Hardik Pandya's ‘never been more alive’! Indian star posts on Instagram

Star India and Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hardik Pandya has seldom been seen since the IPL due to a series of injuries and niggles, but in his downtime the 32-year-old has been enjoying life off the pitch, if his recent Instagram post is anything to go by.

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A post shared by Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya93)

Pandya shared a series of photographs with his 44.9 million followers of his life lately, featuring his partner Mahieka Sharma. He captioned the post: “Been offline, but never felt so alive.”

The post — Pandya’s first since May 25 — received 2.5 million ‘likes.’

There has been a lot of talk about India’s hockey jersey over the last month and a half. The matter had become acutely political ahead of the World Cup, with many blaming the government for choosing orange over blue. Going into the Asian Games, the jersey is back in focus once more, and it is important to close this debate once and for all.

As you can see from the photos, Indian players have been given two sets of jerseys to take to Nagoya. The second set is orange or reddish-orange, which was used at the World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium. The primary set, however, which was approved by Hockey India officials and the head coach of the team on 12 August 2026, is white, with sky-blue socks, shorts and sleeves.

The white and sky-blue combination is the primary jersey that India will wear in Aichi-Nagoya at the Asian Games. While it is not entirely blue, it does feature sky blue on the socks, sleeves and shorts.

It is important to state here that jerseys will not win us the Asian Games. Performance will. The teams need to win gold in Japan to ensure they qualify for the 2028 LA Olympics.

For the first time, the women also have a very realistic chance of beating China and winning gold. The men, on the other hand, need to redeem themselves after a poor World Cup campaign and make it back to the top of the podium in Japan. In doing so, they need to stay focused, and the jersey controversy going forward is unnecessary.

That is why it was important to show the two sets of jerseys that India will wear and put the issue to rest once and for all.

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New Delhi [India], September 9 (ANI): India finished fourth amongst 82 nations in the recently concluded Pickleball World Cup held at Da Nang, Vietnam, with a total medal tally of 41 medals, including seven golds, 17 silvers and 17 bronze medals.

The Pickleball World Cup 2026 proved to be a massive jump for India, which finished 7th in last year’s World Cup, according to a release.

India sent a team delegation of 48 athletes who competed in the Kids, Juniors, Open, Seniors and Master’s team events, representing the official Indian Team at the World Cup.

“The Indian contingent has achieved tremendous results in the 2026 World Cup, and the entire Indian Pickleball Association would like to congratulate every single member of the delegation. Your hard work and dedication have made it seamless for IPA to continue our commitment towards global excellence. Ending up in 4th place is a huge statement to make, and I’m sure that we will definitely be aiming for an even higher spot next edition. Once again, congratulations to the entire Indian contingent, and we now set our eyes into improving grassroot pickleball within India to empower many more such talents to make a mark on the global stage," Indian Pickleball Association CEO Aditya Khanna said.

The Juniors team ended up in 4th place after bowing out to the formidable Vietnam in the quarterfinals. The team was led by Arjun Singh and included Aditya Singh, Dev Shah, Purvansh Patel, Vivan Patel, Naomi Amalsadiwala, Ashritha Raju and Diya Mattipati, who put up a great fight for the bronze medal.

The Open team lost out to eventual finalists USA in the quarter-finals 2-4, ending their campaign on the penultimate day of the World Cup. The team was led by Harsh Mehta and included Arjun Singh, Anish Frolian, Aman Patel, Naomi Amalsadiwala, Pearl Amalsadiwala, Mihika Yadav and Aaliya Ebrahim.

The Masters team consisted of Bhushan Akut, Thakurdas Rohira, and Ajeet Bhardwaj. The final contingent for Team India, the Seniors team, exited in the round of 16 against New Zealand; the squad consisted of Suryaveer Singh Bhullar, Atul Edward, Akhil Mathur, Nilesh Desai, Kiran Salian, Gaurika Chopra, Pearline Roopkumar and Kavita Khanna.

The highlights of the individual categories were Harsh Mehta winning the bronze in the Open Pro Men’s Doubles category, Purvansh Patel winning Gold in the U/18 Boys Singles category, and Bhushan Akut winning 3 golds in the 60+ men’s doubles with Ashok Rohira, 60+ Men’s Singles and 60+ mixed doubles respectively.

Fayrouz Zaidi took home top honours in the 40+ women’s singles, as Vivek Reddy won on the men’s side in the same category. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

India vs Afghanistan 2026 T20: There is no stopping the rising brand value of Team India as they hit a massive Rs 130 crore jackpot ahead of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan beginning at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a two-year deal for associate sponsorship worth over Rs 130 crore, according to a statement made by the board.

The BCCI have signed up Campa, SBI Life and ChatGPT as Associate Partners for Indian home cricket for a two-season period, commencing with upcoming series against the West Indies and running through March 2028.

