Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: Squad Change Ahead of Semis and Fan Incident
In a crucial development for the Indian team ahead of their ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 semi-final clash against Australia, opener Shafali Verma has been approved as a replacement for the injured Pratika Rawal. Rawal was ruled out of the tournament after sustaining an ankle injury while fielding during India's final league phase match against Bangladesh on Sunday. The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 approved Verma's inclusion on Monday, October 27. This comes as a significant blow, as Rawal was the tournament's second-highest run-scorer. The injury has presented India with a "semifinal conundrum" regarding who will fill Rawal's gap.
Off the field, an unfortunate incident occurred during the Women's ODI World Cup 2025 in Indore, where two Australian cricketers were reportedly harassed. An arrest was made, and both the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association and the BCCI issued statements condemning the incident.
Indian Supercross Racing League Season 2 Kicks Off with BB Racing Dominance
The second season of the Indian Supercross Racing League (ISRL) roared to an electrifying start with Round 1 concluding at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune. Home team BB Racing emerged as the overall winner of the night, triumphing in both international classes. The opening race weekend, held on October 27, 2025, delivered non-stop thrills and intense racing action, with global and Indian riders competing in front of a packed stadium. Ben Hallgren (Thailand) of Gujarat Trailblazers also took the chequered flag in the 250cc India-Asia Mix category.
Men's Cricket: Rohit Sharma's Retirement Plans and Suryakumar Yadav's Form Under Scrutiny
Veteran opener Rohit Sharma's childhood coach, Dinesh Lad, has revealed that Sharma plans to retire after the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup. This announcement followed Sharma's explosive knock of 121* and his 50th international century against Australia in the third ODI.
Meanwhile, India's T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, is facing scrutiny over his prolonged lean patch. Despite India's recent Asia Cup victory, Yadav has managed only 100 runs in 11 innings this year as captain, raising concerns ahead of the T20 World Cup. Coach Gautam Gambhir has publicly backed Yadav, stating that failures are inevitable with an ultra-aggressive batting philosophy.
In other cricket news, Shreyas Iyer has been moved out of the ICU following a spleen injury.
FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 Returns to India, Uttarakhand Launches MP Sports Festival
India is set to host the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025, with the prestigious event returning to the country after 23 years. The tournament is scheduled to begin on November 1 in Goa, and World Champion D Gukesh will lead the Indian contingent.
In a significant initiative to promote sports at the grassroots level, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the 'MP Sports Festival' in Dehradun on Monday, October 27, 2025. Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the festival aims to scout and nurture sporting talent from the remotest villages of Uttarakhand, emphasizing the state's commitment to fostering a strong sporting culture and developing world-class infrastructure.