left foot for an India 3-0 lead. India oversaw Bangladesh for the remainder of the match to do their work in a bid for the AFC U20 Asian Cup qualification.

–IANS

vm/

Dhaka, Sep 6 (IANS) Bangladesh state minister for youth and sports Aminul Haque was unaware of the Bangladesh Premier League’s postponement due to credibility issues and wanted the league to take place every year.

BCB president Tamim Iqbal had earlier confirmed that the board will not start the BPL until the credibility issues that have hit the tournament are fixed, a move which was welcomed by the franchises but not by the cricketers.

The cricketers were later offered increased match fees in the domestic circuit to compensate for the financial issues. Meanwhile, Aminul has called for an annual organisation of the tournament but was not aware of the postponement announced earlier.

“I only got to know from you (media) just now; I wasn’t aware BPL would not take place. BPL is a popular tournament for Bangladesh,” Aminul told the media on Sunday in Dhaka.

“You’re saying the board president presented some logical reasons to you all. I think a tournament like the BPL should be held every year. Why it didn’t happen, we need to discuss. We will obviously monitor in future that this kind of competition takes place regularly,” he added.

Last month, Tamim had announced that he was not ready to host the BPL, Bangladesh’s only T20 franchise tournament, until the issues are fixed. The BPL was scheduled to take place at the end of 2026. “I have said it a few times that I don’t want to organise the BPL this way. One thing has to be said again. In one tournament, for the last two years, BCB has incurred losses of around 40 Crore Taka,” Tamim had said last month.

“Franchise cricket is supposed to make money for Bangladesh Cricket Board. Not lose money, so there is something going wrong. Until and unless we fix the issues, it is not absolutely important for us to host this event every year,” he said.

–IANS

vm/

Bengaluru, Sep 6 (IANS) Arshi Gupta, the nine-year-old from Faridabad, yet again showcased her undoubted talent and composure with a sizzling performance in the mini max class that saw her snatch maximum points in the fifth round of the FMSCI Indian National Karting Championship RMC India 2026 which concluded at the Meco Kartopia here on Sunday.

In the fourth round a couple of days back at the same venue, Arshi (Leapfrog Racing) won both the championship points scoring races, the pre-final and final, comfortably. She also put in eight consecutive fastest laps in the final today.

Meanwhile, two Bengaluru-based Peregrine Racing teammates, Zidaan Arshaan Anees (Micro Max) and Akshat Misra (Senior Max), triumphed in their respective classes, while Hridaan Sanadhya from Pune (Crest Motorsports) topped the Junior Max category. The trio earned maximum championship points by winning the pre-final and final races.

Almost all the sessions today had their fair share of contacts and collisions, which spiced up the proceedings. Amidst the chaos, Arshi Gupta was simply unstoppable as she won the Mini Max races in a dominating fashion.

One of the exciting races was the Mini Max Final, where Coimbatore’s Shivneel Karthikeyan (MSPORT), son of India’s first Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan, clinched a third spot after fighting his way through the field but could not pass Bengaluru’s Ridhaan Anil Kumarr (Red Rabbit Racing), who finished second behind Arshi.

Meanwhile, Zidaan, after jumping into the lead at the start, maintained a consistent pace, which saw him draw away from the chasing pack that included Round 4 topper Kolhapur’s Ayansh Patil (MSPORT) and the hard-charging Rudrapratap Singh Shekhawat from Gurugram (Leapfrog Racing), both of whom finished on the podium in two races on Sunday.

One of the surprises today was that fancied Rivaan Dev Preetham from Chennai (MSPORT) went winless in the Junior Max class. He was fourth in the pre-final and second in the final, where he exhibited his racecraft and dared to move up from mid-grid to the podium.

The senior class races, marked by 23-kart grids, also dished out nail-biting finishes where the track positions kept changing in both the pre-final and final. Akshat Misra, after holding off the challenge in the early laps, topped both outings. Bengaluru’s Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing) managed to finish ahead of Eshanth Vengatesan in the pre-final. Later, in the final, Rohaan looked good for P2 behind Akshat Misra until he got involved in a collision and dropped out of contention. Eshanth squeezed through for a P2 finish ahead of Mumbai’s Aahil Mecklai (Rayo Racing).

–IANS

hs/