“The three new partnerships have a combined deal value of over Rs 130 crore, representing a 44% increase over the previous cycle, underscoring the strong appeal and growing commercial value of India’s home cricket season,” the BCCI said in a statement.

BCCI announces Campa, SBI Life and ChatGPT as Associate Partners for India Home Cricket.

The three new partnerships have a combined deal value of over ₹130 crore, representing a 44% increase over the previous cycle, underscoring the strong appeal and growing… pic.twitter.com/GxBeCrGGaB

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 8, 2026

The partnerships bring together brands from the beverage, insurance and AI sectors, adding to BCCI’s commercial ecosystem. The deals cover India’s bilateral cricket played at home during the two-season period. They reflect the versatility of Indian cricket as a platform for businesses to build visibility, reach consumers and engage with a large and passionate fan base.

“India’s home season continues to be a valuable and sought-after sporting property in the country, and the signing of Campa, SBI Life and ChatGPT is a strong endorsement of the strength of the Indian cricket ecosystem. The big increase in the combined value of these partnerships is particularly encouraging. It reflects the trust that leading brands have in the reach, engagement and commercial potential that comes with being associated with BCCI,” BCCI President Mithun Manhas was quoted as saying.

“Each brings a distinct brand and proposition to Indian cricket, and we look forward to working with them to build strong associations that create greater value for all stakeholders,” Manhas added.

The BCCI are still hunting for a lead sponsor for the India home series matches for the men’s team. “The significant growth in the value of our home season partnerships reflects the strength of the property and the confidence that brands have in the BCCI and Team India. A 44 per cent increase in the combined deal value, with the latest partnerships valued at over Rs 130 crore, is a significant achievement and demonstrates the strong demand for association with Indian cricket,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said.

India will begin a three-match ODI series against West Indies at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on September 28 followed by a five-match T20I series against the men from Caribbean at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on October 6.

We use the word “factory” rather loosely in Indian sport. Talent factory. Medal factory. Champion factory. As though athletes arrive at one end of an assembly line and emerge at the other wearing India colours and carrying medals. An afternoon at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, alongside Boria Majumdar, was enough to dispel that notion. It was equal parts humbling and inspiring.

And at the centre of it all was Gopi. At 52, Pullela Gopichand still seems to possess the fitness, energy and drive of a teenager. He runs the institution with an iron hand, his affection for his wards carefully concealed beneath the visage of the passionate disciplinarian. You sense that he cares enormously. You also sense that he would rather they discovered that through what he demands of them than through what he says.

Sitting in his office, looking through the glass windows onto the world-class badminton courts, we watched something extraordinary unfold. It was a guru taking his disciples through their lessons. Gopi stood on one side of the net, an elbow loaded with more than 30 shuttles tucked neatly against his body. Then they began to fly from his racquet with the ease of an accomplished magician pulling tricks from a hat.

One shuttle demanded a delicate touch at the net. The next forced the player backwards to retrieve and lob from deep court. Another was fired low, under the net, simulating a vicious smash that had to be rescued with the slightest flick of the wrist. Forward. Back. Bend. Stretch. Recover. Anticipate. React. Again. And again. And again.

It was less a badminton drill than a theatrical performance… efficacy of movement combining with the elegance of ballet. A group of young girls rotated through different modules under the watchful eyes of the Guru. Gopi missed almost nothing. A word of encouragement here. A sharp expression of displeasure there. The body movement wasn’t right. The chest hadn’t opened enough to generate power in the smash. Someone had shrunk into the shot and lost leverage. These were details invisible to most of us. To Gopi, they were everything.

And perhaps that is how champions are made: not through one spectacular intervention but through a million tiny corrections, repeated until they become instinct. There was something surreal about watching these young athletes. Somewhere among them, you wondered, might be a future Indian champion. Perhaps an Olympic medallist. Perhaps someone whose name we don’t know today but will chant a few years from now.

Then, almost as if to complete the picture, Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly trudged in.

Fresh from their recent BWF success, surely there would be some latitude for the established stars? Not quite. The Guru put them through their paces with pretty much the same intensity and scrutiny as everyone else.

That perhaps explains Pullela Gopichand better than any citation can. And there have been plenty of those. He is the winner of India’s second-highest civilian honour, another milestone in an extraordinary journey from All England champion to the architect of a badminton ecosystem that has produced some of India’s greatest sporting names.

Yet watching him on court, honours seem almost incidental. Because what we witnessed in Gachibowli wasn’t a factory at all. Factories manufacture identical products. This place painstakingly shapes individuals. It combines science with repetition, discipline with intuition, toughness with care and ambition with extraordinary attention to detail. It is a temple of learning. And presiding over it, shuttles tucked under one arm, racquet in the other and those sharp eyes missing absolutely nothing, is Indian badminton’s remarkable high priest.

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